Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

Chapter 243 The conference begins

The woman was about thirty years old but not yet forty. She was dressed in plain clothes and had a simple silver hairpin in her hair.

She had faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, which gave her a gentle and refined look. Her skin was not fair and had a sallow hue from prolonged illness. Although her eyes were gentle, her expression was somewhat sorrowful.

He had only taken two steps when he raised his hand to his chest and coughed softly a few times.

Some couldn't help but sigh, "Is this the lady of the True Inheritance Hall? She looks particularly thin, as if she's terminally ill."

"To come out to such a noisy place looking like that, it's really ridiculous..."

Just as she was losing her breath and her steps were extremely slow, a large, well-defined hand caught her arm in time.

The man, whose strength was steady yet not rough, was about forty or fifty years old. He wore a black brocade robe with cloud patterns embroidered on the fabric, exuding an aura of authority. His face was handsome and rugged, and although there were faint lines at the corners of his eyes, they only added to his majesty.

When his thin lips are tightly pursed, his aura is fierce, and an invisible pressure seems to surround him. Even though he is just standing quietly, people dare not look him in the eye.

That's the calm aura that only a powerful person with unfathomable strength who has long held a high position possesses.

"Slow down." His voice was deep, filled with undeniable concern.

Upon seeing this, someone in the crowd suddenly raised a question.

"Who is that?"

"...Never seen it before."

"Hehe." Duan Huaiyan, who was standing next to him, laughed at the right time, his tone also carrying a hint of surprise. "I have long heard that the True Inheritance Hall Master is deeply in love with the Madam, and that their feelings are as inseparable as glue. Seeing it today, I can see that it is indeed true. He actually condescended to accompany the Madam to such an occasion."

Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd immediately became excited.

Seeing the two interacting so intimately, they could vaguely guess the answer, but then they thought that the probability of someone of the Palace Master's status appearing here was extremely small, so they all remained silent and dared not make a judgment.

Now that they had received Young Master Duan Huaiyan's approval, their eyes were fixed on the people entering, their voices filled with barely concealed excitement.

"It's the Palace Master! It's actually Palace Master Zhuge Tianxia! I never expected to see the Palace Master in person here!"

"What's even stranger is that the Palace Master actually brought his wife to watch the competition!" Someone leaned over and whispered, "I heard that the Palace Master's wife has never been in good health. I think the Palace Master came along because he was worried about her!"

"To be able to see him in person, this life is worth it!"

"Then you're really worthless in this life. The three palace masters only met one of you, and that's already worth it."

"What do you know? You don't understand anything..."

"With the Palace Master in charge, it seems this competition is going to be of a higher standard."

……

Those around them nodded in agreement, their eyes darting back and forth between the two, mostly showing awe for the Palace Master's imposing aura.

While the crowd was in a frenzy, Zhuge Yunzheng, sitting in the back, was staring intently at the two people entering the arena, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

Her father actually came to the scene and stayed with her...

Zhuge Zhao's reaction was completely opposite to his. Although his face also showed doubt, he was mostly happy: "Brother, did you see that? Father and his wife have also come to the competition."

His eyes shone with a burning light, as if he were expecting something: "Is Father here to watch our competition? I'd better do my best later."

The light in Zhuge Yunzheng's eyes dimmed: "Hmm."

While watching the play, Guan Xun did not neglect to pay attention to the actions around her. She took in every word of the brief conversation between Zhuge Yunzheng and his brother.

Zhuge Zhao immediately lowered his eyelids. It seemed that Zhuge Zhao had no ill intentions, but Zhuge Yunzheng was extremely scheming.

Amidst the clamor of the crowd, a soft sigh escaped her lips. Taishi Lingling, resting her chin on her hand, murmured to herself, "Even the True Inheritance Hall Master has come. I wonder if Father will come too."

After saying that, she remembered something, looked around, and frowned: "What's going on with Tai Shi Muxue? She passed the last conference, but I haven't seen her this time."

Upon hearing this, Guan Xun subtly curled his lips. It was good that no one was there; after all… the dead couldn’t appear.

The seats were almost full. When the True Disciple Hall Master took his seat, all the middle hall masters stood up and politely cupped their hands in greeting.

In contrast, the elders of Shangju Pavilion casually turned their gazes to him.

Seeing this, Zhuge Tianxia nodded to the elders, thus signifying that he had given his greetings.

Mud Woman and Green Vine were not as indifferent as Hawkeye.

The old woman's gaze swept over the palace master and his wife, and she chuckled, "Palace Master Zhuge seems to have some free time today."

"Hehe, Madam hasn't been feeling well lately, so I came along because I was worried. It's quite surprising that Elder Mud Granny is actually interested in the competition venue."

After a few casual pleasantries, the sound of a drumbeat rang out again, signifying that the people in the main seats and the contestants had all arrived at the scene.

Elder Eagle Eye slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping across the square. The noisy clamor gradually quieted down under his imposing gaze.

"Today is the eve of the opening of the Saintly Vanguard Selection Conference. The rules in the venue are the same as in previous years, and I believe everyone is already aware of them, so I won't go into details."

"During the selection competition, we hope that no one will cause any disruption to the event; otherwise, we will deal with the troublemakers according to the rules!"

Elder Hawkeye's voice was calm yet authoritative, brooking no questioning from anyone.

Seeing that there were no questions from the audience, he then opened the contestant's information that the person in charge had handed him.

"There are a total of 120 participants in this year's Saintly Vanguard Selection Tournament. The strongest 12 will be selected through a free-for-all, followed by two-on-two matches. The six winners will then compete against each other, and the final three will take turns battling it out. The last winner will be the champion of this year's Saintly Vanguard Selection Tournament."

As soon as the rules were announced, people in the room started discussing them.

At first, Guan Xun wondered how long it would take with so many participants, but after hearing the rules, he nodded to himself, thinking it was fairly fair.

Ignoring the murmurs of the crowd, Elder Hawkeye's authoritative voice rang out once more.

"All contestants, please enter the arena now."

As soon as the words were spoken, a series of whooshing sounds rang out all around. Figures landed scattered around the arena, each with their own unique posture: clenching their fists, loosening their muscles, taunting, or cautiously looking around, wary of a sudden sneak attack.

The atmosphere in the arena heated up again with each whoosh of wind breaking through the air, and the cheers almost reached the sky.

As the contestants entered the arena one after another, Duan Huaiyan placed the little fox on the seat and then leaped down. The others did the same, exchanging glances before landing in the arena.

When Duan Qingxi appeared, the atmosphere in the arena rose to an unprecedented level. As the champion of the previous Shengfeng Selection Tournament, she naturally attracted the most attention.

After Guan Xun regained his footing, he couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. If nothing unexpected happened, her opponent had already been decided from the beginning.

The elders and people from various halls on the seats glanced at the contestants, each with a slight shift in their eyes, each harboring their own thoughts.

When Lady Zhenchuan saw the Zhuge brothers, her expression differed from that of the hall master, Zhuge Tianxia, ​​who was filled with satisfaction and pride; she immediately looked away.

The old woman licked her dry lips, her sharp gaze sweeping across the scene before settling on a figure in white. She narrowed her eyes and chuckled with amusement, "Oh my, a beauty with astonishing strength has arrived in this arena."

Only Yu Liuhua of the Holy Light Palace took these unexpected and profound words to heart. She lowered her head humbly and said, "Elder Mud Granny, you flatter me. Compared with other prodigies, Lingling still needs to cultivate more."

The surrounding crowd: ...

Lord Xinghe, the Central Hall Master of the Heavenly Palace, reached out and pinched his brow, unable to suppress his laughter.

Those picturesque starry eyes glanced at Yu Liuhua and said, "Someone should not flatter themselves. Elder Ni Po's praise is not something you, the Holy Light Hall, should be entitled to."

Upon hearing this, Yu Liuhua's face darkened with anger. Just as she was about to lash out, she noticed the cold gaze from Elder Eagle Eye. She had no choice but to suppress her anger, glare fiercely at Xinghe, and then remain silent.

Xinghe slid his long fingers down and gently covered his thin, smiling lips, his gaze sweeping back and forth among the contestants with a hint of meaning.

Elder Mud Woman's strength is second only to the three personal guards under the Holy Spirit Goddess. Although she looks lazy and doesn't care about her image, she is the strongest among all the elders of Shangju Pavilion, and naturally the strongest person sitting in the audience right now.

Therefore, the person who can receive her praise must be extraordinary. Who could it be?

Xinghe was certainly not as arrogant as Yu Liuhua. Although Qingxi from his Tianji Palace was quite strong, she probably wouldn't even catch Ni Po's eye.

Those in the audience were also slightly taken aback by the mud woman's words, and they all scanned the contestants with inquisitive eyes.

Noticing the probing gazes directed at her, Guan Xun nodded slightly. The person seated there was powerful enough not to notice that she had disguised herself.

As she pondered, she glanced at the crowd around her and suddenly spotted a slightly familiar profile. The woman had her hair tied in a high ponytail and looked very neat and tidy. That familiar face was clearly Lin Miao.

Guan Xun was somewhat surprised, not expecting that she would also enter the competition arena. Not bad.

Lin Miao naturally didn't recognize Guan Xun's disguised appearance. Seeing him staring at her, she was a little displeased, but still nodded politely.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, I'll emphasize one last time: no serious injuries or deaths are allowed on the field. If one side concedes defeat, the other side must immediately stop fighting. Anyone who violates this rule will be disqualified. So, I hereby declare the Saintly Vanguard Selection Tournament now open..."

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Elder Eagle Eye raised his hand and waved, "Let's begin!"