You call this the way of the sword?

Lu Yanliang's seemingly joking question resonated like a thunderclap in everyone's hearts.

Why did the Green Lion appear in the examination hall?

At that moment, no one dared to open their mouth to answer.

If this were just a normal question, then any answer would be acceptable, but obviously it isn't.

Lü Yanliang's decision to take over the Great Yu Heavenly Palace to handle this year's major examination was a very temporary one, and he has already stated that he will be solely responsible for the setup of the third round of venues.

This means that there is no possibility of leakage before the assessment begins.

Therefore, Lü Yanliang's question was not a question, but an instruction.

What he meant was: There's a traitor in the upper echelons of the empire, and he's among you.

Of everyone present, apart from Chang Maofu who remained calm and composed while drinking his tea, everyone else was extremely uncomfortable, especially the two Grand Secretaries.

The cabinet has nothing to do with the national exams.

Only because they reached an agreement with Chang Maofu were they able to force their way into the Great Yu Heavenly Palace and supervise the examination by having the cabinet jointly sign a petition.

They showed up uninvited, and the Green Lion appeared in the examination hall. It was like pulling mud out of your crotch – even if it wasn't shit, it looked like shit.

"Nobody knows?"

"Then how about we invite the master to show himself? We'll hold a grand banquet for a hundred days, until we die."

Lu Yanliang waited for a while, exerting all his pressure, and seeing that no one dared to utter a sound, he finally nodded and said, "Alright, since no one knows and no one dares to admit it, let's leave it at that."

"Go back and examine yourselves, and quickly purge the experts around you. Who knows when I will visit you again."

After Lü Yanliang finished speaking, the palace gates opened by themselves, forcefully sending off his guest.

Of the eight people present, besides the two Grand Secretaries, Chang Maofu, and Lü Yanliang, there were four others: two heads of academies in the capital and two representatives from the military.

They all knew the situation was serious, so they obeyed orders and took their leave.

As they walked out, everyone wore a wry smile.

Being targeted by a pillar of the empire is no laughing matter, especially since this one is the holder of the Great Yu Heavenly Palace, a conqueror who once destroyed several countries with just one palace.

This guy isn't in a hurry, so he still had a playful tone in his words.

If he suddenly becomes unhappy one day, he can just kill them all and make a clean break, and when he tells the outside world, he can say it's a good thing to kill the innocent rather than let the guilty go free.

There's a saying that circulates among the people: "The ruler of Yu controls life and death, and he deserves to die whether he's on the one hand or the other."

The two elders also looked extremely grim. They deliberately sat for a while longer, waiting until everyone else had left before they were about to speak.

However, Lü Yanliang had anticipated this and spoke first, saying, "Oh, by the way. Before the matter is clarified, the members of the cabinet should not associate with my Yu Palace. There will probably be many people killed, so you should avoid suspicion in advance."

I originally wanted to ask about that woman, but Lü Yanliang wouldn't let me say, which meant he didn't want to help.

Furthermore, he said that there should be no further contact, which was a warning to the cabinet not to interfere in the affairs of the Yu Palace.

The two elders, both with white hair and beards, were old men who had become wise through experience. They looked at each other, shook their heads helplessly, sighed, and prepared to take Chang Maofu away.

At this moment, Lü Yanliang stood up, cupped his hands to Chang Maofu to see him off, and said, "Thank you, sir, for nurturing such a talented person for Yuxia. Rest assured, the innocent will remain innocent, and the foolish will remain foolish."

Chang Maofu returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and said with a smile that was neither humble nor arrogant: "Thank you, Lord Yu, for your hard work and efforts in setting up this scheme to help the children become successful as soon as possible."

The two exchanged pleasantries politely, while the two elders beside them had dark expressions.

What does it mean to say that fools are fooling themselves? Isn't that just a roundabout way of insulting them?

……

On the battlefield, the examinees engaged in a heated discussion about the Demon King.

Upon learning that the Demon King Qing Shi had been killed while smuggling himself across the border, everyone looked at Yang Qingfeng with complicated expressions.

Some people, like Jiang Yuan, felt grateful that Yang Qingfeng saved their lives, while others only thought about how Yang Qingfeng had stolen the limelight, and were either envious, wary, or resentful.

Amidst all the gazes, Yang Qingfeng even sensed a chilling killing intent.

Looking back, I saw Sha Yinzhen crush the teleportation crystal and leave on his own.

"Senior Brother Qingfeng, may I take a look?"

Jiang Yuan walked to Yang Qingfeng's side and looked at the small blue bead in his hand.

Yang Qingfeng casually tossed it over, saying nonchalantly, "A dignified demon king, you come with nothing but this little thing."

[Azure Lion's Inner Core (Tier 3): It can be refined to gain cultivation points and can be used for weapon crafting]

The inner core of the Azure Lion was perfectly round, about the size of a thumb, with a flowing azure light within, shining like a precious gem.

After examining it with her Insight Technique, Jiang Yuan's eyes lit up slightly, and she said with great delight, "Senior Brother, don't underestimate this item. Demon King's inner core is already a very rare material, and this one is even rarer among rare items."

Yang Qingfeng raised an eyebrow slightly: "How so?"

Whether Jiang Yuan exaggerated or not, you can tell by looking at her face.

Even though she came from a prominent family, this was the first time she had ever held a demon king's inner core in her hands. The rarity and preciousness of it made her somewhat excited, and her fair face flushed slightly.

"I heard it from the elders in my family. They said that there are two kinds of demon king inner cores. One is the ordinary demon king inner core, which can only be used to cultivate one's cultivation. The other has special properties and can be used to refine weapons."

"Like the Azure Lion, which possesses spatial properties, its inner core can be used to refine spatial magical artifacts, such as spatial shuttles."

Jiang Yuan showed no signs of being a spoiled young lady when she was with Yang Qingfeng. As she spoke, she held up her inner core high, and when she looked at it, her beautiful phoenix eyes sparkled with a playful light.

Yang Qingfeng could see it; her eyes conveyed two words: "like" and "want".

Have you ever thought about...?

Yang Qingfeng raised a point of doubt: "Only at level 70 can a demon advance to the Demon King level. What you just said is based on this premise, but this one is only at the third rank."

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Senior brother is right, but... spatial materials are always rare. Even if we can't refine high-level magic weapons, we can still refine some small gadgets, and maybe even smelt equipment."

As she spoke, she handed the inner core back to Yang Qingfeng, presenting it with both hands.

Jiang Yuan had controlled herself very well, but Yang Qingfeng could still tell that she really wanted it.

Logically speaking, a young lady from a wealthy family in the capital shouldn't care too much about these things.

Yang Qingfeng thought for a moment and then said directly, "If you like it, I'll give it to you."

"Huh?"

Jiang Yuan immediately accepted it with delight: "Is that alright?"

After she finished speaking, she realized that she had lost her composure and quickly waved her hand, saying, "No, no, Senior Brother helped me awaken last time and saved my life this time. I can't take Senior Brother's things again."

Yang Qingfeng smiled and said, "It's not for free. I want to ask you to help me find out about someone."

Jiang Yuan blinked her beautiful eyes, "Inquire? If it's such a small matter, Senior Brother can just say so. There's no need to send Yuan'er a gift."

In a short moment, Jiang Yuan's face turned red again and again, and now it was as red as a sunset.

The original chilly feeling melted away, and the girl's delicate charm immediately came through.

Yang Qingfeng had no time to appreciate the beauty at this moment, but instead recounted Chang Maofu's story.

Jiang Yuan was slightly surprised when she heard about the cabinet, but she wasn't too embarrassed. She even took the initiative to ask about the details.

Seeing Jiang Yuan's reaction, Yang Qingfeng knew he was right.

The Jiang family held a high position in the capital.

By catering to their preferences now, you can smooth things over in the future.

Making a friend and saving a life—no matter how valuable this inner core is, it's worth it.

Finally, Lü Yanliang's voice rang out, announcing, "This year's assessments are all over. All candidates, use your crystals to go back and await the results."

Clutching the exquisitely beautiful inner core, which resembled a sapphire, Jiang Yuan bid farewell to Yang Qingfeng with a heart full of joy.

Yang Qingfeng also released his sword spirit and returned to Tiannan Prefecture with Qiao Lie and Song Yuanshan.

The moment the teleportation landed, the poisoned dagger stabbed towards them.