Chapter 42: A Bountiful Reward, the Blade Points Toward His Enemies!
The Chuwei Prefecture Selection Trial, held once every three years, had drawn to a close, and nearly a hundred thousand onlookers gradually made their way out.
Gu Lin’s name had already been entered into the prefectural records. His breathtaking display of combat strength up on the arena stood like a monument, one certain to inspire countless gifted young warriors for years to come.
“When will you depart for Chu Province?”
Atop the high platform, Centurion Cao stood before Gu Lin.
Gu Lin answered respectfully:
“This humble servant would like to return to Shiyang County first to handle a few matters.”
Centurion Cao frowned:
“That would delay your departure by another ten-odd days round trip. By the time you reach the provincial capital, a full month will have passed!”
Gu Lin could only remain silent.
There were people who still needed to die, and die they would!
His status had changed, but his temperament hadn’t. He possessed none of the magnanimous mercy of a sage—only after he’d finished killing could his mind finally rest at ease.
Besides, thanks to the existence of the Book of Merit, he could use the opportunity to grow stronger as well!
Centurion Cao fixed his eyes on him and spoke in a low voice:
“Once you join a Sacred Ground, the first thing that awaits you is a three-month session in the Spirit-Cleansing Pool. The Spirit-Cleansing Pool is one of the most precious cultivation treasures of the entire Feathering Divine Dynasty, found only within the Sacred Grounds. It can fully unlock a cultivator’s hidden potential, allowing them to break through multiple realms in a short span of time—but every cultivator may use it only once in their entire lifetime.”
“These three months are absolutely critical. By your own account, you’ll be starting your session ten-odd days later than everyone else!”
Upon hearing this, Gu Lin cupped his fists in apology.
However precious the Spirit-Cleansing Pool might be, it still didn’t come close to a fraction of what the Book of Merit offered. He remained resolved to return to Shiyang County first.
Centurion Cao nodded helplessly, then continued at an unhurried pace:
“After the three months in the Spirit-Cleansing Pool comes a two-month period to stabilize one’s cultivation realm. Five months from now, the Sacred Grounds’ Grand Tournament will take place, where all newly inducted members will compete for a radiant crown of glory.”
Gu Lin listened quietly.
Centurion Cao continued:
“Whoever claims first place will automatically rise three ranks. The top three rise two ranks. The top ten rise one rank. This is an exceptional opportunity for advancement—miss it, and you might not manage to rise even a single rank over the next five years of accumulated merit.”
“For first place, the Dynasty’s central authority rewards a mid-grade Earth-Rank magical implement and a low-grade Heaven-Rank cultivation art, and the Sacred Ground to which you belong offers its own generous rewards on top of that.”
“The top three and top ten each receive corresponding rewards as well.”
As he spoke, Centurion Cao’s expression remained as calm and still as a placid lake, showing no particular emotion—he was simply relaying this as part of the standard induction process.
Gu Lin, for his part, stood no real chance of contending for a spot in the top ten.
Chu Province had twenty-six prefectures in total. The provincial capital of Chu City alone held sixty-eight Sacred Ground openings, the remaining eight major prefectures held twenty-four openings, the five mid-sized prefectures held twelve, and Chuwei Prefecture belonged to the category of minor prefectures.
Throughout the history of the Grand Tournament, it had already counted as no small miracle whenever a top scorer from a minor prefecture managed to break into the top ten!
What was more, the provincial capital already had seven or eight young prodigies who were nearly at Cavern Mystery Fifth Level—these were the truly dazzling new talents of the Sacred Grounds.
The Eastern Temple would certainly be able to secure two spots from among them, and those two would be the seed contestants chosen to claim glory for the Eastern Temple’s Sacred Ground!!
Gu Lin’s expression remained unchanged on the surface, though his mind churned with thought underneath.
As for cultivation arts, one had to wait until breaking through to the Life’s Mandate realm, at which point internal energy would transform into true essence. Whether one cultivated the Martial Dao or the Confucian Dao, everyone needed to cultivate an art of some kind—and the quality of that art determined the ceiling of one’s future potential.
Cultivation arts were divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow.
Among the Ten Great Sects of Chuwei Prefecture, even their most prized treasures amounted to nothing more than high-grade Yellow-Rank arts, while the reward for the Sacred Grounds’ Grand Tournament was Heaven-Rank!
This alone spoke to just how formidable the Sacred Grounds truly were!
Of course, none of this troubled Gu Lin in the slightest.
He was confident the Book of Merit would reward him with something even better.
And beyond the Life’s Mandate realm, martial techniques were likewise divided into the four grades of Heaven, Earth, Mystery, and Yellow—and here too, he placed his faith entirely in the Book of Merit!!
After all, whatever martial knowledge he currently possessed almost certainly ranked among the very best available below the Life’s Mandate realm!
As for the magical implement, Gu Lin most certainly wanted that.
He hadn’t yet opened up his Arcane Dao path, and even once he began cultivating it, there was no way he’d be able to forge an Earth-Rank treasure anytime soon. But if he could carry a mid-grade Earth-Rank magical implement on his person, his combat strength would leap forward by a substantial margin!
Of everything Centurion Cao had said, what excited him most was the fact that even the top ten would rise in rank—and rank meant greater authority, and greater authority meant the ability to handle matters of even greater wrongdoing. It aligned perfectly with the Book of Merit!
Gu Lin made up his mind on the spot.
His goal from this moment forward: the Sacred Grounds’ Grand Tournament, five months from now!
For the sake of his future, for the sake of the rewards to come, he would give it everything he had!
Centurion Cao studied Gu Lin for a moment, then said gently:
“Now that the Selection Trial has ended, since you intend to return to Shiyang County, we’ll be heading back to Chu Province ourselves. I’ll leave thirty Blade-Bearers behind for you to command as you see fit.”
Gu Lin cupped his fists respectfully:
“My thanks to you, sir. I pledge my loyalty to you unto death!”
Centurion Cao nodded with satisfaction, and without any further delay, immediately led the members of the Eastern Temple away.
Gu Lin bowed with the utmost deference:
“Farewell, sir. Farewell, my fellow colleagues.”
Off to the side, the other three Sacred Grounds were likewise preparing to depart, when one figure came striding forward with powerful, deliberate steps.
The one approaching glared coldly at Gu Lin, all trace of dignified composure gone from his face, nothing left but a fury so intense his eyes seemed ready to tear apart:
“Very good. Just don’t fall into my hands, or I’ll make sure you can neither live nor die!”
Gu Lin looked back at him calmly and gave a light nod:
“I’ll be waiting.”
Zhao Can twisted his face into a savage grin and hissed coldly:
“Once you’re in Chu Province, do you really think you’re something worth putting on display? That day won’t be far off. How Yao’er died—remember it, every single night!”
With that, he stormed off in a rage.
Gu Lin said nothing in response. He had never once competed with words.
Everything would be settled through strength alone.
Once the Sacred Grounds had all departed one after another, thirty Blade-Bearers of the Eastern Temple, clad in matching elk-deer official robes, marched forward in perfect unison, their voices rolling like thunder:
“We pay our respects to Lord Gu!”
Gu Lin bowed slightly and said with a smile:
“There’s no need for such formality, everyone.”
Right behind them, Yan Shouxu, Wei Xuan, and Lin Yan’er, likewise clad in elk-deer official robes with bronze elk-deer badges hanging at their waists, walked into the ranks with spirited pride.
Yet the moment their eyes met Lord Gu’s, the two women felt a surge of gratitude rise from the very depths of their hearts.
Gu Lin gave a light nod, signaling there was no need to say anything more.
Moments later, officials of every rank throughout Chuwei Prefecture came forward to offer their congratulations, and Gu Lin brushed them off with casual indifference.
“Lin……”
Zhou Man’s excited voice was cut off abruptly by her husband.
“Your status has changed now. In public settings, you must address him as Lord, to maintain proper dignity.”
Gu Changchuan gripped his wife’s arm and lowered his voice in warning.
“Lord Gu!”
The couple’s voices rang out loud and clear, both of them so overcome with excitement they could barely contain themselves.
“Lord Gu!”
The chubby Wang Mu shouted just as thunderously.
“Father, Mother, there’s no need for such formality.” Gu Lin hurried forward to greet them, and seeing his father’s reddened eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride.
Once he’d steadied his emotions, he pulled the two of them aside to a quieter spot and said in a low voice:
“Father, Mother, why don’t you set off for Chu Province right away? I’ll have a few Blade-Bearers escort you there.”
Zhou Man wiped away her tears, looking puzzled:
“Lin’er, your mother still needs to go back to Shiyang County to pack our things…..”
More importantly, returning home wealthy without making a proper show of it would be like wearing fine brocade robes and walking through the night where no one could see—she needed to bang the gongs and drums and flaunt it up and down every street in the neighborhood, needed to properly savor the taste of standing above everyone else.
“Just listen to Jingming!”
Gu Changchuan scolded her sharply, though even in his excitement, his mind kept drifting back to the official post the Eastern Temple had promised.
“Though, Jingming, we placed a bet of a thousand taels of silver before the trial, and now we’ve got a return of fifty-nine thousand taels!”
Fifty-nine times over—Jingming had really done it!
Gu Lin nodded:
“We’ll definitely go collect that!”
Just like that, they’d become wealthy beyond imagination—a true leap across social classes.
Though now that he’d entered a Sacred Ground, he’d likely be dealing in spirit stones from here on out, but money was still money, and a fortune like that would bring a certain flair no matter where it was kept.
After exchanging a few more words with his parents, Gu Lin made his way back to the high platform. Looking out over the thirty-three Blade-Bearers gathered before him, he said with a smile:
“I’ll only need twenty-three of you to accompany me. The remaining ten, please follow Centurion Cao back to Chu Province, and take my father and mother along with you as well—much obliged.”
The Blade-Bearers answered in unison:
“As Lord Gu commands!”
Ten of them set off to escort Gu Changchuan and Zhou Man to the various gambling houses to collect their winnings.
Gu Lin drafted an official document right there on the spot.
He called the chubby Wang Mu over.
Wang Mu looked at Gu Jingming with a sense of surreal disbelief—just a few months ago, the man had still been idling away his days in the Wilderness cohort, and now he already held a position of considerable power. He asked cautiously:
“Lord Gu, can… can I come to Chu Province too?”
Gu Lin nodded with a smile:
“Of course. I’ll find you a proper post when we get there.”
Wang Mu was overjoyed, unable to hold back the smile spreading across his face.
Gu Lin picked up his brush again, then suddenly frowned:
“That time back at the academy, the one who came barking at me all high and mighty—what was his name again? Said he wanted to challenge me, told me to wait for him.”
Wang Mu thought it over carefully, then said with certainty:
“Zhuang Wei!”
Gu Lin nodded and added Zhuang Wei’s name to the document.
He had never been one for magnanimity, nor did he know the meaning of tolerance. As for whether it was beneath his dignity to settle scores with someone so insignificant—what did that matter? Since the man had offended him, adding one more name to the ledger of the living and the dead was nothing more than a single stroke of the brush.
Wang Mu watched, his heart pounding with unease.
He understood full well: Gu Jingming now held real power in his hands, and a single official document from him now carried the full, legitimate authority of the Dynasty’s central government itself!
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