"Wuji City is going to be in chaos again," the old City Lord said faintly. "I never thought my old bones would still be of use."
"We old bones should leave room for the younger generation to display their talents," Elder Xia said, stroking his beard. "We old folks shouldn't always do everything for the young ones, otherwise, how will they grow?"
The old City Lord heard this and found it reasonable: "I'm afraid Yan'er will be bullied."
"Old City Lord, we can't protect Miss forever. We have to let her see the real world outside, otherwise, when the great edifice collapses, how will she survive?" Elder Xia said earnestly. "Look at that kid Xiao Qin, so young, yet as cunning as a monkey. Why is that?"
The old City Lord asked sincerely, "Why?"
"He has gained experience, seen more, and suffered more losses, so he has become smarter."
"But I still can't bear to see Yan'er suffer."
Elder Xia glanced at the old City Lord. "You can't bear to see her suffer, yet people outside wish she would suffer every bit of hardship. Do you want her to suffer a little now so she doesn't have to suffer later, or do you want her to be happy and carefree now and suffer endless hardships later?"
The old City Lord fell silent. Of course, he didn't want his granddaughter to suffer any hardship. But in Wuji City, they could no longer protect her completely. Once she went outside, they would be even less able to protect her. There were many experts outside, and many bad people too. Elder Xia was right; they couldn't protect her forever. Eventually, they had to let her learn to grow on her own.
"If Xiao Qin were to accompany her, I would be much more at ease," the old City Lord sighed. "That kid's mind is more riddled than a sieve. Few people outside can outsmart him. We both grew up eating rice, yet why is there such a big difference between people?"
The enrollment for the seven major sects had ended. This time, all cultivators in Wuji City who had reached the seventh stage of Qi Condensation had registered. Because of the large number of participants, the seven major sects decided to hold the gathering at the city's arena.
The Wuji City Arena was usually a place for cultivators to compete. Cultivators could participate in matches, earn rewards, and gain combat experience. However, blades and swords had no eyes, and once on the arena, one's fate was left to chance.
Before they departed, the City Lord repeatedly instructed Yan Yan to stay close to Xiao Man and asked Xiao Man to take care of her. However, seeing that Xiao Man was bringing her child along, he was quite displeased. Yet, since Xiao Man had made her decision, he could not change it and could only let Xiao Man bring Ze Fang to the arena as well.
The Wuji City Arena did not belong to Wuji City, nor did it belong to the seven major sects. It belonged to the noble families.
"Look, that person holding a child is the 'child-carrying protector' Xiao Qin."
Someone in the arena pointed at Xiao Man and said to their companion, "If you encounter her, you must avoid her. Don't be fooled by her being only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. She single-handedly massacred three cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, and their cultivation was higher than hers."
"Why did she massacre other cultivators?"
"It's said that the other party wanted to kill her son."
"If someone wanted to kill my son, I would also tear them to pieces."
The person's companion seemed surprised that they would say such a thing. After all, in Wuji City, high cultivation was a good thing. The weak often sought protection from the strong. Therefore, with sufficient strength, one could establish their own power in Wuji City. Having a few Foundation Establishment stage cultivators under one's command could allow them to roam freely in Wuji City!
Xiao Man, on the other hand, had killed three cultivators at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment in one go. Those who could afford to support three middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were not ordinary people. Although Xiao Man was ferocious, in the eyes of many, she had already become a dead person, because the masters behind the people she killed would never let her off easily! Sudan Novel Network.
"Xiao Qin," Tian Fang walked forward familiarly and greeted her. His cultivation was also at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Although he didn't know what had happened that caused Xiao Man's cultivation to drop to the early stage of Foundation Establishment, her ability to defeat stronger opponents and kill three Foundation Establishment cultivators single-handedly was worthy of his respect.
"Hello," Xiao Man nodded.
"You've become famous in Wuji City now," Tian Fang gave a thumbs up. "Everyone is talking about your heroic deed of defeating stronger opponents and fighting three at once."
"It was out of necessity," Xiao Man said calmly. "If anyone dares to touch my family, no matter how powerful they are or how strong their backing, I will not let them off!"
Tian Fang's gaze fell on Ze Fang. He had asked Li Kun, who said he didn't know anything about Xiao Man's affairs, and Xiao Man never talked about herself to them, so no one knew who the child's mother really was. However, after Xiao Man emerged from the Land of Nowhere, she suddenly had a son. Many suspected that Xiao Man had been exiled to the Land of Nowhere, and some even suspected she was a disciple of a noble family.
The elimination round this time was presided over by Elder Mu of the Guild.
Elder Mu tremblingly stood up, walked forward, cleared his throat, and then began to speak: "Because the seven major sects have not recruited for several years, the enrollment conditions have been relaxed this time. Anyone who reaches the seventh stage of Qi Condensation can participate in the assessment. This assessment will be limited to seven days. Enter the assessment secret realm and retrieve one first-grade spiritual herb, or three second-grade spiritual herbs, or seven third-grade spiritual herbs to pass the assessment. The top three can choose which sect they want to join."
"Elder Mu, can we form teams?"
"That is your freedom. You can form teams or fight alone, as long as each person can retrieve the spiritual herbs that meet the assessment criteria."
"Elder Mu, who gets the retrieved spiritual herbs?"
"The spiritual herbs for the assessment naturally belong to the sect you are applying to. Any excess spiritual herbs belong to you." Elder Mu's voice was unhurried. He didn't know how many spiritual herbs were in the secret realm, as it hadn't been opened for a long time. Moreover, spiritual herbs were not easy to obtain. All spiritual herbs of second grade and above had guardian beasts. To obtain them, one needed not only strong strength but also a sharp mind.
"Elder Mu, can children also participate in the assessment?" A voice from the crowd was particularly abrupt. Because of this question, everyone looked at Xiao Man, as she was the only one in the audience who had brought a child.
Elder Mu's cloudy eyes swept over the speaker, then looked at Xiao Man. Xiao Man appeared calm, as if the gazes of everyone were not directed at her.
"Those who register this time must have reached the seventh stage of Qi Condensation. Has this child reached the seventh stage of Qi Condensation? If not, she cannot enter." Qi Hong walked out from the crowd. Although he had become a direct disciple of the Five Poisons Sect, he was still participating in this assessment. He was very unhappy that the person he had always been jealous of was still in the spotlight.