High Martial Arts: Martial Soul Great Sage Equal to Heaven, crushing all races.

Shanghai, Demon Slayer Division Headquarters, Grand Auditorium.

Night had already fallen, but the place was as bright as day.

Above the dome, instead of cold, impersonal lighting fixtures, there was a single, massive piece of luminous crystal carved into the surface.

Soft light shone down, illuminating the entire magnificent hall, which could hold thousands of people, in every detail.

The air was filled with the aroma of top-quality ingredients and fine wines, amidst the rustling of clothes and the clinking of glasses.

The high-ranking officials of the Demon Slaying Division, senior instructors of the Shanghai Martial Arts University, and representatives of major families and sects in Shanghai—almost all the prominent figures were present.

"Have you heard? The commotion during the day—a black dragon pulling a chariot, escorted by twelve golden-feathered giant eagles—this spectacle is almost on par with Lei Jun's triumphant return a hundred years ago!" A patriarch of a powerful family lowered his voice, but the shock in his tone was impossible to hide.

"It's more than just a show!" His companion took a sip of wine, glancing towards the main table. "I saw it with my own eyes. The young man next to General Feng was wearing a full set of crimson gold general's armor! An eighteen-year-old general... tsk tsk, this world is crazy."

"The young general? You mean Feng Mo, the top scholar in the martial arts exam?"

"Who else could it be but him! He severely injured a sixth-tier White Tiger Mountain Lord with a single blow; that's no secret now. My good-for-nothing son came back and told me that he now sees Feng Mo as if he were a god descending to earth."

The murmurs rose like waves, one after another, and all the waves eventually converged on the same center—the boy at the main table, calmly and leisurely peeling an orange.

In another corner of the auditorium, the atmosphere was equally enthusiastic, but with an added touch of youthful vigor and passion.

The first batch of freshmen from various martial arts universities in Shanghai who completed their summer demon-slaying missions were granted special permission to attend this celebration banquet.

Most of them were still injured; some had thick bandages wrapped around their arms, and some had gruesome scratches on their faces, but this did not diminish the fanaticism in their eyes.

"Holy crap! Brother Feng is awesome! It really is Brother Feng!" Jin Zhengyi was so excited that his face turned red. He was holding a chicken leg in his hand, but forgot to put it in his mouth. His eyes were fixed on the main table, as if he wanted to engrave that figure into his brain.

Yun Tianyi had become the central figure among the new students. He puffed out his chest, held his chin high, and was recounting his "glorious deeds" with Feng Mo with great enthusiasm, although most of it was his own imagination.

"Back then, the moment I saw Feng Mo, I knew this kid was no ordinary person! When have I, Yun Tianyi, ever been wrong about his judgment? Let me tell you, how arrogant were Xia Jidian and his gang downstairs in the dormitory? Feng Mo didn't say a word, just went up and gave them a sound beating! It was incredibly swift and decisive!"

The surrounding freshmen listened with rapt attention, their eyes filled with longing and admiration for the strong.

They risked their lives countless times to barely kill a few second- or third-tier demonic beasts, while Feng Mo, who was the same age as them, had already reached a height that they could only look up to for a lifetime.

Chu Qiulan stood quietly in the shadows of the corner, holding a glass of juice, completely out of place with the surrounding noise.

Her gaze swept over the throng of people and landed on the figure surrounded by a throng of admirers.

During the day, as the Black Dragon Chariot swept overhead and its enormous shadow enveloped her, she experienced for the first time what it meant to be out of reach.

And now, watching him calmly accept the respect and praise from the highest levels of the entire city, that feeling became even clearer.

She subconsciously tightened her grip on the cup, feeling a chill from the cold glass, but it couldn't suppress the inexplicable sense of powerlessness in her heart.

Just then, the lights in the entire venue suddenly dimmed slightly, and all the noise instantly fell silent.

Feng Qingyang, dressed in a green robe with an iron sword at his waist, slowly walked up to the high platform in the center of the hall.

He no longer held a wine gourd, and his usual lazy and carefree demeanor had vanished, replaced by a sharpness like a drawn sword.

He didn't speak, but calmly surveyed the entire room.

An invisible sword intent spread out from him, not harming anyone, but making everyone present feel a chill and subconsciously straighten their backs.

"I have invited you all here today for three reasons."

Feng Qingyang's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to every corner of the auditorium.

"First, let us celebrate the victory of our Demon-Slaying Division's twelve battalions, who marched a thousand miles to annihilate the demon's lair on the Xinlan River!"

"Secondly, I celebrate the return of my more than 30,000 compatriots to their homeland, freed from the clutches of the demonic beasts!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Countless people stood up excitedly, cheering for this victory that had been two hundred years overdue.

Feng Qingyang raised his hand and made a slight pressure, and the arena fell silent once again.

His gaze fell on Feng Mo.

"Third, and most importantly. In this battle of Xinlan River, our army was able to achieve a great victory, slaying the peak fifth-tier catfish demon king, severely injuring the sixth-tier White Tiger Mountain Lord, and rescuing 30,000 compatriots, all thanks to the power of one man who turned the tide!"

Swish-!

Thousands of eyes in the audience focused on Feng Mo once again.

Adoration, awe, curiosity, jealousy... all sorts of complex emotions intertwined, forming a powerful aura that pressed down on the eighteen-year-old boy.

Feng Mo seemed oblivious. He slowly put the last segment of orange into his mouth before, at Feng Qingyang's prompting, he slowly stood up and walked onto the platform.

His crimson gold general's armor gleamed under the lights, making his figure appear even more upright.

Actually, Feng Mo originally wanted to change into martial arts clothes, which were more comfortable to wear, but Feng Qingyang insisted that he wear this armor... saying it would make him look more dignified.

Feng Mo ignored the complex gazes from the audience and calmly picked up the microphone.

The entire room fell silent; everyone held their breath, waiting for the young general to speak.

They wanted to know what the boy who had created this miracle would say.

Is it high spirits or humility and caution?

However, when Feng Mo spoke, he only uttered a single, extremely brief sentence.

His voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling, murderous aura that echoed in everyone's ears.

"On this trip, I witnessed the suffering of countless compatriots, as well as the arrogance and cruelty of monsters."

"I don't have any grand principles to explain, I only have one rule—"

He paused, his dark eyes sweeping across the room, and said, word by word:

"As long as I still have this stick in my hand, I'll kill every single demon, big or small, on this planet I see!"

Dead silence.

After a deathly silence of three seconds, the entire auditorium erupted in cheers!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"General Feng is truly awe-inspiring!"

Countless young members of the Demon Slayer Division were so excited that their faces turned red. They pounded the table and roared with all their might, releasing the passion and excitement in their hearts.

At this moment, Feng Mo's concise and domineering words ignited the flames in the hearts of these warriors who had been living on the edge of death, more effectively than any flowery language!

However, just as the atmosphere reached its peak, and everyone was immersed in the frenzy—

"boom!!!"

With a loud bang, the heavy doors of the auditorium, forged from thousand-year-old ironwood and engraved with defensive arrays, were blasted open from the outside by a powerful and domineering true energy!

The two massive door panels, as if struck head-on by a battering ram, flew inward with a sharp whistling sound, smashing several tables and chairs before finally crashing to the ground with a loud bang.

Wood chips and dust flew everywhere, and the pungent smell of burning wood instantly filled the air.

The frenzied atmosphere in the arena seemed to be pierced instantly by a cold, sharp knife, coming to an abrupt halt.

An overwhelming pressure from a sixth-tier expert swept in like a landslide and tsunami, silencing the cheers and applause that filled the arena.

Amidst the swirling dust at the entrance, several figures slowly walked in.

The leader, around fifty years old, wore the distinctive black and gold-trimmed uniform of the Imperial Capital's Demon Slaying Division. He had an arrogant face, a hooked nose, thin lips, and sinister eyes.

He walked into the hall step by step with his hands behind his back. His undisguised aura made the weaker martial artists turn pale and have difficulty breathing.

This person was Gu Chongli, an envoy sent by the Chief of the Demon Slaying Division of the Imperial Capital.