Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

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The clear voice echoed throughout the entire platform, and upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze towards the entrance.

At this moment, a slender figure with a sword on his waist, dressed in dark clothes, and with a handsome face and starry eyebrows, was slowly walking toward this place.

Gu Chen stood tall and dignified, and after showing the invitation from the Yao Platform Festival, he entered without any hindrance.

It must be said, these top sects really knew how to choose a location; every single sect gate had been carefully selected in the past, and could be considered a rare paradise on earth.

Walking here, Gu Chen felt as if all the pores on his body had opened up, continuously inhaling and exhaling Gangqi, giving him a sensation of being refreshed and invigorated.

This was Gu Chen's first time visiting the mountain gate of a top force in the Nine Provinces.

At this moment, when the martial artists of the Yao Platform Sect caught sight of Gu Chen, a wave of discussions immediately started.

Among them, most people looked at him with unfriendly eyes, yet very subtly, not daring to show it openly.

After all, the Jing Tian Department was subordinate to the Great Xia Dynasty and acted as the emperor's instrument for suppressing the world, like a sword hanging over all the heads of the martial artists, one that could fall at any moment.

Over the years, countless forces had had their sect doors broken down by the Jing Tian Department. Even the Seven Sects and Eight Sects, and other top forces of the Nine Provinces, had survived only by making concessions and pay a certain price back then.

The secret martial arts tomes within the Jing Tian Department? A vast majority of them were contributions from these Jianghu sects!

Indeed, for this reason, the emperor at that time spared their lives, not completely annihilating these forces.

It could be said that in the entire Jianghu, the Jing Tian Department of Great Xia held significant prestige, but at the same time, it was despised by many martial artists.

Because in their eyes, the people of the Jing Tian Department were the emperor's hounds, serving the court, naturally standing on the opposite side of themselves, and thus disliked by them.

In the year when Emperor Xia rode across the Jianghu, he commanded the respect of the masses, a command that no one dared to disobey. It was truly as though "under the heaven all land is the emperor's, and at the shores of the earth all were subjects of the emperor." Looking through the history of the Nine Provinces, no other emperor had achieved what Emperor Xia had done.

Apart from the six aloof and worldly detached sacred lands, when have these top forces of the Nine Provinces, including the Da Guangming Sect, ever been so oppressed by others?

Even the six sacred lands were never treated so, because their disciples were few, and they rarely ventured into the world. One could say in the Jianghu of Nine Provinces, only the top forces such as the Da Guangming Sect were truly revered.

Even Tang Xiao, when looking at Gu Chen, had a touch of gloom in his eyes, because once Emperor Xia had intended to obliterate the Da Guangming Sect. At that time, the Grand Commander of the Jing Tian Department had already attacked the gates of the Da Guangming Sect and severely injured its leader.

If the Da Guangming Sect had not paid a huge price and other circumstances hadn't arisen, the Sect would have been eradicated and its thousand-year legacy destroyed.

Though Tang Xiao was young at the time and did not experience it personally, this incident was considered a disgrace within the Da Guangming Sect, with no one wishing to mention it.

Gu Chen, with his current level of perception, although these people were extremely subtle and their gazes intentionally evasive, could clearly sense the hostility coming from all directions. If possible, this group of martial artists wouldn't mind swarming over and keeping Gu Chen here forever.

But, with Gu Chen's current cultivation and strength, if no martial artist of the Gang Qi Stage intervened, there would be no one in the Nine Provinces who could compete with him.

Among the several hundred martial artists present, there were only a few at the Gang Qi Stage, and the higher ranks of the Yao Platform Sect were not all present here.

Therefore, Gu Chen ignored the veiled hostility from the crowd, walked to the very front as calmly as if walking through a barrage of needle-like gazes.

He bowed to the middle-aged beautiful woman of the Yao Platform Sect and said, "I was delayed by some matters, Gu Chen has arrived late, please forgive me, senior."

The middle-aged beautiful woman smiled slightly, looked Gu Chen up and down a few times, and feeling the hidden oppressive force emanating from within him, she was secretly astonished and said, "Lord Gu is indeed as the rumors say, talented with strong capabilities, a rare prodigy of the Jing Tian Department of Tiandu that hasn't been seen in a hundred years."

Gu Chen, with his handsome face and striking figure, with eyebrows slanted high into his temples, composed and at ease, said, "Senior flatters me too much. The Jing Tian Department has many talents; I am nothing special, you praise me too much."

The middle-aged beautiful woman nodded and said, "Lord Gu, please take your seat."

Subsequently, Zi Qing, with her graceful figure, came winding over, leading Gu Chen to the foremost seat; beside him were martial artists from all sects who came to participate in the Yao Platform Festival. Upon seeing Gu Chen, they also nodded slightly to him as a greeting.

Seeing this, Mo Zilin and others felt somewhat displeased internally. They were of the same age, but why could Gu Chen sit at the foremost seat, looking down upon them?

They didn't see themselves as much weaker than Gu Chen, but the reason Gu Chen had such a status was not only because of his fame and strength, but more importantly, because of the Jing Tian Department behind him.

Therefore, both Mo Zilin and Xu Shu had no words to object.

Beside Mo Zilin, Yang Mingyue, upon seeing Gu Chen, a strong hatred flashed in her eyes. If it weren't for Mo Zilin and Hu Wanyuan repeatedly cautioning her before they arrived, she might have already jumped out to confront Gu Chen.

Sitting at the foremost seat, Gu Chen naturally also saw Mo Zilin and Yang Mingyue, and he clearly noticed Yang Mingyue's hatred, but he didn't care.

In the eyes of the current Gu Chen, he had set his sights much higher. Since he had mastered the "Golden Bell Shield" - a Superior Martial Skill to perfection a few days ago, no one in the Vajra Stage throughout the Nine Provinces could be his match.

In Gu Chen's view, Yang Mingyue was no different from a clown. If this woman dared to speak out again and make a fuss unreasonably, he wouldn't mind teaching her a lesson on behalf of Heavenly Saber Sect's leader Yang Ling, or even just killing her outright.

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However, when Gu Chen saw Tang Xiao from the Da Guangming Sect, his gaze lingered for a brief two seconds, but that was all.

Seeing Gu Chen's gaze fall upon him, Tang Xiao's face bore a gentle smile. Just as he was about to nod in greeting and try to strike up a conversation with Gu Chen, he noticed that Gu Chen quickly shifted his attention away, clearly showing that he didn't regard him highly.

Observing this, Tang Xiao managed to maintain his composure on the surface but in his heart, he snorted coldly, finding Gu Chen to be truly arrogant.

What he didn't know was that he thought he had well-concealed his hostility towards Gu Chen, but it had already been seen through by Gu Chen.

With Gu Chen's perception, anyone in the vicinity who bore hostility towards him would find it hard to conceal, and would be clearly sensed by him.

If someone held hostility towards him, how could Gu Chen possibly show them a friendly face?

At this time, Mo Zilin sent a voice transmission to Tang Xiao, saying, "Brother Tang, don't mind him. That's just the way Gu Chen is. Relying on the support of the Jing Tian Department and his reputation in the martial world, he has become arrogant and conceited, not giving a second thought to the heroes of the world. With such pride and arrogance, he's bound to take a big fall one day."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xiao glanced at Mo Zilin, aware that there must also be some grudge between Mo Zilin and Gu Chen.
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Meanwhile, an elder of the Yao Platform Sect at the Gang Qi Stage, a middle-aged beautiful woman, personally approached Gu Chen to explain the purpose of the Reflecting Jade Bi.

Gu Chen was somewhat surprised by her words, having not expected the Yao Platform Sect to possess such a treasure. Upon entering, he had noticed that huge, smooth stone wall, sensing something extraordinary about it, but he hadn't realized that it had such a function.

Gu Chen's interest was piqued. After all, treasures that could enhance a martial artist's mental strength and help them condense the true essence of martial arts were exceedingly rare, and he had not encountered them even within the Jing Tian Department.

Moreover, even for Gu Chen, who had the support of interface panels, improving mental strength was not an easy feat, since his gained points could only be used to increase his power and raise his martial art level, not directly help him enhance his mental strength.

At that moment, Tang Xiao from the Da Guangming Sect let out a faint smile and stood up, striding toward the nearby Reflecting Jade Bi.

Seeing Tang Xiao make a move, many people's gaze sharpened, with everyone turning their attention to him.

After all, Tang Xiao hailed from the Da Guangming Sect, which was far away in Yangzhou and rarely mingled with the martial artists of the Qiongtian Mansion.

Furthermore, the Da Guangming Sect being one of the top three sects, its prestige spread far and wide. Its strength was so formidable that even the top forces like the Shen Martial Sect and Yao Platform Sect seemed inferior in comparison. His appearance naturally drew the attention of countless onlookers.

Everyone wanted to witness the peculiarities of the martial skills from the Da Guangming Sect, as it was a rare opportunity.

Hum!

In just a moment, Tang Xiao sat down with a serious demeanor in front of the Reflecting Jade Bi, and an eye-blinding radiance immediately shone brilliantly from him, so intense that even the Vajra Stage martial artists instinctively squinted their eyes.

Boom!

The Reflecting Jade Bi trembled slightly, and behind Tang Xiao, four phantoms suddenly emerged. Astonishingly, at the Vajra Stage, he had cultivated four Superior Martial Skills to perfection, surpassing Mo Zilin from the Heavenly Saber Sect!

It is known that a person's energy is limited, and Superior Martial Skills are quite intricate. Cultivating a single Superior Martial Skill to perfection is extremely challenging, requiring a vast amount of time for in-depth study and rigorous practice, which is precisely why true martial arts essence is so rare.

Only those young prodigies from the top powers, through their exceptional talent and guidance from renowned masters, could cultivate Superior Martial Skills to perfection by their twenties and thereby condense the true essence of martial arts.

Still, with limited energy, having to hone the physical body, enhance cultivation, and practice martial arts, even these geniuses if they could condense two true essences of martial arts, would already be considered exceptionally remarkable.

Mo Zilin's ability to condense three was a testament to his extraordinary aptitude in the martial arts.

But now, Tang Xiao had at the Vajra Stage cultivated four true essences of martial arts, which could only mean that his martial insights were nothing short of astonishing!

Moreover, the four phantoms behind him were much more solid than those of people like Mo Zilin, indicating that his mental strength also greatly surpassed that of Mo Zilin and Xu Shu.

This was the advantage of practicing spiritual martial skills, which were extremely rare and required a profound natural gift in the mental sphere. Even compared to people like Mo Zilin and Xu Shu, Tang Xiao was far more gifted.

Tang Xiao then meditated for a full half hour because the higher the mental strength, the longer one could comprehend the Reflecting Jade Bi.

After half an hour, Tang Xiao opened his eyes and they were deep and clear, showing he had gained a lot during that time. As visible from the solidity of the four true essences behind him, his mental strength had once again improved, and he was close to perfecting the Superior Martial Skill, Bewildering God Skills.

"Thank you for your sect's hospitality," Tang Xiao said as he stood up, bowing to the middle-aged beautiful woman from the Yao Platform Sect to express his gratitude.

"Brother Tang is truly extraordinary," Mo Zilin congratulated him as Tang Xiao returned. Hearing these words, Xu Shu and others also bowed, though their expressions were somewhat unpleasant.

After all, they too were extraordinary talents rarely seen, and being surpassed consecutively by others naturally did not put them in a good mood.

At this moment, the middle-aged woman turned her gaze to Gu Chen, who was on the sidelines, and said, "Lord Gu, would you like to give it a try?"

Before Gu Chen could speak, Tang Xiao, with a smile in his eyes, looked at Gu Chen and also said, "I come from Yangzhou, and upon arriving in the land of Shen Zhou's Qiongtian Mansion, I heard of Lord Gu's fame for his soul-chasing swordsmanship. I've long admired you and never imagined I'd have the honor to meet you in person today.

I'd be truly grateful if Lord Gu could demonstrate his skill, so that I might see for myself just how great the gap is between you and me."