Chapter 40
The Battle for the Holy Land: Who Will Win?
Arena number six.
Gu Lin closed his eyes to rest, and golden specks of light floated in his mind, eventually converging into the three large characters "Book of Merit".
[Defeat the level 1 Black Bear Demon to receive a max-level Six Meridians Divine Sword]
[Martial Arts Merit Points: 3512/4000]
[Confucian and Taoist Merit Points: 359/1000]
[Merit Points in Taoist Arts: 0/1000]
[Witchcraft Merit Points: 0/1000]
In an instant.
The acupoints in his body hummed, and a huge impact, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into his seven meridians and eight extraordinary vessels. The top of his head was filled with spiritual energy, and his dantian made three loud thuds as the internal energy surged once again.
The eighth level of Qi Condensation Realm!
Countless onlookers stared in shock at Gu Lin's breakthrough.
Many members of the Holy Land shook their heads and chuckled. As expected of the top player in Chuwei County, it seems that he broke through the realm after experiencing a battle. This phenomenon is very common among members of the Holy Land. The only strange thing is that it seems that Gu Lin's secret technique has no aftereffects. Falling one level is just an illusion.
Gu Lin sat cross-legged, regulating his internal energy.
He was originally at the seventh level of the Qi Condensation Realm, so breaking through to the next level after the battle would not arouse any suspicion.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have opened the book of merit.
Unfortunately, killing this black bear demon could have allowed him to break through to the Cave Profound Realm!
The two uses of "Trying to Compete with the Heavens" resulted in a drop of two levels in cultivation.
But it was all so worth it!
If it weren't for this ingenious move, I definitely wouldn't have been able to get past Yan Xu.
As for the max-level Six Meridians Divine Sword, he was naturally extremely satisfied.
The Six Meridians Divine Sword unleashes invisible sword energy from its fingertips, combining offense and defense; the invisible sword energy can both kill and block.
The other six arenas also came to an end one after another. The two prodigies who were slowest to kill the demon collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly helpless.
Nearly 100,000 onlookers looked on with pity.
They made it into the quarterfinals, just one step away from the finish line, but were ultimately shut out. Such a blow would be devastating and despairing for anyone.
But that's the rule!
Amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhu Baihu of the Wendao Academy, drawing his breath from his dantian, spoke in a voice as loud as a bell:
"By order of the Divine Dynasty, the Chuwei County Selection Competition has come to a successful conclusion."
"The champion is Gu Lin!"
"Secondly, Li Zhixu!"
"Third, Chu Sheng!"
Fourth, Song Shiwei!
"Fifth, Nian Gui!"
"Sixth, Lieutenant Commandant!"
Congratulations to the six of them.
His tone suddenly changed, and he leaped down from the high platform, quickly running to the sixth dueling arena.
He stared intently at Gu Lin, emphasizing each word:
"Since you are proficient in both Confucianism and martial arts, but your Confucian cultivation is still weak, you should join the Wendao Academy. Under the Wendao Tree, you can refine your literary skills, and under the Wendao Stele, you can cultivate your righteous energy. The Wendao Academy has all kinds of Confucian techniques, and your fellow Confucian cultivators will share their knowledge without reservation!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Martial Arts Hall commander hesitated for only a moment before heading straight for the number six dueling arena.
Although the hatred between Gu Lin and his subordinate Zhao Can was irreconcilable, he had to fight for the Martial Peak Hall, otherwise he would be blamed by his superiors for acting on personal gain, and the consequences would be very serious.
"You surnamed Zhu, stop trying to use your flowery words to bewitch people!" The Martial Peak Hall commander glared angrily and said coldly.
"What made Gu Lin the champion? He possesses unparalleled martial arts prowess. If he had focused on Confucianism and neglected his martial arts, he would have remained mediocre and incompetent, unknown in your Literary Academy!"
Zhu Baihu confronted him head-on:
"Absurd! Who says the Literary Academy can't accommodate martial artists? Forty percent of the Literary Academy's members are martial artists. Gu Lin cultivates both Confucianism and martial arts; he can only come to the Literary Academy!!"
"Our Wendao Academy has two spots in Chuwei County this time, and I only want one—Gu Lin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience stood up abruptly.
Everyone instinctively looked at Li Zhixu, the Prince of Order.
Li Zhixu lowered his head, a sense of loss sweeping over him, almost suffocating him.
He was a practitioner of Confucianism and Taoism, and his goal was the Wendao Academy.
Kewen Academy only needs Gu Lin!
Countless onlookers remained silent.
These words were incredibly cruel to the Prince of Order.
But this is the cruel holy land, where only potential and future prospects matter!
The Hundred-Household Commander of the Martial Peak Palace was not at a disadvantage:
"Our Martial Peak Hall also has two spots. We'll give up one and only accept Gu Lin!"
To be honest, the others are quite mediocre in Chuzhou, only Gu Lin has great potential.
As the two argued, a snow-white xiezhi robe and a snow-white qilin robe stepped forward simultaneously.
"Join the Heavenly Profound Guard!" The Heavenly Profound Guard commander said firmly in a deep voice.
"The Heavenly Profound Guard has even greater power. In addition to slaying demons and monsters, it is responsible for monitoring all officials in Chuzhou, traveling around to eliminate corrupt officials, and possessing all the resources that the Literary Academy and Martial Arts Hall should have!"
Gu Lin remained calm, but his emotions were running high.
however.
Toji Hyakuho said in a loud voice:
"Is your Heavenly Profound Guard the only one who's special? My Eastern Temple still has the power to supervise all officials in Chu Prefecture. Once you join the Eastern Temple, officials below the seventh rank can be executed first and reported later. The higher your position in the Eastern Temple, the greater your power!"
As she spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on Gu Lin.
The four centurions all looked at the leader.
Nearly 100,000 onlookers looked on with envy, yet felt it was only natural.
The best in Chuwei County!!
It's worth the Holy Land fighting for!
Gu Lin remained silent and did not answer.
He had some knowledge of the competition before it even started.
In terms of cultivation resources, such as cultivation techniques, martial arts skills, dantian and magic treasures, the Martial Arts Hall of the Literary Academy is definitely ahead of the East Temple and the Heavenly Profound Guard.
But now, he has ruled out these two holy sites first.
They have no shortage of resources; all they need to do is keep eliminating evil to receive generous rewards.
The East Temple and the Heavenly Profound Guard have relatively more power and can directly investigate local officials within Chuzhou.
The scope of merit gained from eliminating evil is even greater!
Choose between Dongsi Temple and Tianxuan Guard!
Gu Lin carefully considered his words and said cautiously:
"I have admired the Tianxuan Guard and the East Temple since I was a child."
After saying this, Zhu, the commander of the Literary Academy, and Zhu, the commander of the Martial Arts Hall, left one after the other without any expression.
I have already tried, but since I have no intention of entering the Holy Land, I will not force it. The Holy Land will not lower its stance, nor will it offer any conditions. Entering the Holy Land would only make me a lowly pawn.
Cao, the centurion of the East Temple, smiled and opened his palm. His subordinate handed him a sheet of Xuan paper.
It records Gu Lin's past.
There were participants in the selection competition. After Gu Lin defeated Yan Xu, Dong Si specially retrieved Gu Lin's information.
Commander Cao said in a measured tone:
"Gu Lin's father, Gu Changchuan, was a bodyguard at Tongxing Escort Agency. To make a living, he often accepted bounty notices from the county government and risked his life to kill the most vicious wanted criminals. He fought against violence and protected the people with a clear conscience. Such a virtuous man with a strong will should serve as an official in the Divine Dynasty."
"Dongsi is eager to recruit talent and will recommend them to higher authorities to see if there are any vacancies for eighth or ninth-rank official positions in Chuzhou."
The words weren't explicitly stated, but everyone understood.
It's absolutely decided!
Lord Toji would certainly not openly promise a position, as that might cause public opinion problems. Of course, if he were to actually say it, who would dare to question the Holy Land?
That's what talent brings.
He himself achieved great success, and even his own father benefited from his good fortune.
This is the sacred land that so many geniuses have dreamed of!
Gu Changchuan, standing in the stands, looked blank and was so nervous that he didn't know what to do.
Gu Lin lowered his head slightly and looked at the commander of the Tianxuan Guard with a hint of respect.
The centurion of the Tianxuan Guard remained silent. Unlike the man surnamed Cao, he was not well-prepared. Could the Tianxuan Guard not make promises about eighth or ninth-rank official positions so casually? However, openly following the Dongsi Temple's lead would make the Tianxuan Guard look bad and lose face.
Cao is truly quick-witted!
After a moment, Gu Linchao, the centurion of the Eastern Temple, clasped his hands deeply in greeting:
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
No one can predict the future, but he has already swum from a mudfish in a ditch into the ocean. Whether he can become a giant whale that stirs up the wind and clouds depends on himself.
"Good." Commander Cao nodded with a smile.
Zhu Baihu of the Wendao Academy said in a deep voice:
"Wen Dao Yuan needs Li Zhixu and Song Shiwei."
The voice of the Martial Peak Hall Commander was clear and melodious:
"Chu Sheng of the Martial Peak Hall, Nian Gui of the Martial Peak Hall."
Tianxuan Guard Commander remained expressionless.
"Lieutenant Commandant of the Heavenly Mystic Guard!"
The six candidates have been finalized.
......
......
Gu Lin closed his eyes to rest, and golden specks of light floated in his mind, eventually converging into the three large characters "Book of Merit".
[Defeat the level 1 Black Bear Demon to receive a max-level Six Meridians Divine Sword]
[Martial Arts Merit Points: 3512/4000]
[Confucian and Taoist Merit Points: 359/1000]
[Merit Points in Taoist Arts: 0/1000]
[Witchcraft Merit Points: 0/1000]
In an instant.
The acupoints in his body hummed, and a huge impact, like a flood bursting its banks, surged into his seven meridians and eight extraordinary vessels. The top of his head was filled with spiritual energy, and his dantian made three loud thuds as the internal energy surged once again.
The eighth level of Qi Condensation Realm!
Countless onlookers stared in shock at Gu Lin's breakthrough.
Many members of the Holy Land shook their heads and chuckled. As expected of the top player in Chuwei County, it seems that he broke through the realm after experiencing a battle. This phenomenon is very common among members of the Holy Land. The only strange thing is that it seems that Gu Lin's secret technique has no aftereffects. Falling one level is just an illusion.
Gu Lin sat cross-legged, regulating his internal energy.
He was originally at the seventh level of the Qi Condensation Realm, so breaking through to the next level after the battle would not arouse any suspicion.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have opened the book of merit.
Unfortunately, killing this black bear demon could have allowed him to break through to the Cave Profound Realm!
The two uses of "Trying to Compete with the Heavens" resulted in a drop of two levels in cultivation.
But it was all so worth it!
If it weren't for this ingenious move, I definitely wouldn't have been able to get past Yan Xu.
As for the max-level Six Meridians Divine Sword, he was naturally extremely satisfied.
The Six Meridians Divine Sword unleashes invisible sword energy from its fingertips, combining offense and defense; the invisible sword energy can both kill and block.
The other six arenas also came to an end one after another. The two prodigies who were slowest to kill the demon collapsed to the ground, feeling utterly helpless.
Nearly 100,000 onlookers looked on with pity.
They made it into the quarterfinals, just one step away from the finish line, but were ultimately shut out. Such a blow would be devastating and despairing for anyone.
But that's the rule!
Amidst the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhu Baihu of the Wendao Academy, drawing his breath from his dantian, spoke in a voice as loud as a bell:
"By order of the Divine Dynasty, the Chuwei County Selection Competition has come to a successful conclusion."
"The champion is Gu Lin!"
"Secondly, Li Zhixu!"
"Third, Chu Sheng!"
Fourth, Song Shiwei!
"Fifth, Nian Gui!"
"Sixth, Lieutenant Commandant!"
Congratulations to the six of them.
His tone suddenly changed, and he leaped down from the high platform, quickly running to the sixth dueling arena.
He stared intently at Gu Lin, emphasizing each word:
"Since you are proficient in both Confucianism and martial arts, but your Confucian cultivation is still weak, you should join the Wendao Academy. Under the Wendao Tree, you can refine your literary skills, and under the Wendao Stele, you can cultivate your righteous energy. The Wendao Academy has all kinds of Confucian techniques, and your fellow Confucian cultivators will share their knowledge without reservation!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Martial Arts Hall commander hesitated for only a moment before heading straight for the number six dueling arena.
Although the hatred between Gu Lin and his subordinate Zhao Can was irreconcilable, he had to fight for the Martial Peak Hall, otherwise he would be blamed by his superiors for acting on personal gain, and the consequences would be very serious.
"You surnamed Zhu, stop trying to use your flowery words to bewitch people!" The Martial Peak Hall commander glared angrily and said coldly.
"What made Gu Lin the champion? He possesses unparalleled martial arts prowess. If he had focused on Confucianism and neglected his martial arts, he would have remained mediocre and incompetent, unknown in your Literary Academy!"
Zhu Baihu confronted him head-on:
"Absurd! Who says the Literary Academy can't accommodate martial artists? Forty percent of the Literary Academy's members are martial artists. Gu Lin cultivates both Confucianism and martial arts; he can only come to the Literary Academy!!"
"Our Wendao Academy has two spots in Chuwei County this time, and I only want one—Gu Lin!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience stood up abruptly.
Everyone instinctively looked at Li Zhixu, the Prince of Order.
Li Zhixu lowered his head, a sense of loss sweeping over him, almost suffocating him.
He was a practitioner of Confucianism and Taoism, and his goal was the Wendao Academy.
Kewen Academy only needs Gu Lin!
Countless onlookers remained silent.
These words were incredibly cruel to the Prince of Order.
But this is the cruel holy land, where only potential and future prospects matter!
The Hundred-Household Commander of the Martial Peak Palace was not at a disadvantage:
"Our Martial Peak Hall also has two spots. We'll give up one and only accept Gu Lin!"
To be honest, the others are quite mediocre in Chuzhou, only Gu Lin has great potential.
As the two argued, a snow-white xiezhi robe and a snow-white qilin robe stepped forward simultaneously.
"Join the Heavenly Profound Guard!" The Heavenly Profound Guard commander said firmly in a deep voice.
"The Heavenly Profound Guard has even greater power. In addition to slaying demons and monsters, it is responsible for monitoring all officials in Chuzhou, traveling around to eliminate corrupt officials, and possessing all the resources that the Literary Academy and Martial Arts Hall should have!"
Gu Lin remained calm, but his emotions were running high.
however.
Toji Hyakuho said in a loud voice:
"Is your Heavenly Profound Guard the only one who's special? My Eastern Temple still has the power to supervise all officials in Chu Prefecture. Once you join the Eastern Temple, officials below the seventh rank can be executed first and reported later. The higher your position in the Eastern Temple, the greater your power!"
As she spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on Gu Lin.
The four centurions all looked at the leader.
Nearly 100,000 onlookers looked on with envy, yet felt it was only natural.
The best in Chuwei County!!
It's worth the Holy Land fighting for!
Gu Lin remained silent and did not answer.
He had some knowledge of the competition before it even started.
In terms of cultivation resources, such as cultivation techniques, martial arts skills, dantian and magic treasures, the Martial Arts Hall of the Literary Academy is definitely ahead of the East Temple and the Heavenly Profound Guard.
But now, he has ruled out these two holy sites first.
They have no shortage of resources; all they need to do is keep eliminating evil to receive generous rewards.
The East Temple and the Heavenly Profound Guard have relatively more power and can directly investigate local officials within Chuzhou.
The scope of merit gained from eliminating evil is even greater!
Choose between Dongsi Temple and Tianxuan Guard!
Gu Lin carefully considered his words and said cautiously:
"I have admired the Tianxuan Guard and the East Temple since I was a child."
After saying this, Zhu, the commander of the Literary Academy, and Zhu, the commander of the Martial Arts Hall, left one after the other without any expression.
I have already tried, but since I have no intention of entering the Holy Land, I will not force it. The Holy Land will not lower its stance, nor will it offer any conditions. Entering the Holy Land would only make me a lowly pawn.
Cao, the centurion of the East Temple, smiled and opened his palm. His subordinate handed him a sheet of Xuan paper.
It records Gu Lin's past.
There were participants in the selection competition. After Gu Lin defeated Yan Xu, Dong Si specially retrieved Gu Lin's information.
Commander Cao said in a measured tone:
"Gu Lin's father, Gu Changchuan, was a bodyguard at Tongxing Escort Agency. To make a living, he often accepted bounty notices from the county government and risked his life to kill the most vicious wanted criminals. He fought against violence and protected the people with a clear conscience. Such a virtuous man with a strong will should serve as an official in the Divine Dynasty."
"Dongsi is eager to recruit talent and will recommend them to higher authorities to see if there are any vacancies for eighth or ninth-rank official positions in Chuzhou."
The words weren't explicitly stated, but everyone understood.
It's absolutely decided!
Lord Toji would certainly not openly promise a position, as that might cause public opinion problems. Of course, if he were to actually say it, who would dare to question the Holy Land?
That's what talent brings.
He himself achieved great success, and even his own father benefited from his good fortune.
This is the sacred land that so many geniuses have dreamed of!
Gu Changchuan, standing in the stands, looked blank and was so nervous that he didn't know what to do.
Gu Lin lowered his head slightly and looked at the commander of the Tianxuan Guard with a hint of respect.
The centurion of the Tianxuan Guard remained silent. Unlike the man surnamed Cao, he was not well-prepared. Could the Tianxuan Guard not make promises about eighth or ninth-rank official positions so casually? However, openly following the Dongsi Temple's lead would make the Tianxuan Guard look bad and lose face.
Cao is truly quick-witted!
After a moment, Gu Linchao, the centurion of the Eastern Temple, clasped his hands deeply in greeting:
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
No one can predict the future, but he has already swum from a mudfish in a ditch into the ocean. Whether he can become a giant whale that stirs up the wind and clouds depends on himself.
"Good." Commander Cao nodded with a smile.
Zhu Baihu of the Wendao Academy said in a deep voice:
"Wen Dao Yuan needs Li Zhixu and Song Shiwei."
The voice of the Martial Peak Hall Commander was clear and melodious:
"Chu Sheng of the Martial Peak Hall, Nian Gui of the Martial Peak Hall."
Tianxuan Guard Commander remained expressionless.
"Lieutenant Commandant of the Heavenly Mystic Guard!"
The six candidates have been finalized.
......
......