Chapter 1228: Surprisingly Powerful Jinxiu Heshan
Leaving Fengling and Xu Yao in the hands of the Qinzong sect leader, Kai Xin rushed back to the capital overnight to oversee the final stage of the Hundred Great Heroes Competition at Jinxiu Heshan’s main headquarters!
The final competition was held in an arena temporarily activated by Jinxiu Heshan through a request to the system. The arena was vast, capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people, and its activation cost fifty million taels of gold—worth it, as such a large space was indeed needed to accommodate all the heroes who had received the invitation. Moreover, court experts were stationed inside to maintain order, ensuring no one could cause trouble and sparing many headaches.
The martial arts arena was truly spectacular! By the time Kai Xin arrived, it was already packed with a roaring crowd!
“Ji Feng!”
Entering the arena, Kai Xin sent out his mental sense and quickly spotted Ji Feng at the hosting seat, looking anxious as he peered toward the entrances. Smiling, he sent a message to him.
“Sect Leader!”
“You’re finally here!”
Ji Feng’s worried expression vanished instantly as he rushed down from the hosting seat in a few steps. “If you hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known how to explain this to everyone.”
“Weren’t we not due to start yet?”
Ignoring Ji Feng’s relieved expression, Kai Xin glanced around the arena, nodding at familiar faces as they appeared around him, then asked, “I told you, but as soon as the arena opened, all those who received the invitations rushed in to take seats. We couldn’t stop them. Look, the arena is already full, and there are even acquaintances outside begging me to add more seats. I don’t know what to say.”
“Then add one hundred thousand seats!”
“One seat costs a hundred taels of gold…”
“Ten million taels of gold. If the gang’s treasury can’t cover it, I’ll pay out of my own pocket.”
“We can definitely afford it!”
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Ji Feng thought to himself: A hundred top experts from the gang only earn five million taels in rewards, yet these spectators will cost sixty million taels. This deal… is a loss no matter how you calculate it.
Of course, he wouldn’t say that in front of Kai Xin!
Kai Xin only gave direct orders at critical moments—typical of a hands-off leader. But… Ji Feng enjoyed it too.
While adding more seats, Ji Feng and Kai Xin both stepped onto the hosting platform…
A seat similar to that of the martial arts conference’s leader!
Boom!!!
The moment they took their seats, thunderous cheers erupted from all directions!
“Sect Leader!”
“Sect Leader Kai Xin has arrived!!”
“Welcome, Sect Leader!!!”
Amazingly synchronized shouts erupted from the mouths of the disciples of Jinxiu Heshan! Those waiting around for the competition to begin were shocked, stunned by the overwhelming noise, and soon inspired by the enthusiasm of the Jinxiu Heshan disciples, turning their gaze toward the young man in white at the center of the stage. The martial artists who had gained entry due to the additional seats also were taken aback by this sudden outburst of noise, thinking the competition had already started, until they heard the slogans and realized what was going on. Yet they grew even more excited—such a grand spectacle was a pity to miss!
…
Kai Xin was initially startled by this sudden, synchronized noise too, but after thinking it over and glancing at Ji Feng, he saw the latter with his head held high, eyes fixed on some point on the ceiling, seemingly deep in thought. Needless to say… it must have been this guy’s doing. Smiling inwardly, Kai Xin raised his hand: “The competition hasn’t started yet. Everyone, sit down. Brothers, let’s wait together with the friends from various sects.” Amidst the roaring noise, a voice infused with the “Dragon Roar” technique resonated powerfully, clearly reaching every ear present. This display of skill was neither abrupt nor crude—perfectly executed.
“Yes!!” The disciples of Jinxiu Heshan responded in unison, their synchronized shouts creating a highly charged atmosphere in the arena. Only then did many people around realize that most of those around them were also disciples of Jinxiu Heshan. After further inquiry, they learned… that Jinxiu Heshan had spent tens of millions of taels of gold on its disciples, ensuring that no one who came to watch would be disappointed.
“No wonder…”
“I wondered why Kai Xin is always out running around, yet his disciples are so loyal.” Among the crowd, many gang leaders were secretly impressed—when even a hands-off leader could unite and strengthen such a large gang, his tactics were truly remarkable. Yet… after learning the exact amount, everyone fell silent.
…
“By the way, Master, you sent a message on a pigeon during your return, saying you’d bring a little surprise for our competition. I wonder what it is…” After waiting for Kai Xin to sit down, Ji Feng’s eyes sparkled as he rubbed his hands together and approached him cautiously. Without turning around, Kai Xin could “see” Ji Feng’s furrowed brows and gleaming eyes, along with his practiced hand-rubbing motion. This guy was becoming more and more like a money lover.
Muttering to himself, he said in a calm tone, “Let’s not talk about that for now. Tell me about the results of this pre-competition martial exhibition. Didn’t you say there was a piece of information you wanted to tell me in person once I returned?”
“Uh.”
Ji Feng’s voice stalled.
When Kai Xin mentioned a “surprise” via message, he had guessed it couldn’t be something ordinary—it must be something that would shock the martial world, like an inheritance from a legendary swordsman or a peerless divine weapon. Having been overwhelmed by the inheritance of Tian Dao Song Que and numerous top-notch divine and demonic weapons, he didn’t believe Kai Xin would bring something trivial.
To live up to Kai Xin’s reward, Ji Feng also prepared a surprise of his own, intending to show Kai Xin that he hadn’t been idle but had been extremely busy and dedicated…
But to his surprise!
Kai Xin chose to play it safe at this moment and reveal his own cards first.
Ji Feng felt slightly frustrated.
Having to reveal his cards before even performing was unbearably uncomfortable.
Reluctantly, he rolled his eyes and took out a folded letter from his Qiankun bag.
Kai Xin watched everything, delighted inwardly but showing none of it, waiting patiently like a mountain for Ji Feng to report.
Ji Feng wanted to delay things.
And so, the top two figures of Jinxiu Heshan played a silent game of cat and mouse under everyone’s gaze.
But he couldn’t outwit Kai Xin. He opened the letter and read out the data one by one through telepathy.
“At the founding of Jinxiu Heshan, the number of our top experts—those who surpassed super-first-class masters and could handle tasks independently—was nearly two hundred in our sect!” After reading the content of the letter, Ji Feng finally got into focus, his tone becoming serious and precise.
“Mm.”
Kai Xin nodded silently.
He remembered that the top experts of Jinxiu Heshan were recruited from various gangs, including Xi Feng Lou and Ji Feng’s own gang, with the rest being lone wolves.
Back then, the number of top experts in Jinxiu Heshan was comparable to that of Xi Feng Lou!
But Kai Xin had learned about the Wild Wolf Organization from Bai Xiaosheng, who told him that the organization had as many as three thousand top experts, not including allied forces from various countries.
At that time, he realized that it would be impossible to confront and eliminate the Wild Wolf Organization alone. Moreover, to strengthen Jinxiu Heshan, ordinary martial artists weren’t enough—top-tier forces were necessary. Otherwise, with only Bai Xiaosheng’s help, they could at most stand toe-to-toe with the Wild Wolf Organization, and that was it!
The legacy of Tian Dao Song Que was also placed in the sect’s warehouse in Jinxiu Heshan precisely because of Happy’s idea at that time!
With millions of Jinxiu Heshan disciples passing the word around, coupled with the REP promotions from the Song Clan, the news of the sect’s competition spread throughout the martial arts world of the Central Plains.
Moreover, recent efforts to enrich the sect’s warehouse by adding large quantities of divine weapons and magical artifacts were all aimed at attracting more top experts!
Although no detailed investigation had been conducted, Happy could guess that quite a number of top experts must have been attracted to join Jinxiu Heshan.
At that moment, Ji Feng revealed the number of top talents in Jinxiu Heshan:
“During the pre-competition drills, I secretly formed an evaluation team within the sect, consisting of fifty members—all selected from the senior leaders of Jinxiu Heshan… Whenever any of our brothers thought someone could be among the top experts, they would secretly nominate them and provide REP, which this team would then evaluate.”
“…” Happy was slightly stunned and finally gave Ji Feng a closer look.
The reputation of being a wise hero was indeed well-deserved.
Although Tian Dao Song Que’s legacy and various measures were meant to attract top experts, the latter had clearly realized his goal and chosen a fast and efficient method to select these individuals from Jinxiu Heshan’s two million members.
If their strength could be stabilized and they were given focused training, they could prove extremely useful in the future.
Thinking deeply, Happy nodded in satisfaction:
“How many have been evaluated so far?”
“Everyone who participated in the pre-competition drills has been included—there are quite a few… Sect Master, you definitely won’t guess it.” At this point, Ji Feng paused, unconsciously revealing a sly and proud tone.
“Oh?”
Hearing Ji Feng’s words, Happy’s anticipation turned into curiosity!
Ji Feng’s statement meant only one thing…
The previous series of measures had been effective, attracting a significant number of top experts from Jinxiu Heshan—more than he had expected!
Realizing this, Happy felt relieved.
Not wanting to disappoint Ji Feng, he promptly gave a figure:
“Is it over five hundred, or six hundred?”
At the beginning, there were less than two hundred top experts, so this number was already four times that—equivalent to the total number of top experts in the Peak Hall, Blood Alliance, and the twelve capital city sects at their peak!
“Five hundred…”
Ji Feng suppressed his pride and uttered a number.
Happy was slightly stunned before frowning: “Five hundred… not bad…”
However, before his words could finish, Ji Feng added, “…It’s just a small amount.”
Happy was shocked! He quickly turned around and stared intently at Ji Feng, who remained calm and nodded seriously: “One thousand five hundred… The top experts who passed the selection in the pre-competition trials number one thousand five hundred…”