Chapter 34 - 34 31 The Autumn Hunt Begins

34: Chapter 31: The Autumn Hunt Begins 34: Chapter 31: The Autumn Hunt Begins Ye Xuan, who was supposed to be humiliated, remarkably managed to defeat the aggressive Hu Liang in just one move, a scene that undoubtedly surprised most people. “I didn’t expect the good-for-nothing from the past to have gotten on the right track with his cultivation now.” A hint of surprise appeared in Xia Xun’s beautiful eyes, as she was somewhat astonished Ye Xuan was able to defeat Hu Liang in a single move. After all, the latter was a Third Grade Martial Master, and even if taken off guard, he shouldn’t have been defeated that easily. “It’s indeed a bit surprising, but it still doesn’t count for much. I could handle someone like Hu Liang with just one finger,” Jun Wuyan remarked noncommittally. However, the doubt in Xia Xun’s eyes did not fade; she knew Ye Xuan had always been a slow cultivator, with the Martial Master Realm seemingly out of reach. How then, in such a short period of time, had he advanced to his current level? The only possibilities she could think of were that either Ye Xuan had been hiding his true abilities all along, or he had suddenly received help from some powerful external force, transforming him completely. “Princess, the princely heirs from various factions have almost all arrived; it’s time to start the Autumn Hunt.” Seeing Xia Xun’s gaze still fixed on Ye Xuan, there was a flicker of chill in Jun Wuyan’s eyes as he reminded her. “Mm.” Xia Xun nodded, then lightly touched the ground and leapt down from the high platform. Seeing her move, the other princely heirs also descended from the platform and, at the same time, the gates of the hunting grounds were opened, revealing a spacious area surrounded by stands that could accommodate a thousand people. The stands offered an excellent view; the best positions could even overlook the area for tens of miles, albeit a bit blurrier. Those permitted to enter the stands were all notable figures and martial artists who had come from various places to observe. Given the limited space, naturally not everyone could be allowed in. According to previous information, the highest-grade Demon Beasts in this hunting ground should be of the Second Rank Advanced period. Any higher-ranked Demon Beasts would be rare and probably had been cleared out earlier, as they could pose a threat to the lives of these princely heirs. But the threat from Demon Beasts was only one aspect; the real danger actually came from the other competitors in the Autumn Hunt. As rivals, they inevitably resorted to tricks and schemes. Since the hunt’s outcome would be judged on the quantity and grade of the obtained Demon Cores, the winner would be the one who captured the most and highest-grade cores. Of course, capturing a Demon Beast alive would count as double that of a same-grade core. However, all tricks and schemes seemed fragile in the face of real strength, and Ye Xuan now had the capability and confidence for this challenge. After verifying the number of people from each major family and seeing no discrepancies, Xia Xun scanned the crowd, and the noise around quickly subsided. “Ladies and gentlemen, today marks the annual Clan Autumn Hunt, a grand event in the Great Xia Kingdom. I am overseeing this year’s hunt. The rules are the same as in previous years, and I won’t repeat them. Whoever secures more Demon Cores and captures higher-grade Demon Beasts, and crosses the hunting ground to reach the high platform at the far end, will be the winner of the hunt.” Xia Xun’s voice, boosted by her True Qi, resonated across the hunting ground so that everyone could hear clearly. “The top three in the Autumn Hunt will receive varying numbers of True Condensing Pills as rewards. The first prize winner will receive a hunting champion token personally engraved by Lord Xia Tianyou and be bestowed a title of nobility.” As she finished speaking, the eyes of many princely heirs lit up. The Earth-grade Pill, True Condensing Pill, was highly effective for Martial Masters, but what attracted them even more was the first prize’s reward—receiving the hunting champion token and a nobility title was a great honor for them personally. But Ye Xuan had a different view from most, finding the first prize’s reward too intangible. He would rather have more True Condensing Pills, which were more substantial. Based on his prestigious status in a previous life, he naturally did not care much for a title from a small country. “It’s getting late. You may now form teams and prepare to enter the hunting ground. Everyone must come out of the hunting ground before sunset, or you will be considered to have forfeited.” “Now, I declare the Autumn Hunt open!” After Xia Xun finished speaking, the hunting ground erupted into noise as many started moving immediately, forming teams. After all, the Demon Beasts in the hunting ground were no mere targets, and unless one was exceptionally strong, hunting a Second Grade Demon Beast was not an easy task for most present. But forming teams would undoubtedly make it much easier. Qi Shaofeng seemed to glance at Nangong Yao, perhaps hinting at an invitation to team up. “Yaoer, join me.” Ye Xuan gave him a quick glance and said indifferently, “Hehe, Sister Yaoer naturally wants to be in a group with Brother Ye Xuan. This hunting ground is dangerous, and only Brother Ye’s strength can ensure Sister Yaoer’s safety.” Qi Shaofeng had a big smile on his face, then he consciously led the members of the Qi family away. However, as he turned around, the smile on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a trace of chilling intent. “When did this guy become so glib? Could it be that after being beaten up by you last time, Brother Ye Xuan, he changed his ways?” Seeing Qi Shaofeng taking the initiative to walk away, Nangong Yao said somewhat puzzled. “Where there’s abnormal behavior, there’s usually a hidden agenda. Qi Shaofeng mostly has ill intentions; we’ll find out in due time.” With Ye Xuan’s experience, Qi Shaofeng’s thoughts could hardly escape his notice. From the time they had set out from the ferry crossing, he had noticed something off about him. That the man had managed to hide it until now showed he was quite patient. S~eaʀᴄh the ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. However, Qi Shaofeng was not the main focus for Ye Xuan; he needed to be vigilant of someone else. At this thought, Ye Xuan’s gaze fell on a young man in a purple robe not far away. This Jun Wuyan had an unfathomable strength and unclear motives. Being from the Jun family, it was impossible for him to harbor no hostility toward him. At this point, the latter was also forming a team. With Jun Wuyan’s status, naturally many clung to him like glue, and his team quickly grew to five people. There were nearly a hundred princely heirs present, making it a sizeable assembly. “Then it will just be the four of us.” Ye Xuan looked at Nangong Yao, and counting Ye Ba and Ye Yan, they only had four people. As for including others in their group, Ye Xuan did not trust them enough to possibly leave his back to unknown allies or enemies. “Ye Xuan, how about adding me as well?” Just as Ye Xuan was about to settle the formation of the team, a young man in black approached them. Ye Xuan looked up and was, for a moment, taken aback, “Meng Hao?” The young man in black was none other than Meng Hao, whom he had met previously in the Panlong Mountain Range. “It’s been a while. Did Chen Yu and his sister also come?” Ye Xuan looked behind Meng Hao but saw no one. “The Great Wilderness County, where the Chen family resides, is not part of the southern nine counties; they couldn’t make it here,” Meng Hao shook his head. “I see, then let’s add you.” Ye Xuan trusted Meng Hao, as he hadn’t betrayed him back in the Panlong Mountain Range, showing that he valued loyalty. Meanwhile, nearby, teams were also forming quickly. Ye Xuan casually looked around and saw that besides Jun Wuyan, there were several other formidable teams. Qi Shaofeng, it just so happened, had teamed up with Li Xiong. In this team, there was also a young man in white with a long sword on his back, glowering at them. “That’s Jing Feng, Jing Tian’s elder brother.” Ye Xuan was still puzzled by this man’s sudden hostility when Meng Hao directly identified the young man in white. “Jing Tian’s elder brother?” Recalling Jing Tian, whom he had killed at the Panlong Mountain Range, Ye Xuan furrowed his brows slightly. This Jing Feng showing hostility toward his group—could it be that he had already sensed something? “Yes, be wary of him. He probably found a slight clue about Jing Tian’s incident,” Meng Hao advised with a serious expression. Ye Xuan nodded. Still, unless they had captured Wu Sha, there was no way they could know it was him who had done it. A mere clue would hardly be enough to pin anything on him. However, the current situation was indeed interesting. Unexpectedly, three of his adversaries had come together. However, Ye Xuan was unfazed by this—let them all come; friend or foe, it was time to settle all scores once and for all.