Night had returned to its original stillness.
Yet within that stillness lingered a thick stench of blood.
The torchlight flickered, illuminating the corpses and pools of blood scattered across the ground in a horrifying tableau.
Lin Hanzhou stood silently in the middle of the square. His immaculate brocade robes stood in stark contrast to the corpses strewn around him.
Drops of crimson blood slid from the tip of the long sword in his hand, blooming into tiny blood flowers on the white jade tiles.
The Innate master who had been gravely wounded by the Third Prince's hidden weapon was now lying among the corpses, hardly daring to breathe.
At that moment, he was immeasurably grateful that his injuries had kept him from joining the encirclement.
He looked at the excessively young Eleventh Prince before him, and a storm of shock surged through his heart.
According to the rumors, the Eleventh Prince was a useless good-for-nothing with blocked meridians who couldn't cultivate.
But the man standing before him was no good-for-nothing. He killed Innate masters as easily as chickens, and his cultivation was unfathomably deep.
How could such a powerful expert be called a waste? That was completely absurd.
He had no idea who started the rumor, but if he ever found out, he'd skin that person alive.
Just as he was thinking this, the faintest footsteps came from the shadows in every direction, almost impossible to detect.
"Scuff... scuff... scuff..."
The sound was quiet, yet carried a peculiar rhythm, like a venomous snake gliding across sand.
Naturally, the movement did not escape Lin Hanzhou's senses. He raised an eyebrow and slowly lifted his head.
Figures clad in dark armor appeared silently, like ghosts emerging from behind the palace pillars, beside the rockeries, and out of the shadows.
Each of them had a deep, powerful presence. They moved without a sound, as if they had become one with the darkness.
There weren't many of them, perhaps only a hundred.
But the elite, murderous aura they exuded far surpassed that of the Tiger Brave Guards and Green Garment Tower assassins from earlier.
These were the fabled Shadow Guards!
The Great Sui Dynasty's most mysterious and elite force, directly under the emperor himself.
The Shadow Guards' commander was of average height, with an unremarkable face—the sort that would vanish in a crowd.
But the aura he exuded was undeniably that of an Innate master at the third level.
It was a presence far more solid and weighty than that of an Innate master at the second level.
Ignoring the corpses scattered across the ground, the commander walked straight up to Lin Hanzhou and dropped to one knee, his voice respectful.
"This subordinate, Xuan Ya, commander of the Shadow Guards, pays his respects to Your Highness. Congratulations, Your Highness, on being the only victor tonight."
He held himself humbly, without the slightest arrogance befitting an Innate master at the third level.
As soon as the commander knelt, the other Shadow Guards knelt in unison, pledging their loyalty.
Lin Hanzhou was somewhat surprised by the sight.
He was astonished by the royal family's strength. The Shadow Guards actually had an Innate master at the third level.
Not only that, but the Shadow Guards also had one Innate master at the second level and ten at the first.
Their forces were more formidable than the combined forces of the Third Prince and Ninth Prince.
After his brief surprise, Lin Hanzhou spoke calmly.
"Were you watching the whole time?"
"Yes. It was His Majesty's order. We were only responsible for clearing the area and bearing witness. Unless outside forces intervened, we would never interfere in the princes' conflicts."
Xuan Ya kept his head bowed as he answered respectfully, making no attempt to hide the truth.
Hearing his reply, Lin Hanzhou wore a thoughtful expression.
Just as he'd expected, everything had been part of the old emperor Lin Batian's calculations.
This bloody, brutal struggle for the throne was an "examination" personally devised to select an heir!
The Third Prince, the Ninth Prince, and all the other princes who had died were nothing more than sacrifices in this test.
What a schemer! What cold-blooded ruthlessness!
The thought stirred a slight ripple in Lin Hanzhou's heart, but it quickly settled.
He'd seen plenty of this sort of imperial scheming in the history books and novels of his previous life.
Though surprised, he could accept it.
What he was more curious about now was what his cheap father hoped to accomplish by laying such an elaborate trap.
The Great Sui Dynasty was flourishing. Surely it had no need for this sort of survival-of-the-fittest selection?
Unfortunately, the original owner had known very little about the current state of the court, leaving Lin Hanzhou unable to draw any conclusions.
He would have to meet his cheap father to find out.
"I see. Then can you take me to see Father?"
After thinking for a moment, Lin Hanzhou spoke calmly.
"Of course, Eleventh Highness. His Majesty has been waiting for you."
"Please follow me, Your Highness. His Majesty ordered that the final victor would be granted an audience with him in the Council Hall."
As he spoke, Xuan Ya rose and respectfully led the way.
"Your Highness, this way, please."
Lin Hanzhou followed without hesitation.
After they left, the rest of the Shadow Guards began to clear the battlefield.
Along the way, the Innate master who had tried to pass himself off as a corpse was discovered, just as expected.
The moment they spotted him, the eleven Innate-level Shadow Guards surrounded him.
Looking at the ring of Innate masters around him, the already gravely wounded expert went deathly pale.
Wait, bro? Why were there eleven Innate masters?
Elsewhere, Lin Hanzhou followed Xuan Ya through one deep, shadowy corridor after another.
The farther they went into the palace, the quieter it became, until even the wind seemed to vanish.
The palaces had a distinctive style and a meticulous layout, testament to the ingenuity of their craftsmen.
At last, Xuan Ya stopped before a hall that seemed ordinary, yet was imbued with supreme majesty.
Three bold, flowing characters were carved into the plaque above its entrance: Council Hall.
"His Majesty is waiting for you inside. This subordinate will wait here."
Xuan Ya bowed and stepped aside.
Lin Hanzhou nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door, made from century-old fragrant sandalwood.
"Creak—"
As the door opened, a unique scent washed over him, mingling the aromas of medicine and sandalwood with the musty fragrance of books.
The light inside the hall was soft. Its furnishings were simple, devoid of gilded luxury, and instead carried an air of solemnity and dignity.
At the very back of the hall, behind a broad writing desk, sat a figure.
He looked like an old man on the verge of death.
He wore a plain yellow robe. His hair was sparse and white, his face lined with deep wrinkles, and his body hunched as though a gust of wind could knock him over.
Yet his eyes radiated the authority of a ruler.
His fearsome presence could pierce the human heart and see through every illusion in the world!
He was the ruler who had united the Great Sui Dynasty, a legendary emperor who had sat on the throne for sixty years—Lin Batian.
Their gazes met across the hall: two men separated by a generation, yet both standing at the pinnacle of power and strength in this world.
For a moment, not a sound could be heard in the hall.
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