Chapter 525: 【Imperial Examination】

Chapter 526: The Palace Examination

Raindrops passed through Chen Ling's illusory body. He stood at the doorway, watching the hunter emerge from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and fell silent.

Without a doubt, this was not the "script" he was seeking. However, it was the most crucial "plot" in Nie Yu's life; the slaughter of this day forged the "Hunter Nie Yu" he would become.

Chen Ling could understand Nie Yu's actions; if he were in Nie Yu's place, he might have acted even more crazily. To be honest, he even admired Nie Yu. If their stances weren't fundamentally different, perhaps they wouldn't have had to fight this battle.

Unfortunately, there are no "ifs" in this world.

Chen Ling did not look back again. After taking a deep breath, he reactivated Crimson Visage.

With his remaining spiritual power, he could only view one more "plot" segment at most. He hoped to gain more information about Ying Fu.

As the scene shifted, Chen Ling's surroundings transformed.

It was still a bar, but the weather had turned sunny. Nie Yu sat under a semi-open sun umbrella, a glass of whiskey gently swirling in his hand, his eyes squinted as if resting.

"Still in Myanmar? No... this seems to be Thailand."

Chen Ling's gaze fell upon the golden beach and the Thai menu beside him, his expression involuntarily tinged with disappointment.

It seemed Ying Fu wasn't here either.

Just as Chen Ling was reluctantly preparing to leave, a figure brushed past him, and he suddenly froze in place.

Chen Ling stood frozen for a full three seconds before suddenly turning his head. He saw a white-robed figure already seated opposite Nie Yu. Their dark eyebrows were as sharp as swords, the corners of their eyes slanted upwards like a phoenix's, and their gaze unconsciously revealed a cold majesty, completely out of place with the surroundings.

Ying Fu???

Chen Ling could not forget that highly recognizable face, and he stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

This isn't right... How could Ying Fu be here? This is Thailand!

At this moment, Nie Yu also noticed someone sitting opposite him. After a cold glance, he calmly spoke:

"If I were you, I wouldn't sit here."

"Way of the Military God, Heavenly Wolf Path," Ying Fu said, squinting as he gazed at Nie Yu. "It seems my luck is good."

"A countryman?"

Nie Yu frowned.

He didn't understand Ying Fu's meaning, nor what the "Way of the Military God" was. After taking a sip of whiskey, he spoke again in Chinese, "You'd better get lost. I'm not interested in sharing a table with anyone."

Ying Fu simply sat there quietly, gazing deeply at Nie Yu, showing no intention of leaving.

For some reason, as Nie Yu looked into those eyes, an inexplicable unease arose in his heart. His frown deepened, and a wisp of killing intent, mixed with his spiritual power, silently pressed towards the other person.

"I said... get lost!"

Ying Fu, in his white robes, was unmoving as a mountain. A wisp of the Way of the Emperor God's aura also leaked out, colliding with Nie Yu's. A breeze swept out from their location, causing the surrounding sun umbrellas to sway.

Chen Ling felt Ying Fu's aura; it was indeed Tier 3. It seemed Second Senior Sister Luan Mei was right: when there were no "ministers," the Emperor's tier would fall to Tier 3 and would not change with spiritual power fluctuations. This was the Emperor's starting point, and also the lowest tier.

"You have power too?!" Nie Yu's expression changed. He instantly gripped the short knife behind his waist and spoke grimly, "Who sent you? How did you find me?"

"I did not seek you out; you are approaching me."

"What?"

"No matter where I am, the holders of other divine paths will unconsciously draw closer to me, guided by fate. This is an instinct engraved in all divine paths, and one of the authorities unique to the Emperor."

Ying Fu spoke calmly, "The USB drive replicated by Lou Yu seems to still have flaws; it directly sent me to this inexplicable country. And you are the closest divine path holder to me, and the first person in this era to meet me."

Hearing these words, Chen Ling's mind was shaken.

All holders of other divine paths will unconsciously draw closer to the Emperor?

This authority sounds a bit too exaggerated. What concerned Chen Ling more were the words "the USB drive replicated by Lou Yu." So, the one Ying Fu used to enter the era archive was that pirated USB drive, not the Spirit Treasure Original Moral one? No wonder even the numbering was disordered.

"What nonsense is this..." Nie Yu tightened his grip on the gun handle, and the wariness in his eyes intensified.

"The gravitational pull between divine path holders and the Emperor is also influenced by other factors, such as ideals or deep-seated desires," Ying Fu continued, staring into Nie Yu's eyes. "The stronger the resonance, the stronger the pull. Just as in eras where the imperial system still existed, ambitious and talented individuals would travel to the capital for the imperial examination to meet the Emperor..."

"You are the first person in this era to 'meet the Emperor,' which indicates your resonance with me is the closest. You are a born 'minister.'"

"Enough! What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!"

Nie Yu instantly drew his gun, the dark muzzle pointed at Ying Fu's forehead, and unmasked killing intent emanated from his eyes.

Seeing someone suddenly draw a gun, the surrounding tourists immediately cried out in alarm and scurried away en masse. Moments later, the bar entrance was empty, with only Nie Yu, gun in hand, confronting Ying Fu.

Ying Fu calmly looked into Nie Yu's eyes as if the gun barrel pointed at his forehead didn't exist. He spoke faintly:

"You are the first to meet the Emperor. I will give you enough time..."

In Ying Fu's pupils, a faint golden radiance began to surge, as if containing a mesmerizing power, pulling Nie Yu's mind into it as well.

"The Palace Examination...

...begins."

As the golden light in Ying Fu's pupils grew more brilliant, like two blazing suns, not only Nie Yu, but even Chen Ling, who was observing from the side, were unconsciously drawn to those eyes and momentarily lost themselves.

Just then, the scene around him violently distorted. Nie Yu's memories shattered and dissipated at that moment, and Crimson Visage's script reading was forcibly interrupted!

Chen Ling's consciousness abruptly returned to his body, and fine beads of sweat trickled from his forehead.

What was that just now...?

The pattering sound on the metal roof pulled Chen Ling's consciousness completely back to reality. From the moment he used Crimson Visage to peek into Nie Yu's life until now, less than half a second had actually passed. Nie Yu was still staring at him grimly, completely unaware that Chen Ling had already viewed two segments of his memories.

"The Palace Examination... What did you see in the Palace Examination??" Chen Ling asked, his brows tightly furrowed.

Nie Yu paused, a flicker of shock in the depths of his eyes. He didn't know what Chen Ling had just done, but the word "Palace Examination" made him recall something, and his expression became incredibly complex.

He remained silent for a long time, then said hoarsely and slowly:

"I saw... my 'resonance' with His Majesty."