Chen Feiyu was so excited to face off against Nangong Hao with 50,000 soldiers as his witness . To be defeated in a single round was quite the tragedy .

More importantly, he did not even see how he was defeated . To say it was a tragedy seemed to be an understatement .

However . . .

No matter how depressing it was, he was still defeated . The question that bugged all the candidates had also been answered .

Four years ago, Nangong Hao was talented, the brightest star in the empire . Four years later, he could only be described using a single word .

Terrifying!

He was sharp and domineering . He gave off the vibe that he was peerless .

Nangong Hao had only attacked once . However, this strike had struck fear and awe into the hearts of the other candidates .

All of them looked at each other in aghast . They were at a loss for words to describe what they had just seen .

When Nangong Hao had attacked, all of them thought that it looked too ordinary despite its speed .

However, when the blade pierced through the wall of blue surrounding Chen Feiyu, all of them began to question their belief .

In that instant . . .

It felt as though time had stopped .

The moment Nangong Hao's blade came into contact with the s.h.i.+eld, it seemed to disappear . To be more precise, it teleported .

That being said, all of the candidates knew that no matter how powerful Nangong Hao was, he could not teleport .

After all, in order to tear apart the very fabric of s.p.a.ce was a huge exertion for even the strongest Rebirth State cultivators .

There was no way Nangong Hao could have teleported .

However, when Nangong Hao's blade pierced through Chen Feiyu's s.h.i.+eld, Nangong Hao seemed to disappear into thin air .

The impossible happened .

There could only be one possibility .

It had fused with the s.h.i.+eld .

In the moment the blade came into contact with the s.h.i.+eld, it fused with it . In that moment, Nangong Hao and the s.h.i.+eld were one .

The fusing was flawless . That was the only way to fool Chen Feiyu's Torrential Rain . The s.h.i.+eld would never attack itself .

"You can control everything, but so can I!"

All of the candidates thought about what Nangong Hao had said . They understood exactly what it meant, even Chen Feiyu himself knew what had happened .

However . . .

They did not believe it . They refused to believe it!

He fused with Dao!

How ridiculous was that?!

When one thought of stunning scenes, one would think of vast mountain ranges or raging rivers . However, what they just witnessed was far superior to all of that .

The answer to the question in all their minds, "What is Nangong Hao like four years later?" had been answered . The answer floored them all .

"Did you get a clear look?" Yan Xiu finally spoke . He did not praise Nangong Hao's strengths or point out Nangong Hao's weaknesses . Neither did he ask Fang Zhengzhi what his next course of action was .

He asked quite an ordinary question .

Even so, Fang Zhengzhi understood what Yan Xiu meant instantly .

"I still have many soldiers behind me and plenty of time . If I want to take a closer look, I have many ways of doing it . " Fang Zhengzhi shook his head lightly .

He knew what Yan Xiu was thinking, but he was not going to accept it .

"If my guess is correct, you probably can't use the soldiers behind you . At the very least, you won't be able to use them to defeat Nangong Hao . " Yan Xiu shook his head and a.s.serted .

"Why?" Fang Zhengzhi did not understand .

"Because Nangong Hao exited the Icy Monkey Settlement alone!" Yan Xiu explained .

This was not a clear explanation, but Fang Zhengzhi understood it immediately . Would such a talented individual do something if he didn't have the confidence he was going to succeed?

Clearly not .

Nangong Hao had travelled far to come to the capital . His high profile partic.i.p.ation was definitely not just to get a good ranking .

The fact was he had come .

The reason for his partic.i.p.ation was to cleanse the Nangong Family of its shame .

With this in mind, he still decided to walk out alone in the face of a vast army .

This only meant one thing .

Nangong Hao was very confident . He knew that he was going to win . That being said, he couldn't face 50,000 soldiers alone .

One vs 50,000?

That bordered on the impossible . All the legends about a single punch killing thousands were merely just that, legends .

After all, even if 50,000 of them stood still for him to kill, he would take many nights to kill them all . Furthermore, these people knew how to run, jump, and fight .

Fang Zhengzhi knew what Yan Xiu was saying, but he had no idea how Nangong Hao planned to cause his army to defy him .

A military order?

Or the Emperor's personal order?

Fang Zhengzhi had a sudden realization . He had known all along that the combat examinations was a cover for something greater . It was a cover for the army they were bringing .

That being said, he had no idea how the soldiers would be deployed .

However, just because he didn't know didn't mean that Nangong Hao was in the dark .

It seemed like he was back where he started . To be more specific, everything that had happened was all part of an elaborate plan .

These were all Fang Zhengzhi's guesses . Yan Xiu shared the same sentiment . However, he wouldn't know unless he tried .

"General Li, take 1000 men and surround Nangong Hao!" Fang Zhengzhi would not order his entire army forward . That would do no good .

"Yes!" General Li answered immediately when he heard the order . It was almost as if he had received no other conflicting orders .

Obedience .

Such obedience from his deputies was strange . This caused Fang Zhengzhi to wonder if he and Yan Xiu were mistaken .

The 1000 strong force was quickly a.s.sembled .

300 s.h.i.+eldbearers, 300 spearmen, 300 swordsman and 100 archers .

This was the most appropriate lineup . The s.h.i.+eldbearers would be in front, the spearmen in the middle, and the archers at the back . The swordsmen would guard the flanks . They would surround Nangong Hao . . .

"Kaboom!"

1000 men stepped forward in unison . They marched towards Nangong Hao, an aura of death rising from their midst .

The candidates all looked on, slightly confused .

They all felt that the most honorable way was for both generals to fight it out . This was the combat examination, and it was a test for the generals .

That being said, Nangong Hao was much more powerful than Fang Zhengzhi . For Fang Zhengzhi to use his vastly superior army was not surprising .

They would have done the same .

Chen Feiyu stood rooted to his spot . He had no idea if he should return to Fang Zhengzhi's army or be a prisoner of war in the Icy Monkey Settlement .

Nangong Hao stood still . However, he was much more stable than Chen Feiyu . Not a single muscle of his moved during the entire time .

The 1000 strong army moved quickly . Before long, they were right in front of Nangong Hao and began to surround him .

Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Yan Xiu .

Yan Xiu's gaze was fixated on the gate of the Icy Monkey Settlement, almost as if he was waiting for someone to appear .

"There are others in the Icy Monkey Settlement?" Fang Zhengzhi asked .

"I'm not sure . " Yan Xiu shook his head .

"Mm, then we shall wait and see . " Fang Zhengzhi nodded .

Maybe Fang Zhengzhi's words were too accurate, or maybe Yan Xiu's gaze was magical . Whatever it was, a figure did appear at the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement .

It was a youth riding a huge green stallion . He wore armor, but it was different from those of the Great Xia Dynasty soldiers .

On his breastplate was a intricate pattern . There was a silver word in the middle .

"Order!"

This meant that this soldier was one of the messengers .

For a messenger to reveal his ident.i.ty so audaciously meant that the intended recipient was here .

"This is an order from the Crown Prince!"

A resounding voice echoed out . At the same time, the messenger retrieved a black token with a silver dragon inscribed on it .

The soldiers about to surround Nangong Hao stopped in their tracks .

All of them looked to each other . General Li, who was in charge of the 1000 men, subconsciously looked to Fang Zhengzhi . Then, he dismounted and fell to on one knee .

Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and all 50,000 soldiers all knelt . They knew what the silver dragon represented .

This was a military order!

It had to be obeyed!

All of the candidates all looked at each other, unsure if they had to obey the order as well . Regardless, they had to obey the silver dragon token .

The silver dragon represented the Crown Prince .

And the Crown Prince . . .

Was the Chief Invigilator for this examination .

In other words, in the absence of the Emperor's own orders, the orders of the Crown Prince were the highest there were . They were not to be questioned .

All of the candidates fell to one knee respectfully .

As for Fang Zhengzhi, he did not quite recognize the orders . However, from the reaction of those around him, he could guess what the token was for .

However, he was rather disappointed .

He had expected that Nangong Hao would have secret orders from the Emperor . However, he never expected that it would be the Crown Prince who would give the orders .

Even though the Crown Prince was the Chief Invigilator, he could not meddle with the details and happenings within the examination . He had to go by the rules and could not strip Fang Zhengzhi of his command .

Unless . . .

They were about to declare war on the Southern Mountain Range .

Only under such extenuating circ.u.mstances was the combat examination to be stopped . It would resume in its current state after the battle was over .

That was how they maintained fairness inside the combat examination .

Were they about to fight a war?

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, the messenger tugged on the reins and the stallion trotted forward . His gaze scanned across the entire army before finally resting on Fang Zhengzhi .

"The Crown Prince's orders are as follows! Fang Zhengzhi had the audacity to be absent from the results announcement . That is his first sin! His second sin was not reporting to the Crown Prince upon entering the Southern Mountain Range . His third sin was not reporting the results in a timely manner . He has compromised the integrity of the examination . The Crown Prince has ordered for Fang Zhengzhi's to be temporarily disqualified . He will be reinstated after an investigation has cleared him of guilt!"

The messenger's voice was loud . All of the candidates, deputies, and the 500 silver horned wolves all heard it clearly .

However, they were all stunned by what they heard .

"Temporarily disqualified?!"

"Did I hear that wrongly? Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified?!"

"Are our losses wiped clean then?"

All of the candidates looked on wide eyed . They were all stunned by what they heard . The first thought was, "If Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified . . . "

Then, they were all back to square one .

For Wu Feng and Chen Feiyu, they would be un-eliminated . Furthermore, they could get a large share of Fang Zhengzhi's army .

This was great news for them .

Of course, amidst all the joy, they all looked at Fang Zhengzhi 'regretfully' . They were waiting for him to react to the news .

Chapter 373 Three sinsTranslator Sparrow Translations Editor Sparrow TranslationsChen Feiyu was so excited to face off against Nangong Hao with 50,000 soldiers as his witness . To be defeated in a single round was quite the tragedy . More importantly, he did not even see how he was defeated . To say it was a tragedy seemed to be an understatement . However . . . No matter how depressing it was, he was still defeated . The question that bugged all the candidates had also been answered . Four years ago, Nangong Hao was talented, the brightest star in the empire . Four years later, he could only be described using a single word . Terrifying He was sharp and domineering . He gave off the vibe that he was peerless . Nangong Hao had only attacked once . However, this strike had struck fear and awe into the hearts of the other candidates . All of them looked at each other in aghast . They were at a loss for words to describe what they had just seen . When Nangong Hao had attacked, all of them thought that it looked too ordinary despite its speed . However, when the blade pierced through the wall of blue surrounding Chen Feiyu, all of them began to question their belief . In that instant . . . It felt as though time had stopped . The moment Nangong Hao s blade came into contact with the s.h.i.+eld, it seemed to disappear . To be more precise, it teleported . That being said, all of the candidates knew that no matter how powerful Nangong Hao was, he could not teleport . After all, in order to tear apart the very fabric of s.p.a.ce was a huge exertion for even the strongest Rebirth State cultivators . There was no way Nangong Hao could have teleported . However, when Nangong Hao s blade pierced through Chen Feiyu s s.h.i.+eld, Nangong Hao seemed to disappear into thin air . The impossible happened . There could only be one possibility . It had fused with the s.h.i.+eld . In the moment the blade came into contact with the s.h.i.+eld, it fused with it . In that moment, Nangong Hao and the s.h.i.+eld were one . The fusing was flawless . That was the only way to fool Chen Feiyu s Torrential Rain . The s.h.i.+eld would never attack itself . You can control everything, but so can I All of the candidates thought about what Nangong Hao had said . They understood exactly what it meant, even Chen Feiyu himself knew what had happened . However . . . They did not believe it . They refused to believe it He fused with Dao How ridiculous was that When one thought of stunning scenes, one would think of vast mountain ranges or raging rivers . However, what they just witnessed was far superior to all of that . The answer to the question in all their minds, What is Nangong Hao like four years later had been answered . The answer floored them all . Did you get a clear look Yan Xiu finally spoke . He did not praise Nangong Hao s strengths or point out Nangong Hao s weaknesses . Neither did he ask Fang Zhengzhi what his next course of action was . He asked quite an ordinary question . Even so, Fang Zhengzhi understood what Yan Xiu meant instantly . I still have many soldiers behind me and plenty of time . If I want to take a closer look, I have many ways of doing it . Fang Zhengzhi shook his head lightly . He knew what Yan Xiu was thinking, but he was not going to accept it . If my guess is correct, you probably can t use the soldiers behind you . At the very least, you won t be able to use them to defeat Nangong Hao . Yan Xiu shook his head and a.s.serted . Why Fang Zhengzhi did not understand . Because Nangong Hao exited the Icy Monkey Settlement alone Yan Xiu explained . This was not a clear explanation, but Fang Zhengzhi understood it immediately . Would such a talented individual do something if he didn t have the confidence he was going to succeed Clearly not . Nangong Hao had travelled far to come to the capital . His high profile partic.i.p.ation was definitely not just to get a good ranking . The fact was he had come . The reason for his partic.i.p.ation was to cleanse the Nangong Family of its shame . With this in mind, he still decided to walk out alone in the face of a vast army . This only meant one thing . Nangong Hao was very confident . He knew that he was going to win . That being said, he couldn t face 50,000 soldiers alone . One vs 50,000 That bordered on the impossible . All the legends about a single punch killing thousands were merely just that, legends . After all, even if 50,000 of them stood still for him to kill, he would take many nights to kill them all . Furthermore, these people knew how to run, jump, and fight . Fang Zhengzhi knew what Yan Xiu was saying, but he had no idea how Nangong Hao planned to cause his army to defy him . A military order Or the Emperor s personal order Fang Zhengzhi had a sudden realization . He had known all along that the combat examinations was a cover for something greater . It was a cover for the army they were bringing . That being said, he had no idea how the soldiers would be deployed . However, just because he didn t know didn t mean that Nangong Hao was in the dark . It seemed like he was back where he started . To be more specific, everything that had happened was all part of an elaborate plan . These were all Fang Zhengzhi s guesses . Yan Xiu shared the same sentiment . However, he wouldn t know unless he tried . General Li, take 1000 men and surround Nangong Hao Fang Zhengzhi would not order his entire army forward . That would do no good . Yes General Li answered immediately when he heard the order . It was almost as if he had received no other conflicting orders . Obedience . Such obedience from his deputies was strange . This caused Fang Zhengzhi to wonder if he and Yan Xiu were mistaken . The 1000 strong force was quickly a.s.sembled . 300 s.h.i.+eldbearers, 300 spearmen, 300 swordsman and 100 archers . This was the most appropriate lineup . The s.h.i.+eldbearers would be in front, the spearmen in the middle, and the archers at the back . The swordsmen would guard the flanks . They would surround Nangong Hao . . . Kaboom 1000 men stepped forward in unison . They marched towards Nangong Hao, an aura of death rising from their midst . The candidates all looked on, slightly confused . They all felt that the most honorable way was for both generals to fight it out . This was the combat examination, and it was a test for the generals . That being said, Nangong Hao was much more powerful than Fang Zhengzhi . For Fang Zhengzhi to use his vastly superior army was not surprising . They would have done the same . Chen Feiyu stood rooted to his spot . He had no idea if he should return to Fang Zhengzhi s army or be a prisoner of war in the Icy Monkey Settlement . Nangong Hao stood still . However, he was much more stable than Chen Feiyu . Not a single muscle of his moved during the entire time . The 1000 strong army moved quickly . Before long, they were right in front of Nangong Hao and began to surround him . Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Yan Xiu . Yan Xiu s gaze was fixated on the gate of the Icy Monkey Settlement, almost as if he was waiting for someone to appear . There are others in the Icy Monkey Settlement Fang Zhengzhi asked . I m not sure . Yan Xiu shook his head . Mm, then we shall wait and see . Fang Zhengzhi nodded . Maybe Fang Zhengzhi s words were too accurate, or maybe Yan Xiu s gaze was magical . Whatever it was, a figure did appear at the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement . It was a youth riding a huge green stallion . He wore armor, but it was different from those of the Great Xia Dynasty soldiers . On his breastplate was a intricate pattern . There was a silver word in the middle . Order This meant that this soldier was one of the messengers . For a messenger to reveal his ident.i.ty so audaciously meant that the intended recipient was here . This is an order from the Crown Prince A resounding voice echoed out . At the same time, the messenger retrieved a black token with a silver dragon inscribed on it . The soldiers about to surround Nangong Hao stopped in their tracks . All of them looked to each other . General Li, who was in charge of the 1000 men, subconsciously looked to Fang Zhengzhi . Then, he dismounted and fell to on one knee . Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and all 50,000 soldiers all knelt . They knew what the silver dragon represented . This was a military order It had to be obeyed All of the candidates all looked at each other, unsure if they had to obey the order as well . Regardless, they had to obey the silver dragon token . The silver dragon represented the Crown Prince . And the Crown Prince . . . Was the Chief Invigilator for this examination . In other words, in the absence of the Emperor s own orders, the orders of the Crown Prince were the highest there were . They were not to be questioned . All of the candidates fell to one knee respectfully . As for Fang Zhengzhi, he did not quite recognize the orders . However, from the reaction of those around him, he could guess what the token was for . However, he was rather disappointed . He had expected that Nangong Hao would have secret orders from the Emperor . However, he never expected that it would be the Crown Prince who would give the orders . Even though the Crown Prince was the Chief Invigilator, he could not meddle with the details and happenings within the examination . He had to go by the rules and could not strip Fang Zhengzhi of his command . Unless . . . They were about to declare war on the Southern Mountain Range . Only under such extenuating circ.u.mstances was the combat examination to be stopped . It would resume in its current state after the battle was over . That was how they maintained fairness inside the combat examination . Were they about to fight a war Just as Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, the messenger tugged on the reins and the stallion trotted forward . His gaze scanned across the entire army before finally resting on Fang Zhengzhi . The Crown Prince s orders are as follows Fang Zhengzhi had the audacity to be absent from the results announcement . That is his first sin His second sin was not reporting to the Crown Prince upon entering the Southern Mountain Range . His third sin was not reporting the results in a timely manner . He has compromised the integrity of the examination . The Crown Prince has ordered for Fang Zhengzhi s to be temporarily disqualified . He will be reinstated after an investigation has cleared him of guilt The messenger s voice was loud . All of the candidates, deputies, and the 500 silver horned wolves all heard it clearly . However, they were all stunned by what they heard . Temporarily disqualified Did I hear that wrongly Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified Are our losses wiped clean then All of the candidates looked on wide eyed . They were all stunned by what they heard . The first thought was, If Fang Zhengzhi is disqualified . . . Then, they were all back to square one . For Wu Feng and Chen Feiyu, they would be un eliminated . Furthermore, they could get a large share of Fang Zhengzhi s army . This was great news for them . Of course, amidst all the joy, they all looked at Fang Zhengzhi regretfully . They were waiting for him to react to the news .