From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

The blade flashed down like a bolt of lightning. The moment the blade was enveloped in true qi, Lin Yan knew that this strike was not something that someone at the True Qi Realm could produce.

The Unending Realm, as its name suggests, is a place where true energy flows inexhaustibly. The vast true energy condenses into a powerful aura, and before the blade even arrives, the aura has already reached it.

Lin Yan parried with his sword, and the moment the two swords clashed, a crack appeared in his blade. He was knocked back seven or eight steps and his back slammed into an old pine tree.

The old wound on the tiger's mouth reopened, and blood flowed down the hilt of the knife.

The man in gray did not give chase, but instead approached step by step, knife in hand.

The eight True Qi Realm Dark Guards regrouped and surrounded Lin Yan.

Just then, a loud roar suddenly came from above the mountain path:

"Commander, take this!"

A knife was thrown down the hillside; it belonged to Sun Dayong.

He had already followed Xiong Kuo over the ridge, but when he saw Lin Yan being knocked away, he turned back to help.

Sun Dayong stood on the ridge, bowstring taut, three arrows nocked simultaneously, cursing and shouting, "I'm not a deserter! We'll all die together!"

Lin Yan caught the knife, flipped over to avoid the blade on the other side, and used the Swift Step technique to slide between the two guards, cleaving down the True Qi Realm expert who was closest to him with a single strike.

Sun Dayong's arrows came down from above, and the three arrows in quick succession forced back the two guards who were closing in from the side.

Xiong Kuo also returned. The force of his leap down the hillside with his thick-backed sword sent one of the guards flying. The man rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop.

The man in gray narrowed his eyes, and his sword aura surged again.

At the critical moment, the sound of horses' hooves came from the forest.

A fast horse galloped out from around the bend in the mountain road. The rider was dressed in a gray-blue official robe, with a thin, long face and little flesh on his body. A bronze badge from the Military Selection Department hung at his waist.

Gao Wenjing.

Lin Yan was clearly stunned when he saw Gao Wenjing. Why was he here?

Gao Wenjing reined in his horse, looking at the scene of flashing swords before him, his expression extremely ugly. "Lin Yan, you owe me a life."

He dismounted, walked up to the man in gray, and pulled a document from his sleeve, handing it to him.

The man in gray took it, glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly.

Gao Wenjing said calmly:

"The Military Selection Division Chief of the Military Prefecture hereby orders Lin Yan to be transferred to the capital immediately. This transfer order is in accordance with the rules of the court, and even the Military Prefecture's secret guards cannot stop the court's officials. You'd better think carefully before you make your move; whose face are you slashing with this blade?"

The man in gray remained silent for a long while before finally returning the document to him and sheathing his sword.

He gave Lin Yan a deep look, didn't say anything harsh, and just said one word: "Go."

Eight guards helped the wounded man up from the ground and disappeared into the depths of the mountains and forests in a few leaps.

Sun Dayong put down his bow and sat down heavily on the ground, panting.

Xiong Kuo slammed the thick-backed knife into the ground and leaned against the hilt, panting heavily.

Lin Yan, clutching his arm, walked up to Gao Wenjing, paused for a moment, and then spoke:

Thanks.

Gao Wenjing still had a look of disgust on his face as he coldly said to Lin Yan, "I'm not here to save you. Last year, when you first went to the Martial Selection Division, Captain Ye used his token to force me to release the person. I held a grudge against you for that. Today, the score is settled, and we're even."

After saying that, he turned around, mounted his horse, and rode away without looking back.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, leaving only Lin Yan and his three companions on the mountain path.

The wind blew through the woods.

It created a rustling sound.

Xiong Kuo walked over and looked at the wound on Lin Yan's arm: "Chief, can you still walk?"

Lin Yan snapped out of his thoughts, tore off a piece of his clothing to bandage his wound, and said, "Let's go."

He glanced back in the direction Gao Wenjing had gone, mounted his horse, and spurred it on. "Let's go to the capital first."

The four riders and one car set off again.

Heading south along the mountain road, we gradually disappeared into the vast expanse of mountain scenery.

Lin Yan and his three companions spent two days squatting in a dilapidated temple outside Qingyuan County.

On the evening of the third day, Xiong Kuo retrieved the document for entering the capital that Gao Wenjing had brought from the military post station.

Four new travel permits were issued, identifying the individuals as martial arts students from Qingzhou Prefecture taking the imperial examinations, with the seal of the Martial Arts Selection Office affixed to the guarantor section.

Sun Dayong examined the travel permit three times, clicking his tongue in amazement: "This skinny old man, he says we're even, but he's quite honest in his actions. I don't know why, Lin Tou, didn't he make things difficult for you at the Martial Selection Division? Why is he helping you this time?"

Lin Yan shook his head and put the travel permit into his pocket.

"I don't know either, we'll talk about it later. Let's split up and go into the city via the four roads, following the road signs."

He drew four lines on the ground of the dilapidated temple and began to speak:

"Xiong Kuo took the waterway, boarded a grain boat at Qingjiang Ferry, and entered Beijing via Tongzhou. Da Biao took the official land route, disguised as a merchant, and detoured around from the south. Sun Dayong followed me along the mountain road, crossing the Funiu Mountains and entering from the west of Beijing."

Xiong Kuo frowned: "General, your injuries haven't fully healed yet."

"Funiu Mountain is nearby; it takes three days to get there."

Lin Yan stood up, tucked the knife into his waistband, and said nonchalantly, "Have you memorized the meeting place in the capital?"

"I remember, it's the house in Liutiao Hutong, Xicheng District, the one with the crooked locust tree at the entrance."

The four of them set off separately that night.

Lin Yan and Sun Dayong walked along the mountain path, crossed the Funiu Mountains, and arrived at the west gate of the capital city at dusk on the third day.

The city walls of the capital were twice as high as those of Zhenbei Pass, with endless stretches of blue bricks and gray tiles, and the flagpoles on the city gate towers were thicker than the masts of Zhenbei Pass.

Sun Dayong craned his neck to look for a long time, then only uttered three words: "Damn it."

People lined up in a long queue to enter the city, and the guards were checking everyone's travel permits at the city gate.

Lin Yan handed over the travel permit prepared by Gao Wenjing, and the city guards glanced at it before letting him pass.

The two wandered through the streets and alleys until they found Willow Alley.

Xiong Kuo has been there for a day and is currently chopping wood in the yard. Zhang Dabiao has not arrived yet. Judging by the days, if they travel by water around Tongzhou, the earliest they can arrive is tomorrow.

Xiong Kuo stacked the chopped firewood in the corner and looked up to ask Lin Yan what his plans were next.

"Go to the Ministry of War to submit your warrant first thing tomorrow morning."

Lin Yan sat down against the locust tree, and after a long while, he slowly said, "After submitting the petition, wait for the Ministry of War to arrange the date for the audience with the Emperor. Before that, try to go out as little as possible."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the courtyard gate was kicked open from the outside.

Seven or eight men dressed in black filed in, each with a knife at their waist and a very stable stance.

Lin Yan knew from just one glance at the approaching person's gait that they couldn't escape.

Because all of these people who came were, without exception, at the Unending Realm.

The leader was a pale-faced, beardless man in his forties, wearing an indigo brocade robe with the insignia of the Eastern Palace Chamberlain embroidered on the cuffs.

He stood in the courtyard, glanced at the wood-chopping axe in Xiong Kuo's hand, and finally fixed his gaze on Lin Yan.

"Lin Yan? From Zhenbeiguan?"

Lin Yan gripped the hilt of the knife.

The pale-faced man took out a token from his sleeve and waved it. The front was engraved with the three characters "Zhan Shi Fu" (meaning "Imperial Household of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices"), and the back had a three-clawed dragon pattern.

"His Highness the Crown Prince requests your presence."

"I still have to go to the Ministry of War to submit my application tomorrow," Lin Yan said.

The pale-faced man chuckled, "The Crown Prince has already given instructions to the Ministry of War. Please, General Lin."

Seven or eight cultivators at the Unending Realm simultaneously took a step forward, their imposing aura pressing down, causing the locust tree leaves in the courtyard to fall in a rustling sound.

The moment Sun Dayong's hand touched the bow, it was simultaneously locked by two streams of energy, and he immediately dared not move.