Chapter 124: First Encounter of the Ranked Experts

Yang Ling opened the other party's Status Panel once more to take another look.

This person was named Li Huaiyi, and the affiliation section listed both the Ironclad Department and the Valley of the Dead.

"Li Huaiyi, the matter in Changhe Prefectural Capital has already been settled in the Capital. The Ironclad Constables there have all earned great merit. By saying such things here, are you questioning the decisions of the esteemed officials from the Capital Yamen?"

Lu Yunchen walked over slowly, accompanied by Yun Ruo.

Li Huaiyi cupped his hands in a respectful salute, his expression deferential:

"Greetings, Director Lu. Huaiyi would not dare to question the decisions of the esteemed officials from the Capital. However, a full Seventh-Rank expert being publicly beaten and killed on the street is an extremely egregious incident.

If Changhe Prefectural Capital had not been permissive for so many years, how could it have been infiltrated to such an extent by Rong tribe spies?"

Hearing this, many Seventh-Rank experts silently nodded in agreement, feeling there was some truth to his words.

"Permissive? Precisely because Changhe Prefectural Capital was not permissive, and hit the Rong tribe spies where it truly hurt, they were forced to resort to extreme measures, attempting to use this incident to disrupt our Ironclad Department."

Lu Yunchen said calmly, "The reasoning behind it, I believe you should understand. You are merely angry about your senior brother's death, but you should not vent that anger on Yang Ling.

If we are talking about qualifications to enter the Water Qilin Cave, among the thirty spots this time, his qualification is the one that was obtained in the most upright and proper manner."

Li Huaiyi's expression changed slightly, turning gloomy as he fell silent.

Of course, he understood the reasoning, but he was still furious.

"Alright, all thirty of our Ironclad Department's Seventh-Rank experts have now assembled. Let me make this clear to you all, this time also serves as your assessment for promotion to Seventh-Rank Ironclad."

Lu Yunchen said in a grave tone, "This time, your mission is to protect the Fourth Prince.

As long as the Fourth Prince can safely emerge from the Water Qilin Cave, you will be considered to have passed the assessment."

What? Protect the Fourth Prince!?

Many of the young Seventh-Rank experts looked stunned, a trace of gravity flashing in their eyes.

There were also quite a few young Seventh-Rank experts whose eyes burned with fervor, their expressions excited.

The former group knew that if anything happened to the Fourth Prince, the consequences for them could range from being dismissed to possibly being imprisoned and even executed!

The latter group, however, believed that being able to get close to the Fourth Prince was their path to upward mobility!

Of course, there was also a middle ground.

Yang Ling felt neither joy nor sorrow in his heart. Protecting the Fourth Prince? If it was convenient, he could lend a hand. If it threatened his own life, he wouldn't even bother.

Even if he was dismissed afterward, he didn't care.

In this Divine Realm, the first priority was to stay alive, and the second was to live with strength and dignity.

With strength came dignity; everything else took a backseat.

"The Fourth Prince has already arrived at Yunwen Provincial Capital and is staying at the temporary palace. Follow me there."

After speaking, Lu Yunchen led the group away from the Ironclad Department Yamen, heading toward the Fourth Prince's temporary residence.

"Don't take Li Huaiyi's words to heart. He was just looking for someone to vent his anger on. If you get the chance in the future, teach him a lesson."

Yun Ruo walked alongside Yang Ling, casually remarking.

She paused, then continued, "I've heard the top experts from the major sects have all gone to the temporary palace where the Fourth Prince is staying.

This time, when we go over, we won't just see the various Directors and high-ranking officials from the Yunwen Provincial Capital Ironclad Department Yamen.

We might also catch a glimpse of those renowned, venerable seniors from the martial world and their disciples.

For you, this is an opportunity to broaden your horizons. If you can remember their backgrounds and origins, it will be of considerable benefit."

Yang Ling's expression shifted slightly, a trace of anticipation stirring within him.

This trip to the Water Qilin Cave might just allow him to get a preliminary glimpse of the martial world of the Divine Realm.

A magnificent temporary palace. Servants here led Lu Yunchen and his group to a garden in the rear courtyard.

The garden was currently bustling, filled with young Martial Artists dressed in various attires.

Seeing the group led by Lu Yunchen, they all looked up to size them up, their eyes revealing a mix of curiosity and wariness.

All of them were Seventh-Rank!

Yang Ling discreetly opened their Status Panels.

Each one was indeed Seventh-Rank—some Lower Seventh-Rank, some Middle Seventh-Rank, and others like Yun Ruo who were Upper Seventh-Rank!

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar name.

Nine Immortals Dao Palace, Lin Caiyi!

Her attributes were quite similar to Qin Mo's, at the Eighth-Rank level. Whether she was Lower or Middle Rank would only be known through actual combat.

"If Lin Caiyi is here, what about the others?"

Yang Ling continued opening Status Panel after Status Panel.

Soon, he found Jiang Tian'ai from the Extreme Flame Sword Manor, Zhang Shendao from the Divine Sect, and Li Shou from the Arhat Temple!

The players from these Four Top-Tier Sects were all present!

These people were also sizing up Yang Ling's group, but since they didn't know Yang Ling was Yang Ling, their gazes mainly fell on Lu Yunchen, Yun Ruo, and the others.

Yang Ling remained very low-key, not attracting much attention.

Passing through the crowd, Lu Yunchen led his team to a pavilion in the center of the garden, draped with white gossamer curtains.

Inside the pavilion, over a dozen figures were currently seated, chatting happily with a young man dressed in luxurious attire.

"Ironclad Department's Lu Yunchen pays his respects to the Fourth Prince."

Lu Yunchen stopped and cupped his hands in a bow.

"Ah, Director Lu is here. Haha, please, come in quickly."

The lavishly dressed young man immediately stood up and beckoned.

Everyone present also rose to their feet.

Yang Ling swept his gaze over them, opening each of their Status Panels one by one to check their backgrounds.

Among them were experts from the Four Top-Tier Sects, whose attributes were comparable to Lu Yunchen's, indicating they were Sixth-Rank experts!

However, there were also a few whose attributes were only on par with Yun Ruo and the others, making them Seventh-Rank experts.

These few were likely the other Directors from the Ironclad Department Yamen.

Lu Yunchen walked slowly into the pavilion, while Yang Ling and the others stood quietly outside, waiting.

"In this courtyard, it seems only people from the top-tier sects and the Ironclad Department Yamen are present."

"Martial Artists from second-rate sects probably aren't here, likely because they aren't qualified and are waiting elsewhere."

"As for the numbers, it seems each group coincidentally has exactly thirty people."

Yang Ling appeared to be lowering his eyes in feigned rest, but in reality, he had already examined every Martial Artist here in detail.

The Status Panel was the most straightforward tool.

"If the Four Top-Tier Sects, plus the Zhao State's Ironclad Department, each have thirty spots..."

"The quotas for other factions are certainly much smaller, but the number of second-rate sects far exceeds that of the Four Top-Tier Sects."

"Combined, their numbers should far exceed one hundred and fifty."

"It seems the minimum number of Seventh and Eighth-Rank experts heading to the Water Qilin Cave this time will be five or six hundred."

At the same time, Lu Yunchen smiled and cupped his hands toward the lavishly dressed young man:

"Fourth Prince, all the promising Seventh-Rank talents from our Ironclad Department have now assembled. This time, they will be responsible for ensuring your safety."

A trace of gratitude appeared on the Fourth Prince's face:

"I am grateful for your efforts, Director Lu. With the Ironclad Department Yamen specifically arranging so many experts to protect me this time, I wonder if it will disrupt the Department's own arrangements?"

"The Department Head has already made all the arrangements. Our Ironclad Department's primary objective is the Fourth Prince's safety. Nothing else is of importance."

Lu Yunchen said, cupping his hands.

Seeing this, the various Directors present also stood up one after another, cupping their hands to pledge their loyalty.

At that moment, a great monk dressed in yellow robes suddenly laughed and said:

"Director Lu, I've heard that recently the Ironclad Department has become so obsessed with catching Rong tribe spies that they've almost gone mad.

They've even arrested compassionate, merciful Monks and thrown them into prison?"

Outside the pavilion, Yang Ling's expression shifted slightly.

This great monk was from the Arhat Temple. Was his remark because of Martial Monk Jue Ming being imprisoned?