The registration process was astonishingly simple.

It was no surprise to Ning Zhuo. He had actively gathered intelligence on Wanxiang Zong.

The complete registration was divided into many stages, and this was only the first stage.

After some time, during the second stage of registration, the identity tokens would be replaced with stone tablets instead of the current wooden ones. More information about the cultivators would also be recorded.

Wooden tablets, stone tablets, bronze tablets, iron tablets, silver tablets, gold tablets, and finally jade tablets. Each level of identity token represented Wanxiang Zong’s affirmation of the cultivator’s present and future potential.

As for how to successfully register and obtain a higher-level identity token, that would depend on the cultivators’ performance in the upcoming Xingyun Xiaoshi.

Having successfully registered, Ning Zhuo, Shen Xi, and Su Lingkou, each carrying their wooden tablets, flew away on clouds.

Shen Xi asked, “Where is Brother Ning heading now?”

Ning Zhuo replied, “Naturally, I’ll choose a martial arts hall to experience the atmosphere first. After all, this is my first time at Wanxiang Zong.”

Shen Xi, stroking the jade tablet at his waist, smiled slightly and said, “Then I’ll go with Brother Ning!”

Seeing Ning Zhuo flying slowly, Shen Xi directly invited, “Brother Ning, why not ride with me?”

Ning Zhuo saw no objection.

Shen Xi then released a chariot-shaped magical artifact. It was not a mechanism but was bronze in color, with fixed wheels, forming a seamless whole.

However, after Su Lingkou activated it, the bronze flying chariot was very fast and maneuvered flexibly, quickly arriving at the nearest martial arts hall.

Observing from the chariot, the three saw the hall crowded with people, and the atmosphere was lively.

Ning Zhuo remarked, “After the first stage of registration, everyone has an identity token, and only then can they accumulate achievements by participating in Xingyun Xiaoshi. Hence, such a bustling scene.”

Su Lingkou’s face was etched with a hint of worry, “There are so many people, should we still go down?”

Shen Xi pondered in silence, merely looking at Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo then said, “Let’s change to another hall.”

The main gate area of Wanxiang Zong was vast, with hundreds of various halls.

The bronze flying chariot sped through and soon arrived at a martial arts hall. Because it was not close to any registration point, there were far fewer people than at other martial arts halls.

As soon as the bronze flying chariot landed and the three stepped onto the plaza in front of the hall, a cultivator exiting spoke, “Who do I see? It’s the young son of the Shen family!”

Shen Xi was a genius of the Shen family, yet he was addressed with such contempt. The speaker knew Shen Xi’s background, yet maintained such an attitude, clearly indicating malicious intent.

Ning Zhuo calmly sized up the speaking cultivator.

Although he appeared young, his hair was gray, his eye sockets were deep like a skull, and he wore a wide, flowing robe made of hundred-python skin. His expression was arrogant, his gaze like a blade, and he was wantonly provoking them.

Standing beside the gray-haired young cultivator was a nine-chi tall man with a tiger’s body and a human head, robust and muscular, with a pair of wings on his back and covered in brownish-yellow tiger fur.

He was, strikingly, a fierce tiger demon cultivator.

Shen Xi’s face darkened, “Pi Fuzai?”

The Shen family in Jiugong Xiancheng was immensely powerful, with several major enemies, one of them being the Pi family.

This family’s cultivators primarily practiced the demonic art “Qifu Mopi Jing,” and were also known for their dual abilities in talismans and paper effigies. Not only was their power vast, but their dependents were also numerous.

The young gray-haired cultivator before them, Pi Fuzai, held a position similar to Shen Xi’s in their respective families. However, because he possessed a medium-grade talent for “San Jie Tuibian,” he received much more expectation and support than Shen Xi.

Pi Fuzai gazed at Ning Zhuo, Shen Xi, and Su Lingkou, narrowing his eyes and coldly stating, “Shen Xi, I’ve long heard that the Shen family sent you to participate in the Feiyun Dahui this time.”

“Hmph, meeting you prematurely now, then it’s your bad luck!”

Anyone who heard these words would know that there was a long-standing feud between the two families.

Shen Xi sneered, “What you said is exactly what I wanted to say. This is a martial arts hall, Pi Fuzai, I will see all your moves through to the end. Let’s go! We’ll have a martial arts competition, regardless of life or death!”

Within Wanxiang Zong, martial arts hall matters were always regardless of life or death.

When cultivators engaged in martial arts competitions, there were always accidents, and of course, some people deliberately schemed.

Wanxiang Zong allowed all of it to happen.

There was no choice; there were simply too many people in Wanxiang Zong.

They had to select the best!

Once, an elder of Wanxiang Zong spoke rather bluntly, roughly meaning: anyone killed in the martial arts arena at least had extremely bad luck. It was only right that such people did not join Wanxiang Zong.

These words were too direct and once caused a wave of public outcry. The elder was immediately demoted. Many years later, he returned to the sect and obtained a high position.

Wanxiang Zong’s true attitude was evident.

This attitude and principle of action were accepted by true high-level figures and large powers, because they all knew Wanxiang Zong’s pain points.

If they truly wanted to eliminate this situation, it would be too difficult.

Wanxiang Zong couldn’t manage it; the management cost involved would be too immense, and the hidden dangers even greater.

Once Wanxiang Zong wanted to manage this phenomenon, they would have to grant authority to martial arts judges. This power would be too great; matters of life and death, how could they not be great?

Therefore, it would inevitably lead to corruption, and it would be massive corruption.

Corruption would inevitably occur.

This would then greatly affect Wanxiang Zong’s reputation.

If the judges were unfair, or even if they were fair, the party who lost a loved one would still resent Wanxiang Zong, believing its judgments to be unfair. Consequently, Wanxiang Zong would face numerous conflicts and accumulate countless karmic debts and consequences.

It was better not to interfere; that way, conflicts would only be confined to the two parties in the martial arts competition, and Wanxiang Zong would remain aloof.

Shen Xi was very unyielding, directly adopting a stance of a life-and-death duel, which instead made Pi Fuzai’s momentum stall.

Pi Fuzai secretly thought, “How can you, Shen Xi, compare to me?”

“You and I hold equivalent positions in the Shen and Pi families, are often compared, and are both considered the face of the Foundation Establishment stage and future hopes. But I have innate talent, and you don’t. Is my future something you can rival?”

A life-and-death battle now? Pi Fuzai felt he would be at too much of a disadvantage.

Why should he do that?

He couldn’t find a reason.

He could very well cultivate to a later stage, let his innate talent demonstrate its value, achieve a significant leap in strength, and then settle scores with Shen Xi!

Therefore, Pi Fuzai absolutely did not want to agree to a death match, but he was unwilling to give up the opportunity to compete.

This competition was not just his own idea, but also involved the grievances between the two families.

The hatred between the Shen family and the Pi family was too deep; they were already mortal enemies!

Shen Xi and Pi Fuzai were the public faces of their respective families, and both attached great importance to their mutual contests. This was not only a struggle between the two of them, but also a struggle between the Shen and Pi families, imbued with strong political implications.

The success or failure of each competition had a huge impact on Shen Xi and Pi Fuzai. This was because they both had substantial backing from their respective families!

Pi Fuzai did not want a life-and-death duel with Shen Xi, but he absolutely could not retreat like this.

Once he retreated, it would mean he actively admitted defeat out of fear. The Pi family would lose immense face, and having started as a demonic sect, Pi Fuzai would surely face family retribution.

Seeing that Pi Fuzai had not responded, a sharp glint flashed in the depths of both Shen Xi and Ning Zhuo’s eyes. Both were astute individuals and immediately discerned Pi Fuzai’s thoughts.

Shen Xi’s lips curled into a smile, then quickly flattened. He seized the opportunity to press on, “Pi Fuzai, you wouldn’t be scared, would you? What, you don’t dare to have a life-and-death martial arts competition with me?”

Su Lingkou was extremely worried and couldn’t help but quietly tug at Shen Xi’s sleeve.

She worried that Pi Fuzai would actually accept the martial arts challenge, putting her cousin’s life in danger.

“Cousin is too brave!”

“He’s forgotten that he’s a person of great value, with a bright future ahead. Why rush into a life-and-death battle?”

Pi Fuzai snorted coldly, “Such shallow provocation, hmph! I’m no rash brute, and I bear a heavy responsibility this time, representing my clan in joining Wanxiang Zong. Shen Xi, just wait! There will definitely be a life-and-death duel between us, but let’s postpone it for now.”

Such a statement alone would certainly not suffice. But Pi Fuzai had a plan. He turned his gaze to Ning Zhuo.

“Is this the cultivator you recruited this time?” Pi Fuzai had misunderstood the relationship between Shen Xi and Ning Zhuo.

“Heh heh, this person is quite handsome, Shen Xi, do you like this type?” Pi Fuzai attempted to slander Shen Xi’s reputation and divert the trouble elsewhere.

He found it difficult to respond to Shen Xi’s challenge, but Ning Zhuo, by Shen Xi’s side, was dressed simply, and his magical power aura wasn’t high, seemingly easier to bully.

Pi Fuzai knew about Su Lingkou. If he attacked Shen Xi’s cousin, would Shen Xi just let it go?

But the unfamiliar cultivator by Shen Xi’s side was not mentioned in the intelligence, and should be an outsider.

Bullying this outsider to retreat from this conflict, and thus have an excuse for his family, was Pi Fuzai’s plan.

He had miscalculated.

Upon hearing this, Ning Zhuo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, revealing a faint smile, and directly emitted a chilling killing intent.

He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Pi Fuzai from head to toe, and slowly said, “Quite interesting. A Foundation Establishment cultivator actually dares to speak to me like this. Heh heh, it’s been a long time since anyone has done so.”

Pi Fuzai couldn’t help but be secretly astonished, a question rising in his mind: “Who is this person, and why is he so arrogant?”

“His magical power aura—he’s clearly just a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

Upon hearing Ning Zhuo’s response, Shen Xi was secretly surprised by the latter’s toughness, but also felt a surge of joy. This was the scene he had hoped to see.

Su Lingkou smiled slightly; in an instant, she found Ning Zhuo much more agreeable.

She suddenly thought, Ning Zhuo had successfully dealt with Yu Heyi and Lin Jinglong before, making her cousin and herself continuously speculate about Ning Zhuo’s background: “Isn’t this a good opportunity to test him?”

She immediately fueled the fire for Ning Zhuo, “I see, Young Master Pi Fuzai thinks your cultivation is low, Fellow Daoist Ning, and wants to pick on an easy target.”

What she said was the truth, but Shen Xi’s expression immediately changed slightly, and he thought, “Not good, how could someone like Ning Zhuo not see through my cousin’s intentions?”

Shen Xi quickly tried to remedy the situation, “Brother Ning, Pi is ignorant, why bother with such a blind man? Moreover, this is an old feud between my Shen family and the Pi family. This Pi family is of the demonic path; many years ago, they massacred innocents to collect souls for cultivation—”

Pi Fuzai couldn’t listen any longer and directly interrupted, “Nonsense! My Pi family is a dignified righteous path, with decrees personally issued by the Feiyun Kingdom to legitimize our clan! Although this is Wanxiang Zong, it is also the Feiyun Kingdom. How can you, a mere servant, distort black and white here and slander the righteous and good?”

Shen Xi sneered.

Ning Zhuo’s gaze was cold.

He was aware of the matters concerning the Shen family and the Pi family.

At the banquet where Lin Jinglong was entertained, he had inquired about the Shen family and knew that Shen Xi was correct.

Before the establishment of the Pi family, they were a group of demonic cultivators, utterly vicious.

They roamed everywhere, committing crimes, slaughtering living beings to harvest souls, using these souls as primary materials to carve talismans onto their skin, thereby enhancing their own strength.

During this process, the demonic cultivator group formed an enmity with the Shen family. They repeatedly attacked villages within the Shen family’s territory, prompting the Shen family to launch a vigorous investigation and send people to pursue the culprits.

As both sides exchanged attacks and defenses, with gains and losses, the conflict between them deepened.

The Pi family’s enemies were not limited to the Shen family, but their feud with the Shen family was the deepest.

The Shen family began to form alliances, and after prolonged fierce battles, the Pi family realized their predicament and, at great cost, “persuaded” the Feiyun Kingdom government to recognize and legitimize their family as part of the righteous path.

However, because of this, the Pi family could no longer engage in their former acts of slaughter.

If they wanted to obtain souls, they could currently only set up ghost gates and hunt them from the underworld.

Ning Zhuo’s display of a tough attitude was also deliberate.

Pi Fuzai immediately reined himself in a bit, his gaze fixed on Ning Zhuo: “May I ask your esteemed name and background?”

Ning Zhuo sneered, tilting his head slightly: “You are not worthy to ask. Come, the martial arts arena is right here. I will accept this life-and-death battle for Brother Shen. Are you afraid of Brother Shen, yet not afraid of an unknown nobody like me?”

“What unknown nobody, daring to speak to me with such confidence?” Pi Fuzai was so angry he wanted to roll his eyes.

“Why is it that every one of them immediately talks about life-and-death martial arts competitions?”

“Are you still not noble family scions? Don’t you know that a gentleman does not stand under a precarious wall? What’s the point of constantly shouting about fighting and killing?”

“Shouldn’t these matters of fighting and killing be done by hired thugs and subordinates?”

Although Pi Fuzai didn’t know Ning Zhuo’s background, he knew from Shen Xi’s peer-to-peer demeanor towards Ning Zhuo that Ning Zhuo was by no means an ordinary person.

Pi Fuzai wanted to fight even less.

“Fighting him is far worse than fighting Shen Xi.”

“At least, I know Shen Xi quite well. This person, however, is impossible to gauge right now.”

Thinking this, Pi Fuzai gritted his teeth in anger.

“Damn it, why don’t you dress better?”

Ning Zhuo’s attire was understated, not as outwardly splendid as Shen Xi’s or Su Lingkou’s. Even Pi Fuzai’s hundred-python skin robe was a magical artifact level garment, quite luxurious for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“What, scared? Don’t you even dare to accept the challenge of a mere mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator like me?” Ning Zhuo sneered.

Since Pi Fuzai had just shown a weakness, it was time to press hard.

Pi Fuzai suppressed his anger and once again cupped his hands to ask, “May I ask your esteemed name, and who you are?”

Ning Zhuo took out his Wuxing Jiguan fan, unfolded it, and fanned himself gently, “You’re so curious? That’s quite good.”

“Let’s have a life-and-death martial arts competition. Before I kill you, I will tell you the answer.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll let you be a ghost who knows why he died.”

Of course, Ning Zhuo would not reveal his identity or background. The Ning family had fled from Beifeng Guo and was currently established in Nandou Guo with the help of the Zhu family.

The overall strength of the Ning family was much weaker than the Pi family.

Therefore, this Ning family identity was not presentable.

Ning Zhuo once again displayed a tough attitude. Primarily, he truly didn’t put Pi Fuzai in his eyes.