Republic of China Era: Entering the Dao through Divine Strike.

"Please sit down. May I ask your name?"

"I am Yan Mingzheng, a senior official in the Ministry of War. I have come here today on His Majesty's orders to convey the imperial decree."

His Majesty was overjoyed to hear that Young Master Li wanted to take the imperial examination for martial arts champion.

He wished he could personally invite them, but alas, state affairs were pressing and he could not spare the time; he could only order his subordinates to handle the matter properly.

Doctor Yan is very good at talking.

He has mastered the art of speaking human language to human beings and ghost language to ghosts.

At this moment, praising him made Li Xin feel more comfortable.

They wanted to invite even emperors, but they were too busy and expressed their regret.

Then, he wrote down in detail Li Xin's resume, from his hard work in martial arts since childhood to where he took the martial arts exams, from the martial arts scholar exam to the imperial examination, and finally passed the provincial examination.

There are even seals of the local education commissioner and government office in Cangzhou, and even signatures of officials in charge of the prefecture and circuit.

This set of documents exists.

Li Xin was a legitimate military officer.

"It's truly rotten to the core. Even the selection of personnel for a country can be decided by a few people just by banging their heads. Changing people at will is as commonplace as eating and drinking."

I've never even heard of it before, let alone seen it.

A hint of anger flashed across Yan Mingzheng's brow, but he quickly suppressed it and said in a humble tone, "When selecting talents for the country, we should not be bound by convention. Is Young Master Li not quite satisfied?"

"Satisfied? Of course I'm satisfied. It's really tough on the little emperor."

Li Xin casually tossed the document onto the table and asked, "I wonder what methods those foreigners used to try and cheat in the martial arts examination?"

"Therefore, under the pretext of 'Imperial Permission, Recruiting Talents from All Nations,' this person is specially permitted to join the martial arts examination as a foreign friend."

This... the Emperor had no choice. Bishop Bernard and Mr. Itō personally persuaded him.

They claimed to have gathered talents from all nations to aid in the reforms. The Emperor couldn't very well refuse outright, especially if Young Master Li wasn't satisfied…

"Satisfied? Of course I'm satisfied. Let them come."

Li Xin laughed heartily.

"I originally thought that this last martial arts champion only defeated a few arrogant sons of military families, which would damage my reputation."

This time, if all the foreign devils from the East, West, South, and North come to their deaths, it will only add another layer of glory to the name of this martial arts champion.

"That's right, that's right."

Yan Mingzheng, a senior official in the Ministry of War, wiped away sweat and backed away amidst Li Xin's arrogant laughter.

Li Xin didn't care what he was thinking, but his face gradually darkened.

"It's confirmed. It seems that the insightful among the foreigners have finally figured out why I want the title of Martial Arts Champion. This is a deliberate attempt to sabotage me."

"Those who come are not friendly, and those who are friendly do not come. I just don't know what kind of people they have sent, or what kind of tricks they will use?"

Li Xin had just thought of this.

Zhuang Hongxiu then led Wang Jingya into the courtyard.

He said it before he even got close:

"Young Master, we've uncovered the identities of four prominent young masters from official families. They're all possible, yet none of them seem quite right."

……

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Chapter 158 Hidden Viper, Must Be Killed

Tell me about it.

Li Xin was secretly delighted.

Yesterday, although the children were rescued, the experts from Tongxing Escort Agency, who had secretly colluded with the Blissful Sect, were also wiped out.

But he always had a vague feeling that someone was up to no good behind his back.

This feeling is very uncomfortable.

Since the two sides were enemies, Li Xin didn't really care about the enemy who had come to his door with open force.

That's why it's a bit unpleasant to see someone stirring up trouble and secretly plotting against you from time to time.

Even if it doesn't hurt you, it's still disgusting.

Therefore, the sooner we find that "Silver Bottle Monk," the better.

No one knows whether the other party will give up or what kind of tactics they will use.

The other party has a very powerful background, and their methods are also quite formidable.

In Li Xin's view, in a direct confrontation of skill and cultivation, the Silver Bottle Monk was stronger than the Golden Bell Monk.

In the battle at Wanfulou, although he was entangled by various strange methods and his strength was suppressed by the White Bone Formation by nearly half, he still managed to survive.

However, he forced a burst of energy and managed to strike his opponent with a single blow.

Even when stabbed, the silver bottle can still deflect the blade and block the force.

The result was just some minor cuts and a little bleeding.

This did not affect subsequent operations.

It can be seen in a single move:

This person not only possesses a powerful physique, but has also cultivated the Vajra Body to its highest level.

At the same time, his control over force is extremely exquisite, possibly reaching a state of profound subtlety.

Furthermore, the other party's spiritual cultivation was also extremely impressive.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to use those mental attacks that seem like illusions.

Upon closer examination, this "Silver Bottle Monk" doesn't seem to have any major weaknesses.

From physical to technical to mental, progress is made in tandem.

It can be considered as well-rounded development.

No wonder even a grandmaster like his master, Cheng Yuanhua, was very wary of him.

They were reluctant to easily make enemies with the forces of the Great Snow Mountain.

Based on the guess of the age of the "Silver Bottle Monk", Li Xin had to admit that this guy was a genius second only to himself.

However, the more talented the enemy, the sooner they should be killed.

With the strange and ancient heritage of the Great Snow Mountain, no one knows whether he will make rapid progress again in a short period of time.

If we wait too long, this person might grow into a major threat to us.

"The first suspect is Xu Liang, the 18-year-old son of Xu Wenzheng, the Minister of Personnel and Grand Secretary of the Wenhua Pavilion."

This man is well-versed in poetry and literature, and skilled in archery and horsemanship. He has an excellent reputation among the noble young men of the capital.

I've heard that he's gentle and kind, like jade.

Most importantly, this person was quite obsessed with listening to operas and would occasionally go to places like Wanfulou and Qiqiaoyuan to listen to operas.

Moreover, what best matches the young master's guess is that this Second Young Master Xu has quite a few female confidantes in the capital.

Both sides acted with genuine affection but remained respectful and refrained from causing trouble; their friendship was even celebrated through poetry and prose.

Zhuang Hongxiu had clearly put in a lot of effort, busy inquiring around. Her face was flushed and sweating profusely.

"Thank you for your hard work, Hongxiu."

Li Xin smiled.

It's quite remarkable to be able to gather information about someone to this level in such a short time.

After all, for the people of the capital, these were the private family affairs of high-ranking officials and nobles, and they were never allowed to be used as gossip or fabricated.

Naturally, few people mention it.

Unless, they are people from the same circle.

"It wasn't too hard. Actually, it was Senior Sister Feiyan who did the research."

Zhuang Hongxiu covered her mouth and chuckled, glancing at the entrance to the courtyard.

"Since you're already here, why don't you come inside?"

Li Xin understood immediately; if it were Cheng Feiyan, it would be much simpler.

For the past few months, she has spent most of her time in the school listening to the teacher's lectures, wholeheartedly seeking reform and change...

Besides listening to the intellectuals' lofty discussions, I would also hear about the refined and elegant stories of literary circles.

She probably didn't know much about what was happening inside the palace.

However, their understanding of the international situation, the core members of both the old and new parties, and their respective demands is more detailed than that of someone who has lived two lives.

"Last night he actually fought a life-or-death battle... and didn't even tell me about the fierce battles."

In my junior's eyes, I might not be a helper, but a burden.

Cheng Feiyan came out with a sour look on her face, her small nose slightly upturned, indicating that she was in a very bad mood.

He was thinking to himself that he was the one who told Wang Jingya and Tongxing Escort Agency the news.

As it turned out, once they got the news, they immediately ran away secretly.

Doesn't he know he's outnumbered and vulnerable?

"At the time, I was just thinking about healing Miss Jingya's injuries, and then I happened to run into the Silver Bottle Monk and discovered that it was he who set up the scheme behind the scenes."

"Your arrival is just in time. We'll need your strong support to find this venomous snake."

"Really? Can these people you found help you?"

Cheng Feiyan's temper flared up quickly but subsided just as quickly.

She always thought that she was the one who took her junior brother into her sect and taught him boxing and internal strength.

As a result, before he knew it, he had dozed off for a few minutes, and his junior brother's boxing skills and power had far surpassed his own.

What happened in the cherry blossom embassy district made her feel incredibly ashamed.

My junior brother had already warned me beforehand.

In the end, she still stepped into the vortex...

Not only did he become a laughingstock, but he also almost lost his life.

Fortunately, my junior brother arrived in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

But that's precisely why she wanted to catch up, and not let her junior brother make her seem like a complete waste.

'While I don't particularly like the title "Feiyan the Most Virtuous," I dislike even more the rumor that "Feiyan is Foolish."'

"Only with Senior Sister's help can we find that person's whereabouts. This time we must succeed, and we absolutely cannot let him escape back into some messy formation."

Li Xin has now figured it out.

The dragon energy array inside the palace, and the white bone array that appeared at Wanfulou, are ultimately the arrangement and application of dragon energy.

The formation is completely different when someone is in charge and when no one is in charge.

It was originally in Wanfu Wanshou Garden.

After exchanging a single blow with his senior master Yin Changshou, he was suppressed by less than a third of his strength.

Those with agility and lightness skills were not significantly affected.

It wasn't that the formation at Wanfu Wanshou Garden wasn't powerful enough, but rather that the person in charge of the formation simply didn't pay attention to what was happening on the outside.

Meanwhile, in the Wanfulou Theater, the Saha White Bone Array, which may or may not have been set up temporarily, was being activated with all its might by the [Silver Bottle Monk].

That's why the formation was so strange, with endless variations in its methods.

Mental attacks, illusion attacks, and attacks by zombies and bones all appeared.

Furthermore, it suppressed its speed and attack power by nearly half.