How did a bastard like him become an immortal?

Hearing the two men's ambiguous words, everyone couldn't help but swallow hard. Could it be that both sides still had some trump cards up their sleeves?

Thinking of this, the test takers all shook their heads in amazement, secretly cursing what kind of monsters these two guys were!

Qin Wuyang announced loudly, "In that case, Li Muyun has won this competition. All the assessments for today are now over, and the final assessment will begin in three days."

After the results of the match were announced, people began to leave, leaving only the mess left by the two players' duel.

On the stands, apart from the Sword Maniac, everyone else from the various sects hurriedly took their leave and rushed in the direction Zhao Tianming had gone.

Sword Maniac curled his lip, naturally knowing that these guys were all extending olive branches. Which sect wouldn't want such a genius? At such a young age, he had already reached the Golden Core stage; his future as a pillar of the sect was just around the corner. However, he already had a junior brother. If he were to snatch Zhao Tianming away as well, the other six major sects would probably all rise up against him.

"Young Master Yun, how are you? Come to my residence quickly, I'll find the imperial physician to examine you." Shi Miaochan hurriedly came to Li Muyun's side to support him, her eyes full of heartache.

Li Muyun smiled happily, "I've met an evenly matched opponent. This little injury is nothing. I'll just go back and recuperate."

Shi Miaochan chattered on like a nagging wife, trying to help and pull Li Muyun into her sedan chair, saying, "What do you mean it's nothing? Look at you, you're bleeding! Get on now!"

Li Muyun grimaced as Shi Miaochan's small hands, which had never cared for anyone before, pinched him. To prevent his injuries from worsening, he had no choice but to give in.

"Wait, I still need to say goodbye to my senior brother," Li Muyun said helplessly.

Shi Miaochan nodded, "Alright, hurry up, I need to have the imperial physician examine you."

Li Muyun responded in agreement, then turned and staggered to the foot of the stands, bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Prince of Qin."

The Crown Prince waved his hand casually and nodded, saying, "Mu Yun, we had a very good talk last time, and your performance today truly did not disappoint me. How about we stick to the previous conditions, plus one more: I will grant you the title of the next Heavenly Slaughter Marquis in the future. How about we cooperate?"

Li Muyun smiled slightly and bowed again, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, if fame and fortune make me betray my promise, then that is not the kind of Li Muyun that Your Highness would like."

"Hahaha! What a fine Li Muyun! The gates of the Eastern Palace are always open to you. You are welcome to come and see me anytime!"

The crown prince laughed loudly, stood up, and with a domineering flick of his sleeve, strode away surrounded by his servants.

Li Muyun's gaze shifted slightly. This Crown Prince was quite cunning. To mention their previous meeting in front of the Prince of Qin, and even publicly offer him a title of nobility, was a blatant scheme. No matter what Li Muyun said, the Prince of Qin would inevitably become suspicious and might even lose trust in him.

Just as Li Muyun was pondering, the King of Qin smiled gently and patted Li Muyun on the shoulder. "Muyun, I made a bet with the Crown Prince. If Li Tian'ao wins the autumn examination this time, I will disband the Hall of Respect for the Worthy; if you, Li Muyun, win, the Crown Prince will personally request His Majesty to crown me the King of Qin with Nine Pearls. My hopes are now in your hands."

Upon hearing this, Li Muyun felt a warmth in his heart, understanding the meaning behind the King of Qin's words. It represented absolute trust; such a significant bet placed almost entirely on Li Muyun's shoulders in the struggle for the throne.

Li Muyun cupped his hands in greeting, looked into the eyes of the King of Qin, and said with a wry smile, "Your Highness, your trust, which is as heavy as Mount Tai, puts a lot of pressure on me."

The King of Qin raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "Compared to the three-year challenge against the Martial Saint, Heavenly Slaughter Marquis, this is nothing at all."

"Ha ha!"

Li Muyun laughed heartily, exchanged a few more pleasantries with the King of Qin, and then went to the side of the Sword Maniac who was drinking alone in the stands.

"Senior Brother, drinking alone is not as good as drinking together. How about I have a few sips with you?" Li Muyun said, taking out the wine gourd that the Sword Maniac had given him earlier.

"Wait, drink mine. Yours is brewed from several kinds of immortal herbs and fruits. A sip can improve your cultivation if you are in the Qi Refining stage, and a sip can strengthen your foundation if you are in the Foundation Establishment stage. Don't waste it."

Sword Maniac grabbed Li Muyun's gourd and pressed it down, then handed over his own gourd.

Li Muyun hadn't expected that the gourd the Sword Maniac had given him was so precious. No wonder he almost advanced to the Golden Core stage after just one sip. He carefully put away the gourd, chuckled, and started drinking from the gourd the Sword Maniac had handed him.

"Cough...cough! Good wine!"

He hadn't expected the sword fanatic's wine to be so potent. One sip felt like swallowing a knife, and his whole body burned with heat. He coughed violently, the shock causing his already injured body to ache as if it were being torn apart, making Li Muyun gasp.

"Haha! This wine contains gentian, so it's a bit strong, but it's good for your injuries."

Seeing Li Muyun grimacing in pain, the Sword Maniac chuckled and shook the wine jug.

Then Jian Chi's expression turned serious. "Junior Brother, things haven't been peaceful around the capital lately. You need to be careful."

Li Muyun was taken aback. "What's wrong?"

Sword Maniac narrowed his eyes, revealing a chilling glint. "Recently, I've discovered traces of those evil spirits from the Yangshen Temple. They seem to be searching for something in the capital. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't have come to the capital to join in this commotion."

Upon hearing the words "Yangshen Palace," Li Muyun was startled. Hadn't he killed a Soul-Snatching Yin Venerable in the abandoned royal palace? If the Yangshen Palace found out, he would be in danger.

He tentatively asked, "Senior brother, where have you noticed them appearing recently?"

Sword Maniac thought for a moment, then frowned and said, "Many places, the abandoned royal palace, the ghost market, the Immortal Array Pavilion, the Crystal River, and so on. In short, these rat-like creatures are elusive and extremely good at concealing their presence, making them very difficult to catch. We don't know what they're up to, so you'd better be careful."

A chill ran through Li Muyun's heart. The Abandoned Prince's Mansion? The Crystal River? He searched south for the Dragon-Imprisoning Well of the Prince's Mansion, and north for the Sun-Trapping Star of the Crystal River. Wasn't this the place where his mother left the key? This was... far too much of a coincidence.

Seeing Li Muyun lost in thought, Jian Chi put his arm around his shoulder and patted him. "But you don't need to worry too much. Don't forget that you have a sword intent that I sealed away. If you really encounter those guys and can't escape, then fight them. I will come to help you as soon as I sense the sword intent."

Li Muyun nodded. He could feel the sincere emotions of his senior brother, whom he had only met twice. However, the matter concerning his mother was too secretive, and he could not fully trust Jian Chi, so he could not tell him yet.

“Junior brother, you have another round of competition in three days. It’s not good to fight with an injury. I’ll take you to my residence and help you heal.”

Sword Maniac put away his gourd, grabbed Li Muyun, and leaped into the air, walking on the void.

Shi Miaochan watched as Li Muyun flew away, and stomped her feet in anger, gritting her teeth, "You stinking Muyun! You damned Muyun!"

They had only taken a few steps in the air when they saw a large crowd gathering not far from the training ground...