“It’s just the Mo Clan being too arrogant, I was only bidding normally,” Lin Yun said calmly.
“Mo’s indeed overbearing, my Zhu Clan’s clashed with them in Dongyuan for years, both sides have taken hits, though we’ve lost more,” Zhu Xu sighed.
“Hero Lin Yun, if I may ask, what’s your realm?” Zhu Xu inquired.
“Third-rank Mahayana,” Lin Yun replied openly.
“Third-rank Mahayana? You look so young, under a hundred, right? Reaching that at your age, you’re a standout among peers!” Zhu Xu marveled.
A third-rank Mahayana youth was dazzling even in Fire Cloud Empire!
“You’re too kind, Zhu Xu,” Lin Yun smiled faintly.
“By the way, Hero Lin Yun, you seemed troubled earlier, something up?” Zhu Xu asked.
“I wanted to see the Dongyuan Prefecture Lord, had something to tell him face-to-face, but got turned away,” Lin Yun gave a wry smile.
“I see, meeting the Lord’s tough usually, even I only see him sometimes with my father,” Zhu Xu said.
“Brother Zhu Xu, any way you could help me meet him? It’s really urgent,” Lin Yun looked at him earnestly.
Zhu Xu pondered, “That’s… tricky, I’d need my father to book it with the Lord, but you’d have to specify why, without a reason, it’s unlikely.”
“Is that so?”
Lin Yun shook his head helplessly—this lofty Lord was a tough nut to crack!
Made sense—he was a regional overlord, high and mighty.
“Oh, Hero Lin Yun, the empire’s Martial Exam is coming up, with your third-rank Mahayana, you could shine in the prefecture round, top twenty gets you a face-to-face with the Lord!” Zhu Xu said.
“Martial Exam? What’s that?” Lin Yun asked, puzzled.
“It’s how the empire scouts talent, Fire Cloud values fresh blood to boost its strength, so it holds the Martial Exam yearly,” Zhu Xu explained.
He went on, “Xingwu Empire has 18 prefectures, each holds a prefecture exam, top twenty get seen by the Lord and a shot at joining the prefecture army.”
“The prefecture champion goes straight to the capital, joins the other 17 champs for the national test, scores there earn imperial posts, resources, even a slim chance at being the Fire Cloud Emperor’s disciple.”
“This Martial Exam’s intriguing, the Emperor takes disciples from it?” Lin Yun was amazed.
“Becoming his disciple is rare, the exam’s annual, but it averages one disciple per millennium,” Zhu Xu clarified.
He added, “Just cracking the prefecture top twenty is hard, winning first for a capital shot is tougher, topping the national exam against other young geniuses is brutal, and the Emperor’s disciple? That’s the ultimate challenge.”
“National top spot, beyond a post, what else?” Lin Yun asked, curious.
He thought—this was like ancient China’s imperial exams.
“Top three get hefty rewards, especially first, the Emperor’s generous with talent, plus fame across the land—a huge honor, but national top three’s too far off, I wouldn’t dare dream it,” Zhu Xu chuckled wryly.
“It’ll be tough, but I could give it a go,” Lin Yun’s eyes sparked with anticipation.
He’d won Xingwu’s Ten Thousand Flowers Meet—why fear Fire Cloud’s Martial Exam?
Fire Cloud’s修士 outclassed Xingwu’s, but the exam was yearly, unlike the once-in-a-millennium Meet.
He knew today’s rejection stemmed from obscurity—no one knew ‘Lin Yun’.
Even a gate guard could scoff at him, backed by power.
Fame would’ve opened doors.
But that wasn’t the crux.
Lately, he’d mulled his path—Tribulation was the priority.
After that?
Post-Tribulation, he’d need Tribulation Pills—self-crafting was glacial!
They were scarce—without a strong faction, getting them solo was a slog.
For swift revenge, he needed a big player.
Small sects or clans? No good—they lacked pills too.
It had to be massive.
Fire Cloud Empire topped the four empires—few matched its might.
Joining it could solve resource woes.
The Martial Exam was his ticket.
The Emperor’s disciple? Too lofty to hope for yet.
“Hero Lin Yun, you’re serious?” Zhu Xu gaped.
“Might as well try, when’s it held?” Lin Yun asked.
“Prefecture exam’s in three months, but sign-ups are open now, there’s a booth outside the Dongyuan magistrate,” Zhu Xu said.
“Thanks for the heads-up, Zhu Xu,” Lin Yun clasped his fists.
“Hero Lin Yun, if you join, what’s your goal?” Zhu Xu asked, curious.
“Since only first gets you to the capital for the national test, I’ll aim for first,” Lin Yun gazed out the carriage window.
“F-First?” Zhu Xu nearly choked.
He’d never expected that—thought Lin Yun might say top twenty.
Prefecture first wasn’t a walk in the park!
“Hero Lin Yun, you… you’re not joking, right?” Zhu Xu laughed dryly.
His gaze shifted—was Lin Yun legit or bragging?
Like meeting a random teen who says they’ll ace the province’s college exam—shock and skepticism hit hard.
Dongyuan Prefecture’s population was a trillion!
