I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 284 Unparalleled Military Talent
Inside the Qianyuan Hall, there was complete silence.

Everyone looked up at the curtain hanging above them. Chen Ming, who had fought his way through the seventh floor and successfully reached the eighth floor, was so shocked that he was speechless.

The emperor stared blankly, his hand holding the wine cup trembling slightly, unaware that he had spilled the wine. His face showed excitement, bewilderment, and exhilaration.

For the first time in five hundred years since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, someone has climbed to the eighth floor of the Pagoda of Merit.

Before this, only two people had ever gone up to the seventh floor.

Both of them were unparalleled geniuses, appearing only once every few centuries, and were already first-rank figures before the age of thirty. Later, they both became pillars of the Great Jin Dynasty, leaving behind a significant legacy.

This Gu Xianyu is only a second-rank cultivator, yet he actually cleared the seventh level?
This is an unparalleled military genius!
The emperor's eyes were shining.

……

"This—how is this possible?"

Among the high-ranking officials present were many generals who had fought on the battlefield. They felt that Gu Xianyu's abilities were not particularly outstanding, so why was he able to create miracles time and time again and achieve feats that others would not even dare to dream of?

I can't figure it out, I can't figure it out at all.

Among them, the oldest man suddenly said, "This is what they call when the time is right and heaven and earth lend their strength."

That statement revealed the truth.

However, many people felt it wasn't that simple; this was a trial at the Tower of Merit, specifically designed to assess the military skills of young people.

It's not like real life, how could such a coincidence happen?
Gu Xianyu's various peculiar actions must have a deeper meaning.

……

The most unconvinced were naturally Wang Jinhu and his two companions. Looking at the amazing things Gu Xianyu did in the trial, they thought to themselves, "It's so simple. If it were me, I could do it too."

In their view, the kid's success was mostly due to luck.

At this moment, Gu Xianyu's ranking had already surpassed all of them, leaving them far behind with a precipitous lead.

When he successfully fought his way through the seventh floor and reached the eighth floor, they were all numb.

I just can't understand how he managed to clear the seventh level and accomplish such an unprecedented feat.

From this day forward, the name Gu Xianyu will be remembered by many future generations.

I wonder if anyone will be able to break this record in the future.

They only regret that the person wasn't themselves.

……

"Fifth Uncle, he... he's reached the eighth floor..."

At the seat in the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, Gu Yurong appeared dazed, her voice trembling slightly, as if she were in a dream. She didn't even call him Xiao Qi anymore.

The eighth floor of the Pagoda of Merit!
A member of the Duke of Jingguo's family actually climbed to the eighth floor of the Tower of Merit, becoming the first person to do so since the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty!
"I saw it."

Gu Haochuan's voice was a little hoarse. He was expressionless, but his hands were clenched tightly, and his eyes showed a strong sense of doubt.

There was also a hint of unease.

He had a feeling that things were completely out of his control.

That kid actually made it to the eighth floor!
He himself would not have believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes.

What kind of person did I find for the Gu family to be the imposter of the seventh brother?

Gu Zhengshan stared wide-eyed, muttering, "Master, I remember, once you reach the eighth level, you can be directly granted a marquis title, right?"

The rule established by the founding emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty was that anyone who could reach the fifth level during the trial at the Ghost Festival banquet would be granted a noble title. With each subsequent level ascended, the title would rise one rank.

Upon reaching the eighth level, one can be directly granted the title of Marquis.

This is the only way to gain merit and titles in peacetime without having to participate in battles.

However, in the past five hundred years, not many people have been able to obtain a title in this way.

This means that if that kid comes out of the Tower of Merit now, he can be directly granted the title of Marquis, only one rank lower than a Duke.

It should be noted that our ancestor followed Emperor Taizu in conquering the world, risking his life and making countless contributions. Only after establishing the dynasty did he obtain the hereditary title of Duke.

This kid only needed to pass one trial to be directly granted the title of Marquis.

Gu Haochuan's face betrayed no emotion, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Yes. From now on, when we see him, we'll have to address him as Lord Marquis."

Gu Yurong noticed Gu Zhengshan's hostility towards his seventh brother and reminded him, "This is a good thing. The Gu family has produced such a talented person, shining brightly today. He will surely be highly valued by His Majesty in the future. The Gu family may even prosper because of him!"

Gu Zhengshan's face twitched. He thought to himself, "The problem is, this kid is an imposter!"

He lowered his head, not daring to let the young lady see the expression on his face.

Looking at "Gu Xianyu" on the screen, Gu Haochuan said softly, "Yu Rong is right. Perhaps, in the future, we can all benefit from Xiao Qi's success."

……

it's over...

Of all those present, the most panicked was Madam Xia. She felt a chill run down her spine as she realized things were starting to turn sour.

Gu Xianyu was originally just a legitimate son of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion. He was exceptionally talented, but that was all. Without ten years of experience and accumulation, he could not have risen to a high position.

Currently, he is still considered an insignificant figure.

Of course, this was an hour ago.

Now, this kid has climbed to the eighth floor of the Tower of Merit, instantly becoming the most dazzling figure in the entire Great Jin Dynasty.

Afterwards, the Emperor will surely receive him.

She didn't even want to imagine the consequences if he were to lose his temper and reveal that he and Yan'er had already gone through the wedding ceremony.

Would the emperor be furious? And might it even implicate his entire family?
Madam Xia grew increasingly frightened; this was a crime of deceiving the emperor!

Suddenly, a large hand grasped her hand that was tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, and her husband Xia Shaowen's voice rang in her ears, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

She glanced at her husband, and her heart calmed down a little. Then she turned to look at her daughter, who was holding her heart in her hands, her eyes fixed on her son, her face showing both worry and pride, and her eyes glistening with tears.

Ugh--

She sighed silently.

How did things come to this point?
……

Inside the Tower of Merit, Chen Ming knew that the Nine Nether Demon Lord was determined to protect him, so he simply let loose and started doing all sorts of crazy things.

Now that he has become a prince in a chaotic world, he naturally cannot miss the classic event of capturing two kings in one battle and the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

In the end, he defeated his enemies, as well as his incompetent father and the weak crown prince, successfully ascended the throne, pacified the world, and made the Great Wei Dynasty great again.

That's right, this history is exactly what actually happened at the end of the previous dynasty.

At that time, Emperor Taizu of the Great Jin Dynasty had not yet risen to power, and those who rebelled were mostly those who were the vanguard of the king.

If there really were a prince who could wipe out all the rebels in the land, then naturally the Great Jin Dynasty would have nothing to do with it.

Even a superhuman hero descending from the heavens wouldn't be able to turn the tide in this hellish dungeon. This is because the entire plot development within the Tower of Merit is controlled by that old bastard, the Nine Nether Demon Lord. Only then could such a thing happen.

Then, he successfully reached the ninth floor.

His identity became that of the last emperor of the Great Wei, and outside the capital, the Great Jin army had already surrounded the city.

At this moment, the capital city had only 100,000 soldiers fit for battle. This was a war that would be recorded in great detail in the history of the Great Jin Dynasty. It was this battle that made the Great Wei Dynasty a thing of the past, and the Great Emperor Taizu of the Great Jin Dynasty took over the crown and established a new dynasty.

"If we could turn things around, nobody would believe it, right?"

Chen Ming couldn't help but shake his head after seeing it.

Suddenly, the voice of the Nine Nether Demon Lord rang in his ears, "Actually, Emperor Qingde wasn't entirely without a chance. This capital city is impregnable. If that true dragon hadn't betrayed him, Ji Wanzhou might not have been able to breach this royal city."

Real dragon?

He said thoughtfully, "So, all I need to do is convince that real dragon?"

"Not only that, we also need to win over a power."

"what?"

"Emperor Qingde's empress gave birth to a son a few years ago, but the Great Wei Dynasty already has a crown prince."

Chen Ming was also quite curious about this period of history and asked, "Which power did this empress come from? Was she very powerful?"

"There's a celestial palace behind her, isn't that amazing?"

"Immortal Mansion?"

He was taken aback when he heard this. "Does Senior mean that the Empress of Emperor Qingde is not from this world?"

The so-called Immortal Abode is actually a secret realm of a higher level!
Could it be that creatures from the secret realm can also come to the human world?
This news is quite explosive.

The Nine Nether Demon Lord chuckled and said, "Without the support of a celestial abode, how could these emperors contend with the major sects and powerful clans of the world? Throughout history, almost every emperor's empress came from a celestial abode. The Great Jin Dynasty is no exception."

It turns out to be like this!
Chen Ming suddenly realized why the Empress Dowager was so powerful; even though the Emperor wasn't her biological son, he couldn't defeat her. It turned out she had a celestial abode behind her.

Therefore, in the power structure of the dynasties in this world, the one that provides military support is the immortal palace represented by the empress.

Without the protection of the Immortal Abode, as a deterrent force, any unparalleled expert in the world could easily storm into the palace and take the emperor's head if they were displeased.

After all, the royal family cannot guarantee that a top-tier expert will emerge in every generation. Moreover, what if an ambitious individual arises who also wants to sit on the throne? That would quickly descend into chaos, with the strongest army ruling as king. A dynasty cannot last long.

However, there is still a question here. Chen Ming asked, "If the Immortal Mansion is so powerful, why doesn't it just usurp the throne and become emperor itself?"

Instead of answering, the Nine Nether Demon Lord asked, "Boy, let me ask you, if you had to choose between being an emperor and achieving immortality, which would you choose?"

Without a second thought, Chen Ming replied, "Of course, it's immortality."

What’s good about being an emperor?
"The lords of those immortal abodes think the same way."

"Does Senior mean that those celestial abodes have already attained immortality? If they were to become emperors, they would have to give up immortality?"

"That's roughly the idea. Alright, you should get started. The people outside are getting impatient."

After the Nine Nether Demon Lord finished speaking, he fell silent.

"..."

Chen Ming thought to himself, "The trials here are indeed visible to those outside."

Now that he knew the key to it, he took action. He first went underground to meet the real dragon, and after making some promises, he managed to appease the dragon.

Then, the crown prince was deposed, and the empress's legitimate son was made the new crown prince.

Then, he went to the city wall and stood with the soldiers to the death, which greatly boosted their morale.

After taking various measures, the situation was finally stabilized.

What followed was a long battle of siege and defense.

After nearly a year, the loyalist army finally arrived. (Of course, these plot points are all fast-forwarded).

The siege of Beijing has finally been lifted.

With this, the ninth floor has been cleared.

At this moment, the voice of the Nine Nether Demon Lord rang out again, "Boy, you have become the first person to clear the nine levels of the Tower of Merit. This is a gift for you, and I believe you will like it."

"Thank you for your kindness, senior."

I thank your ancestors for eight generations.

Chen Ming smiled.

He originally just wanted to get a decent grade, enough to give the Gu family an explanation. He planned to slip away later.

Now that's great, they've broken the record, and now they can't help but become famous.

If it were just the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, he would be confident that he could escape the capital; he could simply change his identity then.

Now, he's suddenly in the spotlight, with countless eyes watching him. Escaping the capital will probably be difficult for him.

……

After Chen Ming left the Tower of Merit, the Nine Nether Demon Lord went to the deepest part of the tower, where there was a cell with a person imprisoned.

The person looked exactly like him, except that his eyes glowed purple. "You actually came to see me? Let me guess, is it because of me?"

The Nine Nether Demon Lord didn't waste any words with him and asked, "Do you want to go out?"

The man laughed and said, "I knew you would release me one day. After all, you can't kill me, so you can only keep me locked up, which also ties up more than half of the power of the Nine Nether Tower."

The Nine Nether Demon Lord said calmly, "I can let you out, but I have one condition: you must erase all memories of me."

Back when he was still weak, he was possessed by a wisp of the Undying Demon Lord's spirit and controlled by him.

Only after he condensed his primordial embryo was he finally able to sever the wisp of the Undying Demon Lord's spirit, break free from his control, and imprison it here. More than a thousand years have passed since then.

This wisp of spirit is like his incarnation, knowing all his secrets and trump cards.

He naturally couldn't let that wisp of spirit leave, otherwise he would never be able to contend with the Undying Demon Lord again.

"Do you think that's possible? Anyway, one day you'll let me go. I have plenty of patience. Hahaha..." The man laughed wildly.

The Nine Nether Demon Lord sneered, "Although I cannot destroy you, I know someone who can. I can wait until he grows up and let him completely destroy you. You now have two choices: either erase your memories or disappear completely."

"I am waiting."

"Ignorant of good and evil!"

The Nine Nether Demon Lord turned and left, leaving behind a fragment of his soul—the Undying Demon Lord who looked exactly like him—imprisoned in the deepest part of the Nine Nether Tower.

……

Chen Ming's vision blurred, and he found himself back in the Qianwu Hall. He immediately felt countless gazes cast upon him from all around, several of which made his heart pound with fear.

"Minister Gu!"

At this moment, the man in the dragon robe on the noble dragon throne walked down the steps and walked towards him, his excited expression as if he had seen the lover he had been longing for.

"His Majesty!"

Just as Chen Ming was about to bow, the emperor walked up to him, took his hand, and held it tightly, as if afraid that if he let go, Chen Ming would fly away.

"My dear minister, there is no need for such formalities. From now on, you will not need to kneel when you see me."

"what?"

P.S.: Four thousand words, can that be considered two chapters combined into one?

(End of this chapter)