Cultivation System: Stronger with Age

This mountainside platform, about several acres in size, was adorned with hundreds of stone stools. Numerous Martial Cultivators were seated on these stone stools, engaging in fervent discussions with their peers and friends.

Among them, three distinct areas were occupied by several Martial Cultivators each. Almost no one dared to approach the vicinity of these three spots.

As the hundreds of Martial Cultivators chatted, they glanced at these three locations with expressions of reverence.

Of the three areas, the most prominent one was occupied by three Martial Cultivators. All three were clad in black robes, their expressions stern. They were in their fifties or sixties, their faces reflecting their age.

These three were masters from the Holy Dragon Association, which operated under the Profound Phoenix Celestial Sect. Anyone who joined the Holy Dragon Association had either performed extraordinary deeds for Great Marsh Prefecture or was a top-two genius from previous Demon Slaying Conferences.

In the area to the left, there were six people. The Martial Cultivator seated at the forefront wore a purple long robe. He had a handsome face and appeared to be about thirty-two or thirty-three years old. This Martial Cultivator was Liy Changming, the eldest son of Prefect Liy of Great Marsh Prefecture, ranked third on the Hero List and at the Late Stage of the Fourth Layer.

Beside him sat other elite Martial Cultivators from among the officials of Great Marsh Prefecture, most of them possessing strength around the Mid-grade of the Fourth Layer.

In the area to the right were several Martial Cultivators from the Spirit Snake Gang. The two leading them were Chu Yuhui, the Vice Gang Leader, at the Mid-grade of the Fifth Layer, and Chu Qing, the Young Gang Leader, ranked first on the Hero List and at the Perfection Stage of the Fourth Layer.

Everyone in these three groups possessed an extraordinary bearing. When they glanced around, the other Martial Cultivators present hardly dared to meet their eyes. This was partly due to the reputation of the Holy Dragon Association, the Liy Family, and the Spirit Snake Gang, and partly because their strength was so overwhelming that they could dominate almost everyone present.

Lin Xuankong stood at the edge of the platform. After listening to Han Feiyan's whispered introduction, he cast a thoughtful glance at the Spirit Snake Gang members, then led Zhao Yufei toward an unoccupied area.

Just then, someone not far away stood up. "Feiyan, Brother Lin, come and sit over here!"

They looked up and saw it was Ye Kai, the short and stout Second-in-Command of the Ye Family, waving at them.

Han Feiyan shot her friend an irritated look, then glanced at Lin Xuankong questioningly. Lin Xuankong gave a slight nod, so the six of them headed towards Ye Kai's position.

Upon reaching Ye Kai's spot, Ye Kai bobbed his short, thick neck and shot a glare at Han Feiyan before turning to Lin Xuankong. "Brother Lin, I heard you've already passed the preliminary martial competition. I wonder what your ranking is?"

A Martial Cultivator in a nearby spot heard this, looked over, and said, "Of those who managed to last ten breaths against me, there were eighty-seven in total. This Brother Lin ranked eighty-second. He'll likely have to wait until the afternoon to go to the top of the slope and compete against that Female Martial Cultivator!" The speaker was none other than the renowned Liang Qinhu from the Qiu City Liang Family, ranked eighth on the Hero List!

Ye Kai turned his head, his face immediately breaking into a wide smile. He was several times more enthusiastic than when he had greeted Lin Xuankong and the others moments before. "Mr. Liang, you ordered four hundred pounds of Tier Three Demon Flesh from me last time. I've gathered it all and brought it over. I saw you were talking with your fellow sect members just now, so I didn't dare to disturb you!"

Liang Qinhu nodded slightly, an arrogant look on his swarthy face.

He was thirty-four years old, at the Late Stage of the Fourth Layer, and possessed immense strength; otherwise, he wouldn't have been chosen by Ding Rui, a female disciple of the Celestial Sect, to be a defender for the preliminary martial competition. The Liang Family's influence was enormous, nearly comparable to top families in Great Marsh Prefecture like the Guo Family, Feng Family, and Huang Family. It was rumored that the Liang Family Patriarch also possessed a plant-type Demon Pearl and had a Fifth Layer Late Stage Cultivation.

As the Second-in-Command of the commerce-focused Ye Family, Ye Kai naturally spared no effort in currying favor with the heads of such influential families.

He then walked over with great enthusiasm, handed the Tier Three Demon Flesh he had brought to the swarthy-faced Liang Qinhu, and began to chat cheerfully with him, completely ignoring Lin Xuankong, Guo Feiyan, and the others whom he had just called over.

Lin Xuankong, however, didn't pay it much mind. He selected a stone stool for himself, sat down, and gazed up towards the summit of Luoxia Slope.

Zhao Yufei, beside him, shot Ye Kai a dissatisfied glance before sitting down next to Lin Xuankong. Guo Feiyan grumbled a few quiet complaints before leading Guo Xiu and the others to sit behind Lin Xuankong.

A few moments later, Ye Kai finished chatting with Liang Qinhu and returned to their side. He smiled, cupped his hands in a salute towards Lin Xuankong, and then sat down beside him.

Seeing this, Han Feiyan frowned. "Brother Ye, come sit over here with me. Don't disturb Brother Lin."

In her mind, Master Lin's status was not something a money-grubber like Ye Kai could ever be on par with. A fellow like him, reeking of wealth, should naturally sit behind Master Lin, not beside him.

Ye Kai, however, ignored Han Feiyan. Fanning himself, he sat beside Lin Xuankong and started chatting with two other Ye Family Martial Cultivators.

After chatting for a while, Ye Kai lowered his voice and said, "Something really strange has been going on lately. I heard that people from the Guo Family, Feng Family, and Gu Yue Sect have all arrived at this gathering spot! But for the past few days, surprisingly, we haven't seen any of the young masters from the Guo or Feng Families, nor San Gu from the Gu Yue Sect, who has already joined the Holy Dragon Association. They are all incredibly strong. Logically, they should be showcasing their abilities in this martial competition, giving us all a grand spectacle and a chance to broaden our horizons!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuankong remained silent. However, Han Feiyan, Han Xiu, and the other two behind him all lowered their heads, peculiar expressions on their faces.