Stronger by Killing

Inside the mountain manor,

Gu Zhan and Mo Beiyan walked together toward the main hall.

Today the mountain manor was bustling; many Martial World figures, young nobles of great families, and their guards were all arriving. Martial Artists at the Innate Realm could be seen everywhere.

Gu Zhan sighed with emotion, "Yunxi truly lives up to its name as the place with the strongest martial spirit in all of Yunzhou. Just a county, yet it has bred so many masters."

Mo Beiyan smiled and said, "Brother Gu, you may have misunderstood. Yunxi’s martial spirit is indeed formidable, far beyond the Northern Territory and Yundong, but it’s not to such an exaggerated extent. The reason Pingyang Prefecture can produce so many first-class powers is due to its special geographic situation.

The reason my father sent me to Pingyang Prefecture was well considered. He knows I have no intention nor ability to fight for the inheritance, but he hopes I can live a peaceful life. After weighing several factors, he placed me here because this is somewhere my other brothers cannot interfere.

Pingyang Prefecture’s position is unique, connecting five or six surrounding county seats—a natural hub. Moreover, it is extremely rich in resources, with plenty of minerals, abundant Spirit Medicine, and rivers that interlace the land. With both the right time and place, it’s no wonder the martial spirit here is so strong.

Suffice it to say, in the whole Canglan Dao, Pingyang Prefecture is a famed place. Its web of relationships is complicated—don’t be fooled by the surface appearance of seven first-class powers based solely in Pingyang Prefecture. Their power stretches far beyond here; relying on one Pingyang Prefecture alone wouldn’t sustain such might.

It’s true, Yunxi has many counties, some not as good as your previous Linjiang County, and some about the same. Though Pingyang Prefecture isn’t the most outstanding, it’s certainly among the best."

Gu Zhan nodded, suddenly gaining clarity,

It’s like in modern times: cities are divided into prefecture-level cities, sub-provincial cities, and municipalities. Linjiang County from before was like a prefecture-level city; Pingyang Prefecture was like a sub-provincial city. The two simply aren’t on the same level.

The two chatted leisurely as they headed for the hall,

All along the way, Embroidered Uniform Guard members greeted them, and many Martial World People who knew Mo Beiyan also came forward to greet him.

However, those with a right to greet Mo Beiyan were all the young scions of those few first-class powers; as for lower-rank powers, only the top leaders were eligible, and those had all already entered the conference hall.

All along the way,

The young talents of the three great Sects and four major Noble Families came to greet them; all counted as young prodigies, the worst already at the Innate stage, and none over the age of twenty or so.

Soon, the two entered the grand hall together,

By then, the grand hall was already full,

The first seats were for the seven first-class powers, and behind them were the representatives from a dozen or so second- and third-tier powers, each bringing only five or six members,

Many people were attending the Martial Arts Conference,

But in truth, only several dozen were qualified to join this meeting in the main hall.

When Gu Zhan and Mo Beiyan entered the hall,

Each major power’s representative stood up to salute,

"Sixth Young Master." "Greetings, Sixth Young Master..."

For a moment, the grand hall was filled with the sounds of protocol and bustle.

Mo Beiyan spoke aloud, "Everyone, today’s Martial Arts Conference is convened by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. In this hall, there is no Sixth Young Master—only Mo Beiyan, Vice Thousand Households of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Then Mo Beiyan introduced Gu Zhan, saying, "Everyone, this is our Embroidered Uniform Guard Thousand Households, Gu Zhan—Gu Qianhu. He is my superior. This conference is presided over by Gu Qianhu."

Though the crowd did not truly hold the Embroidered Uniform Guard in high regard, for Mo Beiyan’s sake they still gave their formal respects.

Mo Beiyan took the opportunity to introduce to Gu Zhan the representatives of the various powers, putting special emphasis on the leading figures of the three Sects and four Noble Families.

These were all true power elders or family patriarchs of the various top-tier powers.

It was plain to see,

The major powers all showed immense respect to Mo Beiyan, this Sixth Young Master.

But when it came to introducing the Lingyang Gu Family, Gu Zhan was slightly surprised,

For the Grand Elder sent by the Lingyang Gu Family turned out to be merely a Martial Artist who had only just stepped into the Innate, with even less cultivation than some of those behind him.

After the customary greetings, attendants began serving tea and handling the usual rituals, while still waiting for a few others who had not yet arrived—after all, everyone’s circumstances differ.

Gu Zhan and Mo Beiyan also took their seats, right at the front, Gu Zhan in the place of honor, with Mo Beiyan beside him. In a soft voice, Mo Beiyan explained, "The Gu Family’s situation is special. The original Gu Family was just a small family in Pingyang. Over ten years ago, they went through a Martial World upheaval and were nearly wiped out. The whole clan scattered.

Then, at that time, a branch of the Gu Family migrated from Qingzhou. Upon reunion, they discovered that they were indeed of the same clan. The Qingzhou branch had also suffered a crisis and had been forced to flee to Yunzhou. They were strong but few in number. The two branches hit it off and merged into one, forming the Lingyang Gu Family. Within a few years, they became a first-class power.

The representative here today is Grand Elder Gu Shanyun, the former leader of the Gu Family’s Pingyang branch. In the past, there was still some distinction within the Gu Family—for although the Pingyang branch was numerous, their strength was lacking. But in recent years, after someone from Pingyang reached the Dao Realm as a Great Cultivator at just thirty years old, the two branches fully merged, set aside all distinction, and became as one."

Gu Zhan nodded slightly and said, "Thirty years old and at the Dao Realm—such a genius can indeed make up for any gap in overall power."

Mo Beiyan nodded, "That man’s name is Gu Mo—a renowned young talent in Yunzhou."

Gu Zhan suddenly froze, surprised: "Who?"

"Gu Mo—as in ’indecision’!"

Gu Zhan nodded slowly.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing."

Gu Zhan smiled as if lost in thought, recalling that in his previous life on Earth, he too had a cousin named Gu Mo—only the character meant ’stranger,’ not ’indecision.’ The two had grown up fighting, but Gu Zhan never once won.

Later, his cousin left for another place, and they rarely contacted each other,

Before transmigrating, his cousin was riding the train home,

They never got to meet again.

Gu Zhan felt a wave of confusion for a moment,

As he and Mo Beiyan were chatting,

Among the few from the Gu Family below, a young woman was earnestly scrutinizing Gu Zhan, then glancing at Grand Elder Gu Shanyun, sizing them both up over and over,

After a long while, the woman leaned toward Gu Shanyun and whispered, "Father, have you noticed something?"

"What is it?" Gu Shanyun asked, puzzled.

The woman whispered, "Don’t you think this Gu Qianhu looks a lot like you, Father? Be honest—did you do something behind Mother’s back years ago?"

Gu Shanyun suddenly froze, hurriedly looked toward Gu Zhan, as if something had come to mind—a glint of surprise flashed in his eyes!