Chapter 156. Shangyang Qingyu
Commander of the personal guards?
Had it been anyone else, they would probably have been tempted long ago.
When Xu Yuan heard that, the corners of his mouth lifted into an almost imperceptible smile.
Now that he was an eight-meridian martial artist, he would be a Chief Overseer in the Level Four zone, ruling over dozens of streets, with profits to be had everywhere. To serve under the other man as commander of the personal guards would be a clear lowering of his own status. Even if there were some resources involved, how much importance could he really expect to receive?
Most importantly, he did not believe that after he had killed several of Shangyang Qingzhen’s subordinates, Shangyang Qingzhen could possibly hold no grudge at all.
In the future, that would be a hidden danger waiting to erupt.
"Xu Yuan, this is a great opportunity!"
Beside him, Zhang Cheng’s eyes shone. He felt that this position was an excellent one.
The Third Young Master already wielded formidable power. Though it was only the post of commander of the personal guards, the resources that could be allocated to it were surely abundant. More importantly, he could become one of the Third Young Master’s personal followers.
Xu Yuan cupped his hands and said calmly, "Many thanks for the Third Young Master’s favor, but at present, I only wish to focus wholeheartedly on my cultivation without distraction."
Zhang Cheng froze. No matter how hard he thought, he had never expected Xu Yuan to refuse.
The smile on Shangyang Qingzhen’s face did not change, but his tone turned a little colder. "Are you certain? You do not think the matter of Huo Gang, Yang Cang, and the others was done all that secretly, do you? I would know the truth with a single investigation. Do not fail to appreciate what is good for you."
"I have disappointed the Third Young Master."
Xu Yuan’s expression did not change. He said nothing more, merely cupped his hands in salute and said, "If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."
"Xu Yuan, you should think this through carefully..."
Zhang Cheng wanted to speak and persuade him, but the moment he caught sight of the gloom on Shangyang Qingzhen’s face, he immediately stopped himself.
Once Xu Yuan had gone far away, the smile on Shangyang Qingzhen’s face vanished completely and turned into a trace of coldness.
"A mud-legged peasant will always be a mud-legged peasant. All he knows is how to aim far beyond his station. One day, he will regret it."
...
The next day, a piece of news suddenly spread through the Shangyang Residence.
The Eldest Miss, who had spent many years training outside, had returned. Moreover, she announced that on the following day she would hold a martial arts tournament and select four or five people from it to take to her mountain gate.
The moment the news came out, an uproar swept through the residence.
Within the Shangyang Residence, it could be said that outsiders had virtually no chance at all of breaking through to the Organ-Nourishing realm.
For one thing, the Jade Platform Stance Art itself had flaws and would wear away a martial artist’s potential. For another, this was the family’s foundational art, and it had never been passed down except to the direct line of the inner courtyard.
But if one could enter the mountain gate behind the Eldest Miss, then the chances would become vastly greater.
It was a path that could carry one straight to the heavens.
For any martial artist with strength and ambition, who would not covet it?
The low-ranking martial artists all discussed it heatedly. It was even said that some Extraordinary Meridians martial artists who had been away for many years had taken this opportunity to hurry back to the residence.
For a time, it carried something of the air of heroes gathering atop Bright Summit.
...
The following day, at dawn.
Inside the Shangyang Residence, at its largest training ground.
It was already packed with people. No fewer than several dozen martial artists had gathered there, all of them part of the Shangyang Residence’s main fighting strength.
Most of them were young talents dressed in fine robes, along with some middle-aged experts whose auras were steady and restrained.
There were also white-haired old men. Even though they knew full well that it would be difficult for them to break through again in this lifetime, they still did not want to give up such an opportunity.
Xu Yuan arrived quietly and took his place among the crowd, waiting in silence. Even so, some people still noticed him and came forward to chat.
About fifteen minutes later, several cries of surprise rang out, and the crowd automatically parted to open a passage.
Xu Yuan turned to look and saw a young woman in a loose set of blue everyday clothes walking forward in measured steps, surrounded by attendants.
And as she moved, it seemed as if even the daylight dimmed by a shade.
Her features were exquisitely refined, her skin was as white as snow, her long legs shapely and well-proportioned, and her black hair draped over her shoulders. There was a languid air between her brows, yet it could not conceal the innate nobility in her bearing.
She was none other than the Shangyang Residence’s Eldest Miss, Shangyang Qingyu.
She swept her gaze across the crowd. Wherever her eyes passed, no one dared meet them. Only then did she speak indifferently.
"You all know the news already, so I will not waste words. I have only one thing to say: I do not want useless people. Anyone over fifty should leave on your own."
"And there are only five places. There will be five challenge rings, labeled A, B, C, D, and E. The final five people left standing will come with me."
The moment her words fell, the scene instantly erupted into discussion.
"There are really only five places?"
"That is far too few, is it not?"
"And there is even an age restriction!"
Several Extraordinary Meridians martial artists with graying temples immediately spoke up in dissatisfaction.
"Eldest Miss, this is very unfair. Since this is a ring tournament, then everything should naturally be decided by strength. Why impose an age limit at all?"
"Oh? Then you have objections to me?"
When Shangyang Qingyu heard that, she slowly turned her gaze toward them. Her expression remained calm, yet her eyes seemed to contain a certain pressure that sent a chill down their backs.
Ever since they had stepped into the Extraordinary Meridians level and risen to high rank and authority, it had been a very long time since they had felt that kind of prickling menace at their backs.
"In consideration of your many years of diligent service to the family, I will not pursue it this time. But there will not be a next time."
Shangyang Qingyu’s face remained expressionless. Under her gaze, the few men lowered their heads awkwardly. Only then did she say coldly, "At your age, you should honestly stay in the residence and enjoy your comfort. Otherwise, I would have to worry about you dying on the road before you even arrive."
Hearing such an utterly unceremonious scolding, the veteran resident retainers turned livid. All of them stormed off with a sweep of their sleeves.
The younger martial artists, on the other hand, all showed delight.
Once those old fellows gave up their spots, they would have room to rise.
There had not been many Extraordinary Meridians martial artists to begin with. With that group gone, only two remained, which meant that three places had opened up at once.
"Enough. The tournament begins."
Shangyang Qingyu paid them no further attention and spoke with crisp finality.
Whoosh!
The instant those words were spoken, the several dozen martial artists present rushed toward the challenge rings like men suddenly let loose.
"Stop first. There are some rules to this..." An eight-meridian steward stepped forward at that moment and stopped them.
At the edge of the grounds, Xiao Han and Yuan Danqing both wore bitter smiles.
Neither of them had expected this competition to be so much fiercer than they had imagined. Even martial artists who had been away from the residence for years had returned.
Even though they had both already broken through to the seven-meridian stage, they were still not enough when facing people like these.
Yuan Danqing said dejectedly, "It seems this kind of opportunity was never something people like us could swallow."
Xiao Han shook his head. "There is no helping it. There are simply too few places."
Yuan Danqing felt a tangle of emotions in her heart. She had prepared for this opportunity for a very long time, only to find that in the end, she might not even get the chance to step onto the ring.
At that thought, she could not help looking toward Xu Yuan in the crowd.
With his strength, he should be able to hold one of the rings, should he not?
Then again, perhaps not. Everyone present was skilled, and no one could say for certain who would be able to overpower whom.
On the viewing platform not far away, quite a few people from the inner courtyard had come, some sitting and some standing, every one of them wearing excited expressions.
Shangyang Qingzhen sat among them. He lifted a hand and pointed from afar at Xu Yuan in the arena. "Do you see that man?"
"I do."
Beside him, a middle-aged man with bulging muscles nodded and replied, "His reputation within the family has long been deafening to my ears."
"What, Young Master? Have you taken a fancy to recruiting him?"
A cold smile curved Shangyang Qingzhen’s lips. "Recruit him? Kong Wei, go up later and find a chance to knock him off the ring."
Kong Wei was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly understood. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Rest assured, Young Master. Though this boy’s reputation is great, he is young in the end, and his foundations are thin. If he runs into my hands, I will make him understand just how vast the world really is."
He prided himself on his old and seasoned experience, his many hidden trump cards, and the fact that he had survived several brushes with death. He did not think much of Xu Yuan at all.
Beside them, Zhang Cheng looked toward where Xu Yuan stood and shook his head slightly.
After offending the Third Young Master, Xu Yuan’s days ahead were likely to be difficult.