"Xuanyuan Clan? The Xuanyuan Sword of the Ancient Divine Sword?"
Mu Jinyu listened to their discussion. Instead of feeling angry at their belittlement, he was curious about the formidable enemy they mentioned.
However, if there was no exaggeration in their discussion about the inheritors of the Xuanyuan Clan and the Dragon Elephant Sect, he thought these two individuals were truly formidable.
The Great Demon King was equivalent to the peak Ninth Layer of the Fanxu Realm among humans. Even he was not sure if he could defeat such an existence now.
Yet they both could, with just one move and one strike, easily slay a Great Demon King.
And according to rumors, their cultivation was only at the Seventh Layer of the Fanxu Realm.
Considering this, it was likely they could face even the Unity Realm Stage in battle!
Mu Jinyu was not insecure, but he also didn't dare to be certain that after reaching the Seventh Layer of the Fanxu Realm, he could have the ability to kill a Great Demon King in one strike.
He believed he could defeat a Great Demon King, and after several dozen moves, he should be able to kill it. But to slay it in one strike— that was exceedingly difficult. Until he accomplished it, he couldn't be sure he could do it.
Moreover, with his current peak Third Layer of the Fanxu Realm strength, facing them in the Hidden Dragon Conference, the probability of defeat was indeed higher.
'It seems I was too confident in myself, thinking that after easily defeating a Sixth Layer of the Fanxu Realm expert, winning the Hidden Dragon Conference was a sure thing. Little did I know, the Kunlun Ruins are vast, full of prodigies, hidden from the world, thinking I was invincible in the world...'
Mu Jinyu chuckled self-deprecatingly. His recent "indulgent poetry and wine, carefree about mountains and waters" cultivation attitude vanished.
He felt the pressure to continue improving his cultivation.
He would never give up on the first place in the Hidden Dragon Conference.
This was the only way to allow Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou to swap back their bodies!
"Don't feel pressured. You're still impressive. And in a real battle, you might not necessarily lose to them."
Jian Ruyan, listening to the change in topic among the inn's crowd, cautiously observed Mu Jinyu. Seeing his expression unchanged but his gaze slightly contracting with a hint of seriousness.
She knew he was feeling the pressure and quickly persuaded him.
Wen Rou also gently advised, "Even if you don't win first place, it doesn't matter. You have the talent, and the Heavenly Palace will likely want to recruit you into the organization."
"Rest assured, I could have broken through to the Fourth Layer of the Fanxu Realm long ago. But even breaking through to the Fourth Layer wouldn't be of much significance. Instead, I'm short on some cultivation resources. Otherwise, I could push for the Sixth Layer, which wouldn't leave such a large gap with them!"
Mu Jinyu regained his composure, gazed at Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan's concerned eyes, and lightly smiled, speaking softly.
He indeed felt a slight pressure due to the discussion at the inn, but it was just a bit of pressure — not enough to feel fear or trepidation.
Afraid he might fail, resulting in no longer being able to help Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan swap back their bodies.
Even if he didn't obtain a good ranking in the Hidden Dragon Conference, the Heavenly Palace might still want to recruit him, assisting him in resolving the body swap issue between Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan.
Furthermore, even without the Heavenly Palace's involvement, does it mean he truly couldn't find a solution?
The Kunlun Ruins are vast. He just found it challenging to find a remedy for the after-effects of soul-seizing, so he wanted to solve it through the Hidden Dragon Conference because of convenience.
If he couldn't solve the problem through the Hidden Dragon Conference, he would search every inch of the Kunlun Ruins, not believing he couldn't find a solution!
Thus, although he had strong intentions for the first place in the Hidden Dragon Conference, if he didn't win ultimately, he wouldn't be unable to accept it!
At this moment, the inn conversation shifted from discussing the top contenders for the Hidden Dragon Conference to comparing their Wu Kingdom's first Heaven's Pride with Mu Jinyu.
Listening to this, Mu Jinyu couldn't help but find it amusing — was he a standard for comparison, everyone wanting to measure against him?
"Hey, you all say that Mu Jinyu can't match up to the inheritors of the Xuanyuan Clan and the Dragon Elephant Sect, but he should be able to secure a top ten position, or even a top five position in the Hidden Dragon Conference. What about our Wu Kingdom's first Heaven's Pride, Wu Zhiming, where do you think he will place in the Hidden Dragon Conference?"
"Wu Zhiming? He is indeed impressive; although he's only fifty, he's already at the peak of the Fifth Layer of the Fanxu Realm, not far from the Sixth Layer. Talents wise, he's definitely not comparable to Mu Jinyu and those few monsters, but getting a top ten position is a breeze..."
"I agree; he should also secure a top ten position in the Hidden Dragon Conference, but I think, Mu Jinyu probably isn't his match!"
"Yes, although Mu Jinyu has the record of defeating a Sixth Layer of the Fanxu Realm, that was just an ordinary Fanxu Realm, while Wu Zhiming is not ordinary. He's comprehended a special type of domain and has long trained in the Demon Beast Mountain Range, even those in the Seventh Layer of the Fanxu Realm aren't his match. If Mu Jinyu truly faces him, he might not emerge victorious!"
"That's right, we are people of the Wu Kingdom; we should support Wu Kingdom's Heaven's Pride. Do you all remember the beast tide incident from a few years ago? Had it not been for Wu Zhiming, who was training in the Demon Beast Mountain Range then, stepping in, Demon Slaying City might have been trampled flat; where would we be now to chat freely like this?"
"Yes, indeed, support Wu Zhiming!"
"Yes, I support Wu Zhiming too!"
"..."
Listening to their discussions, Mu Jinyu felt a stirring within and became curious about this Wu Zhiming.
Generally speaking, except for super clans or hidden sects, it's nearly impossible to cultivate a genius who is below sixty and already at the Fifth Layer of the Fanxu Realm.
The top genius in a typical country would usually be around the Third Layer of the Fanxu Realm, with the Fourth Layer being quite rare.
Like Hou Xin of the Barbarian Demon Sect or Su Chengyi of the Galaxy Sword Sect, they only had such cultivation.
Yet Wu Zhiming, the first Heaven's Pride of the Wu Kingdom, reached the peak of the Fifth Layer of the Fanxu Realm around the age of fifty, soon to enter the Sixth Layer, and he's comprehended a special domain.
That indeed surpasses the Heaven's Pride of ordinary great sects by a significant margin.
Although he doesn't match the inheritors of the hidden sects and super clans, compared with ordinary Heaven's Pride, he is considerably superior.
If this year's Hidden Dragon Conference doesn't have too many inheritors from hidden sects, it's no surprise he might secure a top ten or even a top five position.
"But the beast tide, what was the reason for its occurrence?"
Mu Jinyu's attention on Wu Zhiming quickly shifted back to the beast tide they mentioned earlier, feeling even more curious about it.
Generally speaking, beast tides occur due to two main reasons: First, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures appear in the mountain range, attracting ferocious beasts and demon beasts to scramble for them. Secondly, a certain danger appears, possibly a relic or a perilous land, causing ferocious beasts and demon beasts to panic and flee!
It's just unknown what caused the beast tide two years ago.
Mu Jinyu was about to get up and inquire from them.
"Boom!!"
At this moment, he felt the ground beneath him tremble slightly, as if an earthquake had occurred.
"Rumble!!"
Mu Jinyu thought he must have felt it wrong, but then a stronger tremor came from the distance.
"Be...Beast tide is here again!"
At this moment, everyone in the inn stood up, their faces filled with panic as they shrieked in terror.