Chapter 77

Jiang Chen wore a half-smile, looking at Long Yin Ye with a rather playful expression. He did not think that Long Yin Ye’s slap was to help him out of a difficult situation. It was very clear that Long Yin Ye did not want Hong Tian Tong to rush over and die.

In fact, if Hong Tian Tong had rushed within three feet of Jiang Chen, the group of personal guards under Jiang Chen would have torn Hong Tian Tong to pieces.

Therefore, although it seemed that Long Yin Ye had slapped Hong Tian Tong, he had actually saved Hong Tian Tong’s life.

Jiang Chen remained calm, merely smiling faintly at Long Yin Ye’s actions, neither confirming nor denying them. The eight personal guards then retreated behind Jiang Chen.

After this battle, the other hereditary nobles who had originally attached themselves to Long Yin Ye and his sister were secretly alarmed, wondering if they should get involved in this conflict and whether they had the means to do so.

Without mentioning anything else, Hong Tian Tong was a bloody lesson.

Looking back, had any of Long Teng Hou’s actions against Jiang Han Hou ever truly gained the upper hand?

At the banquet hosted by Long Teng Hou, various parties had tried to make things difficult for Jiang Chen, but it ended up making Jiang Chen stand out.

When Long Teng Hou tried to disrupt the capital’s medicinal field by supporting the Dan Wang Yuan, it was instead crushed by the Medicine Master Hall.

When they sent assassins to kill Jiang Han Hou, Jiang Feng, it was rumored that Jiang Feng had met his end, but he suddenly appeared, breaking through the martial arts barrier and advancing to the True Qi Master level!

Subsequently, when they sent strong warriors to intercept and kill Jiang Chen, Jiang Chen emerged unscathed, while Long Teng Hou’s True Qi Master, Long San, was severely injured and died not long after.

Now, Hong Tian Tong, acting as a pawn for Long Teng Hou, had ended up in such a miserable state.

Although there was no clear evidence linking Long San’s death or the Medicine Master Hall’s destruction of the Dan Wang Yuan to Jiang Chen, the combination of various rumors made it impossible to exclude Jiang Chen from the picture.

In other words, in the various open and covert confrontations between Long Teng Hou and Jiang Han Hou, the so-called first hereditary noble of the kingdom, Long Teng Hou, had not gained any advantage. Instead, he had suffered losses, including the mysterious death of Long Teng Hou’s top five True Qi Masters, Long San.

Upon careful consideration, many hereditary nobles who had originally intended to attach themselves to Long Teng Hou secretly decided to remain neutral and avoid offending either side.

After all, from the current situation, the seemingly powerful Long Teng Hou was not necessarily a sure winner.

At the very least, the Jiang Han Hou residence was definitely not a soft target that could be easily crushed.

Bai Zhan Yun, the successor of Bai Hu Hou, had provoked Jiang Chen several times, ending up in a sorry state each time.

Yan Yi Ming, the successor of Yan Men Hou, had provoked Jiang Chen several times and now avoided him whenever he saw him.

Hong Tian Tong, the successor of Zhu Que Hou, had met a fate that everyone could see.

As the crowd watched the sobbing, broken Hong Tian Tong, they felt a sense of schadenfreude. Hong Tian Tong’s failure in the assessment meant one less formidable opponent in the competition for the position of a first-rank hereditary noble!

At this moment, the assessor in charge of the arena announced, “The assessment time is over. All candidates, enter your respective arenas!”

“Stay calm, perform well, and don’t feel any pressure,” Jiang Chen said without much instruction. With Xue Tong, the calm captain, in charge and the assistance of the Eight Desolate Spirit Capturing Formation, the second assessment should not be a problem.

Within half an incense stick’s time, they had to defeat eight wooden dummies equivalent to the Sixth Pulse True Qi level.

Jiang Chen believed that unless there were psychological issues, the difficulty of this assessment should not be too high. The Eight Desolate Spirit Capturing Formation, after the battle with Hong Tian Tong’s team, had gained practical experience, significantly increasing their chances of success.

After all, whether a formation had practical experience was very important.

During the battle with Hong Tian Tong’s team, at first, the formation was awkward, and Jiang Chen’s team did not quickly gain the upper hand.

Once Jiang Chen’s team adapted to the formation, their terrifying offensive and defensive capabilities were displayed, almost overwhelming Hong Tian Tong’s team.

“Let’s guess, which team will complete the assessment first, Little Lord Yin Ye’s team or Miss Ju Xue’s team?”

At the scene, someone couldn’t resist standing up to flatter.

“Ha ha, the two successors of Long Hou are both outstanding, making it hard to choose. This question is really difficult.”

“Look at the time, it’s already one-third gone.”

“Sigh, I hope my personal guard team can pass smoothly.”

“Yes, I envy the four major hereditary nobles. Even though Hong Tian Tong’s team has collapsed, each of the four major hereditary nobles has two challenge slots. If one team fails, as long as the other succeeds, it’s fine.”

The advantage of the four major hereditary nobles was significant.

Time passed, and the candidates with relatively weaker strength became increasingly nervous.

They knew that this assessment was very difficult. Unless the personal guard team had overwhelming strength, it would be hard to defeat eight Sixth Pulse True Qi wooden dummies within half an incense stick’s time.

Except for the successors of the four major hereditary nobles, who were relatively relaxed.

The other hereditary nobles were more or less worried.

But Jiang Chen was as calm as still water.

Half an incense stick’s time had quickly passed halfway. Many hereditary nobles’ breathing became rapid. Jiang Chen’s “Wind Listening Ear” could even hear their quick breaths.

At this moment, the doors of the arena opened—

This meant that a team had completed the assessment and was about to come out!

“Look, the door is open, a team is coming out! Is it Little Lord Yin Ye’s team or Miss Ju Xue’s team? The answer will be revealed soon!”

“What’s there to guess? It’s either Little Lord Yin Ye or Miss Ju Xue. In the Eastern Kingdom, the most outstanding are the successors of Long Teng Hou, no doubt about it.”

“Yes, whoever’s team completes first, it represents the Long family.”

The door opened, and footsteps sounded from inside.

Before the figures appeared, a hearty laugh was heard: “Ha ha, this assessment isn’t hard at all! I wonder what place we are in?”

“The place doesn’t matter, there’s no ranking.”

“Hehe, that’s true, but if we can outperform those birds, it’s still very satisfying. Seeing those birds act pretentiously in front of our little lord, I, Qiao Shan, can’t help but feel angry.”

As the voices echoed, a group of eight people walked out.

It was neither Long Yin Ye’s team nor Long Ju Xue’s team.

It was not even any team from the four major hereditary nobles.

It was Jiang Chen’s team from the Jiang Han Hou residence!

Everyone was stunned, even Long Yin Ye and Long Ju Xue, who exchanged a wary glance, were slightly incredulous.

Suddenly, they seemed to truly realize that Jiang Chen and the Jiang Han Hou residence were not just a minor annoyance but a real threat!

“Jiang Chen must be eliminated as soon as possible!” In that instant, Long Yin Ye was filled with murderous intent.

The siblings were in sync, and Long Ju Xue’s phoenix eyes also flashed with a fierce killing intent.

The education they had received since childhood at the Long Teng Hou residence was to dominate, to eliminate all possible threats, and to bully the weak.

Even Princess Gou Yu was slightly surprised. Jiang Chen’s team was the first to complete the assessment!

As the primary person in charge of the Hidden Dragon Examination, she was well aware of the difficulty of this stage. Jiang Chen’s team had indeed demonstrated strong combat capabilities in defeating Hong Tian Tong’s team, but they did not have any particularly outstanding, overwhelming strength.

On the other hand, Long Yin Ye and Long Ju Xue’s teams had Ninth Pulse True Qi experts.

A Ninth Pulse True Qi expert was absolutely overwhelming against a Sixth Pulse True Qi opponent.

A big surprise, a huge surprise!

Jiang Chen ignored the complex looks from everyone and walked towards Princess Gou Yu: “Your Highness, we have passed the second assessment. Here is the score sheet, please review it.”

Princess Gou Yu nodded: “Jiang Chen, you are very impressive. I must admit, you are the biggest dark horse in this Hidden Dragon Examination.”

A dark horse, a true dark horse.

Just a few months ago, the capital was still spreading jokes about Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen was once a laughingstock in the Hidden Dragon Examination, someone who couldn’t even pass the basic assessment!

But, life is unpredictable!

They say that what goes around comes around, and it’s true.

Jiang Chen is a perfect example of what can happen in just three months!

As Jiang Chen’s team passed the assessment, other teams gradually completed the assessment and came out of the arena.

Following closely were indeed Long Yin Ye and Long Ju Xue’s teams, then the teams of the other four major hereditary nobles.

At this moment, the depth and strength of the four major hereditary nobles were evident.

Compared to other first-rank hereditary nobles, the four major hereditary nobles had a clear advantage.

And among the four major hereditary nobles, Long Teng Hou had a significant advantage.

Of course, at this moment, comparing these advantages was meaningless because Jiang Chen’s emergence had overshadowed the four major hereditary nobles, even the successors of Long Teng Hou.

For the first time in history, the successors of Long Teng Hou, who had always been the standout, were outshone!

Long Teng Hou had been the leading hereditary noble for far too long. For hundreds of years, almost no force could challenge their existence.

Not to mention challenging Long Teng Hou’s position, even approaching their level was impossible.

But today, an unexpected event occurred.

An unprecedented event, an event that had not happened in hundreds of years!

Although this small assessment was not decisive and was just a minor detail, in the history of the Hidden Dragon Examination, the successors of Long Teng Hou had always been the standout, leading in both major and minor aspects.

Now, even in a minor aspect, they were outshone for the first time in hundreds of years!

The news spread quickly, like wildfire, and within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it had spread throughout the entire capital.

This news was too shocking.

The successors of Long Teng Hou were outshone in the Hidden Dragon Examination!

On the contrary, the protagonist, Jiang Chen, did not show any signs of self-satisfaction. After completing the second assessment, his goal was to focus on the third challenge.

Completing the third challenge would mean the success of the Jiang Han Hou residence’s challenge to the first-rank hereditary nobles.

The subsequent ranking competition would determine the internal ranking among the first-rank hereditary nobles.

The ranking competition was Jiang Chen’s true goal in the Hidden Dragon Examination.

These so-called assessments were just warm-ups, appetizers.

Jiang Chen’s calm reaction could not stop the rapid escalation of the situation. The reactions from all sides far exceeded Jiang Chen’s expectations.

When the Long Teng Hou residence received the news, the entire hall was in an uproar. Long Zhao Feng, the head of the Long Teng Hou residence, was speechless for a long time. He had given the order to eliminate Jiang Chen by any means necessary, not allowing him to grow any further.

In the inner court of the royal palace, the king, Dong Fang Lu, was also speechless for a long time after receiving the intelligence. He sadly realized that in the competition between the royal family and the Long Teng Hou, Jiang Chen, once an unknown, had become the most powerful weapon the royal family had to rely on.