Just as Luo Chen had expected, as the grand competition drew ever closer, investigations into the other participants grew increasingly intense. This was especially true for information regarding the Dao Protectors of the Dao Sect's participating disciples! 

Among them, Luo Chen was something of an unusual case. On the surface, there was little about him to investigate. He had risen too quickly for the major families to build a complete picture of his past, and even less was known about his true abilities. Yet precisely because of that lack of information, he was rather conspicuous. 

Every other Dao Protector had a background that could be traced. Some were trusted servants raised from childhood by powerful families, while others were renowned experts recruited from established forces. Luo Chen alone had emerged as a rogue cultivator with no prominent lineage or faction behind him. Logically speaking, that should have made him easy to dismiss. But the Fu family had rejected someone as formidable as Qi Xiongcheng in favor of Luo Chen. Whatever else could be said, that decision made one thing clear: Fu Chaosheng had considerable confidence in his strength.

Most people could do little more than speculate, but there were always some who had channels of their own.

Somewhere in Peach Garden, Shi Ju listened as Qi Xiongcheng recounted his brief encounter with Luo Chen....