Making you a son-in-law is not about making you conquer the world.

"One punch? You won with just one punch?"

"Could we be seeing things? When did this kid acquire such abilities?"

"It must be sorcery again, disturbing our minds and causing us to have illusions."

Lin Ping's defeat of Ling Ziqi with a single punch seemed somewhat bizarre. People were unwilling to believe it was due to his strength, and even more so, they believed it was still sorcery.

They only dared to discuss it privately, and dared not bring it up in public.

After all, the king remained silent and even tacitly approved of Lin Ping's victory.

Furthermore, if Lin Ping can truly bewitch everyone's minds, that would be an extraordinary ability, and those who offend him will surely face retribution.

"That punch was decent." The king nodded in satisfaction.

Perhaps it was Xia Yeran's recommendation, or perhaps it was a powerful sixth sense; in any case, the king had a strange expectation of Lin Ping.

It is truly frustrating for the ruler of a country to place his hopes on a commoner.

There's nothing we can do about it; the court today is no longer solely the court of the monarch's family.

Not only are the Minister of Personnel and the Minister of Justice colluding with each other, but now even General Lu Zhan is showing signs of rebellion.

Although he was willing to believe Wu Xin, who had just returned to the court, he still felt that there was something wrong with this man.

"Lin Pingsheng!" the Vice Minister of Rites announced reluctantly.

After this match, the finals were immediately decided, and Lin Ping didn't need to leave the stage. Zhang Hongyuan flew in from a distance, his graceful movements overwhelming Lin Ping.

"Young Master Zhang's lightness skill is indeed remarkable, many times better than this fellow's."

"Not only is his lightness skill superb, but Young Master Zhang's swordsmanship is also first-class. It would have been better if this guy had lost the match earlier, but he insisted on holding on until now, which is simply asking for his own death."

"Use a sword? Don't insult Young Master Zhang. Dealing with this fellow is as easy as using a finger."

Before the two even made a move, the crowd below the stage had already begun to discuss it.

"Swords have no eyes, and life and death are predestined. Does Young Master Lin really want to participate in the competition?" The Vice Minister of Rites asked sarcastically, which could be considered as giving everyone a heads-up.

If we see any bloody scenes later, or if Lin Ping is killed, it's all his own fault, so don't blame Zhang Hongyuan.

"This is the royal palace, this is the imperial examination, you can't take lives here!" Jiang Yunlie, who had just stabilized his injuries, was furious and wanted an explanation.

“Since Young Master Jiang knows this is the royal palace, he should know that the king, not the city lord, has the final say here,” the Vice Minister of Rites said bluntly.

He had clearly received some kind of instruction and a promise from the king.

Lin Ping was merely a sharp sword in the eyes of the ruler. It would be best if he could cut through iron like mud, but if not, he was nothing more than a piece of scrap iron. If he broke, he broke, and there was nothing to regret.

Jade must be carved to become a useful object; this was the opportunity the king gave Lin Ping, but also his trial.

"Brother-in-law, you're no match for him! Get down here quickly, let's go back to Jiangcheng together, or we'll be killed!" Jiang Yunlie shouted at the top of his lungs, his body trembling violently, almost causing his wounds to reopen.

"Leave? Is it even possible to leave?" Lin Ping thought bitterly.

As soon as Jiang Yunlie finished speaking, the hundreds of guards around the arena were already on alert.

"Lin Ping, I admit you have some scheming and trickery, and even ruined my father's plans by driving us out of Jiangcheng. But without the protection of the City Lord's Mansion and Jiang Yunying, you are nothing but a pile of shit, dog shit that I can step on! Dealing with you is as easy as taking a finger!"

Hearing the crowd's support, Zhang Hongyuan's confidence was overflowing.

Moreover, Lin Ping is just a spendthrift, completely powerless. Even if he studies diligently for the past few months, he still can't be his match.

"Is this the finger? I'm afraid it's not strong enough." Lin Ping suddenly grabbed Zhang Hongyuan's index finger and bent it hard, clearly breaking it.

Zhang Hongyuan was utterly stunned, not by his speed, but by his shamelessness.

The competition doesn't seem to have officially started yet, does it?

"You cheated, kid!" Zhang Hongyuan quickly took a few steps back and said through gritted teeth.

"All's fair in war. Surely Young Master Zhang doesn't even understand this principle? This is not a quality a martial arts champion should possess."

"Besides, when you wanted to kill me, did you ever consider that all's fair in war? Did you expect me to just obediently wait for you to draw your sword and kill me?"

As he spoke, Lin Ping launched another kick. Although Zhang Hongyuan blocked it with his arms, he was still forced back five or six meters.

This was a life-or-death battle, and Lin Ping dared not be careless in the slightest. Taking advantage of Zhang Hongyuan's carelessness and underestimation of his opponent, he unleashed all his power.

"The sun sets beyond the mountains, the Yellow River flows into the sea," Lin Ping recited aloud.

"Has this kid gone mad? He's in the mood to recite poetry during a life-or-death battle?"

"However, this poem is so exquisite, I wonder which master it is?"

"At this time, reciting poetry is less useful than praying to God."

The crowd mocked them again. As martial arts graduates, they looked down on these people who showed off their poetry.

"You brat, you're asking for it!" After being repeatedly humiliated, Zhang Hongyuan was seething with hatred and wanted to take advantage of Lin Ping's recitation of poetry to appear quickly.

"So this move of mine is called 'Sunset Leaning Against the Mountain'!" The longsword was drawn, its light shining brightly, like the sunlight leaning against the mountain peak.

"This is actually a sword move!" Zhang Hongyuan was panicked, once again deceived by Lin Ping's appearance, and didn't even have a chance to draw his sword.

Left with no other choice, Zhang Hongyuan suddenly lay down on the ground, rolled a few times, and barely managed to dodge Lin Ping's sword.

"You brat, you're asking for it." Zhang Hongyuan scrambled to his feet and immediately unleashed his sword dance, Lotus Flower.

The first move of the Crimson Sun Sword Technique is "Sunset Over the Mountain," while the first move of the Lotus Sword Technique is "Sword Dance with Lotus Flowers." The clash between the two is bound to be magnificent and dazzling.

Clang clang clang!

In a flash, a burst of light erupted as the two longswords clashed repeatedly.

The crowd below the stage, who had been discussing the matter, now stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"This, this, this..."

"How can this kid possess such formidable swordsmanship? Could it be that he was holding back his strength earlier?"

Zhang Hongyuan's strength is undeniable, and he will be accepted no matter what skills he uses. However, Lin Ping is considered a waste by others, only knowing sorcery and hidden weapons. He shouldn't know such dazzling sword techniques.

"When did my brother-in-law become so powerful? He can even match the sword techniques of the Lotus Palace and seems to have the upper hand."

Jiang Yunlie was equally incredulous, even looking at Lin Ping with a strange gaze.

His judgment was correct. In terms of sword techniques alone, Lin Ping did have a certain advantage, which also shows that the Crimson Sun Sword Technique was more exquisite than the Lotus Sword Technique.

"You brat, don't get too cocky. Do you know that the Lotus Dance Sword is just the most basic sword move?" Zhang Hongyuan laughed menacingly.

"A lotus blooms in an instant!"

This is the second move of the Lotus Sword Technique, which is especially good at one-on-one combat and is more precise and ruthless than Lin Ping's White Sun Remains on the Mountain!

This sword strike hit Lin Ping's vital point, causing him to retreat repeatedly, his arm strained as he struggled to hold on.

"Again!" Lin Ping gritted his teeth and took the initiative.

Due to the limited time, he could only fully master the techniques of "Bai Ri Yi Shan" (White Sun Remains by the Mountain). He thought he could defeat Zhang Hongyuan by surprise, or at least withstand his "Lotus Blossom" (Lotus Blossom Appears), since Zhang Hongyuan also had the "Seeing Flowers in the Fog" (Seeing Flowers in the Fog) technique.

He dared not hold back in the slightest, displaying Bai Riyishan's sword techniques to the fullest extent.

Lin Ping's swordplay was like the radiant sunlight, overwhelming and all-encompassing; Zhang Hongyuan's swordplay was like lightning piercing the sun, ruthless and vicious.

In a group battle, Lin Ping's sword skills would have a significant advantage, but in this one-on-one fight, he can only suffer losses.

With each clash of the longswords, Lin Ping had to exert five times the strength, after all, his sword moves were complicated.

After ten rounds, Lin Ping was panting heavily, while Zhang Hongyuan was still in control.

"With this sword, I will pierce your chest!" Zhang Hongyuan moved like a snake, his sword flashing like lightning, the cold sword light aimed straight at Lin Ping's vitals.

The seemingly simple sword strike contained many variations, leaving Lin Ping with nowhere to dodge or avoid it.

"If the sunset won't work, then let's try the sunrise." Lin Ping held his breath, focusing all his attention on his longsword, and silently recited:

"The sunrise over the river paints the flowers redder than fire, and the spring river flows greener than blue."

If the previous sword moves were like the bright sun illuminating all things, then this move is like the rising sun breaking through the sea; it may not be able to illuminate the entire earth, but it can break through the darkness.

Boring!

The blades clashed, sparks flying.

The sharp sound assaulted everyone's eardrums, causing them to show expressions of pain and take a few steps back in a ripple-like pattern.

The impact caused their arms to tremble violently.

"How is that possible? How could he possibly catch my sword strikes?"

Zhang Hongyuan said incredulously, unable to understand where Lin Ping had learned such sharp swordsmanship.

Compared to Zhang Hongyuan's confusion, Lin Ping had fallen into despair.

He had not fully mastered the sword techniques of Sunrise over the River; after one strike, his body was on the verge of disintegrating.

If Zhang Hongyuan were to use his elusive sword techniques, he would become a human target, with no chance to fight back.

"This is probably your limit, but I'm just warming up. The next move will be your death!" Zhang Hongyuan said coldly.

Calling it a warm-up is a bit of an exaggeration, but he certainly didn't use his full strength.

"Are you going to use the 'seeing through the fog' trick? X-ray, activate!" Lin Ping's expression was tense, his right eye activated to its maximum, staring intently at Zhang Hongyuan.

Swordsmanship is not Lin Ping's only reliance; the function of his left and right eyes also plays a significant role. At the very least, he can see Zhang Hongyuan's movements clearly.

As expected, Zhang Hongyuan's figure suddenly disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was already next to Lin Ping, and then moved around Lin Ping at an extremely fast speed.

Lin Ping focused all his energy on his right eye, his head bobbing from side to side like a rattle drum, but fortunately he could still see Zhang Hongyuan's movements.

"The so-called 'seeing flowers through the fog' is probably not swordsmanship, but rather movement technique."

This is the conclusion Lin Ping reached.

"Your move isn't quite mastered yet," Lin Ping said with a cold smile, noticing Zhang Hongyuan's unsteady steps.

“Looking at flowers in the smoke!”

When they were close enough, Zhang Hongyuan swung his longsword and attacked from all directions at an extremely fast speed, firmly trapping Lin Ping in the middle.

"Damn it, he's too fast, I can't keep up at all." Lin Ping was on edge, ignoring Zhang Hongyuan's feints and facing his true form directly.

"break!"

After being slashed several times by Zhang Hongyuan's longsword, Lin Ping seized the opportunity and used all his strength to strike Zhang Hongyuan's body.