Great Xia: At the start, summon the Net of Heaven to suppress the martial arts world.

The next day, early morning!

"System sign in!"

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for signing in and obtaining the "Lingering Melody" skill!]

Upon hearing this, Xia Taige didn't react for a moment. Only after opening the system introduction did she recall what had happened.

The lingering sound of the zither can last for three days. The zither that is named after it must be extraordinary. In its previous life, it was known as one of the four famous zithers.

Some kings even immersed themselves in the music every day, and from then on, they no longer held morning court sessions.

The zither is a fine instrument, but Xia Taige felt somewhat helpless.

In Xia Taige's memory, he had only ever heard the zither, but he had never seen the original body play it.

Unfortunately, we can only put it aside for now and find a suitable person for it in the future!

After signing in, Xia Taige had just finished breakfast when Jing Ni arrived as summoned.

Since the beauty list spread throughout the Chinese mainland yesterday, Xia Taige has been quite concerned about Lin Ying's safety.

After all, Lin Ying is now the future Crown Princess of Great Xia. If she were to be in danger or encounter peril in the future, it would be a disgrace for Great Xia.

Moreover, with the beauty list now out, Lin Ying will inevitably receive more attention, and having a skilled bodyguard by her side can help prevent this.

But now, only Jing Ni under Xia Taige's command is suitable for this matter.

As soon as Jing Ni stepped into the East Palace, she saw that Xia Taige had been waiting there for a long time. Upon seeing this, Jing Ni quickly stepped forward and bowed.

"I have met His Highness!"

"No need for formalities, please sit down!" Xia Taige said, gesturing with his hand.

"Yes!" Jing Ni sat down cleanly and decisively.

"I've called you here today because I have something for you to do!"

Xia Taige paused for a moment at this point, then continued:

"From this day forward, I will temporarily step down from my position as Director of the Zhenwu Division and lead my elite troops into the Lin residence to provide close protection for Lin Ying!"

"When I have time, I'll also teach him some martial arts."

Upon hearing this, Jingni nodded in agreement without the slightest hesitation.

"Yes! Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will certainly protect the safety of the Mistress!"

Xia Taige nodded, and then said:

"In that case, let's hand over the work of the Zhenwu Division today and then take office!"

"If necessary, the Six Sword Slaves can also be mobilized by you!"

Jingni has been active in the capital, so Xia Taige doesn't need to bring out any tokens or documents.

Everyone in the capital knows that Jing Ni is the only female Grandmaster under Xia Taige!

If the Six Sword Slaves were to guard the Eastern Palace now, it wouldn't be of much significance. Not to mention that Xia Taige is already a master of the Land Immortal Realm, the mere presence of Jian Jiuhuang would be enough to guard against 99% of the masters in the world.

"Yes!" Jing Ni replied, then turned and left.

Logically speaking, Jing Ni should have been more than qualified to be on the beauty list, but Xia Taige intervened and she was not included.

Otherwise, she would certainly be among the top twenty beauties on the list.

However, if they did that, the two of them together would be too conspicuous and would also violate Xia Taige's original intention in establishing the Beauty Ranking.

We can only make things difficult for Jingni for now, and will make it up to her later.

In the Lin Mansion.

Lin Dongshi is taking a day off from his post today and has chosen not to attend court.

At this time, the Grand Secretary was gradually losing his presence in the court.

This was also in preparation for his future resignation, and of course, it was also related to his advanced age.

After Lin Dongshi and Lin Ying finished their breakfast, they were playing chess under the pavilion when the Lin family steward came up to report!

"Master, Chief Jingni of the Zhenwu Division has arrived with his men to request an audience!"

"Please!" Upon hearing this, Lin Dongshi, though somewhat puzzled, still ordered the person to be invited in.

Not long after, Jing Ni arrived with two others, led by the steward.

Upon seeing Lin Dongshi and Lin Ying, Jingni bowed slightly in greeting:

"Greetings, Prime Minister."

"Greetings, Miss Lin Ying!"

"Director Jingni, you're too kind. May I ask what brings you to my residence today?" Lin Dongshi asked casually, looking at Jingni who had led her entourage.

"Reporting to Your Highness, I have come here on His Highness's orders to take charge of the Lin residence's security and to personally protect Miss Lin Ying!"

Lin Dongshi never expected that Xia Taige would think so thoroughly.

However, isn't it a bit too much to have a Grandmaster-level expert come as a guard?

When had Lin Dongshi ever encountered a master of this level? The strongest person in his manor was only a Grandmaster.

A Grandmaster-level expert is a high-ranking member of any force, so when would they ever become a bodyguard?

Looking across the entire Chinese continent, perhaps only Xia Taige would act this way.

"Then I'll have to trouble Director Jingni a lot in the future!" Lin Dongshi didn't refuse, nor could he refuse.

Lin Ying stood up and bowed to Jing Ni in gratitude.

Lin Ying knew in her heart that it must be the emergence of the Beauty Ranking that made Xia Taige worried about his safety and specially arranged for experts to come and protect him closely.

In an instant, she felt even more grateful for Xia Taige's thoughtfulness.

After all, once it comes to matters of the martial arts world, the Lin family is powerless to help.

"It's my duty, I should do it!" Jingni said politely.

Immediately, Jing Ni's skilled fighters rushed into the mansion to replace the original guards.

~~~

The beauty rankings spread across mainland China on the second day.

The far north.

In the heavenly palace.

Inside the spacious hall, a stunningly beautiful woman, veiled and dressed in white, lay languidly on a tall ice chair.

What he was holding was the beauty ranking list that Tianji Pavilion had just released.

The woman calmly flipped through the ranking list in her hand, showing no emotion even when she saw herself ranked first.

After a long while, the woman finished reading the ranking list, and the list in her hand turned to ashes and disappeared into the hall.

After a long silence, the woman spoke softly to the empty hall:

"What kind of power is the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion?" Clearly, the woman was more curious about the power that had suddenly appeared and knew of her existence.

For someone who lives deep in this far north year-round, it is already quite remarkable that outsiders know about it.

"Reporting to the Palace Master, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has only been around for a few days. At present, the people behind it cannot be found out. All that is known is that it has some connection with the current Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty."

"Having only been around for a few days, it has already gradually launched a ranking of Grandmasters and a ranking of beauties. It can even detect some people who have been in seclusion for many years, such as the Palace Master."

"There is a deeper meaning behind every list, and their ambitions are probably not small."

"This time, they have made the Heavenly Palace public, intending to provoke a conflict between the Heavenly Palace and the Immortal Island."

"But their specific purpose is unknown!"

A voice, clearly emanating from the depths of the main hall, slowly recounted the recent actions of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

Upon hearing this, the woman was not surprised. In fact, even though she rarely appeared in public, her portrait was still circulating in the world, which meant that she must have considerable influence.

New talents emerge in every generation, and for a woman who has lived for many years, it is perfectly normal for a new force to suddenly appear.

Having sat in the far north for many years, never leaving her home, the woman was still able to observe the changes in the world.

Every now and then a hegemon rises, and a holy land falls; there's nothing unusual about it.

"Pay close attention! I believe the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion will surely bring surprises to the Heavenly Palace!"

"Yes!"