Gate of God

Chapter 268: Yan Xiu’s abilities

He had made his territory into the shape of a ferocious beast.

This was one of the most common techniques in the military. It was the most direct and effective method of increasing one’s attack power.

It was domineering and simple.

Columns of flame shot skyward. Chen Yuanfang was not holding back. He could not have possibly held back anyways. He wanted to finish Yan Xiu off quickly, so he put everything he had into his first attack.

All of the officials nodded their approval when they saw that.

“As one of the core disciples of the Yan Family, Yan Xiu has the advantage in technique. However, Chen Yuanfang is smart to not let him use that advantage!”

“Suppressing Yan Xiu using his strength and power is the best option!”

“Being slightly weaker, I think Yan Xiu will choose a skirmish battle. Yan Xiu can use the Wind Shadow Technique to dodge around. I think it will be difficult for Chen Yuanfang to suppress him completely.”

All of the officials nodded along and guessed how the fight would develop.

Predicting and commentating on the battle was one of the hobbies of the officials. During the discussion, they could showcase their foresight.

It was akin to attending an art exhibition. It was insufficient to say that the art was nice. One had to compliment it on particular areas and show an appreciation for the techniques used. This was the only way to showcase one’s understanding.

This was politics.

There were too little opportunities to showcase one’s abilities in public. As such, commentating was the only way they showed the others that they knew how to ‘fight’.

The officials used their own experiences to judge each action.

However…

They had forgot to account for one problem. The person facing off against Chen Yuanfang was not just the heir to the Yan Family. He was only the third person, after Fang Zhengzhi, to attain the Heavenly Reflection State before 18.

His name was Yan Xiu!

In that moment, the jaws of all the officials dropped as they looked on in disbelief.

Yan Xiu did not choose to skirmish with the Wind Shadow Technique.

Instead, he charged.

“So reckless?!”

This was something that no one had expected. Everyone didn’t think that it was possible. It was simply not rational to recklessly go up against such a powerful intermediate Heavenly Reflection State cultivator as a nascent Heavenly Reflection State cultivator.

However, that was exactly what Yan Xiu did.

Furthermore, when he charged, his body did not undergo any changes or radiate any power. There was no fire, no ice, not even a gust of wind.

“You’re insane!” Chen Yuanfang’s eyes widened. He could not believe that Yan Xiu would charge him so recklessly. Yan Xiu was clearly scorning him.

He was underestimating his opponent even though he was weaker.

That was courting death!

Chen Yuanfang would not let such a great opportunity slip by. He raised the axe in his hand and the flames shot skyward. The flames morphed into a three layered tsunami and crashed towards Yan Xiu.

If Yan Xiu underestimated him, he would teach Yan Xiu a lesson in blood.

However, in that moment, he saw a red slow glow rise from the ground.

Chen Yuanfang’s gaze froze instantly.

When he saw the sword glow, it meant that the sword was already inches from his face. This blade had broke his three layered fire tsunami in an instant.

“Boom!”

His body was thrown into the air and he landed below the stage.

The duel was over.

A light breeze could be felt from afar as it caressed the shocked faces of the officials.

“Yan Xiu won?!”

“He won in a single round?”

“How is that possible? How can an intermediate stage Heavenly Reflection State cultivator lose to a nascent stage one in a single round? And they fought head on!”

“What the hell has Yan Xiu been doing the past month?”

All of the officials were stunned. They knew that Yan Xiu was a talent, but that did not mean that they would accept this fact. After all, a experience and ability were of more value in a duel

“Did Yan Xiu enter that place?”

“Are you talking about the area protected by the Yan Family… I don’t think that’s possible? Yan Xiu just broke through recently, how can the Yan Family risk his life?”

“I don’t think they would. Even the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State cultivators have less than 30% chance of survival. As a nascent stage Heavenly Reflection cultivator, his chances of survival would not exceed 1%!”

“If he didn’t come out from that place, how could he have improved this much over the course of just a few months?”

“The Yan Family of Western Liang… if Yan Xiu really went there, then this court examinations would really be exciting!”

All of the officials discussed the duel fervently. When they finished, they looked at Yan Xiu differently.

Their gazes were filled with respect and appreciation.

However, Yan Xiu did not bother about these things. He raised his head and looked towards the city gates. He recalled the scene from a few months ago.

“I will defeat you when we meet in the court examinations!”

“Haha… stop bragging, I am very strong now!”

Subconsciously, he began to smile. That was a smile from his heart. However, it quickly disappeared, replaced by a calm and cold expression.

“I am here, where are you?”

…

Fang Zhengzhi was getting quite depressed.

He had thought that he would face less troubles after defeating Yu Wengu and dressing up as a lady. In actual fact, the number of challengers had decreased.

However, he kept being stymied along the way by environmental factors. They seemed to be increasing in frequency.

In order to cross the rivers, he had to strip and re wear his clothes. Furthermore, his current ride was a far cry from his Snow Treading Dragon Stallion. It had to ‘rest’ every hundred miles, else, it would start foaming.

He kept being slowed down along the way.

Even the gods would fume if they faced such problems, much less a human.

Fang Zhengzhi stared at the rocks blocking the small road ahead. He dismounted in exasperation and climbed the rocks, lugging his stallion behind.

“If I find out which b*stard did something so f*cked up, I will go after your sister!”

“Sister? My sister is a little old… do you really want to do that?” A weak voice rang out from within the mountain.

…

The first round of the court examinations were over quickly.

The second round bracket was drawn. Fang Zhengzhi’s name was naturally inside, but he did not have the luck of the draw.

His opponent was…

Nangong Mu!

Is that Nangong Mu of the Nangong family?”

“Fang Zhengzhi is really out of luck. To think that he would meet Nangong Mu in his first duel!”

“Nangong Mu is at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Reflection State. Furthermore, he has learnt the Green and Blue Secret Art, one of the premier techniques of the Nangong Family. He is no weaker than Yu Wengu!”

“Speaking of Yu Wengu, I wonder how Fang Zhengzhi managed to defeat him?”

“Is he not here yet?”

Voices began to ring out as the crowd grew restless. According to the rules of the examination, failure to turn up was akin to withdrawing.

“I guess he really is hiding!”

“If it was anyone else, Fang Zhengzhi’s absence would be surprising. However, since it is Nangong Mu, it isn’t all that weird.”

“That’s true!”

On the stage, Nangong Mu went silent as he scanned the restless crowd.

He was calm, choosing not to speak.

The Green and Blue Swords in his hand continued to glow subtly.

Time crept…

After five minutes, Fang Zhengzhi still did not show up.

The invigilator was growing impatient. After all, the emperor and all of the officials were present.

He subconsciously glanced in King Duan’s direction.

This was also the retest of the imperial examinations. Since the chief examiner, Han Zhangfeng, was being held by the law ministry, King Duan was the one in charge.

“Announce it!” King Duan nodded.

“Sixth brother, I heard that Fang Zhengzhi arrived in Dong Lin City 10 days ago. I am sure he is in the vicinity. This court examination concerns their future, why don’t…” The Ninth Prince advised.

“Should we just let the emperor and all the officials continue waiting? Ninth brother, as a prince, can you not weigh the importance of the two?” King Duan asked solemnly.

“What I mean is we can have the other duels fought first, that way…”

“Push this duel back? Ninth brother, I have to chide you now. I do not care for you usual laziness, but do note where we are right now! The emperor and all the officials are watching! If we delay the duel for everyone who is late, what are the rules for? Without respect for the rules, who will respect the law? How can a country run without laws?” King Duan chided.

“Yes… sixth brother is right!”

“Okay then, announce the results according to the rules!” King Duan waved his hand, signalling to the invigilator to announce the results.

“Yes, sir!” The invigilator nodded when he saw the sign.

However, at that very moment, Nangong Mu fell to his knees. He paled and looked to be in extreme pain.

All of the officials looked on doubtfully.

“What is happening to Nangong Mu?”

“He was just fine moments ago, why does he look like he’s dying now?”

Emperor Lin Mubai glanced at Nangong Mu’s pained expression and stood up from his throne. Nangong Mu was kneeling at him.

“Call the doctor!”

“Yes!”

“I am here!” A voice rang out from the crowd. Then, a middle aged man sprinted onto the stage.

All of the officials were getting anxious.

However, the expressions of Yu Yuping, Lin Tianrong, and King Duan all turned ugly.

They could tell that Nangong Mu was just buying time.

However, with the doctor around, they had to suppress what they felt. After all, if Nangong Mu was faking it, the doctor could definitely tell.

Before long, the middle aged doctor stood up.

“Your highness, Nangong Mu’s pulse is unsteady and he looks like he is having a panic attack. Even though it is not major, I think he needs to rest for a while!”

“Since that is the case, let’s delay this duel!” Lin Mubai nodded and returned to his seat.

“Yes, your highness!” The invigilator nodded and announced, “Due to Nangong My’s panic attack, this duel with Fang Zhengzhi is postponed to round 5.”

“Thank you your highness!” Nangong Mu forced himself to his knees to thank the emperor.

“A panic attack at this time? Isn’t it too much of a coincidence? If he had just controlled it for a moment longer, he would have won and been able to rest!”

“Official Li, do you see it?”

“Yes!”

“Do you think anyone doesn’t know what he’s doing?”

“…”

“Nangong Mu had spoken up for Fang Zhengzhi in the throne room. I have heard that he is an introvert and a recluse. I never expected him to be friends with Fang Zhengzhi.”

“I don’t think that’s very possible. It’s probably just because Fang Zhengzhi saved him in the World of the Sage!”

The duels continued despite the discussions below.

The second duel was between Xing Qingsui and a nascent Heavenly Reflection State candidate. The candidate had already suffered some injuries from his first round.

When he saw that his opponent was Xing Qingsui, he wanted to concede.

However, Xing Qingsui did not want to let that happen.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, “A man never retreats!” Then, he kicked that pitiful candidate onto the stage. After some brutal hits, Xing Qingsui kicked him off.

The candidate cried as he rolled in the dust. He swore to serve the country loyally and never retreat.

All of the officials were stunned by what they saw. They could only exclaim, “The Stabilisation Constabulary’s determination and spirit is admirable! It is no wonder they are so powerful!”

The third duel was between two middle aged nascent Heavenly Reflection candidates. It was a tough fight, and one of them eventually won a pyrrhic victory.

Yan Xiu was up next.

Just as all of the officials were expecting Yan Xiu to showcase his technique, something dumbfounding happened…

Chapter 269: Explosive Fang Zhengzhi

Yan Xiu had destroyed his opponent in the previous round. However, in this round, he seemed much weaker.

In the previous round, Yan Xiu charged recklessly against Chen Yuanfang’s raw power.

However, in this round, just when everyone thought Yan Xiu would do the same thing, he used the Wind Shadow Technique. He looked like he was playing dodgeball.

From start to finish, he never attacked a single time.

The candidate facing off against Yan Xiu was stunned. He was preparing to defend when he saw Yan Xiu skirting around the stage. He felt like he had been slapped in the face.

“Trick?”

“Is he trying to fool me into thinking he’s weak?”

“Is he trying to lure me in? Then finish me off?”

Questions flew by in the candidate’s mind, but they were quickly dismissed. In a duel, only the weaker side would use trickery.

However, was Yan Xiu the weaker one here?

Clearly not.

So…

What was Yan Xiu trying to do?

“Yes, stalling time!” The candidate had a revelation. That being said, he did not like the feeling of being toyed around with.

Just as he was thinking about it, a sword ray flew towards him.

The candidate was stunned.

Oh? I thought he was delaying time?

“Boom!” Even before the candidate could react, the sword ray impacted his body and sent him flying.

It was a good thing that he landed at the side of the stage and not off it.

Furthermore…

The sword ray was not very sharp. He only suffered minor injuries and no bones were broken.

It was clear that Yan Xiu did not use his full power.

If the candidate still didn’t understand what Yan Xiu was doing by now, he was really an idiot. Yan Xiu was dragging time, but doing so in such a way that would not draw the ire of the officials.

As such, Yan Xiu decided to use him as a sandbag.

“I’m going for it!” The candidate was a proud man. It’s okay if you want to stall for time, but how can you treat me as a sandbag? That is unacceptable!

Anyone who could pass so many rounds was not weak.

Sword rays began to radiate from his hand. They glowed radiantly and looked powerful.

However, Yan Xiu made them look f*cking useless.

Using the Wind Shadow Technique, Yan Xiu managed to dodge all of them. The sword rays did not even manage to slice a portion off Yan Xiu’s clothing.

He took another blow from Yan Xiu exasperatingly, his body sailing through the air.

…

After fifteen minutes, the candidate had already endured countless blows and had been sent flying countless times. Each time, he ‘luckily’ missed falling off the stage.

All of the spectating officials watched the “intense” battle unfold, “Is this really the second round of the preliminary court examinations?”

30 minutes went by.

45 minutes went by.

One hour…

The battle continued even after many fifteen minutes. With each clash, the person sent flying was always the same.

The officials all frowned as they wiped the sweat from their foreheads. This battle was going on for too long. It was almost high noon.

The sun was getting more and more intense.

However, no one raised any objection. After all, the emperor was still here, who would dare leave?

Furthermore, this was the preliminary court examinations. Who would dare disturb an ongoing contest? Even though they knew that Yan Xiu was buying time, all they could do was suck it up.

However, how long more was this going to go on for?

The officials sat there bitterly, unable to voice their discontent.

In actual fact, the candidate battling Yan Xiu was the one suffering the most. His clothes were tattered and torn.

Even though he was not critically injured, he had a multitude of minor injuries.

More importantly, this duel was both physically and mentally torturous. He was on the verge of crumbling. He could not defeat Yan Xiu… did he really have to concede?

Yes, he could concede!

“I can’t take it anymore, I concede!” The candidate’s eyes brightened. He really could not take this bullying and public humiliation anymore.

“Boom!”

The candidate’s body was thrown into the air. This time, he did not struggle, tumbling through the air and off the stage.

The entire crowd went silent.

He conceded?!

All of the officials looked at one another, smiling bitterly. Anyone in his position was also likely to concede.

“Yan Xiu is victorious!” The invigilator was on the verge of falling asleep. He was awoken by the sound of the candidate crashing off the stage. He announced Yan Xiu’s victory as he glanced at the sun.

“It’s almost noon?”

When Ping Yang heard what the invigilator said, her eyes glimmered. She pouted and looked at the emperor with pitiful eyes.

“Father, we have watched this duel for so long, I’m hungry!”

“Oh, Ping Yang is hungry?” Emperor Lin Mubai looked at Ping Yang in a pampering manner.

“Your highness, we are almost an hour from noon, why don’t…” Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stood forward when he heard Ping Yang.

“Why don’t we what? I am hungry, and I want to eat now!” Ping Yang glared at him.

“Yes yes yes, the princess is hungry. I will get someone to prepare food for you!” Yu Yiping nodded, then turned to the invigilator, “Start the next round. I will prepare her meals personally, just hang on for a while!”

“Yes, your honor!” The invigilator knew exactly what Yu Yiping wanted. Before Ping Yang could speak, you announced, “Next round, Nangong Mu vs Fang Zhengzhi!”

All of the officials smiled when they heard the invigilator. No matter how Yan Xiu tried to delay and how Ping Yang tried to stall, they could not prevent the inevitable.

They all waited for the invigilator to announce Fang Zhengzhi’s withdrawal.

Just at that moment, a lazy voice rang out from inside the crowd.

“I’m here…”

Soon after, a figure walked out from within the crowd. He sauntered on stage, murmuring to himself, “I arrived just in time. It is a good thing I made a good choice by taking the highway for a while. It is a good thing I am not late!”

“Please call me the timely youth!” The figure walked on stage and smiled sincerely at all the waiting officials.

All of the officials froze when they saw the figure walk on stage. All of them recognized this man

“It… it’s Fang Zhengzhi?!”

“He actually made it, but… what did he just say? Not late?!”

“Timely youth? Can this guy get any more shameless?”

All of the officials fumed. If not for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi was late, Yan Xiu would not have tried to stall for time. Then, they would not be sitting in the hot sun!

“You seemed to have slimmed down over the past few months. I have brought some meat with me. Once the duel is over, I will grill some for you?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yan Xiu on the stage.

“That’s good, that’s good, I want some too!” Before Yan Xiu could reply, Ping Yang began whooping.

“Since when did I include your share? You haven’t even paid me rent!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ping Yang scornfully.

All of the officials were stunned by Fang Zhengzhi’s words. It was a great honor that the princess liked something you did. Not only did he not want to give her a share, he was asking the princess for rent?

Then, they all remembered the rumor Ping Yang spread.

15,000 silvers a night!

Could it be true?

“Oh please! I stayed at Uncle Fang and Auntie Qin’s place, not yours! Who are you to ask for rent!” Ping Yang looked back at Fang Zhengzhi with disdain.

“Uncle Fang? Auntie Qin?”

Fear began to show in the official’s eyes. Ping Yang was a princess, yet she just called two commoners uncle and auntie, this was…

“Ping Yang, don’t shout willfully.” Emperor Lin Mubai knew the implications of what just happened. He had no other choice but to remind Ping Yang.

“Oh!” Ping Yang stuck out her tongue, but did not speak. She glared at Fang Zhengzhi, almost as if she was saying, I’m not giving you anything, what are you going to do about it?

Fang Zhengzhi ignored Ping Yang, turning back to Yan Xiu, “So what about it, do you want some?”

“Sure!” Yan Xiu nodded and walked off the stage calmly. However, his lips twitched slightly as he heaved a sigh of relief internally.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Nangong Mu had made his way up on stage, a glimmer in his calm eyes. This was not emotion, it was a burning battle intent.

“Oh, I haven’t seen you in months! You seemed to be tanner!” Fang Zhengzhi greeted Nangong Mu.

“Let’s fight!” Nangong Mu was much more straightforward than Fang Zhengzhi.

“Fight now? I don’t think that’s very good.” Fang Zhengzhi said sincerely.

“I was born ready!” Nangong Mu retreived his Green and Blue Dual Blade, the battle intent thick in the air.

“Okay then…” Fang Zhengzhi nodded exasperatingly. Then, he sauntered over to Nangong Mu, “Let’s shake hands before the battle?”

Nangong Mu was stunned. He looked at Fang Zhengzhi with his hand outstretched. After a moment’s hesitation, he placed both blades in his left hand and extended his right.

“Take my secret weapon!” Just as Nangong Mu extended his right hand, a silver ray of light shot out from Fang Zhengzhi’s arm, enveloping Nangong Mu in an instant.

All of the officials looked on in confusion. Didn’t he say they would shake hands? Why did he use a secret weapon?

The change was too quick!

“Shameless!”

“Utterly shameless!”

“A sneak attack!”

All of the officials began to curse and swear.

“This guy… I never expected him to be this shameless!” Ping Yang’s lips parted in shock. She never expected this from Fang Zhengzhi.

Even so, the guilty Fang Zhengzhi continued normally.

Fang Zhengzhi had witnessed Nangong Mu’s power. He had also seen the power of the Green and Blue Secret Art personally.

It was only normal for him to throw a curved ball at such a powerful opponent. Only a fool would charge in recklessly!

Furthermore…

Nangong Mu had said that he was ready!

“Clink clink clang clang!” All of the silver needles fell to the ground. Nangong Mu did not retreat. He used the blades in his left hand to block the attack. A mirror like ice block appeared in front of him.

All of the needles failed to find their mark.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you haven’t changed a single bit!” Nangong Mu was not at all surprised by the sneak attack. He even felt respected by Fang Zhengzhi.

It seemed like a roundabout way of thinking.

In fact, it wasn’t.

In the World of the Sage, Fang Zhengzhi had used such innovative ideas to fool Ying Shan!

If Fang Zhengzhi had gave up that method and fought a serious, moral battle…

Nangong Mu would feel that Fang Zhengzhi was not trying his best.

“Thank you for the compliment!” Fang Zhengzhi accepted Nangong Mu’s ‘compliment’. Then, he squeezed a black object in his hand.

Flash bang!

In an instant, the stage was enveloped in a piercing white light.

“Oh my god, my eyes, my eyes!”

“What the hell was that?!”

“Why can’t I see anything?!”

All of the officials began screaming. The light was too bright. It was almost as if countless rays of light were attacking their eyes.

The entire crowd was in chaos.

However, quickly, the white began to disappear. Then, the saw a small glow within the blurriness.

It was a subtle blue glow.

It was quite bright within their otherwise white field of vision. Then, the glow began to solidify. It looked more and more like a sapphire. However, there were rays of light twirling on its surface.

Twirling, twirling, twirling…

“What the hell is that?!”

“Why do I feel a little… faint!”

“Plonk!”

One of the officials fell off his chair. Then, a second one followed. Before long, many of them fell to the ground.

They did not know if the two contestants had fainted. However, many of the spectators did…

How impressive!

Chapter 270: Profound Mystery

Most of the people who fainted were the guards as well as the spectators trying to catch a glimpse of the action.

All of them fainted whilst standing.

The remaining soldiers felt unsettled, “Protect the Emperor!”

“Protect the Emperor!”

…

“That… that is the Hypnotic Eye!”

One of the officials finally recognized the identity of the blue stone. However, it was too late. After a moment of dizziness, he face planted into the ground.

“The Hypnotic Eye?!”

“Close your eyes, don’t look at it!”

“Hypnotic eye!”

Chaotic screams rang out. However, those who had opened their eyes and looked at it were not spared.

The guilty party, Fang Zhengzhi, was just leisurely lifting the Hypnotic Eye high up in the air. He shone it in various directions…

“Fang Zhengzhi, you shameless person!”

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was having the time of his life, a crisp voice rang out.

Ping Yang was furious! She had fainted and nearly fell to the ground because of him!

If not for the fact that the emperor had held her back in time and woken her up, her reputation would have been flushed down the drain.

The Crown Prince and King Duan were both supported by the people around them after they fainted. Their faces were caked in mud and dust.

Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth twitched when he heard Ping Yang rage, but he did not care.

He continued to shine the Hypnotic Eye.

He remembered that even Xing Hou had fell for it back at the Divine Constabulary.

In Dong Lin City, he had also used a flash bang and the hypnotic eye to defeat Yu Wengu.

Now that he was up against Nangong Mu, how could he possibly hold back his ‘secret weapon’?

If there was one person who was calm throughout all of this…

That was Yan Xiu. When the white light exploded, he knew exactly what was going on. He immediately turned away.

“It’s Fang Zhengzhi!”

“Fang Zhengzhi, the court examinations are a fair competition, how dare you use such a thing!”

“That is utterly…”

When the officials finally regained their eyesight, they began to curse and rage at Fang Zhengzhi.

“I can’t use this?” Fang Zhengzhi waved the Hypnotic Eye innocently.

“You…” All of the officials had no choice but to suppress their anger and swallow their words. The Hypnotic Eye was a low grade treasure, and was not a forbidden item.

Fang Zhengzhi was clearly nitpicking.

However, they could not fault him at all.

King Duan clenched his fist tightly. As a king, he had never been humiliated this way! Furthermore, he had been humiliated in front of so many officials!

“Fang ZhengzhI!”

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong’s expression was also ugly. As the second highest power in the land, how could he fall for Fang Zhengzhi’s trick?

This was humiliating!

Fang Zhengzhi did not care about this. He scanned his surroundings, then kept the Hypnotic Eye after there were no more faintings.

He ignored the suspicions of the officials. After all, his opponent was Nangong Mu, and he was still standing.

“You didn’t faint?” Fang Zhengzhi asked doubtfully.

After all, Nangong Mu was the closest to him. He would have been most affected by the flashbang. Fang Zhengzhi did not believe that Nangong Mu did not lose his sight temporarily.

“One only sees what one believes! The Nangong Family trains the heart. Our heart is as calm as water, our mind stable as a rock.” Nangong Mu’s eyes opened at this point, his gaze still calm and steely.

His eyes looked like an undisturbed lake in autumn.

“The add on to that phrase is – we rely on our hearts, but our hearts are unreliable!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded and smiled.

“Everyone’s heart is different. Some people have reliable hearts.” Nangong Mu said calmly.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to say something, but Nangong Mu was not going to give him the chance.

Nangong Mu did not plan on holding back anymore.

He charged at Fang Zhengzhi with the Green and Blue Dual Blade. The two rays of light shone together and intertwined like two humongous dragons.

The blue sword was in his right hand, the green one was in his left.

Blue was ice, green was wood.

These were two elements that did not mash well together.

Wood will die when coming into contact with ice. Ice would freeze when in contact with wood.

The last time, Fang Zhengzhi had witnessed some form of intertwining and combination of the two rays in the World of the Sage. This time however, they looked like they had combined completely.

It was clear that Nangong Mu was much more powerful than he was a few months ago.

“Blue is ice, green is wood. However, wood is not wood, it is life! Everything in this world has life. As such, ice does too.” Fang Zhengzhi remembered what Nangong Mu said before.

He immediately used the Wind Shadow Technique to dodge.

He morphed into a shadow and disappeared from the area enveloped by the rays of light.

“Cha cha cha!”

Within moments, portions of the stage froze. The red carpet also froze instantly. In that moment, almost half of the stage was white.

“The Green and Blue Secret Art of the Nangong Family!”

“It is no wonder it is right up there with the Dragon Combat Plan. One single attack has that much power!”

“I guess Fang Zhengzhi does not stand a chance despite his tricks.”

“Nangong Mu is already at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Reflection State. With the Green and Blue Secret Art, I don’t think that there are more than five people who can match up to him!”

All of the officials exclaimed in awe as they stared at the ice on stage. Then, they shook their heads at Fang Zhengzhi.

All tricks…

Were useless in the face of true ability.

However, they were all surprised to see that Fang Zhengzhi did not draw his sword.

Did he not have a sword?

That was impossible! Everyone knew that Fang Zhengzhi had a sword, a sword that once belonged to the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian.

That sword was named Traceless!

“Aren’t you going to draw your sword?” Nangong Mu looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

“I was just about to negotiate with you. How about we fight this out without any blades?” Fang Zhengzhi swept away the ice on his shoulder and asked in anticipation.

“Purely physical combat?” Nangong Mu looked at his Green and Blue Dual Blades. He hesitated. Without his swords, he would not be able to bring the full power of the Green and Blue Sacred Art to bear.

He would be throwing away his greatest advantage.

However, he knew that a purely physical contest may be advantageous to him. After all, his Green and Blue Dual Blades were slightly weaker than Fang Zhengzhi’s Traceless Sword.

“I don’t agree!” Nangong Mu shook his head.

“Why not?”

“Because I do not want to take advantage of you.” Nangong Mu said with determination.

“Then come at me!” Fang Zhengzhi said in exasperation.

“You’re really not going to draw your sword?”

“Nope!”

“Then let me show you the profound mystery of the Green and Blue Secret Art!” Nangong Mu’s gaze was steely as the glow from his swords grew in intensity.

“Oh? I thought you wouldn’t use your sword since I am not using mine…” Fang Zhengzhi thought that by adamantly not using his blade, Nangong Mu would not use his.

However, he didn’t manage to guess Nangong Mu’s reaction.

Not only was Nangong Mu going to use the sword, he was prepared to use his most powerful technique. There was no love lost there.

Why must we use weapons?

Why don’t we have a good old fashioned physical battle?

Fang Zhengzhi felt that a physical battle would have been more amusing. However, Nangong Mu was clearly not one who enjoyed amusement. He had already leapt into action.

He stabbed the Green and Blue Dual Blades into the ground.

Two rays of light burst out once again.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen Nangong Mu use this technique before. He had used this to defend against Ying Shan’s attack.

Last time, Nangong Mu used it defensively.

This time however, he was using it offensively.

With a loud “boom”, two rays of light shot skyward, giving life to the crystals of ice on the stage.

“Cha cha cha!”

The sound of water freezing rang out. One could see that the ice was quickly forming around the green and blue lights.

“Blossoming of a million flowers!” Nangong Mu muttered.

Then, the light rays exploded into millions of tiny rays, dancing in the air.

Fang Zhengzhi prepared to use the Wind Shadow Technique once again.

However, he felt a strand already stuck to his leg. Then, he felt an icy cold.

He could not help but shiver.

This was the first time Fang Zhengzhi had experienced the Green and Blue Secret Art.

Nangong Mu was able to face off against the Supernatural State Ying Shan despite being in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State. Furthermore, he was able to hurt Ying Shan with the Green and Blue Sacred Art.

This was different from what Fang Zhengzhi did.

Fang Zhengzhi had used trickery, Nangong Mu had used pure ability.

“Great move!”

“The Green and Blue Secret Art uses ice and wood. The Blossoming of a Million Flowers is the most powerful area of the Green and Blue Sacred Art. It uses the power of growth to set up an icy woody territory that is virtually inescapable!”

“Inescapable? Can I break it?”

“Haha, this trees are not your normal trees. You can’t see these trees with your eyes!”

“Could they be… the Dao of trees in the pocket dimension?”

“Exactly!”

All of the officials were stunned by what they heard. The stared at the rays of light, awed by what they were witnessing.

Dao of trees in the pocket dimension!

The Green and Blue Secret Art was able to attack one’s pocket dimension. It is no wonder no one managed to learn it for centuries. It is also no wonder it is one of the two greatest techniques of the Nangong Family.

Just as the officials were busy discussing the battle, Fang Zhengzhi felt like he was being frozen. From the moment that ray of light clung to his feet, he felt something was amiss.

That cold was not enveloping him from the outside.

It felt as if it had invaded his blood. It was a cold that attacked his blood vessels and rushed towards his heart.

“Blossoming of a million flowers!”

Fang Zhengzhi suddenly realized what the flowers were. They were referring to his blood vessels and meridians.

Fang Zhengzhi did not dare to slow down anymore. If he was really held in place by these lights, he would turn into a popsicle.

Furthermore, he would be a popsicle from the inside out.

The energy within his pocket dimension began to shift as he forced himself to resist the cold.

However…

The iciness in his legs caused Fang Zhengzhi’s movements to be increasingly lethargic. Before he could resolve the one on his legs, he was hit on his arm.

The icy feeling attacked him once again.

And then a third, a fourth, a fifth all hit home…

All of the lights and lines danced in the air, swirling around Fang Zhengzhi. Below the stage, more lines were emitted from the two blades.

“I guess the results are confirmed!”

“As long as you are hit by one, you will be hit by a second, then a third, until you are completely immobilized. There is no way to escape!”

“In order to break this technique, one needs to be in the Supernatural State!”

All of the officials looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was being slowed significantly. They shook their heads. Only a Supernatural State cultivator could release their body of all the cold in an instant.

“I think this shameless boy… is going to lose!” Ping Yang stared at the stage, her expression conflicted.

Yan Xiu frowned. He was not far from the stage, and he could feel the iciness from the technique Nangong Mu just used.

The Nangong Family, the secretive Nangong Family.

They lived in extremely cold environments. Training there everyday meant that they had a peerless understanding of the cold. No one knew it better than them.

“Cha cha cha!”

The ice on the stage became thicker and thicker as more lines danced on the stage. It looked like a white mist was about to block out the sun.

However, this white mist continued to move and grow.

Fang Zhengzhi was enveloped by the white mist. His body, legs, neck, waist, and other parts of his body were completely wrapped up by countless strands of white.

The invigilator raised his hand at this point.

According to the rules, once Fang Zhengzhi lost the ability to resist, he would lose.

“Achoo! It is so cold! It feels just like eating an icecream in winter!” Just as the invigilator was about to announce the results, Fang Zhengzhi’s voice rang out.

Chapter 271: Million Sword Illustration

“Ice cream?”

Just as all of the officials were wondering what ice cream was, the lights and lines enveloping Fang Zhengzhi began to fall off.

It looked like a cocoon shedding silk.

It was extremely strange.

All of the officials did not understand what was going on. Normally, shouldn’t the ice be melted?

Why is it falling off?

Nangong Mu was also shocked, but the shock did not translate to his expression. As the person controlling the lines and string, he could keenly feel what was happening.

It was not being countered, it was being assimilated.

“Assimilated?!”

“As the spring wind blows, millions of flowers bloom!” Fang Zhengzhi’s voice rang out again. This time, rays of iciness radiated from his body. They were thin and looked like threads.

“You… could you have…” Nangong Mu’s gaze changed completely. He was in disbelief.

“Blue is ice, green is wood. But wood isn’t wood, it is life!” Fang Zhengzhi murmured to himself. Then, he looked at Nangong Mu, “That was what you told me!”

“No way!” Nangong Mu gripped the Green and Blue Dual Blades tightly in disbelief. He could not bring himself to believe what he was seeing.

The Green and Blue Secret Art was something that generations of the Nangong Family did not manage to learn. Its difficulty was renowned. When Nangong Mu decided to learn it, no one supported his decision.

However, Nangong Mu decided to forgo the more widely taught Dragon Combat Plan, choosing to learn the art which no one could teach.

The reason was simple.

Nangong Hao!

Nangong Hao was the top talent of the Nangong Family. Not only did he enjoy praise and attention in the empire, he held a special place in the Nangong Family.

Nangong Hao was perfection personified.

His abilities, values, and intellect were the best within the Nangong Family. He shone too brightly.

Since young, anyone who mentioned the Nangong Family only mentioned one name.

Nan Gonghao.

No one knew that there was a second person in this generation. Even if they knew, they addressed him as Nangong Hao’s brother.

Brother!

Brother!

Nangong Mu had heard himself being called that his entire life. He was always just Nangong Hao’s brother.

He did not hate his brother. Nangong Hao loved and cared for him more than his parents ever did. However, this made him want to prove himself even more.

How was he going to do that?

By learning the Dragon Combat Plan?

Nangong Mu knew that in terms of cultivation, his elder brother had more time and resources.

If he chose to train in the Dragon Combat Plan, no one would notice him even if he became just as good as his brother.

As such, he chose the Green and Blue Secret Art. He chose a lonely road which no one supported.

His idea was simple. He wanted to solve this century old problem. He would chart a new path for his family and let everyone know that there was someone named Nangong Mu.

In order to achieve this…

Every day, every year, he worked harder than anyone else. In order to understand the profound mysteries of the Green and Blue Sacred Art, he read countless books. He would sit by himself in the library for days at a time…

Finally, he succeeded.

His father, the leader of the Nangong Family, praised him for the first time publicly when he got wind of it.

He also asked Nangong Mu to record down the process of understanding the Green and Blue Sacred Art. It would then be stored in the library.

That was Nangong Mu’s happiest day. He spent a whole month detailing down how he understood the Green and Blue Sacred Art. Then, he handed it over respectfully to his father.

His father was ecstatic when he saw that book. He immediately held a family gathering and announced the publishing of the book.

All of the elders were excited and praised Nangong Mu for his contributions to the family.

In that moment, Nangong Mu felt that he was valued for the first time.

Maybe he would finally stop being called Nangong Hao’s brother. Maybe he would actually be called Nangong Mu.

Days went by.

The book he wrote still sat inside the library. No one went to borrow it. No one even glanced at it.

Dust settled on the cover and Nangong Mu would go wipe it off. Dust would settle again, and he would go wipe it…

This continued for a year…

Nangong Mu finally realized that nothing had changed. When people called him, they still called him Nangong Hao’s brother. No one talked about the book he spent one month writing.

That night, he stood quietly in the library as he stared at that book.

Since then, he never looked at it ever again. He let the dust collect on its cover.

From that moment on, his only thought was to defeat his brother using the Green and Blue Secret Art! That was the only way to let the Nangong Family know that the Green and Blue Secret Art was not weaker than the Dragon Combat Plan. It was even better!

However…

This belief that Nangong Mu had was shattered. By looking at it one time, Fang Zhengzhi had managed to get the profound mystery of the Green and Blue Secret Art.

“I don’t believe this, I don’t!” Nangong Mu screamed in his heart.

He knew that Fang Zhengzhi was a talent. He had heard that Fang Zhengzhi had learnt Yan Xiu’s technique just by looking at it.

But this was the Green and Blue Secret Art!

This was something that centuries of Nangong descendants had failed to understand!

Nangong Mu couldn’t believe it. The officials could not believe it either. However, the truth was that the threads holding Fang Zhengzhi in place were dropping, and more were radiating from Fang Zhengzhi’s body.

That was the scene.

The only possible explanation was that Fang Zhengzhi was using the same technique Nangong Mu was, the Green and Blue Secret Art.

“How does this shameless fella do it?!” Ping Yang’s jaw dropped as her eyes glimmered with excitement and anxiety.

Just at this moment, an official sprinted over to Ping Yang, holding a few plates of food in his hands.

“Your highness, please have your meal!”

“Go f*ck yourself, scram!” Ping Yang immediately cursed using the words she had learnt from Fang Zhengzhi. She glared at the official exasperatingly.

“What?!” The official’s jaw dropped in confusion.

“Scram!” Ping Yang fumed.

“Yes your highness!” He did not dare stay any longer. He placed the dishes on the floor and left in a jiffy.

…

On the stage…

Nangong Mu bit his lip as he stared at Fang Zhengzhi. The Green and Blue Dual Blades in his hand screeched, almost as if the hilt was about to shatter.

“How did you learn the Green and Blue Secret Art!”

“Green and Blue Secret Art? I don’t know it!” Fang Zhengzhi said truthfully.

“You don’t? Then how did you…”

“Oh, you’re talking about this? This is still a little different from the Green and Blue Secret Art. I have been thinking of something recently. Dao is endless and constantly changing. The rules governing the world are Dao! I never understood it before. I initially thought that Dao would give rise to one. One would become two, two becomes three, and it would keep going on!” Fang Zhengzhi explained.

“Dao would give rise to one. One would become two…” Nangong Mu murmured to himself. He knew what this meant, however, he did not know why Fang Zhengzhi would bring this up now.

“Yes, however, I did not know how it would go on endlessly! That was until you said that the wood in the Green and Blue Secret Art was not wood, it was life! As such, I need to thank you!” Fang Zhengzhi said sincerely.

This was a sincere thought from Fang Zhengzhi. He had only been filled with life after understanding this.

The profound mystery of the Green and Blue Secret Art was in its ability to control growth in cold. As such, by controlling life, he could cause the cold to exit his body.

“Thank me?” Nangong Mu’s mouth twitched. He wanted to say something but he could not find the words to express his feelings.

“Oh yes, I need to thank you for allowing me to learn a new technique!” Fang Zhengzhi did not know what Nangong Mu was thinking.

“New technique?” Nangong Mu’s gaze froze.

After Fang Zhengzhi finished his sentence, Nangong Mu saw a jade green lightsword. More importantly, Fang Zhengzhi was holding it in his hand.

Holding a lightsword in his hand!

This was a strange sight.

However, he knew exactly what this meant.

Nangong Mu’s heart tumbled about in his chest.

The spectating officials felt the same way. Furthermore, Ping Yang, Emperor Lin Mubai, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong, and King Duan all felt the same way.

“Is that Sister Yan’s…” Ping Yang was stunned. She couldn’t take it.

“It’s the Million Sword Illustration! It’s the Divine Constabulary’s top secret Million Sword Illustration!”

“How is that possible?!”

“No way, it has to be fake. Why would the Divine Constabulary impart their Million Sword Illustration to an outsider?!”

All of the officials were awed by the lightsword in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand. This was a technique within the Million Sword Illustration.

“Is this called the Million Sword Illustration?” Fang Zhengzhi had heard the name for the first time. He had first seen it being used by Xing Hou.

Then again by Chi Guyan.

He had always thought that this was a cool move. When the lightsword turned into a million others, it was the coolest sight ever!

As such, after understanding Dao is endless and constantly changing. The rules governing the world are Dao, he decided to put it into action immediately.

“I’m coming!” Fang Zhengzhi did not continue gripping the lightsword.

He felt it getting unstable in his hand. If he did not release it now, it may explode in his hand. After all, this was the first time he was using it.

He was still relatively inexperienced.

The jade green lightsword flew out of his hand.

It turned into a ray of light as it flew towards Nangong Mu.

Nangong Mu grit his teeth as he pulled the Green and Blue Dual Blades out of the ground. His blades glowed radiantly.

“Fight!” Nangong Mu growled.

A ray of blue and green light exploded from the sword. They intertwined like two dragons in the sky. They were at least 70% combined.

There was even a faint rumble.

In comparison to the Green and Blue Secret Art, Fang Zhengzhi’s lightsword was still slightly inferior. It was smaller and seemed less powerful.

The two rays met in the middle of the stage.

In an instant.

The jade green lightsword was swallowed by the Green and Blue light.

In felt as if time had stopped.

Everyone was focused on the swallowed jade green lightsword. No one spoke. Everyone held their breath, patiently waiting for the result

They wanted to see if the lightsword will explode.

At this moment…

A jade green glow began to appear from within the green and blue light. Then, it became two, then three, then four…

The domineering aura began to be felt.

Countless jade green spots of light intertwined within the green and blue light. They danced around like a huge net. If one looked closely, one would see that each dot was a tiny, fine lightsword.

Those lightswords continued to move about, blocking the glow of the green and blue light. They continued to gnaw at and swallow the green and blue light.

Million Sword Illustration!

One of the closely guarded secrets of the Divine Constabulary!

“Boom!”

A huge explosion rang out and a powerful aura crested over the stage. The entire stage trembled under the impact as the aura dissipated.

“Kacha kacha!”

All of the ice on the stage was shattered. They turned into ice crystal smithereens and were sent flying into the air.

The entire stage looked white.

Then, all of the crystals settled.

Two figures appeared on the stage.

Fang Zhengzhi remained in the same spot, his blue long sleeved shirt flapping in the wind. Nangong Mu bit his lip, his shirt slightly torn.

More importantly, there was crack underneath Nangong Mu’s feet. This was a crack that he had caused in an attempt to stay on the stage.

“Million Sword Illustration! It really is the Divine Constabulary’s Million Sword Illustration!”

“How is that possible? How can Fang Zhengzhi know the Million Sword Illustration?!”

“Divine Constabulary, Fang Zhengzhi… why?!”

“If he he had just learnt the Million Sword Illustration, it would not matter. After all, the Million Sword Illustration and the Green and Blue Secret Art are similar in power. However, Nangong Mu seemed to get the short end of the stick there!”

“Yes, I never expected that he would become this powerful after just a few months!”

Chapter 272: Challenging Nangong Hao

All of the officials looked at Fang Zhengzhi and Nangong Mu in disbelief.

After all, Nangong Mu was at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Reflection State. His technique was at the same level as the Million Sword Illustration. Furthermore, his weapon of choice was the best for his technique. On the other hand, Fang Zhengzhi had nothing.

In the end…

Nangong Mu still got the shorter end of the stick.

Fang Zhengzhi had just broken through to the Heavenly Reflection State six months ago. To be even more powerful than the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection Nangong Mu was terrifying progress.

King Duan clenched his fists. Fang Zhengzhi’s abilities were too shocking. If this continued, he may actually…

King Duan felt a chill down his spine when he thought of Chi Guyan’s words in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

What if Fang Zhengzhi really defeated Chi Guyan?

Then his animosity with Fang Zhengzhi…

“No, that cannot happen!”

All of the officials worried about the same thing. The events of the Northern Mountain Village were still fresh in their mind. They were also reminded of Yu Yiping’s words. This man was a rebel. If he continued to progress and develop, what would the courts look like in the future?

Ping Yang was not concerned about the courts.

She was more concerned about how Fang Zhengzhi learnt the Million Sword Illustration. This was a top secret Divine Constabulary technique. Did Sister Yan really teach him?

The only person who was not surprised was Yan Xiu.

During the River of Trust Provincial Examinations, he was once equally shocked. However, now, he was not taken aback at all. The Divine Constabulary’s Million Sword Illustration?

Even though the Yan Wind Shadow Technique and the Asura Sword Technique were not nearly as powerful as the Million Sword Illustration and the Green and Blue Secret Art, they were not that far off? Anyone who could understand the Asura Sword Technique and the Wind Shadow Technique would figure out the other two with time.

Xing Qingsui was the only other calm person other than Yan Xiu. All he thought about was battle. The stronger his opponent, the more powerful his battle spirit.

…

On stage.

Nangong Mu’s chest heaved as he gripped the Green and Blue Dual Blades. He knew that he had already lost, but he was not willing to accept this fact.

He was not going to be stopped here. He had to advance. He had to defeat Nangong Hao.

Four years ago, Nangong Hao had topped the imperial examination.

Two years ago, he had the chance to participate. However, the top talent, Chi Guyan, was in that edition. As such, he had no choice but to give up. He had to take home the top spot.

He was in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State. Coupled with the Green and Blue Secret Art, the coveted top spot was not out of his reach.

However…

He met Fang Zhengzhi.

This man was destined to come in his way.

“I cannot lose!” Nangong Mu stepped forward determinedly. He caused the crack to shatter completely as a powerful aura rushed out from his body.

Nangong Mu’s expression was ferocious and beastlike.

“Why can’t you lose?” Fang Zhengzhi ignored the ferocity on Nangong Mu’s face.

Nangong Mu did not say he didn’t want to lose, or that he wouldn’t lose. He said he could not lose!

“None of your business!”

“Aren’t we friends?”

“Friends?! I do not have any friends!”

“Then why did you plead my case the last time?”

“To repay you! To repay you for saving my life!”

“I see. However, you should always repay someone with more than what you received. Even though you helped me plead my case, you didn’t really help me did you?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

“What do you want?” Nangong Mu was stunned.

“Tell me why you cannot lose and I will take it as you’ve repaid me.” Fang Zhengzhi replied.

“Why do you want to know the answer?”

“If I told you I was just curious, would you believe me?”

“Okay then, it is because I want to rank first for this imperial examinations.”

“Why must you get the top spot?” Fang Zhengzhi asked again. Even though his interactions with Nangong Mu were little and short, he did not think Nangong Mu was someone who chased after accolades.

“Because I cannot lose to one person.”

“Who?”

“My brother!” Nangong Mu’s tone was slightly agitated.

“Your brother? Who is he? Is he very powerful?” Fang Zhengzhi asked curiously. He really had no idea who Nangong Mu’s brother was. After all, he was only 11 and roaming Cang Ling Mountain four years ago.

The villagers rarely talked about life outside the village.

The only things they really cared about were matters with direct impact to their lives. For example, they were concerned with the prices of meat in Huai An County, the kind of hide the rich people liked, or recent happenings in the River of Trust Province.

At the very most, they would just find out about the new policies from the Divine Constabulary.

As for Fang Zhengzhi, apart from finding out about Chi Guyan from the waiters, he did not care about much else.

“You don’t know who my brother is?” Nangong Mu was surprised.

“Should I know him?” Fang Zhengzhi waved.

“You really don’t know?”

“Yup.”

“Okay then, my brother is Nangong Hao!”

“Oh.”

“Aren’t you shocked?”

“Why should I be shocked?”

“My brother is Nangong Hao! Everyone in the Great Xia Dynasty knows him!”

“But I really don’t know him. I am not familiar with him either. This is the first time I have heard Nangong Hao’s name. However, I hear Nangong Mu’s name a lot! Don’t you agree? Haha…” Fang Zhengzhi joked and beamed.

All of the officials looked on in confusion when they heard Fang Zhengzhi chuckle.

They could tell that Fang Zhengzhi was mocking Nangong Hao.

Who is Nangong Hao?

Nangong Hao was the pride and joy of the Nangong Family.

More importantly…

Nangong Hao was Nangong Mu’s brother!

How could Fang Zhengzhi tell Nangong Mu that he did not know his brother? Wasn’t this akin to saying he didn’t respect Nangong Mu and the Nangong Family?

Everyone thought Nangong Mu would be infuriated.

However, in fact…

When Nangong Mu heard that, he stood rooted to his spot.

“This is the first time I have heard Nangong Hao’s name. However, I hear Nangong Mu’s name a lot!”

“A lot!”

Nangong Mu kept repeating this in his head. He did not know if Fang Zhengzhi was telling the truth. However, this was the first time he had heard of someone who knew Nangong Mu but not Nangong Hao.

How could someone know Nangong Mu and not Nangong Hao?!

Nangong Mu gripped his Green and Blue Dual Blades tightly. This was an emotional reaction which resulted from decades of suppressed emotion.

After some time, Nangong Mu’s expression returned to normal.

The ferocity disappeared from his face, replaced by a familiar calm.

“Can you do me a favor?” Nangong Mu stared at Fang Zhengzhi, his mind made up.

“Sure thing!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what is it?”

“Do I need to? I just told you, we are friends.”

“Friends? Yes… we are indeed friends!” Nangong Mu muttered to himself. Then, his grip on the Green and Blue Dual Blades loosened. “I want you to defeat Nangong Hao for me!”

“Can, get him to come. I will definitely cave his head in! Even his mother wouldn’t recognize him!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded, then realized something was amiss.

Isn’t Nangong Hao Nangong Mu’s brother? Why did Nangong Mu want him beaten?

Just as he was about to ask, Nangong Mu walked off the stage.

“Thank you! I have lost!” Nangong Mu’s eyes were calm, almost as if he was relieved of a huge burden.

“Oh? Didn’t you say you cannot lose?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Nangong Mu doubtfully.

“I can lose now!” Nangong Mu looked into the distance, in the direction of the Nangong Family. He had just set out from there recently.

At that time, he only had one aim, defeat everyone and take the top spot.

But now, he did not regret making this decision.

“You can lose now?” Fang Zhengzhi did not understand what Nangong Mu meant.

All of the officials were confused by what was happening. What’s going on? Why did Nangong Mu suddenly concede? What did Fang Zhengzhi do to him?

It sounded like…

Hang on, Fang Zhengzhi said that he was going to defeat Nangong Hao!

“Did I hear that correctly? Fang Zhengzhi had openly challenged Nangong Hao?!”

“I think so. He even said he was going to cave his head in?”

“What are callous man! But… what is he thinking? That is Nangong Hao of the Nangong Family. How does he have that much courage?”

All of the officials stared at the fearless Fang Zhengzhi. They could not guess what he was thinking.

He actually challenged Nangong Hao? He even issued the challenge in front of the Emperor. This shameless b*stard is getting more audacious by the day!” Ping Yang muttered excitedly.

“Challenge Nangong Hao?” Xing Qingsui looked at Yan Xiu. Yan Xiu was calm, not surprised by Fang Zhengzhi’s words at all.

King Duan’s solemn expression was replaced by a radiant smile. “A villager who doesn’t know his own place! I guess Nangong Hao will have to participate in the court examinations.”

Everyone had their own ideas of what was going to happen. However, Emperor Lin Mubai was expressionless throughout. As the Emperor, he did not need to guess what was going to happen.

All he needed to do was observe the developments and wait for the result.

…

After announcing the results for Fang Zhengzhi vs Nangong Mu, the bracket for the semifinals was drawn.

Fang Zhengzhi was in luck and drew a heavily injured candidate.

Yan Xiu drew Xing Qingsui.

Yan Xiu was not a man of many words and neither was Xing Qingsui. Without much words, the battle started.

Xing Qingsui launched the first attack. This was no surprise, after all, the Stabilisation Constabulary believed in offense, offense, and more offense…

Yan Xiu charged as well.

This was a battle between the offenses.

This was a much more intense and exciting battle. It was a battle that far superseded Fang Zhengzhi’s one in terms of entertainment value.

After almost five minutes of intense combat, both of them slowed down.

Yan Xiu was still calm and icy as before

Xing Qingsui was pale. Sweat stains could be seen seeping through his black shirt.

“It looks like Xing Qingsui has not fully recovered!”

“He broke his bones and suffered some serious internal injuries. I don’t think he can make a full recovery in less than six months.”

“Yes, Xing Qingsui suffered some of the most severe injuries during the incident at the World of the Sage. It is a miracle that he survived. I think this battle is pretty much over.”

“That being said, I didn’t expect Yan Xiu to become just as powerful as Xing Qingsui. He is indeed a talent!”

All of the officials were engrossed in discussion as they spectated the battle.

Fang Zhengzhi cheered Yan Xiu on from below the stage. He constantly drew the ire of the surrounding spectators.

“Is this guy really the top student in the theory examinations?!”

“How could this person possibly have produced those six flawless scripts?”

“It is an insult for someone as cultured as Yan Xiu to befriend such a person!”

Many of the youths standing behind the guards chided when they heard Fang Zhengzhi’s shouts.

Only Ping Yang was unsurprised by Fang Zhengzhi’s actions. She too was chanting, “come on, give it to him, give it to him… come on!”

…

The battle on stage was almost white hot.

Up till now, Xing Qingsui and Yan Xiu had not spoken a single word to each other.

Xing Qingsui held a huge black sword in his hand, his battle spirit getting stronger by the second. Yan Xiu stood in place, his Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan glimmering in the sun.

“Fight!” Xing Qingsui muttered to himself as he lunged. He lowered his sword and his battle spirit became as sharp as a blade

However, in the moment he charged, Yan Xiu disappeared.

He disappeared from where he stood.

In fact, the entire world seem to vanish. It was replaced by a white light. There was no other color.

All of the spectators felt like they had just been stung in the eye. All of them cursed and swore in their hearts.

“How can we be stabbed by white light twice in a day? Must they do that?! This… isn’t this that b*stard Fang Zhengzhi’s technique?!”

Chapter 273: A world of sneak attacks

No one expected Yan Xiu to use a tactic like this at this time.

It felt like they had saved a young innocent looking child from a criminal, only to find out that the child was the criminal’s boss.

They were all in disbelief.

From the very beginning, Yan Xiu matched Xing Qingsui’s attacks. It all pointed to the fact that Yan Xiu was going to fight a very traditional battle.

However, Yan Xiu decided to pull a stunt like this.

This was something that no one would have guessed.

Fang Zhengzhi had used it right at the beginning of the duel. On the other hand, Yan Xiu only pulled it out at the most crucial moment.

I thought that he was supposed to remain just as pure despite being in bad company?

All of the officials did not understand. However, they all closed their eyes subconsciously.

They could guess what was going to happen next. The Hypnotic Eye? Again? That was a humiliation that they could not take.

They would tolerate being blinded by white light twice in a day.

However, they would not face plant into the ground twice in a day!

As such, this time, everyone closed their eyes.

Just at that moment, a huge boom rang out on stage. It was followed by a cracking sound, then a loud thud.

All of the officials opened their eyes and stared at the stage.

All of them were awed by what they saw.

Of the two people originally on stage, only one was left standing…

As for the other one…

He was lying on the floor.

Yan Xiu did not speak. He simply cupped his fist towards the prone Xing Qingsui. Then, he bowed towards Emperor Lin Mubai and the other officials.

After which, he sauntered off the stage.

It looked like a very normal situation. There was nothing rude or unprofessional about it. However, all of the officials looked at Yan Xiu quizzically.

“He really went for a sneak attack?!”

“I don’t think it is a sneak attack? It’s more of a roundabout way to win?”

“Based on what we saw, Yan Xiu already had the upper hand. He could have won that based on his ability alone. Why would he choose to win in this manner?”

All of the officials looked at each other in confusion.

They did not think that Yan Xiu was wrong in doing this. After all, victory in a duel was what mattered. However, based on what they saw, Yan Xiu had no reason to use this method to be victorious.

Xing Qingsui’s expression was also strange. He should not have been willing to lose in such a fashion. However, his gaze revealed no trace of that.

He stood up quietly, patted the dust off his clothes, and walked up to Yan Xiu. Then, he bowed, “Thank you!”

“You’re welcome!” Yan Xiu looked at Xing Qingsui and nodded.

“Thank you?!”

“Xing Qingsui is thanking Yan Xiu? And Yan Xiu looks like he was expecting it?”

“What’s going on?”

All of the officials were stunned by what was happening. None of them understood the situation.

“Oh I see!” One of the officials seemed to have a revelation.

“What is it?” Another official asked immediately.

“Xing Qingsui is still recovering from his injuries. As such, the result of this battle was already determined from the start. However, based on his character, Xing Qingsui would fight to the bitter end! His injuries would only worsen and may even affect his performance in the court examinations!”

“Oh I see, Yan Xiu wanted Xing Qingsui to conserve some of his energy for the court examinations. That’s why he used such a method!”

“I think that’s the best explanation!”

“It is no wonder he is a disciple of the Yan Family. He is virtuous and moral. He is not like someone else we know!”

All of the officials also began to understand the logic behind Yan Xiu’s actions.

Ping Yang was displeased to hear the discussion between the officials. She pouted, “They used the same technique. Why is it that Fang Zhengzhi is shameless but Yan Xiu is virtuous? That being said… Fang Zhengzhi is quite shameless!”

However, Fang Zhengzhi was not affected by the words of the officials. Shameless? That is my best quality!

Only an idiot would put in all his effort and tire himself out on the battlefield when there was an easier method.

Did it feel good to be injured?

Fang Zhengzhi’s belief was simple. He would avoid being hit if he could. His body was bequeathed to him by his parents. He wanted to protect it the best he could.

…

Yan Xiu and Xing Qingsui’s battle was over. This also meant that Yan Xiu had advanced to the final. The officials all looked at Yan Xiu differently now.

After all, when the imperial examinations first began, who would have thought that a then Star Conglomerate State candidate would reach the final.

Amidst the discussions, Fang Zhengzhi stepped on stage.

Fang Zhengzhi’s opponent was a middle aged candidate in the intermediate Heavenly Reflection State. He had made it here after many hard fought battles. Furthermore, he suffered quite a few injuries from his previous battle.

He kept panting as he stepped on stage.

Furthermore, his shirt was stained with blood.

As for Fang Zhengzhi, he still looked calm and composed even after his battle with Nangong Mu. His blue long sleeved shirt was still intact, flapping in the wind…

“Your honor, thank you for saving my life back in the World of the Sage. However, I will have to injure you today!” The middle aged candidate bowed.

“Shouldn’t you be wise and just concede?” For the first time, Fang Zhengzhi felt that he was confident in winning.

He really enjoyed this feeling, and wanted it to last a little longer.

“I have already made it this far, how can I concede now?!” The candidate grit his teeth. Even though he knew what the result was going to be, he was not going to be a coward and concede.

“That’s true. Then I shall let you attack me three times. I will not move throughout your three attacks!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded and walked to the edge of the stage.

“Three attacks? Not move?” The middle aged candidate did not understand what Fang Zhengzhi was doing. However, he did not feel insulted.

After all, Fang Zhengzhi had proven his skills in the battle against Nangong Mu. He definitely had the right to say this.

However…

The middle aged man subconsciously glanced at his left palm. He had something hidden there, something that he had spent many years preparing.

If Fang Zhengzhi really did not move, this will be his best opportunity.

However, he thought about the fact that Fang Zhengzhi had saved his life before. Right now, Fang Zhengzhi was also giving him three free attacks. To use such a shameless tactic right now not be right.

Don’t use it?

Use it?

The middle aged candidate felt extremely conflicted. In the end, he grit his teeth. He would do anything it takes to win this and enter the final.

If he managed to get second place here…

Combined with his First Honor Roll result in the theory examinations… he could even make the top three.

The status of being in the top three of the Imperial Examinations was an honor he simply could not give up.

“Fang Zhengzhi, I am sorry! When I make the top three, I will compensate you accordingly!” The middle aged candidate thought to himself as his eyes glimmered.

Fang Zhengzhi was in the best possible position.

He was right at the edge of the stage. Any strike would knock him off.

The middle aged candidate did not hesitate any longer. He raised his sword and charged.

Somethings had to be used when one’s opponent least expected it. Close combat was the best choice. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi was not going to move.

He thrust his sword.

Fang Zhengzhi swayed to the side, a light flickering in his hands. He pushed the candidate’s blade about a foot from him. The middle aged candidate was also pushed to the right.

“He really didn’t move!” The middle aged candidate was happy with the result of his test. This was the best chance for him to make a name for himself.

He did not hesitate anymore. He turned around, a powerful aura gushing out of his body. He swung his blade from left to right, carving out a blue line in the air.

This was a wave like aura. It contained a subtle white light. That was a lightsword, but a subtle one.

At the same time, he placed his left hand behind his back and opened it slightly.

The moment Fang Zhengzhi blocked his strike, he could attack and knock Fang Zhengzhi off the stage.

The middle aged candidate smiled as he thought of getting the top three spot. However, his smile did not last very long.

Fang Zhengzhi vanished.

Almost like a gust of wind, Fang Zhengzhi disappeared from his sight. There was no one at his original position.

What was going on?

I thought he wasn’t going to move?!

The middle aged candidate was in shock. Then, he felt that something was amiss, but it was too late. He felt a gust of wind just above his head.

“On top?!” The candidate raised his head, his sword prepared to block any attack from above.

However, when he looked up.

His expression froze.

He saw a ball of powder coming straight at him. When it neared his eyes, it exploded.

“My eyes, my eyes!” The middle aged candidate cried out in pain.

Then, he felt a huge force at his butt. It felt as if he had been hit by a huge rock and he lunged forward.

Fang Zhengzhi was at the edge of the stage.

The candidate had chosen close combat. As such, he too was naturally at the edge of the stage.

After being hit, he tumbled off the stage. Having been kicked in the butt, he fell face first onto the stone just below the stage.

“Bong!” The middle aged candidate felt a sharp pain in his nose. His emotions were in turmoil.

All of the officials were stunned to see the candidate at the bottom of the stage. After all, Fang Zhengzhi had said that he wouldn’t move during the three attacks.

But now…

Fang Zhengzhi had moved. Furthermore, he had taken advantage of the candidate’s trust in him.

“Aish… he’s already in his forties, how can he be so naive?”

“Exactly, how can you trust Fang Zhengzhi’s words?”

“Even though he was going to lose, he shouldn’t have lost in such a humiliating way.”

All of the officials shook their head after recovering from the shock. The embarrassed middle aged candidate sighed.

He was sullen. He simply could not understand why someone as powerful as Fang Zhengzhi needed to do something so shameless?

Had Fang Zhengzhi seen through his plan from the start?

Or did Fang Zhengzhi set out to play him?

He was furious!

“Why?” The middle aged candidate bellowed.

“Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that?” Fang Zhengzhi swept the dust off his hands and replied.

“Ask myself?” The middle aged candidate was taken aback.

“Don’t you think that it is very naive of you to try a sneak attack on me?” Fang Zhengzhi said scornfully.

All of the officials were shocked when they heard this.

Fang Zhengzhi was clearly the one who had sneaked in an attack. How was it this candidate’s fault?

“How… how did you see through that?” The middle aged candidate’s expression changed. He knew what Fang Zhengzhi was referring to, but he did not know how Fang Zhengzhi saw through it.

“If you really believed me, you would have attacked me with whatever you had all three times. However, you wasted one attack testing me. That showed your intention to do something underhand.” Fang Zhengzhi smiled.

“The first attack was a test? But… how can anyone trust their opponent fully during a duel? You can’t be sure that I have sneaky intentions just because of that!” The candidate grit his teeth.

“But I also tested you! I asked you to concede!” Fang Zhengzhi continued.

“You tested me?” The middle aged candidate’s expression froze.

“Yes, if you didn’t have any hope to win, you would not come up on stage with your injuries. Furthermore, you want to win, you really want to win. However, you are not powerful enough. Naturally, you have to think of other methods. That was a sneak attack. As such, I gave you a golden opportunity to do so.”

“I see, I was too naive…” The middle aged candidate’s expression darkened. Then, he looked at the item in his left hand. After a moment of hesitation, he grit his teeth, “Your honor, you saved my life once. Yet today, I tried to attack you with underhand methods. I deserve what I got. However, I have a gift for you and I hope you will accept it!”

“Oh? What is it?”

“It is something very suitable for you!” The middle aged candidate assured.

Chapter 274: Unheavenly World

“Something most suitable for me?” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes brightened as he thrust out his right hand. “Hand it over!”

“Your honor, this thing is best used when your opponent is unaware of it. If everyone knows that you have this, I’m afraid…” The middle aged candidate hesitated as he looked around.

“I understand!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded and leapt to the candidate’s side. He was not worried that this candidate might still have something up his sleeve. After all, the duel was over.

“Your honor, this is known as the Seven Treasure Box!” The middle aged candidate carefully placed the box in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand.

“Seven Treasure Box?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the black metal box in his hand.

“Yes, this box is created from seven different treasures. It was crafted by the famous Mo Family Smith using the Seven Star Array Mold. Under normal circumstances, anyone weaker than a pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State cultivator cannot defend against it. However, with the element of surprise, even a Supernatural cultivator may not be able to defend against it!” The candidate explained.

“So powerful? Just now… you wanted to attack me with this?”

“Yes…”

“Okay then, thank you!”

“You’re most welcome. I am glad that it has found a good owner! I am sure that you can bring the most out of it!” The candidate said sincerely.

“Hahaha… you have foresight!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded and chuckled.

All of the officials were stunned to hear Fang Zhengzhi’s laughter. Isn’t this a little too strange? Fang Zhengzhi set up a trap for the candidate to fall into, yet the candidate was giving him a gift?

Shouldn’t he suffer some form of retribution?

I guess nice guys really aren’t rewarded!

…

The duel was over within moments. The result was expected, but the process was jaw dropping.

After the invigilator announced the results…

He declared the start of the final.

The duel would be between Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu.

Based on their Theory Examination results, this duel would determine who would take home the top spot for the imperial examinations.

Would Fang Zhengzhi win?

Or would Yan Xiu from the Yan Family win?

The officials stared at the two men on the stage. They were all guessing and predicting the results for this final.

From what they had just seen, Fang Zhengzhi was already at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Reflection State.

By virtue of the fact that Yan Xiu could match Xing Qingsui’s attacks in their duel, he was also of similar ability.

This was a battle between two pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State candidates. Furthermore, they were both under 18 years old.

Other than deciding who was going to be the top of the imperial examinations, it had another special meaning. It would determine who was the Great Xia Dynasty’s next talent.

On stage.

Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu looked at each other.

“I guess we have to fight again.” Fang Zhengzhi said in exasperation.

“Yes.” Yan Xiu nodded.

“When we left the capital the last time, you said that you would defeat me. You have the chance now.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded. They were friends, but they were not going to hold back during the duel.

“Okay.”

“Will you use weapons?”

“How about you?”

“No.”

“Then I won’t either.” Yan Xiu immediately kept his Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan.

All of the officials began to worry when they saw Yan Xiu keep his Mountain and River, Heaven and Earth Fan. Can Fang Zhengzhi be trusted?

The last duel was a perfect example.

Ping Yang looked at the officials in disdain. Then, she turned to look at King Duan. He was watching the spectacle unfold solemnly.

Her eyes glimmered brightly in that instant.

“Does Sixth Brother think that Fang Zhengzhi would trick Yan Xiu?”

King Duan had not been happy ever since the start of the duels. When he heard Ping Yang’s voice, he turned to look at her.

“One can never trust Fang Zhengzhi’s words!” King Duan replied without hesitation.

“Is that so? Then how about we have a little wager?” Ping Yang was getting excited.

“Oh? What do you want to wager?” King Duan asked, his interest piqued.

“I hear that you have a good bow named “Sun Shooting”…” Ping Yang said in anticipation.

“I cannot give you the Sun Shooting Bow! That is my personal weapon!” King Duan interrupted Ping Yang.

“Brother, you have plenty of weapons, but you do not have a good stallion. Why don’t you use this opportunity to get yourself a good one?” Ping Yang had anticipated King Duan’s reaction. She did not give up, choosing to bait him with an irresistible incentive.

“You want to use your Snow Jade in a wager?” King Duan’s eyes brightened. There was only one Snow Jade in the entire capital. This was a stallion he always wanted.

However, the Snow Jade was Ping Yang’s prized possession. She had never used it in a wager.

“What is Snow Jade? I will use the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion!” Ping Yang waved him off.

“Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion? That is Ninth Brother’s…”

“Don’t worry about that. The Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion is at my residence. When have I not kept my word?” Ping Yang interrupted King Duan and pounded her chest in assurance.

When Ninth Prince Lin Yun heard this, his expression turned bitter.

The Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion was his.

However, there was no way he was going to get him back. When Chi Guyan borrowed the stallion from him, she had promised him that Ping Yang would return it when Chi Guyan returned to the capital.

However…

Chi Guyan was in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. She never returned to the capital.

As such, the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion was his greatest sacrifice. Even though Chi Guyan had sent over a letter, Ping Yang had swallowed it when the Ninth Prince handed it to her.

In that instant, the Ninth Prince’s heart shattered.

Take it from her by force?

Ping Yang’s residence had better guards than the palace.

Reason with her?

The only piece of evidence had been eaten by Ping Yang. Furthermore, Ping Yang was heavily favored by the Emperor. Even if she wasn’t, there was nothing that he could do without evidence.

His Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion had already fallen into the hands of the devil.

Right now, Ping Yang was using his Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion in a wager. More importantly, she was going it in front of him. Only he could understand the pain in his heart.

King Duan turned to look at the Ninth Prince.

The Ninth Prince knew what King Duan meant. He grit his teeth and nodded.

Since he wasn’t getting it back…

He might as well do someone a favor.

“Okay then, I will bet that Fang Zhengzhi will draw his sword!” King Duan understood that the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion was already in Ping Yang’s hands.

“It’s a deal!” Hahaha…” Ping Yang could not contain her excitement.

King Duan was also quite happy. He was not happy with the duels. However, now that someone was about to ‘give’ him a Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion, he felt much better.

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea that Ping Yang had bet on him.

His concentration was fully on Yan Xiu. He could feel Yan Xiu exuding confidence.

That was an innate confidence.

“I am ready.” Yan Xiu bowed towards Fang Zhengzhi.

“I am ready as well.” Fang Zhengzhi bowed.

“Then let’s begin.”

“Okay!”

In the eyes of the officials, Fang Zhengzhi was not one who valued such pleasantries. However, he bowed to Yan Xiu.

This was something that confused the officials.

However, their confusion was quickly replaced by awe.

“Open!” A voice rang out from the stage. Then, almost all of the officials stood up subconsciously.

Yan Xiu had already moved.

Normally, these officials would know better than to stand. However, in this case, even Emperor Lin Mubai shifted in his seat.

After Yan Xiu finished speaking that word, his expression became pained as beads of sweat rolled from his forehead.

Most importantly…

There were two pale red whirlpools below his feet.

These were not formed from air. They looked like they had appeared from thin air. Yan Xiu seemed to be being pulled down by the two whirlpools.

“That’s right, Yan Xiu had been to that place!”

“Oh my god. He’s only 16 and just broke through to the Heavenly Reflection State. Why would his dad throw him into that bloody place?!”

“I never expected that someone from the Yan Family would be able to come out alive. Furthermore, he’s only 16…”

“Well done Yan Xiu! The results for this contest may be determined. However, the court examinations will be very interesting!”

All of the officials were terrified by what they saw. When they looked at Fang Zhengzhi, their expressions were filled with pity.

“When I went back this time, I actually went to a place.” Yan Xiu seemed to be muttering to himself as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“What place?” Fang Zhengzhi was slightly curious to find out after seeing Yan Xiu’s expression. Yan Xiu was never one to express himself, which was why Fang Zhengzhi did not ask before that.

.

“I went to a parallel dimension similar to the Divine Constabulary’s Heavenly Treasure Hall. The others call it a “Unheavenly World”, but the Yan Family calls it “Ancestral Hell”!” Yan Xiu continued.

“Ancestral Hell?” Fang Zhengzhi was confused.

“Yes, I am about to attack!” Yan Xiu did not say anymore.

“Come at me!” Fang Zhengzhi nodded. He had already prepared himself for this.

“Zoom!” An icy gust of wind blew by and a figure appeared right in front of Fang Zhengzhi.

The initially calm Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. He knew that Yan Xiu was more powerful than before. After all, he had watched the battle between Yan Xiu and Xing Qingsui.

However…

The speed that Yan Xiu showed before and the speed Yan Xiu had now were completely different.

What changed?

Fang Zhengzhi used the Wind Shadow Technique in an attempt to dodge.

However, it had no f*cking use.

Yan Xiu continued to close on him like a phantom he could not rid himself of. Furthermore, he was much faster than Fang Zhengzhi.

This was a speed Fang Zhengzhi had seen before.

He had seen Ying Shan travel at such speeds in the World of the Sage.

What the f*ck?

Did he manage to breakthrough into the Supernatural State in just a few months?

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, a sharp aura came crashing down on him. It felt just like a blade was slicing down towards him,

He dodged to the right reflexively.

“Kacha!” His blue long sleeved shirt became a short sleeved one.

At that very moment, there was a crack in the stage. It looked like it had been sliced cleanly with a knife. It went straight through the ground, and the rocks around it were completely untouched.

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes widened.

What the hell is this?

He glanced at Yan Xiu and realized that Yan Xiu did not move. He was still standing at where Fang Zhengzhi was.

He was still stepping on the two pale red whirlpools, his expression pained.

However, this was not what Fang Zhengzhi was most concerned about. Yan Xiu clearly did not have a weapon in his hand.

So…

What the hell caused the crack in the stage?

All of the officials looked at each other in disbelief when they saw the damage to the stage.

“He really has understood it!”

“He is already this powerful at 16!”

“There are people in history who have attained such power at the Heavenly Reflection State. However, I think he is the only one who has done it at 16 years old!”

“If nothing goes awry, he should be the successor to the Yan Family.”

“I think this duel is over. I wonder what plans the Emperor will have for Yan Xiu in the future!”

All of the officials concentrated on Yan Xiu. No one bothered to look at Fang Zhengzhi.

Chapter 275: What a huge hole

If they had to choose between Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu for the top spot, almost 80% of the officials would choose Yan Xiu.

The reason was simple.

Yan Xiu was from an influential family.

Naturally, Yan Xiu knew the rules of the court and the politics that were played within it.

Throughout history, there have always been battles between those of power and the commoners.

However, in the Great Xia Dynasty, none of these battles were intense. Those who came from the influential families often stood a great advantage.

After all, the empire was now flourishing after many generations. The initial difficult phase was long over.

Now…

All the officials wanted was to maximise their gains, make a name for their family, and have their children inherit their post.

They simply could not accept a commoner entering the courts and disrupting the proceedings. At the very least, the commoner could not rise too high!

Fang Zhengzhi did not know what the officials were thinking.

He was more concerned about the two whirlpools under Yan Xiu’s feet. Furthermore, he wanted to know why Yan Xiu could damage the stage this way without a weapon.

Should he ask?

Fang Zhengzhi knew that if he asked Yan Xiu now, Yan Xiu would definitely tell him. However, they were in a duel. Since Yan Xiu didn’t want to say, he would not ask.

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi could see that Yan Xiu was in pain.

This meant that it was difficult for Yan Xiu to maintain this state. From this, Fang Zhengzhi assessed that he had learnt a technique to raise his power in a short period of time.

A moment of revelation.

Fang Zhengzhi knew that the best way was to drag the fight out. Apart from that, he had to waste Yan Xiu’s energy…

He couldn’t use the Traceless Sword. As such, some of the techniques he learnt at the Ice Wall could not be applied. He would have to make do with a lightsword.

Fang Zhengzhi leapt into action.

Before Yan Xiu could act, he threw out a jade green lightsword.

“One becomes two, two becomes three, three becomes millions, and it would keep going on!”

Fang Zhengzhi had seen Chi Guyan use this to block countless spears. Even though he did not think he was as adept as Chi Guyan, but…

He guessed that it could block an attack from Yan Xiu.

He thought that way, but he honestly had no idea.

Yan Xiu’s eyes glowed as the pain he felt became more intense. His legs seemed to sink even deeper into the whirlpool.

However, Yan Xiu did not seem to mind.

He had seen Fang Zhengzhi use this technique previously. He was not too surprised by it. That being said, the top secret technique of the Divine Constabulary was a powerful one.

It’s strength lay in its lack of a weakness.

It was the strongest possible defence.

No matter how fast one was, one could not be faster than a lightsword. As ohne tried to go around the lightsword, one would be swallowed by even more lightswords.

Once one was entangled, the only course of action was to charge.

When faced with the endless Million Sword Illustration, charging was a nightmare.

Yan Xiu chose to charge, but he charged in a slightly abnormal way.

When Fang Zhengzhi released his lightsword, Yan Xiu leapt into action. He went behind FanG Zhengzhi and drew a symbol with his right hand.

A thin pale red glow appeared.

It flew towards Fang Zhengzhi.

“Boom!”

Without any surprise, the pale red light clashed with the jade green lightsword.

Soon after, the lightsword exploded into a net of lightswords, the lightswords flying around inside it.

“I blocked it?” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes brightened. Just as he was about to compliment the technique, he realized that Yan Xiu had no intention of stopping.

Yan Xiu went behind him once again.

His speed was unimaginably quick.

At that moment, yet another pale red glow appeared.

Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. He reflexively threw out yet another lightsword. This lightsword may be able to break up into many pieces…

However, each piece was smaller than the previous one.

Furthermore…

Time was needed for these small lightswords to reform back into the one large lightsword.

Fang Zhengzhi did not fully understand everything about this technique. After all, he had just learnt it hours ago.

He could not have the lightswords form a giant net in the blink of an eye like Chi Guyan could.

Yan Xiu chose a point where Fang Zhengzhi could not block with his lightsword net. In order to block Yan Xiu’s attack, his only choice was to use yet another lightsword.

After the new lightsword left his hand…

It clashed together with the pale red glow. It immediately shattered and turned into a lightsword net.

However, at this point.

Yan Xiu had already taken up a new position. He fired yet another pale red glow.

Fang Zhengzhi finally understood what was going on.

Yan Xiu was using his speed advantage to run circles around Fang Zhengzhi. This way, Fang Zhengzhi had no other choice but defend.

But…

Was that all?

Fang Zhengzhi could not read Yan Xiu’s mind. However, Fang Zhengzhi did not like the feeling of being beaten. He liked to take the initiative.

That being said, he didn’t have much of a choice now.

The third lightsword left his hand.

…

Below the stage, all of the officials smiled as they watched red disc after red disc clash with the green lightswords.

“He is using his speed to get into favorable positions. Fang Zhengzhi cannot do anything but defend. I did not expect Yan Xiu to display such maturity.”

“Mm, the Yan Family has always been strict. Having grown up in that environment, Yan Xiu is definitely extraordinary.”

“He is able to showcase such powerful abilities at 16.”

All of the officials commented as they watched the battle.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping glanced at Crown Prince Lin Tianrong, almost as if he was asking for an opinion.

Lin Tianrong squinted, playing with the jade in his hand. When he saw Yu Yiping’s gaze, he nodded slightly and turned to a youth behind him.

That was a youth in rank four official robes. He was no more than 30 years old. Ordinarily, he would not be standing behind Crown Prince Lin Tianrong.

But, he was there.

His name was Su Qing, Lin Tianrong’s new favorite.

“I understand!” Su Qing replied when he saw the Crown Prince’s gaze.

Lin Tianrong nodded. He knew about the friendship between Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi. However, he did not have to think about that as the Crown Prince.

All he needed to do was tell Su Qing what he wanted to do.

Then, he did not have to care how Su Qing got it done. As long as he did.

Su Qing also knew of the friendship between Yan Xiu and Fang Zhengzhi. However, when the Crown Prince tasked him to do this, all he could do was nod and think of a plan.

That was what a strategist was supposed to do.

King Duan continued to look at Yan Xiu. However, he did not make any moves. He was more concerned by another question.

Why hasn’t Fang Zhengzhi drew his sword?!

No!

He definitely will. The time is simply not ripe yet.

King Duan assured himself as he glanced at Ping Yang, who was nearby.

Ping Yang looked extremely nervous. She gripped her skirt tightly as she stared at the battle on stage, unblinking.

She continued to mutter to herself.

“Is he really going to lose? Think of something! Use a trick! Aren’t you always very smart? Why have you become dumb all of a sudden?!”

…

Yan Xiu kept up the attacks and Fang Zhengzhi had no other choice but to defend. The atmosphere became tense as everyone waited for the result.

Fang Zhengzhi was not in a good place now.

When he was blocking Yan Xiu’s attacks, he realized something quite serious.

The more lightswords he had to use, the slower they became. Furthermore, controlling them was increasingly tiring.

“I see!” Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why Yan Xiu would use such a method of offense.

However, he could not understand why Yan Xiu could keep this up for so long?

Could it be that this technique was not just a temporary spike in power? Then why was he in so much pain? More importantly, why did such a technique exist?

This did not make any sense!

If this was a long term increase in power, that would make the user invincible! Why was Yan Xiu the only person using it?

Fang Zhengzhi did not understand this.

At that very moment…

An icy gust of wind rang out by his ear.

“What the hell?” Fang Zhengzhi leaned backwards. The wind seemed to brush past his face. Then, a crack appeared just beneath his feet.

It was a good thing his face was untouched!

Fang Zhengzhi heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced in the direction of the attack.

The story was not over.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to curse.

What the f*ck!

Such a huge hole!

He had no idea whether he was hallucinating, or if there was an actual hole. Either way, there was a gaping hole in the sword net to Fang Zhengzhi’s left.

Just as he was about to mend it with his energy, he heard a gust of wind to his right.

“God damn it!” Fang Zhengzhi realized that his sword net was broken. Furthermore, it was being broken from all sides.

I thought this was just a temporary buff?

Why is he just as strong even after five minutes of intense battle?

Fang Zhengzhi felt that it was time to change his strategy. However, Yan Xiu did not give him much time to think.

After the wind attacks…

Yan Xiu arrived next to Fang Zhengzhi.

They were less than a meter apart. Fang Zhengzhi could clearly see the beads of sweat on Yan Xiu’s forehead, as well as the two pale red whirlpools beneath his feet.

A strange feeling rose in his heart.

Fang Zhengzhi felt like there was a familiar aura from the whirlpools. He had felt this somewhere before.

But where?

Fang Zhengzhi could not recall.

In all honesty, he did not have much time to think either. Yan Xiu had already begun his attacks. Every swipe was quick and vicious.

“Kacha!”

Fang Zhengzhi’s sleeve was sliced once again when he dodged a little more slowly.

His short sleeved shirt was about to be sliced into a singlet.

For the first time, Fang Zhengzhi was being embarrassed on stage. Furthermore, the person embarrassing him was none other than Yan Xiu.

“Secret Weapon!”

At such a critical moment, Fang Zhengzhi had no choice but to use his secret weapon.

In that instant, the entire sky exploded in a ball of light. All sorts of weapons were thrown out into the sky.

However…

It was no f*cking use.

Yan Xiu seemed to have predicted that Fang Zhengzhi would do that. A faint red glow immediately appeared in front of him.

All of those cheap weapons fell to the ground. They were of absolutely no threat.

Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze froze. He knew that these weapons would not cause any harm to Yan Xiu. However, he wanted to buy some time.

He wanted to push Yan Xiu back and give himself some breathing space.

However, the ease with which Yan Xiu blocked the attack made him unsettled.

He had seen this before.

Xing Hou had done something similar back at the Divine Constabulary. All of his secret weapons were of no use.

And now…

Yan Xiu was using a similar technique.

What in the world is going on?!

In that moment, Fang Zhengzhi thought about the battle between Xing Yuanguo and Bai Xing in The Vast World. At that time, Xing Yuanguo was surrounded by a dense purple glow.

Bai Xing was surrounded by a silver light.

“Could it be…” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the pale red whirlpool beneath Yan Xiu’s feet. He suddenly thought of a nearly impossible idea.

Even though he did not want to admit it, he thought that there was a 50% chance that it was true.

No way?

If that was the case, I doubt we can still play in the future?