Chapter 85: The Tribute Hall's Decision

Looking at the latest rankings on the Armament Manual, Shenhou fell silent.

To be honest, if it had been one of those unofficial lists circulating in the martial world—like the Hidden Dragon Scroll or the Fledgling Phoenix Roll—he would have assumed someone was deliberately hyping Wang Ping up to get him killed.

But the Armament Manual was different.

As the divine weapon exclusively used by the Great Shun Imperial Court to govern prestige and renown, the Armament Manual never made mistakes. Whatever position it assigned, that was exactly the level of strength the person possessed.

Besides, in all fairness, just recalling the final moment of the Longxing County incident—that single strike Wang Ping had unleashed with the Dragon Head Guillotine, a terrifying destructive power that could be clearly felt even through a barrier, a storm of light and color that annihilated everything... Shenhou actually felt this ranking was a bit low.

Chenlong took in every shift of Shenhou's expression.

"Interesting," Chenlong said.

Stepping aside, Chenlong beckoned Shenhou and Youji into the inner courtyard. "You aren't shocked," he noted curiously. "You moved past the surprise and accepted the reality very quickly."

"So in your view, Wang Ping's strength is worthy of this ranking?"

"More than worthy."

At this point, Shenhou naturally wasn't going to hide anything. He immediately recounted all of his experiences in Longxing County, vividly describing the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.

After listening to the description, Chenlong immediately reached a conclusion. "His Divine Intent has undergone a qualitative change... remarkable."

Tapping the table, Chenlong said with absolute certainty, "Divine Intent accelerating its feedback into reality, driving the physical body to accelerate in turn—that is the hallmark of a qualitative change in Divine Intent."

"No wonder he was ranked sixth on the Armament Manual. A Titled Martial Master whose Divine Intent has undergone a qualitative change—if the top five positions weren't already filled, he absolutely could have claimed one of them. With this level of cultivation, he only needs to temper his mortal shell and use his Divine Intent to drive a qualitative change in his physical body, and he will attain the Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank."

"Seriously?"

On the side, the youth-like Youji clicked his tongue in astonishment. "The Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank... I've practiced for so long and I still don't have a single clue, yet his talent is even higher than mine?"

"Much higher than yours."

Chenlong shook his head, marveling. "A qualitative change in Divine Intent. Countless Titled Martial Masters live, age, fall ill, and die without ever seeing through this step. It can be called an impassable chasm in the martial dao."

"Cross it, and the sea and sky open up before you."

"Fail to cross it, and you remain a Mortal forever."

"This Wang Ping is only about twenty years old, yet he has already completed this step. It can only be described as an extraordinary natural gift. No wonder you value him so highly, Shenhou."

"It's not quite that simple." Shenhou shook his head with a sigh. "To reach the Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank, Divine Intent is a hurdle, but isn't the physical body a hurdle as well? Using Divine Intent to guide a qualitative change in the flesh means life and death hinge on a single thought. The slightest misstep leads to physical mutation, turning one into yet another evil entity..."

"That's true."

Chenlong nodded, abruptly changing the subject. "Though I never expected that Wang Ping's final title on the Armament Manual would be the Dragon Head Guillotine."

"It seems that blade strike of his truly was stunning."

"It's a pity I couldn't witness it with my own eyes."

Speaking of which, Chenlong suddenly looked up. "Right, speaking of evil entities... that White Lotus Sect in Longxing County, have we investigated the Liansheng Bodhisattva behind them?"

"We have."

Shenhou nodded. "It isn't an ordinary evil entity, but a puppet controlled by an extraordinary person. Their methods are exceptionally brilliant. As for their identity... there's a high probability they hail from the Immortal Gate high above."

"Is that why you locked down the information?" Chenlong continued to ask.

"Exactly."

Shenhou sighed. "I have to admit, although Wang Ping is a martial arts prodigy rarely seen in a thousand years, the trouble he brings is just as immense as his talent."

"Xu Bingzheng and Li Yiran?"

Chenlong scoffed. "He just killed two scholars from the National Academy. It's nothing. Even if the National Academy finds out, what can they do about it?"

Hearing this, Shenhou shook his head. "It has nothing to do with the National Academy."

After saying that, he pulled a dossier from his robes. "This is the result of a private investigation into Wang Ping, which I entrusted to a good friend in the Divine Constabulary."

"He has three identities. Originally, he was just a villager from a rural area outside Longxing County City, but he died in the chaotic fighting. His second identity was a newly minted bailiff in the Longxing County Yamen, who died by Xu Bingzheng's hand. His third identity is a Gold-Bearing Brocade Guard of the Emperor's imperial guard, with an impeccably clean family background."

"These three identities never existed at the same time."

"Instead, the first identity died, and after some time, the second appeared. The second identity died, and after another period of time, the third appeared."

"Every single one of these identities has a traceable origin and complete background information."

"But no matter which identity it is, there is not a single living person besides him who can verify it. There is only a pile of documents. It's almost as if they were conjured out of thin air."

"Including right now."

"Even this identity of his as the Shuzhong Great Hero is incredibly bizarre. For some unknown reason, it spread absolutely everywhere, and he was even nominated as a rebel king by the outlaws of Shuzhong..."

Hearing this, Chenlong already understood.

"You think he can resurrect after death and assume new identities?" Chenlong laughed. "That doesn't actually count as some earth-shattering ability."

"Divine weapons, evil entities, an extraordinary person—they can all achieve this."

"Furthermore, didn't you say earlier that he genuinely holds a divine weapon capable of controlling demons? Perhaps this is merely the profound power of that artifact?"

Shenhou sighed at those words. "If it's just the profound power of a divine weapon, then so be it. My main worry is that it's the exact opposite... that it's not a martial artist who obtained a divine weapon, but rather a divine weapon that developed sentience and possessed a Mortal, fabricating an identity to infiltrate the imperial court. To put it plainly, I'm worried he's a spy from the heavens."

Before he even finished speaking, Chenlong burst into loud laughter. "Old Shen, oh Old Shen, you worry too much... A spy from the heavens? How could those lofty immortals high above ever deign to look at mere martial artists like us?"

"Besides, didn't you say it yourself... Longxing County was left completely unharmed in the end."

Shenhou nodded. "The National Academy's plan failed, the White Lotus Sect inexplicably retreated, and the stolen lifespans of all the decent citizens and the black-headed commoners across the entire city were returned to them."

"That is enough."

A smile played at the corners of Chenlong's mouth. "He ruined the schemes of the heavens. That is the greatest possible pledge of loyalty. If he's a spy, I would gladly welcome them sending over a few more!"

With that said, the man currently at the helm of the Imperial Tribute Hall stood up. "Let's go. I will go with you to meet this Wang Ping."

"You're going to see him in person?"

Shenhou was taken aback. "The First Seat is in secluded cultivation, and Chou Niu and the others are away executing tasks. The Tribute Hall is entirely resting on your shoulders right now. How can you leave the Capital?"

"I'll just go and come back quickly."

Rubbing his hands together, Chenlong said, "That old dog Cheng Bochun has entered the Imperial Medical Academy, and the National Academy is in chaos. They don't have the time to cause trouble for us. This is the perfect opportunity to slip away."

"Furthermore, since we are recruiting a new tribute envoy, how can I make the final decision without meeting him in person?"

"I suppose that's true..."

Shenhou nodded. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he followed up with a question, "But with the First Seat absent, we can't be entirely sure exactly which title to bestow upon him, can we?"

"That..."

Hearing this, Chenlong also furrowed his brows. However, before he could speak, a sudden gust of clear wind swept through the small courtyard, bringing with it a voice: "Shenhou, did you say he has successfully mastered the Thirteen Grand Protectors Hard Qigong?"

The voice wasn't deep or resonant; instead, it was rather ethereal and hollow.

Before the voice even faded, the relaxed expressions on Chenlong, Shenhou, and Youji vanished. All three of them immediately stiffened with solemn respect. Without a moment's hesitation, they bowed deeply and called out, "We greet the First Seat!"

Right on the heels of that, Shenhou hastily replied, "Answering the First Seat, he has indeed mastered it."

The voice continued to echo, "How long did it take him?"

"A single night!"

The moment those words were spoken, the gentle breeze in the courtyard abruptly intensified, and the voice became even clearer. "Chenlong, set aside the trivial matters in the Capital and go see this person at once. I grant you permission to pass the Martial God Pictorial Record to him. Let us see how long it takes him to master it this time."

"If he accomplishes it within a thousand days, he will be the next Yin Hu."

"If he accomplishes it within a hundred days, you will then pass the Sacred Lord of Five Weapons to him."

"If he accomplishes it within ten days, report back to me. I will see him in person."

Chenlong cupped his hands in obedience, though in his heart, he shook his head. 'I didn't expect the First Seat to have overheard everything... But judging him by her own standards, the requirements she set are far too high.'

Within a thousand days—mastering the Martial God Pictorial Record in less than three years?

This was widely recognized as the number one internal martial art under heaven today. Thinking back to his own past, he had studied it for three years and then trained bitterly for another thirteen years just to barely scrape by and master it.

And he was already the martial artist with the highest talent in the Tribute Hall, second only to the First Seat herself.

Even if that Wang Ping was stronger than him, he couldn't possibly be that much stronger. Setting a thousand-day limit was undoubtedly making things deliberately difficult for him, to say nothing of the conditions for a hundred days or ten days.

In other words:

'The First Seat is deliberately setting an impossibly high standard. In reality, she wants me to beat down this newcomer's ego and keep him from getting too proud. This is to prevent him from losing control of his qualitatively changed Divine Intent, which could cause him to go astray when breaking through to the Grandmaster Rank in the future and mutate into an evil entity? Yes, that must be it. The First Seat's intentions are truly profound...'

It was just a pity for the newcomer.

He was a favored son of heaven, proud and arrogant, but he was about to smash his head against this bottleneck until he bled. Afterward, it would probably take a very long time for him to recover from the blow.

But after a moment of lamentation, Chenlong grew excited again.

'But according to the First Seat's instructions, I get to stay outside for at least a thousand days? This is fantastic. I won't have to keep rotting in this miserable prison of the Capital anymore.'

Even with the noble status of the Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank, it was still difficult to find freedom in this place, the supposed supreme city of the realm. Having to engage in political intrigue and mind games with people every single day was truly suffocating.

He had had enough of it a long time ago.

At this thought, Chenlong couldn't help but crack a grin, his eyes gazing forward toward the future.

The world was so vast, and he wanted to go see it!

It was a rare opportunity for a long vacation. The four corners of the Central Plains, the Eastern Sea, the Northern Plains, the Western Frontiers, the Southern Ridges—he had to travel through all of them and properly experience the sights of foreign lands!