My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 28 Spring Hunt

Lieshan Valley Camp.

Deep in the valley, a makeshift wooden viewing platform had already been erected. The platform was three zhang high, with banners fluttering in the wind. The people sitting on the platform all possessed unfathomable auras, far surpassing those of the young martial artists below.

"The people from the City Lord's Mansion and the deacons from the Martial Academy have all arrived," Zhou Hu said in a low voice, his gaze sweeping across the viewing platform and lingering for a moment on several particularly somber figures.

Liang Cheng looked up.

Several people sat upright in the center of the viewing platform.

The middle-aged man in the brocade robe in the center was Shen Wenyuan, the special envoy who had once bestowed the title of Liangcheng Guest Minister. His gaze swept across the entire room. Although his expression was gentle, he exuded an air of authority. Several figures with different auras sat beside him.

To the left was an elderly man dressed in a blue scholar's robe, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. He was from the martial arts academy, there to select outstanding talents.

To the right sat an unfamiliar official in a purple robe, about forty years old, with a slightly yellowish complexion. He occasionally glanced at the audience below the stage with a cold and stern look.

When Liang Cheng's gaze met his unintentionally, the purple-robed official's eyes seemed to freeze for a moment before he subtly looked away.

"That's Wu Zhenshan, the treasurer of the Military Equipment Hall."

"Wu Zhenshan..."

Liang Cheng understood. No one knew that the Military Equipment Hall had lost two people in the case of Chen Bainian's shipment. It seemed that this treasurer was blaming himself, but there was no evidence.

Almost simultaneously, Shen Wenyuan also saw him, nodded slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face, his gaze gentle and encouraging.

Shen Wenyuan chatted with the old man from the Martial Academy from time to time, but he didn't even bother to make eye contact with Wu Zhenshan. It seemed that there was more to the story in the City Lord's Mansion than meets the eye. Wu Zhenshan glanced at him and became even more disgusted.

Liang Cheng withdrew his gaze, realizing that because Shen Wenyuan had granted him the title of Guest Minister, he had naturally been labeled as belonging to Shen Wenyuan's faction.

The heads of various martial arts schools were also seated below. Yang Wei's gaze was fixed on Zhou Hu and the others, his eyes filled with anticipation and tension.

……

At noon, a deep, resonant bell rang throughout the valley.

On the viewing platform, a burly man dressed in black stepped forward. His voice was not loud, but it carried throughout the entire venue.

"quiet!"

The noisy campsite fell silent instantly.

"I am Yue Shan, the commander of the Linwu City Guard, and I am here by order of the city lord to oversee the Spring Hunt this year." The burly man's eyes flashed like lightning as he scanned the entire area. "The rules will only be stated once, so make sure you all understand!"

"The hunting grounds, stretching a hundred miles, are divided into three domains!"

"Within a thirty-mile radius of the outer edge, the area is dominated by first-tier demonic beasts, with occasional second-tier ones!"

"Within fifty miles of the central region, second-tier individuals are found in large numbers, while third-tier individuals remain hidden!"

"Within twenty miles of the core," Yue Shan's tone suddenly rose, "it's a third-tier stronghold, shrouded in poisonous miasma; those below the Transformation Realm should not enter!"

The crowd below held their breath. How many martial arts disciples had reached the Transcendent Realm these days? It was just a reminder not to enter the core area.

There are three scoring methods.

"First, hunt down demonic beasts, using their left ear and core as evidence, and score points according to their rank;"

"Second, collect the designated medicinal herbs; the list will be issued later."

"Third, find the three Lieshan Iron Tokens scattered throughout the hunting grounds; each token is worth one thousand points!"

"The top ten winners will receive a grand prize, with the top three receiving direct recommendation from the Martial Arts Academy!"

An uproar erupted instantly.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, and the area fell silent once more before he continued, "This spring hunt is for solo travelers only. The entrance to the mountains will be determined by drawing lots later, and positions will be randomly assigned. The hunt has a fifteen-day limit; life and death depend on your own abilities!"

"Of course, everyone has a life-saving token. If they encounter a life-or-death crisis or can no longer hold on, they can break the life-saving token and someone will come to their rescue."

Everyone's expression changed, which meant that they would be fighting alone from the start, and all the plans they had made before had failed.

Even the martial arts school owners on the viewing platform had a slight change in expression. They were unaware of the rule change and were somewhat worried.

But in any case, the draw began.

The wooden box was sealed, and the martial arts school disciples took turns drawing wooden tags engraved with numbers.

Liang Cheng drew the number "Bingxu 7".

Not far away, Wu Xiao held the "Jia Yin San" and turned around with a cold smile.

At this moment, Yang Wei glanced at Wu Tianxiong, who was whispering something to the lottery steward, a dark glint in his eyes.

Is the entrance really that randomly assigned?

Half an incense stick later, the drawing of lots was completed. The disciples of each martial arts school received their life-saving tokens according to their numbers and went to different entrances to the mountain. Liang Cheng, along with more than 20 people from the "Bingxu" group, arrived at the third entrance on the west side.

As soon as I stood still, I saw Zheng Biao from Zhennan Martial Arts School looking at me from the direction of the adjacent "Binghai" entrance.

The two entrances are no more than a hundred feet apart.

"What a coincidence."

Zheng Biao grinned.

Liang Cheng remained expressionless; this was no coincidence.

At this moment, the bell rang again, and Yue Shan's voice rang out once more. Even though they were on the viewing platform, they could still hear it clearly.

"Enter the mountain!"

Each team of more than twenty people shot into the vast mountains and forests like arrows released from a bow, without stopping at all. Sometimes, what is frightening is not the monsters in the hunting grounds.

With agile movements, Liang Cheng quickly left most of the people behind and disappeared into the deep forest. Ancient trees reached the sky, vines hung down, the light suddenly dimmed, and the air was filled with the smell of decaying leaves and fish.

Based on the types of vegetation, Liang Chengxin concluded that this should be the boundary between the outer edge of the hunting grounds and the central region.

He crouched low, opened all five senses, entered a secluded spot, and took out the map distributed in the hunting grounds from his pocket, which contained descriptions of the types of monsters and spiritual herbs.

Sharpening knives does not miss woodcutters.

He must know himself and his enemy; he is determined to succeed in this spring hunt.

To break through to the Transformation Realm and become a True Qi Realm expert, he must learn internal cultivation methods, which are impossible to learn at the Three Towns Martial Arts School. The Martial Academy is imperative for him.

A master of the Transformation Realm can roam freely in various towns, but in Linwu City, they are merely high-level thugs. Only a master of the True Qi Realm has the right to speak.

For example, Yue Shan is a True Qi Realm expert!

He finished reading all the documents, put them in his pocket, and was about to take action when the bushes on his left suddenly swayed, followed by a fishy smell. A red-eyed, gleaming white tusk of an iron-backed wild boar charged at him.

Liang Cheng calmly turned to the side and threw out his right fist like a heavy hammer.

"Bang!"

The wild boar's skull collapsed instantly, its body fell to the ground, and it died instantly.

Liang Cheng moved extremely fast, took out the cold iron dagger, and cut off the ear. Unfortunately, there was no demon core. In just three breaths, he completed all the actions.

Just as Liang Cheng was about to leave, his ears twitched. He heard footsteps not far away, paused, and hid back in the bushes.

Before long, two figures quietly approached. Both were wearing Liuyun Martial Arts School uniforms. It seemed they were lucky to be randomly assigned to a nearby location. After all, teaming up with fellow martial arts school members greatly increased their safety.

"I think I heard a noise here just now..."

"Investigate carefully; you might be able to find something you don't need."

A flash of greed crossed their eyes.

The two men searched the area and found the wild boar's carcass. Their faces lit up with joy, but the older man's expression suddenly changed: "Something's wrong! Killed in one blow—a master! Retreat!"

They retreated rapidly and breathed a sigh of relief when they found no one rushing out. During the spring hunt, in addition to the demonic beasts, they also had to be careful of other martial arts school disciples.

After all, spring hunts are an unspoken rule that murder and robbery are permissible. As long as it's not done openly and recklessly, everyone will turn a blind eye.

If a martial artist doesn't fight, then what's the point of learning martial arts?

As for those who died, it means they weren't the kind of people the City Lord's Mansion needed, so they're dead!

Once the sounds in the distance had completely disappeared, Liang Cheng moved swiftly, stealthily darting out like a cheetah, heading straight for the Central Region.

The hunt begins.