They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 56 The Blue-haired Lion
Chen Guangrui's action of drawing his sword and stabbing at the eunuch was astonishing!
One moment it was a battle of wits and words, the next it was a life-or-death struggle with chilling intensity! The change was so fast that everyone's mind went blank.

What's even more unexpected is that the eunuch, when faced with the sword coming from behind, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head!
In a flash, without turning his head, he suddenly spun to the side with a lithe posture that was completely contrary to common sense and even more unusual for a eunuch! His wide sleeves seemed to contain immense force, and with a crisp "snap," they struck the side of the sword with perfect precision.

"clang!"

With a crisp ringing sound! The immense force caused Chen Guangrui to lose his grip, and the longsword flew out of his hand.

With a thud, it fell to the ground. Chen Guangrui was so shaken that he staggered a few steps and fell flat on his face!

"Escort!"

A thunderous shout finally rang out! The surrounding guards seemed to awaken from a dream, and their swords were drawn like water being poured out! The cold light flashed, carrying the sharp killing intent unique to royal guards, and in an instant, they surrounded Chen Guangrui tightly. Several cold blades were placed undeniably against his neck, pressing him down so that he could not move.

Who would have thought that the newly crowned top scholar would dare to commit murder!
"Outrageous! Chen Guangrui! Do you intend to rebel?"

"Your Highness! Chen Guangrui is a ruthless and inhuman man! He committed a violent act with a weapon in front of the Emperor, a crime deserving of death!"

"Kill him! Execute this madman on the spot!"

After a brief moment of shock came a torrent of rage!

The civil officials, led by Fang Xuanling, turned pale with anger. They pointed at Chen Guangrui, who was being held down on the ground, and cursed him, wishing they could tear him to pieces immediately.

Sun Fujia seized the opportune moment and shrieked, "Your Highness! You saw it with your own eyes! This traitor has revealed his true colors! He is a member of Wei's traitorous faction! He failed to commit the crime, but the evidence is irrefutable!"

On the military side, Cheng Yaojin, who was already hot-tempered, was now even more furious!

"You brat! How dare you commit violence under my nose! Bring me my axe!"

He roared and charged forward, his eyes bloodshot, as if he were about to cleave Chen Guangrui in two. The air seemed to freeze, filled with a bloody killing intent.

Chen Guangrui, pinned to the ground by the guards, had a cold blade pressing against his neck, making it difficult for him to breathe. Yet, he stared intently at the eunuch and shouted with all his might,
"Wait! Look at him, everyone! Look at that eunuch! He just parried my sword... Don't you find it strange?! Him! A palace eunuch, how could he have such nimble skills? That's something no ordinary eunuch could achieve!"

This roar was like cold water poured into boiling oil.

The chaotic scene fell silent for a fleeting moment. All eyes involuntarily and unanimously turned to the eunuch who had caused this upheaval.

That's right! Chen Guangrui was a weak scholar. Although his sword thrust was sudden, its power and speed were limited. How could an ordinary eunuch who had served in the palace for a long time so easily and smoothly parry and counterattack, and even knock the swordsman away?
Moreover, everyone saw that sword strike; it was stabbed from behind, and he seemed to have seen it himself.

That power and reaction were absolutely beyond the scope of a mere eunuch!

A glint flashed in Changsun Wuji's eyes; he was the quickest to react and the calmest.

He immediately sensed something was wrong, and his voice, steady yet carrying an unquestionable command, directly drowned out the commotion, "Guards! Seize this eunuch! Keep him under strict guard!"

The guards immediately separated a portion of them, their blades pointed at the eunuch, and carefully surrounded him.

The eunuch stood there, his face ashen, all traces of his previous fear and grievance vanished.

A sinister glint flashed deep in his eyes as he coldly surveyed the approaching guards. They wanted to capture him? Dream on! Just as the head guard reached out to grab his arm, another unexpected turn of events occurred!

The eunuch let out a low, inhuman roar!

"Roar!" The sound wasn't loud, but it contained a chilling pressure! He suddenly swung his arms!
An invisible but immense force suddenly erupted!
The guards closest to him were struck as if by a galloping horse. With a muffled groan, they were sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a flowerbed in the distance. Their swords fell from their hands, and they coughed up blood! Tables and chairs were overturned, and cups and plates were scattered everywhere!

"Demon! Monster!" an injured guard shouted in terror, pointing at the scene.

To everyone's horror, the eunuch's body writhed and swelled violently amidst the flying shards of tables, chairs, cups, and saucers! His magnificent palace robes were torn to shreds!

In the blink of an eye, the eunuch was nowhere to be seen. Only a ferocious beast, over two meters tall, remained!

Its body was covered with thick, steel-needle-like blue mane, its huge lion head had protruding fangs that gleamed with a cold light, and its pair of bronze bell-like beast eyes burned with violent flames. It was a blue-maned lion demon!

"Roar!" The green lion spirit revealed itself and let out a deafening roar!

The violent sound waves and the aura of ferocious beasts swept across the entire venue, causing the nearby guards to retreat in terror. The newly appointed scholars were even more terrified, their faces pale and staggering. Zhang Changling and others even crawled backward in a panic, leaving the scene in complete disarray.

Cheng Yaojin was also stunned; his hand holding the great axe paused for a moment.

"My God! Are there really... monsters?"

Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji and other important officials were also shocked. Even though they were used to seeing storms, they could not help but be shaken when they witnessed a human body instantly transform into such a terrifying monster.

Li Jing's pupils contracted sharply, and the veins on his hand gripping the knife bulged. He immediately thought of the assassin and "evil spirits" that Chen Guangrui had mentioned before. It turned out that he really hadn't lied!

The Green Lion Spirit surveyed the crowd, who were all eyeing it menacingly. Its fierce gaze lingered for a moment on Chen Guangrui and the restrained guards, but it clearly knew that this was not a place to stay for long.

"Today's humiliation will be avenged tomorrow!" Leaving behind these hateful words, the huge blue lion suddenly leaped, its massive body bursting with incredible agility, smashing through several guards blocking its path and snapping several small trees, disappearing into the depths of the distant palace gardens like a bluish-black hurricane.

All that remained were a scene of devastation, people still in shock, and some even injured.

The guards who had just been pointing their swords at Chen Guangrui and trying to kill him were now somewhat stunned, and the force of the swords they held to Chen Guangrui's neck loosened a little.

Chen Guangrui, panting heavily, struggled to lift his head amidst the astonished and uncertain gazes of the crowd. He looked with a complex expression in the direction where the Green Lion Spirit had disappeared, then laboriously turned his gaze to Crown Prince Li Shimin, whose face was ashen and whose eyes were unpredictable.

At this moment, everyone realized that things were not simple.

The ministers, who had just been preparing to take the opportunity to attack Chen Guangrui, all fell silent and tried to analyze the current situation.

Just as everyone fell silent, a guard suddenly ran over and knelt down in the middle.

"Report! The missing files from a few days ago have been found!"

(End of this chapter)