The King of Urban Mercenaries-Chapter 1354 - 1357: Summit of Man Mountain

Liu Muqing smiled and said, "I’m not new here; I’ve been waiting for you all this time. Follow me; the disciple recruitment ceremony has nothing to do with you." Liu Muqing said.

"How can it have nothing to do with me? Isn’t it about recruiting me?" Lin Fei asked in confusion. He remembered that this disciple recruitment ceremony was prepared for him; how could he miss it or have nothing to do with it?

Liu Muqing smiled, shook his head, and began to explain, "This disciple recruitment ceremony is not for you; it is the Beidou Sect’s recruitment ceremony. The Beidou Sect needs new disciples to join, so they must widely recruit students. This ceremony is for recruiting students."

"But I’m a student, so why wouldn’t it include me?" Lin Fei asked in confusion.

Liu Muqing explained, "The disciple recruitment ceremony doesn’t involve you; you need to wait for the apprentice ceremony. By that time, they will only go through the motions, and the real apprentice ceremony is for you."

"Is there a difference?" Lin Fei opened his mouth to ask.

"Of course, there is a difference. The disciple recruitment ceremony represents recruiting disciples first, and it’s the Beidou Sect actively recruiting first, naturally lowering one’s status. However, the apprentice ceremony is different—it’s you who wants to acknowledge a Master, so this principle should be clear to you." Liu Muqing explained.

Lin Fei instantly understood, saying, "Simply put, it’s about saving face, right? I have to give respect to the teacher in front of everyone so that they remember."

"That’s about right. Follow me, and I’ll take you to the Jade Emperor Peak to wait." Liu Muqing said.

The two headed outside of the Beidou Sect.

At this moment, the disciple recruitment ceremony at Man Mountain began. The ceremony consisted of several stages: first registration, followed by selection, and finally a martial arts contest. Winners become disciples, and even those who lose may become Beidou Sect disciples if they perform well.

At this point, the number of people participating in the apprentice ceremony was about over a thousand; eliminating four to five hundred shouldn’t be an issue.

The second horn sounded, signaling the start of the contest where participants would compete based on drawn cards. The expected final result left about four hundred people.

The intensity of the competition was decent, allowing many to see the growth of the new generation of Ancient Martial Artists.

Meanwhile, Lin Fei followed Liu Muqing to the Jade Emperor Peak. On the way, Liu Muqing asked him, "Junior Brother, your power has been growing rapidly—is it because you’ve entered the Spirit Realm’s Illusion Realm?"

"Maybe that’s the reason. Anyways, I cultivated there for a long time before coming out, and unexpectedly my strength grew somewhat upon exiting." Lin Fei smiled.

"It seems like it’s not just ’somewhat’; it’s a significant progress!" Liu Muqing smiled. He could sense the dense Heaven and Earth Qi within Lin Fei, which was more than what someone new to Ancient Martial could achieve.

"It’s okay, average. Compared to Senior Brother, I surely can’t match up to you." Lin Fei smiled.

Liu Muqing shook his head, "I have lived for a long time, over 200 years, only to reach this stage. I can’t even see the shadow of the Grand Master, but your talent is different; you’ve just started with Ancient Martial and have already achieved so much."

"Grand Master? Second Senior Brother, where did the Grand Master go? Do you know?" Lin Fei asked instantly, curious about where Grand Master Dugu Aotian went.

Liu Muqing smiled without answering, continuing to walk upwards.

Not wanting to miss the chance, Lin Fei hurriedly pursued him, asking, "Where did the Grand Master go? Is this also a secret?"

"It’s not a secret, but you aren’t qualified to know. When you are, I believe Master will personally tell you, so don’t rush; one day you’ll know all the truth." Liu Muqing said.

Ahead stood a checkpoint, guarded by soldiers clearly meant to prevent entry, with four large words hanging from the iron railings around: "Military Area!"

The words "Military Area" held significant meaning in anyone’s heart, so ordinary people wouldn’t approach despite their curiosity, deterred by an inner fear.

At this point, the two arrived at the checkpoint. The guarding soldiers seemed to recognize Liu Muqing, although both Liu Muqing and Lin Fei were dressed in ancient attire, standing out in contrast; especially Lin Fei, in red-bordered white clothing, appeared simple yet eye-catching.

Liu Muqing wore a long green robe, while Lin Fei donned a white shirt trimmed with red. They left the checkpoint and headed to the foot of Man Mountain, intending to ascend to its peak.

Currently, Man Mountain was undergoing cleanup activities, with a troop moving upwards and tourists being informed to leave quickly and return later, creating a scene of tourists flowing down toward the mountain’s base.

Lin Fei and Liu Muqing, dressed in ancient attire, walking to the mountain’s peak drew the attention of many tourists, who took out their phones to photograph the pair as they moved, oblivious to the outside world, heading toward the path to the mountain’s peak.

"Hey buddy, the road is closed; you can’t go up, only down!" a tourist said, offering a reminder.

The two acted as though they hadn’t heard, heading directly toward a group of soldiers.

"Why keep up appearances? I can’t wait to see them turned back!" That tourist felt annoyed by Lin Fei and Liu Muqing’s disregard, having been stopped from going himself, doubting their ability to proceed.

However, under numerous watchful gazes, the two walked straight through without the soldiers saying a word, leaving many tourists bewildered, who, in trying to follow, were stopped by the soldiers.

"How did they get up there? Why can’t we go up? We’ve paid money for this!" a tourist shouted loudly.

"Exactly! Why is it that they can go up but we can’t? Isn’t that the case?"

Soon, the area became chaotic, but the resistance was futile; the Beidou Sect’s apprentice ceremony didn’t allow tourist interference and was state-secret-related, so the soldiers ignored them, continuing to block them despite their numbers increasing without any effect.

Then, a steward said, "Everyone is here for travel, please refrain from causing trouble. The park will open again in the afternoon, and you can return then. Please be patient!"