Chapter 100: Show No Mercy

At Chen Hui's order, two generals charged forward aggressively, seized Manager Lin by the collar, and began dragging him away from the crowd.

"City Lord, please spare me! City Lord, spare my life!!!"

Manager Lin was terrified, but no matter how he begged, neither Chen Hui nor the two generals showed any expression.

Once the generals had dragged him to the open ground, one of them drew the saber at his waist. The blade rose and fell with a crisp crack, and Manager Lin's head rolled to the ground.

"Whew~"

This scene truly horrified everyone. Nearly all of them wore looks of shock, their minds in a fog, completely at a loss.

"City Lord." After executing Manager Lin, one of the generals handed his purple-gold token to Chen Hui.

Chen Hui took the token and said to Chu Feng with a smile, "Chu Feng, have you ever heard of Vermilion Bird City?"

"Huh?" Chu Feng was caught off guard. His experience was limited, and he truly had never heard of Vermilion Bird City.

Seeing this, Chen Hui smiled faintly and explained patiently, "Chu Feng, you should know that our Nine Provinces Continent is ruled by the Jiang Dynasty. To better govern the nine provinces, the Jiang Dynasty entrusted each province to a different Prince's Manor. The one that governs our Qingzhou is the Qilin Prince's Manor."

"The Qilin Prince's Manor, in order to better maintain order throughout Qingzhou, selected eight first-tier cities and one hundred and sixty second-tier cities across the province, spreading them out like a net to cover all of Qingzhou. Each of these cities has jurisdiction over its respective region."

"Our Purple-Gold City is a second-tier city. The one responsible for overseeing us is not the Qilin Prince's Manor, but the first-tier city — Vermilion Bird City."

Hearing Chen Hui's explanation, Chu Feng gained a completely new understanding of the various powers in Qingzhou.

He had always assumed that the Jiang Dynasty was the overlord of the Nine Provinces Continent, with the various sects governing their respective territories. He even thought that within Qingzhou, the Lingyun Sect — the province's foremost sect — had the final say. But now it was clearly not the case.

The Jiang Dynasty's methods were truly cunning. They had implemented a tiered management system. Though they didn't interfere with the development of the various sects, they still kept the entire Nine Provinces Continent firmly in their grasp.

"If we divide Qingzhou into eight regions, then the highest authority over our region is Vermilion Bird City. In ten days, Vermilion Bird City is hosting a Rising Star Tournament."

"The so-called Rising Star Tournament is a sparring competition among the younger generation, with an age restriction of eighteen and under."

"Although young friend Chu Feng is still quite young, he's already one of the most outstanding among the juniors here in Purple-Gold City. So I would like young friend Chu Feng to represent our Purple-Gold City at this year's Rising Star Tournament." Chen Hui continued.

"What do I get for participating in this Rising Star Tournament?" Chu Feng asked.

"If you only participate, there's no real reward. However, if you can claim first place, there is a reward of five thousand Spirit Pearls," Chen Hui explained.

"Then I'll do it." Chu Feng nodded. Five thousand Spirit Pearls — that was a very tempting offer.