Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 184 That Year I Was Eighteen
Chungkyo University, Jiuxing Martial Arts Hall.

As the largest martial arts hall in Zhongjing, the Nine Star Martial Arts Hall can be seen from above to have nine symmetrical, protruding long, pointed corners.

The deep blue steel structure makes this huge building resemble a nine-pointed star.

The nine long, pointed corners serve as annexes to the martial arts hall, offering a highly functional environment. They house various restaurants, luxury brand stores, and more.

Even when the martial arts hall is not open, the nine corner annex buildings can still be opened as independent commercial centers, which are very lively.

At 10:00 AM on December 28th, martial arts prodigies from all over the country gathered at the Nine Star Martial Arts Hall.

The central open space of the martial arts hall was filled with spirited young people.

Yan Qiushui, dressed in a plain white martial arts uniform, silently followed behind her master, Qi Tian.

As the dean of the Martial Arts Academy of Zhongjing University, Qi Tian was the host of this Azure Dragon Cup. Although he didn't particularly enjoy socializing, he still had to exchange pleasantries with the powerful figures from various states.

Bringing Yan Qiushui along was naturally to introduce this youngest disciple to the powerful figures and build connections.

"Brother Tian, ​​it's been a long time." A smile appeared on Qi Tian's cold face, and his tone became noticeably warmer.

The one addressed as Brother Tian was none other than Tian Wuji, the Dragon King of Nanzhou. This level seven expert was a full 1.9 meters tall, and his crimson-gold eyes held an indescribable majesty and holiness.

He had several lumps and bumps on his face, making his face look uneven and ugly. His hair was dry and yellow, and the buttons on his black martial arts uniform were not fastened. His white undershirt was also open, revealing some of his thick pectoral muscles.

Yan Qiushui didn't dare to look too long; the Dragon King's appearance was a bit too frightening. Her gaze shifted to the young man beside the Dragon King.

The young man was exceptionally handsome, with gentle and kind features that resembled a woman's. He wore a royal blue martial arts uniform, which further accentuated his snow-white, jade-like skin.

Yan Qiushui was somewhat surprised to see such a handsome man for the first time. Chu Shenxiu was even more beautiful than in the video, and his gentle temperament made him look like a woman.

She even thought of a phrase: "as still as a virgin." It was the perfect description for Chu Shenxiu.

Chu Shenxiu sensed Yan Qiushui's gaze and nodded slightly in acknowledgment. Although she was an exceptionally beautiful young woman, he had no interest in her.

For him, people and things become boring once you understand them. Only martial arts are endless, and the more you explore them, the more interesting they become.

However, martial arts had exhausted all his passion and energy, leaving him with no interest in other people or things.

Dragon King Tian Wuji greatly admired Yan Qiushui, praising her: "She is exceptionally talented and has a unique natural gift. Brother Qi's disciple is truly outstanding, which I envy."

Qi Tian's smile deepened; it wasn't easy to receive praise from Tian Wuji. He said, "Brother Tian, ​​you flatter me. This child is still too young and inexperienced. He's far inferior to Brother Tian's disciple..."

Tian Wuji glanced at Chu Shenxiu beside him and rarely smiled: "This child has only one flaw, he's too quiet."

He was a rough and tough man, yet he had taught such a gentle and feminine disciple, which made him feel somewhat awkward.

However, Chu Shenxiu's talent was too extraordinary. In his view, this disciple had a very high chance of becoming a Martial Saint, and it was even possible that he could surpass the Martial Emperor!
In front of outsiders, Tian Wuji couldn't praise his disciple too much; he could only point out what he considered to be his shortcomings.

"Indeed, she is as quiet as a woman."

A burly man with bloodshot eyes walked over. He had thinning hair and a very large belly that made his dark red martial arts uniform look round and plump.

The martial arts hall was full of elite fighters, and a stout physique like this big man's was extremely rare. The big man had a distinct southern accent, and spoke quickly, urgently, and in a rather high-pitched voice.

Tian Wuji glanced coldly at the fat, burly man. He said that his disciple could say whatever he wanted, but it was really annoying for outsiders to interrupt.

"Qu Hanshan, don't spout nonsense. My disciple has entered the Dao of Tranquility and is unmoved by external things. What do you mean by 'like a woman'? Are you blind?"

Although the other party was the renowned Fire King of Dongzhou, Tian Wuji didn't care. He already disliked this greasy fat man, and he wouldn't show any politeness in front of everyone.

Tian Wuji did not make any deliberate gestures, but his mental strength was so formidable that his displeasure naturally radiated outwards, covering a large number of people around him.

Those present were all highly skilled martial artists, each with keen senses. They immediately noticed that something was amiss, and almost everyone's gaze turned to Tian Wuji.

Standing in the corner, Gao Wu was strolling around with Zhou Hongying and Shang Qingjun, while Xiao Song accompanied Lu Yuan to meet his old friends. This was also Lu Yuan's way of giving Xiao Song a boost. Gao Wu didn't join in; let Xiao Song inherit the old man's connections, he, an ordinary student, shouldn't try to piggyback on them.

Besides, Xiao Song's connections are his connections, so it has no impact whatsoever.

There were at least one or two thousand people entering the venue, all of them martial artists from various states, the lowest of whom were warriors.

Although everyone speaks Mandarin, they all carry regional accents. There are also significant differences in appearance; some people are dark-skinned and thin, others are fair-skinned and strong, some have full heads of curly hair, and so on…

This was Gao Wu's first time leaving Beizhou, and seeing all this in person still felt quite novel. He would even strike up a conversation with anyone he liked.

For kids growing up in the North, striking up a conversation is an essential skill. Regardless of where they come from, they'll respond with a few words out of basic politeness.

It's okay if they don't respond; that's just impolite of them...

The sudden conflict also caught Gao Wu's attention. He was tall and had sharp eyesight, and more importantly, he had strong mental strength. Although he was a bit far away, he could still clearly see the situation on the scene.

He didn't recognize Tian Wuji, but after glancing at them through the Yin God, he immediately knew that they were all level seven experts.

The source energy emanating from these powerful figures shone as brightly as the sun, and even the Yin God felt as if he were being burned just by glancing at them.

It wasn't that the Yin Spirit was weak, but rather that the source energy fields emanating from several level seven powerhouses carried powerful spiritual energy, which was extremely terrifying.

Tian Wuji's slight emotional fluctuation caused Gao Wu to feel immense pressure. Gao Wu's smile vanished; a martial arts grandmaster was like a towering mountain—the closer he got, the less he understood him. This seventh-level expert, whose emotions had erupted, was as vast as the sky, with no end in sight.

"Amazing!" Gao Wu had his first direct understanding of a level seven expert. He sighed inwardly, thinking that level seven experts were ridiculously strong... far beyond his expectations.

The stronger one's mental strength, the more one can sense the aura released by Tian Wuji. Lesser martial artists like Shang Qingjun and Zhou Hongying, on the other hand, cannot sense that terrifying, invisible aura.

Despite the many eyes on him, Qu Hanshan, who had been scolded, was not angry. He chuckled and said, "It's been more than ten years, and you're still as hot-tempered as ever. You might as well call yourself the Fire King."

Qu Hanshan said to his disciple Qu Tianji beside him, "This is the Heavenly King, you can call him Uncle Qi. This is the Dragon King, you can call him Uncle Tian."

Qu Tianji was nearly two meters tall, with a burly build, crimson eyes, thick black eyebrows, and an air of arrogance and dominance. Dressed in a dark red martial arts uniform, he stood there like a burning ember, radiating a powerful and intense aura.

Qu Tianji bowed respectfully to the two powerful figures, the Heavenly King and the Dragon King. However, this could not conceal the fierce and scorching aura emanating from him.

Tian Wuji disliked Qu Hanshan, but he wouldn't stoop to the level of a junior. He nodded slightly: "The Angri Sword is so refined, not bad."

"My apprentice awakened a special physical talent when he was twelve years old, and his body is as hard as diamond."

Qu Hanshan said triumphantly, "The Qinglong Cup champion is none other than him."

He then said to Qu Tianji, "Tianji, these young talents are all personally taught by your uncles. You must show them mercy when you encounter them on the stage..."

Although Gao Wu was far away, he heard Qu Hanshan's words very clearly. He was somewhat taken aback. This level seven expert was really good at stirring up trouble! He was even a little angry!

Zhou Hongying could only vaguely hear the general idea, but couldn't see who was speaking. She asked anxiously, "Xiao Wu, who is that?"

"That one is extraordinary; he is Qu Hanshan, the Fire King of Dongzhou, and that burly man is his prized disciple, Qu Tianji. He is the biggest favorite to win the Azure Dragon Cup this year."

Before Gao Wu could speak, a burly man suddenly came over to chat. This man was almost two meters tall, with a strong build, but his features were thin eyebrows and eyes, and his hair was sparse. He looked young but was somewhat mature and greasy.

Zhou Hongying was startled. She took a step back from Gao Wu and asked, "Who are you?"

"Sister, my name is Wei Yue, I'm from Tianzhou, I'm 25 years old, and I'm unmarried." The burly man who called himself Wei Yue spoke in a slick, oily tone, with the unique wit of people from Tianzhou.

Zhou Hongying carefully examined Wei Yue, then retreated behind Gao Wu with some disdain. This guy was too slick, and more importantly, he wasn't good-looking at all, a far cry from her Xiao Wu.

Gao Wu, however, found Wei Yue interesting, and casually asked, "Do you know all those people?"

"They're all influential figures, of course we know each other. The one with the imposing appearance is the Dragon King, the handsome one is the Heavenly King, and the particularly beautiful lady is Yan Qiushui, the Heavenly King's personal disciple. The man who looks like the lady is called Chu Shenxiu, known as an unparalleled genius."

Wei Yue glanced at Gao Wu as he spoke: "I think this is a bit much. He's unparalleled, so where does that put the young king of men!"

"Hahaha..." Gao Wu laughed loudly. This big man's mouth was both oily and venomous. Interesting.

He said, "Chu Shenxiu is over twenty years old, which is considered a young man. He and I are not on the same track."

Wei Yue chuckled and gave a thumbs up: "You're really something, man! You're absolutely right to have the surname Gao!"

Just as Gao Wu was about to exchange a few casual words with Wei Yue, he heard Dragon King Tian Wuji say in a deep voice, "My disciple Chu Shenxiu advanced to the fifth level last year and has now condensed twenty acupoints. He has come to participate in the Azure Dragon Cup to experience the skills of the heroes of the world!"

Upon hearing this, Qu Hanshan's smile vanished. He carefully examined Chu Shenxiu again, then nodded and exclaimed, "The younger generation is truly formidable!"

The martial artists present were stunned. A martial arts master at the age of twenty-two! Damn it, how are others supposed to compete with this!
Wei Yue's expression was also somewhat complicated: "Damn, that's a total freak!"

He turned his gaze and found that Gao Wu's expression was normal, which surprised him a little: "Dude, why aren't you reacting?"

Gao Wu smiled and said, "I am the King of Youth!"

"Excellent," Wei Yue said perfunctorily before leaving in a hurry.

The organizers asked everyone to take a group photo, and the more than 1,000 people were divided into ten rows in the audience seats.

The powerful figures such as the Martial King and Martial Arts Grandmaster sat in the first row, while Gao Wu noticed that Lu Yuan could only sit in a relatively peripheral position.

Yan Qiushui, Chu Shenxiu, Qu Tianji, and other top geniuses stood behind their teacher in the most central and important position.

Gao Wu was in an even worse situation, assigned to the corner of the tenth row, next to Song Mingyue, Yan Shanyue, Li Chunyi, and others. All the contestants from Beizhou were placed in this corner.

The intense flashes of the cameras captured images of thousands of people at the scene and stored them in electronic data format.

When taking photos, Gao Wu smiled brightly. He was not discouraged by being ignored and neglected. On the contrary, he felt that all the heroes in the world had gathered here, and it was the perfect time for him to show his skills and make a name for himself!
The center of attention throughout the event was always a few kings, unparalleled geniuses like Chu Shenxiu, Qu Tianji, and Yan Qiushui.

Throughout the entire gathering, almost no one paid attention to him, and no one brought up the topic of the "King of Youth," except for Wei Yue.

By the way, Wei Yue is also standing in the center of the second row. In front of him is Lei Ming, the King of Strength from Tianzhou. Obviously, this guy is Lei Ming's personal disciple.

When the event ended, Gao Wu and the others received their photos.

Looking at his and Xiao Song's slightly distorted and blurry faces in the corner of the photo, Gao Wu flicked the photo and smiled...

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(End of this chapter)