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

"This kid actually managed to find my true form." Zhang Hongyuan was first surprised, then sneered.

Even if Lin Ping finds his true form, what difference will it make? He'll just die even faster.

Bang!

The moment the blades collided, a tremendous amount of energy was released.

Lin Ping's arms trembled violently, and his whole body began to feel numb.

puff!

After a few seconds of stalemate, Lin Ping spat out a mouthful of blood mist.

His energy was being frantically mobilized, his blood and qi were churning, and with Zhang Hongyuan's powerful blow, his internal organs were all damaged.

Lin Ping was covered in blood, with wounds on his arms and thighs from the "seeing through the fog" incident. He eventually collapsed to the ground due to weakness in his limbs.

While activating the X-ray, they unleashed their strongest attack, making it difficult for Lin Ping's body to withstand.

Even without Zhang Hongyuan's attack, he would have fallen to the ground.

"Without my wife's help, I really couldn't have accomplished anything." Lin Ping, lying on the ground, smiled bitterly.

He had to face the fact that without Jiang Yunying's help, everything would be difficult and all his painstakingly planned schemes would fall apart.

At the same time, Zhang Hongyuan launched his final, and fatal, attack.

Faced with the threat of death, Lin Ping showed no panic whatsoever; Jiang Yunying's image kept flashing through his mind.

"My wife, farewell. Please don't be sad. Perhaps your master's son can protect you better."

Lin Ping was filled with bitterness, and he even placed his hopes on others.

He was ultimately not the kind of person with lofty ideals and ambitions; everything he did was to rescue Jiang Yunying as soon as possible.

Even so, things still didn't go smoothly.

Meeting is fate, parting is destiny.

He and Jiang Yunying were destined to be together but ultimately separated.

"Brother-in-law, surrender quickly, or he will kill you."

Jiang Yunlie screamed in anguish, even ignoring the pain from his wounds, and crawled towards the side of the arena using all four limbs.

In his eyes, Lin Ping was not just a brother-in-law, but a brother himself. If Lin Ping were killed here, he would not hesitate to mobilize all his troops to fight a bloody battle in Yingtian Prefecture.

Even if it means dying in battle, we must seek justice for Lin Ping's escape.

Lin Ping, standing on the ring, had his eyes slightly closed, a smile playing on his lips, and a look of happiness on his face.

Whenever he thinks of Jiang Yunying, he can't help but smile, and this is his only motivation.

"Today I will kill you and avenge this humiliation!" Zhang Hongyuan's face was contorted with rage, and his long sword was pointed directly at Lin Ping's brow.

"Stop! Stop it now!" Xia Yeran shouted anxiously.

From the moment Lin Ping fell to the ground, he was sweating bullets and repeatedly pleaded with the king to end the match, but the king acted as if he hadn't heard him.

His words were like a gentle breeze, failing to cause any significant ripples.

He was merely a prefect, and it was already a favor from the emperor that he could appear in the imperial court; naturally, no one would listen to him.

Zhang Hongyuan was fearless and acted as if he hadn't heard anything.

"Why are you crying, my wife? Do you not want me to be killed?" Lin Ping's eyes were filled with tears, his face full of sorrow.

He had never seen Jiang Yunying cry, nor allowed her to cry, but now, she was clearly shedding tears in his mind.

"Since my wife doesn't want me to die, then I cannot die!"

A powerful force suddenly erupted from Lin Ping's dantian, filling his limbs and bones.

The Crimson Sun Sword Technique appeared in his mind like a holographic image, and his understanding of the sunrise over the river flowers deepened.

Suddenly, Lin Ping opened his eyes, his face cold and indifferent. His long sword rose into the air like a dragon breaking through the dawn.

"Sunrise over the River Flowers!"

"This sword will take your life!"

The roaring dragon clashed instantly with Zhang Hongyuan's sword, displaying an aura that could devour everything, its power many times greater than his.

"Impossible, how could you possess such terrifying power?" Zhang Hongyuan's pupils constricted; he could already sense the approaching death.

Bang!

Zhang Hongyuan's longsword broke into eight pieces as he faced Lin Ping's attack with his bare body.

With a soft thud, his chest was pierced, and blood kept gushing out of the gloomy hole. Zhang Hongyuan's limp body lay on the ground in despair.

Zhang Hongyuan, die!

Clang.

Lin Ping's longsword also fell to the ground, his body felt as if it had been pulled out of its shell, and he barely had the strength to stand on the ground.

"This power doesn't belong to Hong Ling." Lin Ping clearly sensed the remaining power, his mind somewhat confused.

The power Jiang Hongling left in his body was red, while the power from before was black.

It is more robust and domineering.

"Dead... dead?"

"The arrogant Young Master Zhang was actually killed by him?"

"I really want to see a dragon. Is this kid a human or a ghost? The energy inside him is terrifying."

The crowd below the stage looked at Lin Ping with even more strange eyes, but their disdain had turned into fear.

They no longer dared to utter a single word that slandered Lin Ping, nor did they dare to meet Lin Ping's sharp gaze.

"You won? When did my brother-in-law become so strong?" Jiang Yunlie, who was about to climb onto the arena, was equally astonished.

"Your Excellency, why haven't you announced the results of the competition yet?"

Xia Yeran was overjoyed and hurriedly reminded him.

Winning the title of martial arts champion is the first step of the whole plan, and also the most difficult step.

Lin Ping's ability to accomplish this step proves his strength, and Xia Yeran has every reason to believe him.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites scratched his head, looked around, and stammered, unable to utter a single word.

Some things are beyond the control of a minor official like him.

How could he speak before the king had even opened his mouth?

"Your Majesty, Lin Ping committed murder in front of you, which not only constitutes intentional homicide but also alarmed Your Majesty. His crime is heinous and he should be executed by slow slicing!"

Wu Xin walked somewhat flusteredly to the middle of the officials, knelt on the ground, and impeached Lin Ping.

"He's spouting nonsense! I hope Your Majesty will see the truth!" Xia Yeran gritted her teeth in anger, wishing she could tear Wu Xin apart with her bare hands.

"Lin Ping committed murder intentionally, disturbing Your Majesty's presence. We request Your Majesty to execute him by slow slicing."

Half of the officials knelt on the ground and begged.

The king showed a hint of anger, not because Lin Ping had committed murder, but because they had formed cliques for personal gain.

If it were Lin Ping who was killed, would they also kneel here and beg the king to execute Zhang Hongyuan?

"Swords have no eyes, life and death are preordained. Fighting in the arena inevitably results in injuries and deaths, so how can it be considered intentional murder?"

"I found this competition to be absolutely brilliant and was not disturbed. Lin Ping won several matches in a row and was immediately named the Martial Arts Champion. My dear ministers need not say more."

The king spoke in a cold voice, his serious tone leaving no room for doubt.

Now that Lin Ping has passed his test, he has a responsibility to protect Lin Ping.

Throughout history, the victor is king and the loser is villain. Lin Ping won the game, so he is the king. Zhang Hongyuan's death was not unjust.

These ministers also knew that they could not bring Lin Ping down with this, so they could only bury their hatred in their hearts and gradually drive him to his doom.

A mere martial arts champion with no real power, let alone a powerful regional official like Wu Xin, even a lowly official could easily kill him.

They don't need to contradict the emperor at this critical juncture; they only need to gradually suppress Lin Ping in the future.

But will Lin Ping really give them this opportunity?

If that's the case, then the title "vengeful" is a waste.

"Your Majesty, now that the martial arts champion has been chosen, shouldn't the princess take the stage?" Xia Yeran asked with a smile.

The matter of betrothing the princess to the martial arts champion was not made public; it was a secret between the king and Xia Yeran.

"Hahaha, I will never forget it," the king laughed.

"I once promised that if the martial arts champion could defeat the princess, he would be qualified to become her husband!"

The news came like a bolt from the blue, and everyone's face turned grim.

A martial arts champion is indeed not enough to prove anything, but a prince consort must be re-examined.

These ministers regretted standing up to impeach Lin Ping earlier, as he might face retaliation later.

"Damn it, Jie'er actually lost to that bastard Zhang Hongyuan, and missed his chance for nothing," Lu Zhan said through gritted teeth.

Lu Jie originally had the opportunity to marry the princess, but he maliciously broke off the engagement after hearing that the princess had contracted a plague.

But later, when the princess appeared at the banquet, she didn't look sick at all.

Lu Zhan was filled with remorse and wished he could tear the person who had delivered the message to pieces.

He had secretly searched for that person, but made no substantial progress.

Just as everyone was harboring their own secrets, a black figure suddenly appeared on the arena, a gleaming curved blade pointed directly at Lin Ping's brow.

"Look at the knife!"

The newcomer appeared aggressive and feigned anger.

Lin Ping was already at his limit, and with this person's sudden appearance, he had no time to dodge.

"Get out of the way quickly!" The newcomer was extremely anxious as he saw Lin Ping remain motionless.

As a princess, Xia Linglong couldn't openly express her feelings for Lin Ping, even if she liked him; she always had to make him put in some effort.

This strike was meant to be a test, but unexpectedly, Lin Ping neither dodged nor avoided it.

"I wanted to hide too, but my strength wouldn't allow it," Lin Ping said with a wry smile, naturally knowing that the person who came was Xia Linglong.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect this kid to be no match for the princess. This slash is just the right way to end his life."

Many people were watching the spectacle, hoping that Xia Linglong would kill Lin Ping.

"This girl is still so reckless. Doesn't she realize that Lin Ping is seriously injured?" Xia Yeran covered her face, already guessing what was about to happen.

Xia Linglong couldn't bear to kill Lin Ping. Disregarding her own safety, she abruptly withdrew her embroidered spring knife, causing her to lose her balance and crash directly into Lin Ping's arms.

"Hmph, you got off easy," Xia Linglong said, pouting.

Hugging Lin Ping in public was clearly a way of expressing affection.

A princess of high status expressing her love to a commoner naturally benefits Lin Ping.

Lin Ping did indeed hold her in his arms, not because he liked her, but because he couldn't bear to see her fall to the ground.

The immense impact caused Lin Ping's body to give way, and he ended up falling to the ground while still holding her.

Not only were their bodies pressed together, but their lips even collided.

Yes, it took a long time to crash.

"ah!"

Xia Linglong's face was redder than the morning glow. She left the arena in a disheveled state and hid shyly behind the king, too ashamed to show her face.

"Haha, it seems that Linglong and Minister Chen are in love. This has put my mind at ease."

The king couldn't stop smiling, not only because of Lin Ping's excellence, but also because he could see the joy in Xia Linglong's heart.

If you absolutely must use a princess to win over ministers, why not choose someone the princess likes to win over?

"Martial arts champion Lin Ping, listen to my command!" The king became serious.

This is a prelude to bestowing a marriage between Lin Ping and the princess; once the word is spoken, it cannot be taken back.

"I have something to report!"

Lin Ping spoke before the king could.