Zither Emperor

660: Chapter 208: Seeing the Saintess of Light Again (Part 2) 660: Chapter 208: Seeing the Saintess of Light Again (Part 2) Although Kleyena put on an act as if she intended to bankrupt Ye Yinzhu, her actual order was far more gentle—merely a bowl of clear porridge for each of them, accompanied by a few delicate pastries.

It was exquisite and light, without the slightest hint of waste.

Observing the meal ordered by Kleyena, Ye Yinzhu couldn’t help but feel a growing fondness for the girl.

“Miss Kleyena, now can you tell me about the rules of the literary and martial competition?” It would be much clearer coming from a noble lady such as her.

What Ye Yinzhu needed most was to understand the details of the competition.

Kleyena elegantly took a sip of her porridge and glanced at Marina sitting beside her.

Marina was sitting upright with a serious demeanor, lost in thought, and only occasionally lifting her gaze to look at Ye Yinzhu.

“Considering that you invited us to breakfast and did show some sincerity, I’ll tell you.

The literary and martial competition will be held five days from now.

Due to the large number of participants, for the sake of the capital’s public order, the competition will take place outside the Imperial Capital, at the large training grounds.

They are currently busy setting up the competition venue.

Registration for the competition closes in two days.

The requirements are simple: for the literary match, participants must answer questions, which is considered a preliminary test, while for the martial match, anyone with strength above Beginner Green rank can participate.

The registration fee is one hundred gold coins for everyone.”

Ye Yinzhu said thoughtfully, “So that means the literary and martial competition is still a game for nobles?

Where would commoners get one hundred gold coins for registration?”

Kleyena shook her head, “No, you are mistaken if you think that.

The purpose of the literary and martial competition is to recruit talent, regardless of background.

For example, if a contestant provides brilliant answers in the literary preliminary test, or if their strength reaches Blue rank in the martial match, they can have their registration fee waived.”

Ye Yinzhu asked, “Then how about the rules of the competition?”

“Before I explain the competition rules, let me first explain what the literary and martial competition actually involves, so you don’t get confused.

Although our Landias is located in the south and isn’t threatened by the Beastman Clan, we’ve always revered martial power; hence the literary and martial competition is geared towards martial strength.

The so-called literary match does not test a contestant’s literary ability, but rather their command ability in military affairs.

It’s a test to select potential military leaders.”

Ye Yinzhu wasn’t surprised; Princess Nina had told him something about the literary match, though not in much detail.

Kleyena continued, “Actually, it’s better to say that the competition tests both military knowledge and physical strength instead of just saying there are two types of competitions, because the martial match is divided into two parts.

One is for samurais, and the other is for mages.

Those who rank in the top ten in the literary match, as well as the top five in martial skills and magic, will be awarded the Landias Knight Medal.

No matter what their previous status was, they can receive the honor of a knight.”

A knight is the lowest rank in the noble hierarchy, but it’s different if it’s a knighthood bestowed by the royal family.

It’s a recognition of strength, a true honor.

Ye Yinzhu nodded and asked, “So you mean a person can only participate in one type of match?

For example, if they take part in the literary match, they can’t participate in the magic competition?”

Kleyena shook her head, “No, of course not.

To better uncover talents, the three competitions of the literary and martial match are held separately.

Especially the preliminary and semifinal rounds—only the finals are on the same day, but even they have different times.

So if someone truly has the ability to participate in all the competitions, they can enter each one.

Even if you participate in all three, you can complete them in time.”

“I see,” Ye Yinzhu breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the relief on his face, Kleyena said, “You’re not going to tell me that you intend to participate in both the literary and martial competitions, are you?”

Ye Yinzhu smiled faintly and said, “Actually, I haven’t decided which one to participate in.

How can I when I am neither literate nor martially inclined?”

“Mr.

Ye is being modest,” Marina spoke up this time, her gentle and clear eyes meeting Ye Yinzhu’s.

Her transparent gaze seemed to reflect the true nature of every mystery, and even Ye Yinzhu, with his strong spiritual power, couldn’t help but be slightly startled.

Kleyena let out a light laugh and said, “Ye Su, may I just call you by your name?”

Ye Yinzhu replied calmly, “Of course, you can.”

Kleyena said, “Do you remember what I said earlier?

If you want to participate in the literary and martial arts competition, you should try to curry favor with me, your sister.

The rules of the competition are simple.

The preliminary is a screening test.

For the literary match, the preliminary just requires answering a few questions.

The secondary examination is much more complicated, with live strategic deployments based on the questions given, and only those who win can enter the final chess battle.

The martial match also consists of three parts: the preliminary is a test of Douqi strength, with the top thousand ranked advancing to the secondary examination, which involves survival in chaotic combat as determined by the Empire—the victorious enter the finals.

In the final, contestants pair up and fight to determine the top five.

The strength of these top five will be ranked by a champion appointed by the Empire.

As for the magic competition’s secondary examination, it is conducted in an arena format because the frail body of a Mage is not suited for outdoor survival type contests.

The finals of the three competitions of the literary and martial arts contest will take place on three separate stages, each with a stage master appointed by the Empire.

As far as I know, the stage master for the literary stage will be none other than Imperial Marshal Cruz himself.

As for the martial and magic stage masters, they are much more mysterious, and very few know who they are.”

Upon hearing Kleyena’s words, Ye Yinzhu quickly understood.

He was aware of Marina’s strength and the Saintess of Light from Faran was likely to be the master of the magic stage.

He just didn’t know who Landias would send to serve as the master of the martial stage.

Seeing Ye Yinzhu’s thoughtful look, the smile on Kleyena’s face grew even thicker.

“You are a Mage, so if you are lucky enough to make it to the finals, you will definitely appear on the magic stage.

Therefore, you will have to face the challenge of the stage master.

If you can demonstrate the strength needed to enter the final of the magic stage, I might tell you who the stage master is.”

Ye Yinzhu smiled lightly.

Although he was young, he had experienced much and certainly more than what Kleyena could compare to.

He was well aware of Kleyena’s trivial schemes, understanding that she didn’t have any bad intentions and merely wanted to gauge his true strength.

Shaking his head, he said, “Thank you, Miss, for telling me all this, but I’m afraid I don’t have the strength to make it to the magic stage finals.

Who the stage master is naturally has nothing to do with me.

Ladies, please enjoy your meal, Ye Su must leave for now.”

Having finished speaking, he stood up, gave the two women a slight bow, and turned to leave, leaving Kleyena somewhat stupefied.

“This guy really doesn’t take the bait at all,” Kleyena said indignantly.

“No wonder the Red Lion Prince wanted to lay hands on him yesterday.

So annoying, I almost want to punish this bad boy myself.”

Marina smiled slightly and said, “It’s better you don’t provoke him, or else the consequences are unimaginable.

Your father and uncle certainly wouldn’t want to see you get hurt.”

Kleyena said helplessly, “When have I ever caused trouble?

I’m the most well-behaved child in the family.

But Marina, what rank of power does Ye Su really have?

Didn’t you say that with a little more contact, you could determine his magic level?”

Marina shook her head and sighed softly, “It’s precisely because I can’t tell that I’m asking you not to provoke him.

I can almost guarantee that if he participates in the literary and martial arts competition, he will undoubtedly be one of the top five in magic.

He has a calm and steady mind, completely unruffled.

He is not something ordinary Mages can compare to, and even my probing eye can’t discern the color of his magic.

Such a powerful individual is rare on the Continent, especially one so young.”

Kleyena frowned slightly.

“According to the registration at the hotel, he’s from Acadia.

When did Acadia produce such promising young Mages?

Humph, as long as he joins the literary and martial arts competition, I will definitely find out his level of strength.

Sister, let’s go.

His Majesty is waiting for you to be brought to him.

He’s putting a great deal of importance on this year’s competition, with my uncle even getting involved.”

Marina smiled faintly, “Praise Falan, your family’s position in Landias is like that of the Zi Luolan Family in the Milan Empire.

Both are pillars of the nation.

At critical moments, naturally, your whole family is expected to play a part.

Let’s go.

I’m somewhat looking forward to seeing Ye Su at the magic stage myself.”

Kleyena’s straightforward explanation provided Ye Yinzhu with a detailed understanding of the literary and martial competition.

He didn’t go straight back to the hotel but went to the registration office in the city, where he paid three hundred gold coins and registered for all three events.

Using his control over spiritual power, he revealed only the strength of a Beginner Green rank in the tests for both Douqi and magic and comfortably passed through.

The five days passed quickly.

When the first day of the literary and martial arts competition arrived, the entire Landias City seemed to be empty as thousands of citizens poured from the city, all to observe the competition from a distance.

Although most of them couldn’t see anything, Landias Empire’s triennial grand event was still captivating enough to draw the eye.

To the west of Landias City, the large military training ground could accommodate a million-strong army for inspection, and it was from here that the main forces had launched their offensives against the Milan Empire.

Now, the training ground had been fully transformed into three large sections.

To ensure the smooth proceedings of the competition and maintain order, the Royal Guard from the Imperial Capital of Landias was fully mobilized, with more than one hundred and fifty thousand troops from the City Defense Army tightly surrounding the three competition venues within the training ground.

No one who wasn’t a competitor could enter; they could only watch from a distance.

The three venues of the literary and martial competition were set up in three different directions on the training ground, forming a triangular layout, with the two martial venues relatively close to each other.

In the middle of the two venues, there was a platform that could accommodate about a hundred people, designated for distinguished guests.

From this vantage point, simply by turning their chairs, one could witness contests in both martial skills and magic.

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