Chapter 278: Class A Superior?

"Is this Li my lord of Anning Wei?"

"Why is he participating too?"

Many in Qinghe knew Li Rui; seeing him step forward from the crowd, they were stunned.

In their view,

Li Rui was already a high official—he had no need to take part.

In fact, the officials participating were indeed few.

Nearby, Han Zhen saw Li Rui step onto the field, his lips curling slightly.

"Ten to one."

It wasn't just his confidence in Li Rui's strength—back in Yunzhou, General Xue Gui had already mentioned Li Rui to Governor Yuan; not just Xue Gui, but rumors said Jiang Lin himself had even persuaded the young Supervisor Gu to lend his voice.

Connections fully secured.

So as long as Li Rui secures a Class A, becoming a Marquis's retainer is all but certain.

As for why they'd go to such lengths,

it's purely for public perception.

Promotion isn't simple—once past the fifth rank, one's background becomes crucial.

Li Rui, a peasant, has already reached his limit at fifth rank.

If he wishes to rise further, even with Xue Gui's goodwill, it won't be easy.

Without a good background, one must have a good reputation.

Li Rui once worked as a stable hand.

For an official, this is nearly a fatal stain—it must be erased, or else when he climbs higher, his political enemies will surely use it against him.

Like the ancient Military Saint General—who rose from slave and stable hand to become a general—

besides his own brilliance, it was because he had a sister who became Empress.

He gained status through his sister, washing away the stain.

Who would dare bring up that matter? It would imply the Emperor married a woman of low caste as Empress.

So Li Rui must do the same—he needs a way to leverage influence.

His sister the Empress is impossible, but becoming a retainer of the Marquis is a fine alternative.

He was a stable hand, right?

Then let him become a retainer in Marquis Yuan's household—retainers, after all, are no different from stable hands, both bound within the courtyard walls—but who in the world would dare say the Marquis's retainers are inferior?

The goal is to use the Marquis's name to silence the world.

This is precisely the painstaking intent behind Xue Gui and Jiang Lin's planning.

The saying "having someone above you makes things easier" doesn't just mean promotion—it means erasing disadvantages and amplifying advantages, so the official path runs smoothly.

Without wise guidance, if political enemies seize an opening, the higher you climb, the harder you'll fall.

Li Rui walked calmly to the silver spear.

Han Zhen had already told him everything.

As Xue Gui and Jiang Lin had planned, if he wished to rise further, he must erase the stain of his stable hand origins.

He was already a fifth-rank Minor Immortal—hiding his strength any longer would be sheer stupidity.

He must reveal himself, appropriately.

Besides, he doesn't need Class A Superior—just Class A is enough.

For him now, this isn't even extraordinary.

At this moment,

Cao Wei said to Yuan Dingting: "My Lord, this is Li Rui, Captain of the Anning Wei Trade Office."

Upon hearing "Li Rui,"

Yuan Dingting finally took interest.

Why? Because the young Supervisor Gu had been whispering to him for days via telepathy.

Impossible to forget.

"Let's see what he's made of."

Even with Gu Changsheng's intervention, if Li Rui failed to impress, Yuan Dingting would reject him without hesitation.

"With Li my lord's divine might, he must at least get Class A."

"Of course—he's no ordinary man, why doubt it?"

The people of Qinghe whispered among themselves, placing full trust in Li Rui.

Ever since the beast siege, Li Rui's reputation in Qinghe had soared—in their eyes, Li Rui was Qinghe's Martial Saint; no one would question the mettle of a man who slew two fifth-rank experts and chased a Ling Luo head across a thousand li.

"This man seems well-known in Qinghe?"

Yang Heng said, watching the dockside crowds, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Probably because he's local."

Han Qin replied coolly.

"Li my lord's drawing the spear!"

A loud cry pulled all eyes to Li Rui.

Zing!

A piercing spear cry— the moment Li Rui gripped the shaft, a chilling killing intent surged over him, icy to the bone.

"No wonder."

Li Rui finally understood what Ning Zhong meant by the Immortal's Will—those with weak wills would be shaken loose in an instant.

Never mind drawing it out.

For him,

it had no effect—he hardened his gaze.

Both hands strained.

Instantly, the Immortal Xuan Qi dispelled the cold; the spear shaft shot up a full inch.

"Class C."

Seeing the inch of shaft exposed, Ning Zhongtian smiled faintly.

Class C meant nothing to his elder brother—it was that Li Rui had drawn an inch without even exerting himself that pleased him.

Ning Zhongtian had already stepped off the dock.

Ge Hong, Wei Ming, Tan Hu stood beside him.

They discussed.

"What rank do you think Brother will get?"

Tan Hu rumbled.

Wei Ming stared fixedly at the dock, saying: "At least Class A."

Ge Hong: "Do you think he might get Class A Superior?"

This time,

all four fell silent. Though they trusted Li Rui completely, many had tried to break Class A Superior since the Marquis's rise—and all had failed, including some primordial martial artists.

Even with their confidence in Li Rui, they didn't believe he could outmatch primordial martial artists.

Not to mention that pale-faced fellow just now—he was strong, yet only got Class A.

Class A was already impressive.

Seconds ticked by.

Suddenly, someone cried out: "Class B!"

Li Rui's spear shaft had been pulled a full foot from the ground, and he showed no sign of fatigue.

One final push.

The Dragon-Elephant True Qi surged open—

in an instant, the shaft rose to three feet.

The crowd erupted.

They'd always seen outsiders show off—now it was Qinghe's own man shining. Li Rui was a true Qinghe native.

A moment of pride.

Every Qinghe person felt honored.

Not just Qinghe—those who'd come from Yunzhou also felt a surge of pride, their backs straighter.

Who says Yunzhou has no Class A?

Look at our Li my lord, spear in hand, standing tall.

"See? See? I told you so."

Wei Ming pointed at Li Rui, smug as if he'd known it all along.

The others—Ning Zhongtian and the rest—looked equally

as if their elder brother had always been meant to be this way.

At the other end,

Yang Heng and Han Qin both paled upon seeing Li Rui's Class A result.

Because they had earned Class A themselves to enter the Marquis's household.

It was surprising that a native of Qinghe could possess such ability.

"He's impressive, but a Jia-grade score alone still isn't enough to enter the Marquis's household."

The top four.

It's not that no one achieved Jia-grade, but they were still outshone by them.

He and Han Qin both scored nearly Jia-shang, and as the world suspected, Lord Yuan favored the young among warriors.

Otherwise, with so many Xiantian warriors, why pick only him and Han Qin, both of whom were Guanhai?

"His age is indeed somewhat advanced," Han Qin murmured, nodding in agreement.

Among the three of them, only Wang Li beside them was older—and he was a civil official. Civil and martial were distinct; Lord Yuan had no need to take on another old man.

Both of them thought so.

Xu Chuan stood on the dock, expression calm.

There are differences even among Jia-grade scores—differences greater than those between Jia and Bing grades, known only to those who have experienced them firsthand.

But soon, his expression changed.

"He's pulled it again! Li Daoren pulled it again!"

A grating voice shrieked across the dock.

They saw Li Rui achieve a Jia-grade score, yet he showed no sign of stopping.

"I don't expect Jia-shang, but at least I won't be outdone."

Li Rui thought so.

Please... Your Excellency... collect_(!)

Since he'd already shown his ability, he must reap some reward—otherwise, showing off without profit wasn't his style.

His sleeves swelled, moving without wind.

"He's starting to exert force!"

All eyes fixed on Li Rui's silver spear.

Jia-shang?

One inch. Two inches.

The silver spear slowly pulled from its sheath in Li Rui's grip.

Just as it neared the third inch—

BOOM!

A thunderous roar exploded in their ears; endless battle cries surged like a battlefield of millions, blood-red sunsets, their vision filled only with mountains of corpses and seas of blood, as if plunged into an ice cave—cold, absolute cold.

Huh-huh

Li Rui's breathing grew rapid.

He finally understood why no one had ever achieved Jia-shang.

Because after Jia-grade, a trace of Yuan Dingting's hundred-battle killing intent was added.

Who was Yuan Dingting?

The Sage of Battle of Dayu, who became immortal through a hundred battles; if one spoke solely of killing aura, only the barbarian War God could rival him—not even the Lord of Donghai.

A single trace of this killing intent could crush all heroes under heaven, regardless of realm—everyone was equal before it.

No wonder even the Xiantian warriors couldn't achieve Jia-shang—it was impartial.

How could one underestimate the killing intent of a Battle Sage?

In an instant.

A vast dragon phantom slowly emerged—a three-zhang-long dragon suddenly appeared atop the dock, its scales shimmering with divine radiance like flowing water, majestic and awe-inspiring, its head slightly raised.

BOOM!

Thunder cracked, coiling around the silver spear.

The Dragon Soars Through Heaven!

The dragon flared its wings violently, kicking up vast clouds of dust; the dock turned hazy yellow, as if immersed in twilight.

What a magnificent spectacle!

"Dragon."

"It's the Great Dragon!"

High-pitched voices rang out; adults stood stunned into silence, while innocent children, believing they'd seen the true dragon from legends, giggled excitedly.

Good heavens.

It's truly a dragon!

The people of Qinghe stared, dumbfounded.

The dragon held an exalted status in Dayu's heart—a worship deep in their souls, even bordering on terror.

Li Daoren is a reincarnated dragon!

Some villagers had already knelt and bowed their heads repeatedly toward Li Rui.

"Is that... a dragon shape?!"

"Is there really such a person in Qinghe?!"

Yang Heng's expression finally changed—he knew there were no true dragons; the phenomenon on the dock was merely a dragon-shaped true qi.

The dragon is the supreme sovereign of all beasts; those who can manifest a dragon shape are extraordinary even across all of Dayu. And because dragon forms are so grand, each realm breakthrough is far harder than for ordinary warriors.

This Qinghe man, bearing a dragon shape and already entering Guanhai, was truly remarkable.

Such talent, even among major sects, would be nurtured as the chief disciple.

The only possible flaw might be his age?

He showed seriousness for the first time.

His eyes never left the silver spear Duanlang.

'Could he really achieve Jia-shang?'

Xu Chuan, standing beside the dock, was in nearly the same situation—he too stared intently at Li Rui's spear.

Four inches.

Five inches.

Watching the silver spear slowly rise, his heart rose to his throat.

Nothing else.

Lord Yuan had always chosen only one retainer per location; if this Qinghe man surpassed him, this trip was wasted.

His fists clenched tight.

Eight inches!

Instantly—

The silver spear blazed with brilliant light; everyone on the dock raised their arms to shield their eyes.

Too bright to look upon!

Just as the light reached its peak—it suddenly ceased.

'That's it?!'

Everyone stared at the now-calm dock, utterly bewildered.

It was like losing climax just before orgasm—agonizing.

Li Rui slowly exhaled.

Close call.

Almost made Jia-shang.

Just now, Xuanqi had been drawn by the Battle Sage's killing intent; he nearly lost control and pulled the spear free.

Jia-grade plus was enough; no need to truly achieve Jia-shang.

It would draw too much envy.

Show seven-tenths, and that's sufficient.

Huh.

Yang Heng and Xu Chuan both let out long sighs of relief.

Yang Heng chuckled dryly: "See? I told you—no one could get Jia-shang. Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Seeing Li Rui release the spear,

he finally relaxed.

Though all were retainers, they were rivals—if Li Rui shone too brightly, how could he ever stand out before Lord Yuan? How could he become Lord Yuan's first disciple?

Xu Chuan's tense nerves loosened.

A faint smile returned to his face.

Thank goodness it didn't happen.

At that moment, Cao Wei's voice rang out: "Li Rui—Jia-grade."

He spoke while staring at Li Rui with renewed curiosity.

He was increasingly unable to fathom this former subordinate.

Afterwards,

the martial trial became far more mundane; several Jia-grade scores emerged, but pale beside Li Rui and Xu Chuan's brilliance.

Until dusk fell.

All contestants have finished their trials.

As per tradition, the results of the martial examination will be announced tomorrow together with the literary results.

The people on the dock chewed their lips, savoring the scenes they had witnessed today.

Master Li has raised a dragon—this news will soon spread through every alley and street of Qinghe.

"Big brother, it's a sure thing!"

Ning Zhongtian and the others surrounded Li Rui, talking nonstop.

Li Rui's performance today truly brought honor.

Aside from that pretty boy from the Guiyun Sect, everyone else was overshadowed by Li Rui—he stands a very high chance of becoming a retainer of the Marquis's household.

"Be conservative—nine out of ten."

Li Rui had not yet told them that he had already arranged the connections.

The group returned to his home.

They kept chatting until dusk, finally leaving with reluctance.

"Finally, it's quiet."

Li Rui rubbed his temples.

He ate dinner and waited until evening.

The courtyard gate was knocked on.

When he opened the door, he saw a formidable man standing before him.

"You're Li Rui, right?"

(End of chapter)