C29

In the blink of an eye, it was the middle of the last month. It was only less than half a month away from the first day of the first month. The students who felt that they wouldn't be able to have another breakthrough in this period of time all came to the Phoenix Cry Palace in succession to obtain the final product of Foundation Establishment. Since the new students' classes would start next March, students who had determined their grades would be able to return home and spend the New Year with their families. They would return to the capital only after the latter part of February.

The Phoenix's Cry Palace, the Pavilion of Illumination.

This was a place specially set up for new students. Inside the pavilion, there was a three foot square jade plate with the strange formation left behind by Emperor Taizu engraved on it. As long as the student placed his hand in the middle of the jade plate, the jade plate would emit different colors and different concentrations of light, thus confirming the Foundation Establishment grade.

One to six is white; seven to twelve is yellow; thirteen to eighteen is green; nineteen to twenty-four is blue; twenty-five to thirty is red; thirty-one to thirty-six is purple.

Within the pavilion, the new students lined up in neat rows. One by one, they placed their hands in the center of the jade plate. Next to them, several teachers from the academy were recording the names and grades of their students. The head of the academy, Luo Canglan, and a few other elders and elders were sitting by the side. They were sipping tea and chatting while looking at the newly arrived students who were apprehensive.

"Gu Guang, the one from the Lu family, they haven't come yet?" He was the heir to the Yun Family who was known as "Young Master Ruyu" — Yun Xian Si.

"Not yet. I'm afraid he won't come today." Bai Qing Guang and Zhi Xing's eyes searched through the newly arrived students for a while, before shaking their heads in unison.

Yunxian and Gu Qingcheng were of the same age. The two families were of similar lifetimes, and they often played together as children. It could even be said that they were childhood friends. Yun Fang's thoughts about Gu Qingcheng could be said to be well-known by all the noble sons and disciples of the capital. The Cloudstring Thought that was always warm like jade would only show its unruly side when facing Gu Qingcheng.

The news of the Gu and Lu families' intention to form a marriage had already been circulating around the capital for two months. If even the civilians knew about it, it was impossible for Yun Xian to not know about it. Yun Xin had always been paying attention to Gu Qingcheng, so she knew that she would frequently visit the Duke of Wei's Mansion these past few days. She would stay there for half a day, apparently being very satisfied with the person who was the leader of the group, Lu Que. All of these made Yun Xian, who had been secretly in love with Gu Qingcheng since she was young, bleed in her heart, but her mental state did not belong to her.

Yun Xian, who was in high spirits, eagerly wanted to meet the rumored Lu Family's Junyan. She wanted to see what kind of person Lu Que was and how he had obtained Gu Qingcheng's favor.

However, because Lu Que barely left his house, he could not find an opportunity to meet up with him. As for Yunxian Si's father, he had only taken over the position of Duke of Zhenguo and had not served as an official. As a result, the previous generation of the Yun and Lu families did not have much of a relationship.

However, it was already past the halfway point of the month. Cloudstring knew that most of the new students had already confirmed the quality of the Foundation Establishment Stage, but Lu Que still hadn't appeared.

"Sigh ~" Yun Xing Si sighed, looking at the students in the pavilion with disappointment in his eyes.

"Brother Yun, it seems like Lu Que won't be coming today. Let's go." As he was on good terms with Yun Xin, he naturally knew what this Yun Family elder brother was thinking about.

"Brother Yun." "Brother Yun, if you really want to meet him, you can ask Lu Que out through Zhuge Yan."

"Humph ~" Upon hearing Zhuge Yan's name, Bai Shuguo snorted coldly. He and Zhuge Yan had always been at odds. Since young, they had competed in wisdom and bravery, and neither would give in to the other. This time around, Zhuge Yan had surpassed him in terms of ranking, causing him to be even more infuriated.

Yunxian glanced at Bai Guang and smiled faintly. The difficult proposal to act wisely just now had caused his heart to palpitate. However, it was also a problem for him to make a move on Zhuge Yan. The Yun Family, the Bai Family, and the Wisdom Family of the Peace Country had always been on good terms with each other. The Zhuge Family of the supporting country, the Gu Family of the settled country, and the Su Family of the Acropolis Nation were also very close. Because of the existence of the old patriarch of the An Nation, Luo Clan of the Luo Clan, had always been neutral because of the matters of the few clans.

Just as Yun Xing was pondering on how he could persuade Zhuge Yan, a few people cried out in alarm from inside the pavilion. They turned their heads and saw that the jade plate was emitting a faint red glow; although it was only a scarlet color, it was definitely a red one.

"Green Forest County, Lin Qingyu, twenty-six levels of Foundation Establishment." Thinking that the masters of the academy had carefully checked the color of the jade plate, they announced loudly and excitedly.

"Boom."

The moment the teachers finished speaking, the students in the pavilion went into an uproar. The students who were not familiar with each other started whispering to each other, discussing in low voices. In an instant, the entire pavilion was buzzing with noise.

After confirming the result, he laughed out loud, and his hand continued to pat Lin Qingyu's shoulder. At the side, Lin Qingyu also had an excited expression on his face, the cultivation technique he practiced was a nameless cultivation technique left behind by his mother, and even he himself did not know about his own cultivation. He did not expect that he had already reached the twenty-five level of Foundation Establishment.

Luo Canglan nodded his head in gratification. This year's students were indeed much stronger than before. In the past, it was extremely rare for a person to reach the eighteenth rank of Foundation Establishment or higher. In this period of time, there were dozens of them in Phoenix Cry Palace. Thinking back to how the stars seemed to converge in the same sky a few months ago, Luo Canglan could not help but sigh at the vastness of the heavens and the mysteriousness of the heavens. As expected, this time's Grand Examination's examinees frequently appeared. Seeing such a talented person flourish, Luo Canglan's heart was both comforted and secretly felt that it was a pity. This was because the first two in the cauldron had not chosen the Phoenix's Cry Palace. The chief, Ye Zhiqiu, had gone to the Pure Spring Palace. As such, he had chosen the Perching Cloud Academy.

Fortunately, there were still no less than two people remaining, but Lu Que did not understand why that kid from the Lu family still had not come to participate in the evaluation. Was he scared by the assassination attempt outside the palace? Or did he have the confidence to make another breakthrough during this period of time?

"This is the tenth examinee, Lin Qingyu?" Yun Xing Si looked at Lin Qingyu who had an excited expression and a strange look flashed across his eyes. Back then, he was only a level twenty Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"That's right, I've seen him before after the announcement. I didn't expect him to have such high martial talent." He was at the 22nd level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, similar to the Grand Princess and the Duke of Wei. He was considered one of the most outstanding students in the history of the school.

"The Humble Class is so many." Yun Xing Si sighed, "It seems that from today onwards, another hero of this world will rise to prominence."

Bai Shuguang and Zhixing were both surprised for a moment, before nodding in agreement. As long as Lin Qingyu was able to grow up successfully, he would be able to become a peerless expert even if he was not part of the imperial court.

"I wonder what grade of Foundation Establishment that Lu Que is, and that Duanmu Ye who lives in the Duke of Wei's Mansion." It was difficult for him to put on a dejected expression. He was of the 22nd grade of the Foundation Establishment Stage just like Bai Guiguang. In the past, this was considered a relatively high grade, but this year, it was not that outstanding. He felt extremely depressed.

"I don't know about Lu Que, but Duanmu Ye is definitely not inferior to this person in front of me." A deep voice came from behind the three of them.

The three of them turned around and bowed when they saw the man behind them. "Brother Gu."

"Brother Gu, how do you know that Duanmu Ye is on par with this Lin Qingyu? Could it be that Brother Gu has seen him before?" Yun Xing Si saw the person approaching, her expression was a little unnatural, but she still opened her mouth to speak.

The person who had come was precisely Gu Qingcheng's elder brother, the heir to the Gu family — Gu Xianxue. He was already twenty years old this year and would probably graduate from the Imperial Court in another year. The Twelve Army and Twenty-Four Guards of the Empire coveted this famous general, the son of the Gu family, and the official letter inviting him had already arrived at the Duke of Dingguo's estate.

"A few days ago, I went to the Lu family with little sister and met that Duanmu Ye. He is extremely majestic and has an unparalleled talent." Gu Qingxue thought about the burly youth she had seen a few days ago and sighed in her heart.

"Brother Gu went to the Lu Manor? "I don't know..." Yun Xing Si seemed to want to say something, but stopped himself.

Gu Qianxue swept a glance at him and naturally knew what he wanted to ask. She said, "You want to ask Lu Que?" Seeing Yun Xian nod her head, Gu Xianxue seemed to have thought of something. Her mouth twitched, "The Lu family's Little Que is indeed talented and humble. Even though he's a bit young, he's still a good match for little sister."

Seeing Yun Yanxue lower her head without saying a word, Gu Xianxue's lips curled up as she continued, "My parents are also very satisfied with Lu Que. We only have to wait for the Lu Residence to get engaged and then the marriage can be set. You'd better not be wishful thinking."

The Gu and the Yun families had been at loggerheads since their ancestors. Although the current Duke of Zhenguo hadn't come out yet and the conflict had eased a little, Gu Xiuxue also didn't want her sister to marry into Zhenguo's Yun family, so she didn't have any good intentions towards Yun Xing Si.

"Then, then what about Qingcheng?" Yun Xing Si stuttered. He looked a little down.

"Brat, do you want to be beaten up again? Is Qingcheng the result of your cries?"

When Yun Xian saw the murderous light in Gu Xianxue's eyes, she did not seem to mind the way she was beating him up in front of the crowd. She hurriedly took two steps back and apologized profusely. There was nothing he could do. He had no idea how many times this Big Brother Gu had tried to find all sorts of reasons to fix things. He really didn't have any confidence at all in his heart.

Seeing Yun Ya's expression, Gu Shanxue sneered, "In the future, remember your name a little, and let me hear it from you. I guarantee that when you go home, not even Duke Zhen will be able to recognize you." However, I am in a good mood today, there's no harm in telling you. "

"Brother Gu, please speak." Yun Xian's eyes lit up, not paying any attention to the threat in Gu Xianxue's words.

"Little sister, how about at the Duke of Wei's estate right now? Are you happy? " Gu Qingxue laughed out loud.

Yun Xing Si was startled. She smiled bitterly and turned around to leave. But before he could take a step forward, the clothes on his back were pulled.

"Wait, do you want to know why I came to the Duke of Wei's mansion?"

"I don't want to know. Brother Gu, please let me go." He didn't reply, but everyone could hear the anger in his voice.

"Yo, angry. I never thought that even young master Yun would be angry, today is indeed a good day. " Gu Qingcheng had an expression of joy on her face. She put one of her hands on Yun Fang Si's shoulder and patted him twice. Don't be in such a hurry to leave yet. Let me tell you the truth, little sister is going to invite Lu Que over to fix some goods. They will be here at the earliest noon and the latest in the morning. Don't you see that I have come early? "Aren't you curious about what grade of Foundation Establishment the Lu Family is?"

She knew that he wasn't playing a joke on her, so she unwillingly said, "Don't be like that when the grade is too low, even if you lose the prestige of the Grand Princess and the Duke of Wei, you still lose it!" When she saw the stern look in Gu Xianxue's eyes, she's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly corrected her words, "You also lost your little sister's face."

"Is that so?" Gu Qianxue didn't care about it at all. "Throwing it away is still his own. The Eldest Princess's reputation was dyed red with the blood of the Seven Great Marquis' Mansion; the prestige of the Duke of Wei was built up from the bones of the Qing Yang Empire. He couldn't lose it even if he wanted to. As for my Gu family? Even if we were to be engaged, my little sister's husband cannot be a weak scholar who is powerless. "

"Brother Gu, is that true?" A glimmer of hope rose in Yun Xing Si's heart.

Gu Qingxue curled her lips and had a look of disdain on her face. If you want to know, wait here. It just so happens that I want to see the quality of that Lu family's kid. "

Actually, Gu Qingxue was also very curious. A few days ago, when he met Lu Que, he couldn't even detect his cultivation level. Either he was a scholar without any talent in the Martial Dao, or his level was too high. He knew that after reaching the 24th level of the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was very difficult for ordinary people to detect it.

At the same time, in the Duke of Wei's Mansion, Gu Qingcheng was angrily looking at the smiling Lu Que. Yu Tian Xiang was covering her mouth as she chuckled. Not far away, Zhuge Yan and Duanmu Ye were also smiling.

A few days ago, Gu Qingcheng and her brother had come to the Duke of Wei's estate to look for Lu Que. Gu Danxue wanted to test Lu Que's talent. The two of them first played chess, but Gu Danxue had lost three games in a row. Unwilling to give up, he sent someone to his house to fetch a few plates of war and war. Both of them were in charge of the same army, but they didn't expect to be killed three times in a row. By then, it was already late in the night. Gu Qiuxue, who had lost face, still wanted to continue her war against Lu Que. However, she was pulled away by Gu Qingcheng, who was standing at the side.

Today, Gu Qingcheng had originally wanted to find Lu Que to customize his products at the Academy. Now, the entire capital was very curious about Lu Que's Foundation Establishment grade, not to mention her.

When she arrived at the Residence of Duke Wei, she found her good friend Yu Tian Xiang was there as well. She was battling Lu Que with a sand table. Gu Qingcheng, who had the intention to avenge her brother, also wanted to see Lu Que's capabilities. She snatched the seat of her best friend and started a new match with Lu Que.

She did not expect that the army buried by Lu Que would burn all her grain as soon as the battle started. Seeing that Lu Que was once again in a defensive stance, he decided not to engage him in a battle with the wilderness. Gu Qingcheng's breathing quickened as her chest heaved.

"You, you're shameless! How could you fight like this in a battle? You can't just stay here and ambush the soldiers." As he spoke, he pulled up the blue flag that symbolized a light cavalry soldier and threw it on the ground, stepping on it twice in hatred. Seeing this, Lu Que was dumbfounded. The other three people couldn't help laughing as well.

"Why can't I hide there?" Lu Que looked at the blue flag on the ground and scratched his head.

"I don't care. You can't set up an ambush there anyway." As she spoke, Gu Qingcheng snatched the convoy, which was symbolized by the supply of food in Lu Que's hands, and placed it back into the array.

Well, then." Lu Que looked at Gu Qingcheng's unreasonable appearance and forced a smile, "My military strength is lower than yours, so I'll set up the main camp on the mountain. This mountain has a spring, it can be guarded firmly. Dividing troops into important paths, you think it's a corner? " Lu Que moved his hand and placed the camp on a small hill, splitting it up.

"Haha, you've been tricked. I, Su Ye, will sneak attack you and break your defenses." Gu Qingcheng was overjoyed, immediately picking up the blue flag that symbolized a battalion of soldiers and horses. "How about it? See if I surround you to death."

"Sister Qingcheng, are you sure you want the entire army to surround me at the foot of the mountain?" Lu Que asked.

"How about it? There's no other way, right? There's no other way to admit defeat. Losing to big sister isn't anything shameful." Gu Qingcheng had an expression of complacency on her face, and her smile was like a blossoming flower that was about to bloom.

"Since you're at the bottom of the mountain, then I'll dig the Blue River Levee." They said that Lu Que's other group of troops had appeared on the Blue River not too far away from the battlefield. Sister Qingcheng, you've lost. "

"How is this possible?" Gu Qingcheng covered her mouth and asked, "When did you split the troops?"

"When we were at the military base, I didn't believe you and you asked sister Tian Xiang."

Gu Qingcheng saw Yu Tianxiang nod her head and unwillingly said, "If you dig the Blue River Levee, even a county down by Mirror Lake will be flooded. How can you waste millions of citizens just for the sake of winning a war?"

"I have already activated the civil servants and dug a simple canal. We will split it up and spread it all over Mirror Lake, and it will not flood the city." Lu Que disapproved.

"Not even to the land." Gu Qingcheng continued to quibble, "Mirror Lake County has quite a large population. Once the floods arrive, millions of citizens will be displaced and starved to death. How can you bear it?"

"I can open up the North Foothold for emergency use." "Lu Qu mentioned the biggest barn on the northern border." There are trillions of grains stored in the northern silo and more than enough for a year of food. Furthermore, after the flood, agricultural matters can be rescheduled. The soil in the river can be made even more fertile by the sediment that rises from the river. "

"You ~" Gu Qingcheng pointed towards Lu Que as if he had something to say and argued, "If you do this, it'll harm the heavens and the earth. You can't dig up the Blue River Levee."

"Why, why?" Lu Que looked at the blue flag that was once again thrown onto the ground in a daze.

"No reason. I'll send troops to guard the Blue River Levee first to prevent you from digging." Could it be that little brother Lu thinks that little sister is unable to see through your scheme? Gu Qingcheng had a bright smile on her face, but her eyes were fixed on Lu Que. She made an expression as if if if you dared to object, then you'd be in big trouble.

"Fine." Lu Que rubbed his nose, feeling helpless. I have fewer men than you, and most of them are infantry and archers. Elder sister, although you have a lot of troops, but our military rations are equal to mine, so I will guard until you withdraw all of our troops. "

"You want to defend?" I'll set fire to the mountain. " Gu Qingcheng said.

"It's rainy season, how are you going to burn the mountain?"

"I don't care, I'll burn it."

"Yu Fei Fei, the forest is verdant. Sister Qingcheng, you can't light a fire. " Lu Que reminded.

"I use kerosene."

"This mountain range spans over a hundred miles. Do you know how much oil it requires? Sister Qingcheng, do you know?"

"No matter how much I use, I'll burn it." Gu Qingcheng said irrationally.

"Sister Qingcheng!" Lu Que wanted to say more.

"I'll burn it ~"

Yu Tianxiang and the other two had been watching from the side for a long time. When they saw this scene, they couldn't help laughing out loud.