Chapter 283 : Guaranteed Promotion
Chapter 283: Guaranteed Promotion
Inside the Qianyuan Hall, chaos reigned.
The emperor's face was solemn. He could already feel the gaze cast from behind the curtain behind him—a gaze that brought immense pressure.
It was as if he could hear a silent reproach: You can't even handle this—how are you fit to personally govern?
His hand, hidden within his sleeve, tightly gripped the dragon throne's armrest as he pondered how to handle the aftermath of tonight's incident.
Earlier, the meritorious disciples who had fallen in the Trial Pavilion did not return. Then, even the images disappeared. Naturally, this caused widespread panic.
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
The Celestial Master Residence likely encountered a major incident as well. The Celestial Master had left his body with his Yang Spirit, and no one knew where he had gone.
The Trial Pavilion had always been managed by the Celestial Master Residence since the founding of Great Jin.
Now that something had happened to the Celestial Master and the pavilion was malfunctioning, there wasn't even anyone available to clean up the mess.
"Your Majesty, please save this minister's grandson..."
"Your Majesty, he is the sole heir of three generations in this humble minister's family..."
"Your Majesty..."
The old ministers' pleading voices made the emperor feel as if he was sitting on needles. At this moment, everyone present was waiting for him to make a decision.
But what could he decide?
The previous Celestial Master had long since passed away. Of the Celestial Master's peers, the remaining few were either in death seclusion or wandering the world—nowhere to be found.
Even though the imperial court had many powerful individuals, none could be thought of to solve this crisis.
The empress, aware of his anxiety, gave him a concerned look, warming his heart slightly.
"Guards—"
Still, the emperor couldn't just sit there doing nothing. In such a situation, he had to act—do something, anything.
Just then, a flash of light illuminated the hall, and dozens of people appeared out of thin air in the center of the hall—it was those who had died in the trial.
The emperor finally relaxed. They had returned!
Outwardly, he maintained a composed demeanor, but his palms were drenched in sweat.
At the same time, the curtain lit up again, showing images once more.
The failed trial participants all wore confused expressions. No matter how their families questioned them, they knew nothing. They had no idea what had happened.
Regardless, returning whole and alive was an enormous relief.
Many burst into tears of joy.
Others turned their attention to the ongoing battle on the fourth floor displayed on the curtain, eager to see how the trial would proceed after the disruption.
An inner servant approached and asked, "Your Majesty, shall it continue?"
The emperor stared at the curtain, deliberated briefly, and replied, "Let’s observe a bit longer."
The trial on the curtain seemed unaffected. On the Great Wei side, the Four Symbols Grand Formation had already charged to the camp gates and shattered them in one strike.
The remaining ten participants, each leading a thousand-man unit, now faced the four ten-thousand-man units forming the Four Symbols Grand Formation—clearly overwhelmed.
Anyone could see they were doomed to lose.
Now the only question was—who would earn the most merit?
The emperor instinctively glanced at the rankings. In the top three were Wang Jinhu, Duan Sijue, and Ling Qingying.
As for Gu Xianyu, he was in ninth place, far behind the top five.
He initially wanted to tell his royal sister that she had lost their bet—but restrained himself.
Given the recent upheaval, such remarks would seem flippant and ill-timed.
Sure enough, on the curtain, one by one the participants’ armies were crushed with ease. They stood no chance. As each one fell, they were transported back to the hall.
Soon, Wang Jinhu, Duan Sijue, and Ling Qingying also emerged.
It was over!
The emperor thought, glancing at the rankings again. Wang Jinhu stood at the top. A faint smile appeared on his face, and he was about to declare the trial concluded when someone cried out, "Look! That man actually withstood the Four Symbols Grand Formation!"
What?
The emperor was startled. Looking closely, he saw a seemingly tiny unit still holding out under the encirclement of four massive armies. Like a nail hammered into place, they stood firm despite the formation's repeated assaults.
How was this possible?
Who could be this fierce?
He instinctively looked at the central rankings again. One name’s merit was rapidly climbing, soon surpassing those above.
That name—Gu Xianyu.
It’s him!
The emperor was shocked. The curtain zoomed in on that thousand-man unit.
He finally understood the secret—this youth had extraordinary strength and incredible speed. Every strike he made killed an officer.
Once the lead officer of a thousand-man unit died, their formation naturally faltered, weakening greatly.
Using this method, he endured wave after wave of assault.
At this point, nearly everyone was captivated by the battle on the curtain.
"How strange—when did Duke Jingguo’s Residence obtain such an astonishing movement technique? Why hide it until now?"
"Even a First Grade Expert couldn’t catch up to that technique…"
"If Duke Jingguo’s Residence has such an art, they’re even more formidable."
"..."
Discussions broke out in the hall, some with sarcasm.
Gu Haochuan’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably. He quickly explained, "This technique was obtained by Xiao Qi through a fortunate encounter. No one else can learn it."
Of course, whether others believed him was another matter entirely.
...
As time passed, Gu Xianyu’s troops kept thinning. Even if they were nails, at this rate, they would be flattened.
Just then, a mighty horn blared, and dust rose on the horizon.
Someone exclaimed, "It’s Great Jin’s reinforcements!"
"The Blackscale Iron Cavalry of the Founding Ancestor!"
"To think we’d witness the Blackscale Cavalry’s glory in our lifetime!"
"..."
Amidst the excited chatter, the reinforcements arrived. Over ten thousand cavalry charged into the Four Symbols Formation and shattered it in a single charge.
Soon came encirclement, suppression, pursuit…
In the end, Great Wei’s forces were completely annihilated.
The emperor watched with blood boiling—this was the invincible might of Great Jin’s army. Back in the day, they had swept across the world undefeated.
If the Founding Ancestor’s Blackscale Iron Cavalry still existed, would the northern countries dare act so arrogantly?
Thinking of this, his heart darkened with sorrow.
Suddenly, the Princess Royal beside him spoke, "Royal Brother, by the rules, anyone who clears the fourth floor is entitled to a title, yes?"
Her words brought the emperor back from his thoughts. He nodded. "Indeed. Since Gu Xianyu cleared the fourth level, he should be granted a title. Someone draft an edict—"
"Royal Brother, wait," the Princess Royal interrupted. "Why not wait until it’s over?"
The emperor paused. Did she really think Gu Xianyu could clear the fifth level?
In the five hundred years since Great Jin’s founding, very few had passed the fifth level.
That level tested more than strength or formations.
He was very curious—why did his royal sister have such confidence in this Gu Xianyu?
"Very well."
The emperor continued watching patiently.
On the fifth level, Gu Xianyu became an official of a small border town. One day, an enemy nation launched an attack. The townspeople were gripped by fear.
In that moment of crisis, Gu Xianyu rallied the troops and civilians to resist, even executing the superior officer who tried to flee.
He held the city, repelled repeated attacks, and slew several martial arts experts who infiltrated the town.
When reinforcements arrived, he led a counterattack. Attacking from inside and out, they routed the enemy. He even beheaded a prince of the enemy nation—earning tremendous merit.
...
When the emperor saw Gu Xianyu actually clear the fifth level with such tactics, his eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
A thought emerged: in chaotic times, this man would be a warlord.
It must be noted that the fifth trial level re-enacted real historical events. That battle had originally ended in Great Wei’s devastating defeat, marking the start of its downfall.
Yet Gu Xianyu managed to reverse the tide.
Such skill was extraordinary.
...
Chen Ming had no idea how others viewed him. If someone asked how he managed to accomplish such feats…
Don’t ask. Just know—it was guaranteed promotion!
He now understood what the Nine Nether Demon Venerable meant by "a little favor."
He was being guaranteed the top spot!
When he inexplicably cleared the fifth level, he whispered, "Senior, this should be enough, right? My merit must be first by now."
The Nine Nether Demon Venerable gave no reply.
Then came the sixth level.
This time, he became a vanguard general, leading three thousand cavalry deep into the northern grasslands to raid enemy supply lines.
Then he realized he was embodying the Champion Marquis himself—charging across a thousand miles, straight to the enemy capital, destroying four nations in one campaign, earning immortal fame.
"So my true talent is leading armies? I’m the War God myself?!"
Chen Ming couldn’t believe he had reached such heights.
This wasn’t just a promotion—this was divine intervention!
No, Senior Demon Venerable, can we stop now? If this goes on, the emperor will grow suspicious.
Unfortunately, the other party paid him no mind.
On the seventh level, he became a commander-in-chief. His cultivation was raised to First Grade, and he began training troops.
Training?
He had no idea how to do that!
So he just used military training methods he had seen.
In a flash, several years passed. Leading fifty thousand troops, he conquered all before him.
By now, Chen Ming understood—the so-called trial was just a movie, with a script written by the Nine Nether Demon Venerable. He didn’t need to do anything; the plot progressed on its own.
No matter how much he slacked off, the outcome remained unchanged.
Then came the eighth level.
This time, it got serious—he became a prince!