How did a bastard like him become an immortal?

As the bell rang, all the martial arts examinees participating in the autumn examination entered the venue, and the huge Tian Ce training ground was quickly filled with examinees.

Most of these candidates are at the Earthly Profound Martial Master level. This year, there are a large number of candidates, totaling five hundred.

Li Muyun, dressed in white, with striking eyebrows and bright eyes, stood out among the candidates with his elegant and natural demeanor.

His goal this time is to be in the top three, and even having the personal disciples of the four great warlords will not change his decision.

This autumn imperial examination is highly anticipated in the capital. The four grandmasters who previously demonstrated their true energy are the four judges of this autumn imperial examination, all of whom are royal experts.

The spectators in the central stands of the training ground were all of high status. In addition to Qin Wuyang, the Vice Minister of War, there were three honorary seats and seven secondary seats next to him.

Under the watchful eyes of all the examinees, Princess Miaochan took her seat first. Her nobility and beauty drew the attention of the examinees, and their fighting spirit flared even higher.

Following them were the representatives of the eight major sects of the Tang Dynasty, excluding the Yangshen Temple. Since the autumn imperial examinations were also the time for these sects to recruit talent, many promising young men entered the eight major sects during this period.

The disciples from the various sects were all inner sect deacons and protectors, but the one from the Sword Pavilion was a young man dressed in black. He held an extremely black longsword in his hand and completely ignored the others who were still exchanging pleasantries. He sat down in a chair and began to drink alone.

After all, it was the Autumn Examination of the Great Tang Dynasty, so the other sect members could only silently curse its rudeness in their hearts and did not say anything more.

Li Muyun looked surprised when he saw him. The young man in black also noticed Li Muyun's gaze, raised his gourd in the distance as a gesture, and then took a big gulp.

Li Muyun, standing in the crowd, smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and bowed in response.

However, at that moment, the crowd began to stir on both sides.

On the left, His Highness the King of Qin, dressed in a black and gold python robe, strode over, and everyone made way for him.

On the right, the Crown Prince, dressed in a crimson and yellow dragon robe, strode in with majesty, and all the candidates knelt down in obeisance.

"See His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Meet His Highness King Qin!"

While wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Qin Wuyang, the Minister of War, led everyone in kneeling and bowing, thinking to himself, "These two princes are like oil and water. Now that they've come here together, I'm afraid this lowly vice minister is going to suffer."

Qin Chao bowed to the East Palace, his expression warm and gentle, and said, "Brother, I didn't expect you to be interested in watching this autumn martial arts examination. Please take a seat."

The Crown Prince chuckled indifferently and sat down without any ceremony. "Second brother, I'm interested in anything that interests you."

"Oh?" King Qin also took his seat and said with a smile, "This autumn examination is full of experts. I wonder which one Your Highness favors."

The Crown Prince waved his sleeve, and immediately a subordinate brought hot tea. "I have long heard that Li Tian'ao, the successor of the Heavenly Slaughter Marquis, has achieved astonishing martial arts prowess. I believe that he is the undisputed winner of this autumn imperial examination. I wonder who you, Second Brother, favor?"

The King of Qin smiled slightly, turned his gaze to the white-robed figure in the crowd, and said, "I also have my eye on the successor of the Heavenly Slaughter, but not the eldest son."

The crown prince scoffed and shook his head. "Without a proper name and proper words, how can you talk about succession? It's just wishful thinking and a waste of time."

Hearing the veiled meaning in those words, the King of Qin was not angered and confidently said, "Who will win and who will lose is still unknown."

"Since you are so confident, Second Brother, do you dare to make a bet with me?" the Crown Prince pressed.

A cold glint flashed in the King of Qin's eyes. "I am willing to follow Your Highness's arrangements."

“Very good! If Li Tian’ao wins the imperial examination this autumn, you will dismiss the [Hall of Honoring the Worthy]. If Li Muyun wins the imperial examination this autumn, I will personally request my father to crown you as a Prince of the Nine Beads. What do you say?” The Crown Prince’s cold gaze fell on the Prince of Qin’s face.

The King of Qin met his challenge head-on without fear, his icy gaze seemingly sparking in the air. "Everything is as Your Highness the Crown Prince wishes."

As Shi Miaochan listened from the side, cold sweat streamed down her forehead. The struggle between the King of Qin and the Crown Prince was becoming increasingly intense. She never expected that an autumn examination would provoke such a huge gambling game.

The Hall of Respect for the Worthy is the foundation of the King of Qin. If the Hall of Respect for the Worthy is disbanded, it means that all the talents the King of Qin has gathered over the years will vanish. The Nine-Bead Prince is no different from the Second Prince. If the Crown Prince personally bestows the title of Nine-Bead Prince upon the King of Qin, the authority of the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince will be destroyed in an instant.

The stakes both sides are incredibly high this time.

The martial artists below couldn't hear the bet between the two, but seeing that both the Crown Prince and the renowned King of Qin were personally overseeing the proceedings, they secretly resolved to make a name for themselves.

Li Muyun looked around, but did not see the successors of the four great warlords. He was puzzled and asked the person next to him, "Brother, I heard that the successors of the four great warlords will participate in this autumn examination. It has already started, so why haven't they entered yet?"

The man looked at Li Muyun as if he were a weirdo, and said with a sneer, "Are you really ignorant or just pretending? The successors of the four great warlords are all experts above the Heavenly Profound level, seeded players, and they only participate in the final ten-person championship competition. Where did this bumpkin come from? He looks so glamorous, but he doesn't even know this."

Li Muyun shrugged helplessly. He really didn't know about these things. It seemed that if he wanted to face those guys, he would have to wait until the very end.

Just then, a cold voice came, "You little bastard, you still want to mess with the successors of the Four Warlords? Don't be delusional."

Frowning, Li Muyun looked in the direction of the voice. The person had a cold gaze, triangular eyes, and an ordinary appearance; Li Muyun had never seen him before. Li Muyun knew no one here, let alone had offended anyone. The other person was clearly here to cause trouble.

"If you don't want to die, watch your mouth. Whose dog are you, biting people like this?"

"I am... you little brat, you're fucking asking for it!"

Pan Honggang was about to answer that he was a subordinate of the young marquis Lü Chengyu, but then he realized that this was wrong. If he answered, wouldn't that be admitting that he was a dog?

“You little bastard, I’m here on the orders of the young marquis to deal with you. With me here, you can forget about making it into the shortlist.”

After saying that, he waved his hand, and more than a dozen people surrounded Li Muyun from behind, each with a cold look on their face and ill intentions.

Li Muyun frowned, his gaze turning cold. "Then let's give it a try."

Just then, Qin Wuyang began to announce the rules for the first round of the Autumn Examination: "The four judges will throw out a total of one hundred marked spirit stones. After twenty breaths, whoever holds a spirit stone in their hand will advance."

Pan Hong smiled sinisterly, and with his men, he seemed poised to surround Li Muyun. Clearly, he knew the rules all along, which was why he came to cause trouble for Li Muyun.

After hearing the rules, Li Muyun understood these guys' intentions. He glanced at the martial artists surrounding him, a slight smile playing on his lips. "A rabble like this, how dare they defile the true dragon..."