Chapter 587

“Zeng Shi-di, be careful with your words this time!”

As Teng Wangshan and Yan Ran exchanged glances, Jiang Chen quickly warned Zeng Xi beside him: Zeng Shi-di could rebut Zhao Yan, but now it was the Sixth Royal Prince who had spoken—Zeng Shi-di must not dare to contradict again.

The Royal Prince’s status is exalted; one must never lightly offend him.

Jiang Chen’s thoughts reflected those of most warriors present.

Though the Yan Emperor’s Court operates under supreme sect autonomy, every warrior, from birth, has heard tales of the imperial family—especially of the founding emperor—and any warrior with even modest talent and the qualification to join a supreme sect has ascended Mount Dengwudao, earning points through challenges to exchange for resources.

In every warrior’s heart, the imperial court still holds noble stature.

“Good! Good! Good!”

Teng Wangshan, enraged, let out a bitter laugh—how shameless of the imperial family to target a mere youth, even abandoning their own reputation.

“You may deceive the world, but you cannot deceive the Divine Seal!”

Yan Ran showed no change in expression at Teng Wangshan’s threat; having spoken thus, he had already anticipated the potential impact on the Divine Seal.

Elevating Lin Chen to fame would gain far more cosmic fortune than this lie would cost.

“Gentlemen, there’s no need to wait here any longer—depart now.”

Yan Ran looked at the warriors present; though the imperial family had prepared thoroughly—even if Lin Chen emerged from the Tower of Heaven now, he had ready retorts—still, it would invite suspicion from those with keen eyes.

Seeing several warriors already showing signs of leaving, Teng Wangshan’s eyes betrayed urgency, yet against such shameless imperial conduct, he had no recourse.

Even if he swore an oath in the name of the Hua Clan, Yan Ran would find grounds to refute it—he had already thought of the excuse for Yan Ran: Lin Chen is the Hua Clan’s son-in-law, and out of concern for the clan’s honor, he had chosen to swear an oath to clear Lin Chen’s name.

The imperial family had already abandoned all shame; any move they made no longer surprised him. Verbal sparring would yield nothing.

As warriors began steadily exiting the training ground, a commotion suddenly arose from the direction of the Tower of Heaven, triggering gasps from many warriors.

“He’s out!”

“Lin Chen has emerged!”

These words instantly ignited the entire square; warriors who had been preparing to leave immediately halted, their gazes snapping to the Tower’s entrance.

Teng Wangshan and Yan Ran both turned instantly toward the Tower of Heaven; when they saw the entrance open and the young man standing there, their expressions were starkly different.

Teng Wangshan’s face broke into a smile, while Yan Ran’s expression turned icy at once—and his gaze shot immediately to the jade stele nearby.

When he saw Lin Chen’s name absent from the jade stele, Yan Ran’s fleeting panic finally subsided.

Lin Chen had not defeated these hundred champions; he had not regained his place on the Tower of Heaven’s rankings.

Yet as his panic settled, Yan Ran suddenly grew wary—he realized for the first time that his wariness of Lin Chen went far beyond ordinary caution.

Since the founding of the empire, a hundred peak Qi Refining Stage 4 champions—if anyone else had emerged from the Tower of Heaven, he would never have glanced at the jade stele, for he was certain no one could defeat them all.

His subconscious glance at the stele revealed that deep within, he had already placed Lin Chen on an extraordinarily high pedestal.

Emerging from the Tower of Heaven, Lin Chen’s face still bore an air of lingering satisfaction; this challenge had granted him immense gains—such a thrilling, unrestrained battle was rare since he entered the Qi Refining Stage.

In every fight, he needed not hold back, for every opponent he faced was a peak-level existence.

Alas, he lost the final match.

The final opponent’s strength far surpassed the other ninety-nine—by more than a single tier; Lin Chen even suspected the man possessed the power to slay Qi Refining Stage 6 warriors.

“Lin Chen, you’ve emerged at the perfect moment—tell everyone why your ranking on the Tower of Heaven vanished. Someone claimed you cheated to gain your rank, and now the Tower of Heaven has discovered and revoked it.”

Teng Wangshan spoke first, using these words to inform Lin Chen of what had transpired during his time inside the Tower of Heaven.

“Rank revoked?”

Hearing Teng Wangshan, Lin Chen showed surprise—the voice inside the Tower of Heaven had only told him he could initiate the Invincible Challenge, never mentioning his ranking would be revoked.

Yet even knowing his ranking would be revoked, Lin Chen understood he would still have chosen the Invincible Challenge.

Though defeating a Qi Refining Stage 6 warrior as a Qi Refining Stage 4 would shock the Yan Emperor’s Court, it would not greatly enhance his own strength.

The only value lay in using this chance to gain fame, boost morale among warriors of Canglan Region, and claim the Tower of Heaven’s reward.

At this moment, every eye in the crowd turned to Lin Chen—they waited for him to finally resolve this mystery.

Even though most warriors believed the Sixth Royal Prince would not lie, they still wished to hear the truth from his own lips.

“Senior Teng, I wish to know—who claimed I gained my ranking through cheating?”

Lin Chen knew that if this were mere rumor, Senior Teng would not raise it to his face—it would carry no weight.

Who in this world isn’t spoken ill of? In these years within the Yan Emperor’s Court, he had no shortage of enemies, let alone now that the two regions are at war—every warrior in the Eight Wildernesses stands opposed to him; spreading rumors about him is only natural.

“These words were spoken by the Sixth Royal Prince himself.”

Hearing this, Lin Chen’s gaze fixed on the Sixth Royal Prince he had met once—and his mind raced, deducing the likely sequence of events within moments.

He was unsure whether the imperial family had orchestrated the Tower of Heaven’s activation of the Invincible Challenge for him, but they certainly knew he had entered it—and knew that choosing the Invincible Challenge would trigger the revocation of his ranking.

This was an opportunity to tarnish his reputation.

“May I ask, Sixth Royal Prince, how did you determine I cheated?”

Lin Chen did not immediately recount his experience inside the Tower of Heaven; since the imperial family intended to fully break with him, he had no intention of granting them any remaining dignity.

He wanted to hear the Sixth Royal Prince say it again—out loud, before all—leaving him no room for deceitful excuses.

Under Lin Chen’s gaze, Yan Ran understood Lin Chen intended to force him to repeat it clearly before everyone, leaving no escape.

“The Tower of Heaven was launched by our imperial family; naturally, we have ways of knowing. Your cheating method was subtle, but it could not escape the Tower’s detection.”