Night deepened.
The carriage of the Lady of Anyang's residence stopped outside the Heaven-Observing Pavilion.
Ye Xingge emerged from the group of women, bid farewell to Lady of Anyang and Baby Bunny, and originally planned to pick up her aloof female boss after work.
But the Great Beauty Luo had not yet returned; instead, a minor official hurried over.
"Lord Ye, Duke Wu requests your presence in his study."
"Oh?"
Ye Xingge was slightly surprised, but he didn't delay. He straightened his clothes and went to the main building of the Heaven-Observing Pavilion.
The fourth floor of the main building served as the offices of the Heaven-Observing Assistant- ranking official) and some civil officials.
Ye Xingge walked to the door and saw Wu Yi, dressed in a vermilion official robe, studying a game of chess on the couch, quite focused.
" Duke Wu."
Wu Yi raised his eyes, his attitude quite amiable:
"Just call me Lord Wu, please come and sit down."
Ye Xingge sat down by the couch, glanced at the chessboard, and saw that Wu Yi, playing black, had already routed the white pieces. He exclaimed in surprise:
"Lord Wu, you've got some impressive skills! Did they manage to drive this man away?"
Wu Yi had just been playing chess with Eunuch Fan, who had come mainly to discuss matters. Seeing the situation was turning against him, Eunuch Fan fled and was now lamenting his situation. Upon hearing the voice, he exclaimed in surprise:
You're also skilled at chess?
"I used to be frequently asked by Magistrate Shen to help me out; he taught me chess, so I know a little bit about it."
"Oh..."
Shen Songnian is Zhang Zhiqing's protégé. After Wu Yi retires, Shen Songnian will most likely take over the position of Heaven-Observing Assistant.
Hearing this, Wu Yi wasn't surprised. He put away the chess pieces, restarted the game, and began to assess Ye Xingge's skill level, while also getting down to business:
"The Emperor's birthday is the day after tomorrow, and the palace wants you to participate in a martial arts competition."
"A contest?"
Ye Xingge, sitting opposite, said in surprise:
Who to hit?
Wu Yi placed a piece. "Still making arrangements. The opponent is definitely strong, and this matter is quite difficult to handle."
Ye Xingge was somewhat puzzled:
What makes it difficult?
Wu Yi already knew that Cao Xiong wanted to assess Ye Xingge's actual strength in order to decide whether or not to offer Ye Xingge any favors.
For example, if Ye Xingge's skills are not good enough to qualify, the imperial court can provide some support to Temple of Vast Compassion and Ye Xingge, who has connections, into the program, or spend money to get others to withdraw voluntarily, making room for Ye Xingge, etc.
The emperor and the officials of the court were also eager to see whether Ye Xingge was exceptionally capable, exceptionally lucky, or had powerful backers.
Therefore, Ye Xingge cannot win in the end.
Ye Xingge's victory means that he hasn't reached his full potential. We must fight until we're completely exhausted and give it our all, and only then can we truly see Ye Xingge's pure strength.
Knowing Ye Xingge couldn't win, Wu Yi certainly couldn't say it outright, lest the boy falter before the battle even began and give up. But he still had to encourage him:
"On the occasion of the emperor's birthday, you have been invited to the stage to offer your congratulations so that the officials of the court can see your potential firsthand. Therefore, you must win!"
"You'd better give it your all, even if you can't win spectacularly, you can't afford to lose. The better you perform, the more the court will invest in you in the future."
With all my might, giving it my all...
Ye Xingge felt that these words were a bit harsh and asked:
"Is the arena only for fists and feet, or for all eighteen weapons?"
"They wield powerful weapons, yet their skill level remains undiscovered; they rely solely on fists and feet."
"Regarding skill level..."
"The arena is a contest of skill; the meridians are sealed beforehand, and both sides' abilities are completely equal."
"Oh..."
Ye Xingge sat up a little straighter. Although he felt he was being a bit arrogant, he still asked:
"If I go too far, it might make the Later Zhou wary..."
Wu Yi stroked his beard, somewhat amused:
"Twenty names are hidden on the Gold List. You can keep your mouth shut and prevent Wu Chenglie from figuring out their identities. But if you act too hesitantly, wouldn't that be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater?"
"Moreover, the arena is about 'real combat skills.' Wu Chenglie, wielding the Propriety Weapon [ Choose Methods and Determine the Path ], has already endured countless tribulations. His real combat skills are unparalleled in the world. Even Duke Zhang wouldn't dare to say he can easily dominate. What makes you think Wu Chenglie should be wary of you?"
Ye Xingge understood this principle, but she was still a little uneasy.
In essence, practical combat skills are technical proficiency. No matter how good your techniques, moves, or physical constitution are, you still need someone who knows how to use them. Otherwise, learning a set of divine skills is useless if you can't fight.
Among boxers of the same weight class, some are world champions, while others are struggling in the bottom of the boxing pool. The difference lies in the boxing techniques they have honed since childhood.
With good comprehension and excellent teachers, one's practical skills will definitely improve faster than the average person.
But even if you have nothing, knowing that "early birds fly first and diligence can make up for lack of talent" can still help you develop a high level of skill through practice.
Ye Xingge is a bit special. When he couldn't find the little green bottle or the little ring when he was a child, he already used the ancient method of "the early bird catches the worm" to help him!
Moreover, he has maximum initiative; no one in the world flies earlier or is more self-disciplined than him.
Moreover, his parents strongly supported his physical training, and he also had a second uncle who could 'hahahaha~' and he had killed nearly a hundred people in countless real combat situations.
Even a complete idiot would have become an expert by now.
Moreover, he's not stupid; he has good physical talent and comprehension, and he also has many clever ideas from his previous life.
The combination of these two factors results in his exceptionally high level of combat skill. If we only consider fist and foot techniques, he is confident that he can take down 90% of his opponents with three punches.
If this were to really go all out, he could take down an opponent in three punches on the ring. Even if Later Zhou wasn't blind, he could see the sweat he was putting in off the stage, and his 'possessed by an old demon'-like talent...
However, Ye Xingge had previously spent his life at the bottom of society and lacked broad experience. He didn't know what level of skill the " Gold List Prodigy" possessed. To prevent Ye Xingge from becoming arrogant, he thought it over and nodded.
"Understood, I'll try my best."
Wu Yi knew he couldn't defeat his opponent, but as an elder, he still hoped Ye Xingge could go further, so he thought for a moment and gave him some more instructions.
There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding!
"This is an opportunity. Remember to go all out and don't take any chances. It's best to be prepared to die!"
Even if you can't win, you have to get up again and again until you burn with passion or defeat your opponent.
"The older generation loves this kind of tough guy! If you have that kind of tenacity and perseverance, even if you can't get into the First Rank for six months, they'll still do everything they can to get you in."
With a death wish...
Getting up again and again...
That sounds so exciting...
Ye Xingge sat up straighter, not daring to even think about what kind of monster he was going to fight.
Could it be that referee Duke Zhang is warming up...?
The First Rank demon Yijia has already entered the realm of ' Qi Refining ', and his moves are comparable to immortal arts. Duke Zhang Gongzhen were to join the fray, he would definitely be beaten into a pulp.
But a warrior cannot be cowardly before the battle even begins. After thinking it over, Ye Xingge solemnly nodded in agreement.
"This junior understands. I will certainly persevere and not let Duke Zhang Duke Wu lose face."
Wu Yi nodded with satisfaction, said nothing more, and focused on playing chess. He was surprised to find that the kid's chess skills were actually quite good.
In the back-and-forth battle, he was thoroughly exhausted, faced numerous close calls, and ultimately won by a narrow margin, leaving him wanting more.
After finishing his Ye Xingge didn't linger and was seen out by Duke Wu with a smile...
The moon rises above the treetops.
The courtyard at No. 7 Peach Blossom Lane was silent, but a few flickers of light could be seen in the bedroom.
Ye Xingge sat cross-legged on the bed, with a small wooden box in front of him.
The wooden box is exquisitely crafted, with brass auspicious cloud patterns on the surface. When opened, the interior is lined with bright yellow brocade, which is divided into two layers.
The first layer contained twelve pills, placed in a long sandalwood box, along with an instruction manual that roughly stated. "Cleanses the marrow and strengthens the meridians, nourishes qi and invigorates blood; take three pills daily before meals, etc..."
This pill can strengthen one's physical constitution, and with a strong physical constitution, one can cultivate skills faster, increasing the cultivation speed by about 50%. In the martial arts world, it is already considered a treasure.
Even more powerful than this is the Qilin Pill, which is said to double the speed of cultivation.
In addition, many famous soldiers can also enhance the speed of training, such as " Dine on Rosy Clouds and Sip Dew ", which allows one to gather the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, thus increasing the speed of training by several times.
However, the Fate-Robbing Saber only considers current physical attributes and cultivation techniques, not the enhancement from a famous weapon, so it's useless to him.
The reason why Great Beauty, Great Beauty Luo, Mei Wuchang, and others were able to rank among the top Second Rank at such a young age is because they had perfected their physical attributes and skills from childhood, and their 20 or 30 years of hard training was equivalent to the 40 or 50 years of training of a peasant from the bottom class.
As for the top -Second Rank players, it is difficult for them to reach the First Rank because the First Rank old demons are also fully equipped from a young age, and they also have the blessing of divine weapons. They have been cultivating diligently for First Rank.
Therefore, the gap between the Second Rank and the top ten is almost like a world apart.
At this moment, Ye Xingge swallowed a pill. It went down smoothly and felt warm all over, but there was nothing unusual about it. He then looked down at the bottom of the box.
The second floor contains dozens of books, including the " Movement and Lightness Manual " from the Thousand-Autumn Move Manual," which organizes various light body techniques, as well as the principles of moves such as " Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Steps," " Bow Body, Springing Shadow," and " Stomp Foot and Charge Step," along with the insights of the older generation.
The " Twelve Stances Art " manual I requested the other day was also included.
Ye Xingge picked up the Twelve Stances Art and examined them carefully. It was clear that they were internal martial arts techniques, much more profound than the external Eight Extremes Gang-Piercing Force.
In preparation for the 'life-or-death duel' the day after tomorrow, Ye Xingge didn't dare waste any time. He began cramming on various knowledge to increase his chances of winning. Halfway through, he picked up the United Hearts Plaque, imagining a slapping motion in his mind as he swung his hand across the Three Feet One- inch stone, and poked out:
[Are you back yet?]
On the other side, inside the Imperial Pavilion on the top floor of the Myriad Phenomena Tower.
The Imperial Pavilion was reserved for the Emperor of Yan, but as the eldest princess of the Great Yan, she certainly had special privileges. At this moment, she was drinking and enjoying the scenery with a group of noblewomen inside the building.
Luo Xuanqing stood alone on the outdoor terrace, overlooking the brightly lit city below. Realizing he'd been spanked, he jolted, his face flushed, glanced back, then took out the sign and frantically tried to slap his hand again.
[How dare you! It's still early, go to sleep! (─`′─)]
Ye Xingge curled the corners of his lips, made a few more flirtatious remarks, put down the cards, took out the Yellow Strip, and frantically recalled the Great Longevity Peach:
" Yu'er, what are you doing?"