King of Ten Thousand Years

A short while later.

Liu Ziyan and the handsome, flute-wielding teacher arrived before the Vice Manor Master together.

”Look at the mess you’ve caused!”

The Vice Manor Master snorted coldly.

”Martial Uncle! The Mire Beast King losing control and going berserk was an unforeseen situation. After all, it commands all the Mire Beasts in the dense forest.”

Liu Ziyan answered quickly.

With a single sentence, she immediately cleared herself of the matter.

Within the Lingyun Martial Mansion, there were also factions.

This Vice Manor Master before her was in opposition to her master, the Mansion Master.

”Hmph! So many casualties, and even the children of the County City’s Noble Families were involved. Who will take responsibility for this?”

The Vice Manor Master’s gaze was stern.

”Martial Uncle, please calm your anger. It’s quite simple.”

A faint smile played on Liu Ziyan’s jade-like lips; she had long been prepared.

Just then, the handsome teacher beside her began to play his flute.

In a matter of moments.

A giant Mire Beast appeared before the crowd.

”The Mire Beast King!”

The students present, still traumatized by the event, subconsciously backed away.

”This beast disrupted the order of the assessment, leading to considerable casualties.”

Liu Ziyan smiled elegantly and apologized to the students.

The next moment.

Her expression turned cold. She flicked a jade-like finger at the Mire Beast King from a distance.

PWISH!

A pale purple, crescent-shaped arc of Qi, several meters long, shot toward the Mire Beast King.

The Mire Beast King trembled and shrieked as its massive body was sliced in two. It then exploded, turning into a pool of eerie green liquid.

HISS!

The students present were terrified.

They knew Liu Ziyan was strong, but they never expected her to be *this* powerful.

The Mire Beast King’s body was like chaotic mud, its Defense extremely high. Even cultivators at the Fifth and Sixth Layers of Meridian Opening would have difficulty breaking through it.

Luo Tian knew its weakness from the Celestial Book, but even he could do nothing about it.

However.

Before Liu Ziyan, a single flick of her finger from afar had instantly killed the Mire Beast King.

’Hmph! This Liu Ziyan is quite the schemer. She caused this chaos, cleared her name, and even made the Mire Beast King take the fall for her.’

Luo Tian sneered inwardly.

”We will let this matter rest for now.”

The Vice Manor Master gave Liu Ziyan a cool glance, then his afterimage flickered and he vanished.

Liu Ziyan handled things flawlessly, and with such terrifying talent and potential, the Vice Manor Master had no desire to make an enemy of her.

After the Vice Manor Master left, a frosty look spread across Liu Ziyan’s pretty face, and her icy eyes swept toward Luo Tian.

The events of today had not only failed to cripple Luo Tian, but she had even been reprimanded by the Vice Manor Master. Her heart seethed with rage.

After all, she had been publicly countered and humiliated by a boy she regarded as a mere ant.

Luo Tian ignored Liu Ziyan’s fury and killing intent.

He followed the flow of people and collected his enrollment certificate for the Lingyun Martial Mansion.

As the first-place winner of the strength test, it was only natural that no one questioned him passing the Martial Mansion’s assessment.

’Once I have this certificate and advance to the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening, I’ll have a chance to enter one of the Three Great Martial Arts Holy Mansions.’

Luo Tian was pleased.

Although the Lingyun Martial Mansion was good, there was still a significant gap between it and the top Holy Mansions in the Azure Cloud Kingdom.

’Oh, right!’

Luo Tian suddenly remembered something and glanced toward Liu Ziyan.

”Miss Liu, I believe you promised to personally sponsor a Middle Grade Qi Refining Pill for the first-place winner of the trial.”

Luo Tian said with a smile.

The bottleneck to the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening wasn’t that easy to break through.

If he could get a Middle Grade Qi Refining Pill, it would be a sure thing.

Hearing this, Liu Ziyan’s beautiful face fell. Anger surged within her, and she nearly stomped her foot in frustration.

Sensing the furious killing intent radiating from Liu Ziyan, Luo Tian didn’t back down in the slightest.

”Here!”

Liu Ziyan tossed out a crystal-clear, orange-yellow Elixir Pill.

”Many thanks.”

Luo Tian caught the pill and had Chen Haofei help him inspect it. After confirming it was a Middle Grade Qi Refining Pill, he was overjoyed.

Not far away, seeing Luo Tian accept the Qi Refining Pill and leave cheerfully, the anger on Liu Ziyan’s face quickly vanished.

’Hmph! Luo Tian, I bet you never imagined that this Qi Refining Pill has been tampered with.’

A sinister, triumphant look appeared in the depths of Liu Ziyan’s eyes.

On the surface, what she gave Luo Tian was indeed a Qi Refining Pill.

However, during its refinement, the powerful Six Yin Snake Poison had been added to the pill’s interior.

Unless one was a veteran Alchemist, it would be impossible to spot the problem.

This Six Yin Snake Poison would kill anyone below the Spirit Sea Realm within a few breaths of being poisoned.

Even a Spirit Sea Realm master who fell for it would be gravely injured, if not killed.

Qi Hong had once thought that Liu Ziyan’s offer of a Qi Refining Pill as a reward was an unnecessary move.

How could he have known that this was Liu Ziyan’s backup plan!

Liu Ziyan had analyzed that Luo Tian possessed at least an Earth Tier Upper Grade Spiritual Vein, and might even have a Celestial Tier Spiritual Vein.

If Luo Tian truly had a Celestial Tier Spiritual Vein, there was a slight chance he could make a comeback.

Therefore, Liu Ziyan’s plan had two parts.

If the first part succeeded, Luo Tian would be crippled or even killed by the Mire Beast King.

If it failed, then this poison-laced Qi Refining Pill would take Luo Tian’s life.

...

「That evening, at the Chen Family’s estate in the County City.」

Chen Haofei hosted a grand banquet for Luo Tian to celebrate him passing the assessment.

”Brother Luo, you’ll probably stay at the Lingyun Martial Mansion for the next few years, right?”

Chen Haofei asked.

”Not necessarily. What about you, Brother Chen?”

Luo Tian took a light sip of wine, a cryptic smile on his face.

He could sense that the four Qi Veins inside Chen Haofei’s body were filled with True Qi to their absolute limit. A breakthrough seemed imminent.

With a Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening cultivation, the success rate for the Holy Mansions’ entrance examinations was very low.

But if he advanced to the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening, his chances would rise to fifty or sixty percent.

”Hehe, to be honest with you, I’m preparing to take the entrance examination for the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion, one of the Three Great Holy Mansions.”

Chen Haofei’s face was all smiles, filled with a hint of pride.

Luo Tian’s interest was immediately piqued, and he asked for more information about the Three Great Holy Mansions.

It turned out that the Three Great Holy Mansions each had their own recruitment regions. The Sun Chasing Holy Mansion recruited from over a dozen county cities, including Lingyun County.

In ten days, the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion would send people over to escort the examinees from Lingyun County City.

”In ten days?”

Luo Tian took note and asked for the exact address.

”Brother Luo, I advise you not to get any ideas about the Holy Mansions.”

Chen Haofei advised him kindly.

”Last year, both Lin Yun and I had a Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening cultivation when we tried the Holy Mansion’s entrance exam, and we both failed.”

Chen Haofei said with a sigh.

Once you go to take the Holy Mansion’s entrance exam, you forfeit your enrollment at the Martial Mansion for that year and have to try again the next.

Even if Chen Haofei advanced to the Fifth Layer of Meridian Opening Realm, he wasn’t one hundred percent certain he could get into a Holy Mansion.

Luo Tian just laughed and changed the subject.

Chen Haofei didn’t think much of it.

In his view, it wouldn’t be easy for Luo Tian to reach the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening in such a short time. Even if he did, his chances weren’t great, so he’d be better off staying at the Lingyun Martial Mansion.

After the banquet.

Luo Tian and Ning Xueyao walked side-by-side back to their guest rooms.

”Xiaotian, are you really planning to take the Holy Mansion’s entrance exam?”

Ning Xueyao’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as her beautiful eyes looked at him.

In her heart, she hoped Luo Tian would choose the stable path and stay at the Lingyun Martial Mansion.

”Yes! I’m confident.”

Luo Tian’s tone was calm and self-assured.

At this moment, he boldly met Ning Xueyao’s gaze.

Ning Xueyao’s clear eyes were serene and peaceful, like brilliant, flawless diamonds, like magnificent stars in the night sky—so mysterious and sacred that no one would dare harbor any profane thoughts.

The two of them locked eyes for a few moments.

Feeling Luo Tian’s slightly burning gaze, Ning Xueyao’s long, picturesque eyelashes fluttered faintly like a butterfly’s wings.

A blush bloomed on her perfect, jade-like cheeks, making her unbelievably beautiful.

”Xiaotian, you’ve grown up so fast recently.”

Ning Xueyao’s heartstrings were touched.

The boy she had once treated as a younger brother seemed to stand taller than before, and had become more confident and bold.

There was a time when this boy wouldn’t dare to meet her gaze, but his unspoken affection and admiration could not be hidden from her perceptive heart.

”Xueyao, this is a gift for you.”

Luo Tian took out a Jade Hairpin.

This was the hairpin Luo Tian had carefully selected at the Martial Arts Arena back then, after paying off the Twenty Thousand Gold Coins.

But as a result of Du Yuncheng causing trouble that day, he missed his chance to give it to her.

Today, now that Luo Tian had passed the Martial Mansion’s assessment, he took it out again.

”A gift?”

A ripple seemed to pass through Ning Xueyao’s serene eyes as she gave Luo Tian another deep look.

In a way, this gift was tantamount to a confession from Luo Tian!