From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

"Don't force it."

Zhou, the strategist, leaned closer. "In the arena, swords and spears have no eyes; if something unexpected happens, no one can say for sure."

"Even Zhao Wuji couldn't do anything to him, so who else can you turn to?"

"Zhao Wuji is at the peak of the second-grade True Qi Realm, but even among those at the peak of the True Qi Realm, there are differences in strength. As long as Your Highness nods, I can find the person."

Li Zhengming remained silent for a while, then shook his head.

"No rush, let him play first. It's more useful to embarrass him in the finals than to cripple him in the knockout stage."

Zhou, the strategist, was taken aback for a moment, then understood Li Zhengming's meaning and bowed as he withdrew.

On the left side of the main grandstand, there was a row of separate seats for military officers who had come from other places to watch the battle in Beijing.

One of them had been staring at Lin Yan ever since the very first scene.

The man was in his early forties, not very tall, and wore a worn-out military officer's robe with a sheathless iron sword hanging at his waist.

Cao Yan.

The former deputy commander of the Northern Border Military Prefecture originally came to the capital to report on his duties, intending to personally present a secret letter to expose the Crown Prince's ugly face. However, not only did no one pay attention to the matter, but the Emperor also turned a deaf ear. Instead, because Lin Yan investigated and brought down Wu Baichuan, his negligence in the case of reselling military rations was exposed, and he was transferred away from the Northern Border. Now he holds a sinecure in the capital and is "on the lookout."

Today he was dressed casually, sitting in a corner, drinking a bowl of tea that had been cooling down and reheating repeatedly since morning, without touching it.

He kept looking at Lin Yan.

He saw it in the first match against Ma Cheng.

He saw it during the second match against Liu Wu.

He watched the third match against Zhao Wuji most closely.

He saw every cut, every step, every palm strike.

This young man, just a year ago, was scavenging bones in Black Wind Ridge. He was a vagrant, a lowly household, and didn't even deserve to be looked at.

Now he stands on the training ground of the Imperial Guards' grand martial arts competition, having defeated Zhao Wuji, who is at the peak of the True Qi Realm, and all the civil and military officials are watching him.

Cao Yan picked up the teacup, took a sip of the now-cold tea, and frowned at the bitterness.

He put down his teacup, stood up, and turned to walk out.

When he reached the exit of the stands, he paused and looked back at the young man on the sidelines whose bandages were being wrapped by Lao Meng.

Lin Yan didn't see him.

His view was blocked by Xiong Kuo.

Cao Yan stood there for two breaths, then turned and left.

When Lin Yan was carried back to his small courtyard outside the palace, it was almost dark.

Actually, this place was arranged by the Crown Prince.

Chen was sitting in the courtyard sewing clothes when she saw Xiong Kuo and Lin Xiu helping Lin Yan in from either side. The needle pricked her fingers, but she didn't feel any pain. She stood up and walked over quickly.

"Yan'er!"

"Mother, it's nothing." Lin Yan smiled at her. "Just a superficial injury."

Chen didn't speak, but reached out and touched the bandage wrapped around his chest. The area beneath the bandage was swollen and hard. She gently pressed it, and Lin Yan's brow twitched, but he still smiled.

"Stop laughing," Chen said. "Your laughter looks worse than crying."

Lin Yan stopped laughing.

Old Meng settled Lin Yan on the kang (a heated brick bed), checked the wound again, applied the medicine again, and changed the bandage.

"You can't get out of bed for three days," Old Meng instructed. "You can't fight for seven days. You can't spar with anyone for a month. Otherwise, your ribs won't heal properly, and it will leave you with chronic problems."

"Understood," Lin Yan said.

Old Meng glanced at him and knew that this man's "I understand" was different from others. Others' "I understand" meant they would do it, but his "I understand" meant "I understand, but I will still do what I am supposed to do."

Old Meng sighed, picked up his medicine box, and went out.

Lin Xiu squatted by the kang (a heated brick bed), her big eyes red, clutching the hem of Lin Yan's clothes in her hand.

"Brother, you're injured again."

"It's alright."

"You said 'it's nothing' last time, and the time before that, you said 'it's nothing.' When have you ever truly said 'it's nothing'?"

Lin Yan was speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Lin Xiu buried her face in the blanket and mumbled, "When I grow up, I want to practice martial arts too. I'll fight for you."

Lin Yan reached out and patted her head.

"it is good."

Chen was brewing medicine in the kitchen, the medicine pot bubbling away. She squatted in front of the stove, staring blankly at the flames.

The girl surnamed Ye was taken away by people from Taiqing Palace and never came back.

Her son didn't say it, but she could tell that he would sometimes stand alone in the yard and look north.

Mothers know everything, they just don't say it.

At midnight, in the study of the Eastern Palace.

Li Zhengxin is still awake.

He sat behind his desk, with all the records of Lin Yan's three matches spread out in front of him.

All of these were recorded by Steward Feng.

Steward Feng was not just a eunuch who ran errands; he used to be the deputy commander of the Eastern Palace's secret guards, but he retired to become a steward because he was injured.

"In the first match against Ma Cheng, General Lin used seventy percent of his strength. He used two levels of the 'Layered Wave Force' and seventy percent of the 'Swimming Body Step'," Steward Feng reported in detail as he stood before the table.

"In the second match against Liu Wu, I had already used 80% of my strength. I used three levels of the Overlapping Wave Force and 90% of the Swimming Body Step."

"In the third match against Zhao Wuji, I used all my strength. I used the fourth level of the Overlapping Wave Force, the full extent of the Swimming Body Step, and the berserk power generation method, but only a small amount, probably less than one-tenth."

After listening, Li Zhengxin remained silent for a while.

"How much more is he holding back?"

"It's hard to say. But one thing is certain: he was seriously injured in the third match, and even so, he didn't reveal all his cards. There are at least two or three things he didn't use from beginning to end."

"for example?"

"For example, the berserk technique he stole from the northern barbarians. If he unleashes his full power with berserk mode, his strength can increase by at least 50%, but the side effects are also significant."

Li Zhengxin tapped his fingers on the table.

Who should he be paired with in the semifinals?

Manager Feng hesitated for a moment, then pulled a list from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

"Of the remaining four people, two are the strongest. One is Shen Yue, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, who is at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm. He practices the standard sword technique of the Shenji Battalion, but I heard that he has practiced a set of hidden weapon skills in private, which he has never used in public."

The other is Murong Chong, the commander of the elite cavalry. He can fight on both horseback and on foot, but today his opponent was too weak and didn't even put in his full effort, so his strength is unpredictable.

Li Zhengxin picked up the list and looked at it.

"Is Murong Chong one of the Second Prince's men?"

"Yes. Shen Yue is one of the Third Prince's men. Although the Third Prince doesn't manage affairs much, the men under him are all quite capable."

Li Zhengxin put the list down.

"Arrange for Shen Yue to work with Lin Yan."

Steward Feng was taken aback: "Your Highness, Shen Yue is at the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm, but the Dharma Aspect within him is a Bone-Piercing Nail, comparable even to Zhao Wuji. General Lin's current injuries..."

"I know," Li Zhengxin interrupted him, "that's why he needs to recover first. The semi-finals are scheduled for ten days from now. Ten days is enough time for him to recover."

"What if it can't be raised properly?"

"If you can't get proper care, you can't compete; if you can't compete, you have to withdraw from the competition."

Li Zhengxin picked up his teacup. "It's better to withdraw from the competition than to go up and lose. No one will think a person who withdraws from the competition while injured is no good. But a person who goes up to the competition while injured and gets beaten down will be seen as nothing special by everyone."

Steward Feng understood the Crown Prince's meaning.

The Crown Prince didn't want Lin Yan to die; he wanted Lin Yan to fight the strongest opponent in his best condition, to see how far he could go and whether he was worth being a tool under his command.

"There's one more thing," Steward Feng said. "Cao Yan came today. He sat in the corner and watched all three of General Lin's matches."

Li Zhengxin's brow twitched slightly.

"Has he finished reading it?"

"I watched it all. He didn't say a word the whole time, and barely even drank any tea. He left after the third match."