Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

"Lin Hao, I have to admire your guts, acting so arrogantly with death at your doorstep!" Hu Rui sneered repeatedly when he saw Lin Hao’s smile.

Lin Hao shrugged, his smile holding a hint of mischief.

Seeing Hu Rui approaching with a murderous look, Lin Hao calmly said, "Brother Chen, could you please count the Tokens again?"

Chen Qian was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"I’ll do it!" But Hu Rui suddenly spun around and grabbed Chen Qian’s hand.

At this moment, it was clear that Hu Rui trusted no one.

"Hu Rui, what is the meaning of this?!" Chen Qian demanded, his expression darkening.

To be challenged in front of so many people would anger even a saint, and Chen Qian was no clay doll.

"Brother Chen, it’s fine. You should take a break," Lin Hao said, placating him.

Chen Qian saw Lin Hao’s look of absolute confidence, thought for a moment, and nodded.

Although he didn’t know what trick Lin Hao had up his sleeve, it was obvious he was completely sure of himself.

’Looks like Hu Rui is about to get his face slapped.’

’And what could be more satisfying than watching someone slap their own face?’

With this in mind, Chen Qian adopted the air of a spectator, watching Hu Rui with a faint smile.

Over there, Hu Rui was counting with intense focus, his voice loud.

Moreover, he seemed determined to let everyone see clearly, raising a Token high in the air with each count.

After counting from one to thirty-five, a huge smile bloomed on Hu Rui’s face.

He could tell the number of remaining Tokens at a glance.

Five. There were only five left!

’Lin Hao, you’re dead!’

Hu Rui was beaming. After he picked up the thirty-ninth Token and saw only one left, he burst out laughing.

"HAHAHA! Lin Hao, there’s only one left! What do you have to say for yourself now!" As he spoke, Hu Rui held the last Token high in the air.

’Huh, this one feels a bit heavier than the others.’

As soon as the thought occurred, as if moved by some unseen force, Hu Rui rubbed it with his fingers.

And then... then the Token actually split in two.

Hu Rui was stunned. Completely and utterly stunned.

Lin Hao looked astonished. "Oh, my! It was two pieces after all. Phew. You really had me scared."

Seeing Lin Hao clowning around, Wenren Yuxin smiled, while Chen Qian glanced at Hu Rui and mourned for him in silence.

’That guy got his face slapped again. How pitiful. And the most crucial part is, he brought it on himself.’

’But what was the deal with that last Token?’

Chen Qian thought about it. He was certain he hadn’t made any mistakes.

’Lin Hao had somehow managed to stick two Tokens together so stealthily that even I hadn’t noticed anything unusual...’

At this thought, Chen Qian couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

He came from a family of generals and had handled all sorts of weapons since childhood. After more than a decade, he could tell a weapon’s weight the moment he held it.

These Tokens were made of Blood-Patterned Crystal Stone; there was no way he could have missed the weight difference between one and two.

The only possibility was that Lin Hao had tampered with it after Hu Rui took over.

But Hu Rui was at the Peak of the Elemental Realm, yet Lin Hao had somehow deceived him.

He hadn’t just deceived Hu Rui, he had deceived him as well...

The more Chen Qian thought about it, the more bizarre and terrifying it seemed.

Meanwhile, Hu Rui was on the verge of going insane.

"You... You... Chen Qian, you actually plotted against me!" Hu Rui’s words trailed off as he suddenly pointed an accusing finger at Chen Qian.

Before Chen Qian could speak, Lin Hao cut in, "How can you blame him? He miscounted earlier, and I was about to ask him to count again, but you just had to jump in."

"Lin Hao!" Hu Rui’s eyes were bloodshot, his killing intent laid bare.

"Alright, there are still so many people waiting," Wenren Yuxin’s voice cut in at the perfect moment.

"That’s right. Come on, everyone, hand over your Tokens so we can arrange for your entry into the Saint Institute," Chen Qian chimed in.

"Hmph!" Hu Rui snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and stormed off.

’Lin Hao’s entry into the Saint Institute is a done deal. Rather than staying here and fuming, I’d be better off making some arrangements to ensure that once he’s in, he’ll never get out!’

With Hu Rui gone, things proceeded quickly.

This was the Saint Institute; no one dared to cheat. They only gave the remaining tokens a cursory glance before confirming them.

"Alright, from this moment on, you are all disciples of the Saint Institute. Now, take your Tokens and follow me inside to receive your uniforms. Afterward, someone will be assigned to arrange your accommodations. There will be a morning assembly tomorrow. Don’t be late."

After speaking, Chen Qian headed for the Saint Institute’s main gate.

The group filed in.

The Saint Institute covered a vast area. Although most of the buildings were wooden, they exuded a majestic aura. The architecture inside was also meticulously designed, divided into four tiers that rose like terraced fields.

"The area we’re in now is the Lower Courtyard. Above us are the Middle and Upper Courtyards. The highest point is where the Saint Institute’s administration is located. By the way, the architectural style was built in imitation of the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion," Chen Qian explained, seeing everyone looking around.

"The Heaven-Breaking Pavilion is built like this too? Senior Brother, has anyone from the Saint Institute been to the Earth-Breaking Pavilion?" Upon hearing the name ’Heaven-Breaking Pavilion’, everyone’s eyes lit up, and one of the disciples who had qualified for the Middle Courtyard asked.

"The first Dean of the Saint Institute came from the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion," Chen Qian replied.

"Does that mean all the Deans have been to the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion? Is our current Dean from there too?" another person couldn’t help but ask.

Chen Qian shook his head. "The Heaven-Breaking Pavilion vanished for several hundred years. It only reappeared a short while ago."

As Chen Qian spoke of this, a brilliant light shone in his eyes.

Entering the Heaven-Breaking Pavilion was every Martial Artist’s dream.

"Alright, the Dean will personally explain the details tomorrow morning." Snapping out of his reverie, Chen Qian said this and spoke no more on the topic.

Chen Qian and Wenren Yuxin led the way, stopping in the deepest part of the Lower Courtyard.

Then, they directed the group to go get their uniforms.

Lin Hao was the first to enter. When he handed over his forty-one Tokens, the person distributing the uniforms stared at him very strangely.

However, the man didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until Lin Hao was about to leave the room that he heard the man mutter under his breath, "How strange. How can a Spirit Body possibly enter the Upper Courtyard?"

Lin Hao just smiled and walked out of the room.

"Brother Lin, come on, I’ll take you to the Upper Courtyard." Both Chen Qian and Wenren Yuxin were disciples of the Upper Courtyard. Their task of guiding the new disciples here was now complete.

However, the female disciples got their uniforms at a different location, so they had just parted ways with Wenren Yuxin.

"Then I’ll have to trouble you."

Chen Qian laughed heartily and began to lead Lin Hao upward.

But someone blocked their path.

There were several of them.

At the front were a man and a woman. The man was middle-aged, with sharp, gleaming eyes that gave off a powerful sense of intimidation.

This was a top-tier expert of the Soul Gathering Realm.

The woman next to him appeared to be in her twenties. With eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like autumn pools, her beauty was breathtaking. On top of that, she had a full chest, a willow-thin waist, and long, straight legs.

As beautiful as she was, the woman projected a cold, unapproachable aura.

Behind them were a few more middle-aged men, and trailing at the very back was none other than Hu Rui.

Chen Qian’s expression changed the moment he saw them.

These were all teachers from the Upper Courtyard.

"Master Duan, Master Wang, greetings to all the teachers," Chen Qian greeted them respectfully.

The man at the front glanced at the woman beside him. Only when he saw she had no intention of speaking did he say, "Chen Qian, are you not aware of the Saint Institute’s rules?"

The question completely baffled Chen Qian.

"How can you be taking him upward?" the man asked again, shooting a cold glance at Lin Hao.

"Reporting to Master Wang, he obtained forty-one Tokens in the Trial Forest. According to the Saint Institute’s regulations, he has the right to enter the Upper Courtyard to cultivate."

In the Saint Institute, teachers of the Upper Courtyard were known as Saint Masters. If a Saint Master were to one day stop teaching, they could be directly ennobled as a King!

One could only imagine how high their status was.

Even disciples from the Four Great Families would not dare to act presumptuously before a Saint Master.

"You remember that rule clearly enough, but there’s another Saint Institute rule that you seem to have forgotten completely!" Saint Master Wang said, his tone rather unfriendly.

Hearing this, Chen Qian’s expression changed drastically.

A gloating smile appeared on the face of Hu Rui, who was standing behind the Saint Masters. He shot a provocative look at Lin Hao.

Unfortunately for him, Lin Hao wasn’t even looking his way.

A vicious look flashed across Hu Rui’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a smile.

The Saint Institute had a rule: those with a bloodline inferior to a Warrior Body were not permitted to cultivate in the Upper Courtyard.

This was because on the Celestial Yang Continent, future accomplishments were inextricably linked to one’s bloodline and constitution. If one’s constitution was poor, their achievements were destined to be limited. Letting Martial Artists with inferior constitutions enjoy the best resources was simply a waste.

He had been so enraged by Lin Hao earlier that he hadn’t remembered this rule. The moment he entered the Saint Institute and it came back to him, he had found the Saint Masters as quickly as possible, leading to the current scene.

A moment ago, he had been worried someone might protect Lin Hao. But now that Master Duan remained silent, he was ninety percent certain that Lin Hao would not be entering the Upper Courtyard.

Lin Hao was rather baffled, as he didn’t know the Saint Institute’s rules.

However, Chen Qian was about to clear up his confusion.

Chen Qian shot a quick glance at the woman, then grit his teeth and said, "Master Wang, although the Saint Institute has a rule that those with a bloodline inferior to a Warrior Body cannot cultivate in the Upper Courtyard, Lin Hao did, after all, obtain forty-one Tokens in the Trial Forest. If we don’t let him into the Upper Courtyard and word of this gets out, the Saint Institute’s reputation..."

"Insolent! Is it your place to lecture me?!" Master Wang bellowed, but after darting a glance at the woman beside him, a flash of apprehension crossed his eyes.

Immediately, his voice softened. "The rules cannot be broken, so he naturally cannot enter the Upper Courtyard now. However, the Saint Institute has another rule. If he can defeat a disciple on the Holy Stele, then he may enter the Upper Courtyard."

Hearing this, a flicker of anger appeared on Chen Qian’s face. "Defeat a disciple on the Holy Stele? In the entire history of the Saint Institute, only three people have ever managed to do that. Aren’t you deliberately making things difficult for him?! Master Duan, I implore you to uphold justice!"

Chen Qian’s last words were directed at the woman.

The woman’s surname was Duan, and she was from the empire’s royal family. However, she was known for her impartiality, so Chen Qian could only place his hopes in her.

"I agree." However, before the woman could speak, a voice sounded out from beside Chen Qian.

"You... This is obviously unfair! How can you agree to this? Do you have any idea what the Holy Stele is? The Saint Institute gathers talent from the entire empire; it’s a convergence of the most stunningly brilliant disciples from a population of hundreds of millions. Those who can leave their name on the Holy Stele are all geniuses among geniuses, the most powerful people in the Saint Institute."

Chen Qian spoke anxiously. This Lin Hao was too reckless.

Hearing this, however, Lin Hao’s eyes lit up.

’Now this is interesting.’

At that very moment, the woman finally spoke...