Departure for the Imperial City

Four days later.

"The rankings are out."

"The rankings are out!"

Shouts spread throughout Qing Prefecture City.

Zhou Ming and Jiang Jiang stood before the ranking board. As more and more people crowded in, the two were soon pushed away by the throng.

"Damn, why is the top spot taken by someone from Jinzhou?"

"Qing Prefecture has completely lost face this year."

"You can't say that. We'll only know who the dark horse is after the Six-Prefecture Grand Tournament, when we head to the Imperial City for the final showdown."

"Exactly. The Six-Prefecture Grand Tournament is when our Qing Prefecture Earth Ranking fighters will make their move."

The crowd buzzed with discussion, and even Zhou Ming began to feel a little excited.

Although he already knew he was first, seeing his own name at the top of the rankings still put him in an excellent mood.

Who wouldn't want to be first?

Jiang Jiang tugged at him and pointed to the right.

Zhou Ming looked at those people, an unreadable glint flickering in his eyes.

At that moment, Huang Muheng stepped out from the small group and reached Zhou Ming in just a few strides.

"Don't worry. Although you're from Jinzhou, you're representing Qing Prefecture right now. The noble families don't have much hostility toward you at the moment. I just came over to look at the rankings with you."

After chatting for a while, Zhou Ming learned why Huang Muheng had come and told Jiang Jiang to head back first.

Then, he followed Huang Muheng to the Qing Prefecture government office.

The moment Zhou Ming entered the main hall, he discovered that, including Huang Muheng beside him, all ten of the top ten on the Earth-Rank Martial Ranking were present. Three of them could even be considered old acquaintances.

The other nine must have been the second through ninth places from Qing Prefecture's Martial Examination.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat delicate.

The group's positions vaguely divided them into two camps.

As the two entered the hall, one of their old acquaintances spoke up.

"Huang Muheng, why aren't you coming over here? What are you standing next to him for?"

Huang Muheng smiled. "Yang Shuo, what the hell does where I stand have to do with you?"

Zhou Ming swept his gaze over both sides and casually found a chair to sit in.

He knew there was conflict between noble families and commoners, but he had not expected it to be so open, even outside the Martial Academy.

"Brother Zhou, congratulations."

Several commoner geniuses who had emerged from the Martial Examination greeted Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming smiled and nodded. "Same to you, same to you."

What, was my temperament really that obvious at a glance?

Huang Muheng also sat beside him and nodded amicably at the commoner geniuses, but not a single one acknowledged him.

He was not annoyed and simply sat there quietly.

Not long after.

The Qing Prefecture governor, dressed in the official robes of the Yan Kingdom, entered the hall.

Zhou Ming knew they had come today to receive their identity tokens.

In the Martial Examination, the top ten of each prefecture could receive specially crafted jade plaques from the imperial court.

Besides certifying one's identity and status, those jade plaques also represented all manner of privileges.

Zhou Ming toyed with the jade plaque he had been issued.

It felt cool in his hand and was made of excellent material.

"The rules for this year's Martial Examination have been changed at the last minute. The Six-Prefecture Grand Tournament will also be held in the Imperial City. You must arrive there within ten days. If you are late, your examination eligibility will be void."

After distributing the jade plaques, the governor gave them that instruction and left.

Once everyone else had departed from the hall, Huang Muheng smiled. "Brother Yu Xi, shall we set out together tomorrow?"

Zhou Ming immediately agreed.

He was unfamiliar with the place, so having someone lead the way would be perfect.

Besides, with Huang Muheng's noble family background, they were unlikely to run into anyone foolish enough to cause trouble along the way. It would save them some hassle.

After parting ways, Zhou Ming happily returned to the courtyard.

"What has you so happy?"

"Li Mu went to the Imperial City. You were still feeling down yesterday, but today I brought you good news. The Six-Prefecture Grand Tournament is being held in the Imperial City."

Jiang Jiang exclaimed in delight, "Really?"

Then she eyed Zhou Ming suspiciously and said, "That makes me happy. What are you so excited about?"

Zhou Ming gave a mysterious smile without saying anything, then turned and returned to his room.

Jiang Jiang looked utterly puzzled.

What was this guy so happy about?

After spending so long together, she had never seen Zhou Ming this happy, not even when his cultivation had broken through. The smile on his face simply would not fade.

Early the next morning, Zhou Ming brought Jiang Jiang to the docks.

Zhou Ming's eyes widened as he stared at the massive ship before him.

So this was what rich people were like?

Half an hour later.

Zhou Ming stood on the deck, watching Qing Prefecture City disappear behind him.

"Brother Zhou, Brother Zhou, stop looking and come drink!"

Tables had been firmly secured to the deck.

The tables were laden with food and wine.

Looking at the two clearly divided groups, Zhou Ming felt somewhat helpless.

He had thought that traveling with these young masters would not only spare him some trouble, but also provide a comfortable journey.

The comfortable journey was indeed there, but the trouble had not been avoided.

Still, he had witnessed what these young masters were capable of.

They had actually managed to get everyone from Qing Prefecture participating in the tournament aboard the ship.

Zhou Ming returned to his own designated table with Jiang Jiang.

The moment the two sat down, a sarcastic voice drifted over.

"Our Qing Prefecture Martial Examination's number one, always accompanied by a beauty wherever he goes."

Zhou Ming looked up and smiled. "Yang Shuo, if your strength were even a fraction as good as your mouth, you wouldn't have gotten slapped by me."

Laughter immediately erupted all around them.

Yang Shuo's face turned livid as he glared at Zhou Ming. "Don't be so smug. Someone will deal with you in the tournament."

Hearing that, a trace of doubt appeared in Zhou Ming's eyes.

Could there be another expert?

No way. A fourth-rank fighter would be seriously over the limit, wouldn't they?

At that moment, Huang Muheng came over with a cup of wine and sat across from him.

"Brother Zhou, once you reach the Imperial City, you must be extremely cautious in all your dealings. Those bastards from the Imperial City's noble families are no good. They're strong, petty, and shameless as hell. Beat up the young ones, and the old ones come after you."

"Damn it, Huang Muheng, which side are you on? Is that how you talk about your own people?" Yang Shuo rose to his feet angrily.

Although he had not interacted much with the Imperial City's noble families, they were all noble family descendants. Huang Muheng was one too. What was he trying to do by so openly belittling his own side?

Huang Muheng turned around, his gaze unfriendly. "Yang Shuo, if you aren't strong enough, keep your mouth shut. Whether you take sides or not, I advise you not to get involved in this. Don't wait until the day General Yang has to swallow his pride and beg for mercy on your behalf."

Yang Shuo was just about to speak when Shen Chong and another person once again joined forces to shut him down.

One of the commoner geniuses spoke up. "Brother Huang, does that mean you're neutral?"

Huang Muheng stood, swept his eyes around the room, and said calmly, "The conflict between noble families and commoners has existed since ancient times. Setting aside the countless factions on both sides, I will only say this: Martial Artists should strive, but they must also know their limits."

Everyone fell silent at once.

Zhou Ming narrowed his eyes slightly.

Originally, he had thought this was merely a conflict between commoners and noble families.

But after hearing Huang Muheng's words, he realized the waters ran far deeper than they appeared.

Ignoring the others, Huang Muheng sat down at Zhou Ming's table.

With a grave expression, he said, "Brother Yu Xi, remember this. There are five great families in the Imperial City that you must not offend."

"They are the Feng, Chen, Dong, Chu, and Qian families."

"These five great families hold extraordinary status. Even the Empress fears them to some extent."

Zhou Ming asked curiously, "What, are those families stronger than the Huang Family?"

Huang Muheng froze.

He truly had not expected the other party to use him as a comparison.

He smiled bitterly. "Brother Yu Xi, it's true that my family ancestor is a Second-Rank Celestial, but I only have one ancestor. Their families have far more than one."