"Including the day you spent recovering after I treated you, we've been here for a total of four days." Zhang Po understood; these four days seemed as if they were a dream, and he had indeed experienced a journey from life to death and back, as if he had passed through the gates of hell.

As his thoughts wandered, he suddenly remembered the matter of the secret code and asked Chang Wei, "Can you give me the code of your Chang family? It's really important to us."

Chang Wei flipped his hands, and a wooden wedge slid down the thread before Zhang Po. This wedge, like the previous two, was a prism shape with strange characters carved on it, clearly showing the code of the Chang family.

"I've been wanting to give it to you, but my father insisted on keeping you here, so I had no choice." Chang Wei shrugged.

After replenishing his Energy, Zhang Po was no longer hindered in his movements, and Xiao Yifei had also recovered from last night's fatigue. After a brief discussion, the two decided to quickly head to the next mark on the Parchment, the Xiao Family.

"You're going to the Xiao Family?" Upon hearing that Lin Mu's next destination was the Xiao Family, Chang Wei immediately showed an excited expression.

Xiao Yifei nodded, "What's up?"

"The Xiao Family is one of the most prominent tribes in the Ten Thousand Mountains. Among the seven major families, the Xiao Family has been faring the best in recent years. They host a Martial Artist Conference every year, which attracts many Cultivators from other tribes and Martial Artists who come to cultivate in the Ten Thousand Mountains. I've always wanted to go, but my father wouldn't allow it."

Hearing this, Xiao Yifei became interested, "When is it?"

Chang Wei thought for a moment, "If we count the days, it's just next week."

Xiao Yifei noticed that Zhang Po's expression darkened visibly at the mention of the "Martial Artist Conference." Clearly, Zhang Po knew something about this "Martial Artist Conference."

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yifei asked with concern.

Zhang Po pondered for a while, then said, "Just as Chang Wei said, I've also heard of this 'Martial Artist Conference.' It's a gathering where Cultivators exchange martial arts, hosted by the Xiao Family, and the prizes are quite generous. The first-place Martial Artist even has the chance to encounter the Xiao Family's Holy Beast, the 'Sunflame Qilin,' which is a significant opportunity."

"So what? Isn't that even better?" Xiao Yifei asked.

Zhang Po paused and continued, "This 'Martial Artist Tournament' has age restrictions for participants; those over thirty are forbidden to participate, so the contestants are young men in their twenties, full of vigor and competitive spirit, and every 'Martial Artist Conference' inevitably has some casualties."

"Not to mention the other rewards, just the 'Sunflame Qilin' alone is enough to attract strong individuals from everywhere to flock here. Moreover, most of the Xiao Family's people cultivate an explosive and intense Fire Attribute True Qi, combined with the ancient Xiao Family's Cultivation Technique, they're incredibly strong and unmatched. Almost every 'Martial Artist Conference' champion has been predominantly from the Xiao Family. That's why they dare to offer such a big wager; it's all to train their young members."

So this "Martial Artist Conference" is a training ground created by the Xiao Family for their young members, Xiao Yifei thought, now having a rough understanding of the 'Martial Artist Conference.'

"From your tone, have you participated before?" Chang Wei picked up on the implication in Zhang Po's words.

Zhang Po nodded.

"How did it go?" Xiao Yifei hurriedly asked, thinking that with Zhang Po's strength, even if he didn't win, his ranking shouldn't have been too low.

"Complete defeat! I didn't even get past the first round," Zhang Po responded with a heavy heart.

Xiao Yifei and Chang Wei looked astonished.

Xiao Yifei recalled that since stepping into the Cultivation World, he had encountered few enemies or friends who were also Cultivators, and he had never quite understood where his current level stood. The 'Martial Artist Conference,' which gathered the elite young Cultivators from various paths, was a perfect place to test himself.

Thinking about facing so many strong peers and becoming stronger through numerous combats, Xiao Yifei was filled with anticipation, his face radiating excitement, and his smile growing broader.

Zhang Po and Chang Wei, seeing Xiao Yifei grinning foolishly at the wall, worried something was wrong with him, and Zhang Po stepped forward to pat Xiao Yifei on the shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" Zhang Po asked with concern.

Being patted by Zhang Po, Xiao Yifei finally snapped out of his previous trance, "Huh? I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Okay, good. Let's quickly pack and go to the Xiao Family for the code, so we avoid any complications," Zhang Po said, putting the Chang Family code given by Chang Wei into his pocket and getting ready to leave.

But Xiao Yifei interrupted him, "No, I want to participate in the 'Martial Artist Conference.' I want to see those peers who are even stronger than you. Even if I lose to them, at least I'll understand the gap between us."

Zhang Po was taken aback upon hearing this, recalling his own experience participating in the 'Martial Artist Conference.' He had had the same thoughts as Xiao Yifei at the time, and although young and not very advanced in Cultivation, that failure was a huge blow and became a lingering nightmare haunting his mind over the years.

On second thought, in just a few weeks, Xiao Yifei had left him far behind, not only defeating Chang Wutian and his "Drilling Armor Corpse" but also saving his life. Yet all he ever thought about was his own small world, never considering the vastness outside, and still deluded himself about becoming the world's greatest Swordsman—how utterly ridiculous.

With a determined resolve, Zhang Po gritted his teeth and made up his mind, "Alright! I will go with you; I will participate, too."

Xiao Yifei cheered excitedly, "That's the spirit! Besides, we may not necessarily lose." Then, turning to Chang Wei, he asked, "Chang Wei, how about you? Will you join us?"

Chang Wei, a bit embarrassed, admitted, "To be honest, I've always wanted to, but because my father blocked me, I never had the opportunity. Your invitation happens to be just what I wanted; I also want to go there and test my skills."

Seeing Chang Wei gladly agree, Xiao Yifei was as happy as a child, "Great! Let's go experience this 'Martial Artist Conference' together and see just how strong the descendants of the Xiao Family are!"

Meanwhile, on a distant volcano, a young man sat at the volcano's crater with his eyes closed in cultivation, seemingly indifferent to the splashes of hot lava around him.

This young man, with red hair, fiery eyes, and sword-shaped brows, had a ruddy, radiant complexion, a high nose bridge, and broad lips, exuding an impressive aura that could not be hidden even amid the volcano's steamy mist.

The young man sneezed, rubbed his nose angrily, and said, "Who's gossiping about me now? Looking for death!"

Coincidentally, a drop of lava fell on him, miraculously merging into his body, immediately bringing a look of enjoyment to his face, as he closed his eyes and continued his cultivation.

Back with Xiao Yifei and his group, after agreeing on their course of action, they decided to head together to the Xiao Family to participate in this year's "Martial Artist Conference." However, before departing, Xiao Yifei suddenly requested Zhang Po and Chang Wei to act as his protectors while he went into seclusion for five days.

"Seclusion?" Zhang Po questioned the request, finding it somewhat inappropriate. Seclusion is normal for a Cultivator, but why suddenly propose to participate in the "Martial Artist Conference"? From today, there's only one week until the "Martial Artist Conference" begins, and you'd be in seclusion for five days; how would you make it in time?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.