Chaos Erupts!

The mountain dew is heavy, and the morning mist is thick.

Great Qing, the sky over the Mount Zhongnan was almost entirely white.

However, when the bright red sun rises from the east...

Most of the fog and moisture no longer pose a visual obstacle under bright sunlight.

Therefore, when people look up at the sky at this time, it is as if the sky suddenly turns blue and the clouds and fog disperse.

Most of the sky was azure, while the east was filled with golden-red clouds, surrounding a red sun.

The gradient of colors from cool to warm hues paints the landscape like a painting, magnificent and colorful, breathtakingly beautiful.

Standing before the main hall atop the first peak of the Seven Martial Competition Mountains Arts, Chu Tianshu gazed upon the vast and magnificent landscape, unable to resist taking a deep breath to absorb the essence of heaven and earth.

Inside the main hall, many chairs were placed, with Hai Donglai seated in the main position.

On the small square table beside him were a red umbrella and Divine Drum.

The green mycelium on the Divine Drum has grown to about two feet long, resembling a clump of exceptionally soft and pure-colored fine grass.

This grand hall was specially prepared for Hai Donglai. It is usually closed until the eve of the Martial Exhibition of All Nations, when someone will come to clean it and then close the hall doors again.

No one knew when Hai Donglai return, but they knew that Hai Donglai would definitely emerge from this hall when the Martial Exhibition of All Nations began.

During the two-day, three-night martial arts competition, Hai Donglai will remain in this main hall.

That's why he brought the Divine Drum Fungus strain, which he needed to check on every night, here.

Today marks the official start of the Martial Exhibition of All Nations.

After the sun rose, thunderous drumbeats echoed from the nearby hilltops.

Hai Donglai shifted his gaze from the fungal strains to the palace gate, where he stood side by side with Chu Tianshu.

Chu Tianshu asked, "With so many chairs in this hall, will quite a few more people be coming later?"

Sometimes more, sometimes less.

Hai Donglai, "According to custom, the Minister of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Directorate of Construction, the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, the Commander of the Inner Guard, and the General of the Left Golden Wu Guard will all come here to sit for a while."

"Some old friends from other countries also come to visit occasionally."

The Martial Exhibition of All Nations is a major national event, and naturally it should showcase the etiquette of a superior nation.

The Minister of Rites and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau were there to go through certain procedures.

However, the Minister of Rites is currently still in prison because he is a member of the Li Clan of Zhao Commandery.

Cao Mengzheng, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, claimed that someone was using rainbow body transformation to disrupt the heavenly secrets and was currently in seclusion in an attempt to break through the veil as soon as possible.

The Ministry of War, the Directorate of Construction, the Inner Guard, and the Golden Wu Guard were all responsible for some of the matters related to the conference.

Therefore, these four groups of people should still be present.

As they were talking, a bustling crowd emerged from the mountains, having already left their houses and tents to secure better vantage points.

They had already arrived at Mount Zhongnan and were used to seeing the mountain scenery and sunrises. What they wanted to see now was naturally the spectacle of martial arts competitions.

And on that large flat area, surrounded by seven mountains.

Squads of soldiers poured in from outside, took their positions, and lined up to form a ceremonial guard.

Dozens of giant warriors, each over ten feet tall, held a golden ball in one hand and a steel staff in the other, each corresponding to a arena, acting as arbitrators.

Tian Zhu of the Ministry of War, Yang Jungong of the Golden Wu Guard, Nie Hongxian of the Inner Guard, An Jingsi of the Directorate of Construction.

The four men, all dressed in crimson and purple official robes or armor, walked to the ceremonial platform in the middle of the dozens of arenas.

Tian Zhu was handsome and imposing, with eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes as black as lacquer, a long beard reaching his chest, and a slender and well-proportioned figure. He bowed to the four directions, then spoke in a loud voice that reverberated through the mountains.

"In the sixty-seventh year of the Great Tang Dynasty, the year of Dingmao... we hereby report to Heaven and Earth, humbly declaring that in this era of peace and prosperity, with the union of Heaven and Earth, and the flourishing of both civil and military affairs, we have specially opened a stage for the outstanding talents of all nations..."

He began with a long proclamation to Heaven and Earth, a task originally the Minister of Rites should have undertaken, but which had now fallen to the Ministry of War.

Chu Tianshu found the conversation uninteresting and began to scrutinize the four people.

"Hey! Now that two are gone, three out of these four are your students."

Chu Tianshu looked intently at An Jingsi, "What is the background of this Directorate of Construction?"

An Jingsi was thin and frail, with slightly yellow hair, dark skin, and rough, thick, and large hands. His eyes, however, were bright as pearls and full of spirit.

"If I remember correctly, this person was a military officer who passed the imperial examination twenty years ago."

Hai Donglai recalled, "When he was young, he was adopted by a bandit leader, which delayed his growth for many years. Later, the local government destroyed the bandit's den and rescued many children."

"This young man was merely a coerced accomplice who was released shortly afterward. However, he learned martial arts in prison, entered an official school, and after passing the examinations at the township, county, prefectural, and provincial levels, he finally entered the imperial court."

"I heard he was born with the strength of a thousand jin, and had a natural talent for boxing. He was originally a military talent, but I don't know how he ended up in the Directorate of Construction and even became its director."

Although Hai Donglai was knowledgeable and had a photographic memory, he had not spent much time in the imperial court in recent years, so he was not so clear about these matters.

Chu Tianshu secretly took note and said, "Kong Tianrui's notes mention that he discussed martial arts with several masters, inspiring each other, which led to the perfection of the ' Stone Flower Colorless Palm '."

"These people must be communicating using a set of alien silver mirrors; there must be someone from another race among them."

"But the person who truly inspired Kong Tianrui the most was definitely a Tang People; his martial arts approach clearly shows traces of Huaxia culture."

"Moreover, it's not the martial arts style of the Pei, Wu, or Li families."

Upon Hai Donglai glanced at An Jingsi a few more times.

An Jingsi noticed his gaze and bowed respectfully from a distance.

"I had barely arrived in Chang'an when the Four Great Aristocratic Clans set a trap to kill me. I have a feeling that from their perspective, they had a compelling reason to take action."

Chu Tianshu placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword, a slight smile playing on his lips, his gaze sweeping across the mountains and the faces of the crowd.

"Since that's what the four of them think, those who conspire with them probably won't have to wait much longer. The Martial Exhibition of All Nations is the perfect opportunity."

From a macro perspective, many things in this world are openly hostile.

One side will likely know approximately how many enemies there are and at what time they might make their move.

The other party also knows that you know this.

However, when it comes to implementation, those who remain hidden in the shadows will ultimately take the initiative.

Hai Donglai had long anticipated this, and his actions were like the Yangtze River, flowing on its own, with stillness within movement, observing the changes calmly.

At this point, Tian Zhu's lengthy discourse finally came to an end.

The people of the mountains felt a surge of energy, and discussions arose one after another.

"The Martial Exhibition of All Nations begins here!"

The four people on the platform spoke at the same time.

The dozens of giant warriors all threw the golden balls in their hands into the air.

Two golden spheres, each the size of a human head, collided in mid-air and exploded with a deafening roar.

Inside the golden sphere were gunpowder and colored powder, which exploded into bursts of vibrant colors.

Colorful smoke billowed into the sky hundreds of feet high, a beautiful sight that drew thunderous cheers.

"The market is open! The market is open! Place your orders now!"

Amidst the deafening clamor, the most desperate shouts came from those who were only now preparing to open the market.

They figured that opening the market now would yield quick results, making it most attractive to those looking to make a quick buck.

There were tens of thousands of people in the mountains, but only a little over a thousand were officially participating in the competition, and they all entered the venue one after another.

The fighters stood on the arena, each displaying their stance training, with their left hands behind their waists and their right arms forward, using their forearms to block each other and exert force.

The most straightforward way to fight is by force. According to the rules, no other methods are used; whoever is knocked out of the ring first loses.

On the mountain road, the first batch of speedsters had already taken their positions.

They ran around the mountain, and whoever grabbed the colorful ribbons tied to the trees first, according to their different colors, represented their respective rankings.

Those who demonstrated greater endurance occupied the other half of the arena.

Chu Tianshu originally wanted to pay attention to Dou Su first. Although Guo Lingwei hadn't started the competition yet, it wouldn't stop him from watching the other's leg techniques and body movements.

However, when he actually saw the equipment used to test endurance, he couldn't help but be drawn to it.

The copper charcoal stove is as tall as a person, and the charcoal bricks at the bottom are of a fixed size. There is a person in charge to measure the temperature. After the stove door is opened and a person is put in, the timer is started.

The furnace door was about the size of a single door in an ordinary household, making it easy to open and close. It also had a crystal window for observing what was inside.

"Tsk tsk, is this a competition or torture?"

Chu Tianshu couldn't help but ask, "Who came up with this competition method?"

Hai Donglai chuckled, "This wasn't part of the competition the Great Tang prepared for them back then; they just didn't find it satisfying."

"Initially, the Zoroastrianism suggested the use of a furnace, but the Church of the East used their ancestral torture instruments to create the 'Ten Thousand Needle Iron Coffin,' so the Great Tang Dynasty simply sent them a 'Cold Poison Dissolving Bone Jar' as well."

"Back then, there was even a suggestion to compete in dismemberment by five chariots, using five machine-engineered war chariots that had been nurtured with the Weapon Soul to hold down the head and limbs."

"However, that event was too difficult; if you didn't exert enough strength, you couldn't showcase your talent, and if you exerted too much strength, too many people would die. So it was eventually abolished."

Chu Tianshu moved his fingers slightly, tapping the hilt of the sword in turn.

It has to be said, although it looks like torture.

But in reality, it is the ability to endure that best reveals a person's strength of life.

It is resistant to high temperatures, cold, and sharp objects.

It's no wonder that countless viewers prefer watching this segment.

Of the three tests, the furnace was not the most unbearable; the poison vat and the iron coffin were the truly astonishing.

The iron coffin had countless tiny holes, so even if an ordinary steel needle pierced through it, it would not be able to harm a master who was close to the Plain King.

Therefore, the iron coffin has been improved several times, and now it uses tubes of mechanical long needles made by the Directorate of Palace Construction.

Align the iron cylinder with the hole and pull different mechanisms to achieve different levels of force.

It is said that the latest model of this mechanical needle can make the iron needle move at twice the speed of sound.

If they used the latest model, let alone these people below the Plain King, even if Zheng Tianchang stood here without dodging or avoiding, he would be in serious trouble if shot twice in vital areas.

Therefore, the Directorate of Construction divided these iron tube needles into very fine grades.

Each time, only a little force is applied, but once it is discovered that the skin and flesh have been broken, the person cannot attempt anything more.

In contrast, the most dangerous aspect of the cold poison vat lies in whether the person entering it is aware of the risks.

"It's alright. Before I even learned to walk, I studied the boxing manuals. These twenty years of hard work haven't been in vain!"

At this moment, there were already people in all ten vats over there.

One of them was a young swordsman with a white turban tied around his head. The lid of the poison jar was sealed, leaving only his head sticking out, and he was laughing to himself.

From a nearby viewing platform, someone shouted in praise, "Young Master Bai, well done!"

The Great Tang pharmacist in charge of supervision watched his face closely and saw that when he was halfway through his smile, the veins on his face were already throbbing like black snakes.

"Come out here!"

Without saying a word, the pharmacist lifted the lid, grabbed him by the back of the neck, and pulled him out.

The young swordsman was still unconvinced. His feet touched the ground, but he was already limp and almost knelt down.

Just as the pharmacist gave him a detoxifying pill, two other pharmacists nearby suddenly intervened and pulled the person out of the vat.

The two people, a man and a woman, were both muscular and strong; the woman had a red cloth wrapped around her chest.

The two of them remained calm and composed throughout, without making a fuss, but the skin below their necks had turned bluish-green.

The pharmacist pried open their eyelids and sighed, "They've already been poisoned unconscious."

Although she was smiling with her eyes open, she was actually quite dazed.

This is the insidious nature of the poison vat.

Some people are stubborn; even though they know the cold poison has entered their bodies, they still think they can tough it out.

Some people, however, lose control of themselves after the cold poison enters their bodies, their smiles become uncontrollable, and they don't even know to ask for help.

As soon as someone was taken out of the vat, someone else took their place.

The pharmacists would check the concentration of the medicine; if they felt it was too weak, they would take out pills or powders to supplement it.

In a short time, nine out of the ten vats had been used by several different groups of people.

Only the last bite was taken by a handsome, short-haired, Central Asian man.

This person was a Nestorian Church of the East expert sent by the Far West Great Qin. He was indeed remarkable. He silently recited the Gospel, remained steadfast and unmoved, and the poison penetrated him extremely slowly.

The poison in this vat was so potent that it would even affect a master like Plain King, yet he managed to endure it for a quarter of an hour.

It seems that although he was drawn in the first batch, he was by no means destined to be a vanguard for the king.

Who knows, he might come in first place in the final test of poison tolerance.

At this moment, another large vat became empty.

The man who came to take his place had his entire head wrapped in a white cloth, with only his eyes and nose showing. As he passed by the Church of the East master, his footing suddenly swayed.

The kick was swift and stealthy, only half a foot long, the toe making contact with the poison jar before retracting.

The Church of the East master in the jar paled drastically, his eyes widening in fury, and a bluish-black hue instantly spread across his face.

The pharmacist, who hadn't been able to stop them earlier, was now furious and grabbed the man with the white headscarf. "What are you doing?"

Another pharmacist hurriedly fed the Church of the East expert a detoxifying pill; however, it was unclear what vital part he had injured with that kick.

Even after administering the detoxifying pill, it couldn't suppress the poison's effects on this Church of the East master.

"Shameless!!"

The female envoy leading the Great Qin delegation flashed onto the stage. She had a beautiful face, was dressed in men's clothing, and carried a four-foot-long black cane. She struck the man with the white turban directly down.

Halfway there, however, there was an iron chain; pull the cane away.

An elderly Zoroastrianism was seen protecting his disciple, his hands bound by iron chains, refusing to yield an inch.

Hai Donglai's gaze fell upon this direction.

Since this Myriad Nations Martial Arts Tournament gathers envoys from all nations, many of them may harbor deep-seated hatred or national grudges.

If a fight breaks out and the situation escalates, even if the many experts of the Great Tang can hold them off and prevent them from harming Chang'an, the Martial Exhibition of All Nations may not be able to continue.

Hai Donglai was to remain in the conference room throughout the event precisely to extinguish any signs of private feuds.

Often, just one glance from him was enough to send chills down the spines of two Plain King, making them dare not continue their confrontation.

As for what tricks they might use against each other on their way back, the Great Tang wouldn't care.

However, just Hai Donglai was casting his gaze in that direction, Nie Hongxian, who was halfway up the mountain, received an urgent report and suddenly rushed up to the top of the mountain.

"Master, someone has attacked the Imperial Astronomical Bureau!"

Chu Tianshu frowned, about to speak.

Hai Donglai had already said, "No need to worry about it!"

"I have already sent someone to ask Cao Mengzheng to hide in secret and go into seclusion in a secluded place. No one will be able to find him. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau is just a bunch of empty shells."

Cao Mengzheng can be considered a vital asset to the nation.

Even if the emperor dies, this national treasure that can predict natural disasters must not be killed casually, lest the lineage be cut off. Hai Donglai naturally had already made arrangements.

Moreover, the personnel he mobilized were not even within the Inner Guard system.

With a century of accumulated experience, the number of people he can rely on far exceeds those on the surface.

Even Chu Tianshu didn't know when Hai Donglai had sent people to do this.

Just then, a scream suddenly came from the Ten Thousand Needle Iron Coffin.

The Directorate of Construction in charge of setting the triggers actually set the triggers for the highest level of authority.

The people on the mountaintop suddenly looked up.

An image flashed through Chu Tianshu's mind.

He remembered that the person who had been put into that coffin before was one of the Viking duke's sons.

(End of this chapter)