The martial bouts at every tropolitan examination were always the most watched events, and the liveliest ti of the year in the Western Capital.
During past bouts, crowds pressed in everywhere; people craned their necks to watch the duels inside the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, while hawkers threaded through the masses selling lon seeds, tea, and little snacks.
This was also the best chance for n and won of the Western Capital to choose a favored partner.
The provincial graduates entering the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land for the bouts were often young and unmarried, talents selected by the state. If soone managed to find a husband who beca a prosperous official or married off a talented man, it was considered a blessing earned by their ancestors.
The Ministry of Rites did not forbid spectators; they would often open the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land wide for viewing to show fairness.
“Why have the Monastic Records Office and the Daoist Records Office co too?”
Eunuch Feng looked out and recognized the officials from the Monastic Records and Daoist Records Offices. Surprised, he said to Chen Tang, “Sothing’s off about this year’s examination. Soone has tampered with things secretly!”
Chen Tang’s expression likewise tightened. Monks and Daoists could also take imperial examinations, though their exams differed from the provincial graduates’. They were tested on Buddhist and Daoist doctrine, so their examinations were held at the Monastic Records Office and Daoist Records Office.
But this ti the martial bout had allowed both monk and Daoist participants into the field — sothing that had never happened before!
In the past, each took their separate tests.
Eunuch Feng’s anger flared: “The Cabinet scoundrels really did rig things! They’ve altered the landscape’s currents to lead Daoist and Buddhist disciples toward Lord Chen!”
He laughed in fury. The Five Armies Camp were the ones in charge of manipulating the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, and the left and right commanders of the Five Armies Camp were the Xia family’s twin generals, Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying!
“An open, blatant cheat!” Eunuch Feng slapped his wheelchair and raged.
Chen Tang kept a calm face and watched the Blessed Land, searching for Chen Shi.
The Immortal Bridge Blessed Land was imnse, stretching hundreds of li, filled with mountains and rivers threading through peaks, with suns, moons, and stars rising and setting in its skies.
Among the mountains, blessed sites appeared everywhere; immortal palaces dotted the ranges like a fairyland.
Finding a single person inside such a vast realm was an almost impossible task.
Chen Tang looked on to see many provincial graduates already embroiled in fierce fights inside the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land. In just monts, two graduates could split life and death.
He watched two of them: one had cultivated the Little Five Form Object-Transporting Technique, skilled at moving objects and even displacing a person’s internal organs. The other had cultivated the Shenxiao Exorcising Spell, which could transform into a True Martial Avatarlike body. At the instant they saw each other, the Little Five Form practitioner triggered his technique, and from afar moved his opponent’s liver out of his body!
Before the other could launch a second move, he had already closed the distance. In his True Martial Exorcising true body, he thrust a strike that pierced the other’s chest.
He had killed his opponent, but because he had lost a liver, he did not survive long and soon perished as well.
Chen Tang diverted his gaze and searched elsewhere. He spotted a furtive graduate in a valley stripping bark from trees into three-foot-long strips half a foot wide, then using a bit of his pure yang blood to draw talismans on the trees.
From that distance, Chen Tang could not make out the talismans’ details.
After finishing, the graduate covered the marked bark back onto the trunks so the trees looked unchanged. He repeated the process on a dozen more trees.
When he completed everything, he cut his own leg, lay writhing and howling on the ground in a fake injury to lure other graduates.
Soon soone ca, not out of kindness but eager to kick a man while he was down, hoping to take a head as rit for their battle record.
Unexpectedly, the ambush on the ground triggered: the talismans on those trees exploded. This ti Chen Tang could clearly see it was a Blood Lake talisman array — the marks ford a Blood Lake formation that in an instant sucked the presumptuous “good Samaritan” dry.
“He cultivated the Blood Lake Great thod. A real talent,” Chen Tang thought.
The Blood Lake Great thod was a supre demonic technique recorded on steles outside the True King Tomb; it was near the True King Tomb but belonged to top-tier dark arts and had long been lost. Chen Tang had learned of it from Scholar Zhu. How this graduate had learned such demonic skill was unknown.
“Most likely Chen Shi taught him.”
He continued searching for Chen Shi’s whereabouts.
Battles erupted again and again across the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land. Whenever a graduate t another, they struck without words. In a short ti, over a hundred provincial graduates died unnatural deaths.
Chen Tang finally found Chen Shi and frowned deeply. He saw Chen Shi walking toward the Immortal Bridge.
The Blessed Land was called the Immortal Bridge because there truly was a bridge linking the underworld and the living world. Under that bridge flowed a river called the Morning-and-Evening River, with one bank bright and the other dark, dividing yin and yang.
Standing on the Immortal Bridge over the Morning-and-Evening River allowed one to behold scenes from both realms.
This bridge was crucial.
Traditionally, the third stage of the martial examinations — the martial bout — was held within the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land.
The Blessed Land protected every graduate who entered. Its cleverness lay in being located at the junction of yin and yang, containing the power of life and death. Ghosts and gods were unpredictable, and any being that entered, even if killed, would be resurrected by the life-and-death Dao power within the land; they would not truly die.
Beaten provincial graduates would revive upon the Immortal Bridge.
Thus in the martial bout, contestants had to strike to kill with no rcy or hesitation; failing to do so ant their rival would win.
Now, on this Immortal Bridge, hundreds of provincial graduates stood dazed, waiting for Five Armies Camp soldiers to pull them out of the Blessed Land.
On both sides of the bridge, examiners from the Ministry of Rites sat at desks, holding brushes and inks, recording who was injured, who died, how fights proceeded, and rating them to determine rankings.
Although sitting at desks, their primordial spirits floated in the sky, patrolling the Blessed Land’s movents.
Experts from the Five Armies Camp also manipulated and monitored the Blessed Land, watching everyone to guard against cheating.
The martial bout was the decisive of the three tests’ importance. Inside the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land, talisman-weapons, talisman objects, and magic treasures were strictly prohibited from being carried. Regardless of cultivation level, any Dao or Dharma could be used; there were no taboos.
“So far this examination has been normal, no weird incidents,” one examiner, multitasking, kept writing down a graduate’s performance and smiled. “Last ti’s tropolitan exam had a major ss. The Guozhou provincial graduates banded together, dozens ford gangs, besieged other contestants, swarming the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land like locusts and crushing the clan scions. Fortunately the Cabinet ordered the Five Armies Camp to enter and suppress them.”
At his remark, the other examiners laughed.
In that year’s exam, the Guozhou graduates caused such a racket that they were all stripped of their graduate ranks and forever disqualified.
“The ti before that had its own ss. The most favored ones to win were Zhang Ao of the Zhang family and Gao Zhenggang of the Gao family. They were the loudest voices before the duel; everyone thought one of them would beco the top scorer. But during the martial bout things went wrong,” an elderly white-bearded examiner chuckled. “The two commanders presiding over this Blessed Land are the Xia brothers. In that bout, Zhang Ao and Gao Zhenggang encountered each other early and fought to mutual ruin, then were defeated by Xia family’s graduate Xia Man’er. Xia Man’er beca the female top scorer. So suspected the two commanders had rigged things.”
The group avoided continuing that topic, mindful that Five Armies Camp officers stood nearby.
One examiner cleared his throat and said, “I heard once a graduate fought all his matches and tied every duel.”
“That was Lord Chen Tang from the Ministry of Revenue,” the white-bearded examiner laughed. “Later people called him the Accommodating King, or the King of Throwing Matches…”
He stopped laughing mid-sentence and looked aside with puzzlent.
Other examiners followed his gaze and saw a youth resembling Chen Tang wandering over in a daze.
“That’s the Chen family’s young master! Child Prodigy Chen Shi!”
The white-bearded examiner sharply called out to rouse Chen Shi, “Provincial Graduate Chen, you’re still in the examination! This is no place for you to be wandering! If you step onto the Immortal Bridge, we’ll have to escort you out!”
Chen Shi snapped awake and hurriedly scanned his surroundings. He saw the world divided into yin and yang: the yin side gloomy and terrifying, the yang side bright and sunny.
Through the sky he could see the Western Capital, as if floating beyond the heavens.
Looking the other way revealed the underworld, where Primordial Spirits in the Great Ascension Realm sat in the shadows, as if bodies pierced through the two worlds.
If one looked further, one could see a colossal black iron pillar spanning heaven and earth.
Between yin and yang flowed a long river with black and yellow waters, glowing strangely. An Immortal Bridge spanned it, dozens of zhang long, upon which stood dejected provincial graduates.
From ti to ti Golden-Armored Warriors descended from the sky carrying several graduates to ascend into the heavens.
He hurriedly thanked the white-bearded examiner and found a stone to sit on by the bridge.
Several examiners noticed his odd state and were puzzled, but did not ask more.
Far off, a young monk had repeatedly defeated several graduates and was heading toward Chen Shi’s position.
The white-bearded examiner’s primordial spirit scanned the surroundings and found that besides this young monk there was a Daoist with a long sword on his back and another Daoist with three floating golden sutra scrolls behind his head — both also coming this way.
He frowned and quietly told a younger examiner beside him, “The two Xia commanders must have moved the Blessed Land’s geography to draw so experts here. They probably intend to weaken Provincial Graduate Chen to pave the way for others.”
The younger examiner lowered his voice: “Old Zheng, if you’ve seen through it, why speak? What if you offend the two commanders…”
The white-bearded examiner fell silent, stern-faced.
Among the three great Buddhist holy lands, Fan Kongliu of the Water Moon Holy Land was missing; Saintess Xuan of the Bodhi Monastery had lost her Dao Heart and returned to the monastery, so she was not participating. Only Wuxiang of the Great Bao Guo Temple attended the Monastic Records Office’s exams and led the field.
Wuxiang the monk wore plain white garnts and white-soled black cloth shoes, hands empty, head raised and looking forward.
His heart was as pure as the Golden Profit Snow Mountain, his mind immaculate. A Buddha-light shone behind his head, and within that light the Pure Land of Bliss was faintly visible.
This Pure Land was called the Western Heaven.
He strode forward, his gaze falling on Chen Shi as he silently chanted. The Great Freedom Wheel King Divine Seal was already brewing.
At that mont a familiar voice called from behind: “Senior Brother Wuxiang.”
Wuxiang turned and saw another young monk of similar age and dress, his head gleaming; it was Wuchen the monk, disciple of Bitter Bamboo.
Wuxiang greeted him and said, “Wuchen, what brings you here?”
Wuchen smiled, “I ca to contend with Senior Brother for the title of Great Bao Guo Temple’s foremost Buddhist disciple.”
Wuxiang’s face remained austere, expressionless. He said, “Your master Bitter Bamboo has passed on. The small skill he taught you has been enough to prevent you being eliminated until now — already a miracle. Wuchen, your greed is too heavy; you are unfit to be a Buddhist disciple.”
He always looked down on Wuchen.
Wuchen was materialistic; he flattered those of great clan origins and scorned those of humble birth, a totally vulgar monk. The Western Capital’s elites treated him with polite indifference, saying he lacked any real Buddhist cultivation.
Wuchen grinned, “I advanced faster under my master’s elder than under my master himself. Brother, I must obtain this Buddhist disciple title. With that title I can beco the great abbot!”
Wuxiang asked in puzzlent, “Which elder taught you?”
“Chan Master Rung!”
As Wuchen said this he took a step, and his physical body swelled in stages until it beca a sixteen-foot Golden Body — a Bodhisattva’s golden body, the supre art of Golden Profit Snow Mountain, the immaculate body forged by the Great Freedom Wheel King Divine Seal!
This cultivation ca from the art practiced by Chan Master Bitter Bamboo, derived from the Golden Body Bodhisattva statue venerated at Great Bao Guo Temple. Wuchen’s golden body erupted with savagery; his first move was a wish-fulfilling wheel strike. With a single seal he launched a palm that carved the space into a rotating jade wheel!
Wuxiang activated his own immaculate Bodhisattva Golden Body, showing a sixteen-foot form. The two clashed before the Immortal Bridge like two golden Buddhas.
Each impact of their golden bodies sent forth bursts of Sanskrit chants, and in the Western Heaven behind each of them, one Buddha after another beca clearer — moving many examiners to feel awe.
They knew Wuxiang was a foremost disciple of Great Bao Guo Temple, formidable and once frequently hosted by a certain Young Master who greatly admired his Dharma skill. It surprised them that the once-unknown Wuchen could match Wuxiang.
They fought fast and ferocious for more than ten exchanges when suddenly Wuxiang braved a blow from Wuchen’s seal, thrusting a finger that pierced Wuchen’s Danzhong point.
Wuchen had landed a Vajra Wheel seal that shattered Wuxiang’s left arm. Wuxiang turned pale and asked in shock, “Your immaculate golden body has no flaw at the Danzhong?”
Wuchen cried in excitent, “Senior Brother, that flaw was sothing the Young Master told you about, wasn’t it? But you couldn’t have expected this — my master Rung has already patched that flaw!”
He surged forward with an array of seals and a mighty shockwave!
Wuxiang, defending, shouted in alarm, “Great Bao Guo Temple never sent a Rung Chan Master! Wuchen, who exactly is your master?”
Wuchen seized Wuxiang’s other arm, drove his knee and elbow, breaking Wuxiang’s right arm, then slamd a great cloud wheel and a Buddha-top wheel onto Wuxiang’s head, crushing his skull until his brains spattered — an unnatural death!
Wuxiang’s corpse dissolved and another Wuxiang slowly reford on the Immortal Bridge.
Wuchen gave a shout, tumbled with excitent, and cried, “Now at last it’s my turn to beco the great abbot!”
Wuxiang’s reford face looked dark with displeasure but he said nothing.
He felt bitter: this Wuchen, obviously full of desire and not truly detached, had nonetheless defeated him.
At that mont, the Five Armies Camp soldiers ca to escort him out of the Blessed Land.
Wuchen’s excitent faded and he waved to Chen Shi as he left, smiling, “Chen lay practitioner, you owe a favor now. Don’t forget to repay it!”
He had not struck at Chen Shi. To the examiners’ astonished gazes, the monk bounded off like a jumping mushroom.
Just as Wuchen departed, a young Daoist strolled over, his gaze falling from afar on Chen Shi sitting in a daze on his stone.
It was Jin Lu Daoist of Tai Shang Hao Yuan Palace.
“Senior Jin Lu, I heard that your Tai Shang Hao Yuan Palace’s Flying Immortal Sword Scripture, when fully perfected, allows a corpse’s dissolution and one’s ascent as an immortal,” soone said as Jin Lu stopped and turned to see Yu Lingzi approaching.
“I wonder how far your Flying Immortal Sword Scripture has progressed?” Jin Lu looked at Yu Lingzi, then at Chen Shi, feeling pressured from both sides. Instantly his blood boiled into sword qi; his body hid inside a sword-light and he sped away on a flash!
“Don’t run!” Yu Lingzi chased after him and called, “Let test your finger, to see whether it can resist my Tai Zhen Jade Art!”
Chen Shi ignored both of them. At this mont a little Taoist with three golden sutra scrolls floating behind his head approached smiling: “Senior Jin Lu’s sword is swift and Yu Lingzi likes to snap people’s fingers; neither are easy to deal with. I’m not competing for the top spots; I’m here to squeeze a soft pear. Taoist Guo of the Heavenly Master Mansion greets Master Chen!”
“He’s pondering sothing important and won’t pay you any mind,” a voice not far away said. Guo Daoist looked toward the sound and relaxed, smiling, “So it’s Senior Zhang You. Could Senior Zhang be here to protect Provincial Graduate Chen?”
Zhang You slowly approached and smiled, “Not to protect him. I walked in here because the two commanders of the Five Armies Camp laid their trap and forced into this place. They intended for and Provincial Graduate Chen to injure each other so the Young Master could seize the top rank.”
Guo Daoist laughed, “Then I’ve been trapped too. I shouldn’t have co here, yet I inadvertently did. It seems the two commanders altered the Blessed Land’s layout on purpose to draw us.”
He glanced at Chen Shi, then turned to leave, saying, “This place of disputes is no place to linger.”
Zhang You hesitated, then also turned to depart.
Suddenly the heavens shook violently. Guo Daoist’s face changed; he looked up and whispered, “Senior Zhang, are the two commanders so ruthless that they won’t let us go?”
Zhang You shook his head, “They wouldn’t offend my Zhang family just for the Young Master. Sothing else is happening to the Immortal Bridge Blessed Land.”
With a thunderous roar, a white jade long bridge plunged into the Blessed Land. At the bridge’s end hovered a white-robed female immortal, and her presence affected the entire Blessed Land.
The Immortal Bridge Blessed Land tilted, producing loud creaks, and began to slide toward the underworld!
The left and right commanders of the Five Armies Camp, Xia Fanghe and Xia Shouying, both sat up, faces draining, and said in alarm, “This is bad!”
They had ddled too much with the Blessed Land, causing it to collide with the demon-and-god domain of Qixia Taoist Temple!
“Five Armies soldiers, obey orders: rescue all provincial graduates! Save everyone you can and withdraw from the Blessed Land imdiately!”
The two commanders’ primordial spirits hovered above the Blessed Land and shouted, “Ministry of Rites officers! Leave the Blessed Land now! Do not delay! Do not linger! The Immortal Bridge Blessed Land is about to collide with the underworld!”
Golden-Armored Warriors fell from the sky, stretching out massive hands to seize Zhang You, Guo Daoist, and the graduates on the Immortal Bridge, carrying them into the heavens.
The white-haired examiner was about to take Chen Shi when the sky violently convulsed. Many Five Armies Camp experts were struck by an aura from the white-robed female immortal; they exploded with muffled blasts and died unnatural deaths.
“Run!”
The examiners leapt up and fled.
—A 5,300-character big chapter. Please vote for the monthly ranking!
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