Fat Wang, you wild Taoist, stop fooling around! That demon cultivator girl is said to be breathtakingly beautiful and extraordinary; how could she be as you describe?"A flamboyant man with oiled hair and a striking appearance couldn't help but chime in, fanning a folding fan that revealed illustrations of scantily clad women.

"Oh~"

"Who would have thought? It's you, the old brothel keeper! Why aren't you at the exquisite building charming beauties? What brings you to this desolate place? Trying to seize some fortune, huh?"The youth known as Fat Wang turned to look, a disdainful expression on his face as he retorted without hesitation.

"Bullshit!"

"I am the young lord of the Exquisite Building, a refined place for discussing romance with beauties. Selling art but not one's body; it's not something those lowly brothels can compare with!"The so-called old brothel keeper seemed to hit a sore spot, jumping up in anger, his face reddening.

"Right, right, you're correct..."The two were bickering furiously, while Li Sheng quietly listened, gaining some understanding of them. The youth named Wang Ye seemed to have a questionable character, often resorting to tricks and deceit. The oiled-hair youth, Yan Yunfei, was the young lord of the top power, the Exquisite Building, known for its beautiful women. However, according to Wang Ye, there were reportedly hundreds of such young lords, making it seem rather unimpressive.

It seemed the two were already familiar with each other, yet they held a mutual disdain. The Longyin Marsh stretched across thousands of miles, with treacherous terrain. Without a map, one could easily get lost; with no news for the time being, Li Sheng decided to follow this group.

"Those people seem to be going in,"Li Sheng reminded.

The group of talented individuals began entering the marsh, with teams of eight or nine and some with only four or five.

"Who cares about your title as young lord? Look at those people; do they pay any attention to you?"Wang Ye scoffed as he looked ahead.

"Aren't you the same?"Yan Yunfei shot back.

Seeing the two about to argue again, Li Sheng hurriedly interjected, "Brothers, I've heard that Longyin Marsh is rather perilous. Did you receive any reliable news?"

The two exchanged glances and each took out a white stone, infusing it with a bit of spiritual energy.

"Is that a covenant token?"Li Sheng's heart stirred; he had seen such an item before with the former sect master, similar to the black stone of the Anti-Demon Alliance, just a different color one black and one white.

"Good news! The demon cultivator girl has been cornered by three masters from the Great Flame at the Venomous Crocodile Pond,"Yan Yunfei said, his expression brightening as he looked at Li Sheng.

"Brother Dalong, will you join us?"

"Absolutely! Wang Ye, Taoist, why don't you join as well? More people means greater safety,"Li Sheng suggested.

"Since Brother Dalong is sincerely inviting me, I shall not refuse,"Wang Ye replied, though Yan Yunfei huffed but didn't argue, and the three set off towards Longyin Marsh.

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During the journey, the two questioned Li Sheng about his background, which he deflected by claiming to be a loose cultivator.

As they traveled deeper into the marsh, Li Sheng sought to clarify their motives to determine their allegiances. "Wang Taoist, Yan Brother, did you two come here to eradicate demons?"

"Not at all!"Yan Yunfei waved his fan flamboyantly. "In my eyes, there's no distinction between righteous and demonic; I'm only here to catch a glimpse of the beautiful lady."

"Hypocrite!"Wang Ye sneered.

"What qualifications does a swindling wild Taoist like you have to accuse me?"Yan Yunfei retorted dismissively.

Wang Ye remained calm. "It's all mutual consent; there's no swindling involved. I'm just here to broaden my horizons. Thousands of years ago, the Demon Lord caused rivers to run red with blood, and countless sects were extinguished. I'm curious about what kind of person this one is, and perhaps to meet a fated individual along the way."

"Looks like the wild Taoist has been exposed; that last sentence is your true intention,"Yan Yunfei teased, as if he had seen through it all.

"You've got your sights set on that fat sheep again, haven't you? Have you forgotten the time you were chased for thousands of miles by the masters of the Divine Arrow Valley?"

Mentioning the Divine Arrow Valley darkened Wang Ye's expression, and he fell silent.

"As long as it's not about killing my senior sister..."Li Sheng smiled, feeling quite at ease.

"I've said it before; what about you, Brother Dalong?"Yan Yunfei turned to ask.

"Didn't the prophecy say something about the great world contest, stirring the essence of Lingchuan? I came here hoping to find some benefits and meet many talented individuals to validate my studies,"Li Sheng replied with a grin.

"Brother Dalong has great ambition!"Yan Yunfei praised. "However, this time, all the talents gathered are from ranks fifty to two hundred. Those at the fourth rank, comparable to masters, have yet to arrive."

"Why is that?"Li Sheng asked, puzzled.

"Just the situation being unclear. Just wait; when the real opportunity appears, those exceptional talents will surely flock here,"Yan Yunfei explained.

Li Sheng understood. "Since there aren't any possessors of heavenly-level seeds here, the only opponents left are those three ordinary masters."

"Brother Dalong, as a loose cultivator, you might not know, but while these talents may not match the masters in combat power, with their treasures, they may not be far behind. Otherwise, they wouldn't dare enter this demonic disaster. If you wish to spar, you must seize the opportunity; do not use true fire, or you might end up suffering,"Yan Yunfei advised.

"Thank you for the warning, Brother Yan!"Li Sheng nodded.

At that moment, Wang Ye interjected, "What's this essence of Lingchuan? What kind of luck is this? Is it luck, opportunity, or treasure? It's quite annoying. These people from the Heavenly Machine Sect always speak in riddles; it's like they're talking in circles, but the great world contest isn't entirely wrong."

"What does Taoist think?"Li Sheng, knowing little about forces beyond the Great Flame, seized the chance to learn more.

While chatting, they rushed forward.

"The Talent Ranking is held once every thirty years. In the last session, there were only two confirmed heavenly-level seeds and less than twenty earthly-level seeds."

"In this session, there are already confirmed fifteen heavenly-level seeds, and we don't even know how many more remain hidden. The earthly-level seeds are over two hundred. Such a scene is rare in a millennium; calling it a great world contest isn't an exaggeration."

"True enough,"Yan Yunfei nodded.

"I wonder how strong the top-ranked talent, Yu Huasheng, really is?"Li Sheng mused. To be at the top among heavenly-level talents, he must be extraordinary.

At the mention of this person, both Wang Ye and Yan Yunfei's expressions turned serious.

Yan Yunfei spoke, "Yu Huasheng is said to be the reincarnation of a powerful being from the upper realm. Before the age of ten, he was quite ordinary. But after awakening, he ascended from the ninth rank to the seventh rank in a year, and by thirteen, he broke through to the fourth rank. You should know, the martial arts he practices are of dual-spirit level, with an exceptionally abnormal talent and comprehension. The last time he showed himself was a year ago; with just one move, he severely injured an ordinary master. It's speculated he has at least gathered two heavenly-level seeds!"