25: Chapter 25: The Grand Opening Ceremony is Lively and Exciting

The palace gates swung wide, a red carpet was laid out, and lanterns were hung high on both sides, their light illuminating the entire long street as if it were day.

Chen Xuan stood at the front of the crowd. Beneath his feet were polished bluestone slabs, and above him was a vermilion gate tower with upturned eaves. He took a deep breath and grinned, "Finally got in."

Zhao Hongling had long been impatient and squeezed two steps forward. With her hands on her hips, she shouted, "Make way! We are here to participate in the Husband Selection Ceremony!"

Her voice was very clear. A few burly men in front carrying long sabers glanced back. Seeing it was a girl dressed in red and gold, they ignored her and only shifted half a step.

Leng Shuang followed silently to Chen Xuan's rear left, her arms crossed over her chest. A faint chill gathered around her, and a thin layer of frost appeared on the bricks at her feet.

Those burly men suddenly felt a chill on the backs of their necks and instinctively stepped aside.

Dugu Xue rested her hand on her sword hilt, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings, her steps steady.

Liu Ruyan fanned herself with a round fan, her peripheral vision constantly scanning left and right. She whispered, "Standing in the third row on the left is the Northern Frontier cavalry; their quivers are exposed. The one on the right carrying the bamboo cage has talisman paper corners on their cuffs—they're from the Miao Border."

"Oh?"

Chen Xuan followed her gaze and saw a person in gray robes walking slowly, holding a black wooden box. A faint green light seeped through the cracks of the box, and a buzzing sound could be vaguely heard. "Poison bees? If these things fly out, they won't care if you're a contestant or just a spectator."

"So don't provoke them." Liu Ruyan closed her fan and lightly tapped his arm. "And don't stick your neck out; this isn't the time to play the hero."

"When have I ever played the hero?" Chen Xuan touched the tip of his nose and said with a grin, "I've always been a salted fish, the lying-flat kind."

Before the words left his lips, a sound of drums and music came from the front, and the crowd automatically parted to form a passage.

A squad of guards in golden armor marched in formation, holding banners inscribed with the four characters "Great Zhou Selects the Virtuous."

Following closely behind were eight palace maids carrying jade plates, incense burners, precious swords, and a Phoenix crown, their steps uniform and aligned.

High above on the platform, the Nine-Dragon Nine-Phoenix crown shone brilliantly, and the bright yellow Dragon robe fluttered gently in the wind.

Empress Murong Wan sat in the center, her features as picturesque as a painting, her expression solemn. She raised her hand and waved it lightly, and the entire venue immediately fell silent.

"Today, Her Majesty the Empress is personally present, and the Husband Selection Ceremony officially begins." An official announced loudly, his voice spreading across the entire square.

Chen Xuan looked up. The sunlight fell right on the edge of the high platform, making the gold threads of the Dragon robe sparkle.

He squinted, not dodging or lowering his head, just looking straight at the person on the platform.

Empress Murong Wan's gaze slowly swept across the entire venue, passing over countless young talents, and finally paused on his face for a moment.

Her fingertips unconsciously rubbed her earlobe, and then she shifted her gaze away.

"Did you see if she looked at you just now?" Zhao Hongling leaned over and asked in a low voice.

"What do you think?" Chen Xuan asked in return.

"She definitely did!" Zhao Hongling said with certainty. "Otherwise, why would she pause for that extra second?"

Leng Shuang spoke calmly, "She was looking at our group. Five people standing together, not dressed like a noble family, nor like a Loose Cultivator, naturally attracting attention."

"That's right." Dugu Xue nodded. "Especially you, you stand the most sloppily, like someone here to visit a temple fair."

"That's called composure." Chen Xuan shrugged. "Besides, it's not like I'm actually going to marry her, why be nervous?"

Liu Ruyan lightly waved her round fan and smiled behind her hand. "But she is the Empress; aren't you afraid of being dragged out and spanked for staring so brazenly?"

"If she really dares to touch me," Chen Xuan smiled, "I'll just say I've taken a liking to her empire."

As soon as these words were out, the four women looked at him simultaneously.

"You really have guts." Zhao Hongling rolled her eyes. "Don't be stubborn later when you get slapped flying by someone."

"I won't." Chen Xuan patted the dust off his trouser legs. "I'm not good at much else, but my ability to save my own life is top-notch."

At this moment, several more groups entered the venue. A team of knights in black robes carrying long bows rode in. Their horses' hooves made no sound on the red carpet, clearly showing they were experts who had practiced light-body techniques. The leader had a cold expression and a wolf-head token hanging from his waist.

"The Northern Frontier Azure Wolf Cavalry." Dugu Xue whispered. "I heard they can shoot and cut a strand of hair from a hundred paces away."

"Impressive." Chen Xuan nodded. "But no matter how fast the arrow is, someone still has to pull the bow."

Following that was a bamboo sedan chair carried by four barefoot, burly men. The curtain was half-lifted, revealing a hand painted with blue indigo. Two disheveled wizards followed beside the sedan, their copper bells ringing softly, and a faint scent of herbs permeated the air.

"The Miao Border Five Poisons Sect." Liu Ruyan frowned. "There is a Gu mark on that hand; it should be the Sect Head's Personal Disciple."

"Gu?" Zhao Hongling shrank her neck. "Just hearing about it is creepy."

"Don't worry." Chen Xuan laughed. "As long as you don't peek at them changing clothes, you generally won't be hit with a Gu."

"Who wants to peek!" Zhao Hongling glared at him.

A moment later, heavy footsteps came from the west. A burly, bald man walked over carrying an iron spear, and every step he took caused the ground to tremble slightly. Behind him followed a group of people with the characters "Iron Palm Gang" embroidered on their chests.

"That's the guy from last night who was showing off his strength." Zhao Hongling sneered. "He even claimed he could take on ten people."

"He really can." Chen Xuan said seriously. "Provided the opponent doesn't Move."

"And what about you?" Leng Shuang suddenly asked. "How many can you beat?"

"I haven't counted." Chen Xuan scratched his head. "But I know that as long as I don't make the first Move, others generally won't dare to come up and greet me."

"You're certainly skilled at playing dumb." Dugu Xue huffed.

"Isn't that a virtue?" Chen Xuan grinned.

At this moment, a commotion came from the east side. Several Sword Cultivators in white robes stepped through the air, their sleeves fluttering, landing without a sound.

One of them had a long sword in hand that hadn't been unsheathed, yet Sword Qi had already sliced through the air, leaving shallow scratches on the ground.

"People from Penglai Island." Liu Ruyan's tone tightened slightly. "That is the 'Wind-Riding Step'; it takes at least ten years to practice."

"Ten years?" Chen Xuan clicked his tongue. "Practicing for so long just to walk without touching the ground? Too intense."

"Stop mocking them." Zhao Hongling pushed him. "Aren't all these people practicing hard since they were young? Do you think everyone is like you, sleeping until the sun is high before getting up to chop wooden stakes?"

"That's different." Chen Xuan said with a straight face. "That was scientific training, balancing work and rest."

While they were talking, the heroes from all sides had basically arrived, standing scattered throughout the square. Some were closing their eyes to rest, some were stretching their muscles, and others had already started sizing each other up, their eyes clashing.

Chen Xuan looked around and asked in a low voice, "Have you noticed? Among these people, there are very few who are truly relaxed."

"Obviously." Liu Ruyan whispered. "No one comes here just for the excitement. Either they want to climb the social ladder, make a name for themselves, or… they have other motives."

"As for me," Chen Xuan patted his chest, "I'm purely here to broaden my horizons."

"Who would believe that." Zhao Hongling curled her lip.

Leng Shuang suddenly spoke, "The person from the Northern Frontier has a severely worn quiver, looking as if they traveled a long distance; the Miao Border poison bee cage has cracks, possibly having suffered an impact on the road; the Iron Palm Gang leader drags his right foot slightly when walking, and his circulation of internal energy is not very smooth."

"Oh?" Chen Xuan looked at her. "You know this too?"

"I've seen it enough." Leng Shuang said calmly. "On the battlefield, flaws are more important than Moves."

"High insight." Chen Xuan gave a thumbs up. "It seems we aren't without a chance of winning."

"Who wants to compete for odds with you?" Zhao Hongling said with dissatisfaction. "You haven't even signed up yet!"

"What's the rush?" Chen Xuan looked at the high platform. "The good show has only just begun; we have to wait for the main character to appear."

As soon as the words fell, the official announced again loudly, "The first segment, Display of Talent, begins immediately! Will all the talents please take the stage in turn to demonstrate your martial arts, scholarship, or special abilities for Her Majesty the Empress to evaluate!"

The crowd suddenly became restless.

A young scholar-looking person was the first to leap onto the high platform, cupping his hands in a salute, "I am Li Wenyuan from Jiangnan; I am not skilled in martial arts, but I am well-versed in the thirty-six strategies of military tactics, and I am willing to share the burden for Her Majesty!"

After speaking, he unfolded a map and began to talk incessantly about border defense strategies. Many people under the stage nodded frequently as they listened.

Next was a woman dressed like a dancer. She flicked her long sleeves, pointed her toes to the ground, and actually spun seven times in the air, finally landing in a split, drawing cheers from the whole hall.

Subsequently, various eccentric people and skilled individuals took turns on stage: some swallowed fire and breathed smoke, some lifted tripods with one hand, and others released carrier pigeons that formed the four characters "Loyal to the Country" in the air.

"What is all this?" Zhao Hongling shook her head as she watched. "It's even livelier than a talent show."

"This is just for show." Liu Ruyan laughed softly. "The truly powerful ones won't be the first to go up."

Sure enough, most of those experts who were aggressively showing their Aura earlier remained still, watching coldly.

Chen Xuan touched his chin and watched for a while, then suddenly said, "I've discovered a pattern."

"What?" Dugu Xue asked.

"The more real skills someone has, the less they like to steal the limelight." He pointed to the corner. "Look over there, that person carrying a saber. They haven't said a word since they came in, but their hand has been resting on the hilt, muscles tensed, ready to unsheathe at any moment."

"And over there." Leng Shuang continued, "The woman using twin hooks has her center of gravity shifted to the left, obviously left-handed, yet she deliberately uses her right hand to adjust her sleeves, hiding her strength."

"Quite a few smart people." Chen Xuan clicked his tongue.

"Then when do you plan to go up?" Zhao Hongling asked.

"I'm not going up." Chen Xuan said simply.

"Huh?"

"I said I'm not going up." He grinned. "At a time like this, the best strategy is to stand still."

"You just love to be slippery." Zhao Hongling was amused to anger.

"This is called strategic determination." Chen Xuan said righteously.

On the high platform, the talent display continued. A burly man with a bare upper body and a fierce tiger tattoo on his chest performed the Iron Sand Palm on the spot, smashing three bluestone slabs with one palm. The stone fragments flew everywhere, scaring the front-row audience into retreating repeatedly.

"What great skill from this brave warrior!" The official praised.

The burly man laughed and pointed to the people below the stage, "Who else dares to come up and compete?"

No one answered.

Chen Xuan quietly retreated half a step, blocking Leng Shuang behind him, "Don't be impulsive; we won't join in this excitement."

"Who wants to go up?" Leng Shuang looked at him coldly. "I'm not a brute."

"That's good." Chen Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. "Only by staying calm can you live a long life."

In the distance, Empress Murong Wan still sat motionless, her vermilion brush occasionally tapping the table lightly, as if recording something. Her gaze swept over their side once again, paused for a moment, and then withdrew.

"She looked again." Zhao Hongling said excitedly.

"Hmm." Chen Xuan nodded and lowered his head to adjust his cuffs. "I saw it this time."

"And then?"

"And then?" He looked up, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. "Just wait."

The sun gradually rose, and the venue was steaming with heat. The smells of sweat, cosmetics, and the rust of weapons were mixed together in the crowd, yet no one left their seats. Everyone knew that the real contest hadn't started yet.

Chen Xuan stood in place, his hands in his pockets, looking lazy, but in reality, his eyes were constantly scanning the entire venue. Every movement, every conversation, every gaze was silently noted down by him.

He knew that this ceremony was not just about selecting a husband.

It was also a silent trial of strength.

And what he had to do was, before everyone else made their Move, see clearly who was a true Dragon and who was a loach.

On the high platform, the drums sounded again.

The next wave of heroes was about to take the stage.