Martial Arts Crossover: My Wife is the Top Scholar

Bian Mouting, Guan Qi, Ku Mei...

One by one, the cards were revealed and destroyed. The Eight Kings had fewer and fewer cards left in their hands, and they became increasingly powerless. Before they knew it, the special examination had officially begun.

All the candidates entered the examination room and experienced the tense and exciting exam. Everyone quieted down, and the capital city was eerily quiet, as if a storm was about to break.

Li Zhaoting interrogated Bian Mouting in the prison, trying to extract more secrets, including those hidden in Bian Mouting's heart or fleeting images he had seen by chance.

Lu Xiaofeng and Chu Liuxiang are working together to investigate a case.

Feng Suzhen used the alias Feng Shaomin to participate in the exam in order to avoid being targeted by anyone and to divert attention from other candidates.

All parties are prepared.

The goal is to be fully prepared at the final moment, to go all in and bet everything.

The Enke exam proceeded smoothly.

Preliminary examination, palace examination, grading of papers, and announcement of results.

Rankings were posted on Zhuque Avenue.

Top scorer: Feng Shaomin!

Second place: Chen Zhongyuan!

Third place: Liu Changying!

Chen Zhongyuan and Liu Changying both suffered tragic changes that shattered their Dao hearts, but they rallied afterward and achieved good results. Feng Shaomin, on the other hand, relied purely on his abilities.

The red robe bestowed upon Li Zhaoting and Feng Suzhen three years ago was a reward for their numerous achievements in solving cases. This time, the red robe they are wearing is the genuine attire of a top scholar.

Dressed in a red robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and riding a fine horse, life is as good as riding a swift horse!

After the results were announced, it was Qionglin Garden.

The emperor and all the civil and military officials will attend.

To avoid suspicion, the Empress Dowager remained in the inner palace.

This is the best opportunity.

If you don't seize this opportunity, you'll never have another chance in your life, and you'll never have a chance to turn things around. After decades of planning and scheming, who would be willing to give it up?

Blood Robe Hall Headquarters.

The leader is issuing orders.

Seven blood-red children, dressed in brocade robes and wearing veils, stood in neat rows, their colors red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.

"Blood-Clad Boy, listen to my command! The opportunity for the Blood-Clad Hall to grow and expand lies tonight. We must not be careless!"
Tonight, the Qionglin Banquet will be held. All the experts in the palace will be protecting the emperor, leaving the palace vulnerable. You will each perform your duties and you will surely be able to steal the "Star Evil Sword Manual".

After each Blood-Clad Child completes their mission, they must immediately return via the same route. The Orange Blood-Clad Child will prepare a carriage for you, and you are not allowed to linger for even a moment.

The imperial palace complex contains numerous palaces.

Few people know that there is a hidden palace inside the imperial palace, which contains secret manuals collected by the Zhao Song imperial family over the past fifty years, including the "Star Evil Sword Manual".

Red bloody clothes! "

The hall master suddenly raised his voice.

The crimson-clad boy said, "I have located the sword manual. It is in the southwest corner of the side hall, with a narrow entrance that is easy to defend and difficult to attack."

Thirty imperial guards stood watch outside the side hall. These guards changed shifts every two hours, with each shift led by a different leader. They lived separately and did not know each other.

The patrol rotation takes about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

These guards are either seasoned veterans or elites from various martial arts sects; they are all highly skilled!

The hall master instructed, "Yellow-robed Blood-Clad Child, your duty is to hold off thirty experts and buy the remaining Blood-Clad Child the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Understand?"

Yellow-clad, blood-stained boy: "Yes, sir!"

Hall Master: "This concerns the secrets of the Imperial Palace. These imperial guards will not disturb the other guards. You can take this opportunity to steal the sword manual, but you will only have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Once inside the side hall, do not move about carelessly. You must wait for the green-clad boy to solve the sixty-four traps. Green-clad boy, be prepared!

Green-clad, blood-red boy: "Yes, sir!"

Hall Master: "Once the mechanism is broken, a very narrow secret door will be revealed. Through the secret door, you will encounter a swordsman whose swordsmanship is superb."

"Your duty, you blood-stained blue-clad boy, is to defeat your opponent within three moves; do not engage in prolonged combat!"

Lu Xiaofeng said, "Master! The phrase 'exquisite skill' is rather heavy. I'm very curious, what kind of person is hidden in the side hall who is qualified to be called 'exquisite skill'?"

Hall Master: "Azure Sky Sword! This person's swordsmanship is no less than Li Guanyu's. He has lived in seclusion in the palace for thirty years and has read countless famous sword manuals. His swordsmanship will be even better."

The boy in blood-stained blue robes: "Yes, sir!"

Hall Master: "Lu Xiaofeng, you seem a little impatient. Am I wrong?"

Lu Xiaofeng complained, "You're being unreasonable! They all hide their identities, but you call me by my name right away. Do you have a problem with me?"

Hall Master: "Lu Xiaofeng, when this game reaches the final level, it requires the Spirit Finger. Even if I wanted to hide it, I couldn't!"

Lu Xiaofeng shrugged: "My impatience is directed at your earlier assessment. The Azure Sky Sword hasn't been used in combat for thirty years, so it's probably lost its edge long ago."

If Li Guanyu hadn't gotten sick, the Azure Sky Sword wouldn't have been a match for him. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the sword philosophy I'm talking about comes entirely from Li Zhaoting.

If you have any objections to this, you can discuss kendo with Li Zhaoting, and I can help you send out invitations.

That's it, go on!"

Hall Master: "Lu Xiaofeng! Once I master the ultimate techniques of the Star Evil Sword Manual, I will definitely kill Li Zhaoting! I will use Li Zhaoting's blood to stain my throne!"

Lu Xiaofeng: "I wish you success!"

Hall Master: "Blue-Clad Blood-Red Child, the Star Evil Sword Manual is in a mechanical treasure box crafted by Tianjizi, the previous leader of the Lu Ban Divine Axe Sect. You are responsible for opening the treasure box!"

Blue-clad, blood-stained boy: "Yes, sir!"

Hall Master: "Lu Xiaofeng, the mechanical treasure box will open a gap that can only accommodate two fingers. You are responsible for using the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger to take out the Star Evil Sword Manual."

Once the sword manual is taken out, the mechanism at the bottom of the treasure box will be activated, which will not only burn the sword manual, but also lower steel plates from all four sides to seal off the entire side hall.

Therefore, the instant you take out the sword manual, you must insert a fake one, understand?

Lu Xiaofeng's face darkened: "You and the emperor, one of you must be a fool. If this isn't a sword manual, then all of this makes sense. But if this is a sword manual..."

I wonder, what if a gifted swordsman appeared in the royal family, for example, Li Zhaoting and Princess Tianxiang had a child with a natural talent for swordsmanship?

If this child wants to practice the Star Evil Sword Manual, will the emperor allow it? How can he retrieve the manual?

Sword manuals are meant to be read, not collected and shelved. No matter how exquisite a manual is, it will have many omissions after fifty or sixty years. The path of swordsmanship is constantly evolving.

There will always be stronger swordsmen in the martial arts world.

More than a hundred years ago, there were Dugu Qiubai and Zhang Danfeng; seventy or eighty years ago, there were Yi Tianxing and Yi Jifeng; and today, there are Lang Fanyun, Li Zhaoting, and Ximen Chuixue.

Why would the emperor spend so much manpower and resources to collect an outdated sword manual? Was he out of his mind?
If this isn't a sword manual, but rather a secret scroll recording some hidden secrets, then if you don't want this secret to be known by outsiders, you can simply burn the scroll.

You guys are really confusing me!
One last question.

If Li Zhaoting were to write down the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One and the Supreme Heavenly Sword as secret manuals, I wonder which would be more powerful, the Star Evil Sword Manual or the Ten Thousand Swords Return to One? I really can't wait!
"Master, what are your thoughts?"

Hall Master: "Lu Xiaofeng! Knowing too much won't do you any good! I suggest you stop making wild guesses!"

Lu Xiaofeng looked at the ceiling with boredom.

The Blood-Clad Child's abilities are now clear.

The boy in the blood-stained crimson robe is a palace guard.

The orange-clad boy with blood on his clothes is skilled at driving horse-drawn carriages.

The yellow-clad boy in blood-red clothes is skilled in close combat.

The green-clad, blood-red child is skilled at solving puzzles.

The boy in the blood-stained blue robe is skilled in swordsmanship.

The blue-clad, blood-red child is skilled at stealing.

The purple-clad, blood-stained boy is good at arguing and causing trouble!

The lowest-ranking character is the orange-clad boy in blood-red clothes; he's just a carriage driver, and driving carriages is his only skill.

The most irreplaceable one is Lu Xiaofeng. There are backup options for swordsmen, close combat masters, thieves, and contraptions, but Lu Xiaofeng is irreplaceable.

Only Lu Xiaofeng can master the Lingxi Finger technique to a divine level; others can only reach level 99 at most, and can never reach the final level.

After making preparations, everyone went about their own business.

An orange-clad boy in blood-stained clothes drove a carriage and took everyone outside the palace. A red-clad boy in blood-stained clothes showed himself to the imperial guards and led everyone inside.

Next, the yellow-clad boy with bloodstained clothes used his superb martial arts skills to hold off thirty imperial guards, while the green-clad boy with bloodstained clothes used a magnet to break through sixty-four traps.

The hidden door slowly opened.

The Azure Sky Sword was revealed to everyone.

The Azure Sword is not a single person, but three brothers born of the same mother, skilled in three-person combined attack formations.

Lu Xiaofeng complained: "The three swordsmen of the Azure Sky Sword? It seems I overestimated you! I thought that being confined for thirty years would inevitably dull your swordsman spirit."

It seems you never had any spirit to begin with.

The claim that you are on par with Li Guanyu, Xue Yiren, and Ziyi Hou is nothing but a boast. If you had fought Li Guanyu thirty years ago, you would have been defeated without a doubt!

The Azure Sky Sword is nothing special!
This is truly disappointing!

The boy in the blood-stained blue robes sneered, "I think I should be the one to say that. Sky Sword, if you can withstand one of my sword strikes, I will spare your lives!"

Cang Qiong Jian said expressionlessly, "No matter how many of you come, we'll all attack together!"

"To turn a blind eye to insults, that's interesting!"

The boy in the blood-stained blue robe suddenly drew his sword.

A sharp sword light burst forth from the Sky Sword. This sword light was as fast as lightning and unstoppable. Before the three of them could even draw their swords, they had already lost all their strength.

The boy in the blood-stained blue robe sheathed his sword, a smile appearing in his eyes: "Goodbye! Good luck to you!"

Lu Xiaofeng and the blue-clad boy entered the innermost mechanical hall, where a treasure box was placed. The blue-clad boy quickly opened his tool bag.

"Crack! Crack! Crack!"

With a crisp gear-like sound, the blue-clad boy opened the Heavenly Secret Lock, and the Heavenly Secret Treasure Box cracked open with a gap about two fingers wide. Lu Xiaofeng raised his right hand.

"brush!"

Lu Xiaofeng swiftly extended his right hand, pinching the sword manual between his index and middle fingers. At the same time, he held a fake sword manual in his left hand and slipped it back through the gap.

The blue-clad boy with blood-stained clothes smiled as he locked the Heavenly Secret Box again, and the two returned the way they came.

Inside the Blood Robe Hall's headquarters, the seven Blood Robe Children gathered once again. The hall master brought out a jar of wine: "This is an antidote that has been aged for thirty years. Let's all drink to that!"

Everyone raised their bowls and drank heartily to celebrate their victory.

In less than three seconds, everyone collapsed at the same time.

The leader of the Blood-Clad Hall also fell.

He was a worthless substitute.

The boy in the blood-red robes slowly rose, rummaged through Lu Xiaofeng's arms, took the Star Evil Sword Manual, sighed somewhat helplessly, and left the Blood Robe Hall headquarters.

Ten seconds later, Lu Xiaofeng shook his head and got up from the ground, then disappeared in a few flashes.

……

Qionglin Banquet.

Zhao Zhen raised his wine glass to congratulate the students.

Feng Shaomin led the way in toasting the emperor. Just as the banquet was at its most perfect and enthusiastic, a violent tremor erupted within the palace, and internal energy surged into the air.

In less than three seconds, the auras of at least ten grandmasters surged recklessly. One could vaguely sense that Zhu Wushi, Ye Gucheng, and Cao Zhengchun were among them…

Feng Shaomin silently counted in his mind:

The lofty and unrestrained sword intent of Ye Gucheng;
Zhu ignored the man's profound and unfathomable internal strength.
The most refined and pure form of virginity training, Cao Zhengchun;

Mi Cangqiong's murderous intent, which was malevolent in all four directions;
The sinister and ghostly aura of the carefree Marquis;
Arrogance that is both divine and demonic, Yuan Shisanxian;

The scorching heat of the raging fire, Pang Tong;

The mighty, surging river of blood, like a vast sea, must be the successor of the Blood Shadow Demon Art, possessing eighty or ninety percent of its cultivation.

A demonic and malevolent spiritual power, Chi Zunxin;
The indomitable and tenacious spirit of the spear, Qianluo;

The vibrant sunshine and blooming flowers fill the building;
They sensed no aura from Li Zhaoting, Lu Xiaofeng, Ximen Chuixue, or Chu Liuxiang, but several other auras remained hidden in the shadows, seemingly observing the battlefield situation. (End of Chapter)