I manage female characters in all the heavens.

Of course, he didn't know, or rather, no one in the court dared to let him know—

This central court has never been known for its integrity or clarity.

The only reason I acted so "serious" in front of him was fear.

The terrifying story of Nie Yan's journey of nearly two thousand miles, during which he died wherever he went, had already spread throughout the entire capital.

Lanruo Temple was destroyed, Fengshui Village was wiped out, the entire army of Hongsha Town was wiped out, Yunxiu Town was reduced to rubble, and General Han Jingshuo's 20,000-strong army vanished without a trace...

One by one, these events perfectly matched the route taken by this "Vice Minister Nie" on his journey to the capital!

Who would dare to play any bureaucratic tricks in front of him?

Who would dare to trip him up?

Who dares to force him to take sides?

What if this man gets upset and disappears from the entire capital? Who can they complain to?

Therefore, a tacit understanding was formed in the entire court: whatever Vice Minister Nie said was the truth, whatever Vice Minister Nie wanted was given to him, everyone laughed when Vice Minister Nie was in a good mood, and everyone took the initiative to comfort him when he was in a bad mood.

The emperor even privately instructed several close ministers: "Try to satisfy all of Minister Nie's requests. As long as he doesn't take my life, anything is negotiable."

In this "gentle haven," Nie Yan naturally felt no malice.

He just felt that the capital city was indeed under the emperor's feet, and the atmosphere was so good!

After finishing his workday, Nie Yan returned to the royal-level mansion that the emperor had specially bestowed upon him.

This mansion was originally the former residence of a prince, covering dozens of acres, complete with pavilions, terraces, rockeries, and ponds, with an exquisite layout and tranquil environment.

When the emperor bestowed this house upon him, he specially ordered it to be renovated, and even the furniture and furnishings were replaced with new ones, which shows his great care and consideration.

Nie Yan was naturally deeply grateful and even more grateful for the emperor's recognition and favor.

He returned to his study, dismissed those around him, closed the doors and windows, and then sat cross-legged on a futon to continue practicing the immense power within his body.

The power that the woman in the green dress who claimed to be a "deity" bestowed upon him at the post station outside the city that day was far too immense and terrifying.

He was still in shock and daze, and before he could refuse or ask any questions, the deity had already disappeared, leaving him, an inexperienced person, helplessly facing the uncontrollable surge of true energy that appeared out of nowhere.

Fortunately, the deity later gave him some cultivation techniques and incantations, allowing him to guide and control this power in a certain way.

only--

"Sigh..." Nie Yan sighed, looking at his slightly trembling hands, and shook his head helplessly.

This force is truly immense.

It was so immense that even after he had diligently practiced the techniques for several months, he still felt like it was "a drop in the ocean."

The true energy within his body was like a vast ocean, but he could only control a small portion of it, which troubled him greatly.

A vast amount of true energy lay dormant within his body, like a sleeping giant beast. Although it did not cause him any harm, it would occasionally "awaken" due to some uncontrollable factors, causing some...minor accidents.

For example, on his first day in the capital, during the court session.

That day, he attended the court assembly for the first time as the Vice Minister of Rites.

In order to make a good impression on the emperor and his colleagues, he made special preparations in advance and stepped into Tianyuan Hall with high spirits.

Then, when the eunuch shouted "Kneel—", he knelt down and bowed along with everyone else—

The dormant true energy within my body suddenly stirred for some unknown reason.

It was like a sleeping giant turning over and yawning.

Then--

boom!!!

An invisible wave of energy suddenly spread out from him!

Although he reacted extremely quickly and suppressed it, the aftershocks of that instantaneous outburst still stirred up amazing ripples, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake!

The entire floor tiles of Tianyuan Hall—those jade tiles weighing hundreds of kilograms and laid for hundreds of years without being moved—suddenly shook!

The incense burners, candlesticks, vases, and other objects placed in the hall all shook violently, making a clanging sound!

The curtains and palace lanterns hanging from the ceiling were violently blown by the air current, as if a gale had swept through the palace!

The entire roof of Tianyuan Hall was almost blown off!

The entire court, including the emperor himself, was taken aback by this sudden turn of events!

Several timid civil officials even sat down on the ground with their faces ashen.

The Grand Preceptor, Pudu Cihang, who was said to be profound in Buddhist teachings and unfathomably skilled in cultivation, retreated seven or eight steps before finally regaining his footing outside the hall.

Nie Yan was startled and immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, I have been disrespectful! Please punish me!"

He was filled with remorse, feeling that he was doomed to die for causing such a commotion on his very first day.

Who knew—

"Cough cough... It's alright, it's alright!" The emperor cleared his throat. Although his voice was still trembling a little, his tone was surprisingly gentle. "Minister Nie is new here and may be feeling unwell due to the change in environment. There's no need to blame yourself."

"Yes, yes, Lord Nie, there's no need to take it to heart!" an old minister quickly echoed. "This is nothing to worry about!"

"Lord Nie's skill is profound and unparalleled throughout history, truly admirable!" another minister quickly added, trying to flatter him.

"Yes, yes, Lord Nie is truly a divine being!"

"Lord Nie, you've worked hard! Why don't you go back and rest for a couple of days? There's no rush in court affairs!"

In an instant, all the civil and military officials offered words of comfort, and no one blamed him. Instead, they all praised his profound skill, which was rare in the world, as if the earth-shattering "misconduct" just now was just a trivial matter.

The emperor waved his hand dismissively and said with a smile, "Minister Nie, you've just arrived in the capital and may not be used to the climate yet. Why don't you go back and rest for a few days, and come back to court when you've recovered?"

Nie Yan was both moved and ashamed, and repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

From then on, he became even more cautious in the court, fearing that he might cause any more trouble.

He recalled what happened that day and couldn't help but sigh: "Everyone here is a good person... I must master this skill as soon as possible, lest I lose control again and scare everyone."

Nie Yan closed his eyes and did his best to cultivate the "Six Absolute True Skills" given to him by Yue Lingshan, in order to subdue this surging and overwhelming power.

A dozen miles away from Nie Yan's residence, there is a Jin Guang Zen Temple. Inside the temple is a towering pagoda that emits brilliant golden light day and night, which is regarded as a miracle by the people of the entire capital.

On the pagoda, Pudu Cihang withdrew his gaze from observing Nie Yan and sat slumped on the futon, a complex expression appearing on his aged face.

There was both amazement and disdain.

After months of careful observation, and with the power and aura that Nie Yan himself occasionally revealed, he finally figured out the background of this "Minister Nie".

The previous assumption that he was a great demon was completely wrong.

The power of demons and monsters is completely different from Nie Yan's power.

He, Pudu Cihang, is a man of great knowledge and experience, having lived for thousands of years. What kind of people hasn't he seen? What kind of power hasn't he felt?

He had already seen through Nie Yan's true nature—

He was a martial artist.

A peerless martial artist who has cultivated his skills to an unprecedented and unparalleled level.

Chapter 226 If hanging up doesn't work, then do it yourself!

There was no fluctuation of magical power, no trace of demonic energy, no chilling ghostly aura, and no holy Buddha light within his body.

There is only one kind of pure, condensed, and steel-hard true qi.

Martial arts true energy.

That is the power that humans extract from their own blood and qi through daily cultivation, refinement, and breakthroughs using their flesh and blood.

There is no power of heaven and earth to borrow, no magical artifacts or treasures to rely on, and no talismans or formations to assist us.

The power is born from refining one's skills to the extreme and condensing one's vital energy to its peak, relying solely on oneself.

This kind of power is utterly insignificant in the eyes of cultivators who possess magical abilities.

Because martial arts true energy cannot leverage the power of heaven and earth, nor can it unleash magical powers, it cannot transcend the shackles of the physical body and display the might of heaven and earth.

No matter how high your martial arts skills are, you will still be held back by the limits of the human species. In front of a true cultivator, you are nothing more than a mortal.

however--

When the amount of this true energy becomes so vast that it reaches a certain level, everything changes.

The so-called quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

A 10,000-pound iron hammer falling down and a meteorite falling down, although both are essentially "smashing," have completely different effects.

The amount of true energy within Nie Yan's body was so vast that even Pudu Cihang was alarmed.

He couldn't imagine how a person could cultivate such a vast amount of true energy.

That's something that can't be achieved through mere decades of hard work, no matter how talented you are.

Pudu Cihang even suspected that Nie Yan might not have "cultivated" this true energy at all, but rather that he possessed such terrifying power through some kind of fortuitous encounter, such as obtaining an elixir from an ancient immortal.

But in any case, the facts are already clear—

Nie Yan is an unparalleled martial artist whose martial arts skills are unparalleled throughout history.

His martial arts skills were so high that he could unleash power comparable to magic using only his pure internal energy.

His true energy was so strong that it might even be able to withstand attacks from magical artifacts.

His speed was so fast that even a flying sword might not be able to catch up with him.

If they were to engage in a close-quarters, head-on confrontation, Pudu Cihang knew that even if he could win, he would likely have to pay a considerable price.

but--

Thinking of this, Pudu Cihang curled up a disdainful sneer.

True Qi is ultimately just True Qi.

Compared to magic power, it's not even in the same league.

Magical power can manipulate the power of heaven and earth, can unleash magical spells and supernatural abilities, can communicate between the yin and yang realms, and can summon wind, thunder, rain, and lightning.

True Qi can only strengthen oneself.