Starting from the Greyhound, seventy-two changes.

The garden where the young princess Guan Hongluan lived was named "Changchun Garden". Its rockery and pond potted plants all imitated the gentle style of southern architecture. The scenery was pleasant and the residents felt relaxed and happy.

It is said that several decades ago, a royal relative who was highly valued by the emperor came here to inspect the border. The local county magistrate spent a huge amount of money and more than a year to build this huge garden.

There are dozens of pavilions and towers in the garden. Even ordinary people who take a look at them from afar will feel fear and awe in their hearts.

Only a princess from a marquisate like Guan Hongluan could live here without causing criticism from anyone.

"Ling'er, where did you go this time?"

After practicing martial arts, Guan Hongluan was sweating all over, but she did not take a shower first. Instead, she looked at the peacock on her wrist that had been fed with elixirs, frowned and asked with concern:
"Are the poisonous insects in Snake Fish Town really so delicious that they make you forget about home?"

The colorful peacock chirped and blinked.

"Well, it's good that you're back. But I've suffered a loss this time. You must stay in the garden for a month. As for those poisonous insects, I'll have people catch some for you in the garden. You can prey on them as you like."

After Guan Hongluan finished speaking, she handed the five-colored peacock to the maid and said:

"I'm going to take a shower. It's a good time. Send someone to find Master Tang and tell him that Ling'er has been found. He doesn't need to look for her anymore. Ask him to come back soon."

"Yes."

While Guan Hongluan went downstairs to take a bath, Chen Ku transformed into a five-colored peacock and began to fly around in the garden, taking the opportunity to look at the layout of the entire garden and the number of masters.

After this inspection, I was secretly shocked:

"As expected of the Marquis' Mansion of Hanshou County, the true 'lord of a county'. There are more than ten guards responsible for her safety, all of whom are at least at the fourth level, and there are even three fifth level warriors. This is a royal family, a noble family, no wonder they can feed fourth level elixirs to their pets like candy beans."

Chen Ku felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden. He finally realized what it meant to be 'more noble than wealthy'. There were quite a few rich people in Baojiao County, but no matter how rich they were, they could never cultivate a large number of masters of this level, nor the aristocratic temperament of Guan Hongluan.

"Especially the sword technique she just displayed, it is indeed a peerless martial art. This level of martial arts cannot be found even in Baojiao County, but she seems to have practiced a complete set..."

It was when Chen Ku was patrolling the garden in the form of a five-colored peacock.

Suddenly, he felt something in his mind and saw a tall and thin figure wearing a mask, walking slowly with his hands behind his back outside the white wall corridor of Changchun Garden.

It's just that these two eyes looked at each other.

I felt an involuntary shock in my heart and felt an instinctive sense of oppression.

"Master! Great master!"

Chen Ku shouted in his heart:

"The feeling this masked man gives me is no less than that of the tall old man flying in the sky and Grandmaster Qin Yuxian. Could it be... he is also at the seventh level?"

It subconsciously moved a little further away from the masked man.

Unexpectedly, after the other party entered the garden and saw it, he sighed helplessly and said, "You peacock, you have been out for three days and I am so tired looking for you. I am glad that you are okay."

Otherwise, with Princess Hongluan's doting on her, who knows if she would turn Baojiao County upside down.

But at this time.

"Master Tang is back."

A phoenix-like voice came from the inner courtyard. Chen Ku turned around and saw Guan Hongluan, who had already bathed and changed her clothes. She was wearing a plain white dress with a nine-colored dress over it. She was surprised:

"Isn't that the Nine-Colored Deer I hunted? I bought it and made clothes for her. This is also fate."

Then Guan Hongluan came out and waved to the peacock. Chen Ku had no choice but to fly over and land on the other's shoulder.

Guan Hongluan touched the five-colored peacock feathers and said apologetically to the masked man: "Ling'er is tired and Master Tang is easy to find."

"It's not a big deal. In the past three days, in addition to looking for Ling'er, I also asked someone to get a 'Martial Arts Golden Token' for the princess from the Martial Temple."

The masked man said:
"There are only more than 20 days left before the martial arts exam. Make some preparations in advance. If you can't make a breakthrough by then, you will have to go to the martial arts world." Guan Hongluan took the martial arts golden order and said, "That's the only way."

Chen Ku looked at the Martial Arts Golden Token in Guan Hongluan's hand and thought, "This princess also has a Martial Arts Golden Token, but I don't know what the rules of the trial in the Martial Arts World will be. Is she going to fight against her?"

Just today, he watched from afar the princess's swordsmanship and cultivation, and found that she had already reached the peak of the fourth realm, and had also practiced a peerless martial arts sword technique. At the same time, he didn't know how many life-saving items she had on her. If he ran into her... In the Martial Temple Competition, what were her chances of winning without killing anyone?
Just as Chen Ku was thinking about this question in his heart.

The masked man took out another scroll from his bosom and said, "There is also this thing. It contains the defenders and rewards for defeating five levels in the Martial Temple of Qiulong Mansion, as well as some strategies for attacking the levels summarized by those who have entered the Martial Temple."

"I have heard."

Guan Hongluan took it, opened the scroll, and said:
"It is said that the defenders of the martial arts world are not fixed. Just like the test papers for the literary examination, which martial arts gods are arranged to participate in the arena is a secret. Master Tang was able to get such a thing. It must have taken a lot of thought."

"This was actually sent by the Marquis."

The masked man said slowly:
"Whether it's a civil or military exam, the rules are there to constrain ordinary people. The secrets of the defenders are considered secrets to ordinary people and ordinary noble families, but to the Marquis, it's just a matter of opening your mouth. Although you won't get all the test questions, it's not difficult to get some information about the defenders."

Chen Ku listened to these two people discussing the test questions in the Martial Temple without paying attention to the people around them. They were completely preparing for an 'open book test'. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Are those with power and influence so arrogant?
As expected, cheating in the imperial examinations was very common in all dynasties, especially among high-ranking officials.

Although he thought so in his heart, Peacock Head looked honestly at the scroll in Guan Hongluan's hand.

"The Nine Yang True Pill that the princess needs is at the defender of the fifth level. It is said that the Martial Temple has prepared three Nine Yang True Pills at the fifth level to be awarded to the top three. As long as the princess defeats him in advance, she will have a chance to get it."

The masked person Guan Hongluan gave a detailed explanation:
"According to the information on the scroll, the location of the fifth level is northwest of the first level of the Martial Temple, in a deep valley called 'Shen Jing Peak'. The defender is called Tie Tou Tuo. He was originally a monk who broke his vows in the 'Hanging Temple', a sacred place of Buddhism in Youzhou. He was expelled from the Hanging Temple because he secretly learned the first three levels of the sacred place's peerless martial arts 'Immortal Golden Body'. He then wandered around the world, relying on his indestructible body. No one could stop him. Fortunately, Master Bu Jue came down the mountain and joined forces with Qiu Long City God. He finally took him in and imprisoned him in the Martial Temple as a defender."

"The Immortal Golden Body." Guan Hongluan frowned and said, "It's not easy to break."

"It's not easy for ordinary people to crack it, but you have Ling'er by your side, so you have a chance. At the same time... the scroll also records that because the Iron-headed monk's [Indestructible Golden Body] only reached the first three levels, although it can withstand the attacks of the fifth-level masters, there are still several flaws. The scroll only gives a rough guess that they are in the three locations of the armpit, the navel, and the soft ribs."

The masked man said:
"The princess can then use Ling'er to protect herself and use the Dragon-Subduing Demon-Refining Sword to attack its weakness. She will have a 70% chance of passing the test and getting the elixir."

Chen Ku listened to the contents of the scroll and couldn't help but be shocked.

Not only were the detailed exam contents revealed, but even the strategy guide was written out. This was really not just bullying for others who were taking the exam at the same time.

"Fortunately, I saw it too, and they can't bully me."

Guan Hongluan noticed the five-colored peacock's curious movements and couldn't help but touch its colorful tail feathers. She smiled and said, "Did you hear that? I need to get the Nine Suns True Pill to break through the fifth level, and I need your help!"

The colorful peacock blinked.

Guan Hongluan continued to look down at the scroll, which contained information about five arena masters, as well as some attack strategies. She could not help but read out the names and locations of these people softly:

"In the pavilion of Endless Valley, the little barbarian king Huhar is good at using the 'Wolf Fang Thousand Nail Club'. He has foreign blood in his body and can fall into a violent state. You need to prepare Qingxin Powder or Xingshen Incense to challenge him. If you pass the level, you can get a drop of 'Barbarian Crazy Blood'..."

"In Baihua Valley, there is a golden-armored centipede. Its two teeth are extremely poisonous and it is invulnerable to swords and spears. To challenge it, you need to prepare at least four levels of detoxification pills. If you pass the level, you will get a famous soldier-level 'golden armor wristband'..."

……

Guan Hongluan looked at the five arena locations and the defenders' information on the scroll and couldn't help but sigh:
"I heard that the martial arts world is the 'cave world' opened up by the emperor in ancient times. It is like a dragon's nest, extending from the largest top floor of the central Longjing City to the provinces, states, prefectures and counties. There are five levels in total, and each level has nine rings, which is the meaning of 'nine fives'. Even the world inside the martial arts temple in a county is hundreds of thousands of miles in radius. It is a 'small world' that is exactly the same as the reality. Not only are there monsters and demons in reality, but there are also all kinds of strange people living in it. It is extremely vast. If you want to explore opportunities in such a huge martial arts world, without such key clues and roads, I am afraid that even if you get the martial arts golden order, you will just get lost and walk around in it, and you won't even know where the hidden ring is."

Chen Ku listened to these words and agreed with them deeply in his heart.

The masked man smiled and said, "The martial arts world was originally used to test people. Those who can enter the martial arts world are all recognized by the relevant people in the martial arts temple. It is to cultivate people who can become "martial arts generals" in the future. Not only their strength is considered, but also their wisdom, luck, etc. After all, martial arts practice is like walking in the rivers and lakes. You can't just use your fists to conquer the world. You also need to pay attention to military tactics and strategies, and adapt to local conditions. Only in this way can you cultivate a powerful pillar of the country. Therefore, the old guys in the martial arts temple are no different from the old guys in the Confucian temple. They all try their best to give students difficult questions in the test questions and set up hidden levels. The test is about things other than martial arts."

"That's true." Guan Hongluan nodded.

Under the system of merit and nobility of the Daji Dynasty, after a military man passed the examination to become a military student, he would be considered to have achieved merit and become a future reserve officer of the court.

The ninth rank is Wusheng, the eighth rank is Wuxiucai, the seventh rank is Wujuren, the sixth rank is Wuzongshi, the fifth rank is Wujinshi, the fourth rank is Wujiangjun, the third rank is Wuhou, the second rank is Wuwang, and the first rank is Wuzhuguo.

This is a very long road to promotion in the martial arts examination.

Before becoming a Jinshi, it was just an honorary title. Although it was equivalent to the fifth rank, it had no real power. However, if one could pass the Jinshi exam, it was equivalent to selecting twenty "best generals of the time" through the national imperial examination. They could be given "military power" with confidence, and from then on, they would become "generals" guarding a region, with tens of thousands of troops under their command. Later, if they could expand the territory, they could be granted a title of nobility. (End of this chapter)