Chapter 90

With only five days left until the Prefecture Examination, Lin Xun continued to cultivate as he always did, practicing martial arts during the day and refining his spiritual energy, divine soul, and spirit patterns at night.

He did not change or adjust his daily routine due to the approaching Prefecture Examination, appearing quite composed and calm.

Xia Zhi, after recovering from her severe injuries, continued to sleep during the day and leave alone at night. Lin Xun didn't need to guess to know that every time the little girl went out at night, a criminal gang in this civilian area would inevitably suffer.

In summary, the 49th Courtyard seemed no different from before, but in Donglin City, many significant events had occurred in recent days, causing a stir throughout the city.

Firstly, Yao Tuohai, a prominent figure with a reputation that shone like the midday sun, had arrived in Donglin City and was about to serve as the chief examiner for the upcoming Prefecture Examination.

Due to Yao Tuohai's arrival, the number of cultivators participating in this Prefecture Examination surged dramatically, with the number of registrants already exceeding 8,000 even before the examination began.

Among them, only about half were local cultivators from Donglin City, while the other half came from other cities, all drawn by Yao Tuohai's name.

Because of this, Donglin City suddenly became even more bustling than usual, with people on the streets and in alleys discussing what Yao Tuohai's true intentions were.

At the same time, the news that members of the Iron Blood Army, escorting a mysterious young man, had arrived in Donglin City, caused another wave of excitement in the already tense city.

The Iron Blood Army was a renowned elite force in the empire, under the command of the "Iron Blood King" Ning Buge, a legendary strongman in the empire. The Iron Blood Army was a legendary military unit, and now a team of its members had escorted a young man to Donglin City, which naturally caused a huge stir.

Why were the Iron Blood Army members here?

What was the purpose of escorting the young man?

Everyone was speculating and discussing, but no one could provide a definitive answer.

Even the well-informed major forces in Donglin City were at a loss, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Yao Tuohai had arrived to personally oversee the Prefecture Examination in Donglin City, but everyone knew that his true intentions were far from simple.

The Iron Blood Guard had arrived, escorting a young man, making it even more difficult to discern their purpose.

All of this added a layer of mystery to the situation in Donglin City, making the atmosphere even more eerie.

At the Stone Cauldron Hall.

Mu Wansu was lost in thought, her eyebrows tightly furrowed, looking deeply troubled.

In her hand was an urgent report delivered a few hours ago, sent from the headquarters of the Stone Cauldron Hall in the Forbidden City of the capital. The report contained only a vague line:

"Recently, a major figure will arrive in Donglin City. Be extremely cautious."

This single sentence made Mu Wansu uneasy. Who was this major figure, and why had it alarmed the headquarters of the Stone Cauldron Hall in the Forbidden City to the point of sending an urgent report?

Even the name of the major figure was not mentioned in the report.

Her intuition told her that this matter was far from simple.

She thought of Yao Tuohai, who had suddenly appeared in Donglin City to personally oversee the Prefecture Examination, and the young man escorted by the Iron Blood Guard.

Could they all be here for this "major figure"?

Realizing this, Mu Wansu couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. Yao Tuohai's status was already extremely high, and in the entire southwestern province of the empire, only Grand Marshal Liu Wujun could match him.

The young man escorted by the Iron Blood Guard was likely even more extraordinary. The Iron Blood Guard was a fierce and elite force under the command of Ning Buge. For this young man to be escorted by the Iron Blood Guard, his identity must be significant.

If they were all here for the "major figure," it could be inferred that this "major figure" was terrifying and formidable.

Why would such a major figure come to Donglin City?

The more Mu Wansu thought about it, the more uneasy she became, feeling for the first time that she couldn't see through the situation in Donglin City.

Four days later, in the early morning.

After eating breakfast, Lin Xun did not continue to cultivate. He felt that his physical cultivation had encountered another bottleneck and decided to go to the Donglin Martial Hall to test the strength of his physique.

Leaving the civilian area and walking into the bustling streets, Lin Xun clearly felt that Donglin City had become even more lively compared to before. Cultivators could be seen everywhere, and everyone was discussing the Prefecture Examination.

The Prefecture Examination was set to begin the next morning at the Donglin Academy.

Lin Xun was not worried about the Prefecture Examination. He was well-prepared and only needed to wait for the examination to begin.

Soon, Lin Xun arrived at the Donglin Martial Hall. After paying ten silver coins, he was respectfully led into the "Martial Hall" by a servant.

The Martial Hall was spacious, like a small training ground, with many bronze-skinned puppets distributed inside.

Bronze-skinned puppets were essentially spirit artifacts integrated with mechanical techniques. Their bodies were cast from hard spiritual material and minerals, and unique spirit patterns were inscribed inside by spirit pattern masters, allowing the puppets to move autonomously through the mechanisms and spiritual energy sources inside them.

Some powerful bronze-skinned puppets could even fight like real cultivators.

However, the bronze-skinned puppets in the Donglin Martial Hall were just ordinary, capable of only simple movements. Their main function was to test the martial strength of cultivators.

As Lin Xun entered the Donglin Martial Hall, thousands of miles away from Donglin City, deep in the Three Thousand Mountains, the mountains were vast, the clouds were thick, and the area was rarely visited by humans.

Suddenly, under the blue sky, a peculiar group appeared.

At the front of the group were a group of men dressed in imperial court attire, but their attire was not light purple but a deep, dark black like the night.

There were sixteen men in total, divided into two rows, leading the way with solemn and dignified postures. Even as they walked in the sky, they maintained a nearly impeccable alignment.

It seemed as if they were not stepping on the clouds but on a flat and solid road. Every step they took, every small movement, was in perfect rhythm, perfectly synchronized.

Only spirit sea realm cultivators could fly in the sky, but not all spirit sea realm cultivators could maintain the strength to walk on the clouds.

Even if they could walk on the clouds, not all of them could maintain the same pace and precise speed as these sixteen men dressed in black court attire.

But these sixteen men, who were clearly already at the spirit sea realm and possessed terrifying power, were merely a group of pathfinders.

Behind them followed a carriage.

The carriage was entirely black, made of an unknown material, with intricate and complex spirit patterns inscribed on its surface. Under the blue sky, it emitted a dark and profound aura like the eternal night.

Pulling the carriage were six black horses with emerald eyes, like ghostly flames, and a single horn on their heads, resembling unicorns. However, unicorns were white, while these six black horses were pure black, as if they had emerged from the underworld.

The sudden appearance of a group dressed in black court attire and a black carriage as deep as the eternal night, amidst the vast mountains and blue sky, was truly shocking, almost surreal.

Suddenly, a loud cry echoed from the distant sky, shaking the clouds. In an instant, a black shadow rushed to the side of the carriage.

It was a black bird with four claws, iron-black wings, and golden eyes. Despite its small size, it exuded a terrifying and fierce aura.

In an instant, with a loud bang, the black bird exploded, transforming into a tall and slender old man dressed in black court attire, with neatly combed hair.

"Miss, this old servant has searched for a long time but found no clues. It seems someone deliberately destroyed all traces. We arrived too late."

The old man bowed slightly, his voice deep and his manners impeccable, flawless in every way.

"Hmm."

From inside the black carriage, a unique, hoarse female voice replied, "This was expected. For them to have been patient enough to act now, it is already surprising."

The old man remained silent.

After a moment, the hoarse, magnetic voice from the black carriage spoke again: "The Heavenly Sacrifice once said that there is an extraordinary treasure in the Three Thousand Mountains. Have you heard of this?"

The old man bowed and said, "Yes, I have. It is said that Young Sword Lord Xie Yutang has confirmed that this matter does not exist."

"Oh, the young man from the Xie family in the Black Robe Alley of the Forbidden City?"

"Exactly."

"This young man is indeed fortunate."

As he spoke, the hoarse, magnetic voice suddenly paused. Then, the curtain on one side of the black carriage was lifted, and a beautiful, fair hand extended out.

The hand was delicate, slender, and flawless, with a ring embedded with a strange black gem on the perfectly shaped little finger, resembling an open black eye, which was chilling to behold.

The beautiful hand pointed to the distance: "What is ahead?"

The old man replied, "Miss, ahead is one of our destinations, Donglin City. At our current speed, we will arrive in three hours."

"Donglin City, interesting."

The hoarse, magnetic voice seemed somewhat distant, as if sensing something, making it hard to fathom.

PS: Thank you to Wan Hao, Xiao Qiu, and all the friends who have supported and rewarded me. I couldn't write the second update last night due to writer's block, and I feel very ashamed. I will work hard to make up for it today.

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