"All right!"
Lin Changqing felt a tightness in his chest. If not for Lin Heng's marriage agreement with the Great Xia Imperial Clan, he would have dearly wished to demote him to a commoner on the spot!
Lin Changqing looked at Su Song again and said, "You heard him too, Grand Commander. The little prince is young and spoiled, and even I can't keep him in line!"
Su Song was still burning with rage, but there was nothing he could do!
The ruler clearly had no intention of punishing Lin Heng!
Even if the ruler allowed Su Song to retaliate on the spot, he would not dare make a move openly!
The majesty of the Great Xia Imperial Clan could not be violated!
Su Song's son swiftly left, carrying Su Zhenyu in his arms!
Su Zhenyu needed further treatment. Otherwise, even if his life could be saved, the foundation of his martial path would be lost!
"Chief Steward Xi, continue the selection!"
Lin Changqing gave the order coolly.
He had long been displeased with the Su Clan, so of course he would not punish his own son severely to curry favor with them!
"This servant obeys!"
Xi Zhaoqu returned to the center of the grounds.
Su Song left the palace, his face ashen.
The strength test continued and soon came to an end.
Sixty-six young people passed this round!
The third round tested speed!
The sixty-six young people raced around the grounds. Anyone who completed ten laps in a hundred breaths would pass!
This round passed without any commotion, and fifty-five of the sixty-six young people passed!
All fifty-five were admitted to Chishui Academy!
The morning passed.
At noon, the kitchens of Chishui Royal Palace prepared lunch for everyone.
Chishui Royal City, the Grand Commander's residence!
Su Ying had returned to her parental home to visit her gravely injured nephew!
Su Zhenyu, who had already received careful treatment, lay in a deep sleep.
His face was pale, and several of his fingers twitched from time to time. It looked as though he would have to stay in bed for a long time before he gradually recovered!
"That little bastard is far too vicious!"
Su Ying cursed through gritted teeth.
"Hmph! He won't be able to run wild for much longer!"
Su Song said bitterly, "With Liu Ling'er, that invincible God Realm expert, no longer by his side, he still openly claimed he didn't need the protection of the Chishui Royal Clan. He has angered the ruler and the entire Chishui Royal Clan. If he doesn't die, there's simply no justice under heaven!"
"Do you have a plan, Father?"
Su Ying's eyes lit up as she asked expectantly.
"The last attempt on Liu Ling'er's life cost the Lineage a powerful Martial Emperor Realm deathsworn. We'll settle both old scores and new grudges together!"
Su Song said in a heavy voice, "I refuse to believe that just because Liu Ling'er can kill a Martial Emperor Realm expert, a three-year-old brat can too!"
"Father, what about the Great Xia Imperial Clan? Would they..."
"Certainly not!"
Su Song said with certainty, "As long as we don't kill him in broad daylight, the Great Xia Imperial Clan will make a show of investigating at most. They certainly won't go to war over it. They might even be eager for someone to kill that little bastard!"
"I thought so too!"
Su Ying nodded.
"We can't rush this. We need to wait for the right opportunity!"
Su Song instructed his daughter, "The principal consort also sent a Martial Emperor Realm expert to assassinate Liu Ling'er last time. We can't leave her out this time either! Only then, even if the matter comes to light, will the ruler have no choice but to reduce a major matter to a minor one and a minor matter to nothing!"
"Mm! The principal consort also hates that little bastard to the bone. It won't be hard to ask her to join us!"
Su Ying said with a smile, "That little bastard only has himself to blame for being so arrogant. This morning, he actually declared in public that he couldn't forgive us for trying to assassinate Liu Ling'er! He probably doesn't know that the principal consort was involved in that attempt too! It's easy to guess what she was thinking when she heard those words!"
"That little bastard's talent for the martial path is clearly extraordinary, and he hates us from the bottom of his heart. The older he gets, the greater the threat he poses to us!"
Su Song's voice rang with conviction. "We must get rid of him as soon as possible. It's worth taking some risks to do it!"
After lunch, the martial gathering continued!
Chishui Academy had finished selecting its new students. Next, it was time for the young geniuses and elites to compete!
Lin Heng first made his usual round of check-ins at various places with Hong San accompanying him. Only then did he return to the martial arena in Chishui Royal Palace!
By now, the contests between the geniuses and elites were in full swing.
The ruler, Lin Changqing, was still watching, and the principal consort, Shi Feifei, and secondary consorts such as Su Ying were also present.
Even Su Song had returned!
The weakest of those who had registered to compete was at the Purple Mansion Realm, and none was older than thirty!
There were not many such geniuses and elites. Most came from Chishui Academy, while a few came from the various major sects and martial families!
There were only thirty-two in total!
The entire competition used a double-elimination system!
They drew lots to determine their opponents. The winners entered the winners' bracket, while the losers entered the losers' bracket!
Anyone who lost again in the losers' bracket would be eliminated!
The double-elimination system prevented geniuses who had the strength to place highly from being eliminated early simply because they had the misfortune to draw an overly powerful opponent.
Just as he had that morning, Lin Heng sat in the academy section on the east side.
When the academy students saw him arrive, they began discussing him again.
"The little prince upset the ruler this morning, but he actually went unpunished! I thought he wouldn't be able to come this afternoon!"
"He's a prince, after all, while Su Zhenyu is only the Grand Commander's grandson. There's a considerable difference in their status, and besides, Su Zhenyu didn't die!"
"Honestly, the goddess made an enormous contribution to our Human Race. Even if her son is a little spoiled or makes a mistake, he ought to receive special treatment!"
"The little prince caught an iron ball weighing two hundred jin with ease, and he could even throw it over thirty zhang. His physical strength is simply outrageously great! What do you think? If the little prince joined the competition, could he get a fairly good ranking?"
Hearing this, Lin Feng, who had been watching the matches intently, could not resist speaking up.
"He's just a three-year-old toddler, with almost no cultivation or power to speak of, and he doesn't know any martial skills. Even if he has a stronger physique, how could he possibly compare to a Martial Ancestor Realm expert?"
Lin Feng declared, "If he joined the competition, he'd definitely finish dead last!"
Just then, a match had ended!
The eldest prince, Lin Xuan, had defeated his opponent and secured a place in the winners' bracket!
Lin Xuan was only eighteen, but his cultivation had already reached the third grade of the Martial Ancestor Realm, while his opponent was at the fourth grade!
He had successfully challenged someone above his level!
Lin Xuan was also an academy student. After his victory, he walked over to their section.
He deliberately passed by Lin Heng and asked with a smile, "Little brother, how was my performance just now?"
"Not bad, I suppose!"
Lin Heng glanced at Lin Xuan and answered absentmindedly.
"Little brother, don't let your eyes outgrow your skills!"
Lin Xuan still wore a smile.
It was Lin Feng's turn to take the field.
He descended from the third stone tier and said coolly, "Perhaps it isn't a matter of his eyes outgrowing his skills. Perhaps he simply can't see the intricacies at all!"
"Haha, I think so too!"
Lin Xuan laughed heartily.
"Little prince, it's my turn now. You should watch carefully this time!"
With that, Lin Feng strode into the martial arena.
Lin Feng was also quite formidable. His opponent was only at the second grade of the Martial Ancestor Realm, seven minor levels below him. The gap in their strength was enormous, and he won with ease.
Lin Feng returned from the arena and stopped in front of Lin Heng as well.
"Little prince, how was my performance just now?"