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

"Brother Li is a man of great virtue."

After thinking for a moment, he added:

"I wonder if Brother Li has a preferred official position in mind?"

The top scholar in this year's imperial examination will surely stay in Beijing to take up a post.

From now on, we will serve in the same court. I, Zhang, am willing to follow Brother Li and serve the country together, fighting on the battlefield.

It's clear that he genuinely yearns to achieve great things and fight on the battlefield.

My heart is full of passion and ambition...

He thought he could use his martial prowess to serve his country and achieve fame and success.

Li Xin looked quietly at the burly man in front of him, who was full of passion, and sighed inwardly.

He knew Zhang Dingjia's fate.

This person is courageous, principled, and idealistic; he is a rare and pure martial artist.

In this corrupt court, sincerity and passion are the most useless, and integrity and ambition are the cheapest.

In his memories of both past and present lives, Zhang Dingjia was, throughout his life, merely a decorative military guard in front of the emperor.

He possessed great martial arts skills and lofty ambitions, but in vain.

He was confined to the imperial city his whole life, with no freedom of action and no room to maneuver.

In the end, he himself grew tired of this puppet-like, worthless life.

He resolutely resigned from his official post and returned to his hometown, where he spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol, living a life of poverty and eventually dying drunk in a foreign land.

He possesses the spirit of a hero, yet has no opportunity to use his talents.

This imperial court has never needed warriors with passion and ambition.

All they want is a bunch of obedient and sensible lackeys and lackeys.

The idea of ​​making great achievements and serving the country on the battlefield is ultimately just an unrealistic fantasy.

Li Xin suppressed the emotions in his heart, smiled faintly, and shook his head.

"Brother Zhang's high hopes are likely to be dashed."

There are some things I'm about to say that you might not believe.

"You'll understand when you meet the Emperor in court later."

Zhang Dingjia was slightly stunned, completely failing to understand the deeper meaning in Li's words.

The group of martial arts students who had been quietly eavesdropping all around were now deep in thought.

Among the crowd, many shrewd and insightful people had already sensed something was amiss from Li Xin's tone.

The crowd subconsciously took a half step back, creating some distance between themselves and Li Xin.

No one dared to approach easily anymore, and no one dared to strike up a conversation casually.

……

Just then, at the main gate of the palace, a middle-aged eunuch dressed in brocade palace robes with a cold and hard expression appeared.

He walked out slowly, accompanied by a group of palace guards.

He remained expressionless as he glanced at the densely packed group of newly appointed military scholars in front of the door, then flicked his whisk lightly, his high-pitched, dry voice ringing out.

"All the accompanying servants waited outside the palace."

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he swept his eyes fiercely across the crowd, pointing at a few people at random.

"You, and you! Immediately remove the weapons from your waists!"

"To enter the palace to meet the emperor, how dare you bring weapons? Do you intend to assassinate the king?"

You are completely ignorant of court etiquette! To behave improperly before the emperor is a capital offense that will implicate your entire family.

Do you really think the palace is some rural martial arts arena where you can act with impunity?

Amidst the reprimands, the martial arts scholars who were called upon instantly turned pale and were filled with fear.

He quickly raised his hand to unsheathe his sword and hurriedly handed it to the servants following behind him, not daring to disobey in the slightest.

Everyone did as instructed, except for one person.

Li Xin stood quietly with his hands behind his back, the Xintinghou sword behind his shoulder resting firmly against his back, without moving an inch, showing no intention of taking it down.

Upon seeing this, the middle-aged eunuch's gaze instantly locked onto Li Xin, and his face turned dark and gloomy.

The hearts of everyone in the room jumped instantly.

Li Xin chuckled lightly:

"Carrying a knife is a martial artist's duty and habit. Who is it to you, a eunuch, to interfere?"

"Do you really think I would need a knife if I were to assassinate the king?"

This is not arrogance, but the absolute truth.

With his current combat strength, if he were to actually meet the young emperor, at such close range, it would make no difference whether he had a sword or not.

He always carried this new Tinghou sword with him, never intending to use it to kill enemies.

Rather, it was through spending time together that he had already realized the extraordinary nature of this knife.

This is no ordinary inanimate weapon.

Whether it was the craftsman's special technique or some serendipitous coincidence, this knife possessed extraordinary spirituality.

Wearing it close to the body day and night, it will become gentle and affectionate, like a child clinging to its owner.

When placed at a distance, one can vaguely sense the silence and melancholy of the object itself.

When faced with danger or crisis, it will give early warning by exhibiting unusual behavior to protect its owner from harm.

When wielding a knife in combat, the blade and one's own strength are perfectly synchronized, as if they were an extension of the arm.

It can also improve one's internal energy and enhance combat power, making it a rare and valuable partner.

Li Xin guessed that he might have unintentionally followed the ancient ritual of nurturing a sword, causing the new Tinghou sword to completely recognize its master and greatly increase its spirituality.

Whatever the reason, this is a good thing.

Just bring it along, treat it like bringing a baby.

He may voluntarily remove his weapon as a sign of respect, but he will never be forced to lay down his sword and submit under someone's reprimand.

He wouldn't tolerate a mere palace eunuch daring to abuse the power of the imperial family and manipulate newly promoted military scholars.

The middle-aged eunuch had spent his life dominating the palace and was used to abusing his power. When had he ever been so publicly humiliated?

His face changed drastically, turning red, then white, then blue, then black, his face twitching wildly as he flew into a rage and screamed.

"You audacious madman! You've gone too far!"

"How dare a mere newly appointed military officer be so arrogant before even being granted an official position?"

Aren't you afraid that our family will execute your entire clan for this heinous crime?

The shrill shouts were extremely piercing, echoing throughout the entire square in front of the palace gates.

"I'm really not afraid."

Li Xin smiled.

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand slightly and slapped the other hand.

Snapped!

A crisp, deafening explosion suddenly erupted.

The middle-aged eunuch's ferocious and furious expression froze completely on his face in an instant.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, his neck was whipped around rapidly by the immense force, and his head spun twice over his shoulder.

Its eyes bulged out, like a suffocating goldfish.

His body stiffened, and he fell straight backward, completely silent.

The entire room fell silent.

All the guards and all the military graduates felt their pupils shrink, their bodies turn ice-cold, and their minds go blank.

In broad daylight, in front of the imperial city gate.

The newly crowned martial arts champion killed a royal eunuch with a single palm strike in public.

Such an astonishing act was something we couldn't even imagine, yet it actually happened before everyone's eyes today.

The old eunuch leading the group, who was not far away, froze, his face turning ashen. He instinctively waved his hand to give the order for all the guards to surround and capture the traitor.

The next instant, Li Xin calmly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the assembled guards with their swords drawn, his tone icy:

"Today the court rejoices, the martial arts examination champion is crowned. Lead the way obediently, or I'll force you to unleash a bloodbath and stain the palace gates with blood."

A soft whisper, yet it carried the weight of a thousand pounds, settling on everyone's hearts.

After speaking, he turned to look at Zhuang Hongxiu, who was not far to his side, and his tone softened instantly:

“Hongxiu, you can wait outside. I’m going to the palace to meet the emperor. I’ll be right back. It won’t take long.”

Zhuang Hongxiu remained calm, showing no sign of panic.

Having followed Li Xin for a long time, she had long been accustomed to her young master's way of doing things.

Let alone killing a mere imperial eunuch, even when facing high-ranking officials or members of the royal family, the young master would never yield or submit.

She merely glanced at the fallen eunuch's corpse and softly replied:

"Yes, young master."

He then turned and gestured to the coachman and the guards to wait where they were, awaiting Li Xin's departure from the palace.

At this moment, the old eunuch leading the group was already terrified out of his wits.

The moment Li Xin's gaze swept over him, he felt as if he were naked in a snowy wonderland, a bone-chilling cold spreading from his heart throughout his body, leaving his limbs cold and stiff.

Extreme fear overwhelmed all thoughts.

His legs went weak, and a surge of heat uncontrollably seeped from his crotch. A cold wind blew, and the damp chill was biting.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the middle-aged eunuch on the ground with his neck twisted like a pretzel, and he became completely awake.

The young man before them could easily crush even foreign experts from four countries, and could even force a high-ranking official like the Minister of War to commit suicide by a single sentence.

In his eyes, a mere palace attendant was no different from an ant or a blade of grass.

If we really push him to the point of murder, there will definitely be a river of blood flowing in front of the palace gates today.

The imperial guards, armed with swords and spears, were even more nervous.

Several men had sweaty palms and could barely grip the knife hilts...

Long swords clattered to the ground one after another.

The remaining people were trembling, their bodies shaking, filled with endless fear, and they were almost about to turn and run away.

The old eunuch suppressed his trembling and dared not disobey in the slightest. He quickly bowed and lowered his head, his posture extremely humble.

"Esteemed newly appointed scholars... please follow me into the palace to pay homage to His Majesty."

His voice trembled, his tone timid, lacking any of the dignity and arrogance of a royal eunuch.

No one dared to mention the matter of dissecting the knife again, and no one dared to question Li Xin in the slightest.

The group of military graduates, trembling with fear, followed the old eunuch as they entered the palace gate.

Passing through layers of palaces and vermilion gates, the group walked straight ahead and finally stepped into the solemn and majestic Hall of Heavenly Purity.

Inside the hall, civil and military officials stood in rows on the left and right, dressed in neat court robes, their expressions solemn.

On the high platform, a young man sat in the center, wearing a dragon robe, his face youthful.

On both sides of the main hall, elite armored guards stood in rows, their swords and spears poised, exuding a chilling aura and displaying the majesty of the imperial court.

“Long live my emperor, long live long live—”

The old eunuch leading the way loudly proclaimed "Greetings!" and knelt on the ground.