From the fusion of Tongbei Quan to the Longevity Martial Saint

It turns out that Lu Jianfeng was the last person to know about the backpack.

Before setting off, I rushed to find Kuang Shisan, begging him to make one as soon as possible.

Little did he know that Kuang Shisan had some old grudges against him and took the opportunity to make an exorbitant demand.

Seeing that everyone else had bought bags from Kuang Shisan, Lu Jianfeng assumed that this was the standard price.

Although the fifty taels of silver pained him terribly, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and pay it for the trial.

Seeing the various expressions on the other people's faces, Lu Jianfeng knew perfectly well that he had been tricked by Kuang Shisan.

Only now did he realize that he had become the only sucker.

"Kuang Shisan, I'm not done with you yet..."

Lu Jianfeng's tone was fierce, as if he wanted to skin Kuang Shisan alive and devour him whole.

But that's all he can say.

Lu Jianfeng is ranked fiftieth, and Kuang Shisan is ranked thirtieth.

Lu Jianfeng had no chance of winning at all.

He felt so choked up that his chest tightened and his eyes almost spit fire.

But seeing the overwhelming opposition, Lu Jianfeng could only suppress his anger.

He didn't retaliate again, nor did he continue to pressure Fang Qing to scout ahead.

We have to wait a little longer, until the sun has fully risen.

Only then will the thick fog covering the mountains and fields dissipate.

Right now, all five iron chain walkways are swallowed up by the white mist, making it impossible to see the abyss below.

Going up there rashly at this point would be tantamount to suicide.

……

Fang Qing thought so too.

He walked over to an old tree and plopped down on it.

He took out a piece of dried meat from his backpack, then took out his water pouch, and began to eat and drink slowly to replenish his energy.

[Premium jerky, increases stamina by +1, absorption complete...]

Fang Qing now needs at least 4000 stamina points to advance from the basic martial arts level to the next level.

The little bit of energy from the dried meat is barely enough to be considered anything special.

As night fell and the temperature dropped, Fang Qing's hair and shoulders were covered with a fine layer of dew, indicating that he had been sitting there quietly for quite some time.

Just two hours after Fang Qing rested, footsteps were heard again in the distant woods.

It was nearly dawn when Fang Fengtai's second team finally arrived, albeit late.

When Fang Fengtai arrived at the clearing at the edge of the cliff, he couldn't help but glance back triumphantly at the way he had come.

Sure enough, the rookie ranked 85th didn't catch up.

"I knew it! If we hadn't been leading the way, he wouldn't have even made it through the first half."

"This deep mountain forest is teeming with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts; does he really think he can take advantage of us?"

"Don't you even look at our circle of people ranked 60th to 70th? Do you think someone ranked 85th could just squeeze in?"

The dozen or so people following Fang Fengtai relaxed when they saw that they had finally reached the final checkpoint.

They knew in their hearts that they had no hope of getting into the top few.

Those five Qi Gathering Pills and the opportunity to use the Yangzhou Armory's Refining Pool are destined for Lu Jianfeng and his group of elites.

As long as you can successfully complete the trial and obtain those two merit points, then your trip will not have been in vain.

Merit points earned by the Salt Patrol Guards are hard to come by, and are especially valuable to members of the reserve camp.

It was now the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

If it were a salt field, many of the lower-level salt workers would have to get up and start their day's work.

Fang Fengtai saw Lu Jianfeng and the others, a smile spreading across his face. He was about to raise his hand to greet them.

He and Lu Jianfeng had a good personal relationship; one was ranked 50th and the other 65th, and they got along quite well on a daily basis.

But his smile froze on his face as he raised his hand halfway.

His pupils contracted sharply.

He was startled to see that next to where Lu Jianfeng and his group were resting, under an old tree.

A somewhat familiar, burly figure was sitting there quietly.

"Holy crap! Look!"

"Is that Fang Qing, the one we managed to shake off?"

"Shouldn't he be lagging behind and getting covered in dust? How did he end up ahead of us?"

More and more people from the second group squeezed over, looking in the direction Fang Fengtai pointed.

Fang Qing was seen leaning against a tree trunk, slowly chewing on a piece of dried meat in one hand and holding a water pouch in the other.

He appeared calm and composed, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.

Everyone, including Fang Fengtai, was instantly stunned.

Some people rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

Fang Qing seemed to notice their gaze, turned her head and glanced at them indifferently, then turned back away without a word.

Fang Fengtai and the others behind him, exhausted from their hurried journey, suddenly felt as heavy as lead.

Even the most foolish person would understand now.

They wanted to leave Fang Qing behind, but he had already overtaken them on his own merits.

Fang Qing's strength is probably far beyond their expectations.

Judging from the thick layer of undried dew on his hair and clothes, he had obviously arrived quite early.

Their speed and stamina alone far surpassed theirs.

Fang Fengtai and his companions exchanged shocked glances.

The group pursed their lips, said nothing more, and silently walked towards Lu Jianfeng's group.

When passing by Fang Qing, Fang Fengtai even nodded slightly at him, forcing a smile on his face.

On the way, he did indeed look down on Fang Qing for being ranked low and even wanted to join the group.

Now that he realized the other party was hiding his true strength, Fang Fengtai immediately abandoned his initial contempt.

In the Salt Patrol Reserve Battalion, strength is the only true measure of power.

Arrogance without strength is foolish; humility with strength inspires fear.

Fang Fengtai would never engage in mindless mockery.

As Lu Jianfeng's group joined Fang Fengtai's second team, the open space on the cliff edge suddenly became lively.

But when the five thick iron chains on the cliff ahead appeared and disappeared in the mist, the atmosphere quickly fell silent again.

Only the mournful sound of the mountain wind blowing through the iron chains remained.

It wasn't until nearly dawn that Zhanbo, leading the group ranked last, finally arrived, panting heavily.

The thick fog between the cliffs began to dissipate rapidly under the rising sun.

Like a veil being torn away by an invisible hand.

The full view of the iron chain walkway, and the faint golden figures standing on it, gradually became clear.

Lu Jianfeng spat out the straw he had been holding in his mouth and jumped up from the ground.

He slung the heavy leather backpack over his shoulder with a deft movement.

Then he turned his head and glanced at Zhanbo and the others who had just arrived and were still in shock.

"Who's at the bottom of your group?"

Swish!

Almost everyone's gaze fell on a slightly thin young man, Zhanbo.

Lu Jianfeng gestured with his chin toward Zhanbo.

"Zhanbo, you go ahead and scout ahead."

"Let's see what's going on with those chains and bronze figures."

Upon hearing this, Zhanbo's face turned deathly pale.

His lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word.

This is an unspoken rule within the Salt Patrol Guard Reserve Battalion.

Whenever there's a dangerous challenge that requires risking lives, the person ranked last and the weakest is always chosen to take the lead.

In the eyes of people like Lu Jianfeng, the greatest value of someone like Zhanbo, who is at the bottom of the rankings, is that he is a trailblazer.

As for casualties? Those are merely necessary losses.

Zhanbo felt his legs go weak and his throat go dry.

He gazed at the five solitary iron chains above the abyss ahead, their bodies swaying slightly in the morning breeze.

Below was a swirling, lingering fog, its depth unknown.

But he dared not disobey, and could only grit his teeth and take a trembling step forward.

Just as his feet were about to touch the ground.

A calm yet powerful voice came from under the old tree to the side.

"Wait a moment……"

The moment the sound rang out, a burly figure rose from beneath the tree...

……