The establishment of the Wind and Cloud Arena by Yanhuan Jiu piqued Su Xin's interest.However,he felt that Yanhuan Jiu's meticulous efforts to establish the Wind and Cloud Arena were definitely not just for the sake of accumulating wealth.
For individuals at the level of Yanhuan Jiu,money is just a number.Su Xin could only see one benefit in the Wind and Cloud Arena–it could attract the scattered martial artists in Shangshan City.
For those with strength,their pursuit is no longer mere material wealth;it's the pursuit of'fame and fortune.'They may not be able to climb the rankings in the Central Plains martial arts world,but they can certainly showcase their prowess in Shangshan City's Wind and Cloud Rankings.
The special treatment for the top thirty in the Wind and Cloud Arena is like treating them as celebrities.If one can establish a foothold in the arena,it's enough to prove their strength within Shangshan City.
However,Su Xin couldn't help but wonder,what does Yanhuan Jiu gain from the Wind and Cloud Arena?
As they walked,Su Xin heard from Fang Hao,who spoke with envy,"If you can stay in the top ten of the Wind and Cloud Rankings for more than three days,or even directly break into the top thirty,you'll receive a personal invitation from the City Lord of Shangshan.Then you can officially join Shangshan City.The treatment is even better than some martial arts sects,and it's prestigious."
Upon hearing this,Su Xin suddenly realized.It seems that Yanhuan Jiu's true purpose in establishing the Wind and Cloud Arena is to recruit talents.Shangshan City is vast,and almost 80%of the scattered martial artists in Southern Xiangnan are here.If Yanhuan Jiu doesn't want to turn them into his own force,he wouldn't be the dominant figure he is.
Finding them one by one or waiting for them to join voluntarily is not only slow but also prone to misjudging their strength.With the Wind and Cloud Arena,everything is based on strength.If you have the strength,you qualify to be recruited by Shangshan City,with promises of great rewards and a soaring reputation.
As they continued their conversation,they arrived at the central square of the city.Su Xin also saw the towering Wind and Cloud Arena.
The entire arena was about a thousand steps in size,with five slightly smaller arenas on the side.Normally,five martial artists could challenge each other simultaneously,speeding up the updates in the Wind and Cloud Arena.
However,at the moment,there was no one on the Wind and Cloud Arena,but there was a group of chairs arranged underneath.More than ten young people sat in the middle,surrounded by many martial artists guarding them,highlighting their distinguished status.
Fang Hao whispered to Su Xin,"Brother Meng,you must remember these people.In Shangshan City,you must not provoke them.They are all the children of the City Lord.Recently,the City Lord is preparing to select his successor and has given each of his thirteen children a token.Each token represents control over a trade route.Within a year,whoever earns the most money becomes the successor of Shangshan City."
Fang Hao continued,explaining that these tokens could be gifted or obtained through challenges in the Wind and Cloud Arena.If one's subordinates defeated all the subordinates of another child,they could seize that token.To prevent internal conflicts among the siblings,only the City Lord's subordinates could participate in the Wind and Cloud Arena.
Su Xin,with a glint in his eyes,hadn't expected that the succession battle for the City Lord of Shangshan City had already begun.Yanhuan Jiu had come up with a clever way to test the successors by using commercial routes.It made sense,as Shangshan City's prosperity was built on its reputation as a commercial hub.
However,understanding commerce alone wasn't enough.Shangshan City,despite being a commercial city,was fundamentally built on martial strength.Without Yanhuan Jiu,a Martial Dao Grandmaster,and the talented individuals he had recruited over the years,the wealthy Shangshan City might have already been annexed by the major martial arts sects in Southern Xiangnan.
Therefore,Yanhuan Jiu added a rule that allowed successors to challenge each other through the Wind and Cloud Arena,encouraging them to use martial strength to conquer each other.This not only provided additional trade routes but also tested their ability to control talents.
Su Xin looked at Yanhuan Jiu's thirteen successors,squinting his eyes,and asked Fang Hao,"Brother,since I'm new here,can you provide me with detailed introductions of these young masters?"The information given to Su Xin by Tie Wuqing included details about Yanhuan Jiu's thirteen successors,but without photographs,he couldn't match the descriptions accurately.
Fang Hao's gossiping tendency suddenly surfaced again.He pointed to a tall young man sitting in the middle and said,"This is the eldest son of the City Lord,Yan Shuheng.Among the thirteen children,Yan Shuheng is the oldest and has deep roots in Shangshan City."
He then gestured towards a handsome but sinister-looking young man next to Yan Shuheng,saying,"This is the second son,Yan Zhongheng.He is known for being cunning and arrogant.Be careful;many warriors in Shangshan City have lost their martial arts or had their legs broken for offending him,and they were expelled from Shangshan City."
Fang Hao continued,pointing to a handsome young man in white clothing,"This is the ninth son,Yan Shengheng.He is generous,righteous,and well-regarded outside.His personality is the opposite of the second son."
Finally,Fang Hao pointed to a young man of similar age to Su Xin,who was exceptionally handsome,saying,"This is the thirteenth son,Yan Jiheng.He is the City Lord's favorite,and he has three guards at the innate realm personally bestowed by the City Lord.Let's not dwell on the others.Currently,these four have the best chance to succeed the City Lord.The rest are not as strong,and they have already joined these four,hoping for a prosperous future even if they don't become the City Lord."
Su Xin looked to the corner and,scratching his nose,said,"City Lord Yan has thirteen children;it seems you've missed one."
Fang Hao also looked to the corner where only a young woman of about twenty years old was sitting,accompanied by an old servant and three warriors.Compared to the entourage of others,hers was much smaller.
The young woman wore a lovely white dress and,while not breathtakingly beautiful,had a unique charm that made people feel comfortable and inclined towards her.
Hearing Su Xin mention the young woman,Fang Hao sighed and said,"This is Yan Qingshu,the twelfth daughter of the City Lord.Unlike the other sons,she is the City Lord's illegitimate daughter.While the other sons also have different mothers,those mothers are all from prestigious families.Yan Qingshu's mother,on the other hand,is just an ordinary person.Therefore,among the City Lord's thirteen children,she faces the most rejection.
Yan Qingshu is actually very kind.She bears no arrogance towards us,the martial artists of Shangshan City.Sometimes,when we accidentally offend the second son,she pleads on our behalf.Unfortunately,her birth status makes it impossible for her to become the City Lord.She hasn't decided which son to support yet,and her actions have caused dissatisfaction among the elder sons.Currently,the best option for her is to hand over the token to one of the sons for protection.If the son she supports becomes a candidate for City Lord in the future,her life will be much better."
Su Xin,looking at the lonely Yan Qingshu at the end,expressed admiration,"That's not necessarily true.Relying on handouts is the least secure way.Some things require one to pursue them personally."
Fang Hao rolled his eyes,feeling that his new acquaintance,Brother Meng,was too idealistic.Some things indeed need to be pursued,but you must have the strength to pursue them.
Just as Fang Hao was about to argue,he noticed that Su Xin seemed a bit distracted.Fang Hao couldn't help but appreciate Su Xin's keen observation.In reality,Su Xin was distracted because he was shocked by a new mainline task released by the system.
"Mainline Task Released:Heartless Seduction.Task Description:Win the affection of Yan Jiu Huang's illegitimate daughter,Yan Qingshu,and then decisively leave.Task Rewards:Antagonist Points 500,Intermediate Lottery 5 times,Time Limit:One year.Failure Penalty:Deduct Antagonist Points 500,Lifespan Reduced by Five Years."
To be honest,Su Xin almost vomited blood when he received this task.Did the system have no shame at all?Playing with a girl's feelings–was Su Xin interested or willing to do such a thing?
However,this task was a mainline task,and the system didn't give any chance to reject it.You had to accept it;otherwise,you still had to accept it.
The punishment for this task wasn't light–losing 500 Antagonist Points was one thing,but losing five years of lifespan was another.Nobody would willingly give up five years of their life.
