First Time at the Hawkwolf Guard
On a mountain peak to the north of the city, an iron hawk forged from black iron unfurled its wings that spanned over thirty meters. It stood on a stone platform that stood several meters tall, overlooking the entire Jiaping city. It had no intentions of hiding at all, as if it was announcing arrogantly that the Hawkwolf Guard was responsible for monitoring and protecting the city. Whether you were a person of the jianghu or a Qi Practitioner, you all had to be careful under the gaze of the hawk.
Li Qingshan disembarked from the ship and said nothing more. He directly made his way towards the mountain peak. Below the iron hawk was a cluster of buildings, which was where the Hawkwolf Guard resided. After he left, Diao Fei disembarked Just Now and followed behind him. His gaze had already become determined once more. No matter how Li Qingshan hid his strength, it was unable to sway his determination to join the Hawkwolf Guard.
Li Qingshan followed the neatly arranged stone steps. The two sides of the trees were lush, almost obscuring the sky above. The mountain peak was not particularly tall, only several hundred meters tall. It could not compare to the great mountains of the Boundless mountains, but when he looked back at Jiaping city at the foot of the mountain, he felt a different sense of spaciousness.
At the end of the stone steps was a large, stone gateway. On it were the three bold words, 'Hawkwolf Guard'. Past the gateway was a spacious square. At the centre was the huge iron hawk. He did not notice it from afar, but only when he got closer did he feel the might of the iron hawk. In particular, the hawk's eyes basically seemed to be staring at people, like they were alive. The stone platform beneath his feet was engraved with the same bold words, 'Hawk Eyes the World, Wolf Watches the Nine Provinces'.
There was obviously no need for further explanation for 'Hawk Eyes the World'. It was like a hawk soaring in the sky, gazing down at the land. As for 'Wolf Watch', it described a certain posture. If regular people were called by their name from behind, they would definitely turn around and look back. They would only turn their heads and not their bodies, which was the posture of 'Wolf Watch'. Those who possessed this posture were often crafty and suspicious.
Not only were these words filled with heroism, but they also perfectly described the duties of the Hawkwolf Guard. Although Li Qingshan did not know calligraphy, he could immediately tell that these words originated from the same person as the three words, 'Hawkwolf Guard'. They possessed an irreplicable, domineering aura that swallowed up the surroundings and swept through everything. It was even more shocking than the huge iron hawk statue.
Before Li Qingshan could take a closer look, a young man in green walked over. "You've also come to enlist in the Hawkwolf Guard, right?"
Li Qingshan did not sense any sign of kung fu or Qi training from him. Presumably, he was just a waiter or a receptionist. However, he naturally had an aura of command. As expected of a seventh-ranked official in front of the Prime Minister's door.
"Exactly," Li Qingshan said.
The green-clothed attendant looked at Li Qingshan in puzzlement. Seeing Li Qingshan's calm expression, he said indifferently, "Follow me!" He led Li Qingshan to a large hall. "Go in. Everyone's inside. When you go in, record your name and cultivation first."
As soon as Li Qingshan stepped into the hall, many gazes immediately landed on him. Every single gaze was as sharp as a blade.
Li Qingshan saw over twenty people standing in the hall. There were men and women, young and old. Some stood in groups of three or five, while others meditated alone. Every single one of them was a Qi Practitioner. They looked at Li Qingshan, and most of their gazes were hostile. Some raised their eyebrows and mocked him, discussing happily with their companions, while some showed disdain and immediately looked away. There were also one or two people who were rather doubtful.
This was the first time Li Qingshan had seen so many Qi Practitioners. He felt rather indescribably excited. He had finally come into contact with the cultivators of this world.
Although Xuanyue had actually already brought him into contact with them viciously, all of these people were as powerful as monsters. All he felt was admiration and despair. The difference was too great, so it did not feel real at all. Only when he looked at these people now did he truly see them as equals, or even look down on them.
Li Qingshan saw several dozen wooden plaques hanging on the walls of the hall, with names written on them. After a glance, he arrived before a long table in the corner of the hall. An envoy in black leaned against the table and wrote on it. He said without even raising his head, "Name, origins, master, cultivation. Remember, you can't hide anything, or they'll find out …"
The envoy did not continue, but the threat was self-explanatory. Only then did Li Qingshan understand why these people had remained here. They wanted to learn more about their new opponents.
Originally, Li Qingshan wanted to take out his Black Wolf tablet and see the Black Hawk commander, Zhuo Zhibo, so that he could directly join the Hawkwolf Guard. However, he just happened to not see a single proper Hawkwolf guard. There were only a few envoys in black attending to him, so he gave up on that thought for now. He just happened to want to observe properly. He would see the person in question sooner or later anyway. He refused to believe that Zhuo Zhibo would remain hidden for such a major event.
"Li Qingshan, first layer Qi Practitioner …" Li Qingshan said.
As soon as Li Qingshan mentioned his cultivation, he heard a few snickers.
"Applying for the Hawkwolf Guard as a first layer Qi Practitioner? This kid's lost his mind!"
"Go home and drink milk. This isn't where you should be."
"Is he really a first layer Qi Practitioner? I don't think so. Don't tell me he's lying! "
"You're not far from death if you falsely report your cultivation."
The people in the hall were all second layer Qi Practitioners at the very least. If they possessed innate talent as a Qi Practitioner, most of them would cultivate diligently and only emerge after breaking through to the second layer. If they practised inner force and reached the innate realm, they would use the true qi behind them converted from inner force to forcefully break through to the second layer. As a result, there were very few first layer Qi Practitioners who roamed the world.
Even the green-robed emissary who was recording also raised his head, "Really? Those who aren't Qi Practitioners can't sign up. " Although he was not a Qi Practitioner, he had spent most of his time in the Hawkwolf Guard, so his insight was quite good. He could tell that Li Qingshan did not seem like a Qi Practitioner at all.
Li Qingshan suddenly understood one of his flaws. After experiencing the dangers of the Boundless mountains, he had used the Spirit Turtle's Method of Sea Suppression to conceal all of his aura. It had basically become an instinctive action. Even after refining true qi, it was still the same.
Obviously, he had to firmly suppress his daemon qi. He could not allow even a sliver of it to leak out, but there was no need for him to be so cautious with true qi. If he revealed his identity as a Qi Practitioner at a suitable time, it should save him quite a lot of trouble.
As a result, his aura changed. His true qi was no longer suppressed, so it was naturally released, displaying the strength of a first layer Qi Practitioner.
However, it only led to a roar of laughter. Even the doubtful gazes finally looked away, no longer taking Li Qingshan seriously. The unknown was terrifying, which was why a donkey could scare away a tiger. However, when a donkey used up all three of its moves, that was when it would be at its wit's end.
The envoy put down his brush and smiled as well. "I can tell you're young, so it's not easy for you to possess such talent. Why don't you go home and cultivate for a few more years? You can only go out after you break through to the second layer. The competition this time will be dangerous."
Li Qingshan ignored the mockery. He expressed his gratitude towards the kind reminder before saying confidently, "I'm confident!"
The envoy did not comment on that. He continued to record.
No clan, no sect, no master. This was Li Qingshan's background.
Before long, the envoy finished recording and raised his head. "The competition will begin in three days. You can leave. Someone will arrange a place for you to stay. You can stay here if you want."
Another attendant picked up a wooden sign and hung it at the end of the high wall, hanging it together with the names of the others. Of course, there wasn't any complicated information on it. There was only the name on the front and the cultivation level on the back.
This made Li Qingshan sigh. To a Qi Practitioner, background and master were all fake. Strength was the only calling card, something that people valued.
When he turned around, he looked at the crowd of Qi Practitioners as if he was looking at trash. He shook his head and especially said to those who were laughing at him loudly, "Trash." Arrogance was his nature, and ridiculing others was his talent.
"Who are you talking about?" a Qi Practitioner said angrily. He was the one who told Li Qingshan to go home and drink milk.
"I'll talk to whoever answers!" Li Qingshan said. Those who did not speak ill of Li Qingshan naturally did not think that Li Qingshan was scolding them.
The Qi Practitioner flashed in front of Li Qingshan and suddenly raised his hand, gathering his true qi. The envoy who was recording said, "Private fights on the mountain. Kill without mercy."
The Qi Practitioner's hand trembled a little, but he still lowered it in the end.
The rules of the Hawkwolf Guard were no joke. In the very beginning, when the Hawkwolf Guard recruited new people, they did not care about food or lodging. All they had to do was come on the day of the competition. Afterwards, many people were unable to come.
The Qi Practitioners lived in Jiaping city. In order to eliminate their opponents, they would basically stop at nothing. Poisoning, ambushing, and assassinating would often end before they even began. As a result, the rules were changed. All the people who came to be recruited would stay on the mountain, and they were forbidden from attacking one another in any way. If they did, they would be killed without mercy.
Li Qingshan said, "Come bite me, you idiot!" How did the saying go? Your brother's low profile doesn't give you the right to show off. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That was his principle in life. You can curse, but I'm not stupid either!
The Qi Practitioner laughed out of anger. "In three days, you'll understand what it means to be reckless." A few other Qi Practitioners sneered as well.
At this moment, Diao Fei walked into the hall. He glanced at Li Qingshan before looking at the wall. He let out a sigh of relief. As it seemed, Li Qingshan's cultivation was indeed at the first layer. He had just used some sort of method to hide his cultivation, which gave him quite a fright. However, the method Li Qingshan had used to kill Qian Rongming remained a mystery to him. He dared not be careless.
When the other people in the hall saw Diao Fei, they immediately stopped paying attention to Li Qingshan. A third layer Qi Practitioner would be a powerful opponent in the competition this time. They needed to observe him properly. Compared to him, Li Qingshan was just a clown. He was close to death, so there was no need to pay attention to him.
Li Qingshan didn't stay in the hall any longer. As soon as he exited the hall, another attendant led him up the mountain. He walked past the lush greenery and fragrant flowers. With the care of a master gardener, the scenery changed every three steps. It was too beautiful to behold.
When they arrived at a house, the green-robed messenger pointed at a room and said, "This is your residence. You already know that no private fights are allowed on the mountain. You can eat three meals a day in the hall. If you need anything, you can call us. As long as it's not too much, we'll try our best to satisfy you." Although their attitude was very ordinary, their service was absolutely thorough.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
