Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1338: The Imperial Competition

These people know a little more than Gu Tong, but only a little more. As Gu Tong said, although these folks who study demons have their own areas of expertise, they cannot see the whole picture.

If one really wants to understand demons, one has to be a high-ranking official, or an important figure in the Demon Suppression Department, the Imperial Observatory, or the Xuanji Tower. Hou Sanli, Fang Zichuan, and the master Jiu Chan all don't know as much about demons as Qin Zhong. There may be some errors in what they have studied.

But even so, the few of them could still be said to have a pleasant conversation.

The time passed quickly even though she had nothing to do. Lu Ning found that she couldn't ask what was happening outside. The eunuchs and palace maids at the door kept silent about it.

On the day of the imperial competition, officials from the Imperial Observatory came early in the morning and the people were sent away. There were quite a few people in this row of houses, and five people were taken away each time. It was unknown when everyone would be taken away.

Among the people Lu Ning knew, Fang Zichuan was the first to be taken away. When they left, Lu Ning even had the illusion that these people were not going to compete, but to die.

However, this feeling was only fleeting, and Lu Ning knew that this was her alertness to the crisis in Xingyin City. However, she could only respond as she saw the move.

As Gu Tong and the others were called over, Lu Ning slowly felt that her turn was coming. At this time, the sun was slowly setting, and she looked around and saw that there were only a few people left in the yard.

At this time, a voice came from outside the courtyard gate: "Xuan, Tong Yuquan, Han Younian, Bao Qi, Lu Ning, Gong Shangzhi."

Five officials from the Imperial Observatory stood at the door, and the man who brought Lu Ning here yesterday was among them, nodding and smiling at Lu Ning.

Lu Ning had no choice but to come out and follow the remaining few people to the main hall of the Imperial Observatory.

The main hall of the palace was originally the Shanghe Hall. After it was rebuilt, the emperor renamed it the Tianhe Hall, and the imperial competitions were held here.

Outside the palace, Lu Ning saw the group of people who had been summoned earlier. In addition to them, there were some people who were obviously dressed as scholars. These people stood on both sides, and their expressions were somewhat surprised. Lu Ning couldn't remember all of them, but everyone she knew was there.

Inside the palace were hundreds of officials. Although the emperor did not bring all the officials from the capital with him on this trip, he brought at least half of them. With such a number of officials, standing there was already a sense of authority. In addition to these officials, the people around the emperor were also difficult to deal with at first glance.

The half-smile of the eunuch Cao Yuanen could make anyone of low status shudder. Unlike some eunuchs who had caused chaos in the previous dynasty, this eunuch almost only dealt with the internal affairs of the palace. Apart from the evaluation of greed for money, the officials did not have any more bad comments about him.

The two prime ministers from the Council of State who came this time were at the top of all officials - the military officers, and there were no one of equal status among the people accompanying them.

Sitting on the dragon throne in the middle of the officials and eunuchs was the emperor Dong Zai. Lu Ning knew that she couldn't look up casually, so she kept her brows down, but the one next to her who was a little stunned raised his head.

"Your Majesty." The official from the Imperial Observatory who led the group bowed and said, "Order No. 37, Wu, and five other men are here for the Emperor. Bring them here."

Lu Ning and the others lined up in a row, but no one forced them to kneel. Except for that foolish man, the others all bowed their heads respectfully, waiting for the next development.

The officials from the Imperial Observatory continued to speak.

"The winner of the soft weapon competition is Tong Yuquan, and he is hereby awarded the Tiankong star position. The winner of the hidden weapon competition is Han Younian, and he is hereby awarded the Tianjie star position. The winner of the long spear competition is Bao Qi, and he is hereby awarded the Tianli star position. The winner of the monster search competition is Lu Ning, and he is hereby awarded the Tianman star position. The winner of the monster slaying competition is Gong Shangzhi, and he is hereby awarded the Tianshang star position."

Lu Ning felt even more uneasy.

"The fixed star is like this. Is it suitable for the position? Your Majesty, please make a wise decision."

Then, Lu Ning heard Dong Zai's voice.

The emperor was not very old, and his voice was strong and powerful. Although he was majestic, he did not give people a strong sense of oppression.

"Who is that person looking up at me?"

"I am Bao Qi!" The one who had been looking up even bowed his hands directly, "Your Majesty!"

"Oh? You must have seen that everyone else lowered their heads and didn't look at you. Why do you still look up at me?"

"I don't care if others bow their heads. I come here to participate in the competition, naturally I want to become a high-ranking official. Since I become a high-ranking official, of course I need to know who I will serve. I have trained myself to have skills, and I will not bow down to anyone easily, except for my parents, unless there is someone who has done me a great favor!" Bao Qi said.

The ministers in the hall had different expressions, but no one spoke at this time.

Bao Qi continued carelessly: "After meeting your Majesty today, I also think that you have made a good choice. I have no other skills, only martial arts. If your Majesty does not mind, I will serve you, and it will also help my family gain face!"

"Did you hear just now that you were chosen to be the Tianli Star?" Dong Zai asked.

"I heard it, but I don't understand it. But it sounds pretty impressive."

"The winner can compete in front of the emperor to determine the star position. Now the three palaces and twenty-eight constellations are full, and the number of thirty-six celestial beings is being determined. Since you have such confidence, I will let you compete in front of the emperor first."

"Okay! What shall we compete for?" Bao Qi said loudly.

"To become a Tian Li Xing, you must first seek martial arts skills, then cultivate your appearance. You must compete with another qualified person face to face. The winner will be ranked as a Tian Gang, while the loser will only be able to compete for the position of Di Sha."

"A duel? I'm not afraid of that. Call someone out. I want to see who can fight me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a man stepped into the hall.

Lu Ning and the others all turned around. Lu Ning took the opportunity to look up and glanced at the person who came in, but was slightly stunned. This person was thin and did not look like a martial artist at all. He was holding a ash wood spear in his hand, and his appearance could be described as handsome.

But the most abnormal thing about this man is his eyes. His eyes are lifeless, his brows are furrowed, and he looks stupid, which is quite inconsistent with his facial features and temperament.

But Bao Qi didn't seem to notice this problem. He shouted, "Are you here to compete with me for the result of the competition?"

The man nodded slightly, and Bao Qi stretched out his hand from his waist. Several sections of the gun tied with chains fell from his waist, and with two clicks, they formed an iron gun, and he thrust the gun forward!

The latecomer held his spear horizontally, his posture was surprisingly smooth, and he stopped Bao Qi's momentum with a push of the spear tip, and then used the strength of his waist and abdomen to shake a bunch of spear flowers, which went to Bao Qi's face. Bao Qi turned away with the spear, paused, and immediately fought with the opponent. To get to this point, Bao Qi's skills were obviously good. Although he failed to seize the initiative, he was not thrown off balance by the opponent's sudden spearmanship.

But Lu Ning and another person beside her had already noticed something was wrong. In Lu Ning's demonic eyes, this thin man had almost no human breath, just like a corpse, lifeless. And Gong Shangzhi, the demon slayer beside her, had already reached into his arms, his face full of alertness.

The two men's duel was not very long. After all, the stories of fighting for 300 rounds were exaggerated. It was common for generals to win after more than ten rounds. Bao Qi was worthy of his reputation as the best spearman. After showing a flaw, he used his strength and weapon to break the spear in the opponent's hand, and then shot him to his knees.

"How is it!" Bao Qi even shouted loudly in excitement. Dong Zai also clapped his hands at this moment: "Great!"

Bao Qi became even more proud when he heard this.

No one else paid attention to the defeated man, he just stood up, dusted himself off, picked up two gun barrels and retreated. Bao Qi wanted to pull it, he thought the other man's martial arts were also very good, just slightly inferior to his own, but at this moment, the emperor had already pulled out a silver stick from the table.

"Bao Qi, since you have won the imperial competition today, you should be the star of the sky."

He threw the silver signature into the air, and it turned into a streak of silk and instantly sank into Bao Qi's brow. Bao Qi was overjoyed, but his expression turned serious. He immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward!"

However, Lu Ning could see clearly that the colorful aura fell into Bao Qi's body, mixed with the surging human aura on his body, and disappeared in an instant.

At this time, the emperor spoke again: "Gong Shangzhi, what are you doing?"

The man who was named hurriedly pulled his hand out of his arms, bowed to the emperor, but he hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

"If you have something to say, just say it. Since I know your background, I don't care about your lack of etiquette."

"Your Majesty, this...if I am not mistaken, the person who just fought with Brother Bao was an accomplice?" Gong Shangzhi asked with some trembling.

No, it's not. Lu Ning had seen real minions before. Minions behaved just like living people. Unless the demons specifically appeared and called them, they could live like ordinary people. But that person could be said to be a walking corpse, but he moved with the little bit of life in his body.

But common sense says that even if zombies are agile, it is difficult for them to use such superb gun skills. In fact, if the weapon was not a little inferior, Lu Ning doubted that Bao Qi would be able to win so quickly.

"The accomplices are demons." Dong Zai said, "You come from the countryside, and it's not your fault that you don't know the truth. But since you have stood up, it depends on your choice - are you willing to try the position of Tianshangxing?"

"I... I came here to show my talents. If Your Majesty is willing to give me a chance..."

"Heavenly wounded star, fortune and misfortune depend on each other, lonely and heroic." Dong Zai nodded slightly, "Whether you are destined to be with it depends on how you perform in front of the emperor."

As soon as the emperor finished speaking, someone pushed a square box over. Lu Ning's demon eyes could naturally see through the not-so-thick material of the square box, and there was a demon inside.

"If you can kill this demon here alone, the position of Tianshang Star will be yours." Dong Zai said.

It seems that the content of each Imperial Competition is different, but Lu Ning has already felt that Bao Qi, who has just passed the Imperial Competition, is no longer the same as when he first came in.

As the square box was opened, a demon with a ferocious appearance but not very strong power rushed out. Gong Shangzhi fought with the demon, but Lu Ning had an intuition about this process - this was a necessary part of the ritual.

But what happens if you lose?
While Lu Ning was thinking about this, Gong Shangzhi had already killed the demon despite suffering some injuries. He used a very crude weapon and prayer technique, and only killed the demon with his good martial arts skills. Besides its terrifying appearance, the demon did not show any special abilities.

As the emperor mentioned Han Younian's name, Lu Ning became more and more certain of his judgment.

The level of these "tester" selected for the competition in front of the emperor was probably just a little bit lower than that of Lu Ning and the others. The number was probably controlled very well. If Lu Ning hadn't known in advance that there was something fishy, ​​he probably wouldn't have been able to see it.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to participate in the imperial competition. However, if I am able to pass, I hope Your Majesty will allow me to ask the Imperial Observatory to help predict the whereabouts of my father."

"If you are able to serve as an official in the court, the worries of officials will naturally be shared by the court."

Han Younian knelt down and shouted "Long live the emperor". Then, someone took Han Younian out. It seemed that the method of the hidden weapon contest was not here.

Lu Ning secretly glanced at the last person standing in the hall with her, Tong Yuquan, a man who was about thirty years old. He seemed relaxed when he first came, but now he seemed quite nervous.

"Lu Ning."

As the emperor spoke the name, Lu Ning sighed inwardly and took a step forward.

"Tianman Star, your destiny is perfect, and you are blessed with friends." Dong Zai said, "Are you satisfied with the position of Tianman Star?"

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was only exorcising monsters in the city. I was not aware of this competition and did not even take the initiative to participate. If someone like me also gets a one-star rank, it may be unfair to others."

"Unfair?" Dong Zai laughed and turned to ask the official of the Imperial Observatory, "Why was Lu Ning chosen as the winner of the monster-hunting competition?"

"From noon to sunset, we worked non-stop and captured three monsters in a row, one of which was already at the level of a great monster. This achievement is unmatched by any other participant. If such talents cannot win the monster hunting competition, I believe that the others are not worthy of this position either."

Lu Ning really wanted to say that she just got the position in advance, but there was no benefit in selling Zhao Yuqiao out at this time, and she still needed to deal with the current situation.

"Whether intentional or unintentional, Lu Ning, you are the adopted daughter of Lu Qingxu. Although Lu Qingxu lost his position due to a crime, he was not held accountable. You are naturally qualified to become a star."

"May I ask... what is the Tenmanxing Imperial Competition?"

Lu Ning knew she couldn't hide anymore.

"Bring it up."

Following Dong Zai's order, four eunuchs brought up a table, on which was placed a jade ruyi.

"Pick it up, open your eyes, and find out the monsters in this hall. If you find three, you will pass." Dong Zai stared at Lu Ning and said.

This difficulty level was not the same as the previous ones, and she didn't even need to fight. But when Lu Ning reached out to grab the jade ruyi, the whispers in her mind suddenly became louder, and her eyes were filled with colorful colors. The sudden brilliant colors even made it impossible for her to see anything clearly for a while.