Chapter 372: The Winds and Clouds Shift, All Parties Converge, All Eyes on Xiaoyang!

Jin Province, State Administrator's Mansion.

Xia Qi exited the College Entrance Examination secret realm and summoned one of his personal attendants, Zhao Tian.

"The top scorers of the College Entrance Examination from all parts of the Great Xia should be coming out by now, right?"

Xia Qi asked.

"Except for Li Muyun of Jin Province and Chen Yan of Qin Province who haven't come out yet, the rest are mostly finished."

Zhao Tian spoke, a trace of emotion in his eyes:

"This time, the Great Xia top scorer should be Chen Yan, with a total score of 11.5 billion, even though there are still two days left until the College Entrance Examination ends completely.

It is unlikely that the second-ranked Li Muyun will be able to catch up to Chen Yan; Li Muyun only has 9.8 billion points, not even 10 billion."

Zhao Tian sighed inwardly, wondering how on earth Chen Yan managed to obtain so many points.

Logically speaking, the Slaughtering Village and the Dream Abyss simply didn't have that many points to be gained.

"Hmm, I see." Xia Qi said:

"You should take a Morning Star-grade B-tier pair of gauntlets to Qin Province; this is the reward for Chen Yan, the number one in Great Xia."

Zhao Tian was stunned, then frowned and spoke:

"Isn't that a bit too little?"

He was somewhat bewildered.

Chen Yan was, after all, the Great Xia top scorer, and this was it?

Logically, in the past, the top scorers of each province were rewarded with Morning Star-grade B-tier Lightning Spirits,

and the Great Xia top scorer would definitely receive a Bright Moon-grade protective battle armor.

It would be a full set of protective battle armor, the value of which is tens of thousands of times greater than a Morning Star-grade gauntlet.

"Just this pair of gauntlets will do."

Xia Qi waved his hand.

Giving Chen Yan a Lightning Spirit would be completely useless.

Xia Qi smiled faintly.

Chen Yan himself had already obtained a Divine Seed, so what would he need a Morning Star-grade Lightning Spirit for?

As for the protective battle armor, Xia Qi felt it was even less necessary.

After Chen Yan was appointed as a general and accepted the Heaven-bestowed Lightning Tribulation, the strength of his physical body would definitely be stronger than a mere protective battle armor.

Chen Yan was also an Immortal Body...

The smile on Xia Qi's face grew even richer.

But to Zhao Tian, his smile was a different matter entirely.

"State Administrator, are you planning to abandon Chen Yan?"

Zhao Tian was somewhat unwilling:

"Even if that Great Elder of the Chen Clan has gone to Qin Province in person, our Great Xia cannot personally hand Chen Yan over to the Chen Clan."

He believed Xia Qi was going to abandon Chen Yan because Chen Qi had already arrived in Xiaoyang City.

Xia Qi waved his hand, saying nothing more.

He had only told the Grand Minister, the Lesser Diviner, and Xia Hanzhou about the General Appointment Ceremony; he would not tell anyone else.

Even though Zhao Tian was his personal attendant.

Zhao Tian sighed inwardly and left directly.

At the same time.

Jin Province, the place where the College Entrance Examination secret realm opened.

Before the massive College Entrance Examination leaderboard, a slender figure in white appeared.

The young man was wreathed in sword light, and characters for 'Sword' formed from floating light circled around him.

His name was Li Muyun, one of the Great Xia's Second-Rank General Stars.

The moment the young man appeared, it caused those around him to gasp in surprise.

"Talisman Sword, Li Muyun, he's out!"

"Such a powerful aura; I feel he is even more formidable than the Invincible Son of Qin Province, Chen Changyuan."

"Nonsense, no matter how bad Chen Changyuan is, he is the number one of the Sixth Rank; Li Muyun is still a long way off."

All around, gazes were fixed on Li Muyun.

Li Muyun's eyes bloomed with sword light, and a trace of fighting spirit appeared in them:

"I suppressed my cultivation realm to enter the College Entrance Examination secret realm and gained a great deal; perhaps I will advance to the Sixth Rank before long.

I would like to see whether Chen Changyuan's sword is sharper, or mine!"

He was like a Sword Immortal, his aura ethereal.

Just at this moment.

A sword shadow streaked in from the distant sky and landed in front of Li Muyun.

"General Star Order!" Li Muyun's eyes trembled, and he hurriedly bowed.

Text appeared within the sword shadow.

【Proceed to Xiaoyang, Qin Province immediately】

Li Muyun frowned slightly, his gaze deep as he looked toward the distant State Administrator's Mansion in an instant.

From within the State Administrator's Mansion, a voice came:

"In Xiaoyang City, four great Lightning Tribulation treasure lands have emerged; you are to go and guard them."

Li Muyun's expression trembled, and he hurriedly bowed toward the State Administrator's Mansion:

"Yes!"

Yet, at this very moment.

Li Muyun suddenly looked toward the distant sky, where a youth in green robes with an ordinary appearance was walking toward him.

Although the green-robed youth had an ordinary appearance, with every step he took, his body seemed to be hidden within the void, giving one a feeling of ethereal boundlessness.

Li Muyun spoke indifferently:

"Yin Youming, are you here to duel with me again?"

The green-robed man was none other than the Second-Rank General Star of Tui Province, Yin Youming.

Yin Youming gave a faint smile and chuckled as he said:

"I was just passing by, waiting for you to come out so we can go to Xiaoyang together."

Li Muyun frowned, and Yin Youming continued:

"All General Stars have been issued a General Star Order and have all gone to Xiaoyang to guard those four Thunder-Strike Treasure Lands."

Li Muyun's heart trembled:

"Could it be that a powerful Heaven and Earth Spirit Item or a Divine Seed is about to be born in those Thunder-Strike Treasure Lands?

Or is it that some ancient secret technique is about to appear in the world?"

Yin Youming shrugged:

"I don't know, but all the Second-Rank General Stars have gone, and it is highly likely that the hidden Head of the Second-Rank will also appear.

Perhaps it is to let us compete in the Thunder-Strike Treasure Lands to..."

As Yin Youming spoke, he stopped.

Li Muyun's pupils constricted, and a powerful fighting spirit emerged in his eyes:

"If it is to compete for the First-Rank General Star, I will defeat you right here first!"

Yin Youming hurriedly waved his hands:

"Don't. If that hidden Head of the Second-Rank doesn't appear, there's no point in us deciding a winner now."

Li Muyun gave a faint smile:

"But my college entrance exam score this time was 9.8 billion!"

"Then you are still not the highest." Yin Youming chuckled.

Li Muyun was stunned; he had thought he was the Great Xia top scholar, yet he had suppressed his cultivation realm to enter the college entrance exam secret realm, and he still wasn't the top scholar.

"Who is it!?"

"His name is Chen Yan, from a collateral branch of the Chen Clan, also a Third-Rank General Star, with a score of 11.5 billion." Yin Youming said:

"He even awakened the Immortal Body!"

Li Muyun was stunned:

"Immortal Body?"

"That's right." Yin Youming laughed:

"Back then, your dad possessed the powerful Talisman Sword Sacred Body, but he ended up getting beaten to a pulp by Lu Xunyang; perhaps you will have a battle with him in the future."

"Don't talk nonsense, my dad didn't lose his teeth, he just broke his leg!"

Li Muyun immediately barked, pursing his lips:

"He seems to have only just entered the Dao; if I beat him now, I'd be bullying him, and I am his superior, so I disdain to fight him."

"Your dad definitely lost a tooth, because my dad collected that tooth of your dad's at the time."

Li Muyun was stunned, then let out a cold snort.

Yin Youming laughed indifferently:

"Something big is going to happen in Xiaoyang; I feel like we can all get a piece of the pie from those Thunder-Strike Treasure Lands.

It's getting interesting."

…………

Border of Tie Province.

A massive warship arriving along the coast sped forward.

King Xiachen and other high-ranking Great Xia officials stood in the sky above Tie Province waiting.

The warship stopped in front of King Xiachen, and dozens of powerful individuals emerged, standing in the air.

King Xiachen looked at the handsome man in golden armor leading the group opposite him and smiled:

"I must address you as Prince Consort Lu in advance."

The golden-armored man gave a faint smile:

"You can be more direct; I, Lu Ming'an, am no Prince Consort, just a simple hostage of the Lu family."

King Xiachen and the other high-ranking Great Xia officials were stunned; some shook their heads and smiled faintly, while others had solemn expressions.

This Lu Ming'an was the ninth son of the Lu Clan head, set to marry one of the Xia Clan's princesses.

In reality, he was just a hostage.

But this person's bluntness still left them momentarily at a loss for words.

King Xiachen laughed heartily, bypassing the topic:

"I will take the Prince Consort with me to Jin Province."

"No, I want to go to Qin Province first." Lu Ming'an said, his eyes filled with emotion:

"I want to go see the places where Uncle Xunyang stayed; he is a legend."

King Xiachen and the others were speechless.

This Prince Consort wanting to go to Qin Province was definitely not just for sentiment; there must be other motives.

Xiaoyang can be said to have been absolutely glorious during this period.

First: Great Xia Star Generals have gone to Xiaoyang to guard the Thunder-Strike Treasure Land, as a heaven-defying treasure might erupt within the treasure land.

It is rumored that the treasure within can allow one to obtain a powerful opportunity leading to the Creation Realm.

Apart from the Great Xia Star Generals, many experts from various places have also appeared outside Xiaoyang, wanting to get a share of the spoils.

Second: The Chen Clan's Great Elder, Chen Qi, has already appeared in Xiaoyang to take a Chen Clan collateral member named Chen Yan back to the Chen Clan.

Third: An Immortal Body has emerged, and it is precisely that Chen Yan; some are certain that the other party is the second Lu Xunyang.

Nowadays, the small Xiaoyang City is simply a star city for the entire Great Xia, and it is clear that a major change is about to happen.

Xia Chenwang and the others understood in an instant that Lu Ming'an was likely the same as those people, wanting to go to Xiaoyang City to seek opportunities.

Lu Ming'an smiled and patted the shoulder of a youth beside him, saying:

"He is called Lu Xuanzhi, and he is the top scorer in the college entrance examination for my Lu Continent this year.

As for the Great Xia top scorer, that is likely that Chen Yan.

Xuanzhi is a young man who wants to have a battle with the Great Xia top scorer."

The youth named Lu Xuanzhi laughed heartily, and in this instant, an extremely piercing murderous aura overflowed from his entire body.

The scent of blood was very thick and terrifying to the extreme.

Xia Chenwang frowned; this Lu Xuanzhi is not simple, and being able to brew such a massive amount of murderous aura, he has likely already killed over ten thousand humans.

A high-ranking Great Xia official spoke up with dissatisfaction:

"I think he wants to use the battle to heavily injure Chen Yan, obtain a drop of Chen Yan's essence blood, and study the Immortal Body."

The future Great Xia Prince Consort, Lu Ming'an, did not speak.

Instead, that Lu Xuanzhi, whose body was overflowing with murderous aura, chuckled:

"You saw right through it."

His gaze was incomparably sharp, filled with a wild, predatory intent to kill.

Xia Chenwang was speechless.

The other high-ranking officials felt a tremor in their hearts, feeling that for this Lu Xuanzhi, killing them might just be a matter of a single slap.

Everyone was shocked.

Xiaoyang is about to become restless.

Clearly, it is going to become the center of the storm.

…………

Today.

Xiaoyang trembled.

Yu Changsheng's name disappeared from the college entrance examination leaderboard, but Chen Yan's name still flickered with brilliant light.

This indicates that Chen Yan, under a terrifying crisis, turned defeat into victory and killed Yu Changsheng.

The public discussed it endlessly, all of them shocked.

The Aristocratic Family Alliance and the Martial Suppression Division both fell silent.

The heaven-gifted geniuses of both major forces had been suppressed by Chen Yan.

However, some military geniuses bought fireworks and would set off a few from time to time.

Chen Yan is not only the top scorer of Qinzhou, but basically the top scorer of Great Xia as well.

The other party also awakened an Immortal Body and is about to become a powerful heaven-gifted genius famous throughout Great Xia.

Even the Chen Clan's Great Elder traveled ten thousand miles to come and take Chen Yan back to the Chen Clan.

Many among the public worried, what would happen if Chen Yan really went to the Chen Clan?

In the current situation, Great Xia and the Five Clans might be about to go to full-scale war.

At that time, Chen Yan would be an enemy of Great Xia.

It was also at sunset.

Boom, boom, boom!

Outside Xiaoyang City, sounds of blood and Qi roaring resonated.

The residents of Xiaoyang looked from afar and saw a boundless sea of blood-evil covering the sky and blocking the sun as it approached, incomparably magnificent.

That was an army of over a thousand people crossing the void, pressing down upon them.

Every one of them wore ink-colored Star General uniforms, and their auras were terrifying to the extreme.

The person in the lead was incomparably sturdy, standing a full two and a half meters tall.

His face was as chiseled as if by knife and axe, and he carried a great saber at least two meters long on his back.

The sleeves of his ink-colored Star General uniform had been cut off, revealing two sturdy arms imprinted with flame patterns.

The moment the man arrived, someone recognized him.

"That is Jidao Wu, a Second-Rank Star General from Lianzhou, and he is the oldest among the Second-Rank Star Generals!"

"What a powerful aura; I heard he is already the second-in-command of Lianzhou and possesses the might of a Divine General."

The Second-Rank Star General Jidao Wu is rumored to refine his body with Heavenly Fire, having survived nine tribulations without dying, suppressing several generations of heaven-gifted geniuses in Lianzhou so they could not lift their heads; he is incomparably tyrannical.

He himself practices a remnant of a Sun-Level Body-Refining Breathing Technique, was designated as a Second-Rank Star General very early on, and also rendered great meritorious service in the Battle of Tiezhou.

The moment Jidao Wu appeared, he stood before the gate of Xiaoyang City and roared:

"Chen Changyuan, come out and accept your death!"

His voice rolled out, filled with murderous intent.

In an instant.

Clang!

A sound of sword ringing suddenly resounded over Xiaoyang City, and boundless sword light slashed out from within the Family Alliance branch building, accompanied by an invincible Sword Realm, as if to sever heaven and earth.

Chen Changyuan had made his move!

Jidao Wu's eyes lit up brightly; he suddenly drew the long saber from behind his back and slashed out with a single strike toward the incoming sword light.

Boom!

The sword light and saber light collided, and two sun-piercing cross-shaped rays of light tore through the clouds and mist, with countless spatial cracks appearing in everyone's line of sight.

With a squelch.

A hideous bloodstain appeared on Jidao Wu's chest, his bones were even severed, revealing a heart that was still beating.

But it was also at this very instant.

Saber light erupted from Jidao Wu's entire body, his terrifying Saber Realm blazing and scorching, incomparably tyrannical.

He opened his eyes wide, not caring in the slightest about the wound on his chest, but instead, his aura surged and became even more terrifying, and he laughed out loud:

"Many thanks, my Tyrant Saber True Realm has reached the seventh level today!"

The surroundings were horrified; Jidao Wu did not seem reckless, but rather, he had used the pressure brought by Chen Changyuan's Sword Realm to raise the grade of his own Saber Realm.

Jidao Wu swallowed a healing precious medicine, laughed heartily, and said some more words of disdain for Chen Changyuan.

"Chen Changyuan, when I reach the peak of the sixth level, I will challenge you to a life-or-death battle, using your spine as my saber hilt and your skull as my water cup!

I hope you are quick about it then, and don't be afraid!"

Jidao Wu's whole body erupted with powerful killing intent, not caring at all about Chen Changyuan's fury.

He was a Second-Rank General Star, and furthermore the second-in-command of Lian Province, holding great power; Chen Changyuan simply dared not kill him.

Immediately following, Jidao Wu led several thousand General Stars into the Military Martial Guard.

Zong Heng came out to welcome them.

"Where is Brother Shen?" Jidao Wu asked.

"Little Shen is miserable right now, he is in secluded cultivation." Zong Heng shook his head and smiled.

"What happened?" Jidao Wu frowned.

"Previously, Chen Yan's life or death was uncertain in the college entrance examination secret realm, and Little Shen felt terrible, thinking he was useless, so he went directly into death-seclusion, vowing to return to his peak." Zong Heng said:

"He doesn't even care about the matters over at Yunmeng anymore; I even had an argument with Zhang Ting because of this."

Zong Heng sighed, which is why Shen Yiwei is miserable now.

He thinks Chen Yan is already dead, and is likely still holding his breath.

But he also did not intend to interrupt Shen Yiwei's secluded cultivation, wanting Shen Yiwei to know shame and then be brave, returning to how he was before.

Jidao Wu's brows lifted slightly:

"He cares that much about that Chen family collateral branch member?"

"Chen Yan is not a Chen family collateral branch member, he is a heaven-gifted talent of Lu Xunyang's lineage!" Zong Heng hurriedly said:

"He will not return to the Chen family."

Jidao Wu was silent, only speaking indifferently:

"Chen family people are the most hateful!"

Zong Heng did not speak; Jidao Wu was just that kind of person.

"Then when Chen Yan comes out, tell him to come see me!" Jidao Wu hummed coldly.

All around, a Military Martial heaven-gifted talent of Xiaoyang spoke up:

"You don't have the qualifications to command Chen Yan!"

After that person finished speaking, other Military Martial heaven-gifted talents in the surroundings also glared angrily at Jidao Wu.

Jidao Wu was stunned, his pressure overflowed from his body, and that person was directly suppressed.

"Did you not see that I am a Second-Rank General Star?!"

He shouted in a low voice, not expecting that Chen Yan actually had such prestige in this place.

Zong Heng frowned, just about to speak.

Jidao Wu, however, had cold eyes:

"You people are disgraceful yourselves, not only letting a Chen family person take the top scholar spot.

You are actually still fawning over a Chen family person!"

He was incomparably furious, vowing to kill all the Chen family people in the world.

"Don't you take your anger toward the Chen family out on Chen Yan!" Zong Heng was also angry.

He did not expect that Jidao Wu's rage toward the Chen family over these years had not only not lessened, but had instead become even more intense.

Jidao Wu snorted coldly:

"If I could still take the college entrance examination this year, this top scholar spot would never be allowed to be taken by a Chen family person, no matter what."

He was furious to the extreme; this was simply the shame of Great Xia.

"You only had 9.7 billion points in your college entrance examination back then." Zong Heng said, his head aching incomparably.

Actually, he also understood Jidao Wu; Jidao Wu's parents followed Xia Hanzhou.

After Xia Hanzhou pushed Chi Mi into the Ancient God Forbidden Land, he became enemies with Chi Mi's fiancé, Chen He.

There had been a great battle between the two sides.

Both parents had their heads smashed by Chen He.

Such a great enmity was irreconcilable.

"I had suppressed my realm back then, otherwise it would definitely have been ten billion!" Jidao Wu roared in a low voice, the anger in his eyes becoming even more obvious:

"I can suppress him!"

He clenched his fists tightly; he hadn't been that angry originally.

As a result, upon seeing one military man after another acting so close to that Chen Yan, he became furious.

He truly found it hard to accept the fact that members of the Chen clan, despite being merely a collateral branch, were one by one revealing their renown throughout the Great Xia.

Chen Changyuan, Chen Min, and Chen Yan were all such examples.

Yet, just as he was thinking this.

Outside, low exclamations began to ring out.

"Holy crap, what's the situation? Is he not coming out?"

"He has already broken the record, why does he still want to keep breaking it!"

"This child must absolutely not be allowed to return to the Chen clan; he must be kept in our Great Xia to be a high-ranking official!"

"Matchmaker Wang, Matchmaker Wang, you have vast magical powers, can you help me act as a matchmaker for Chen Yan?"

Jidao Wu's gaze trembled.

Yet he saw that on the college entrance examination leaderboard, the total points after Chen Yan's name had actually started to skyrocket again!

One hundred eleven billion five hundred million!

One hundred eleven billion six hundred million!

…………

One hundred eleven billion two hundred million!

Jidao Wu watched in silence.