You call this the way of the sword?

Pillar of the State General, as the name suggests.

They were representatives of the military and pillars of the empire.

In the eyes of the world, the so-called great power is nothing more than a high level and strong combat power. Some aristocratic families in the capital have more or less a few top great power.

However, there are only five Pillar Generals stationed in the Tian Ce Mansion.

Yang Qingfeng had anticipated that the mountain guardian was someone of considerable importance, but he hadn't expected him to be this powerful.

Why would a dignified Pillar of the State General come here to guard the mountain?

"Uh cough!"

"Your name is Yang Qingfeng, right?"

"Will this trip go smoothly?"

What grade are you in?

"Your husband got caught visiting a brothel. That senior colleague will escort you back later. Remember, it's that... senior colleague!"

After collectively betraying the mountain guardian, the gentlemen ran away and surrounded Yang Qingfeng, asking him all sorts of questions.

Their furtive glances and subtle hints made Yang Qingfeng sense their goodwill.

Yang Qingfeng bowed to the gentlemen and then revealed his level information: "Thank you for your concern, gentlemen. My trip went very smoothly, and I have already reached level 17."

Compared to cultivation level, information about one's level cannot be hidden, but he was too lazy to explain, so after he finished speaking, he walked towards the cloud boat, leaving the gentlemen standing there gasping for breath.

"How many!?"

"Is he referring to the 17 cohort?"

"If I remember correctly... the highest level in recent years' major exams is 17, right?"

"Haha, great!"

Among the crowd, the oldest gentleman suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Excellent! After thousands of years of waiting, Tiannan has finally produced another extraordinary talent! Excellent!!"

The old gentleman's words immediately elevated the overall perspective.

The gentlemen gradually came to their senses, and the conversation abruptly shifted to five thousand years ago.

Before long, other newcomers emerged from the canyon, only to find the gentlemen reminiscing about the past and completely ignoring them.

Especially those who finally managed to reach level 15 or 16.

She rushed over excitedly, wanting to surprise her husband, but ended up being left standing there clueless.

Just as Lin Tong returned with a group of girls, beaming with joy, and they boarded the cloud boat, he uttered a piercing cry: "How many!? Level 17!?"

All the newcomers turned to look, only then realizing that a monster had appeared at Wendao Cottage, and they vaguely understood why the master was so indifferent.

I've lost everything...

On the cloud boat of Wendao Caotang, the classmates who had just returned all looked at Yang Qingfeng with strange eyes.

Lin Tong went even further, shouting exaggeratedly, "How did Yang Qingfeng get to level 17?"

"Qiao Lie, how come Yang Qingfeng is level 17?"

"Huh? How come you're only level 16?"

"Holy crap, we fought tooth and nail to get to level 15, how did he get to level 17?"

"Qiao Lie, Brother Lie, don't go..."

Anyone who didn't know better would think Lin Tong was just a simpleton, but only Qiao Lie knew that this bastard was thinking about humiliating him all the time.

With Lin Tong cracking jokes, the cloud boat quickly became lively.

Yang Qingfeng smiled without saying a word.

He stood quietly beside the mountain keeper, attracting the attention of his classmates.

Once everyone had arrived, he bowed to the mountain guardian and said, "Thank you for your trouble, senior."

The mountain guardian was wondering how long he could hold his tongue when he heard this and raised an eyebrow slightly. He realized that Yang Qingfeng wasn't intimidated by his identity; he was simply too lazy to speak.

"You don't seem very surprised?"

As he spoke, the mountain guardian casually waved his hand, and the cloud boat took off into the air.

Yang Qingfeng shook his head and said truthfully, "It was still quite unexpected, but I had guessed your identity beforehand and roughly knew that you were someone of great importance."

"Oh?"

The mountain keeper became interested. "Tell me how you guessed it."

Yang Qingfeng lowered his eyelids and said methodically, "When you arranged for me to run errands, my husband did not object and was happy to see it happen, that's one point."

"When I went to see Senior Sister Yun Sheng, the people at the exchange didn't agree immediately. They had to bring her out later, which shows that she has a high status at the exchange. And she had a big reaction when she saw your seal. That's the second point."

The mountain guardian nodded and pressed, "Is there anything else?"

"have."

Yang Qingfeng looked at his classmates, various clues flashing through his mind.

"You are in charge of the newly recruited dungeon, which means you hold the fate of nearly a thousand of us new recruits in your hands. Considering the first two points, I guessed that you must be an officer, with a rank much higher than your senior sister, but... I didn't expect it to be this much higher."

In the end, Yang Qingfeng chuckled and shook his head, feeling that his knowledge was still too shallow and his thinking too limited.

"good!"

The mountain keeper nodded approvingly. "It's a good thing to like using your brain, especially for a child your age. You don't need to see through everything; just getting the general idea is enough."

"Chang Maofu is a good teacher, not bad."

Yang Qingfeng then smiled, and his heart felt lighter.

Although the other party did not say it explicitly, the reasoning was obvious.

The Pillar General holds a high position and wields great power and influence; often, a single sentence can change the world order.

If you have truly committed a serious crime, General Pillar of State will certainly not offer any praise.

From this, we can infer that the man's matter, while not life-threatening, could not be easily resolved.

It would be one thing if the cabinet intervened directly, but now even the Pillar of State General is watching closely, which clearly indicates that this is a very troublesome matter.

Seeing Yang Qingfeng lost in thought, the mountain keeper was a little puzzled. He thought to himself, "We were chatting just a moment ago, why is he suddenly not saying a word?"

"My name is Liu Changge."

"Yang Qingfeng of Wendao Caotang pays respects to Senior Liu."

Yang Qingfeng paid his respects directly.

Liu Changge raised an eyebrow, skeptical, and asked, "Aren't you curious? Why aren't I one of the five from the Tian Ce Mansion, and why aren't you planning to ask me for help with your husband's matter?"

Yang Qingfeng looked at him suspiciously and asked, "If you were one of those people from the Tian Ce Mansion, would you still be here guarding the mountain?"

Liu Changge was speechless for a moment. "Could it be that I'm just bored and came here under an assumed name for a visit? Or that I'm incredibly audacious and impersonating someone?"

Yang Qingfeng shook his head and said, "The gentlemen are familiar with you. You didn't just come this year, nor last year; you've been here for quite some time. As for impersonation... Senior, you jest. No one in this world would dare to impersonate the Pillar of State."

Before Liu Changge could speak, Yang Qingfeng took the initiative to say, "There's no need for you to ask again, senior. I'll answer directly. Your matter involves the cabinet, and if I speak carelessly, I'm afraid I'll only make things worse. Even if I wanted to ask for your help, senior, I would have to wait for you to speak first."

"so…"

Yang Qingfeng took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Liu Changge: "Please help my master, senior. I will go through fire and water for you."

Liu Changge looked at him, his eyes gradually filling with laughter: "Such a young age, yet so shrewd. Alright, it's rare for you to be so grateful to your teacher, so I'll accept this bow from you and ensure his well-being."

Yang Qingfeng looked up with delight, only to hear Liu Changge state his conditions: "The prerequisite is that you become the top scholar this year and get into the National Academy. Then you can help me with some things."

At this moment, the cloud boat was sailing above the sea of ​​clouds, and the wind blowing in our faces was especially refreshing.

The boys sighed in the wind, and seemed much more composed than when they arrived a few days ago.

Chang Maofu has disappeared, and everyone has already noticed.

Some people pressed for an explanation, but Qiao Wanyi and Qiao Lie brushed them off.

It's worth mentioning that all the young people on the boat from Wendao Caotang have reached level 15.

This achievement is not a recent one, but rather the result of every year since Chang Maofu began teaching, with his students consistently reaching at least the 15th grade.

"Truly, this is a place blessed with outstanding people and auspicious land."

Emerging from the sea of ​​clouds, Liu Changge gazed at the Youlong Mountain, which resembled a coiled dragon, and sighed inwardly, but did not set foot in this blessed land.

He piloted the cloud boat, hovering over a hill several miles from Youlong Town. Before the boys could react, they were kicked off the cloud boat and landed on the mountain.

"Go back and get some rest. Meet here early tomorrow morning, and I'll take you to the exam venue."

The boys bowed and thanked him, and only as they walked down the mountain did they begin to guess Liu Changge's identity.

Having undergone genuine training, the young men had broadened their horizons. Although they had only gained some knowledge, this knowledge was enough for them to see that the world was extraordinary.

Liu Changge, in particular, has an ordinary appearance, yet he is impossible to ignore.

Even though he was just standing there, looking at him for too long would make my eyes dry and sting, and getting close to him would make me feel trembling and cold.

It's like facing that terrifying boss for the first time in a dungeon...