I'm only one year old, what the hell is the counterattack system?

Chapter 317: Using public power for personal gain? (Subscription required)
"Ready?"

Lin Xueru put her hands behind her back, intertwining her fingers, and smiled innocently on her bright face. She said embarrassedly, "I'm not prepared."

She really didn't know what to prepare.

Even though Chen Yi had secretly told her before that the second test would be set by Taoist Huangshan and the key word was "experience", she still didn't know what to prepare for.

In fact, that night, Lin Xueru took Xiao Xuanzhen, Hua Xianzi, Hua Youxiang and Du Yan together to secretly study the so-called "training" content and asked them what they should prepare.

As a result, when she counted on her fingers and listed "cultivation", "techniques", elixirs and magic weapons one by one, the expressions of Xiao Xuanzhen and the other three became very strange.

Especially Xiao Xuanzhen, she was the first one to break through the defense. In her words, if someone so strong still needed to make preparations to "check for deficiencies and fill in the gaps", then she could just find a piece of tofu to bump into.

In response, Flower Fairy, Hua Youxiang and Du Yan did not say anything, but nodded vigorously.

But Lin Xueru really didn't think she should make any preparations - her cultivation had just broken through to the upper stage of the second-grade Shenyou Realm, and the Eight Methods of Taixu had only been cultivated to the Tongming Realm, which was still a long way from the Shentong Realm.

"The state of enlightenment of the Eight Dharmas..."

After Chen Yi heard this, his eyes turned complicated when he looked at the little girl.

With such high talent, it's no wonder that Xiao Xuan was able to break through and has been in seclusion for the past few days.

These are eight technical skills, which are not simply boxing, footwork, palm techniques, physical body techniques, etc. They also require coordination with the Taixu Dao inheritance and the integration of each method with the true meaning for practice.

Just like the Zhen Lei method is a fierce boxing method, the Dui Ze method uses the essence to replenish the essence and focuses on the physical body to enhance the true essence and the strength of the body, as well as the recovery speed, the Kan Shui method is a palm method that emphasizes using softness to overcome hardness, and the Kun Rou method is a footwork method... and the list goes on.

Although each of the eight methods is not as difficult as the single boxing method or physical method, if you practice all eight methods together, you can cultivate them one by one to the level of Tongming in a very short period of time, reaching the Taixu Eight Methods·Tongming Realm, which is extremely difficult.

And it is foreseeable that Lin Xueru is likely to become the first powerful person who possesses eight magical skills at the same level when she just breaks through to the magical realm!
"When the event is over, I will find you some rare treasures so that you can upgrade the Eight Methods of the Great Void to the realm of magical power as soon as possible."

With this thought, Chen Yi felt more assured about the little girl's future safety and said with a smile:

"I'll wait for you to protect me from now on."

"no problem!"

Lin Xueru's eyes brightened instantly and she looked at him with a beautiful smile.

It turns out that Brother Yi hasn't forgotten the oath she made when she was a child, so she has to work harder to protect Brother Yi.

Although Brother Yi’s cultivation level is higher than hers now and he didn’t give her the chance to protect him, she can wait.

If there really comes such a day, she really hopes that she can stand in front of Brother Yi to protect him just like when Brother Yi stood in front of her when they were children.

Chen Yi pinched her nose lovingly, feeling the tenderness in his hand, and gestured:
"The second round of competition is about to begin. Let's go meet up with Senior Sister Xiao and the others first."

"Uh-huh……"

Lin Xueru nudged him lightly, then ran away shyly, her steps light but with a hint of panic, and she plunged directly into the group of Xiao Xuanzhen and others, not daring to raise her head.

Seeing this, Xiao Xuanzhen joked that the man was very brave, as he didn't see there were so many spectators here.

The flower fairy's eyes were full of envy, but her gaze passed over the group of geniuses and looked at Chen Yi from afar.

Erhua, Du Yan and others smiled, and consciously stood in front of Lin Xueru to block the sight of other geniuses and martial artists.

In fact, when the venue for the second round of the event was moved to Quchi, the number of people watching on both sides of the river far exceeded that at the Dakong Temple, reaching a staggering number of 500,000.

Not only were the dozens of tiers of grandstands built on both sides of the river packed with people, but there were also hundreds of tall and majestic pleasure boats floating on the Quchi Pond, specially prepared for those coming from aristocratic families, nobles, and sects and holy places. It was truly a grand undertaking.

It is said that in order to build these pleasure boats and the stands on both sides, the Ministry of Works mobilized craftsmen from Kyoto Prefecture and the three surrounding prefectures overnight, and also temporarily found a thousand Taoist priests from the Qimen lineage who were skilled in formation formations through the Night Watch Department to cooperate. Only then did everything get ready in just five days.

The most luxurious of them all was the one where the Emperor of Wei and his royal relatives, court ministers and their families stayed. It not only had a broad view, but its interior decoration and formation protection were also of the highest standards.

Therefore, the scene of Lin Xueru getting close to Chen Yi on the arena floating on the curved pool in the middle, which was used as the sky competition venue, was seen clearly by hundreds of thousands of people.

"Oh, Senior Sister, I know I was wrong, please stop talking."

The little girl blushed and buried her head in Xiao Xuanzhen's shoulder unwillingly, like an ostrich, not daring to raise her head at all.

Although everyone knew that she and Chen Yi were engaged, the etiquette was still there, and it was indeed very bold to make such a move under the gaze of so many people.

Fortunately, she was the first in the first round of this event, and the man she was engaged to was Chen Yi, the Marquis of Yingwu who had just displayed his prowess, so there were only bursts of booing and laughter around her, but no old stubborn people said things like the world was going downhill.

Chen Yi watched for a moment, and when he saw Taoist Huangshan suddenly stand on the stage, he took a step forward and went straight to the pleasure boat where Emperor Wei and others were.

As soon as he appeared, he was greeted by the promotional smiles of several people. Among them, his future father-in-law Lin Hansong glared at him with a somewhat bitter smile on his face.

"Marquis Yingwu, I wonder when I can drink the wine you and girl Xueru have made?" Emperor Wei asked with a smile.

"I want to know too." Left Prime Minister Xie Jing nodded with a smile.

"Lord Yingwu Hou, the emperor and the left prime minister are urging us to get married. Can you give me a definite answer?"

"I have already asked the family to prepare generous gifts some time ago, and I am waiting for the wedding of Lord Yingwu and the daughter of Lord Lin."

"You're the only one who prepared it? I've even had people bring agarwood from the East China Sea to make a few wardrobes for Lord Yingwuhou."

Several ministers and vice ministers followed suit, and it was obvious that they still dared to make a few jokes.

Du Qing, Prince of Zhenbei, and Gongye Jiahong, Prince of Zhennan, who had just returned from Zhennan Pass, spoke up to defend Chen Yi.

"What are you sour scholars making a fuss about? Marquis Yingwu is not inviting you to his wedding."

"If you dare to come, I will definitely take Taiping with me and make you lie on the ground that night."

"Drinking? Your Majesty, you may not know that I have always been known as the 'Wine Immortal', right?"

"..."

Chen Yi looked at Emperor Wei and the others, who were no longer paying attention to the grand event but were making fun of his marriage, and he felt a little amused.

However, he did not want to spoil everyone's mood. He begged for mercy and asked them to let him go, and then he made an excuse on Lin Hansong and Chen Taiping.

"Everyone, please don't worry about Yi'er's marriage. If there is any news, I will inform you."

Lin Hansong was very considerate and bowed to the leader, saying, "Of course, His Majesty will be the first to get the news."

Emperor Wei pointed at him and Chen Yi, and scolded with a smile: "You two, you should hurry up and arrange your children's marriages. When they grow up, they can see a Wei Dynasty that is not threatened by demons."

"..."

Only the Emperor of Wei dared to say this. The civil officials looked at the Left Prime Minister and chose to keep their mouths shut. Especially the Minister of Revenue, who was in charge of the national treasury, kept his mouth shut, fearing that if he opened his mouth, the Emperor would chase him for military funding.

The two princes and the marquises were powerless. After all, the current situation was not clear, and they had no confidence in counterattacking the Shiwan Mountains. Chen Yi knew this clearly, and when he thought of the assessment content he prepared for the third competition, he couldn't help but smile.

"It seems that the elders are terrified when talking about the Demon Court. Your Majesty may need to think of a solution."

The Emperor of Wei glanced at him with a half-smile, then glanced at the ministers who looked embarrassed after hearing what he said, and asked, "What does Marquis Yingwu have to say?"

"I almost forgot that none of you here, including me, have ever been to the outside of Beixiong Pass in person, and we don't know much about the Shiwandashan Mountains."

"Why don't you take advantage of the interval between the competitions between the Tianjiaos and tell us in detail about it, so that I and these timid 'ministers' can learn something new."

Upon hearing this, the faces of several Shangshu and Shilang became more and more embarrassed, but the military marquises were better. Although they had never been to Beixiong Pass, the military would regularly share the actions of the Demon Court and border battle reports, so they had some understanding of it.

When Du Qing saw the expressions of those civil officials, his heart was filled with joy and he secretly gave Chen Yi a thumbs up.

Normally, whenever they mentioned the Demon Court during court meetings, these civil officials would definitely change the subject or refute it with references to classics, and the matter would end up being left unresolved.

Now that Chen Yi, who had personally been to the Demon Court, had spoken, he directly made those civil officials shut up, which was truly gratifying.

"Marquis Yingwu, since His Majesty wants to know, please tell us. It will also help the officials in the court to hear about the situation that Beixiong Pass is facing!"

Chen Yi naturally would not refuse.

Although he knew in his heart that attacking the Demon Court in the north would not be a matter of a day or two, but if the officials in Kyoto Prefecture did not even dare to think about it, then it would be impossible for them to send troops north in the future.

After all, if the cognition cannot be changed, even if a rebellion is really launched, these court officials will only hinder them.

"Then I will tell you about it, and you can just treat it as a story."

As he spoke, Chen Yi recounted what he had seen and heard in Northern Zhili, Beixiongguan and Shiwandashan.

He has a pretty good eloquence, and he has talked about this experience several times before, so he is very familiar with it.

In just a few words, he explained clearly that every county in Northern Zhili Prefecture was staffed with soldiers and that the conditions were difficult.

"Unlike the south, the weather in northern Zhili is extremely cold, especially in winter, so every household has to prepare wood in advance."

"The official road from the southernmost part to Beixiongguan is the cleanest. Regardless of wind, snow, drought or flood, there are people cleaning it every day, for fear of delaying the passage of soldiers and horses."

"This is especially true inside Beixiong Pass. The soldiers guarding the border dare not relax for a moment. Whether they are guarding the pass or taking a break, they are always ready to go into battle and kill monsters."

"The one that impressed me the most was 'Leap Over the Dragon Gate'..."

One of the ministers could not help asking, "What is 'Leaping over the Dragon Gate'? Is it true that, as the legend goes, some demons become demon fairies after leaping over the Dragon Gate?"

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, not only Chen Yi, but also several marquises and princes who knew the truth laughed.

But the Emperor of Wei did not laugh. In fact, his face was frighteningly cold. He glared at the person who spoke and started scolding him.

"idiot!"

"What do you think about all day? Apart from your own work, have you never thought about the border and the soldiers who are protecting the peace of Wei?"

"What's 'Leaping over the Dragon Gate'?"

"Let me tell you what 'Leaping over the Dragon Gate' is - that is when the Demon Court uses our Great Wei's Beixiong Pass as a trial ground. The demons who can reach Beixiong Pass will receive rewards from the Demon Court and ascend to heaven in one step!"

"Fuck you, if this wasn't a grand event for our Wei Dynasty, I would really want to chop you off..."

The minister who spoke shrank his neck and begged for mercy repeatedly.

After the incident, Chen Yi was able to tell the whole story quietly, and no one dared to interrupt him, for fear of exposing their own "stupidity".

Even the somewhat annoyed Emperor Wei couldn't help but look solemn when he heard that there were demons everywhere among the rolling hills in the Ten Thousand Mountains, and that there were not only mountain strongholds and caves, but also communities of all sizes.

"There are more than hundreds of millions of demons below the fifth level, and there are demon kings everywhere above the third level... It seems that I have thought too simply about the Northern Expedition."

Chen Yi comforted him with a few words: "Your Majesty, don't be discouraged. It is indeed difficult to destroy the demon court, but if someone with great magical powers takes action, it is not impossible."

"It's just that we need to strengthen ourselves and have a clear understanding of the Demon Court. Otherwise, if a war really starts, it would be foolish for some people to hold us back."

"Marquis Yingwu is right," the Emperor of Wei nodded, glanced at the ministers who were obviously fools, and snorted:

"If we don't even dare to think about it, how can we talk about the Northern Expedition?"

"I am guilty..."

Seeing that all the ministers were about to stand up, Chen Yi, the instigator, said a few words while watching the show:

"Your Majesty, today is the second session of the grand event. Why don't we discuss the Northern Expedition to the Demon Court later?"

Emperor Wei's expression softened a bit, and he waved his hand, saying, "Well, let's see how the geniuses of our Great Wei Dynasty perform. As for you... I will settle accounts with you later!"

These ministers smiled bitterly. Not only were they scolded, but they also had to remember Chen Yi's kindness. It was really...

Xie Jing, who was in the lead, reacted and saw that Chen Yi, whose expression had regained his calm and had already cast his gaze towards the arena below. She inexplicably thought - could it be that Marquis Yingwu did this on purpose?
Just because these ministers urged him to get married, he did this?
No way... this is a little too narrow-minded...

But no matter what others think, Chen Yi will never admit it.

He is wholeheartedly thinking about the well-being of the Wei Dynasty, so how could he possibly use his power for personal gain?
Meanwhile, Taoist Huangshan had been busy for a long time preparing what was needed for the second test - a tower a thousand feet high!
"The second test is a training,"

Taoist Huangshan looked up at the tower and said solemnly, "The so-called training is not only an examination of your character, talent, cultivation, and skills, but also includes your wisdom and control over the situation."

"The rules are very simple. This 'Thousand Machine Tower' has a total of ninety-nine floors, and each floor has different tests. The more floors you pass, the higher your ranking in the second level will naturally be."

Taoist Huangshan paused, glanced around and said, "Only the top fifty can enter the third level, you wait and start!"

"Let's start with... the last place in the first competition."

finally?
The group of geniuses looked at each other, and then saw Jiang Ye coming out with a bitter face, clasping his fists towards the people around him and saying:

"Everyone, I'll take the lead."

Having said that, he bowed to Taoist Huangshan again and walked directly into the first floor of the tower called Thousand Machines Tower.

Immediately afterwards, Taoist Huangshan made hand gestures, and saw a clear illusion projected from the top of the Thousand Machines Tower, in which was Jiang Ye's figure——

"This is the first floor?!"

(End of this chapter)