In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

Even Lu Gong couldn't help but sigh, wondering how many lifetimes of good fortune his ancestors had accumulated to bring him this extraordinary opportunity for wealth and prosperity.

The Zhang family's prestige, strength, and influence!

If the future empire collapses, replacing it will only take a word from Zhang Xiaoshan.

After all, the Zhang family's prestige is such that a mere wave of their arm would garner countless supporters.

"Sheng'er, during this time, you will teach Su'er the Nine Yin Divine Skill, and strive to master it within a year!"

As for Zhi'er, compared to the Nine Yin Manual which requires aptitude, the Northern Darkness Manual does not require as many thresholds and is also extremely suitable for Zhi'er's personality.

I've already instructed the Queen Mother of the West to apprehend wanted criminals near the capital, so that Zhi'er can cultivate directly in Ghost Street."

"Yes, Dad!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sheng understood the deeper meaning behind Zhang Xiaoshan's words.

The mere fact that they practiced two different techniques also signifies the difference in status between Lü Zhi and Lü Su.

On the surface, Lü Zhi is the official princess, but she cultivates the Northern Darkness Divine Art instead of the Zhang family's most profound Nine Yin Divine Art. It is likely that she will never be able to reach the threshold of a Grandmaster in her lifetime.

However, this is also the most suitable technique for Lü Zhi.

If his mother hadn't cultivated the Northern Darkness Divine Art but instead directly cultivated the Nine Yin Divine Art, she might not have been able to reach the peerless realm by now.

After all, Manager Feng was nearly thirty years old when she began cultivating, and she was already past the age for cultivation.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan had no intention of letting Lü Zhi practice the Nine Yin Divine Skill!

The fact that Lü Su can directly cultivate the Nine Yin Divine Skill represents Zhang Xiaoshan's approval. It also indicates that Lü Su is extremely suitable for cultivating the Nine Yin Divine Skill and will achieve great things in the future, possibly even reaching the Grandmaster level.

"In addition, you will also depart for the capital in three days."

After you have met your grandfather and mother, if they do not object to this marriage, then the news will be announced throughout the land and spread throughout the world.

"The kid knows."

This is the wedding date that Zhang Xiaoshan and Lü Gong agreed upon, and it's basically set.

However, if Zhang Yuan and Manager Feng object, both of them have veto power, and the matter will inevitably have to be reconsidered.

···

"The Zhang family!"

I never imagined that this eldest son of the Zhang family was so well hidden. If it weren't for this engagement, even the Luo Wang (a powerful intelligence agency) wouldn't have been able to find a trace of him.

Inside the Xianyang Palace.

When Zhao Gao received the message from Luo Wang in Pei County, he suddenly realized what was going on.

When 'Zi'an' appeared, he investigated Zhang Sheng's background, but it was mostly before the age of eight, with only oral recitations. He could only confirm that Zhang Sheng was a young prodigy whom the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets picked up at random.

As for its specific origin, Luo Wang couldn't find any corresponding clues at all.

No one doubted the authenticity of the mysterious eldest son of the Zhang family.

It wasn't that Luo Wang had absolutely no doubts, but rather that this boy's 'stand-in' possessed unparalleled internal strength at the age of eight, was a half-step Grandmaster at eighteen, and wielded the Dragon-Slaying Saber Qi that traversed the eight wastelands, ranking first on the Black List, which was 'well-deserved'.

From any perspective, the Zhang family's 'eldest son' is not a possible substitute.

But who would have thought that Zhang Xiaoshan would actually arrange for a master to pass on his skills to him for the sake of a substitute?

It's important to know that he went to great lengths to find the Black Swordsman as the practitioner of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, and finally passed on the skill to him.

Therefore, after 'Zhang Sheng' debuted, no one doubted his authenticity.

Moreover, Zhang Sheng's every move was flawless.

Ten years of disguise, and the fake becomes real.

But now another 'eldest son of the Zhang family' has suddenly appeared. If it weren't for Zhang Xiaoshan's appearance, Zhao Gao would not have believed that the eldest son of the Zhang family had been wandering outside for ten years.

Similarly, even Zhao Gao was curious about which of the two eldest sons of the Zhang family was truly the 'number one on the blacklist'.

"My lord, a memorial has just arrived from Pei County by express courier!"

"Pei County? Let me, a humble scholar, take a look!"

Zhao Gao took the memorial, skimmed through it, and quickly understood the events leading up to it.

Liu Ji, a farmer?

Zhao Gao's eyes lit up immediately, and he instantly realized who it was.

The person in the Zhang family whom they determined to be the chosen one, the one who could replace the empire, turned out to be from Pei County.

However, the Zhang family doesn't seem to like him. This time, Zhang Xiaoshan even reported him directly to the magistrate of Pei County.

The final result was that Zhang Sheng brought back two famous swords—

After the snow, the sky is a deep red!

He eliminated two major threats to the empire in one fell swoop—the Human Sect Master Xiaoyaozi and Liu Ji.

Even Zhao Gao had to admit that once the Zhang family made a move, it would be swift and decisive. He never expected that Zhang Sheng would take such swift action, killing two masters from the Hundred Schools of Thought. He truly deserved to be number one on the Black List.

As for authenticity?

The two famous swords that the Zhang family brought back already explain the situation.

The presence of a Taoist token indicates that the Taoist master Xiaoyaozi was also nearby at the time, and that he was an enemy of the Zhang family, which led to his execution by Zhang Sheng.

The Crimson Cloud Sword was Liu Ji's personal sword. If Zhang Xiaoshan hadn't killed Liu Ji, he would never have allowed Liu Ze to release Liu Ji's family.

"Spread the word and let the various schools of thought test the mettle of this eldest son of the Zhang family."

Furthermore, the identity of Zhang's eldest son, 'Zi'an,' is kept secret. Zhang's eldest son is Zhang's eldest son, and Confucian Zi'an is Confucian Zi'an; the two are unrelated.

"Yes, my lord!"

Is the eldest son of the Zhang family a traitor to the empire?

Zhao Gao would never make such a mistake. The eldest son of the Zhang family could not possibly be a traitor to the empire. Therefore, the identity of the Confucian scholar Zian can simply be replaced by a dead body.

This is the future King of the East Sea.

After Zhang Zhong went to sea, Zhang Sheng is now the only heir of the Zhang family in Kyushu. Therefore, labeling 'Zhang Sheng' as a traitor directly puts the Zhang family on the opposite side of the empire.

As for testing Zhang Sheng?

Given the strength of the number one on the blacklist, coupled with the significance Xue Ji represents, trouble was inevitable sooner or later.

After all, Zhang Xiaoshan did not hide anything from the people of Pei County.

After the Luo Wang (Net of Heaven) released the news, it spread throughout the entire Kyushu (Nine Provinces) in less than three days.

News about the Zhang family is basically trending on social media, spreading the fastest and widest.

This time, in particular, the Zhang family directly clashed with the various schools of thought, and it was the eldest son of the Zhang family who took action to kill Xiaoyaozi of the Human Sect and Liu Ji, a master of the Farmer School!

For Kyushu, this was undoubtedly an earthquake-like upheaval.

Chapter 811 The Battle of the Black List

"Confucian scholar Zian is actually the eldest son of the Zhang family?"

The tombs of the Six Worthies of the Farming Family.

Upon hearing the news of Liu Ji's death, the head of the Farmer's Sect looked solemn.

Even Situ Wanli, who had previously had a good relationship with Liu Ji, couldn't help but calculate the gains and losses at this moment. Against the Zhang family, the strength of the peasant family was undoubtedly like an egg hitting a rock.

Of the 100,000 disciples of the Farmer's School, most were merely unofficial disciples.

Just like the Beggars' Sect, which claims to have a million disciples, but in reality, its true elite number less than ten thousand.

Especially with the recent imperial warrants, many disciples from the peripheral Farmer School and Mohist School have joined Zhang Family's Mechanized City. If they confront Zhang Family, the Farmer School and Mohist School will only split in two.

But at this time, the empire had already released the news, openly sowing discord and urging them to confront the Zhang family, a behemoth-level opponent.

If they back down, their reputation in the martial arts world will be ruined.

"Which one of the Mo Family's mechanical city?"

"It must be a stand-in. We should have thought of that a long time ago."

The two young masters of the Zhang family, both 19 years old, practiced the Taoist Longevity Technique. The eldest master, as the only remaining bloodline of the Zhang family at the time, would never practice a martial art like the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, which would destroy his very foundation.

For most people, becoming an eight-year-old master is an absolute stroke of luck, a chance to rise to the top in one step.

But it's different for the three generations of the Zhang family.

The grafted true qi will undoubtedly lead to impure true qi in cultivation. How could a master like Zhang Xiaoshan, who has reached the pinnacle of the Celestial Realm, allow the next generation to waste their time at such an unparalleled level?

"Moreover, without revealing the Zhang family's martial arts, the eldest son of this family is already comparable in strength to the top three masters on the Black List. If..."

Number one on the blacklist!

At this moment, everyone had to admit that the legendary eldest son of the Zhang family was indeed living up to his reputation.

Do you know what the Zhang family's most skilled martial art is?

Heavenly Blade Divine Sword, Pure Yang Divine Skill!

Even Zhang Xiaoshan's unique "Xia Ke Xing" skill may have been passed on to Zhang Sheng.

"Indeed, before consuming the Dragon Saliva Fruit, this eldest son of the Zhang family was already number one on the Black List. With the aid of the Dragon Saliva Fruit, I wonder what level his Pure Yang Divine Skill has reached."

In this confrontation with the Zhang family, the peasants may lose, but they cannot lose their fighting spirit.

Similarly, the key is to avoid antagonizing the Zhang family.

"It is only reasonable for me to challenge this eldest son of the Zhang family, who is ranked third on the Black List. It is just as reasonable for him to challenge the first on the Black List."

Even if we lose, it won't be a loss for the peasant family. On the contrary, this battle will allow us to understand the cause and effect between the Zhang family and the peasant family, and it will also help me break through that bottleneck."

The black-clad swordsman stepped forward from the crowd, his eyes gleaming with a fierce light, his fighting spirit boundless.

The third-ranked Blacklist member challenging the first-ranked Blacklist member is a challenge for the Black Swordsman.

Moreover, the Giant Sword is the supreme sword, and it shouldn't be much weaker than the unparalleled divine weapon in Zhang Sheng's hands. Add to that the perfected Wedding Dress Divine Skill and the Farmer's School's unparalleled body-strengthening techniques, and he didn't believe the gap between himself and Zhang Sheng was that large.

They're both half-step Grandmasters, they're pretty much the same.

"That's a good idea!"

The grudges of the martial world are settled in the martial world. The Zhang family needs to take a stand, and an open and aboveboard challenge is undoubtedly the best way to show the sincerity of our peasant family.

Moreover, a battle between the third-ranked member of the Black List and the first-ranked member is a fierce contest, and the Zhang family wouldn't stoop to tampering with such a match.

Tian Yan looked at Chen Sheng, the Black Swordsman. It could be said that the Black Swordsman was the most feared expert in the entire Farmer's Clan.

The black swordsman, who did not cultivate the Wedding Dress Divine Skill, was about as strong as Tian Ci.

However, the perfected state of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill directly caused the Black Swordsman's strength to skyrocket, even surpassing Gai Nie in the Black List and becoming the top expert in the public eye among the Hundred Schools of Thought.

As for the various grandmasters?

That's not something that can be done behind the scenes; only the Zhang family has the authority to command a Grandmaster.

"In that case, it's settled then."

The leader of the chivalrous sect, Tian Yan, and the other hall masters had already made their decision, and no one voiced any objection.

Moreover, the challenge between the third-ranked member of the Black List and the first-ranked member would be a major event in the martial arts world, and a decisive battle to test the strength of three generations of the Zhang family.

Three days later, the farmers spread the word about the challenge.

Feuds and grudges in the martial world can be settled in the martial world; a single battle can avert grudges.

Moreover, it was the most intense Blacklist Challenge, and once the news spread, the entire martial arts world was in an uproar again. Everyone also knew that this was definitely the best solution between the Zhang family and the Farmer's Family.

The Zhang family quickly responded—

One month later, atop Mount Mang, the battle for the Blacklist will begin!

At this time, Zhang Sheng was driving his carriage towards the capital. Upon receiving the news, he did not reveal it.

He was well aware of the provocative intent behind the messages the empire was sending out.

However, all of these reports are true.

Even without the Empire's instigation, it would have been news of it sooner or later, just not as intensely as it is now.

Therefore, a war to settle old scores is the best course of action.