Chapter 40: The Battle for the Sacred Grounds—Where Will the Flower Fall!
Ring 6.
Gu Lin closed his eyes to rest his mind, and in his head, golden starlight flickered, gathering into three large characters:
【Book of Merit】.
【Kill One Three-Star Black Bear Demon, Reward: Six Meridian Divine Sword (Full Level)】
【Martial Dao Merit: 3512/4000】
【Confucian Dao Merit: 359/1000】
【Arcane Dao Merit: 0/1000】
【Witchcraft Dao Merit: 0/1000】
In an instant—
The acupoints throughout his body buzzed and hummed, and a massive surge of force, like a flood breaking through a dam, poured into his seven meridians and eight channels. Spiritual energy swirled at the crown of his head, and his dantian let out three thunderous booms in succession as the internal energy within surged once more.
Energy Condensation Eighth Level!
Countless onlookers’ eyes widened in shock, staring fixedly as Gu Lin broke through.
Many members of the Sacred Grounds merely shook their heads and chuckled softly—no wonder he was the top scorer of Chuwei Prefecture. It seemed he’d broken through after the battle, a phenomenon common enough among Sacred Grounds members. The only strange thing was that his secret art earlier seemed to have no lingering aftereffects; the drop in cultivation had apparently been nothing but an illusion.
Gu Lin sat cross-legged, tending to his inner energy.
He had originally been at Energy Condensation Seventh Level, so breaking through a level after battle wouldn’t arouse any suspicion.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared open the Book of Merit.
What a pity, though—killing this Black Bear Demon should have let him break through to Cavern Mystery!
But casting Striving to Rival Heaven Itself twice had dropped his cultivation by two levels.
Still, it had all been worth it!
If not for that unconventional move, he never would have gotten past Yan Xu.
As for the fully-leveled Six Meridian Divine Sword, he was more than satisfied.
With the Six Meridian Divine Sword, formless sword-energy poured from his fingertips—both offensive and defensive, since formless sword-energy could kill just as well as it could block.
The other six arenas on the field had also finished their matches one after another. The two prodigies who’d been slowest to kill their demons collapsed limply to the ground; nothing could feel more helpless than this moment.
Nearly a hundred thousand onlookers watched with pity in their eyes.
To have broken into the top eight, one step away, only to be turned away at the very last moment—a blow like that would leave anyone shattered and in despair.
But those were the rules!
Amid the gaze of the crowd, Centurion Zhu of the Literary Dao Academy steadied his breath and spoke in a voice like a great bell:
“By order of the Divine Dynasty, this Chuwei Prefecture Selection Trial has come to a successful close.”
“First place, Gu Lin!”
“Second, Li Zhixu!”
“Third, Chu Sheng!”
“Fourth, Song Shiwei!”
“Fifth, Nian Gui!”
“Sixth, Ji Wei!”
“Congratulations to all six.”
As he spoke, his tone abruptly shifted, and he leapt down from the high platform, hurrying swiftly toward Ring 6.
He fixed his eyes unblinkingly on Gu Lin, and said, word by deliberate word:
“Join the Literary Dao Academy. Since you cultivate both Confucian and Martial Dao, and your Confucian Dao cultivation is still weak, the Literary Dao Academy is where you belong most. Beneath the Literary Dao Tree you can refine your Literary Palace, and beneath the Literary Dao Stele you can cultivate your Righteous Energy in quiet meditation. Within the Literary Dao Academy, every Confucian Family art and method is at your disposal, and your fellow Confucian cultivators will hold nothing back in sharing their knowledge with you!”
The words had barely finished when the Centurion of the Martial Extremity Palace, after only a moment’s hesitation, rushed straight for Ring 6.
Even though there was bad blood between Gu Lin and his subordinate Zhao Can that could never be resolved, he had to fight for this on behalf of the Martial Extremity Palace, otherwise his superiors would blame him for letting personal grudges interfere with his duties, and the consequences would be severe.
“You there, surnamed Zhu, don’t spin your silver tongue to bewitch people’s hearts!”
The Centurion of the Martial Extremity Palace glared back at him and said coldly:
“What exactly did Gu Lin win first place with? A body built entirely on Martial Dao combat strength. If he devotes himself to Confucian Dao and abandons his Martial Dao, he’ll amount to nothing but mediocrity, and he’ll be utterly unknown within your Literary Dao Academy!”
Centurion Zhu shot back just as sharply:
“Absurd. Who says the Literary Dao Academy has no room for warriors? Forty percent of our Academy are warriors. Gu Lin cultivates both Confucian and Martial Dao, so he can only come to the Literary Dao Academy!!”
“This time, my Literary Dao Academy has two openings in Chuwei Prefecture. I only want one of them—I only want Gu Lin!”
The moment these words fell, the entire audience shot to their feet.
Everyone’s eyes turned instinctively toward Young Master Order, Li Zhixu.
Li Zhixu lowered his head, a wave of despair sweeping through him from head to toe, leaving him nearly unable to breathe.
He had cultivated the Confucian Dao his entire life. The Literary Dao Academy had been his one and only goal.
And yet the Literary Dao Academy wanted only Gu Lin!
The crowd fell silent.
For Young Master Order, these words were nothing short of cruel.
But such was the ruthlessness of the Sacred Grounds—only potential, only future prospects mattered here!
The Centurion of the Martial Extremity Palace refused to be outdone:
“My Martial Extremity Palace also has two openings. We’ll give up one—we only want Gu Lin!”
Truth be told, the rest of the candidates were rather unremarkable by the standards of Chu Province. Only Gu Lin possessed real potential.
As the two argued back and forth, a snow-white Xiezhi robe and a snow-white Qilin robe stepped forward at the same moment.
“Join the Heavenly Mystery Guard!” The Centurion of the Heavenly Mystery Guard’s voice was firm and resolute as he declared:
“The Heavenly Mystery Guard wields even greater authority. Beyond slaying demons and eliminating evil, we bear the responsibility of overseeing all officials throughout Chu Province, traveling the four directions to root out corruption. Whatever resources the Literary Dao Academy or Martial Extremity Palace can offer, my Heavenly Mystery Guard lacks nothing in comparison!”
Gu Lin kept his expression composed, though his emotions stirred within him.
However—
The Centurion of the Eastern Temple spoke up in a resonant voice:
“Do you think the Heavenly Mystery Guard is somehow special? My Eastern Temple holds the very same authority to oversee the officials of Chu Province. Join the Eastern Temple, and for any official ranked seventh grade or below, you may act first and report later. The higher your standing within the Eastern Temple, the greater your power!”
As he spoke, his eyes stayed fixed on Gu Lin.
All four Centurions turned their gazes toward this top scorer at the very same moment.
Nearly a hundred thousand onlookers watched with envy in their eyes, though at the same time, it all felt entirely expected.
The top scorer of Chuwei Prefecture!!
Worth fighting over by all the Sacred Grounds!
Gu Lin remained silent, offering no answer.
Even before the Selection Trial, he’d already given this matter some thought.
In terms of cultivation resources—arts, martial techniques, dantian treasures, and so on—the Literary Dao Academy and Martial Extremity Palace were undoubtedly ahead of the Eastern Temple and Heavenly Mystery Guard.
But now, he ruled out those first two Sacred Grounds.
He himself wasn’t lacking in resources; all he needed was to keep eliminating evil, and the rewards would come pouring in.
Whereas the Eastern Temple and Heavenly Mystery Guard held comparatively greater authority, with the power to directly investigate local officials throughout Chu Province.
That would only widen the scope through which he could earn merit by eliminating evil!
It came down to a choice between the Eastern Temple and the Heavenly Mystery Guard!
Gu Lin weighed his words carefully, then spoke with caution:
“Since I was young, I’ve always admired both the Heavenly Mystery Guard and the Eastern Temple.”
At these words, Centurion Zhu of the Literary Dao Academy and the Centurion of the Martial Extremity Palace showed no change in expression and turned to leave one after the other.
They had made their attempt; since he had no intention of joining their Sacred Grounds, they wouldn’t press further. A Sacred Ground could never lower itself to plead, much less offer terms and conditions—once someone entered a Sacred Ground, they were nothing more than the smallest of pawns.
Centurion Cao of the Eastern Temple smiled and opened his palm, and an attendant behind him handed over a sheet of rice paper.
On it was recorded Gu Lin’s past history.
Every candidate in the Selection Trial had such a record kept on file, and once Gu Lin had defeated Yan Xu, the Eastern Temple had specifically pulled up his information.
Centurion Cao spoke with measured cadence:
“Gu Lin’s father, Gu Changchuan, is an escort for the Tongxing Escort Agency. To make a living, he regularly takes on bounty postings from the county office, risking danger to hunt down vicious, wanted criminals without hesitation, rooting out evil and standing by the common people. A man of such iron integrity and unyielding character truly deserves a position within the Divine Dynasty’s officialdom.”
“My Eastern Temple cherishes talent above all else, and we will recommend him to our superiors, to see whether there might be an eighth or ninth-grade official post open within Chu Province.”
He left the words unfinished, but everyone understood perfectly well.
It was as good as settled!
The Centurion of the Eastern Temple would certainly never openly promise a position outright—that risked stirring public controversy. But then again, even if he had said it plainly, who would dare question a Sacred Ground?
Such was everything that came with talent.
He himself had leapt through the carp gate to become a dragon, and now even his own father stood to benefit from the blessing.
This was the very thing countless prodigies dreamed of when it came to the Sacred Grounds!!
Up in the stands, Gu Changchuan’s face went blank, his nerves leaving him utterly at a loss for what to do.
Gu Lin lowered his head slightly, looking toward the Centurion of the Heavenly Mystery Guard with an air of respect.
The Centurion of the Heavenly Mystery Guard said nothing. He hadn’t come as prepared as that man surnamed Cao—could the Heavenly Mystery Guard not casually promise an eighth or ninth-grade post as well? But to openly follow in the Eastern Temple’s footsteps now would make the Heavenly Mystery Guard look inferior, a loss of face.
That man surnamed Cao truly was quick-witted!!
A moment later, Gu Lin cupped his fists deeply toward the Centurion of the Eastern Temple:
“I pay my respects to you, sir!”
No one could predict what the future held, but he had already swum his way out of the ditch and into the open sea. Whether he could become a leviathan capable of stirring up storms and clouds would depend entirely on himself from here on.
“Good.”
Centurion Cao smiled and nodded.
Centurion Zhu of the Literary Dao Academy spoke in a steady voice:
“The Literary Dao Academy will take Li Zhixu and Song Shiwei.”
The Centurion of the Martial Extremity Palace’s voice rang out clear and crisp:
“Martial Extremity Palace takes Chu Sheng and Nian Gui.”
The Centurion of the Heavenly Mystery Guard’s face remained expressionless:
“Heavenly Mystery Guard takes Ji Wei!”
The six placements were now settled.
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