After he had really reached the Martial Entry-Level Ten stage, Qin Shujian was finally able to understand.
He finally understood how vastly different the false Martial Entry-Level Ten was from the true Martial Entry-Level Ten.
For example, if the false Martial Entry-Level Ten him could defeat three Martial Entry-Level Nines, then the true Martial Entry-Level Ten would be able to defeat ten Martial Entry-Level Nines!
This.
This was the difference.
Besides Qin Shujian himself, Niu Feng and the rest had no idea that their own chieftain had quietly and secretly reached the peak of the Martial Entry stage.
Messy Stone Forest wasn't small. It was about as big as two or three Liangshan Strongholds.
But no matter how big the place was, there was always an end to it.
After spending more than half an hour on the road, they could already see Messy Gold Mountain from afar.
Xu Yuanming looked at the mountain peak in the distance and walked and said at the same time, "Legend has it that Messy Gold Mountain used to be a gold mine. After all the gold had been dug out from it, the mountain became worthless."
"After that, a group of Mountain Thieves took over the mountain, and that's why it's now called Messy Gold Mountain."
"Gold mine?" Qin Shujian was slightly surprised.
It had never crossed his mind that Messy Gold Mountain would actually be an abandoned gold mine.
But after thinking about it, that sounded reasonable.
After all, if it was a real gold mine, there was no way a bunch of Mountain Thieves would be able to have full control of it.
They came to the foot of Messy Gold Mountain.
The group of Mountain Bandits stopped for the time being.
Xu Yuanming asked, "Chieftain, do we surround Messy Gold Mountain, or what should we do?"
"No need, we can just go up directly," Qin Shujian just gave the order.
With that, he took the first step up Messy Gold Mountain.
When Niu Feng and the rest saw him do that, they followed after him.
After about ten minutes or so, they could already see the group of Mountain Thieves that were living in Messy Gold Mountain.
"Stop…"
Before the Mountain Thief could finish his sentence, Qin Shujian glanced at Niu Feng, and Niu Feng immediately attacked.
One side was merely a Martial Entry-Level One Mountain Thief.
The other side was a Martial Entry-Level Five boss.
The difference between the two didn't need further explanation.
"Someone is invading us! Hurry up and tell the chief!"
Someone within Messy Gold Mountain happened to witness this and immediately gave a loud shout.
In no time, the quiet Messy Gold Mountain was now in chaos.
But Qin Shujian didn't do anything about this. He didn't have any intention to stop the other party at all.
Any Mountain Thieves that heard the commotion and came forward to block their way.
Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming would both attack them and killed them all off.
After walking a short distance, no less than 20 or 30 Mountain Thieves had died in the hands of the two men.
"It looks like there are several people in Messy Gold Mountain!" Exclaimed Qin Shujian.
It had only been a while, but so many Mountain Thieves had appeared.
Xu Yuanming nodded and said, "There are a few hundred Mountain Thieves in Messy Gold Mountain, way more than the number in Chuanyun Stronghold and Mount Mingai."
"A few hundred Mountain Thieves? That's quite a lot alright," Qin Shujian nodded his head slightly upon hearing this.
The total number of Mountain Thieves in Mount Mingai and Chuanyun Stronghold added up to less than 200 people.
If Xu Yuanming said that there were a few hundred in Messy Gold Mountain, then it wouldn't be any less than 200 for sure.
The more people there were, the more powerful Messy Gold Mountain was.
And the more powerful an affiliation was, it usually also meant that this was also a group of hardy people.
But, Qin Shujian was least afraid of all these hardy types.
Given his current capabilities, no matter how hardy you were, he could smash one to powder bit by bit.
As they made their way up the mountain, countless numbers of Mountain Thieves were killed.
After another ten-odd minutes, they finally came to the main entrance to Messy Gold Mountain Stronghold.
There were many people inside, and after casting a glance, there were estimated to be at least 200 or 300 Mountain Thieves.
It was obvious.
The news about intruders coming up the mountain had already reached them.
Qin Shujian looked at the crowd in front of him and was pretty sure in his heart that the majority of Messy Gold Mountain's strength was gathered in this place.
Standing right in front of the numerous Mountain Thieves was a large middle-aged man, who was tall and muscular and holding onto a large saber.
He already gave off tremendous energy just by standing there and not moving.
"That man is Zeng Hong!" explained Niu Feng at an appropriate time.
Qin Shujian acknowledged the information, and his gaze fell upon that man.
When he sensed the vigorous qi and blood coming from him, Qin Shujian's eyes also sparkled.
Peak Blood and Qi?
Martial Entry-Level Six?
Qin Shujian never thought that the chief of Messy Gold Mountain, Zeng Hong, would have reached Martial Entry-Level Six. That made him way more potent than Mount Mingai and Chuanyun Stronghold.
They were just one level apart, but it was a significant difference.
But since Zeng Hong had managed to make a breakthrough, it meant that he had broken his shackles.
Qin Shujian was looking Zeng Hong up and down, and Zeng Hong was also doing the same thing to him.
However, after a short period of sizing him up, his gaze finally landed on Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming. The malice and iciness in his eyes gushed out. "Chuanyun Stronghold and Mount Mingai have joined hands to come here. It looks like you're going to attack my Messy Gold Mountain."
"But I'm very curious. Who gave you the courage actually to dare to step onto my Messy Gold Mountain!"
As he spoke, Zeng Hong's presence soared.
Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming could feel the pressurizing presence from their opponent, and their expressions changed slightly.
"Martial Entry-Level Six?" Niu Feng's expression was a little shocked and unsure.
He had already guessed it earlier, but when he saw that his opponent had truly hit Martial Entry-Level Six, his heart was still thrown into confusion.
Xu Yuanming stood next to him and felt the same way.
Zheng Hong smiled arrogantly, then his expression turned icy cold, "That's right. I have broken my shackles, and I have managed to hit Martial Entry-Level Six. Right now, even if a Martial Entry-Level Seven enters the boundary of Messy Gold Mountain, I will not be afraid."
"I didn't intend to attack Mount Mingai and Chuanyun Stronghold so early, but I didn't expect both of you actually to come knocking on my door first."
Unifying all of Messy Stone Forest was a dream that he had.
This idea of his became even stronger, particularly after he had risen to Martial Entry-Level Six.
But Zeng Hong was troubled by the issue of the outlanders, and that's why he had not attacked so long. Of course, the other reason was that he was wary of what both sides were capable of.
Even though he had truly reached Martial Entry-Level Six, once he left the boundary of Messy Gold Mountain, he lost some of his strength, and he was just an ordinary Martial Entry-Level Six.
On the contrary, if he were to enter Mount Mingai or Chuanyun Stronghold, these two opponents would be comparable to a false Martial Entry-Level Six.
That way, it wouldn't be so easy to swallow them up.
But what Zeng Hong never expected was that Niu Feng and Xu Yuanming would come knocking on his door instead.
It made him angry, but it also gave him a pleasant surprise more than anything else.
He was the leader of Messy Gold Mountain, so he was comparable to a Martial Entry-Level Seven fighter. It was no problem for him to take down these two Martial Entry-Level Fives.
On top of that, he had several hundred Mountain Thieves under him in this place as well.
"Zeng Hong, did you think you would win us just because you've managed to break through to Martial Entry-Level Six?" Niu Feng got over his initial shock and chortled with a cold smile.
When he heard this, Zeng Hong replied mockingly, "And so what if I do think that way? I'm really curious, where did you two get the courage to come up here? Did you get it from him?"
As he spoke, his gaze fell back upon Qin Shujian, who was standing right in the middle.
Qin Shujian remained exactly where he was, and a faint smile spread across his face.
"It's true. I am the one who gave them this confidence."