Chapter 601
Blood Wolf Plain
However, the atmosphere in the council chamber was somewhat somber and oppressive at this moment.
According to past practice, the certificate for the person who ranks first in the provincial examination must be personally issued by Grand Commander Liu Wujun, and he must be the first to issue it, as a sign of honor.
Now, everyone has arrived, but the most important protagonist—Jiang Xuan—has yet to appear!
The ceremony could not be started, and the expressions on Liu Wujun and the others gradually changed from peaceful to displeased.
An official in charge of etiquette wiped the sweat from his brow and said in a low voice.
"Grand Commander, Jiang Xuan... is far too lazy. How can he be absent from such an important occasion?"
Another powerful cultivator beside him frowned slightly, his tone filled with dissatisfaction.
"Young people who achieve success are bound to become arrogant."
But to keep all the esteemed officials and colleagues here waiting like this is indeed going too far.”
Among the cultivators below, some murmurs began to rise. Many wore expressions of schadenfreude. They were already jealous of Jiang Xuan's extraordinary achievements and popularity, and now that they saw him "arrogant and conceited," displeasing the important figures, they were secretly pleased and hoped that he would be reprimanded and his arrogance would be dampened.
Liu Wujun's face was ashen. He glanced at Wei Lingzhen, who also had a slightly furrowed brow, and Du Dongtu, who was expressionless, and took a deep breath to suppress his displeasure. He spoke in a deep voice, which echoed in the council hall.
"Please be patient, everyone."
Jiang Xuan may have been delayed for some reason, and the young man may have made some oversights. When he arrives, I will reprimand him severely. The issuance of provincial examination certificates is a solemn matter and should not be neglected because of one person.”
His words not only reassured the crowd but also demonstrated his stance, showcasing the demeanor of a high-ranking official.
However, shortly after he finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps and a commotion suddenly came from outside the hall! A guard rushed in with a flustered expression, knelt on one knee, and hurriedly reported.
"Reporting to the Grand Commander! Someone has trespassed outside the manor gate! They have injured Guest Elder Ruan Lingdu and more than ten guards! That person... that person claims to be here on behalf of Jiang Xuan to collect the credentials!"
"what?!"
"This is outrageous!"
"Collecting a receipt on behalf of someone else? And even injuring someone? What kind of madman did Jiang Xuan send?!"
These words caused an uproar not only among the cultivators below, but also among the important figures at the head of the table, such as Liu Wujun and Wei Lingzhen, whose faces instantly darkened! They were already displeased by Jiang Xuan's absence, and now, hearing that the people he sent were so arrogant, attacking and injuring people in front of the city lord's mansion, they felt that this was simply lawless and a blatant provocation!
A flash of anger crossed Liu Wujun's eyes. He suddenly stood up, and a powerful aura naturally spread out, instantly silencing the entire council hall.
He said coldly.
"I'd like to see who this person is, daring to act so wildly in my city lord's mansion!"
Just as he was about to step out to check, a rough and unrestrained laugh, like rolling thunder, came in from outside the hall without warning.
"Hahaha! Young Liu, it's been years, and your official airs have certainly grown stronger!"
Before the words were even finished, a majestic figure appeared at the entrance of the council hall like a ghost, and then strode in!
It's Xuejin!
He was still wearing that tattered gray robe, his hair was messy, and he smelled faintly of alcohol.
But as he stood there, he seemed like an unshakeable, towering mountain, and an indescribable, majestic aura swept through the entire council hall like a tidal wave!
"Buzz!"
The hundred or so young cultivators below, who had been full of vigor, turned pale under the pressure of this aura. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably, and their eyes were filled with fear! They felt as if they had become a small boat in a raging storm, about to capsize at any moment!
Even the important figures sitting at the head of the table, such as Wei Lingzhen and Du Dongtu, were startled and moved by this aura. They subconsciously stood up and looked at the figure at the door with extremely solemn eyes!
Only Liu Wujun, upon hearing the address "Young Liu" and recognizing the newcomer's face, froze in place as if struck by a spell! The anger on his face vanished instantly, replaced by extreme shock, disbelief, and a hint of... indescribable complexity!
He stared intently at Xue Jin, as if trying to confirm whether he was seeing things.
After a long pause, he took a deep breath, and the surging official aura and anger around him receded like the tide, his tone carrying a rare, even somewhat dry, hesitation.
"It's...it's you? Xuejin...senpai?"
Xue Jin laughed heartily, strode into the hall, casually glanced at the silent young cultivators and solemn-looking important figures, and finally fixed his gaze on Liu Wujun with a hint of mockery.
"What? After being the Grand Commander for so many years, you don't recognize this old codger?"
Liu Wujun quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, his attitude completely different from before, and said with a wry smile.
"Senior is too kind! How could Wu Jun forget the kindness of your guidance back then? It's just... I heard that you were seriously injured and disappeared after the battle of 'Cangshan Muxue' and have not been heard from since. Wu Jun always thought... thought you were already..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was already clear.
He thought Xue Jin had already perished.
Xue Jin waved her hand, seemingly unconcerned.
"I'm tough, even the King of Hell won't take me."
I came here for no other reason than to help that kid Jiang Xuan collect his damn certificate for being first in the provincial examination.
That kid has something to do and can't come.
Upon hearing this, Liu Wujun suddenly realized! It turned out that the "madman" outside the door was actually this master! His displeasure vanished instantly, and he even felt that Ruan Lingdu had only himself to blame for the beating! He quickly took the exquisitely crafted purple-gold certificate representing the top score in the provincial examination from the tray held by the servant beside him, and handed it to Xue Jin with both hands, his attitude respectful.
"I see! Since it's being accepted on your behalf by a senior, there's no problem. This is Jiang Xuan's provincial examination certificate; please keep it safe, senior."
Xue Jin casually took the voucher, stuffed it into his pocket without even looking at it, as if it were some worthless trinket.
He patted Liu Wujun on the shoulder and grinned.
"Alright, now that I have the receipt, I won't delay your business any longer. I'm off!"
After saying that, he laughed again, turned around and swaggered out of the hall, arriving suddenly and leaving just as abruptly.
Liu Wujun watched his imposing figure disappear through the doorway, his gaze lingering for a long time, his face filled with complex emotions.
Only after Xue Jin left did the suffocatingly powerful atmosphere in the hall suddenly dissipate.
Everyone breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders.
Wei Lingzhen walked to Liu Wujun's side, looked at the empty doorway, and spoke with disbelief and astonishment.
"Grand Commander, that one... could he be the one who was famous throughout the empire back then, who fought three demon kings of the same level alone in the 'Cangshan Muxue' battle, and who was seriously injured but still managed to kill two of them... 'Bengshan Venerable', Xue Jin?" Liu Wujun nodded slowly, his voice low.
It was him.
Unexpectedly, he was still alive, and... it seemed he had been following Jiang Xuan the whole time.
Du Dongtu also came over, his rugged face full of shock, and he lowered his voice.
"Old Liu, Old Wei, I just received an urgent message from my subordinates... This Senior Xue Jin seems to have... a close relationship with the 'Obsidian Sanctuary'!"
Obsidian Sanctuary!
The name struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in the minds of these important figures! They simultaneously recalled the "Obsidian Scroll" that had appeared in Yanxia City, as well as Jiang Xuan's mysterious background and the powerful inheritance that seemed to appear out of nowhere…
For a moment, the powerful figures from the southwestern provinces exchanged bewildered glances, each seeing a deep shock and a hint of understanding in the other's eyes. So that's how it is! No wonder Jiang Xuan is such a prodigy; it turns out that behind him stands the long-lost "Mountain Collapse Venerable," and it might even be connected to the mysterious and powerful Obsidian Sanctuary!
The young cultivators below, though unaware of the specific meanings of "Mountain Collapse Venerable" and "Obsidian Sanctuary," could guess from the respectful, even slightly awe-inspiring, attitude of Liu Wujun and other important figures, as well as Xue Jin's terrifying aura, that the unassuming old drunkard was definitely a peerless master with an earth-shattering background!
And Jiang Xuan actually managed to command such a person to run errands for him? The thought sent shockwaves through the hearts of all the young cultivators, and their fear and curiosity about Jiang Xuan instantly reached a new level!
Just then, Ruan Lin Du, whose face was still swollen and who looked miserable, staggered into the council hall with the help of a guard.
He originally came to Liu Wujun to plead for the murderer to be severely punished.
However, as soon as he entered, he sensed that the atmosphere in the hall was extremely strange.
All eyes were on him, filled with sympathy and pity, but mostly with a strange look... as if he were a fool.
Liu Wujun glanced at him and simply said something.
"Mr. Ruan, let's drop this matter and take good care of yourself."
Ruan Lingdu was stunned. He looked at Liu Wujun in disbelief, then at the expressions of the important figures around him, and suddenly realized! This time, he had probably kicked a hornet's nest! The old drunkard's identity was so terrifying that even the Grand Commander was extremely wary of him!
A surge of shame and regret welled up inside him, but he dared not utter a single word of resentment towards Liu Wujun and that mysterious expert. He could only transfer all his resentment onto Jiang Xuan! In his view, if it weren't for Jiang Xuan, how could he have suffered such a humiliating disgrace?
……
The day after Xue Jin brought back the certificate, Jiang Xuan, who had been in seclusion for several days making a "trinket," finally emerged from seclusion.
He carefully packed his simple luggage, solemnly put away the purple-gold provincial examination certificate, and prepared to set off for the Forbidden City.
Outside the towering city gates of Yanxia City, Jiang Xuan and Xue Jin stood side by side.
Jiang Xuan looked at the city before him, where he had lived for a relatively short time but experienced a great deal, and felt a sense of emotion.
He turned to Xue Jin and said.
“Senior, I’m leaving now. If you encounter any troublesome matters in Yanxia City, you can go to Jinyutang to find Gu Liang, or... if you have the opportunity in the future, you can also come to the Forbidden City to find me.”
Upon hearing this, Xue Jin scoffed, his cloudy old eyes filled with disdain.
"Looking for you? Wait until you can beat me in a head-on fight! Right now? You're still a long way off!"
Jiang Xuan was taken aback by his words and said irritably.
"You old drunkard, can't you say something nice before you leave?"
Xue Jin suppressed the playfulness on his face, looked at Jiang Xuan, and for the first time his expression became unusually serious. He said in a deep voice.
"Kid, I can't go with you."
Jiang Xuan was taken aback for a moment, and looking at Xue Jin's serious eyes, he understood the meaning behind his words.
He nodded, without asking any further questions, and simply said...
"I understand. Take care, senior."
After saying that, he turned around, took a step, and walked resolutely along the wide official road toward the giant city in the distance that symbolized the center of the empire's turmoil.
Xue Jin stood there, watching Jiang Xuan's tall, yet somewhat lonely figure gradually disappear into the distance, vanishing at the end of the road.
He suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs in the direction where Jiang Xuan had disappeared.
"Hey! Kid! Don't die out there!"
In the distance, Jiang Xuan's amused retort could be faintly heard.
"You old drunkard! Mind your own business!"
Xue Jin grinned, but the smile quickly faded.
He stood silently in place, watching for a long time, until he could no longer sense any trace of Jiang Xuan.
He slowly raised his hand, untied the gourd from his waist, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp. The spicy liquor went down his throat, but he seemed to taste nothing at all.
Gazing in the direction Jiang Xuan had left, he murmured to himself, reciting unknown verses in a desolate and hoarse voice.
"Golden scales transform into dragons... Through wind and rain we'll weather the storms together... The road ahead is arduous... Take care..."
After reciting the poem, he took several more gulps of wine until the gourd was completely empty, then casually threw it away.
He took one last look at Yanxia City, then his figure flickered and disappeared silently as if he had merged into the air, embarking on his journey back to that turbulent wasteland.
Outside the city gate, only a few specks of dust rising from the official road and a faint smell of alcohol in the air remained, bearing witness to the farewell that had just occurred.
As dusk settled, Jiang Xuan embarked on his long journey to the Forbidden City alone, and two days had passed in the blink of an eye.
He was carrying two weapons on his back.
One is the "Flowing Light Battle Blade," an exaggeratedly designed broad-mouthed weapon he forged himself; the other is the "Boundless Spirit Bow," a weapon of mysterious origin, dark in color, and exuding a cold aura.
He maintained a measured pace, not rushing all the time, but sometimes walking fast and sometimes slowing down to catch his breath, conserving his energy to deal with any unexpected situations that might arise.
This highly efficient movement technique stems from the Blood Killer Camp's rigorous training. It may not be apparent on a seemingly peaceful journey, but its value will become undeniable once a crisis is encountered.
Ahead lay a vast area called "Blood Wolf Plains," spanning no less than a hundred miles. This place was renowned for its large packs of ferocious blood wolves. The terrain was relatively flat, with open views, but few places to hide, making it extremely easy to expose one's tracks.
Jiang Xuan needed to cross this plain, and he had already anticipated that the enemies who were intercepting him had likely already discovered his whereabouts and laid an ambush here.
As he moved forward, his gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. He inadvertently caught a glimpse of a tiny, almost imperceptible black dot flashing by in the vast, distant sky, moving at incredible speed. (End of Chapter)