Chapter 900: Mobilization

After parting ways with Chen Yang, Han Li quickly returned to his own room to read through the papers that had just been given to him.

It was clear that Chen Yang had made some very extensive preparations, so the information was very detailed, not only laying out the cultivation arts and fortes of powerful cultivators from other cities, there were even records of their notable past battles, so there was a lot for Han Li to pore over.

Only after a full six hours had passed by did Han Li finally put down the last sheet of paper, upon which he raised his head with a contemplative expression, having gained a rough idea of what he could face in the upcoming martial gathering.

After sitting in silence for a while, he pulled out the deity statue with three heads and six arms before setting it down in front of himself.

After that, he pulled out a jade box, contained within which was the A tier beast core that Chen Yang had gifted to him earlier.

There were still three months until the martial gathering was set to begin, and that wasn't a particularly long time, but he still didn't want to waste it.

After taking a deep breath, a beam of translucent light shot out of his glabella and into the black statue, and it immediately began adopting a series of different poses, while the Heavenly Baleful Purgatory Arts appeared on its back.

Han Li was just about to pull out the beast core to commence his cultivation when his gaze suddenly returned to the black statue before him.

Instead of focusing on the text on the statue, his attention had been caught by the poses that it was cycling through.

Ever since he obtained this black statue, his attention had always been focused on the Heavenly Baleful Purgatory Arts, leading him to ignore the twelve poses adopted by the statue, but it had just occurred to him that these poses most likely weren't just for show.

Han Li watched as the black statue cycled through the twelve poses over and over again, and after some contemplation, he suddenly laid down onto the ground, then adopted the first pose displayed by the statue.

As soon as he did this, his eyes immediately widened with shock.

......

Three months flew by in a flash.

On this day, there were many Green Goat City cultivators gathered in the guest hall of Chen Yang's residence.

All of them were chatting spiritedly with one another with excited looks on their faces, clearly very much looking forward to the imminent Five City Martial Gathering.

However, at the same time, there was also some tension in the air.

The martial gathering was set to begin the next day, and according to Chen Yang, he was going to be announcing the roster of Green Goat City representatives soon.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Chen Yang had brought a total of around seventeen to eighteen people with him, most of which were arena area leaders, but that had to be cut down to a lineup of just twelve people.

Anyone who was cut from the list would be unable to participate in the martial gathering, thereby losing the opportunity to win glory for themselves and the tantalizing rewards that were on offer.

Even more importantly, if a slave could make it through the first round of elimination in the martial gathering, then they would be granted freedom, and it would be up to them whether they chose to remain an arena gladiator or not in the future.

Hence, over the past one thousand years, many people had been doing everything in their power to make strides in their cultivation so that they could stand a better chance in the Five City Martial Gathering.

At this point, around a dozen people had already gathered in the room, with Yi Liya sitting at the center, while Tu Gang, Sun Binghe, and the others were seated around him.

Everyone in the room was either seated on their own, or in small groups of two or three.

Toxic Dragon was also in the room, but he was sitting by himself instead of next to Yi Liya.

He would occasionally take a glance at Yi Liya with a series of mixed emotions on his face, including vexation and longing, and he stood up on several occasions to approach him, only for Yi Liya to give him a stern glare that forced him to sit back down.

Right at this moment, the sound of footsteps rang out from outside the hall, and everyone looked up to discover that it was Han Li.

Compared with three months ago, he seemed to have lost some weight, making the contours of the bones in his hands and feet appear particularly pronounced, and his entire body was giving off a formidable aura.

Yi Liya's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and several other people's expressions also changed slightly upon catching sight of Han Li.

Han Li swept his gaze over everyone in the room, then sat down in a corner by himself.

No one in the room stood up to greet him, and this suited him just fine as he closed his eyes to rest.

Even though he was on his own, it didn't feel as if he was being overshadowed by everyone else in the room at all. Instead, it felt like he was standing out like a crane among chickens.

Toxic Dragon cast a hesitant gaze toward Han Li, following which a decisive look appeared in his eyes, and he stood up to approach him.

Yi Liya's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this.

"Long time no see, Fellow Daoist Li," Toxic Dragon greeted in a friendly manner as he sat down next to Toxic Dragon.

Han Li opened his eyes and took a glance at Toxic Dragon, then at Yi Liya, and a smile appeared on his face as he replied, "Indeed, long time no see, Fellow Daoist Toxic Dragon."

"The Five City Martial Gathering is coming up tomorrow, it looks like you're already very assured of your spot on the roster," Toxic Dragon remarked.

"Not at all, it's my first time taking part in such a grand event, and I'm only doing my best to remain composed," Han Li replied with a faint smile.

"You're far too modest, Fellow Daoist Li," Toxic Dragon chuckled, and the two of them struck up a conversation.

A cold look flashed through Yi Liya's eyes upon seeing this, and he was just about to say something when Gu Qianxun and Yao Li entered the room.

There was a faint layer of translucent light over Gu Qianxun's face, and it seemed she had undergone a slight change as well.

Yi Liya immediately rose to his feet as he greeted with a warm smile, "It looks like you've made very good use of your time cultivating in seclusion, Fellow Daoist Gu. I'm sure all of us can expect an exceptional performance from you."

"You're far too kind, Fellow Daoist Yi," Gu Qianxun replied in an indifferent manner as her gaze roamed over the room, and all of a sudden, her eyes lit up slightly, following which she excused herself with Yi Liya before approaching Han Li.

Yi Liya's expression instantly stiffened slightly upon seeing this, following which he returned to his seat with a furious look in his eyes.

"Is this seat taken, Fellow Daoist Li?" Gu Qianxun asked as she pointed at a seat next to Han Li.

"Not at all. Please take a seat, Fellow Daoist Gu," Han Li replied with a smile.

Gu Qianxun sat down beside Han Li, while Yao Li reluctantly sat down beside her, and a hint of surprise flashed through Toxic Dragon's eyes upon seeing this.

"The Five City Martial Gathering is commencing tomorrow. Have you prepared well, Fellow Daoist Li?" Gu Qianxun asked with a smile.

"The martial gathering is rife with formidable foes. With my paltry powers, I can only do my best," Han Li replied with a modest smile.

"If you need any help, feel free to call upon me," Gu Qianxun said.

"You have my thanks, Fellow Daoist Gu," Han Li replied with a nod.

Toxic Dragon and Yao Li were both rather perplexed by how close Han Li and Gu Qianxun seemed to have become, but neither of them raised any questions.

Time slowly passed by, and the rest of the cultivators from Green Goat City arrived one after another, with Xuanyuan Xing the last one to arrive.

Instead of sitting down with anyone, he merely gave Gu Qianxun and Han Li a slight nod, then stood on his own with his hands clasped behind his back.

Shortly thereafter, Chen Yang emerged from his inner chamber, and he seemed to be in high spirits as he said, "Sorry to keep you all waiting."

Everyone stood up to extend respectful bows toward him, and he sat down onto the main seat as he waved a dismissive hand and said, "No need for formalities."

A serious look then appeared on his face as he asked, "Is everyone prepared for the Five City Martial Gathering commencing tomorrow?"

Yi Liya took a glance at Gu Qianxun, then replied in a confident voice, "Rest assured, City Lord Chen, all of us are fully prepared."

Everyone else immediately echoed the sentiment, and their collective voices caused the entire guest hall to rumble and buzz.

With all of Du Qingyang's most loyal subordinates taken out of the picture, most of the Green Goat City cultivators present were newbies who were very confident in their own abilities, but the more experienced ones among them, such as Xiong Pei, appeared to be far less optimistic.

"Good. Without further ado, I'll be announcing the roster for this martial gathering," Chen Yang declared with a smile, and everyone involuntarily tensed up a little upon hearing this.

"Gu Qianxun, Li Feiyu, Yi Liya, Tu Gang, Sun Binghe, Xiong Pei... Toxic Dragon, and Xuanyuan Xing!"

After the twelve names were announced, everyone displayed different reactions, ranging from elation to disappointment.

Gu Qianxun and Han Li's expression remained unchanged, and it seemed that they weren't surprised by this outcome.

Yao Li was clearly not very happy to have missed out on the list, while Toxic Dragon heaved a faint sigh of relief.

Yi Liya's brows furrowed slightly as he turned a cold gaze to Han Li, and it was clear that he wasn't very pleased that Han Li's name had been announced ahead of his.

"This edition of the martial gathering is extremely important for our Green Goat City, so all of you must do your best. If any of you manages to make it into the top four, you'll be receiving a reward from me in addition to the one from City Lord E Kuai!" Chen Yang declared, much to the excitement of the twelve people selected.

"Alright, you can all go back to rest now. Li Feiyu, stay behind please," Chen Yang said.

Everyone turned to Han Li with a surprised expression upon hearing this, then stood up to depart.

Yi Liya's expression darkened even further, and he departed with everyone else.

Before long, Han Li and Chen Yang were the only two people left in the room.

"Have you asked me to stay behind because you've uncovered some information on Violet Spirit and Shi Kong, Fellow Daoist Chen?" Han Li asked.

"That's right. The people that I sent out were able to find out some things over the past three months," Chen Yang replied, but there was a slightly awkward look on his face.

"Go ahead, Fellow Daoist Chen," Han Li prompted.