Beginning with the Five Animals Fist to Become a Saint

Chapter 716 The Imperial Examination Begins, The Shock of Age!
The high platform on the north side of the drill ground was already packed with people.

At the very center was the dragon throne, covered by a beaded curtain and a special black gauze that shimmered with starlight.

Ji Mingyue looked at her father, whose face was blurred on the dragon throne, her brows furrowed with worry.

She knew that the reason her father didn't show his true face was because he could no longer maintain his good health.

Once its true nature is revealed, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the government and among the people.

"Why did this happen?!" There was a hint of sorrow in her eyes.

at this time.

"Little Seventeen, come here!" A still authoritative voice rang in her ear.

On the high platform, several princes and high-ranking officials looked at the figure on the dragon throne and the outstanding-looking Ji Mingyue.

Covered by a special mysterious veil that shimmers with starlight, even with unparalleled martial arts prowess, only a blurry face could be seen.

The special mysterious veil, seemingly as thin as a cicada's wing, actually weighs tens of millions of kilograms and has a special field that is enough to keep all tangible and intangible forces away from approaching.

"It seems that Little Seventeen is still the most beloved daughter in his heart." As Ji Mingyue walked towards the figure on the dragon throne, this thought popped into everyone's mind.

They had not seen the Emperor's true face for countless days, yet today, in full view of everyone, he summoned the Seventeenth Princess to come forward.

This clearly conveys many signals to them.

Ji Mingyue stepped forward.

Layer upon layer of special mysterious gauze, shimmering with starlight, was swept away.

The front was swept aside, and the special black veil behind fell down.

After the six layers of special mysterious gauze were swept away, Ji Mingyue looked at the middle-aged man sitting on the dragon throne with a majestic face, but her lips trembled slightly.

"Father.!"

Seeing Ji Mingyue's expression, the middle-aged man on the dragon throne couldn't help but smile gently.

"I still prefer Little Seventeen as he is, not as the Emperor, but as a father!"

As she spoke, Ji Mingyue could see her father's purple lips, sallow and emaciated face, dark brown eye sockets, and sparse hair.

Every instance of this indicates that the man who once ruled the dynasty has reached his final days.

"Father, why has your health deteriorated so quickly?" Ji Mingyue asked hesitantly.

Those outside the throne could not hear any conversation between the two; they could only see Ji Mingyue's blurry figure standing in front of the emperor.

"They have endured for over eight hundred years, but now they can no longer hold back! Those Nascent Soul experts, and even the immortals who are still alive, are all attacking and cursing their fathers to death," said the middle-aged man on the dragon throne.

"Father, aren't you protected by the national fortune of the Great Xia? Aren't they afraid of being backfired by the national fortune when they act like this?" Ji Mingyue asked.

“They have already suffered the backlash, but now that this decision has been fully approved, they will not stop no matter how great the backlash they suffer!” said the middle-aged man on the dragon throne.

Then, he paused and said, "Now, the only person I can't let go of is you, my little seventeenth son!"

"Father, I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me!" Ji Mingyue pursed her lips and said.

“I’m still alive, so of course no one dares to touch you or disrespect you! I’m just worried that one day I won’t make it and I’ll be gone. Without the support of the maternal lineage, they will disrespect you.” A hint of worry appeared in the eyes of the man on the dragon throne.

“Father, you will be alright!” Ji Mingyue said.

"Silly girl, everyone dies eventually, sooner or later! I know my body better than anyone else!" When the man on the dragon throne finished speaking, his face turned a deep purplish-red.

"Father!!" Ji Mingyue raised her leg, about to step forward.

"Stop!" The man on the dragon throne waved his hand, and then a jade bottle slid out from his sleeve.

He quickly opened the jade bottle, and a red pill the size of a mung bean appeared in his hand.

Then the red pill burst open and flew into his mouth.

Several more breaths passed as the throat made a swallowing motion.

The man on the dragon throne's face returned to its previous waxy yellow color, having changed from a liverish hue.

He coughed lightly twice, his expression softening further.

"Father, what is this?" Ji Mingyue's brows were filled with worry.

"A life-saving pill!" the man on the dragon throne said calmly.

“Father, you…” Ji Mingyue began, but before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the man on the dragon throne: “Don’t worry, Seventeenth Sister, I can hold on for a while longer.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Mingyue nodded.

“Father, there is something I don’t understand!” She looked up at the man on the dragon throne.

"Speak!" the man said calmly.

"Father, if the position of Crown Prince remains vacant, it will inevitably lead to brothers turning against each other and killing each other! Especially when Father can no longer hold on, internal strife will surely break out!" Ji Mingyue said earnestly.

Seeing Ji Mingyue's appearance, the man on the dragon throne immediately showed a look of satisfaction.

“I was worried that after I left, Little Seventeen would be bullied by his brothers and sisters and others. Now it seems that I underestimated Little Seventeen. I am much more at ease knowing that Little Seventeen can think of this.”

Then he added, "If Little Seventeen can think of this, how could I not understand? But Little Seventeen, look at the current situation of Great Xia. It is the most dangerous and difficult time in more than eight hundred years!"

"At this juncture, who succeeds to the throne is of paramount importance!"

"When the great edifice is about to collapse, only the most capable and outstanding prince can save it and rebuild a new era!"

"But the human heart is as deep as the sea; one can know a person's character but not their heart!"

"Even as your father, I cannot truly discern which of your brothers is the most capable and has the strongest connections and influence."

“In that case, I will let them fight and rob.”

"Let the most capable one fight his way out and ascend the throne through his own strength to become the new emperor!"

“At that time, the power I left behind will naturally be used by him, and he will naturally have enough ability to quell all internal strife and become the Holy Emperor who rebuilds the new heaven.”

Hearing the man on the dragon throne speak in a powerful and resounding voice, Ji Mingyue looked at him in disbelief.

"Father, this will cause my brothers to fight each other and kill one another!!"

“I know!” The man on the dragon throne nodded calmly and continued, “They were born into royalty; this is their destiny, their mission, and their final destination.”

"At any point more than eight hundred years ago, they might have been brothers and sisters!"

"But in this day and age, they had no choice, I had no choice, nobody had a choice!"

Hearing these words, Ji Mingyue looked at the man on the dragon throne with a shocked expression, as if she were meeting him for the first time.

"Little Seventeen, you have to find a way for yourself! Your father can't protect you forever!" the man said again.

“Father, someone will protect me!” Ji Mingyue said.

At this moment, a look of anger appeared on the face of the man on the dragon throne.

Listening to Ji Mingyue's earnest words, he felt as if the precious jewel in his palm had been snatched away at that moment.

"Is this the Jiangning you mentioned before?"

“It’s him!” Ji Mingyue nodded.

"Very well, I'd like to see what he's capable of to protect you!" The man on the dragon throne suppressed his anger and did not lash out.

After saying this, he dismissed Ji Mingyue.

After a while.

"let's start!"

The man's voice, emanating from the dragon throne, traveled through the special veil shrouded in starlight.

Upon hearing this, the chief examiner in charge of the martial arts examination immediately issued a command.

Thump—thump thump—thump thump thump—

At this moment, the war drums on the training ground changed from gentle to rapid.

The drumbeats grew louder, like spring thunder exploding continuously over the capital.

the other side.

The rest area for martial arts performers.

"It's starting!" Yan Youjiao stood beside Jiang Ning, looking at a corner of the training ground, clenched his fist, and looked excited.

"All martial arts performers, please enter the arena!"

Just then, a burly man in gleaming armor walked over.

Jiang Ning glanced at his armor and immediately recognized him: a captain.

He was in the same grade as Yan Youjiao's father.

However, the two are completely different in status.

Commandant Yan was the highest-ranking military officer in Dongling County, and he could command the troops of the entire county. It would not be an exaggeration to say that his power was immense.

However, the captain in front of him was from the capital, a capital where officials of the third rank were everywhere.

In a place like this, if you throw a brick at random, the person it hits might be someone with a higher rank than a captain.

At this moment, upon hearing the words of this captain...

The martial arts students immediately stood up and showed their newly distributed identity tokens.

After the captain checked everything, the group left the semi-enclosed lounge.

The moment I stepped out of the lounge.

Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed slightly.

The dazzling sunlight shone on the pale ground of the training ground, reflecting a blinding white light.

The area around the drill ground was filled with deafening noise.

His gaze swept across the four directions, and he saw that there were stands on all four sides of the training ground.

The stands were now full, packed with people as densely packed as an ant colony.

His gaze then fell on the high platform to the north of the training ground.

Because on the high platform to the north of the training ground, there was a familiar figure.

He had met the Eighth Prince Ji Minghao, the Fifth Prince Ji Mingyuan, and the Third Prince who presided over the Lin Yuan Small Meeting.

At the same time, he also saw Ji Mingyue among the princesses.

At that moment, Ji Mingyue saw Jiang Ning and winked at him from a distance. The gloom in her heart vanished instantly upon seeing Jiang Ning.

at the same time.

The man on the dragon throne also glanced over the martial arts area.

Jiangning was immediately identified.

With such a big incident, a portrait of Jiang Ning had already been sent to his study and presented to him.

As he was met with that majestic gaze, Jiang Ning instinctively looked towards the man on the dragon throne.

Covered by a special veil of starlight, the face of the man on the dragon throne appeared extremely blurry.

He knew at a glance that the man on the dragon throne was the supreme ruler and the one in charge of power in the current Great Xia Dynasty.

At this moment, the drumming gradually stopped.

His attention was then drawn to the examiner.

"Chen Cheng, a native of Changning County, is the top martial arts candidate, and is twenty-seven years old!"

The examiner then read the document aloud, and then took the document and the corresponding portrait from his subordinate to compare them again.

"Chen Cheng, is the information correct?" the examiner asked again in a loud voice.

“Correct!” A tall and handsome man nodded slightly.

Xu Zhicheng is twenty-nine years old.

"Correct!"

Pan Chang'an is twenty-eight years old.

"Correct!"

"."

At this moment, the training ground was unusually quiet, with only the conversation between the examiners and the martial arts students, and the occasional exclamation of surprise.

“Mingxin, a native of Jing’an County, is the top martial arts candidate and is twenty-five years old.”

When the examiner announced Mingxin's information, a murmur of discussion immediately arose around the training ground.

"Master Mingxin truly lives up to his reputation as the reincarnation of Buddha, ranking second on the Heavenly Ranking at the young age of twenty-five."

"Of course! Master Mingxin is a Buddhist disciple of our time!"

"If we give Master Mingxin a few more years, will he be able to reach the level of a second-grade Grandmaster?"

"Is that even a question? It's a given! Master Mingxin received the full support of the Vajra Temple. How profound is the Vajra Temple's foundation?"

"."

Amidst the clamor of surrounding discussions, Mingxin clasped his hands together in prayer.

"Correct."

The examiner then continued to verify identities among those below.

All those who achieved top marks in the provincial examinations and obtained the title of martial arts graduate from the thirty-six prefectures of the nine provinces have now gathered at the training ground, and their numbers are not small.

After a while.

"Wan Jianyi, a native of Bashu County, is the top martial arts candidate, and is twenty-eight years old!"

Upon hearing this information, Wan Jianyi's expression shifted slightly.

At twenty-eight years old, she paled in comparison to Mingxin.

He understood how much improvement those three years of age could bring to a prodigy like him.

He was also very clear about his own strength three years ago.

If he were to face his current self with the strength he had three years ago, he would be powerless to fight back.

He knew that if Mingxin, this Buddhist disciple, were to grow for another three years, he would most likely be able to reach the level of a second-grade Grandmaster.

If he had the strength he had back then, he would still be powerless to fight back now.

At this moment, the discussions surrounding Wan Jianyi around the training ground were far fewer than those surrounding Mingxin.

“No mistake!” He saw the examiner’s gaze and calmly uttered those two words.

Another moment passed.

"Jiangning, a native of Dongling County, is the top martial arts candidate, and is nineteen years old!"

Upon hearing this, the entire training ground fell silent.

Then the murmurs of the crowd instantly turned into a deafening uproar.

"Nineteen? Did I hear that right?"

"Brother, you are quite ignorant! This Jiang Xunshi is a true martial arts prodigy in recent years. In less than two years, he has become one of the best among the younger generation."

"What kind of talent does he possess? This is simply terrifying!"

"As the saying goes, 'A great roc rises with the wind in a single day, soaring straight up ninety thousand miles,' this perfectly describes the Dongling County Inspector!"

"These scholars on the field are all prodigies, but now it seems that prodigies are merely the threshold to their level!"

"What do you think his strength would be if we waited another ten years, until he was thirty and participated in the martial arts examination?"

"Then he must be at least a marquis, right?!"

"."

At this moment, the discussion was incredibly noisy.

Wan Jianyi also looked at Jiang Ning with a solemn expression.

Even though he had already received information about Jiangning from other sources, he was still deeply shocked when the examiner confirmed it.

At nineteen, not yet twenty, she had reached the point of competing against him.

Such talent is astonishing.

Even he couldn't imagine it for the time being.

This is ten times his talent, and what kind of extraordinary person is he?

The current number one on the Heavenly Ranking can be called the number one person of the younger generation!
(End of this chapter)