I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 316 Regent
"This is Sun Wangbei, the top student of this year's Martial Academy. He is twenty years old this year and has a cultivation level at the peak of the first rank."

The accompanying official kindly introduced them to Chen Ming.

At the peak of one's first rank at the age of twenty.

This is absolutely the most exceptional talent in the world.

Within the Great Jin Dynasty, at least among the nobles, no one could compare to him.

Chen Ming glanced at the young man and said, "I am the Prince of Linjiang, Sun Wangbei, right? You have good aptitude."

He spoke these words with a condescending attitude, both in terms of status and power. He was not on the same level as this young man.

It's like looking at a junior.

This attitude naturally drew a lot of angry stares.

Sun Wangbei remained calm and said, "I've heard you're the strongest among the younger generation in the Great Jin Dynasty. Do you dare to challenge me in the Martial God Hall?"

"Be bold!"

Before Chen Ming could reply, the official had already reprimanded him, "This is the Prince of Linjiang, you must not be rude."

Then he said to Chen Ming, "Young man, you are arrogant and ignorant. I hope Your Highness will not take it to heart."

Chen Ming could naturally see that while he appeared to be reprimanding, he was actually defending him. He smiled and said, "Young people, it's good that they have spirit. I also want to see your country's Martial God Temple. As long as your country's Regent approves, I will definitely give it a try."

Sun Wangbei said, "Okay. I'll wait for you."

At this moment, the palace gates finally opened.

The delegation first entered the palace gates.

……

The architectural style of Southern Chu was very different from that of the Great Jin Dynasty, and even the imperial palace was quite different.

The imperial palace of the Great Jin Dynasty is simple and grand, and it is clear that it has a long history.

The palace of Southern Chu was magnificent, with many ingenious designs that were breathtaking.

Tai Shi Hall was the main hall for the Southern Chu court assemblies.

Following proper etiquette between nations, Chen Ming exchanged greetings and then presented the official letter to the regent of Southern Chu.

The system of Southern Chu was completely different from that of the Great Jin.

It is said that ever since "Prime Minister Wen" took office, the emperor of Southern Chu has become virtually a figurehead. "Prime Minister Wen" held supreme military and political power, while the emperor retreated to the background.

After the "Minister of Literature" stepped down, his successor became the Regent, and as the name suggests, the Regent was the ruler of the country.

At that time, outside of Southern Chu, everyone in the world thought that Southern Chu would soon witness a scene of abdication and a change of dynasty. As it turned out, almost a hundred years had passed, and several regents had come and gone, yet the throne of Southern Chu remained in the same family.

It's quite amazing.

This time, Chen Ming came as an envoy of the Great Jin Dynasty to meet the emperor of Southern Chu. However, he did not meet the emperor of Southern Chu.

The emperor sat behind a curtain, which blocked his view, making it impossible for him to see clearly.

He met the true ruler of the country, the regent Lin Chengfeng.

This Lin Chengfeng looked to be in his forties, with a dignified appearance, and seemed like an ordinary person. But when he received the letter of credence, the look in his eyes made Chen Ming freeze, as if there were no secrets hidden beneath those eyes.

He lowered his head, trying to control his thoughts and prevent them from wandering, lest any impending thoughts be caught and reveal his secret.

Throughout the history of the Southern Chu, all the regents were from the lineage of the "Wenxiang" (literary minister), who was said to have a clear mind and could see through everything.

One must be very careful around such people.

Lin Chengfeng had a eunuch deliver the official letter to the emperor, and said with a smile, "I am aware of the purpose of Prince Linjiang's visit. This matter is of great importance and needs to be discussed with the court officials. I ask Prince Linjiang to wait patiently for a few days. His Majesty has prepared a banquet in the palace to entertain Your Highness. Please."

……

At the state banquet, Chen Ming finally met the emperor of Southern Chu, who was in his thirties and exuded an air of scholarly refinement.

The emperor was neither warm nor cold towards him, but rather businesslike, discussing trivial matters.

Chen Ming took the opportunity to ask about the expedition to the Martial God Temple.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Southern Chu declared that anyone could attend the Temple of Martial Gods, regardless of their background or nationality.

After receiving a positive reply, Chen Ming decided to venture into the legendary Temple of the Martial God.

The state banquet ended without any major incident.

Chen Ming and several key officials left the palace and returned to the mission's residence.

Back at their post, the official from the Court of State Ceremonial sighed, "This emperor of Southern Chu is truly unfathomable. Is he really content to be a puppet emperor?"

The way they're saying this makes it sound like they have the ability to make the emperor eliminate powerful ministers and regain power.

No matter who is in that position, no matter how ambitious they are, they have no other choice but to lie low and pretend.

This isn't Earth, where you can train a bunch of eunuchs to take down powerful officials.

Even the intelligence department of the Six Doors didn't know how high Lin Chengfeng's true cultivation level was; they only wrote that he was suspected to be at the Life Palace Realm.

This person was already at the peak of the Divine Treasury realm before becoming regent. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he has definitely broken through to the Life Palace realm.

Such a powerful being, even if the entire delegation attacked together, couldn't stop him from even a single finger.

Another official said, "I see that the Southern Chu court has no intention of sending troops to attack our Great Jin. It's truly fortunate."

Chen Ming did not participate in their discussion. He returned to his room, closed the door, sat cross-legged on the bed, and silently recited three times, "Daoist Wangchenzi."

Suddenly, a wisp of consciousness traversed space and arrived at a strange place.

It was the cave dwelling of Daoist Wangchenzi.

However, after he broke through to the Yang God realm, his divine sense underwent a qualitative change, and he was able to sense some of the wonders of this cave.

"Yang Shen?"

When the old Taoist saw him appear, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face. "You actually broke through to the Yang God realm? This is simply unbelievable!"

A few months ago, this kid had just come into contact with cultivation methods, and in less than half a year, he has actually reached the Yang Shen level?
Such speed is truly unbelievable and unheard of.

Since ancient times, no one has ever been known to cultivate at such a rapid pace.

Let alone a first-grade martial artist, even a martial artist at the Divine Treasure Realm who embarks on the path of cultivation could not possibly progress this quickly.

This is simply unbelievable. It can't be explained by talent alone.

The old Taoist priest murmured, "How did you manage to do that?"

Chen Ming said, "I just had some good fortune. Daoist, please don't say that, I'm scared."

The old Taoist priest let out a long sigh and said, "You always surprise me when you come here. Tell me, what brings you here this time?"

He was a knowledgeable and experienced person, and quickly adjusted his mindset, asking about the important matter at hand.

Chen Ming asked, "Is there any danger at the Martial God Temple in Southern Chu?"

"Southern Chu? You've arrived in Southern Chu?"

“Indeed, the northern kingdoms are about to invade our Great Jin, so His Majesty sent me as an envoy to Southern Chu to establish an alliance.” “This is unnecessary,” the old Taoist priest shook his head and said, “As long as the ruler of Great Jin is still alive, Southern Chu will never send troops to attack Great Jin.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming became interested. "Who is the person you're referring to, senior?"

The old Taoist stroked his white beard and said, "Now that you have broken through to the Yang Shen realm, you should know some secrets. Do you know why the Southern Chu suddenly withdrew its troops after annihilating the elite forces of the Great Jin a hundred years ago?"

"I heard that a Celestial-level expert intervened and stopped the million-strong army of Southern Chu."

“How could an ordinary celestial being possibly withstand Wen Xiang? That man is an invincible being in the mortal realm. A hundred years ago, Wen Xiang had already stepped one foot into the realm of creation. Logically speaking, apart from the number one city in the world, no one else in the world could rival him. But on that day, he was still stabbed by a sword and had to retreat. It was only after that incident that everyone realized that behind the Great Jin Dynasty stood such a powerful figure.”

Chen Ming exclaimed in surprise, "The Great Jin Dynasty has such a powerful backer? How could it have fallen to such a state?"

The old Taoist priest said, "No one knows what that person is thinking. Before the Great Jin's elite forces were wiped out, this person never appeared. Over the years, he only made a move once. After that, he never appeared again. Perhaps, only when the Great Jin is facing a life-or-death crisis will that person make a move."

Chen Ming asked with great interest, "What do you think that person's background is?"

The old Taoist priest said, "Actually, it's not hard to guess. In the Great Jin Dynasty, there aren't many forces that don't want to see the Great Jin Dynasty perish. In my opinion, this person is most likely related to the Great Jin royal family."

Chen Ming then asked, "Why are you so certain that this person is invincible among mortals?"

"This one should not have existed in this world."

"What does it mean?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head, offering no explanation, and steered the conversation back to the topic, "The Martial God Temple is quite mystical; as long as you are inside, the martial arts techniques you use will be recorded."

"What about the cultivation method?"

"Unless you voluntarily hand over your cultivation technique to the Martial God Temple, you don't need to worry about the Martial God Temple deducing the cultivation technique you practice. They don't have that ability yet."

"I can rest assured that."

Just as Chen Ming was about to leave, the old Taoist priest suddenly asked, "Did the Heavenly Dao Alliance send anyone to Southern Chu this time?"

"The Taoist priest is truly a prophet."

"Every time the Martial God Temple opens, the Heavenly Dao Alliance sends its most outstanding disciples of that generation to Southern Chu to compete against the Martial Academy's experts. If you have the opportunity to observe this battle, it will greatly benefit you."

Chen Ming asked curiously, "Does the Heavenly Dao Alliance have a grudge against the Martial Academy?"

"It's more than just a grudge. That Minister Wen was originally a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Alliance."

"what?"

Chen Ming was taken aback; he hadn't expected to stumble upon such a juicy piece of gossip.

The extraordinary man, hailed as a once-in-a-millennium genius in the records of the Six Doors, was actually a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Alliance.

Doesn't that mean he was originally from the Great Jin Dynasty? Yet he went to the Southern Chu to become prime minister, and later led the Southern Chu army to wipe out the elite forces of the Great Jin Dynasty.

There must be a moving story behind this.

The old Taoist priest said, "Back then, when Wen Xiang was still a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, he, like your friend, fell into the tribulation of love and switched to cultivating the methods of love. In order to avoid the punishment of the Heavenly Dao Alliance, he fled to Southern Chu. Later, he transformed himself into the prime minister of Southern Chu."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming suddenly understood why Chang Yunshan had brought Su Zhining to Southern Chu.

When "Wen Xiang" switched to cultivating the path of compassion, he was still able to break through step by step to the half-step Creation Realm, becoming one of the strongest in the world. That would definitely be able to resolve the hidden dangers of the "Heavenly Heart Technique".

……

After Chen Ming's consciousness returned to reality, he thought for a moment and decided to go find Su Zhining.

She also lived within the mission's premises, in a secluded courtyard.

It was already dark when he knocked on the door and heard her voice from inside, "Come in."

He pushed open the door and entered, where he saw Su Zhining sitting cross-legged inside.

She opened her eyes and asked, "Your Highness, what brings you here so late at night?"

"I have something I'd like to ask Miss Su."

"what's up?"

"Before setting off, I looked through a lot of information in the Six Doors and read a statement that said that the Minister of Literature was actually from the Heavenly Dao Alliance."

"Yes, that's true."

"So, young lady, you've come here to resolve this matter of your karmic entanglement?"

Su Zhining looked at him with bright eyes and said, "Although my master didn't say it explicitly, that's probably what he meant. However, the Martial Academy made a request: they want me to challenge the Martial God Hall. If I can pass the 20th floor, they will let me borrow Wen Xiang's notes."

Twentieth floor?
This condition can be described as quite demanding.

The Martial God Hall has a total of forty-nine floors. Normally, a first-rank martial artist can only reach the ninth floor at most. Once they reach the tenth floor, it becomes beyond the capabilities of a first-rank martial artist.

Over the years, very few people have been able to pass the tenth level of the First Grade.

The twentieth floor was practically a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for her.

Chen Ming said, "They are making things difficult for you."

Su Zhining said, "I know, but even if the chances are slim, I will still give it a try."

“Perfect timing, I also want to try my luck at the Martial God Temple, why don’t we join forces?”

The rules of the Temple of Martial Gods are very flexible; you can go alone or in a team.

However, the more people there are, the more difficult the task will naturally be adjusted accordingly.

When two people work together, the difficulty is not as simple as one plus one.

Su Zhining looked at him with some surprise. She wanted to refuse, but for some reason, the words on her lips changed. "Since Your Highness has invited me, then I shall respectfully accept."

"Well, see you tomorrow."

Tomorrow is the opening day of the Temple of Martial God.

Su Zhining watched his departing figure and fell into deep thought.

The speed at which this Prince of Linjiang has risen to power is unprecedented in history. Last time, even Master Chang, after meeting him, said he couldn't see through this young man. Not only does he possess great fortune, but he also likely harbors a great secret.

The Heavenly Alliance has always kept its distance from such people.

Logically, she should have refused. But for some reason, she agreed, which stemmed from the influence of the "Heavenly Heart Mantra".

Su Zhining knew very well that with her current strength, there was no way she could reach the twentieth floor of the Martial God Temple.

Even ordinary Divine Realm cultivators would find it difficult to break through to the twentieth level.

Since that's the case, why not team up with him and see if this Prince of Linjiang, who once created miracles, can create another one?

Su Zhining thought of Chen Ming, whose fate was unknown, and a surge of emotions welled up in her heart.

Normally, she would have to suppress these feelings at this time.

However, she did not do that, but instead let that feeling spread and impact her heart.

Suddenly, Chen Ming's face slowly overlapped with that of the Prince of Linjiang...

(End of this chapter)