I have a composite mirror

Chapter 119 The Dharma Assembly Begins Amidst Turmoil

Listening to the Rain Pavilion.

When Gu Shenyan returned to the villa, it was nearly midnight.

The lights in the yard were still on.

Cao Wenjing sat at the stone table, wiping his sword.

The sword gleamed, reflecting his cold and stern face.

"You're back?"

Cao Wenjing didn't even look up, and asked indifferently.

"Senior brother, you're still awake?"

Gu Shenyan straightened his clothes and stepped forward.

"I'm waiting for you."

Cao Wenjing sheathed his sword, letting out a clear dragon's roar.

"He smelled of earth and there was still a lingering aura from the tracking talisman."

He raised his head, his gaze piercing.

"Are you in trouble?"

Gu Shenyan felt a chill run down his spine.

The eldest brother is indeed perceptive.

He remained expressionless and said, half-truthfully, "On my way to Moyunzhai to buy things, I encountered a few petty thieves, but I just dealt with them easily."

Cao Wenjing stared at him for a few seconds.

Ultimately, no further investigation was conducted.

"The capital city is a treacherous place, unlike the provincial capital. Here, even a beggar on the street might have a gang behind him."

"But we don't provoke trouble, yet we're not afraid of trouble either."

Gu Shenyan nodded in agreement.

"The Dharma assembly begins tomorrow."

Cao Wenjing changed the subject, his expression becoming serious.

"This is not just a competition, it's a battlefield."

"The first round is called 'Ten Thousand Symbols Paying Homage to the Ancestor.'"

"The location is not the arena, but the Fulin Secret Realm."

Gu Shenyan was taken aback.

"A secret realm?"

"That's right."

Cao Wenjing explained, "That was a blessed land built by the royal talisman masters of the previous dynasty. The terrain inside is complex and simulates various extreme environments."

"The rules of the Dharma assembly are very simple: just enter the blessed land and collect the fragments inside."

"Some are counterfeit, some—are real."

"The time limit is three days. The more fragments you collect and the higher their quality, the higher your score will be."

Finally, only the top 500 players on the leaderboard will qualify for the next round of the competition.

Gu Shenyan frowned.

"Just collecting?"

Cao Wenjing gave a cold laugh.

"How is that possible?"

"The secret realm not only contains automatically attacking 'Spirit Rune' beasts, but also various natural rune array traps."

"Of course, the most dangerous—"

"They are other contestants."

"Moreover, enlightenment points will randomly appear inside," these are places where spiritual energy gathers, and if you're lucky, you might even comprehend a certain rune's meaning on the spot.

Gu Shenyan understood.

This is no competition.

This is a case of raising poisonous insects.

It tests not only ability, but also luck, and even more so, the human heart.

"I see."

Gu Shenyan took out a jade slip from his pocket.

"Senior brother, this is the information just sent by 'Raven'."

Cao Wenjing took the jade slip and scanned it with his divine sense.

His face immediately turned even more gloomy.

"Zhao Yuanlang————"

"The Zhao family of Qingzhou."

Gu Shenyan added, "The playboy I met tonight is Zhao Yuanlang's cousin."

"Han Ya discovered that the Zhao family's several money shops in the capital had shady dealings with the Nanyang Trading Company."

"Moreover, this Zhao Yuanlang cultivates the art of 'talisman poison'."

"Skilled in underhanded tactics."

Cao Wenjing crushed the jade slip.

"Very well, now that they've put their claws in here, don't blame us for chopping them off."

"I'll remind Su Shuang to keep an eye on things from the sidelines."

The next day.

Tianqi City, Xuantian Training Ground.

This place is large enough to accommodate 100,000 people.

By this time, the place was packed with people, and the noise was deafening.

Countless colorful flags fluttered in the wind, each flag representing a sect or aristocratic family.

The air was thick with a mixture of excitement and tension.

On the central viewing platform, representatives of the royal family, high-ranking officials of the Xuanzheng Division, and elders from various sects were all seated.

Gu Shenyan sat at the back of the contestants' area, which was a special area prepared for accompanying personnel and observers.

His gaze swept through the crowd.

Han Sushuang stood in the Tingtao Pavilion's group, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and carrying a long sword, looking heroic and dashing.

She was in a very good state of mind, with only fighting spirit in her eyes.

Meanwhile, in another team not far away.

Gu Shenyan saw Zhao Yuanlang.

He was a pale, sickly-looking young man.

Deep-set eyes and very thin lips.

He stood there quietly, and the air around him seemed a few degrees colder than elsewhere.

Many talisman masters around instinctively kept a certain distance from him, as if Zhao Yuanlang was emanating some kind of ominous aura.

Gu Shenyan's gaze lingered for only a moment before he continued to observe the others.

Sudden.

[Alert: Faint mental interaction detected.]

[Source: Zhao Yuanlang.]

[Target: The viewing platform, the judges' seats, third row, second from the left.]

Gu Shenyan's pupils suddenly contracted.

He looked in the direction indicated by the system.

On the judges' panel sat an elderly man dressed in a purple robe.

Those are the robes of the Imperial Household Agency.

The old man was resting with his eyes closed, twirling two walnuts in his hands.

But in that instant just now.

His eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze meeting Zhao Yuanlang's for a fleeting moment in mid-air before parting again.

That look in his eyes made Gu Shenyan's soul feel as if it were sinking into a quagmire, constantly sinking deeper and deeper.

The other person didn't seem like an elder looking at a younger person.

It's more like a confirmation between conspirators.

Gu Shenyan's heart sank.

"System, record the old man's facial features and create a file."

[Recorded.]

It seems that the situation at this Dharma assembly is even more complex than Liu Wenyuan described.

Even the referee's table is rife with treachery.

"Thump—"

A melodious chime silenced the clamor of the entire venue.

A general in golden armor walked onto the high platform, his voice booming like a great bell, resounding throughout the entire arena.

"The auspicious hour has arrived! The Hundred Talismans Ceremony commences!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hundreds of cannons fired in unison.

The sky was filled with the light of the runes, which exploded and transformed into auspicious clouds of five colors, enveloping the entire training ground.

Followed by.

In the center of the training ground, the enormous teleportation array slowly activated.

A beam of white light shot into the sky, distorting space.

An ancient and primordial aura surged forth from the portal.

"The Secret Realm of Rune Forest is now open!"

"All players, enter the fray!"

With this command given.

Thousands of talisman masters from all over the country flocked to the gate of light like a swarm of locusts crossing a river.

Han Sushuang turned around and glanced in the direction where Gu Shenyan and Cao Wenjing were.

She nodded slightly.

Then, he resolutely turned around and stepped into the portal of light.

The figure vanished in an instant.