Chapter Seventy-Five Mutation

  Two days of time, in the blink of an eye have passed.

  For the past two days, Qin Hao had been staying in the stone room, rarely showing his face. Having figured some things out, his mood naturally improved a lot, and he fully immersed himself in cultivation.

  It wasn't until today that this cultivation had to come to a halt. Because today, the city master would have people gather in the public square to count the number of demons and issue rewards to each household.

  Many wandering warriors or ordinary people would go to watch, after all, it's not often that they get to see a large number of corpses of various kinds of demonic beasts at the same time. As for those families who participated in the beast hunt, they would naturally attend, firstly to show respect to the old man and receive their deserved martial skills. Secondly, to enjoy the occasional admiring glances from others, this feeling is great.

  "Qin Hao, are you really going?" Qin Shan's face was filled with a smile, his eyes fixed intently on Qin Hao. Although he asked this question, his tone didn't seem like a query. It seemed as if he was certain of Qin Hao's decision.

  Qin Hao shrugged and didn't answer, turning around to walk out the door. The ten people behind him, along with Qin Yuxian, smiled at the same time and followed after him.

  A group of eleven people walked towards the square in a majestic manner. Along the way, many people couldn't help but look at them with a hint of reverence when they realized they were from the Qin family.

  Several months ago, Qin's family won in a clean and efficient way, which still makes them talk about it with relish.

  It was just a glance, but when it swept to the strongest end of the team, the figure of that calm and composed young man appeared, and his eyes couldn't help but reveal some disdain.

  "Is this the Qin Hao who abandoned his own people and ran away with his tail between his legs? Looking at him now, I wouldn't have thought he was capable of doing something like that?"

  "You know my appearance but not my heart. Don't I have a kind and honest mind? Am I not a man of integrity?"

  "Wasted a good talent, but is a timid and cowardly person, what a pity."

  "At sixteen, he broke through the Lingxuan realm? A genius of unparalleled beauty? So what, compared to this person, my actual strength is nothing. At twenty-three, I'm still a Condensed Mystic Realm warrior, but I feel like I'm more of a real man than him."

  The speaker was Zhong San, a 23-year-old cultivator of the tenth layer of the Congxuan stage. He had some reputation in a small group of solo cultivators in Tianlang City. Without family backing, he was still stuck at this level even at his age, unable to break through. This was also where he was often ridiculed by people who knew him.

  A martial artist who couldn't even enter the Spiritual Realm at the age of 23, his future achievements might just stop here. A few months ago, when he saw Qin Hao defeat Lin Bi with his first-level Spiritual Realm strength in the square, he was initially shocked, but later turned into deep jealousy.

  He has always thought that he is unable to make a name for himself in the big family, and is stuck in this situation, unable to move forward. If he could also receive training and have sufficient conditions, he would have soared to great heights long ago.

  "Genius, farting genius. If I had a good family background, today's achievements may not be inferior to theirs." This is his catchphrase.

  He has always been jealous of those so-called "geniuses" in the family, first Lin Yu and then Qin Yuxian.

  When Qin Hao broke the record of Ling Xuanwu's age, Qin Hao truly became the representative of those who made him jealous. These days, whenever Zhong San talked to people, he would necessarily bring up Qin Hao, listening to the surrounding people's echoes and feeling others' disdain for Qin Hao, his mood was exceptionally good, as if the shackles that had always troubled him were no longer important.

  As soon as he said this, some of the wandering warriors around him who knew him also echoed in agreement.

  "Indeed, compared to this kind of person, I also feel like a true warrior. At least my backbone is straighter than his, and I've never been a coward."

  "A person like him brings shame to his family. He still has the face to come out, if it were me, I would have hanged myself long ago."

  "Look at him still pretending to be calm and collected, what a fake calmness. Shameless."

  One person talks with flying colors and those ordinary people, naturally also have many who sneer at Qin Hao. Those who show the most enthusiasm are mostly those who think they have talent but no opportunity, and their innate talents cannot be displayed due to external limitations.

  Qin Hao looked at everyone's reaction, his smile undiminished.

  He recalled a phrase from the fat man, "Happiness is not due to one's own good fortune, but rather the misfortune of others." Comparing this to those martial artists who were full of themselves, he suddenly felt that the fat man's occasional words still made some sense.

  "Qin Hao, your reputation has spread all over Tianlang." Qin Shan said with a gloating smile.

  Qin Ze even jokingly said: "Why don't we hang a sign on you and let people come to see you, so we can earn some money?"

  As soon as these words came out, the Qin family burst into laughter again, seemingly without a care in the world.

  They are no longer the kind of hot-headed youngsters who would roll up their sleeves and risk their lives at the slightest insult. After spending some time with Qin Hao, they have also changed a lot in terms of temperament. As for the Lan Jilin incident, after Qin Hao single-handedly lured away the demon wolf, although they didn't say anything on the surface, deep down they had gained a new understanding: increasing their strength is the only way to truly achieve something.

  What does it matter what ordinary people think?

  Qin Hao smiled wryly and rubbed his nose, saying helplessly: "I think this is a good idea, but how to divide it up is really something that needs careful consideration."

  "Are you still in the mood to joke?" Qin Yuxian bit her lip, looking somewhat displeased: "Don't you know how long you'll have to carry this infamy? Don't you care at all?"

  "It won't be long." Qin Shan suddenly spoke up, as if he had made some kind of guarantee in his heart. Qin Ze, Qin Chao and the others simultaneously clenched their fists, their faces extremely solemn.

  Qin Hao spread his hands and gave Qin Yuxian an innocent smile. Qin Yuxian's eyes darted back and forth, gritted her teeth in hatred, and looked away.

  A group of people continued to chat and laugh as they headed towards the square. Onlookers, commentators, and those who found superiority in... various crowds gathered, with some idle warriors following behind Qin Hao, waiting to see what would become of him.

  It is these eleven people who have caused a sensation, with the snowball effect getting bigger and bigger.

  In the square, people were in an uproar. In the central location, Chang Feng and Yan Yan controlled the storage rings on their fingers, taking out one by one the corpses of the demon beasts hunted down by each family. Seven or eight black-clad guards were responsible for counting them, determining the points earned by each family based on the number and rank of the demon beasts, which in turn decided the level and quantity of martial techniques they would receive.

  A body of a monster occupied the central position of the square. As more and more monsters appeared, the gasps from the crowd grew louder.

  As he looked at the young hunters, the respectful expression in his eyes grew thicker. Not very old, outstanding strength, and because of these people entering the Blue Quiet Forest year after year to clear out demonic beasts, the demonic beasts of the Blue Quiet Forest had not affected their lives.

  Lin Zhanbei arrived here today as well. The Lin family did not attend the beast hunt, and none of the young masters came. However, he himself appeared mysteriously here, standing beside the old man with a respectful expression, but his eyes occasionally flashed with cold light.

  Qin Hao, even if he has a good innate talent, how can he withstand this kind of pressure? Outstanding young people with excellent innate talents have been disturbed by external factors, causing their mental state to fluctuate and their cultivation to stagnate. This is not unheard of. On the path of martial arts cultivation, the importance of cultivating one's mind goes without saying. If one's mental state becomes disordered, it would not be surprising if they end up with a ruined cultivation foundation.

  "Lin Zhanbei, I didn't expect you to come today."

  "Yes, Lord Chen, come and see the achievements of the young masters." Lin Zhanbei bowed slightly, showing great respect.

  "The Qin family hasn't arrived yet. The Du and Mu families are also a bit late." The old man gazed in the direction outside the field, his tone calm.

  "The Du and Mu families must have been delayed by something," Lin Zhanbei said with a firm tone. The heads of the two families were old foxes, clever and cunning, and had always maintained a safe distance from each other over the years. People like them would naturally not fail to notify others before being absent.

  "As for the Qin family." Lin Zhanbei sneered inwardly, his tone becoming even more courteous: "It's possible that due to some recent events, they might not come either."

  The old man looked up at the sky with both eyes, but said nothing.

  The crowd of onlookers suddenly parted. Only then did the masters of the Du and Ying families, accompanied by their sons, swiftly emerge from outside the arena.

  Today, the rest of the people were dressed very casually, but the young masters of these two families were rarely seen wearing their family's martial attire, with uniform colored ribbons tied around their hair, it was unprecedentedly grand.

  Lin Zhan's eyes narrowed slightly, what were these two old foxes up to again?

  Du Yingmu and Pan stood in front of the old man, bowed their heads, and paid their respects. The old man looked them up and down, waved his hand, and gestured for them to stand behind him.

  After a while, several smaller families of demon hunters with fewer numbers were also counted and issued martial skills.

  The eleven members of the Qin family finally appeared before everyone. From the moment Qin Hao's figure emerged, the atmosphere in the entire square became extremely subtle.

  Comments, sneers, snorts of derision and disdainful voices suddenly swept across the square.

  However, in this situation, Qin Hao still had a smile on his face, walking slowly and calmly, without losing his usual composure.

  "The head of the Lin family seems to be unaffected." Li Yan, the head of the Li family and the mastermind behind the whole incident, stood behind Lin Zhanbei with a slightly unnatural expression.

  "Take it easy." Lin Zhanbei let out a cold hum. But in his heart, a layer of gloom had also settled at this moment.

  "Old Chen." The crowd looked down, Qin Hao stepped forward a few steps and bowed respectfully.

  "Ah, stand aside then." The old man glanced up at him with a hint of scrutiny, but there was no particular change.

  "Yes." Qin Hao responded with a single word and led the remaining ten people to stand quietly in their positions.

  The rumors about Qin Hao are getting more and more, and the words that can be heard everywhere are getting more and more unbearable, "coward", "useless person", "afraid of death" and so on, those sharp tones are like a dagger, which can pierce directly into people's hearts.

  Lin Zhan's eyes were gloomy, but he was already laughing loudly in his heart: the people he had arranged to mix into the crowd were still useful, and with their incitement, this fire would thoroughly ignite, and he just needed to watch the show.

  "Old Chen, should we stop him?" Ji Fan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, clearly he hadn't expected this situation either.

  "No need." The old man's gaze remained fixed on Qin Hao's smiling face, rarely revealing a hint of a smile: "That kid should be able to handle it."

  "Qin Hao, really doesn't care?" Qin Shan was somewhat hesitant, this situation had exceeded his imagination.

  "No need. Besides, the more you deny it, the more they'll talk about it with relish." He wouldn't do something that would add fuel to the fire.

  Among the Li family's procession, a man in his twenties suddenly walked out. The man had an ordinary face, but his eyes seemed to be shrouded in gloom all year round. It was Li Yan's son, Li Zhong.

  Li Zhong walked out of the Li family's ranks, his face expressionless. He didn't say a word, only stretched out his hand to rummage through his chest. His actions naturally drew everyone's attention.

  Soon, a crystal stone appeared in his hand, and under the concentrated gaze of everyone, he revealed a cold smile, and infused a thread of mysterious energy into it.

  Qin Hao's eyes slightly paused, staring like a stone. What is this kid doing?

  After the Xuan Qi entered, a cluster of light and shadow floated out from the Cong Xiang Shi, condensing into a screen of light in mid-air. The image on the screen gradually became clearer.

  On the screen, Chang Feng and Yan Yan were fighting a monster, while Qin Hao stood some distance away, watching them with his eyes wandering as if he was thinking about something.

  The scene suddenly changed, all black-clad guards, Long Feng and Yan Yan were knocked to the ground, while young men from various families also fell down in various places.

  The scene changed again, and the two Long Fengyan suddenly jumped up from the ground, covered in blood, and wrapped themselves around the demon beast. They seemed to be shouting something at Qin Hao.

  But Qin Hao suddenly turned around and ran wildly towards the depths of the forest, without even looking back at the fallen Qin family members behind him...

  The scene ended here. The light of the petrified stone also gradually dimmed.

  Time was short, only a few dozen breaths had passed. The scene was only a few sparse pictures, yet it revealed an extremely complete story to the crowd.

  The eyes of those onlookers looking at Qin Hao have completely transformed into contempt.

  "Human trash."

  This is one of the few martial artists who still believe in Qin Hao. Because he has seen Qin Hao's trial, he never believed that he would be a person who abandoned his brothers and escaped. But at this moment, he felt that his behavior of defending Qin Hao in front of friends was so foolish. The more he trusted Qin Hao, the more stupid he proved himself to be.

  "It's been processed well." Qin Shan's eyes already had a cold intent. The scene captured by the Condensed Image Stone was obviously deliberately processed. The sound had also been processed away. He didn't expect that at the time when a group of people were desperately resisting the demon beast, someone still had the leisure to do such a thing.

  "Get lost."

  "Get out of here. You piece of trash."

  "Don't lose face for our Tianlang City anymore."

  Someone has already thrown things at Qin Hao. A cold-blooded and timid person can't get any respect in this world. What's the use of having good talent?

  "It's hard to end this." Qin Yuxian's eyes were filled with deep worry, she took a step forward and blocked Qin Hao in front of him.

  At this moment, eleven figures suddenly jumped out and blocked the Qin family members, deflecting all incoming attacks.

  Eleven figures, however, were the young masters of the Du family. The heir of the Du family, Du Wei, who was also the person who had exchanged a few words with Qin Hao at the city lord's manor several months ago, coldly swept his gaze across the entire scene.

  Then, under countless pairs of eyes, Du Wei adjusted his clothes and walked to Qin Hao's front, with his right hand stroking his left shoulder, he bowed in salute.

  Behind him, ten Du family youths made the same gesture, their synchronized bows making one's eyes nearly pop out.

  The entire scene fell silent. An unprecedented stillness.

  This gesture represents gratitude and is a way for warriors to show respect. Yet today, they made this gesture towards Qin Hao alone.

  It's not over yet.

  In a moment of stunned silence, the eleven members of the Mu family also walked to Qin Hao's side. Mu Chen Dong's voice swept across the quiet square: "However it is, at the time of Blue Silence, I owed you a life. From now on, if there is anything you need..." Mu Chen Dong clenched his right fist and raised it high.

  "We will never decline." The loud and clear voice of Mu's family of ten shook the sky.

  The entire square finally fell silent at this moment.

  Lan Jinglin owes him a life, these eight words have been lingering in the ears of more and more people, refusing to disperse.