Chapter 530: White Tiger Female War Goddess, Li Muyan

Today was the final day of the Martial Examination.

The sky had just begun to lighten, yet the entire Black Stone City was already seething with activity, like a colossal beast awakening from its slumber.

The morning sun crested the towering, fortified city walls, casting its light over the endless stretch of vermilion buildings and green-tiled roofs. Along the main thoroughfare of the Inner City, rows of large red lanterns hung high in the air.

Beside the arena stood the Vermilion Green Building, the most luxurious structure in the area. Bronze beasts perched on the corners of its eaves, seemingly breathing in the purple haze of the morning sun like lifelike celestial creatures.

Luxurious carriages drawn by Exotic Beasts, adorned with intricate carvings and gilded details, arrived one after another. Noble Young Masters and ladies, dressed in fine silks and jade, sat within, arriving early to take their seats and wait.

“The betting pool is open! The pool is open! Gu Changfeng, Wang Jifan, Zhao Qingyue, Li Lishu—who will seize the top spot in the Martial Examination?”

“Place your bets and step back! No take-backs!”

“The champion of this Martial Examination will become the leader of Black Stone City’s future generation! In this chaotic era, the title holds unprecedented weight! Come take a look and place your bets!”

Various shouts, lively clamor, and the cries of Exotic Beasts intertwined, plunging the entirety of Black Stone City into an extraordinary state of uproar.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

A Four-Tusked White Elephant draped in Blood Armor, bearing a ferocious vertical eye in the center of its forehead, rumbled forward like a small, blood-red mountain.

Riding atop the giant elephant’s back was Mansion Master Qian Zhiyuan of the Zhenwu Mansion!

SCREECH!

In the sky above, a massive black eagle with a wingspan of over twenty feet cast a large shadow over the ground. It outpaced the Four-Tusked White Elephant by a step, landing on the high platform first.

A figure descended from the eagle’s back. He was tall and slender, dressed in a Dark Gold Martial Arts Robe with complex golden patterns embroidered all over the lapels.

An ancient sword hung at his waist, and his black hair was tied back with a purple-gold crown. Dropping from a height of dozens of feet, he landed as lightly as a feather, without making a single sound.

The untamable, ferocious giant eagle, whose strength rivaled the Profound Bone Realm, voluntarily lowered its head and folded its wings after he landed, acting extremely docile.

“Zhao Longtian!”

“The number one figure of the Zhao Family’s younger generation has arrived!”

Upon clearly seeing the newcomer, waves of exclamations erupted from the crowd below, and countless gazes couldn’t help but dart in that direction.

The name Zhao Longtian was simply too resounding; it was safe to say there was no one in the Inner City of Black Stone City who didn’t know it.

He was the leading figure among the younger generation of the Zhao Family—one of the three great Noble Families—and highly likely to be the future Patriarch. Now, at only twenty-something years old, he was already a major powerhouse in the Divine Storage Realm.

Seemingly long accustomed to the public’s attention, Zhao Longtian calmly walked to the side of the high platform, greeted Pavilion Master Qian, and then took his seat alongside him.

ROAR!

An astonishing tiger roar resounded, startling the many Dragon Scale Horses and other Exotic Beasts so much that they nearly dropped to their knees.

Following that, a completely snow-white White Tiger Beast bounded over from the distance. A Dark Gold king’s mark adorned the White Tiger Beast’s forehead, and every time its four paws struck the ground, a ring of white air rippled outward.

In the blink of an eye, it leaped over numerous buildings and arrived on the high platform.

On the White Tiger’s back sat a young woman clad in silver-white Battle Armor, a bright red cape fluttering wildly in the wind behind her.

She was exceptionally tall. Though the silver-white Battle Armor clung tightly to her form, it couldn’t hide her graceful curves.

In particular, her slender yet powerful waist, along with her long, straight, and well-rounded legs, peeked through the partially hollowed-out sections of her Battle Armor.

As she leaped down from the White Tiger’s back, her entire body moved like a drawn war bow snapping forward. She possessed the graceful beauty of a woman, yet without the slightest hint of frailty.

“The White Tiger Female War Goddess, Li Muyan!”

Countless people had their gazes drawn to her. Regardless of gender, they couldn’t help but stare with burning eyes and surging emotions.

Upon reaching the high platform, Li Muyan raised her hand to remove her helmet. She casually shook out her slightly messy black hair, which was tied up by a White Tiger crown, instantly leaving the countless spectators below utterly stunned.

Her bright and stunningly beautiful facial features carried a frosty demeanor that seemed to push people a thousand miles away, yet inexplicably made it impossible for anyone to look away.

Gorgeous and powerful. She was the female war goddess in the hearts of many—someone who could only be admired from afar and never desecrated.

“Pavilion Master Qian!”

Li Muyan greeted Qian Zhiyuan and calmly took her seat.

“Both the Zhao Family and the Li Family—two of the three great Noble Families—have sent people, and they are both the leading figures of the younger generation! The prestige of this Martial Examination keeps rising!”

“That’s only natural. These leaders are all vying for the position of City Lord candidate and are busy forging alliances. The champion of this Martial Examination will carry massive weight, regardless of who they choose to support in the future!”

“What about the Wang Family? Why hasn’t anyone from their side shown up yet?”

Seeing that the Martial Examination was about to begin, the expected representatives from the Wang Family still hadn’t arrived.

Someone from a prominent Noble Family quietly explained, “I’m afraid the Wang Family is growing increasingly unstable these days. I heard that Wang Yuexuan and Wang Yunuo, the leaders of their younger generation, have both already departed for Cangya Pass…”

A short while later, the auspicious hour arrived.

Mrs. Bai, dressed in simple black clothes with a long saber hanging at her waist, stepped to the front of the high platform.

“Today, the Martial Examination Champion Scholar will be decided. Black Stone City will grant a heavy reward according to the rules, and make their name known to all.”

Saying that, she paused briefly and swept her gaze over the crowd below.

“With war flaring up in the north once again, the Black Lotus Sect Demons are glaring covetously at Black Stone City, and even the entirety of Qing Province. I hope that today, you all will not merely fight for rankings, but also for the courage of our Black Stone City Martial Artists to battle and to win.

“As the leader of the new generation, the Martial Examination Champion Scholar must use their martial prowess to protect the city and spread the might of our Black Stone!

“Victory to Black Stone City!”

Below, the voices of tens of thousands immediately roared in response, shaking the flags on the high platform until they snapped wildly in the wind.

“The finals of the Martial Examination begin now!”

The Martial Examination began with the drawing of lots. As soon as the results were announced, some rejoiced while others despaired.

“Match one: Gu Changfeng versus Wang Jifan.”

“Match two: Zhao Qingyue versus Su Yu.”

“Li Lishu receives a bye…”

“Gu Changfeng and Wang Jifan have terrible luck, actually running into each other in the very first match. With two great True Dragon Seeds clashing right out of the gate, it’s bound to be a brutal, neck-and-neck fight.”

“Look at Li Lishu, though. Talk about good luck, getting a bye to rest for a round. In a showdown between experts of this caliber, that’s a massive advantage.”

“Zhao Qingyue got lucky too, actually drawing Su Yu. With his strength, he can defeat Su Yu in just three sword strikes!”

“Haha, I bet on Zhao Qingyue to become the Martial Examination Champion Scholar. My luck is really good!”

Up on the high platform, joy uncontrollably surfaced on Zhao Qingyue’s face, and he nearly burst out laughing.

He thought, “Su Yu, I didn’t expect to actually run into you. This is the perfect chance to teach you a lesson. One strike is all I need to critically injure you and force you out of the competition!”

“Qingyue, you had good luck with the drawing of lots for this battle. If you seize the top spot in the Martial Examination, I will personally step forward and request a Sword Fruit from the family to help you break through to the Profound Bone Realm!”

From an even higher platform behind him, Zhao Longtian spoke in a gentle tone, possessing the distinct air of a Noble Young Master that was quite unlike the rest of the Zhao Family.

Hearing this, Zhao Qingyue grew even more delighted. The Sword Fruit was incredibly precious and aided in comprehending one’s Sword Stance; he hadn’t managed to successfully request one up until now.

If he obtained this Sword Fruit, his Qingyue Sword Stance would definitely reach Perfection. By then, he could shatter the bottleneck to the Profound Bone Realm in one fell swoop, and his strength would advance by leaps and bounds!

“Thank you, Tian! I will definitely take first place!”

Zhao Qingyue bowed toward the high platform behind him with a respectful attitude. Although he was a True Dragon Seed of the Zhao Family, he fell far short of Zhao Longtian in terms of Realm and dared not act presumptuously.

When the others heard this, no one voiced any objections, clearly agreeing that Zhao Qingyue had indeed struck lucky.

Sitting next to Zhao Qingyue, Su Yu’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

He had long guessed what everyone was thinking, and one could say it played right into his hands.

Having allied with various partners this time, he had already placed a 200,000-coin bet on himself winning the title of Martial Examination Champion Scholar. The more these people looked down on him, the more he would earn when he took the crown!

When combined with Black Stone City’s cultivation support for the Martial Examination Champion Scholar, resources would no longer be an issue for his training in the foreseeable future, and he would definitely improve at a tremendous pace!