C32 The Imperial Army

"A general from the palace?"

Lu Yu's brow furrowed as a sense of foreboding washed over him.

"Come on, let's check it out!"

Without overthinking, Lu Yu followed Zhong Bo to the main hall.

From a distance, they could see numerous soldiers stationed at the entrance.

Clad in gleaming armor and masks, with sabers at their sides, they were unmistakably the imperial guards.

Inside the hall, the Imperial Guards were arrayed in formation, with Madame Yurou standing pale-faced and Lu Lengshuang positioned protectively in front of her.

"General Lu, are you really going to defy the Crown Prince's command?" the leading Imperial Guard asked with haughty disdain.

Lu Lengshuang shook her head resolutely. "No, Xiao Yu is still a minor. By the laws of Great Liang, minors are prohibited from undertaking the War God's trial."

"Hmph! The Marquis Yongping Mansion must be feeling lucky. The Crown Prince has expressly permitted Lu Yu to enter the War God's trial at seventeen!" the impatient Imperial Guard commander retorted.

"If the Emperor were in Longjing and had issued a decree, the Lu Family would dutifully comply. But as it stands, the laws of Great Liang dictate otherwise. Xiao Yu is underage, and with regret, we must decline to comply!" Lu Lengshuang declared steadfastly.

"Ungrateful for the favor offered, you dare to resist the Crown Prince's orders!" the Imperial Guard commander snapped, launching into an attack.

His true qi surged powerfully, filling the hall with an overwhelming presence.

This commander was, in fact, a Xiantian-level master!

"Whoosh!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the Imperial Guard commander struck out with his palm toward Lu Lengshuang.

But Lu Lengshuang was not caught off guard; she too extended her arm in defense.

"A mere Houtian Seventh Level thinks to stop me?" the Imperial Guard commander sneered.

He had thoroughly investigated before arriving; Lu Lengshuang was merely in the Houtian realm.

Despite the Crown Prince's cautions to be wary of Lu Yu, the boy was nowhere to be seen upon his arrival.

He's probably scared, hiding somewhere in the back courtyard, he thought.

At that thought, the Imperial Army general's expression grew even more brazen!

Bang!

His hand crashed against Lu Lengshuang's arm, but to his astonishment, he couldn't budge her in the least.

"Ha!" Lu Lengshuang let out a fierce cry and threw a punch at the Imperial Army officer.

The officer stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock, "Xiantian!"

He was well aware of Lu Lengshuang's strength. Being a fellow Xiantian master, he was acutely conscious of her current level.

Could it be that in just one night, someone from the Houtian Seventh Level had ascended to the Xiantian realm?

His shock was fleeting, soon replaced by avarice.

The Imperial Army commander, a confidant of the Crown Prince, was privy to many secrets.

He had assumed Lu Yu had stumbled upon some treasure, but he hadn't imagined it to be such a formidable one, capable of boosting someone's cultivation realm so significantly in such a brief span!

Such an item had to be seized by him!

"You're merely a novice who's just entered the Xiantian realm, and yet you dare to be insolent before me!" sneered the Imperial Army commander, gathering a formidable surge of true qi once more.

He sensed that Lu Lengshuang's recent breakthrough to the Xiantian realm left her aura unsteady.

As a seasoned Xiantian Third Level master, why would he fear a newcomer to the realm?

Bang!

As the Imperial Army officer's hand was poised to strike Lu Lengshuang, the grand doors of the hall were suddenly kicked open.

"It seems there's no shortage of those courting death," Lu Yu declared in a stern tone, effortlessly flinging an Imperial Army soldier aside.