From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

"No need to hide it anymore! The things were taken by the Crown Prince's men. This is Steward Feng from the Eastern Palace's Chamberlain's Office."

Lin Yan said to Steward Feng, "Prepare a training room for me, and find a few True Qi Realm sparring partners, but I don't want the Eastern Palace guards."

Manager Feng paused for a moment, then asked, "What kind of person do you need?"

"We can transfer from the Imperial Guards or invite people from martial arts schools in the capital. We need sword and shield soldiers from the army, experienced镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from镖局 (escort agencies) who have actually done镖 (escorts/escorts), and ruthless fighters who have fought to the death in the streets of the capital. We don't want those fancy moves, we need people with real strength."

Manager Feng glanced at him, nodded, and turned to go out and make the arrangements.

Lin Yan and the other three settled down in a side courtyard of the East Palace.

The courtyard was small, with four rooms and a small drill ground, much more spacious than the supply depot in Zhenbei City.

Xiong Kuo hung the thick-backed knife by the bedside, while Sun Dayong squatted in the yard tuning his bow.

Zhang Dabiao sat on the threshold, sharpening the short spear he had pulled from the mule cart, the whetstone wet as he rubbed the spear tip.

After listening to Lin Yan recount the whole process, Sun Dayong muttered as he adjusted his bow, "I thought I was going to die. I was almost finished writing my will in prison. But it turns out that the Commander-in-Chief is being sent to be the Crown Prince's henchman. What kind of nonsense is this?"

"I don't think it's simply about being the Crown Prince's henchmen." Lin Yan sat cross-legged on the stone platform by the training ground. "This competition must be of great significance to the Crown Prince. Although I don't know exactly what its use is, as long as we win the competition, we can take the cultivation manual and leave. If we lose, we'll lose everything, including our lives."

Sun Dayong tightened the bowstring and tested his strength: "What happens after we win? Will the Crown Prince really let us leave? Once we have the cultivation technique, will he be so generous as to let us return to Zhenbei City?"

Lin Yan did not answer Sun Dayong's question, but simply looked up at the gray sky over Beijing.

The next morning, at the Golden Palace.

Before dawn, Lin Yantian was pulled out of bed by Steward Feng and made to change into a brand-new military officer's court uniform.

The court robes were hastily made overnight, in the style of a sixth-rank lieutenant general, with a leopard embroidered on the chest and silver trim on the cuffs.

As Sun Dayong helped him fasten his belt, he smiled and remarked, "The Commander-in-Chief is really handsome. Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse."

As a result, Lin Yan kicked him away.

The Golden Palace was more than ten times larger than the military government office in Zhenbei City, with carved beams and painted rafters, and was magnificent and resplendent.

Lin Yan stood at the end of the military officer line, surrounded by generals of higher rank than him, all with their chests out and bellies protruding, their eyes fixed straight ahead. No one paid any attention to this newly promoted sixth-rank Loyal and Martial General.

Emperor Li Chengji of the Great Yan sat on the dragon throne. He was much older than Lin Yan had imagined, with white hair and beard and deep-set eyes. But when he spoke, he inexplicably gave people a sense of authority without anger.

"Lin Yan, the garrison commander of Xuanzhen North Pass, steps forward."

Lin Yan stepped out from the ranks of military officers and knelt on one knee.

"Your subject Lin Yan pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Li Chengji raised his hand to help him up, and flipped through a folded document beside him, saying:

"In the Battle of Zhenbeiguan, you led 800 remaining soldiers to resist 20,000 northern barbarians, killing over 4,000 enemies, burning 26 catapults, and capturing Guli, the commander of the Blood Wolf tribe. It's all written in Jiang Bufan's military report; I read it three times."

He closed the folding book and looked at Lin Yan.

"Born into a commoner family, you have cultivated from the first-grade Body Tempering Realm to the True Qi Realm in just over a year. You have guarded Iron Coffin Cliff, investigated the smuggling of military rations, and fought at Zhenbei Pass. Since the founding of the Great Yan Dynasty, you are the first person to have accomplished all of this with a commoner family background."

Li Chengji paused for a moment, then said, "Jiang Bufan added a sentence at the end of the folded paper, saying that you are a talent that the Northern Border has not seen in ten years."

Lin Yan kept his head down and didn't say anything.

Li Chengji smiled and said, "I hereby promote Lin Yan to the rank of Lieutenant General, bestow upon him the title of Loyal and Martial General, grant him a residence in the capital, one hundred taels of gold, and a bottle of True Qi Cultivation Pills. In addition, your mother, Madam Chen, is granted the title of Lady Yi, and your younger sister, Lin Xiu, is granted the title of County Lady."

Lin Yan kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

After kowtowing once, he raised his head again, his face regaining its humble expression, and retreated back into the ranks of military officers.

The court assembly continued with the report from the Ministry of War regarding the rotation of troops in the northern border, and the petition from the Ministry of Works to repair the Yellow River dikes.

Lin Yan stood at the back of the line, listening to these political affairs that had nothing to do with him, but his mind was on the bottle of Qi-Nourishing Pill that the emperor had bestowed upon him today.

The court session ended at the end of the Chen hour (7-9 AM).

Just as Lin Yan stepped out of the Golden Palace and was about to descend the steps, a voice came from behind him: "General Lin, please wait."

Steward Feng jogged over from the direction of the East Palace, sweat beading on his forehead.

"His Highness has asked you to go to the East Palace martial arts training ground after court, saying that he has found a sparring partner for you. In addition, His Highness has already sent people to clean your residence. His Highness has sent people to pick up your wife and Miss Lin Xiu. They will be settled in the third house inside the ginkgo tree at the entrance of He'anfang Alley in the East City. It's easy to find. His Highness said that you don't need to move there in a hurry. It's convenient for you to practice martial arts while living in the East Palace. You can move after the martial arts competition is over."

When Lin Yan followed Steward Feng into the East Palace Martial Arts Arena, a row of people were already standing on the side of the arena.

Xiong Kuo and Sun Dayong were also there, both wearing newly changed Imperial Guard training uniforms, squatting on the sidelines chewing dry rations.

In the center of the arena stood an old bodyguard in his fifties, with his white beard tied in a small braid and three short knives of different lengths at his waist, who was flexing his wrists.

Manager Feng left after introducing the people.

The old镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was surnamed Qi. He had been a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) in the capital for thirty years. He had just retired from Zhenyuan镖局 (escort agency) last year and was invited by the Crown Prince to serve as a选宫 (official courtier) at a high price.

The bodyguard, Qi, sized up Lin Yan: "True Qi Realm? What level is that?"

"Mid-stage True Qi Realm"

Lin Yan spoke honestly.

"A mid-stage True Qi Realm cultivator dares to ask someone to come and fight?"

Qi the镖师 (bodyguard/escort) twitched his beard and looked at Lin Yan with interest: "Alright, come on."

Qi, the bodyguard, simultaneously drew two short knives, one long and one short. He gripped the long knife upright and slashed at Lin Yan's knee, while he held the short knife in reverse and concealed it in his sleeve, aiming specifically for the ribs.

Lin Yan drew his sword to parry, and the two exchanged about twenty moves in the training ground without a clear winner.

Sun Dayong watched from the sidelines, dumbfounded:

"This old man is at the peak of the True Qi Realm, how come the general isn't at a disadvantage at all in the fight?"

Xiong Kuo squinted and watched for a while before giving his judgment: "Qi the镖师's swordsmanship is honed through years of escorting goods; it's a style that can truly kill. But the general seems to be able to see the flaws in Qi the镖师's every move. You see, every time he strikes, he strikes in the gaps in his opponent's power."

The two exchanged more than ten more blows before Qi, the bodyguard, sheathed his short sword and took two steps back.

"Stop! Your fighting style is wrong. I've seen a lot of sword techniques from the True Qi Realm. They either take the hard and fierce approach or the agile approach. You're trying to do both, but not quite.

Every strike involves a change of technique: the Mysterious Blade Technique, the Wandering Step, and another strange blade technique I've never seen before. You've mixed these three things together, and the transitions between moves aren't clean enough, causing a pause when you exert force. You must understand that every pause in combat is a fatal flaw in the eyes of a master.