Chapter 149: Start of City Trial

"Nothing was found. The other party seemed to be like a ghost, just like the rumors in the market..." Xu Guiku's face looked a bit ugly. After all, such a brutal case happened right under his nose, and he couldn't escape his responsibility.

What's even more embarrassing is that he still hasn't found any evidence of the murderer so far. He doesn't even know where to start the investigation. He can only let the soldiers search the entire city aimlessly, just to show some superficial efforts to the higher-ups. He can't just sit idly by, can he?

Since he couldn't find out the truth, he decided to deify the murderer. This way, it wouldn't be his incompetence, but rather the strength of the murderer.

Although Xu Guiku is known for his iron-blooded fairness, when it comes to his own reputation, he would also resort to some tricks. If one doesn't look out for oneself, heaven and earth will destroy them!

Fei Yushu's face instantly turned dark, and his gaze towards Xu Guiku became scrutinizing, but he didn't say much. Instead, he coldly brushed past Xu Guiku.

He planned to go to the branch mansion first to check the situation.

Naturally, Xu Guiku could see the dissatisfaction in his heart, but he still followed along.

...

In the blink of an eye, two days passed in a hurry. The news of the branch mansion of the Fallen Smoke City being slaughtered by demons overnight caused a sensation throughout the Southern Zhuo Empire. The forty-eight prefectures were all discussing this matter, and it even overshadowed the limelight of the various prefectures' Hidden Dragon Association's monstrous geniuses.

And on this day, the city trials in various places were about to begin.

Tens of thousands of young cultivators who had received star ratings in each city had already reached a number of tens of thousands. In the last few days, it was almost bursting with people. Not only were there local cultivators, but also many young cultivators from the Southern Domain Kingdoms. Especially in the last two days, the number of people increased by nearly one-third, which made Qin Jun couldn't help but be amazed.

Qin Jun and the others were queuing up. Accompanying them were Li Yuanba, Xiaotian Dog, Qin Yun, Ye Xuan, Zhu Yanqing, Yang Lan, Zong Yan, and Murong Xuan. As for Taibai Venus and others, they were waiting at the Youlong Inn.

This city trial was very brutal, teleporting all the participants into the world of a certain powerful individual. Each person would wear a wooden plaque infused with the spiritual power of that powerful individual. If they encountered an irresistible danger, they could crush the wooden plaque to escape. In the end, the trial would end with one hundred people remaining.

The competition was limited to one week. If there were still more than one hundred people remaining at that time, the arena matches would begin.

The rules of the competition had been announced yesterday, causing a stir throughout the city, and the participants were all eager to compete. Various gambling markets had already opened.

Qin Jun asked Jia Xun to bet on his advancement, taking out all the spirit stones from his storage ring. At that time, Ye Xuan and the others were speechless, but they were also shocked by his confidence.

However, with Li Yuanba by his side, it would be difficult for Qin Jun to lose.

"Damn, at this rate, we'll be queuing until dark!" Qin Jun cursed as he looked at the never-ending line in front of him.

"Brother, don't worry. The later we enter, the safer it will be for us." Qin Yun smirked. At least the number of competitors would be greatly reduced, as there would always be fierce battles at the beginning.

At this moment, Zong Yan suddenly looked embarrassed and said, "Your Highness, can we go in with you after we enter?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Xuan, Yang Lan, and Murong Xuan couldn't help but look at Qin Jun with anticipation.

Following Qin Jun and Li Yuanba, they were practically guaranteed to enter the top one hundred. Just Li Yuanba alone could dominate tens of thousands of cultivators!

"Rejected!" Qin Jun immediately refused without thinking. He was joking. He had brought them all the way to the Fallen Smoke City, and now they wanted him to take them to the finals of the Hidden Dragon Association's martial arts competition?

Why should he?

If it were Zhu Yanqing, it would be fine, but the other four could go away. They were ugly and still asking to be taken along. Shameless!

Zong Yan was immediately anxious and was about to speak, but Zhu Yanqing spoke first, "Since when did the disciples of our Flame Soaring Sect become so spineless? He has helped us so much, and you still want to continue to insist?"

The anticipation on Ye Xuan and Yang Lan's faces disappeared instantly, and Zong Yan and Murong Xuan fell silent.

Yes, they were all ashamed and dared not look Qin Jun in the eye.

Qin Jun was also happy with this. He didn't want to bring Zhu Yanqing along either. After all, the two of them didn't have a deep friendship, and this world was not lacking in beautiful women. Zhu Yanqing couldn't make Qin Jun feel anything special at the moment.

The queue continued to move forward.

After about four hours, Qin Jun and the others finally arrived at the square where the assessment was held. Fei Yushu and Xu Guiku were both in charge of the teleportation gates, just to ensure the safety of the participants. If even the participants from the Hidden Dragon Association's martial arts competition in a certain city were slaughtered, the Hidden Dragon Association would definitely collapse and lose its prestige.

When Xu Guiku saw Qin Jun and Li Yuanba, his face became unnatural, and he couldn't help but associate Li Bai's face with them, subconsciously clenching his fists.

Fei Yushu's eyes lit up. He had an impression of Qin Jun and Li Yuanba, after all, there were very few cultivators who received a nine-star rating in this year's Hidden Dragon Association's martial arts competition.

Feeling their gaze, Qin Jun raised his head proudly, causing Xu Guiku's mouth to twitch. This kid really needed a good beating!

"Good luck, I believe in you."

When Qin Yun and Ye Xuan and the others entered, it was Qin Jun's turn. Fei Yushu took out a wooden plaque and smiled.

Although he had also heard about the refusal of the representatives of the Divine Sword Hall by Qin Jun and the other person, he didn't care. Geniuses were always like this. How could they directly join a sect? At least all sects had to compete for their favor and benefits.

Joining a sect at this moment and gaining fame in the future was completely different treatment.

The thirteenth elder of the Luoyan City branch sent someone to attack Qin Jun without informing the higher-ups, which led to such a tragedy and made it impossible for the Divine Sword Hall to link this case with Qin Jun.

"Thank you!" Qin Jun nodded and took the wooden plaque, then walked straight into the teleportation gate with the Hellhound.

The Hellhound had learned a special secret method of concealing its aura from Taibai Venus, which only a strong celestial being could see through. This made Qin Jun envious, but unfortunately, Taibai Venus refused to teach him, claiming that this method was only suitable for the demon race.

Seeing Qin Jun walk into the teleportation gate, Xu Guikou's face showed a pensive expression. Suddenly, he thought of a possibility and then sent a message to Fei Yushu.

At this moment, Li Yuanba also took the wooden plaque and entered the teleportation gate.

"What? Are you sure?" Fei Yushu asked in a deep voice, causing confusion among the cultivators queuing behind him.

"Yes!" Xu Guikou nodded solemnly, while secretly regretting why he hadn't thought of it earlier.

The forces in Luoyan City that had the strength to take down the Divine Sword Hall branch and had a grudge against them were few, and Qin Jun happened to be among them. Especially the mysterious man named Li Bai, due to the tragic deaths of the disciples of the Divine Sword Hall branch, Xu Guikou first suspected the culprit to be a demon. However, when he saw Qin Jun's smug smile, he couldn't help but think of the worst. It was scary to think about it, but it was really possible!