Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Utter humiliation!

This was an absolute, utter humiliation.

’She was Lin Xinran, the esteemed young lady of the Lin family! Who didn’t treat her with the utmost respect? Before Lin Wu came to the capital, even princes and young nobles vied for her attention.’

After her engagement to Lin Wu, even the royal princesses treated her like a sister.

She was always the center of attention, held high above everyone else.

But now, Lin Hao had actually called her looks "so-so" and threatened to make her empty chamber pots. If that wasn’t an utter humiliation, what was?!

Lin Xinran’s delicate frame trembled uncontrollably. Finally, she squeezed a sentence through her gritted teeth, "You... you actually want me to empty chamber pots! Lin Hao, I swear I won’t rest until you’re dead!"

"The fact that you can utter a word as crude as ’chamber pot’ shows you’re well-suited for the job. Also, let me make one correction. I’m a good master; I won’t order you about like an animal. So even if you’re not human, you still have to think of yourself as one," Lin Hao said with an air of mock seriousness.

*Pfft!*

Lin Xinran suddenly sprayed a mouthful of blood, so enraged by Lin Hao’s words that she fainted on the spot.

The elder who had just sealed the Trial Forest caught Lin Xinran as she fell. He shot a glance at Lin Hao, the corner of his mouth twitching.

’A disciple of the Saint Institute, toyed with until she coughed up blood and passed out.’

’This kid’s tongue is way too sharp.’

"It’s getting late. Hurry up and get the Martial Artists who passed the trial sorted," the elder instructed before hurrying away with Lin Xinran in his arms.

Chen Qian looked to Wenren Yuxin. When she nodded, he dispensed with the pleasantries, turned, and shouted, "Those who failed to collect twenty Tokens are eliminated! The rest of you, on my command!"

Chen Qian swept his gaze across the crowd and announced, "Those with twenty to thirty Tokens, form a group to my left. Thirty-one to forty, form a group to my right. Over forty, stand in the center."

At his words, the candidates immediately began to move.

Just then, Lin Hao also began walking toward the group of successful candidates.

"You’re going the wrong way!" a cold voice suddenly rang out.

Lin Hao turned, feigning confusion. "What was that, Senior Brother?"

The speaker was, of course, Hu Rui.

’Lin Hao walked right into a death trap the moment he entered the Trial Forest and had to fight one battle after another. How could he possibly have passed?’

"Are you an idiot?!" Hu Rui’s eyes were glacial, each word dripping with ice.

Lin Hao’s own gaze turned cold. "Maybe you should try speaking like a human first," he retorted.

Lin Hao had known all along that Hu Rui was from the Hu family, but he had still addressed him as Senior Brother moments ago.

In Lin Hao’s mind, you only held a grudge against those who wronged you. Since Hu Rui hadn’t targeted him personally, he had no reason to hate the man on principle.

But now that Hu Rui was making it personal, Lin Hao had no intention of backing down.

"You!" Hu Rui seethed. He had just witnessed Lin Hao’s venomous tongue and knew he couldn’t win a war of words. He changed tactics, sneering, "I’d like to see how you plan on getting into the Saint Institute!"

Lin Hao shrugged and walked straight toward the group of successful candidates.

Hu Rui’s eye twitched, a bad feeling rising in his chest. ’Don’t tell me Lin Hao actually managed to collect twenty Tokens.’

But he immediately shook his head.

Lin Hao’s hair was a mess, and his tattered clothes were covered in blood. One could only imagine the ferocity of the battles he must have fought.

’To pass the trial in that state would be nothing short of miraculous.’

Tens of thousands had participated in the trial, but only five or six hundred had passed.

The candidates moved quickly.

Hu Rui watched as Lin Hao walked into the throng of moving people and then simply stopped.

He sneered.

’Let’s see how Lin Hao’s going to get out of this one.’

Hu Rui’s eyes glinted with a strange light. He stared intently at Lin Hao, determined not to let him cheat.

The five or six hundred candidates sorted themselves out quickly. Before long, most were on Chen Qian’s left, with only a dozen or so on his right. This smaller group was entirely from the fourth sector.

As for the center—it was empty.

Correction: there was Lin Hao. He hadn’t moved an inch from the start. Once everyone else had found their places, he was the only one left in the middle.

The gazes of the other candidates fell on Lin Hao in unison.

’Did he not hear the rules correctly?’

"Haha! Lin Hao, did you get your brains scrambled in there?" Hu Rui roared with laughter at the sight of Lin Hao standing motionless.

Lin Hao simply stood there, showing no reaction.

*Cough, cough!*

Seeing Lin Hao standing motionless in the center, even Wenren Yuxin couldn’t help but let out a couple of coughs as a reminder.

’She knew Lin Hao could pass the trial, but he shouldn’t be standing in the middle.’

’The center position required *over* forty Tokens.’

Wenren Yuxin had witnessed the terrifying final energy fluctuations from Lin Hao’s battles in the Trial Forest. She knew the enemies he had faced were beyond anything she could imagine.

’Under those circumstances, there was no way Lin Hao could have collected that many Tokens.’

"Um, Brother Lin, are you sure you want to stand there?" Chen Qian asked, a hint of apology in his tone, his voice lacking conviction.

Lin Hao smiled faintly and nodded.

"If I recall correctly, making a mockery of a Saint Institute disciple during the trial is an offense punishable by on-the-spot execution! Lin Hao, you brought this on yourself!" Hu Rui strode forward until he stood right in front of Lin Hao.

"Now, take out all the Tokens you have on you!" Hu Rui sneered, his eyes filled with killing intent.

Lin Hao shook his head.

"Just as I thought. You have none. In that case..." Hu Rui began, suddenly raising a hand as a terrifyingly powerful aura erupted from his body.

’The sheer force of this aura startled even Lin Hao. This guy’s True Essence is immense—stronger than his own, if anything.’

’The Saint Institute is full of hidden masters.’

"Get out of my face. If I pull out my Tokens, you’ll just accuse me of cheating or something. So, I’m not handing them over to you," Lin Hao said, waving his hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly.

"You..." Hu Rui raged.

"Brother Lin, if you don’t mind, allow me," Chen Qian said, stepping forward and subtly blocking Hu Rui’s path.

Lin Hao nodded.

At that moment, Wenren Yuxin also stepped forward, ready to witness a miracle.

Lin Hao began to pull out his Tokens.

At first, Hu Rui just sneered.

But when the number of Tokens Lin Hao produced surpassed fifteen, his composure started to crack.

After that, with every Token Lin Hao revealed, Hu Rui’s heart skipped a beat.

Seventeen... eighteen...

Chen Qian counted aloud as he collected the Tokens.

After eighteen, Lin Hao fumbled in his clothes for a long time but couldn’t seem to produce another Token.

Hu Rui’s furrowed brow slowly relaxed, and a smirk began to form on his face.

"Well? Keep pulling them out," he taunted, staring at Lin Hao.

Nearby, a twinkle of amusement appeared in Wenren Yuxin’s eyes. ’I might not know everything, but I’m certain he has at least twenty Tokens.’

’He’s just toying with Hu Rui.’

The moment the words left Hu Rui’s mouth, another Token appeared in Lin Hao’s hand.

Then, Lin Hao began another long, drawn-out search.

This time, Lin Hao’s expression grew more and more strained, the urgency on his face becoming more apparent, until beads of sweat even started to drip from his brow.

Nearby, Wenren Yuxin’s eyes widened in amazement.

’This guy is an incredible actor. If I didn’t already know, I’d have been completely fooled.’

"Hahaha! You can’t even produce twenty Tokens, yet you act so high and mighty! Today, I’ll be the one to send you to your grave!" Hu Rui roared with laughter.

And just then, another Token appeared in Lin Hao’s hand.

*Pfft!*

Hu Rui staggered, almost coughing up a mouthful of old blood himself.

’Lin Hao was playing him for a fool.’

"I’ve seen stupid, but never this stupid. You fell for the same trick twice in a row," Lin Hao said, glancing sideways at Hu Rui as he started pulling out more Tokens.

Before long, the number of Tokens Lin Hao had produced exceeded thirty.

"Impossible! That’s absolutely impossible! You cheated!" Hu Rui shrieked, refusing to believe what he was seeing.

’The Hu family and the Lin family both sent Martial Artists into the Trial Forest to kill him. No matter how strong Lin Hao was, there was no way he could have collected thirty Tokens!’

The successful Martial Artists were also whispering among themselves. They had all witnessed the dangers of the Trial Forest. How could Lin Hao possibly have gathered thirty-five Tokens while being hunted by powerful assassins?

The eliminated Martial Artists, still watching from the sidelines, were completely stunned to see Lin Hao produce so many Tokens.

It was like something out of a legend.

The only ones who remained calm were the candidates standing on Chen Qian’s right.

They were all from the fourth sector. They had witnessed Lin Hao’s battle—the terrifying aura that had billowed to the heavens and subdued even the vicious beasts. It was only because of that chaos that they themselves had managed to get a leg up.

’As long as Lin Hao was fast enough,’ they thought, ’thirty Tokens was entirely possible.’

But Lin Hao paid them no mind, continuing to pull out Tokens.

A moment later, he produced five more.

After that, Lin Hao’s movements slowed noticeably.

But in the end, he still managed to produce a total of forty Tokens.

The sight was breathtaking!

Tens of thousands had participated, with over eighty percent eliminated. For Lin Hao to face assassins in the Trial Forest and still emerge with forty Tokens was simply beyond belief!

"Hey, wait a minute. Didn’t he say the center position was for *over* forty Tokens?" one of the candidates muttered, snapping out of his daze.

Hearing this, the despondent Hu Rui suddenly jolted.

He was about to speak, but remembering how Lin Hao had just toyed with him, he grew cautious. "Are there any more Tokens?" he asked.

Lin Hao shook his head.

"You’re sure about that? Once you give your final word, any other Tokens you produce won’t be counted!" Hu Rui pressed.

Lin Hao held up his empty hands. "I’d love to mess with you one more time, but honestly, I’m all out of Tokens."

"Then did you hear the rules clearly?" Hu Rui asked again. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Lin Hao nodded. "Perfectly clear. Forty or more in the center."

"Hahaha! He said *over* forty stand in the center! That is the rule of our Saint Institute! Twenty-one to thirty Tokens gets you into the Lower Courtyard, thirty-one to forty gets you into the Middle Courtyard, and only those with *more* than forty Tokens may enter the Upper Courtyard! Lin Hao, you have made a mockery of a Saint Institute disciple! According to the rules, I can execute you where you stand! Do you have any last words!"

At this moment, Hu Rui’s face was a mask of self-righteousness, his voice booming like thunder.

The rules of the Yujin Saint Institute are upheld by the entire empire; not even a member of the royal family is exempt.

Now, he had absolute justification to execute Lin Hao!

The thought that Lin Hao—the man who had thrown the empire into turmoil—was about to die by his hand sent a thrill of excitement through Hu Rui.

Wenren Yuxin and Chen Qian exchanged a look. Then, Wenren Yuxin turned, as if to head into the Saint Institute.

"I know the Vice Dean favors him, but today, not even a god could save him!" Hu Rui declared, his words causing the two of them to freeze.

The color drained from Wenren Yuxin and Chen Qian’s faces, because what Hu Rui said was true.

The Saint Institute and the empire’s royal family had coexisted for ages untold. This rule was as inviolable as a sacred decree.

With forty Tokens, had Lin Hao stood in the correct group, he could have entered the Saint Institute’s Middle Courtyard. But now, his life was on the line.

But at this very moment, Lin Hao just smiled, and it was an exceptionally brilliant smile.