Gate of God

Chapter 291: Return my pole position

No one knew because no one had seen it before.

However, they were all extremely anxious as they saw the jade green glow become brighter and brighter.

“Ah! Don’t shoot me!”

“I am just here to participate in the competition!”

“Please stop! We have no feud, don’t act rashly!”

No one else had Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming’s ability. As such, when they saw the arrow on Fang Zhengzhi’s bow, they panicked.

“Zoom!” A piercing sound rang out throughout the air.

The arrow tore through the air, cutting a slim green crack as it flew towards the crowd.

Clearly, the pleas had not worked.

“Run!” All of them ran without hesitation. They could feel how terrifyingly powerful the green arrow was.

If they were hit by it, many of them would die or suffer severe injuries.

Amongst the ten greatest treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty, the Blazing Qilin Spear was the best offensive weapon. The Sun Shooting Bow was the one with the highest lethal range.

Even a normal arrow would be buffed by the power of the bow. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi was using the Million Sword Illustration.

The jade green arrow sailed through the air.

It curved over the heads of all the retreating competitors. Then, it landed about 300m away, exploding in a flash of green.

“Boom!”

A crater was instantly formed in the ground.

There were two innocent beasts in the crater bathing in their own blood. That was overkill.

“Hiss…”

All of them looked at the devastation just 300m away from them. They hissed and gasped, feeling chills running down their spines.

If this was sent right into the middle of them, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming looked at the crater and then at each other. Their expressions darkened.

Fang Zhengzhi began to urge his horse forward.

The Mud Striped Horse whinnied as it looked at the other competitors. Then, it began walking towards the crater.

Fang Zhengzhi smiled to himself. This was the first time he was using the Sun Shooting Bow. He never expected it to be this powerful.

However, this was not what he was most concerned about.

He was more concerned if he could pass easily after revealing this power.

He scanned all of the other competitors. Then, he bared his teeth in an attempt to scare them.

None of them noticed his expression. However, when they saw him riding over, they all opened up a path for him.

Fang Zhengzhi was ecstatic.

He did not want to resort to violence. Furthermore, Ping Yang was probably already at the third recording tablet. If he did not speed up, Ping Yang would really be in an advantageous position.

He wanted the first position to himself.

“Fang Zhengzhi, do you really think that you can scare us off with that arrow?” Xiang Tianying blocked Fang Zhengzhi’s path.

Beside him was a solemn looking Tang Zhongming.

“Us?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Tang Zhongming. “You want a 2v1?”

“Yes! I had thought that one of us would have been enough. However, seeing as you have such a powerful bow to bully us, we will have to combine our powers.” Xiang Tianying nodded.

“I am bullying you all just because I have a good bow? So you want a 2v1?” Fang Zhengzhi could not figure out the logic.

All of the other competitors were terrified when they heard this.

Even though they knew that Xiang Tianying’s reason was no real reason at all, they were not concerned about that.

What was more important was that…

The seventh and eighth ranked talents on the Rising Dragon Roll were about to join forces!

And they were going to combine forces to fight Fang Zhengzhi.

This was bullying.

However, after seeing Fang Zhengzhi’s arrow, anyone who wanted to duel him alone had a death wish.

“What… about you all?” Fang Zhengzhi glanced at the others.

“We will spectate!”

“Yes, we will just watch from the side.”

“Rest assured, we will not interfere.”

All of the others looked at each other and made their stand clear. They were not like Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming.

If they tried to interfere, the arrow may be trained on them.

No one was a fool.

Furthermore, with Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming combining forces, there was no place for them. Why find trouble for themselves.

They were here for the competition.

Fighting…

Was not part of their plans.

Fang Zhengzhi did not want to fight either. However, he could not back down now that he was challenged.

Furthermore, he had no idea who Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming were.

As a result, he didn’t care.

“Okay then, since we are going to fight, make it quick. My time is limited, I still want to finish first!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming.

Both of them were in the top 10 of the Rising Dragon Roll.

They were famed throughout the lands. They had never been condescended to in this way before.

“Finish first? Fang Zhengzhi, you can lie here for the rest of the day!” Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming were rivals.

They had not planned to cooperate.

However, Fang Zhengzhi’s arrow had caused their confidence to waver.

Tang Zhongming felt the same way. If not for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi had the Sun Shooting Bow, he would not join forces with Xiang Tianying.

If not for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi had caused trouble for him, he would be bathing in glory by now.

He was supposed to finish first or second. However, right now, he was going home with nothing. He was not going to let Fang Zhengzhi off.

“Return my pole position!” Tang Zhongming waved his hand and a longsword appeared in his hand. His body glowed blue as an icy gust cut through the air.

“Oh?” Fang Zhengzhi was taken aback. He had not expected that his two opponents would be this strong.

This guy’s technique was no weaker than Nangong Mu’s Green and Blue Secret Art.

“I forgot to introduce myself, Tang Zhongming, pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State, ranked eighth on the Rising Dragon Roll!” Tang Zhongming’s tone was icy.

“Xian Tianying, pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State, ranked seventh on the Rising Dragon Roll!” Xiang Tianying bellowed. Then, he glanced at Tang Zhongming contentedly.

“F*ck me!” Fang Zhengzhi cursed in his heart.

Ranks seven and eight on the Rising Dragon Roll?!

Fang Zhengzhi recalled how he had defeated the tenth person on the Rising Dragon Roll. Even though he had won, it was not a gentlemanly fight.

Furthermore…

Nangong Mu was not even within the top 10 of the Rising Dragon Roll.

That would mean that these two people were even more powerful than Nangong Mu.

Perhaps…

He may have gone overboard.

“Oh come on… you are two famous people joining together to fight me. Isn’t that a little inappropriate?” Fang Zhengzhi said disdainfully.

“Who asked you to have such a good bow?” Xiang Tianying smirked when he heard Fang Zhengzhi.

“Why don’t we make a deal. I won’t use my bow and you will choose someone to duel me. If you lose, let me pass?” Fang Zhengzhi suggested.

“Duel?”

Xian Tianying and Tang Zhongming looked at each other and smirked.

“Sure, but you have to beat us both in succession before we let you pass!” Xiang Tianying’s smile became more and more radiant.

He could see fear in Fang Zhengzhi’s face. This guy was clearly not powerful.

He wondered how Fang Zhengzhi made it into the top 10.

“Okay then…” Fang Zhengzhi nodded hesitantly after hearing the terms.

“Young Master Tang, please go ahead!” Xiang Tianying glanced at Tang Zhongming.

“Young Master Xiang is more powerful, you should go first!” Tang Zhongming knew that the first one to fight was always at a disadvantage.

Furthermore, having never sparred with Fang Zhengzhi, spectating one match would give him some preparation.

“You should go first because I am more powerful than you. You can test him out and I can finish him off.” Xiang Tianying reasoned.

“Does Young Master Xiang have no confidence to defeat Fang Zhengzhi?” Tang Zhongming rebutted.

“I think Young Master Tang should go first.”

“I think it is more appropriate for Young Master Xiang to go first.”

The two of them began to bicker.

All of the other talents shook their heads when they saw Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming bickering. They would have done the same if they were in that position.

After all, Fang Zhengzhi was also in the top 10.

Even though they were ranked higher than Fang Zhengzhi, they were not much more powerful. Any battle would result in severe injuries on both sides.

The second one to fight was bound to be at a huge advantage.

“How about I suggest something since you two can’t come to an agreement?” Fang Zhengzhi said sincerely.

“What is it?” Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming looked at Fang Zhengzhi, unsure of what he was trying to do. They had heard all about Fang Zhengzhi.

This was a shameless man who would stop at nothing to win.

As such, they were extremely cautious.

“It’s simple. Just play rock paper scissors. Whoever loses will go first. Do you all know how to play?” Fang Zhengzhi had no idea if they played this in this world.

“Of course!” Xiang Tianying snorted.

This was something he learnt when he was two!

“Okay, even though it is immature, it is a fair method to decide. We will use that to determine who goes first!” Tang Zhongming nodded after a brief hesitation.

“I can be the judge to prevent either one of you from cheating!” Fang Zhengzhi said solemnly.

Both Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming glanced at Fang Zhengzhi suspiciously. What is he trying to do?

However, they didn’t think he could do much in a game of rock paper scissors.

Both of them agreed after some thought.

Fang Zhengzhi dismounted and walked into the middle of them two. Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming held their hands behind their back.

“I will count to three and you must play together. Whoever reacts late will lose.” Fang Zhengzhi reiterated.

“Enough nonsense, just start!” Xiang Tianying said in exasperation.

Many of the other competitors gathered around, waiting to see what was going to happen.

“Okay.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three.”

“Open!”

Fang Zhengzhi waved his arm and ordered. Both Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming glared at each other as they showed their hands.

At this moment.

“Boom!”

A glaring white light exploded in between both of them.

“Eyes!”

“My eyes!”

“Sh*t, why can’t I see?!”

“It’s Fang Zhengzhi! He used this tactic when fighting Nangong Mu the last time!”

After the bright light exploded, the entire are went into chaos. Everyone was covering their eyes and scampering around.

“Fang Zhengzhi, I will not let you off!” Xiang Tianying closed his eyes and roared. A column of purple light shot skyward. It glimmered in the sun like purple crystals.

Purple Crystal Territory!

Chapter 292: Rapid Dispatch

Someone had once compared various materials in the world.

Purple Crystal got its name not just because it was a purple colored crystal. In fact, Purple Crystal had a second meaning – not easily broken.

The Daos that Xiang Tianying understood and used were not weak at all. After all, he was ranked seventh on the Rising Dragon Roll. The Purple Crystal Territory was one of his strongest.

In times of crisis, Xiang Tianying’s composure shone. He did not scamper away nor did he try to open his eyes.

He chose to close his eyes and defence.

His ears perked up as he tried to listen out for Fang Zhengzhi’s attack.

Tang Zhongming’s reaction was not much weaker.

However…

He was slightly slower than Xiang Tianying.

This slower reaction caused his Ice Crystal territory to be crushed by Xiang Tianying’s Purple Crystal Territory before it fully formed.

“Boom!”

Tang Zhongming felt a huge impact on his back as he was sent flying.

Tang Zhongming finally understood why people said that one should not be afraid of powerful opponents but should be terrified of selfish friends.

…

Fang Zhengzhi did not like competitive duels.

On a stage, there was limited space so his opportunities were also correspondingly limited. Furthermore, with nowhere to hide, he had less chances for a sneak attack.

The woods on the other hand…

He had lived in the woods all his life. There were trees, rocks, and other natural obstacles for him to hide behind.

He could effortlessly calculate the blind spots and launch his sneak attacks.

And now…

Heaven had bequeathed upon him the ideal location.

The Eastern Hunting Grounds were in the middle of a forest.

All he needed was time and distance.

The Sun Shooting Bow excelled with range and not close combat. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi needed time to use the Million Sword Illustration to form an arrow. He would not have this luxury on stage.

Before the arrow could form, his opponent would have closed the distance.

When Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming blocked him, Fang Zhengzhi’s bow was virtually useless. As such, agreeing to their terms or not would have made no difference.

However, once Xiang Tianying had proposed that they took turns to fight Fang Zhengzhi…

Fang Zhengzhi knew that this battle was unavoidable. It didn’t matter if they took turns or attacked him together.

He needed to use the environment to his advantage and unleash the power of the Sun Shooting Bow.

…

All of them began to recover slowly from the effects of the flashbang. They saw a ray of light from afar.

The light closed in slowly.

It was a jade green light that made an arc in the air. It screeched as it tore through the air at neck breaking speeds.

Tang Zhongming had never expected to be hit in the chest so quickly after he took a blow to his back…

Furthermore, this hit was much more severe than the previous one.

He felt like a million swords pierced through his body, trying to tear it apart.

Even though his Ice Crystal Territory was up, his main focus was on defending the blow he suffered from the back.

This caused his front to be left relatively undefended.

Furthermore, Tang Zhongming was not in a good state after being hit the first time. Even if he tried to defend against the arrow, he would still have suffered some injuries.

Fang Zhengzhi understood this.

He would take advantage of the weaker opponent.

This was a simple logic. When faced with two opponents, one who was well prepared and one who had slipped up…

One should always attack the one who slipped up.

As such, Fang Zhengzhi trained his arrow on Tang Zhongming without hesitation.

“Boom!”

Tang Zhongming’s body was sent flying once again. This time, his body was surrounded by rays of green light. These were all sharp lightswords which shredded the armor he wore.

Then, an explosion.

Tang Zhongming finally knew how it felt to fly. However, this was too intense for him.

He could not take it.

“Dong!” Tang Zhongming’s head crashed into the ground. His eyes rolled and he fainted. His body was covered in wounds.

A huge crater appeared just below his body as clouds of dust were sent skyward.

After the dust settled, it covered all of his wounds, but Tang Zhongming was now caked in dust.

“Ah! What happened, what happened?”

“Who was injured?”

“What was that sound?”

All of the competitors who had yet to fully recover from the flashbang screamed in terror.

However, they quietened down quickly.

All of the competitors who regained their vision noticed the crater in front of them. Then, they saw the unconscious Tang Zhongming.

“What… What is happening?”

“Who did that? Could it be…”

“Oh god, it’s… it’s Tang Zhongming. How… how is this possible?! Tang Zhongming is ranked eighth on the Rising Dragon Roll!”

All of them were terrified when they saw the state of Tang Zhongming.

He was ranked eighth on the Rising Dragon Roll. He was an elite in the empire. How could he have lost in the blink of an eye?

Furthermore, he had lost in such a humiliating manner.

Who didn’t know the Tang Family?!

Xiang Tianying finally opened his eyes. When he did, he was stunned by what he saw.

“Tang Zhongming is defeated? So quickly? How is that possible!”

Xiang Tianying was keenly aware of Tang Zhongming’s abilities.

Even though he was one rank higher than Tang Zhongming on the Rising Dragon Roll, it was because he knew the Dao of the Purple Crystal. This was something that Tang Zhongming couldn’t break. If not for this advantage, he would not be able to defeat Tang Zhongming.

But now, Tang Zhongming was lying on the ground.

What was happening?

Could it be that he had pushed Tang Zhongming away?

Even if he did, he should not have caused this much damage to Tang Zhongming. This damage was far beyond what his Purple Crystal Territory could do.

“It’s… Fang Zhengzhi?!” Xiang Tianying did not want to admit it. However, he knew that no one else would dare to or had the ability to attack Tang Zhongming.

In that instant, Xiang Tianying scanned the area for Fang Zhengzhi. After Tang Zhongming fell, he was up next.

“Where is Fang Zhengzhi?”

After confirming that Tang Zhongming was defeated, everyone was on the lookout of Fang Zhengzhi.

Despite hundreds of pairs of eyes looking for him, he was nowhere to be found.

“Where is he?!”

“Where did Fang Zhengzhi go?”

“I have experience with finding people! My uncle once told me that if your opponent is not around you, he is above or below you!” One of the talents offered.

“On top?” They all looked upwards.

Then, they realized that there was nothing above them except for the sun and clouds.

Below?

Oh come on! Fang Zhengzhi is only in the Heavenly Reflection State, how can he be below us?

“No way, my uncle will never lie to me!”

“Scram!”

One of the more hot tempered talents kicked this guy on the floor. That talent lay down, not daring to speak.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you shameless b*stard! If you are a man, come out into the open and fight me!” Xiang Tianying hollered as he hid within his Purple Crystal Territory.

“Zoom!” At this moment, another screeching sound rang in the air.

A green glow could be seen in the sky. There was a black crack that trailed behind this green glow as it tore through the air.

“It’s the Million Sword Illustration!”

“Run!”

All of the talents were scared out of their wits when they saw the green glow. They had all seen Tang Zhongming’s tragic state.

Xiang Tianying initially had no intention to run. However, upon seeing the arrow and Tang Zhongming’s fate, he changed his mind.

Even though his Purple Crystal Territory was powerful…

Standing there and taking the arrow was stupid.

He ran quickly into the crowd of talents. Running into a crowd was the safest option. There would always be people to block the arrow for him.

“Boom!”

A huge crater appeared where Xiang Tianying was standing moments ago.

All of the scrambling talents were stunned to see Xiang Tianying run.

“Young Master Xiang, Fang Zhengzhi is aiming at you, go defeat him!”

“Yes yes, we are just watching. Please don’t run towards us!”

“I see Fang Zhengzhi! He is to the west! Young Master Xiang, I am sure that you can defeat him!”

All of the other talents hollered out to Xiang Tianying. Many of them were from influential families as well. Even though they were not as powerful, none of them wanted to be a meat shield.

When Xiang Tianying heard them, his expression darkened. He wanted to charge over, but he did not even know where Fang Zhengzhi was at.

“Fang Zhengzhi, stop hiding! If you are a man, come out into the open and face me!” Xiang Tianying tried to anger Fang Zhengzhi.

However, would Fang Zhengzhi fall for it?

Clearly not.

The reply came in the form of another green arrow.

When the crowd saw the green light arrow flying towards them, they scattered. This was too powerful. Anyone within the blast radius would be severely injured.

Xiang Tianying grit his teeth when he saw the scattering talents. He rushed back into the crowd.

“Boom!” Another crater formed.

…

“Young Master Xiang, why do you keep following us?”

“Yes, you wanted to challenge Fang Zhengzhi. You expect us to take the hits for you? Why are you shameless? To think that you’re ranked seventh on the Rising Dragon Roll.”

“Show us how powerful you really are, go fight him!”

All of them were furious after being shot at by Fang Zhengzhi. They could see that Xiang Tianying was using them for his own benefit.

He was clearly using them as a meatshield!

Xiang Tianying’s expression darkened.

He clenched his fists tightly. He really wanted to charge, but he could see that Fang Zhengzhi’s position kept changing.

Everytime he fired an arrow, he would move to a new spot.

In order to get to Fang Zhengzhi, he would need to take at least three arrows. Furthermore, the closer he got, the harder it would be to dodge.

As he closed in, the arrows would be faster. Could he really dodge then?

Xiang Tianying was hesitant.

Just as he hesitated, he realized all of the others scattered. No one wanted to stand near him.

A light breeze continued to blow as the sun shone down.

Xiang Tianying looked around him. He was always treated as a talent. He was pampered by his family and admired by others.

However…

He was alone in this moment.

“Fang Zhengzhi, come and meet me out here!” Xiang Tianying hollered. However, everyone could hear the desperation in his voice.

He was exasperated.

“Zoom!” Another green light appeared in the sky. It screeched as it tore through the air and towards Xiang Tianying.

This time, Xiang Tianying did not run.

He could not run anymore. With his ranking and reputation, he would not be able to show his face in public if he ran from the arrow.

He did not even care about winning.

“Come at me!” Xiang Tianying’s eyes glowed. A purple crystal armor appeared on his body and a purple crystal hexagon hovered above his head.

Then, more and more hexagons began forming, eventually combining into a huge shield.

Chapter 293: Miracle

The purple shield continued to twirl above his head.

The green ray of light screeching through the air impacted the purple crystal shield squarely. Then, it exploded.

“Boom!”

The entire earth shook.

Countless green lightswords enveloped Xiang Tianying within instants.

Xiang Tianying’s expression changed. He would not have understood this power had he not experienced it himself.

Only now did he know why Tang Zhongming would be knocked out by a single attack. The tearing feeling was unbearable for him despite his protection.

His purple crystal armor began to crack under the attacks of the lightswords. It looked like it was about to shatter.

“God damn it!” Xiang Tianying bit his lip. Blood dripped from his lip as the purple light around him glowed even more radiantly. The shield also started spinning faster.

“Kaboom!”

Columns of dust shot skyward and the ground beneath Xiang Tianying gave way. He fell to the floor…

…

All of the other competitors were stunned by what they saw. They knew that Fang Zhengzhi’s Million Sword Illustration was powerful, but they didn’t expect it to be this powerful.

Before this, the Million Sword Illustration had been impacting the ground.

When it hit Tang Zhongming, none of them were able to see its effects.

However, they could all see how the Million Sword Illustration was torturing Xiang Tianying.

“Plonk!” Xiang Tianying’s legs trembled as he fell to his knees. He continued to sweat profusely as he panted.

Even though he managed to block this attack, he suffered significant injuries.

“It’s the Sun Shooting Bow, he definitely has the Sun Shooting Bow!” Xiang Tianying asserted. The Divine Constabulary’s Million Sword Illustration alone was unable to have such terrifying powers.

The only possibility was that Fang Zhengzhi was wielding the Sun Shooting Bow, one of the 10 greatest treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty. That was the only way the Million Sword Illustration could be augmented to this extent.

Each of the 10 greatest treasures were immensely powerful.

Ping Yang was only in the Star Conglomerate State. However, with the Blazing Qilin Spear, she could go up against Heavenly Reflection State cultivators. The reason why the Sun Shooting Bow was one of the 10 was because it would augment the power of the arrows it shot.

“Is it really the Sun Shooting Bow?”

“Why would Fang Zhengzhi have the Sun Shooting Bow?”

“How is that possible?”

All of them looked into the woods in disbelief. All of them knew that the Sun Shooting Bow was King Duan’s prized possession.

At this moment, yet another green ray of light shot through the air.

It screeched as it flew towards Xiang Tianying.

Xiang Tianying stared at the ray of light. He felt that he should dodge, but, could he dodge forever?

“Boom!”

The purple crystal armor on Xiang Tianying shattered and was carried away by the wind. At the same time, Xiang Tianying spat out a mouthful of blood. He was covered in bleeding wounds.

“I don’t believe it!” Xiang Tianying knelt in the crater, caked in dust. He kept punching the rocks as he roared.

Everyone knew what had just happened.

Xiang Tianying had lost.

He had lost convincingly.

No matter what, he would be ranked eighth on the Rising Dragon Roll. From this day on, Fang Zhengzhi had taken his place.

“Fang Zhengzhi defeated Xiang Tianying?!”

“Not only did he defeat Xiang Tianying, he defeated Tang Zhongming as well!”

“Isn’t that a little ridiculous?”

All of them looked at each other in disbelief.

Everything had happened too quickly.

Many of them had not even recovered fully.

Scissors paper stone, then the white light, then Tang Zhongming’s defeat, then Xiang Tianying’s cowardice…

And finally…

Xiang Tianying was defeated.

It felt like quite a few rounds. However, the entire episode did not even last three minutes.

No one had recovered from their shock.

Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming had a clear advantage going into the battle. However, Fang Zhengzhi had utterly defeated both of them.

More importantly, neither of them even managed to get close to Fang Zhengzhi.

Was such bullying necessary?

“Bong!”

Just as they were all sighing and shaking their heads, a figure jumped down from a tree. He held the Sun Shooting Bow in his hand as he chewed on a blade of grass.

“You’re not convinced huh? Okay then, I’ll give you a chance. You can take turns fighting me!” Fang Zhengzhi sauntered over to the kneeling Xiang Tianying.

“…” All of the spectators felt the world spinning around them.

How could someone be this shameless?

He had already utterly defeated them. Now he wanted them to take turns fighting him?

“Fang Zhengzhi, you’re a bully!” Xiang Tianying spat out a mouthful of blood. He was on the verge of losing his consciousness.

“I bullied you? Just now, as the seventh and eighth ranked on the Rising Dragon Roll, both of you wanted to fight me. Mind you, I was only ranked tenth. I didn’t complain then. All I asked for was for one of you to fight me instead. You rejected my proposal and wanted to take turns fighting me. Now I give you a chance to take turns fighting me, but you say I’m bullying you. Aish, I don’t understand what you are thinking…” Fang Zhengzhi said scornfully.

“You…” Xiang Tianying stammered.

He wanted to say something but he swallowed his words. Fang Zhengzhi was right.

As the seventh and eighth ranked on the Rising Dragon Roll, it was quite shameless for them to combine forces against Fang Zhengzhi.

They really couldn’t blame Fang Zhengzhi for using such tactics to defeat them.

They had asked for it.

This was something that was undeniable.

Furthermore, all is fair in war. No matter how Fang Zhengzhi did it, a victory is a victory.

“Do you still want to fight? If not, I am in a rush. I still want to take first place!” Fang Zhengzhi waved the Sun Shooting Bow as he looked around.

All of the other competitors retreated in silence.

Xiang Tianying grit his teeth. He stood up and looked to the sky.

He was extremely confident before entering the city.

When he had heard about the competition, he had every confidence that he would come in first and bring honor to his family.

However, now he was going to lose to Fang Zhengzhi and his Mud Striped Horse.

How ironic.

If this was anyone else, he would have roared, “I will beat you in two years!”

However, he did not say that this time. If Fang Zhengzhi could win first place using a Mud Striped Horse, what else could he not do?

“I see that the quality of the horse is not the most important thing in this competition!” Xiang Tianying murmured to himself as he lost consciousness.

“Bong!”

Xiang Tianying fell face first into the ground.

…

Fang Zhengzhi did not waste anymore time. He had initially wanted to etch his name onto the recording tablet whilst everyone was still stunned.

However, he rejected that thought unequivocally. He would lose the initiative if he did that.

Firstly, he didn’t have the blood of the required beast, so he couldn’t write the name down.

Secondly, even if he could write his name down, he could not outrun Tang Zhongming and Xiang Tianying.

After all, both Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming were capable of stealing any two stallions.

If that happened, Fang Zhengzhi would not be able to do anything. He probably wouldn’t even be able to reach the finish line. Even if he did, he would have wasted much more time trying to get rid of Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming.

Fang Zhengzhi’s first arrow killed the beast. That gave him the blood he required. Then, he rushed over and recorded his name before galloping away.

No one stopped Fang Zhengzhi.

It did not matter if Fang Zhengzhi actually had the fourth recording tablet. They were just here to watch.

They planned to play this role out to the end.

“Run!” One of the competitors screamed and leapt onto his horse.

“I thought we agreed to run together… how can you leave me behind?” Yet another one replied furiously.

“What a bunch of liars. Can you all be a little more honest? We should watch and race together!”

All of the other competitors leapt on their stallions and chased after the first two.

Fang Zhengzhi was closer to the finish line.

However…

Fang Zhengzhi was riding the Mud Striped Horse. As long as they found the fourth recording tablet quickly, they still had a chance.

…

Everyone waited patiently at the finish line. Wen Dabao continued to pray in front of the tablet for a miracle.

“Stop praying, Fang Zhengzhi will never win!”

“Everyone is waiting for him at the first recording tablet. As long as he appears, he will be caught. What chance does he have?”

“Exactly, just forget about it and hand over the money. If you admit defeat now, we can still consider bringing you out next month.”

The four others in the wager mocked Wen Dabao.

“Really?” Wen Dabao turned to look at them.

“Since when have we gone back on our word?”

“Then I want Hongyue, Qingzhu and Luliu as well as the little peach to accompany me. I also…” Wen Dabao’s eyes glimmered.

“Hang on, Wen Dabao, are you sure you have the stamina?”

“Why not? I have to do it even if I can’t. I need to make sure that I have enough enjoyment to last one month!” Wen Dabao smiled.

“Scram! You can hope for a miracle to happen then!”

“Miracle?” Wen Dabao was sullen. What miracle could there be. Everyone was blockading that area, including two high ranking individuals on the Rising Dragon Roll.

If Fang Zhengzhi won…

That would really be the biggest miracle ever.

Just as Wen Dabao was about to plead with the others, a name began to glow at the bottom of the first tablet.

It was a name…

A very simple name, but one which represented a miracle.

“Fang Zhengzhi!”

“Oh my god, it’s a miracle!” Wen Dabao’s grabbed his face in excitement. He felt like he had just been given a boost of energy.

He bounded to the tablet and kissed the name.

“Bong!”

Wen Dabao continued to dance.

“How… how is this possible?”

“Fang Zhengzhi… passed the first recording tablet?!”

“What? Fang Zhengzhi passed the first recording tablet? How is that possible? Didn’t someone say they were all waiting there for him?”

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!”

The jaws of all of the other spectators dropped when they saw Fang Zhengzhi’s name light up.

No one wanted to believe that this was happening.

But, it was.

The results tablet was linked to the recording tablet. There was no way this could be faked.

The uproar quickly reached the ears of the seated officials.

All of the officials stood up and craned their necks to see what the commotion was about.

At the lowest point of the first tablet, a name was written clearly.

Fang Zhengzhi!

Chapter 294: Who’s first

“It really is Fang Zhengzhi! How is that possible?” The expressions of all the officials changed. They had never doubted the results this much before.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping’s expression was horrible. He could not understand what went wrong.

How can Fang Zhengzhi manage to get past all of the other talents at the first recording tablet?

Emperor Lin Mubai’s expression changed as well. It was slightly conflicted, so much so that it revealed his confusion.

What was going on?

Did he take advantage of Ping Yang?

Emperor Lin Mubai wondered to himself. He knew the relationship between Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi.

He would not be surprised if Fang Zhengzhi had used Ping Yang to write his name down on the first recording tablet.

However…

Just as everyone was shocked, the last tablet on the result tablet lit up.

It was just below Fang Zhengzhi’s name.

Ping Yang!

Her name appeared on the fourth tablet.

“It’s Princess Ping Yang!”

“Ping Yang reached the fourth recording tablet?!”

“Has the fourth recording tablet been found?”

“What’s going on?”

All of the spectators and officials were confused. Some of them had also thought that Fang Zhengzhi used Ping Yang to write down his name.

As such, Ping Yang should be at the first recording tablet. However, she wrote her name down on the fourth one within five minutes of Fang Zhengzhi’s name appearing.

Could it be…

All of the spectators thought of one possibility.

Could it be that Fang Zhengzhi used Ping Yang to write his name down, then allowed Ping Yang to write her name down on the fourth tablet in a quick amount of time.

There was only one possibility.

Fang Zhengzhi brought the fourth recording tablet to the position of the first one. In other words, Fang Zhengzhi shifted the tablet.

“Your highness, I have something to report!” Minister Wan Chong stepped out.

“Hmm? What is it?” Emperor Lin Mubai calmed down quickly. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

When Yu Yiping heard Wan Chong, he squinted. However, he also nodded slightly.

“I have found a problem within the competition. If the problem persists, everyone will question the fairness of the competition. As such, I hope that this can be remedied immediately.” Wan Chong saw the nod and continued.

“What problem is that? Please elaborate.” Emperor Lin Mubai nodded.

Minister Wan Chong calmed himself down. Even though Emperor Lin Mubai did not say it explicitly, he had implied support.

“According to the rules of the competition, there is no overt rule against shifting the recording tablets. However, the tablets represent each of the four corners. If someone shifts the location of the recording tablets, they would have destroyed the fairness of the competition. Your highness, imagine this. What if everyone starts moving the recording tablets around in the future competitions? How can we still hold them in an orderly manner?” Wan Chong said passionately.

“Your highness, I agree wholeheartedly!”

“Your highness, I agree as well. If we let such audacious behavior continue unchecked, it will not bode well for our future!”

Very quickly, two other officials stood out and concurred with Wan Chong.

Emperor Lin Mubai knew exactly what Wan Chong meant. However, he did not speak immediately, choosing instead to ponder over it momentarily.

After all, the competition had already started. To change the rules halfway was not very reasonable.

Yu Yiping saw the emperor’s expression and immediately knew what he was thinking. He needed a reason to implement this rule now.

He looked at all of the other spectators.

All of the other spectators knew instantly what the Left Prime Minister wanted.

“Your highness, we all beg you to prevent such preposterous acts from being allowed!” Almost all of the spectators fell to their knees.

When Wen Dabao heard all of the voices, he trembled in his place.

“What?” Wen Dabao yelled. Then, he looked at the results tablet, “Hahaha, the name is still there, the name is still there!”

Just as he was about to celebrate, his gaze froze.

He saw another name below Fang Zhengzhi’s. Ping Yang!

“Princess Ping Yang is at the fourth recording tablet? My gosh, Fang Zhengzhi, please hurry up!” Wen Dabao exclaimed.

“There’s no way he’s winning this. I think he may even be disqualified!”

“Exactly, I don’t think he can win this competition.”

“How can a commoner possibly go up against all of us?”

Many of the spectators from influential families mocked when they heard Wen Dabao.

“What are you saying? Why will he be disqualified?” Wen Dabao was confused.

“Because he moved the fourth recording tablet! Such an outrageous act cannot be allowed!” One of the talents reiterated.

“What? How is that possible?! The competition has already started. I must go beg the Emperor to change the rules after this competition!”

“Wen Dabao, do you want to die?”

“Are you blind? Can’t you see how many people are kneeling down?”

They all pulled Wen Dabao back.

Wen Dabao turned around and got the shock of his life. What’s going on? Why is everyone kneeling.

Just as he was thinking about it, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping stepped forward. He straightened his robe and fell to his knees.

“Your highness, there have been times when messengers had travelled over 300 miles a day just to change a single word in a military order. More recently, if not for the quick thinking and reaction of the previous emperor, the battle against the demons could not have been won. Even though the issue at hand today is small, it affects many people present today. Your highness, please make a decision!” Yu Yiping kowtowed and stayed on his knees.

“Your highness, please make a decision!”

Everyone echoed out Yu Yiping’s words in unison.

Emperor Lin Mubai heard their pleas. He looked at all of the kneeling people in front of him.

“Yes, I was wrong. I will listen to everyone here today. There is a new addition to the rule, no competitor can move the recording tablets. However… this is the only time a rule will be added whilst the competition is ongoing!” Emperor Lin Mubai nodded.

All of the spectators echoed their support for this decision.

They all knew the intentions of the Emperor’s words. He could not have this happen again. The words of the Emperor were golden.

If he kept changing rules to suit him, no one will trust him.

Only Wen Dabao fell to the ground after hearing Emperor Lin Mubai’s words.

“My god, can you not play me like this?”

…

Fang Zhengzhi galloped towards the finish line!

Even though he was on the Mud Striped Horse, it was still a horse. Furthermore, his Mud Striped Horse had been moving at a leisurely pace all this while.

The Mud Striped Horse was no match for Ping Yang’s Snow Jade. Snow Jade was likely to defeat it even whilst moving with only three legs.

However, Snow Jade had ran a full two rounds since the start.

On the other hand, the Mud Striped Horse was well rested and refreshed.

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had a three minute head start on Ping Yang. No matter how fast Snow Jade was, it was unlikely that Ping Yang had already overtaken him.

As such, when he reached the final leg, he saw clear space ahead of him.

The competition grounds were a circle. However, the start and finish point were about a mile from the circle.

This was an intersection.

After all, the Emperor, many officials, as well as countless spectators were at the finish line. It was impossible to place the finish line on the track.

However, this intersection was filled with people.

“It’s Fang Zhengzhi!”

“He’s back, he’s back with just the Mud Striped Horse!”

All of the spectators were stunned to see Fang Zhengzhi return. Even so, their expressions had traces of mockery.

Fang Zhengzhi ignored the looks on all of the spectators faces. Until the very end, no one could be sure of winning.

As such, he continued to keep his head up as he sped past the spectators. His horse kicked up plumes of dust, instantly caking the spectators in it.

“Eat dust! Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it…” Fang Zhengzhi continued to murmur to himself as he sped towards the finish line.

Just at this moment, he heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. Then, a blazing red figure appeared.

“It looks like…”

“Princess Ping Yang!”

“Your highness, hurry up! Fang Zhengzhi is already over there!”

All of the spectators had not learnt their lesson after being fed dust. They began hollering to Ping Yang.

“What?! Fang Zhengzhi is already out ahead?” Ping Yang’s face flushed. She was not willing to lose to Fang Zhengzhi.

Ping Yang loved Snow Jade very much. She had to oversee the bathing of Snow Jade personally.

But now…

She waved her whip.

“Be obedient. I will only whip you once! But, you must chase up to that shameless fella!” Ping Yang lowered her head and whispered to Snow Jade.

Snow Jade blinked its eyes, almost as if it understood. Then, it rubbed its head against Ping Yang adorably.

Then, she was whipped!

“Aroo!”

Snow Jade howled in pain. As one of the most superior breeds, Snow Jade was extremely arrogant. The only time it had been whipped was by Fang Zhengzhi.

It still remembered it to this day.

When it saw Fang Zhengzhi in the morning, it had wanted to run. However, upon seeing that Fang Zhengzhi was riding the Mud Striped Horse, its confidence was boosted.

“Oh please, lousy horse!” Snow Jade had snorted towards the Mud Striped Horse. The Mud Striped Horse nearly fell to its knees.

The aura and demeanor of the superior species was undeniable.

Even so, Snow Jade had allowed Ping Yang to lead it beside Fang Zhengzhi.

But now, it was whipped.

It was being whipped by its beloved owner.

Then, it recalled when Ping Yang leaned down to whisper to it. Was I overtaken by that lousy horse?

Snow Jade could not take such humiliation!

It dug its hooves into the ground. The ground cracked under its feet as a white light enveloped its body.

Its snow white scales and fur also began to glow.

“Roar!”

Snow Jade’s superior bloodline kicked in. This was the Snow Jade at its best, the king of all stallions.

“Woosh!”

In a flash of light, it began to take off. It sped across the ground without leaving a single mark or kicking up any dust.

…

Fang Zhengzhi saw that he was closing in on the finish line. He began to sing louder and louder. “Eat the dust, eat the dust… everyone eat dust!”

Just as he was singing happily, he heard a screech behind him.

It was so ear piercing that Fang Zhengzhi turned behind to take a look.

Then, he saw a stream of white light flying towards him. Ping Yang was sitting aboard this white light

“What??? The f*ck?!”

Chapter 295: Final Victor

The screech was from all of the spectators. However, that light…

“It’s Ping Yang!”

Fang Zhengzhi saw that he was still about 300m from the finish line. Ping Yang was a mere 200m behind him.

Was he really going to lose his first position?

No way!

He waved his whip and whipped the Mud Striped Horse.

“Hiss!” The Mud Striped Horse whinnied. It seemed to feel that the Snow Jade was right behind it. Perhaps it was because Fang Zhengzhi just whipped it.

Either way, the Mud Striped Horse went crazy.

It dug its hooves into the ground and galloped away. Its speed was more than twice of what it was before. It looked like a completely different horse.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you can forget about running away!” Ping Yang shouted when she saw Fang Zhengzhi exclaim. She whipped Snow Jade once again.

Liar!

Snow Jade felt extremely wronged. Ping Yang had promised to whip it only once. Yet, it had just been whipped again.

It did not slow down. After all, it was already doing all that it could. Even though its speed did not increase, a powerful aura exploded from its body.

The Mud Striped Horse was stunned momentarily by this aura. Its eyes flashed with pain.

However, after a brief hesitation, it began to gallop away once again.

…

Everyone at the finish line was waiting anxiously for the result.

A Mud Striped Horse and a Snow Jade were racing. Unbelievably, their speed was about the same. It was impossible to tell who would cross the finish line first.

“Princess Ping Yang is catching up!”

“Overtake him and send his Mud Striped Horse back to Dong Lin City!”

“How can the Mud Striped Horse ever match up to the Snow Jade?! How preposterous.”

Voices began to ring out by the side. Other than Wen Dabao, no one wanted Fang Zhengzhi to win.

After all, if Fang Zhengzhi really won the competition using a Mud Striped Horse…

Where would they hide their faces?

Even if Fang Zhengzhi was to be disqualified at the end, they didn’t want such a thing to happen in the first place.

All of the officials were equally anxious.

Competitions like this had always been a gathering place for the influential and powerful. Commoners did not qualify to be here.

Even though a Ping Yang victory would be unexpected, she was still of royal blood. That would still be an acceptable result.

However, if Fang Zhengzhi took home first place, what kind of story would there be?

Emperor Lin Mubai smiled. No matter what the result, he already knew the result in his heart.

As such, he could openly announce the prize for this competition.

The talents and scions of influential families participated in an attempt to curry favor with the Emperor. The Emperor hosted this competition to showcase his generosity.

That was an important quality for the ruler of the empire.

There were a few points to consider as the Emperor. Firstly, he had to maintain the balance of power in the empire. Secondly, he had to care for his people and his country.

As such, the prize that he would set would naturally be precious and generous.

However, he would not treat everyone under him equally.

It was impossible for anyone to do that.

As such, for this competition, Emperor Lin Mubai had not announced the prize beforehand. He had two different prizes in mind.

Even though both were valuable and precious…

They had completely different meanings.

One of them had value that could be measured by gold and silver. On the other hand, the other could not.

If he was giving it to Ping Yang, it would be a right pocket to left pocket transfer. Not only would he be complimented for being generous and fair, he would be able to keep the treasure within the royal family.

This was the best outcome.

However, if he had to give it to Fang Zhengzhi…

He would never do it. Emperor Lin Mubai would not even give it to Xiang Tianying or Tang Zhongming. Even someone like Zhang Feiyu, who was a distant relative of the royal family, was out of the question.

However, the result was now clear.

As such, he could rest assured and showcase his generosity. “I had already decided to give this away. However, you did not have the ability to win it. You can’t blame me can you?”

Emperor Lin Mubai smirked.

…

“Charge, charge!” The sound of hooves grew louder and louder.

Fang Zhengzhi was increasingly anxious. He was closing in on the finish line, but Ping Yang was also catching up quickly. She was right behind him.

“Hahaha… Fang Zhengzhi, you are about to lose!” Ping Yang smiled as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi. Victory was within her reach.

“Is that right? If you dare overtake me, I will use my secret weapon!” Fang Zhengzhi threatened as he saw Ping Yang pull up next to him.

“Shameless fella. Don’t you dare! With so many eyes on you, you can try it!” Ping Yang snorted disdainfully.

Fairness was valued in these competitions.

Friendship always came before competition.

Under normal circumstances, using a few tricks and secret weapons during a competition were normal. However, it would be impossible to hurt someone with so many people watching.

“Naive, secret weapon!” Fang Zhengzhi flung his hand backwards when he heard Ping Yang.

“Shameless fella, how audacious of you!” Ping Yang was stunned to see Fang Zhengzhi’s hand action. She never expected him to be this brave.

However…

She was stunned to see nothing come out from Fang Zhengzhi’s hand.

“Could it be…” Ping Yang suddenly realized that Fang Zhengzhi was just scaring her.

Just as she was about to chide him, her gaze froze.

She saw a pair of menacing eyes. It was filled with the glow of lightswords and the icy aura of death.

Could looks kill a person?

Definitely not.

Could looks kill a horse?

Definitely not. But, it could scare a horse!

“Roar!” Snow Jade, who was preparing to charge ahead, saw Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze. It stopped right in its tracks.

This sudden stop cause Ping Yang to tremble. If not for the fact that she had above average riding skills, she would have been thrown off her stallion.

“Argh… Fang Zhengzhi, you shameless b*stard!” Ping Yang knew exactly why Snow Jade would react this way.

She had already guessed that Snow Jade may be suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from its last meeting with Fang Zhengzhi.

As such, she had led Snow Jade around Fang Zhengzhi this morning.

She wanted Snow Jade to get used to Fang Zhengzhi and overcome its fear towards him. Snow Jade had acted fine all this while, so Ping Yang thought that it was fine.

However, Fang Zhengzhi’s menacing gaze had shown that Snow Jade was still haunted by that experience.

“Run quickly.” Fang Zhengzhi ignored Ping Yang as he turned back around. He whipped the Mud Striped Horse again.

He would not give up such a great opportunity.

“Zoom…” The Mud Striped Horse dug in its hooves and sped towards the finish line…

…

All of the spectators were stunned by what they saw.

Ping Yang had already closed in on Fang Zhengzhi. Even if she had maintained her speed, she would have taken home first place.

However, Snow Jade suddenly stopped in its tracks.

It did not even dare to move!

All of the spectators could not understand what Snow Jade had felt. However, they felt paralyzed, almost as if a bucket of ice had been dumped over their heads.

In the moment Snow Jade stopped, Fang Zhengzhi had guided the Mud Striped Horse over the finish line.

Snow Jade was no more than 20m from the finish line.

God damn it!

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Ping Yang was on the brink of collapse. The first place was meant to be hers. However, she had lost it to Fang Zhengzhi’s menacing gaze.

Secret weapon…

Was his gaze his true secret weapon?

“What are you shouting about. Would you have gotten second without me? Learn to be happy with what you have!” Fang Zhengzhi retorted.

“…” Ping Yang’s mouth opened slightly. She wanted to rebut him, but she had no good reason to refute Fang Zhengzhi.

She would not have been able to take home second place.

“Humph!” Ping Yang snorted as she looked away.

Snow Jade continued to walk cautiously over the finish line. It kept its eye on Fang Zhengzhi’s whip and made sure to keep its distance.

The surrounding officials and spectators looked at the simmering Ping Yang and the beaming Fang Zhengzhi.

They were all thinking of Fang Zhengzhi’s comment. “Would you have gotten second without me?”

All of them looked at each other. They thought of the same thing. Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang had a deal!

They quickly remembered their guesses.

Very soon, all of them thought they understood what was happening.

Fang Zhengzhi had used Ping Yang to get past the defences around the first recording tablet. Then, he had given her the fourth recording tablet as payment.

That was the only way to explain this result.

It had to be that way.

Just as they were thinking about it, more and more names began to appear on the results tablet.

Ninth Prince Lin Yun, Zhang Feiyu…

All of their names began to appear.

Before long, the entire tablet was filled with names.

This made the officials and spectators confirm their hypothesis that Fang Zhengzhi must have done something to the tablet. Else, these competitors would not have waited till now to etch their names.

Fang Zhengzhi must have placed the fourth recording tablet near the finishing line after guaranteeing his own victory.

All of the officials and spectators looked at Fang Zhengzhi with mocking gazes. They could all guess what the result would be.

Very quickly, many battle stallions appeared at the finish line.

The Ninth Prince was the first one back. He was closely followed by Zhang Feiyu.

The Ninth Prince had not gone with Ping Yang to find the fourth recording tablet. He had stuck to the original agreement, waiting for everyone by the roadside to restart the race.

However, with the Purple Lightning Dragon Stallion and his superior horsemanship, he was able to lead the pack and finish third.

With that, the competition was over.

Now, it was time for the results.

The Ministry of Law spokesperson prepared to step out at this moment. He prepared to discuss the results with the officials and announce the results and disqualifications.

However, just as he was about to step out, he saw Emperor Lin Mubai looking at him.

He instantly knew what the Emperor was about to do.

The Emperor wanted to showcase his generosity.

“Now that the competition is over, let us invite the Emperor to say a few words before we announce the results.” The representative bowed and moved to the side.

Emperor Lin Mubai stepped forward.

“Okay, since the results are not finalized yet, I do not have much to say. All I want to do is announce what the prize is going to be.” Emperor Lin Mubai smiled at all the spectators.

“Whoa!” Everyone was excited to hear what the prize was going to be.

Emperor Lin Mubai smiled even more radiantly as he looked at all the looks of anticipation. This was exactly what he wanted.

Only by announcing the prize before the results was he able to show everyone just how generous he was.

He would let all of the talents and influential families know that he was fair to everyone and incredibly generous.

Chapter 296: Must be silenced!

Emperor Lin Mubai coughed lightly as he saw the reaction from the crowd. He flipped his hand and a pair of shoes could be seen.

This was a dark blue pair of shoes with gold embroidery. There were also clouds embroidered on this pair of shoes. It was impossible to see what material it was made of, but it was likely to be a soft metal.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the pair of shoes with suspicion and scorn, “The prize is this pair of shoes?”

How disappointing!

Where is the trust between people?

I thought the prize was supposed to be good? He could at least give a few boxes of gold. How much is a pair of shoes worth?

Fang Zhengzhi was extremely disappointed. However, all of the other spectators screamed in a very exaggerated manner.

“It’s the Wafting Cloud Shoes!”

“Oh my god, the prize is the Wafting Cloud Shoes!”

“Isn’t this a little too ridiculous? If I had known this earlier, I would have tried my hand at the competition too. Oh god… who wouldn’t want that pair of shoes?”

All of the spectators were envious just looking at the pair of shoes in the Emperor’s hands. Some of them were even salivating.

All of the participants felt intense heartache when they saw the prize. All of them regretted following the crowd and not going around the area with the fourth recording tablet one more time.

Else, the Wafting Cloud Shoes would have been theirs.

Just as they thought of it, they looked at Fang Zhengzhi with jealousy and hate. “Are the Wafting Cloud Shoes really going to go to the shameless Fang Zhengzhi? Argh, how infuriating!”

All of the spectators looked at Fang Zhengzhi with mockery in their eyes.

You want the Wafting Cloud Shoes?

No way!

Half the people looked at Fang Zhengzhi with jealousy whilst the other half looked at him with mockery.

As for Fang Zhengzhi, he still did not know what the commotion was about.

“Wafting Cloud Shoes? What the hell? Is it valuable?”

Just as he thought about it, some of the older spectators began to show off their knowledge to their juniors.

“I never expected the Emperor to be so generous. To think that he would make the Wafting Cloud Shoes the prize for this competition. I am in awe.”

“Yes, the Wafting Cloud Shoes are a real treasure.”

“Even though it does not belong in the ten greatest treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty, it is just as powerful.”

“More importantly, these Wafting Cloud Shoes were used by our ancestors when they set up this empire. It’s significance cannot be overstated!”

“That is one factor. The other point is that these shoes allow one to tread on snow without any marks. With these shoes, one could go through mountains, cross rivers, speed across plains with no difficulty at all!”

Fang Zhengzhi’s jaw dropped when he heard this. This treasure is so powerful? Won’t it help him run away very quickly?

Fang Zhengzhi smiled.

Not bad, just right for someone like him.

None of the spectators knew what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking. If they knew that Fang Zhengzhi planned to use them to escape from sticky situations, they would kill him.

After showcasing the Wafting Cloud Shoes, Emperor Lin Mubai announced the prizes for the second and third placing.

Each treasure was greeted by gasps of awe.

Fang Zhengzhi did not recognize these treasures. As such, he did not feel as awed by them. However, his thinking was simple. He would just collect as many of these as possible. In the worst case scenario, he would use them as secret weapons.

In his battle with Ying Shan in the World of the Sage, he had used the Blazing Qilin Spear as a secret weapon to great effectiveness.

After showcasing all of the prizes, Emperor Lin Mubai placed them all on the table and returned to his seat without a second word.

The Ministry of Rites official stepped forward. He knew that it was his time to speak.

“Okay, before we announce the results of the competition, we have something else to announce. The competition values fairness above all else. As such, anyone who intentionally went against this value will be dealt with severely. They will be disqualified even if they had finished the race!”

The official looked at the crowd below. He realized that many of the competitors looked at him with wide eyes when they heard the announcement.

Their guess must have been right!

The official knew that he could not cut to the chase.

“The horse racing and hunting competition has been held for centuries. It’s rules have been passed down for generations without any objection. However, there are always lapses in the rules. With the Emperor’s approval, we have decided to add another rule into this competition.”

“Are you going to change the rules?”

“That’s a good thing! Fang Zhengzhi had moved the directional stone. That was an action that caused the fairness of the competition to be questioned. We have to punish him!”

“Exactly exactly!”

The official’s words caused a stir amongst all of the competitors. All of them craned their necks and awaited the announcement.

Fang Zhengzhi frowned. No way? Change in the rules?! Are they trying to drag me down? This is not good.

Just as he was thinking about it, the official spoke.

“The addition is simple. No one is allowed to move… the recording tablet!” The official paused momentarily. “The recording tablet represents the four checkpoints on the route. Anyone who moves it will be infringing the rules. I don’t think there are any objections to this addition?”

“No objection!”

Many of the spectators shouted their approval. This was the moment they were waiting for.

All of the participants frowned. Disallowing moving of the recording tablet? That was useless.

The official did not say anything else. He continued to look at the participants, waiting for them to complain.

Surprisingly, after three minutes, no one spoke up.

This caused the official some embarrassment.

What the hell?

The rule has been added. What are they all waiting for?

Not only was the official embarrassed, all of the officials and the Emperor looked on doubtfully. Isn’t this the time when they all start reporting Fang Zhengzhi’s transgression?

What went wrong?

“Ahem… is there no one with anything to say?” The Ministry of Rites official could not take it any longer.

“Your honor, I have a question!” Very quickly, one of the participants stepped out and announced.

“Oh? What question is it? Please go ahead, you will not offend anyone here.” The official encouraged, giving that participant a confidence boost.

“I want to ask, if someone moves the directional stone during the competition, is that a transgression?” The participant queried.

Upon hearing the question, the other participants looked on in anticipation. The moment the Ministry of Rites official nodded, they would report Fang Zhengzhi.

They would make sure Fang Zhengzhi was stripped of his position.

However, the Ministry of Rites official shook his head lightly.

“The directional stones were placed before the start of the competition. It is possible that they are moved during the competition as a result of occasional contact from a frightened horse. This is common and not a transgression.” The Ministry of Rites official thought about it, looked at Yu Yiping, then shook his head.

“Oh…” The disappointment on that participant’s face was clear.

All of the other participants were equally disappointed. How could that not be a transgression? Aish… I thought this competition was supposed to be fair!

Fang Zhengzhi beamed.

It was all just a scare. He had wanted to bring the entire recording tablet away. However, he did not have the ability to do so. How lucky!

Ping Yang pouted as she glared at Fang Zhengzhi. She muttered to herself, “This shameless b*stard really got lucky this time!”

The Ninth Prince was smiling. He had only managed to get third place thanks to Fang Zhengzhi’s help.

Else, third place would have probably went to Ping Yang.

No one else spoke. Everyone was waiting for the official to announce the results.

The Ministry of Rites official continued to wait…

Five minutes passed…

“Do you all have any other questions?” The Ministry of Rites official asked again. It was not like him to ask this question so many times.

However, he had to ask.

Because…

Emperor Lin Mubai was waiting for him to disqualify Fang Zhengzhi.

All of the participants looked at him and shook their heads.

He had already deemed that moving the directional stone was not a transgression.

“No other questions?”

“None.”

“…” The official could not take it any longer. He turned to look at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and Emperor Lin Mubai.

Both of them could barely keep themselves in their seats.

What was going on?

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping placed his hand on the seat as he prepared to stand up. Then, he was struck by a thought.

Hang on.

Someone asked if moving the directional stone was against the rules.

Could it be…

Oh no!

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping’s expression darkened.

Emperor Lin Mubai’s expression also changed. He had also recalled that question. This was something no one had expected to happen.

Moving the directional stone was too easy.

Even though the majority of competitors were from foreign lands, there were participants from the royal family too.

How can people like Ping Yang and the Ninth Prince take the wrong road? They hunt here annually!

No one would have expected this.

Mor importantly, if Fang Zhengzhi had only moved the directional stone, how could he have crossed the first recording tablet?

Why would Ping Yang’s name appear on the fourth recording tablet shortly after Fang Zhengzhi’s name appeared on the first.

If this was a coincidence…

It would be one of the greatest coincidences ever.

Emperor Lin Mubai, Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and all of the officials did not understand.

After the Ministry of Rites official looked around, he saw Left Prime Minister flash a glance at him. It was a simple look, almost as if he was just surverying the competitors.

However, the Ministry of Rites official instantly understood.

“Okay then… before we officially announce the results, is anyone willing to share with us what happened during the competition? Feel free to include any thoughts or lessons you’ve learnt.” The Ministry of Rites official emphasized the phrase ‘what happened’. He was afraid the participants would leave that out.

All of the participants looked at each other, confused by the words of the Ministry of Rites official.

After all, there was no such segment in previous competitions.

However, many of them relished the opportunity to speak in front of Emperor Lin Mubai and Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.

Very quickly, one of the participants stepped forward.

“I am willing to share!”

“Good, please tell us all the details.” The Ministry of Rites official encouraged.

When the participant heard this, his eyes glimmered. By having him tell them all the details, he would have more time to show his gift of the gap.

After clearing his throat, he began recounting the entire competition.

He started with his thoughts during his inspection of his horse. He even included a vivid description of the surroundings and his feelings throughout the competition.

He also thanked the Emperor for hosting such a wonderful competition.

He continued to talk without any pause. Just the beginning of the competition took him five minutes to recount. All of the officials began rolling their eyes. The Ministry of Rites official was the most pitiful. After all, everyone was seated whilst he was standing.

At his age, he could not stand for this long.

“F*ck me, can you get to the point?” The Ministry of Rites official cursed in his heart even as he maintained a smile on his face.

Where the hell is this b*stard from! He needs to be silenced, silenced!

Chapter 297: Fate

The participant who was talking did not know what the officials were thinking. He continued to recount the events of the competition in great detail.

He was so excited and animated that spittle flew when he spoke.

The crowd of officials were bored by his story. Even Emperor Lin Mubai began to sip his tea in boredom.

Finally, he got to the point where they passed the third recording tablet.

All of the officials perked up their ears for this segment.

All of a sudden, the participant became frustrated and depressed. He cried out that the heaven’s were toying with him. All of the other participants sighed as well.

Because…

That was a painful memory.

If not for the fact that they had fell for Fang Zhengzhi’s trick, Fang Zhengzhi would have never gotten first place and won the Wafting Cloud Shoes.

“Aish… we were all too focused on racing. We just followed the person in front of us. None of us noticed that the directional stone had been moved!” The talent shook his head.

“Piang!” Emperor Lin Mubai’s teacup shattered on the floor.

All of the other officials felt their legs turn to jelly.

“He really moved the directional stone?!”

“How is that possible!”

“How can such a trick work?”

All of the officials couldn’t believe their ears. Even the spectators were stunned that such a basic trick would work.

“Now that I think about it, the main reason was because Fang Zhengzhi had appeared on the wrong road at the right time. As such, we…” The participant sighed.

Emperor Lin Mubai’s expression darkened.

However, no one stopped the participant. Everyone still wanted to know how Fang Zhengzhi passed the first recording tablet.

That was still a big question for them.

After the participant regained his composure, he continued to recount what happened. He began telling the story of how they waited for Fang Zhengzhi at the first recording tablet.

However…

He did not seem to be in a hurry to tell the story of Fang Zhengzhi’s arrival. He kept describing their defences and how they spent their time waiting. He talked about what books he read, how long he spent training, and how he made the most of that time…

The Ministry of Rites official lost his patience. “It is not early, please speed up. Tell us about what happened at the first recording tablet.”

The participant was stunned. He began sweating profusely. That interruption had caused him to lose his train of thought.

Talk about what happened at the first recording tablet?

The participant thought about what that meant. He understood it quickly. After all, he was an educated person.

He no longer beat around the bush, diving straight into the topic of interest.

“At this point, Fang Zhengzhi appeared!”

The Ministry of Rites official nodded when he heard this, motioning for the participant to carry on.

The participant saw the nod and knew that he was on the right track. Even so, he did not dwell on the details.

He narrated this section of the story very quickly. He first recounted how Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming challenged Fang Zhengzhi. Then he told the crowd about how fearful Fang Zhengzhi was.

“Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming issued challenges to Fang Zhengzhi concurrently?”

“If that is the case, Fang Zhengzhi should have no chance to win!”

All of the officials frowned when they heard this. They could not figure out how Fang Zhengzhi could defeat both Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming.

“Fang Zhengzhi used a flash of white light when Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming were arguing!” The participant recalled what happened. “Then, he hid somewhere far and took out Tang Zhongming. Then, through repeated attacks… he defeated Xiang Tianying.”

The participant did not continue speaking. He waited for the officials to judge his narration.

However, no one took notice of him. Everyone was too shocked by the story they had just heard.

“Fang Zhengzhi defeated Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming?!”

“How is that possible?!”

“Tang Zhongming and Xiang Tianying are ranked eighth and seventh on the Rising Dragon Roll respectively. Furthermore, Xiang Tianying has the Purple Crystal Territory! How did Fang Zhengzhi defeat them? Simultaneously at that!”

“What is going on?”

All of the officials were in disbelief. This result was completely unexpected. Even a series of sneak attacks should not have been able to take them both out.

They had seen Fang Zhengzhi’s battle with Yan Xiu.

Fang Zhengzhi definitely had the ability to defeat them individually.

However, to defeat both of them simultaneously was quite impossible.

Ping Yang turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi. “This shameless fella is so powerful? He defeated both of them?”

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping’s expression darkened. How did this happen?

Emperor Lin Mubai looked at his shattered teacup without speaking. His lips twitched. Fang Zhengzhi moved the directional stone, then defeated both Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming?

Fang Zhengzhi…

What are you?

The Ministry of Rites official’s expression was also quite ugly. This participant had skipped over all the details and jumped straight to the result.

“Erm… please tell us more about how Fang Zhengzhi defeated Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming.” The official turned to the participant.

“Yes your honor!” The participant began to sweat again. It was clear that he had misinterpreted the official’s words once again.

“It is because Fang Zhengzhi had the Sun Shooting Bow. He used it from afar…”

“What did you say?!” The Ministry of Rites official interrupted.

“Your… your honor, I… I said that Fang Zhengzhi had… had the Sun Shooting Bow?” The participant trembled in his spot.

“Sun Shooting Bow?!”

“How did that happen?”

“Why would Fang Zhengzhi have the Sun Shooting bow?”

Everyone turned to look at King Duan.

The Sun Shooting Bow was his.

Ping Yang was also confused when she heard this. Didn’t King Duan lose the Sun Shooting Bow to her? Why would Fang Zhengzhi have it.

Emperor Lin Mubai turned to look at King Duan, who was nearby. He waited for King Duan to explain.

King Duan smirked.

From the moment he heard the words Sun Shooting Bow, he had already prepared his answer.

“Your highness, I lost a bet to sister Ping Yang a few days ago. Two days ago, I had one of my servants send it to her. However, he told me that someone had snatched it from him along the way. I have sent people to find it! Could it be…” King Duan stopped and looked in Fang Zhengzhi’s direction.

Fang Zhengzhi was just relishing his accomplishments. However, he was stunned by what King Duan said.

He had already felt that something was amiss when he got the Sun Shooting Bow.

However, upon seeing Ping Yang and the Ninth Prince at the Fragrance Restaurant, he had put it on the backburner.

It looked like…

He had fell right into a trap!

“Sword Envoy, could you please explain why the Sun Shooting Bow is with you?” The Ministry of Rites Official asked.

“Would you believe me if I told you I bought it for five coppers?” Fang Zhengzhi said honestly.

“Bought it with five coppers?!” The Ministry of Rites official looked at Fang Zhengzhi in awe and doubt.

This excuse was…

Completely unbelievable!

All of the other spectators were also taken aback by Fang Zhengzhi’s words.

What excuse could be worse than this?!

Five coppers!

That would only get you a roadside snack.

How can the Sun Shooting Bow be sold for five coppers?

“I would like to know where you got it from? I would like to go buy one as well.”

“Exactly, we would gladly pay for such a treasure.”

“Five coppers for the Sun Shooting Bow. What a great deal.”

All of the officials stepped forward and rebuked Fang Zhengzhi. After all, they were all educated individuals. How can he treat them as idiots?

“There are some things that you can’t buy even if you want to. Some things depend on a person. A handsome man may be able to get it, but an ugly one… would find it difficult!” Fang Zhengzhi rebutted.

“You…”

“Fang Zhengzhi, are you calling us ugly?”

“Rubbish, this is an outrage!”

The expressions of all the officials darkened.

“I did not say that. However, if you all have my kind of luck and are able to buy the Sun Shooting Bow for five coppers, then you will be just as good as me.” Fang Zhengzhi replied with scorn.

“Audacious! Even if you are a rank four imperial official, you cannot speak rubbish here!” The Ministry of Rites official bellowed.

“Do you have any evidence to prove that what I said was false?” Fang Zhengzhi rebuked.

“King Duan had already made it clear that the Sun Shooting Bow was snatched, not bought!” The Ministry of Rites official’s neck was turning red.

“Yes, King Duan did say that the Sun Shooting Bow was snatched. That means that the Sun Shooting Bow was no longer with him. I happened to pass by and buy the bow from the person who snatched it. Isn’t that very normal?” Fang Zhengzhi replied calmly.

“You… nonsense!”

“What nonsense?! If someone wanted to snatch the Sun Shooting Bow away, why would they sell it to you for five coppers?”

“How can this be possible?”

All of the officials judged that Fang Zhengzhi was simply finding excuses.

“There are many things that were impossible in this world. When I participated in the county examinations, no one thought I would pass. However, I ended up topping the examination. Then, in the provincial examinations, no one thought I would pass. I also ended up topping the examination. What about the imperial examinations? Did anyone of you think that I could top the theory examination? What about today? Did anyone of you think that it would be possible for me to win?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at them with scorn.

“You…”

All of them were furious. They wanted to rebuke Fang Zhengzhi, but everything that he said was true.

No one had believed in him.

However, he still made it to where he was today.

The competition today was the best example. He had won the competition with a Mud Striped Horse. If not for the fact that they had seen it for themselves, no one would believe it.

“Do you all have any other questions? If not, please announce the results, I am still waiting for my prize!” Fang Zhengzhi looked at all the officials.

“Maverick!”

“Your highness, I think that the issue with the Sun Shooting Bow is not as simple as the Sword Envoy says it is. Please allow the Ministry of Law to investigate this incident. We will give King Duan a peace of mind on this!” Law Minister Wan Chong stepped forward.

He was solemn.

Emperor Lin Mubai looked at Fang Zhengzhi without speaking.

As the emperor, he had to think further and broader than all his officials. Fang Zhengzhi’s short speech had struck him.

Just as what Fang Zhengzhi had said…

No one had believed in him ever since he started out. However, along the way, he had proven his critics wrong at every stage.

How did he do it…

A 15 year old Heavenly Reflection State talent.

Even though he was aided by the Sun Shooting Bow, he had defeated both Xiang Tianying and Tang Zhongming.

This man now stood in front of him.

It could be seen as a miracle.

Four years ago, Nangong Hao was the talent that he valued the most. Two years ago, Chi Guyan overtook Nangong Hao as the brightest star.

Even though she was not of royal blood, talent and power were of more importance.

And now…

Yet another star appeared in front of him.

His decision would determine the fate of this star!

Chapter 298: New Dynamic

Emperor Lin Mubai frowned deeply. Fang Zhengzhi may be a villager, but he was a talent. What was his decision going to be?

Emperor Lin Mubai thought deeper and broader than everyone else.

His decisions would impact the future of the Great Xia Dynasty. He had to ensure that the empire would continue to flourish after his reign.

Just at this moment, a fiery red figure appeared in front of him. A pair of crystal clear eyes scanned the infuriated crowd of officials.

“Sixth brother has already said that he lost the Sun Shooting Bow to me. As such, whether it was snatched away or not shouldn’t have any relation to him?” Ping Yang’s voice was not loud, however, her tone sent chills down all the officials’ spines.

King Duan frowned when he heard this.

“Sister, what do you mean?”

“Would you all believe me if I said I sent someone to snatch the bow away? Fang Zhengzhi happened to run across my servant and bought the bow off him.” Ping Yang smirked. She was clearly protecting Fang Zhengzhi.

All of the officials felt like they had just swallowed a fly.

Should they believe it?

This was a problem.

King Duan felt his eyelids twitched.

He did not believe it. After all, he had sent someone to sell the Sun Shooting Bow to Fang Zhengzhi. However, could he reveal that fact?

Definitely not.

As such, all he could do was believe.

“Haha…” King Duan chuckled and did not object. He could see that Ping Yang was openly protecting Fang Zhengzhi. That was obvious for all to see.

However, now that things were at this stage…

The Emperor still had the final decision.

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had questioned Fang Zhengzhi’s moral and values after the incident at the Northern Mountain Village.

He was questioning Fang Zhengzhi’s loyalty and trustworthiness.

This was the real killing blow.

Whether that killing blow had attained its effectiveness was not dependent on whether Fang Zhengzhi was found guilty. Its effectiveness would be based on Emperor Lin Mubai’s decision on this matter.

Emperor Lin Mubai glanced at Ping Yang’s determined expression. He remembered that figure that he could not bring himself to forget.

His eyes were filled with pampering and love in an instant.

“Today is the horse race and hunting competition. As such, we shall only discuss matters pertaining to this. Everything else shall be delayed until the next imperial court meeting!” Emperor Lin Mubai felt a load off his shoulders.

All of the officials were stunned by Emperor Lin Mubai’s words.

Even though the Emperor had not given his opinion on this…

Their experience told them that the Emperor was taking Fang Zhengzhi’s side as well!

Furthermore…

His protection of Fang Zhengzhi was more blatant that Ping Yang’s!

Why? Why would the Emperor protect Fang Zhengzhi. What is the meaning of this?

Could the Emperor be thinking of…

In that instant, all of the officials thought of one thing. This did not bode well for them, so much so that none of them wanted to think about it.

King Duan was also stunned.

He had never expected that his ploy would be destroyed in this manner. More importantly, the Emperor had not returned the Sun Shooting Bow to him!

The important thing here was not convicting Fang Zhengzhi of a crime.

It was the Sun Shooting Bow.

That was his bottom line.

As long as the Emperor retrieved the Sun Shooting Bow, Fang Zhengzhi would have no chance at returning to the courts.

Whether Fang Zhengzhi topped the imperial examinations or not would be negligible.

It would be meaningless.

All the honors that he would get would just be honors. It would not allow him to change the dynamics of the courts. King Duan would have one less person to think about.

That was the reason behind King Duan’s actions this time.

He wanted to make Fang Zhengzhi the top of both the examinations. However, he could not do so whilst Fang Zhengzhi was still a threat. He had to neutralize the threat before the results were announced.

But now?

Not only had Emperor Lin Mubai protected him, the Emperor did not ask for the bow.

Making Fang Zhengzhi the number one rank for the imperial examinations meant something completely different now.

“What is the Emperor thinking?” King Duan felt for the first time that he could not understand what the Emperor was thinking.

All of the other spectators looked at Fang Zhengzhi in confusion and awe.

All of them could not wrap their heads around what had just happened.

Fang Zhengzhi was slightly shocked to see things unfold this way. All he wanted to do was find a reason to prevent himself from being convicted of a crime.

As for the Sun Shooting Bow.

He had never expected to be able to keep it.

“No mention of it? Is it mine then?” Fang Zhengzhi thought to himself naively. Then, he quickly dismissed that thought. I doubt it will be that easy.

Ping Yang jumped out.

Her feet landed squarely on the ground.

She wanted to get Fang Zhengzhi off the hook, however, she had no intention of giving Fang Zhengzhi the Sun Shooting Bow.

“Father!” Ping Yang said coquettishly.

“Haha… my Golden Eagle Bow has been sitting in the palace collecting dust. Why don’t you take it out for a spin?” Emperor Lin Mubai interrupted.

“Golden Eagle Bow? Sure, sure!” Ping Yang beamed when she heard that.

“Minister of Rites, announce the results!” Emperor Lin Mubai tapped Ping Yang’s nose when he saw her radiant smile.

Ping Yang immediately bounded to a place beside Fang Zhengzhi.

“What are you looking at, humph!”

“The Golden Eagle Bow is even better than the Sun Shooting Bow?” Fang Zhengzhi could not help but ask.

“That is the Emperor’s bow. What do you think?” Ping Yang did not answer Fang Zhengzhi’s question directly because she did not know either. However, she could not admit that.

“I see.” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched.

All of the officials could not suppress their awe at what just happened.

Emperor Lin Mubai’s protection of Fang Zhengzhi was slightly cryptic.

However, his previous sentence had cleared it all up.

He had made it clear to all the officials and the influential families present.

“Is that really going to happen?” All of the officials looked at each other. None of them spoke, but they could read each other’s’ minds.

There was going to a new dynamic in the courts!

Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping squinted. He did not look at the Crown Prince, choosing instead to look at King Duan.

The Minister of Rites stood rooted to the ground, almost as if he did not hear what the Emperor had just said.

“Your honor!” Finally, one of the officials whispered a reminder.

“Ahem…” The minister cleared his throat. “Right now, we will announce the top three places for this competition. In first place, Ping… oh, that’s wrong! It’s Fang Zhengzhi. Congratulations Sword Envoy, you have placed first!”

“Haha… I won! I, Wen Dabao, am going to be rich!” A voice rang out after the announcement.

He felt even more excited than if he had won the competition himself.

All of the spectators looked in the direction of the voice. They all looked at Wen Dabao in scorn.

However, Wen Dabao did not mind.

He could not contain his excitement upon thinking of the amount of money he had made on this bet.

However…

Wen Dabao did not notice that Fang Zhengzhi had heard his screams as well.

“Oh? You won?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Wen Dabao dancing. He smirked. That guy placed a bet on me?

…

Fang Zhengzhi received the Wafting Cloud Shoes from the Emperor and expressed his gratitude.

Then, he took off his shoes and put on the Wafting Cloud Shoes. A ray of light surrounded it as the Wafting Cloud Shoes morphed to fit his size.

“Oh, not bad, just nice!” Fang Zhengzhi walked a couple of steps. It was extremely fitting, almost as if they were tailor made.

All of the other officials were shocked to see this.

Most people would bring the prize back to clean and display. Then, they would pick an auspicious date to wear it.

As for Fang Zhengzhi, he simply put it on immediately after getting it?!

Who is this guy?!

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what the officials were thinking. In his opinion, it was natural to change out his old pair of shoes for a new pair.

…

The competition had come to an end.

This was an unbelievable competition. When news of the results reached the capital, it caused an uproar.

“A Mud Striped Horse won the competition?!”

“Fang Zhengzhi defeated the Rising Dragon Roll’s seventh and eighth ranks?”

“Unbelievable.”

“There’s something else. I heard that Fang Zhengzhi snatched King Duan’s Sun Shooting Bow. Not only did the Emperor not investigate the incident, it looks like he will give the bow to Fang Zhengzhi!”

“Oh my god, I regret not going to watch the competition!”

Many people began to discuss the competition. In restaurants and alleys all over the city, the results and happenings of the competition were the number one trending topic.

Some people said that Fang Zhengzhi’s Mud Striped Horse was no ordinary Mud Striped Horse. The claimed that it was the king of Mud Striped Horses. As such, it could fly!

This story also gained traction quickly.

After all, during the last stretch, many people were awed by the speed of the Mud Striped Horse.

However, even whilst the entire city was heating up in conversation, King Duan’s residence was icy.

Inside the residence, there were countless valuable antiques smashed on the ground in front of King Duan. There were a few people kneeling by the side of those antiques.

Each one of them shrunk into the floor, trembling.

Outside the study, Mr Hua continued to sit in the pavilion. There was a pot of tea in front of him. He looked to be waiting for something.

Before long, a black cloaked figure appeared from afar. It looked like a shadow in the night. As it moved, it did not kick up any dust.

“You’re here?” Mr Hua said faintly, almost as if he was murmuring to himself.

“Yes, I’m here.” The figure stopped and replied flatly.

“Then go in?”

“Isn’t Mr Hua going in?”

“No thanks.”

“If you’re not going in, can I infer that you are going to leave?” The figure removed the hoodie from his head.

It was Su Qing.

“Since I am not going in, I will naturally leave.” Mr Hua raised his teacup lightly. A ball of flame ignited within it. Within moments, the tea was steaming once again.

“Won’t reheating the tea cause it to lose its fragrance?” Su Qing glanced at the cup of tea and remarked before entering the study.

Mr Hua frowned as he heard this. He loosened his grip on the teacup and it fell to the floor, shattering as it impacted the ground.

…

The next morning.

A light breeze swept across the city as the sun continued to stain the entire city golden.

There were throngs of people on the street.

Everyone knew one thing.

The results of the racing and hunting competition was the hot topic of yesterday. Today, the announcement of the imperial examinations results consumed all the citizens.

The examination had been ongoing for months now with the interruption. Today was the day reckoning.

Who wouldn’t be excited?

A huge crowd had gathered at the entrance to the Imperial Academy even before dawn. THere were elegantly dressed youths, hawkers, and even villagers from the nearby villages…