# Chapter 1970: End of the Imperial List Inquiry
Pei Donglai heard Lin Feng's rebuke, his face turning ashen, yet he had no words to counter it. The Imperial List had always been revered by the Holy City Central Continent, and indeed, as Lin Feng said, it was because of the meaning the Imperial List represented—a kind of symbol.
He certainly could not remove Lin Feng from the Imperial List. If he did, no one would believe in the Imperial List anymore. It was just as Lin Feng had said: the Imperial List was the Imperial List because of the names on it. The Human Imperial List needed these names, not the other way around.
"Who won and who lost in this battle—there are different opinions. However, considering that Lin Feng, at the mid-rank Emperor realm, fought Ji Shang to a draw, Lin Feng is temporarily placed third on the Imperial List. If the two clash again in the future and a victor is decided, the Imperial List can be changed again," Ren Tianxing said at this moment. His Human Emperor Brush traced through the void, dotting onto the Human Imperial List. Lin Feng's name appeared in the third position on the Imperial List, shining brilliantly.
The crowd looked at the golden, dazzling Imperial List and took a deep breath. Lin Feng had actually reached the third position on the Imperial List. This was something no one had anticipated. Today, he was as dazzling as Chu Chunqiu—two dark horses occupying the second and third positions on the Imperial List, aside from Ying Cheng.
Pei Donglai looked at the name marked in the third position on the Imperial List and suddenly fell silent. Lin Feng's gaze, however, turned toward Yin Rui. Those cold pupils actually made Yin Rui's heart tremble slightly. This guy's potential was astonishing. If he had to choose again, he might truly hesitate.
Lin Feng looked at Yin Yue. That girl was looking at him with a pitiful expression. Turning his gaze away, Lin Feng then looked at Pei Dongqing. A cold gleam flashed by, as if carrying a trace of killing intent, causing Pei Dongqing's expression to stiffen. He felt cold all over, as if Lin Feng would really kill him. Lin Feng's eyes were extremely terrifying.
"Third on the Imperial List, stopping here. This Imperial List Inquiry is now over," Pei Donglai said calmly to Lin Feng, causing a sense of melancholy to arise in the crowd. The Imperial List Inquiry had finally ended. Those shocking battles had left a deep impression on them.
Lin Feng heard Pei Donglai's words and smiled faintly, saying, "You achieved this at the peak Martial Emperor realm back then. Don't you feel ashamed now?"
With that, Lin Feng's body slowly rose. He swept his gaze once more over Pei Donglai and the Silver Clan direction, then stepped forward, descending beside Meng Qing and the others. "Let's return to the academy."
Wu Shang glanced at Lin Feng, then looked in Yin Yue's direction. Finally, he followed Lin Feng and left, heading toward War King Academy. This seemed to mark the official end of this Imperial List Inquiry.
Now, the top ten seats on the Imperial List were: Ying Cheng, Chu Chunqiu, Lin Feng, Ji Shang, Battle Monk, Gui Li, Shi Yunfeng, Xue Shenfeng, Yin Gutian, and Wang Zhong.
Compared to the rankings before the Imperial List Inquiry, a tremendous change had occurred. After this inquiry ended, the names of some fallen powerhouses would be replaced by others.
Yin Rui's body slowly rose into the air, speaking to Yin Gutian on the Human Emperor Heavenly Pillar: "Gutian, you should return to the clan and cultivate properly."
"I understand." Yin Gutian nodded. Neither of them mentioned joining the Human Emperor Palace again. People at their level were as clear as mirrors and understood very well what words were appropriate. With Yin Gutian's disappointing performance in this Imperial List Inquiry, what face did he have to mention joining the Human Emperor Palace?
"Brother Pei." Yin Rui's gaze fell on a powerhouse from the Pei Family, revealing a smile. The Pei Family powerhouse said, "Brother Yin Rui, after all the Silver Clan powerhouses return to the clan, I will personally lead people to the Silver Clan to propose marriage to the Little Princess Yin Yue on behalf of Dongqing."
Both the Silver Clan and the Pei Family were major clans in the Holy City Central Continent. Since they were forming a marriage alliance, they naturally could not neglect propriety. The Pei Family would certainly do what needed to be done. This concerned the face of both clans.
"En." Yin Rui nodded, saying nothing more. But the surrounding crowd was quite unsettled. The Silver Clan and the Pei Family were also forming a marriage alliance. These were two major clans, which would inevitably affect the structure of the Holy City Central Continent. Additionally, it was rumored that Lin Feng had once proposed marriage to Yin Yue on behalf of his younger brother Lin Wushang, confronting Pei Donglai head-on. But in the end, the Silver Clan did not choose the exceptionally talented Lin Feng; they ultimately chose the massive Pei Family.
The clan most displeased today was not the Silver Clan, nor the Pei Family, but the Ji Clan.
Ji Shang was a King-Sealed figure of the Holy City Central Continent. Over a year ago, at War King Academy's King-Sealing ceremony, countless people came to witness the glorious moment. At that time, Lin Feng had disrupted it, stealing Ji Shang's thunder. For the Ji Clan, this was undoubtedly a stain on Ji Shang's King-Sealing. But if it were only that, it could be overlooked—after all, Ji Shang had donned the crown and become a King-Sealed figure, bringing glory to the Holy City Central Continent.
However, in just over a year, at another moment—the Imperial List Inquiry—their Ji Clan's King-Sealed figure, Ji Shang, suffered three defeats.
Losing to Ying Cheng was one thing, but then losing to Chu Chunqiu, and then to Lin Feng, who had caused trouble on the day of his King-Sealing—this kind of humiliation would likely be forever attached to Ji Shang, becoming an indelible stain. Unless one day Ji Shang could prove himself anew, trample Lin Feng under his feet, and surpass those who had defeated him today.
But even the Ji Clan had to admit that the difficulty was immense. Both Chu Chunqiu and Lin Feng had come from behind, and both were at lower cultivation levels than Ji Shang. Especially Lin Feng—he was only at the mid-rank Emperor realm, yet his combat power had already reached such a terrifying level. One could imagine how terrifying his potential was. Now, the only option was for Ji Shang to recover from his injuries and the side effects of his secret technique as soon as possible, then ascend to the Emperor realm and suppress them with the power of the Great Emperor realm.
"I hope Ji Shang can pull himself together. A King-Sealed person should have a king's heart." Ji Yuan sighed inwardly. No one could help Ji Shang through this hurdle; he had to rely on himself.
The crowd began to disperse gradually. But the figures who had contended for supremacy on the Imperial List today were etched into people's memories. Everyone understood very well that these geniuses on the Imperial List, who commanded the atmosphere with their might, would likely shine the brightest in the Qingxiao Land in the future. Many of the great figures who had shaken the ages had displayed their brilliance on the stage of the Imperial List Inquiry.
Of course, what the future held, no one could predict. People would only remember today.
Chu Chunqiu and Lin Feng—these two names, like Ying Cheng and Ji Shang, began to spread throughout the Holy City Central Continent, reaching every corner. It was almost predictable that soon, these two names would become household words. The seniors of various ancient clans would take notice of these two names, because they had both defeated a King-Sealed figure, Ji Shang.
This meant that both Chu Chunqiu and Lin Feng possessed the strength to be King-Sealed. And those who could be King-Sealed, as long as they did not die, would almost certainly become towering figures in their own right. This was a historical inevitability.
Because of this inevitability, the Ji Clan, the Pei Family, and the Silver Clan—after returning to their respective clans—had already begun discussing the possibility of eliminating Lin Feng. And among these three clans, the one that hated Lin Feng the most was the Ji Clan.
At this moment, in a great hall of the Ji Clan, many people sat in silence. The temperature in the hall seemed somewhat low, clearly indicating that their mood was not good.
"Let's all share your opinions," Ji Yuan said calmly, sweeping his gaze over the people below.
"Lin Feng had someone blind Ji Wuyou's eyes, caused trouble at Ji Shang's King-Sealing ceremony, and caused Ji Jiang and the others to die or go missing. Add to that today's battle—there is no possibility of reconciliation between our Ji Clan and Lin Feng. We are destined to stand on opposite sides," a powerhouse said slowly. The others nodded. They all understood this, which was why they were gathered in this great hall.
The Ji Clan had many enemies. However, most enemies they dismissed with disdain. But Lin Feng—though in the face of the massive Ji Clan, he was still an insignificant figure, and even if his talent was astonishing, it was not enough to attract the attention of the Ji Clan's true upper echelons—Ji Yuan and the others could not ignore Lin Feng. With his potential, he would sooner or later threaten some of the Ji Clan's interests. For such a figure, nipping him in the bud before he grew was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Although Lin Feng's background is unclear, what is known is that he himself does not have a powerful backing. However, he has formed a connection with the demon realm of Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital. The old demons of Sky-Gazing Ancient Capital cannot be ignored either, but they are not enough to intimidate our Ji Clan. The biggest difficulty is still War King Academy."
"I have a suggestion." At this moment, a middle-aged man with a refined face spoke slowly, causing many to look at him.
"Speak," Ji Yuan said.
"There is no need to deliberately deal with Lin Feng. His existence is not a bad thing for Ji Shang. Even if his talent might be higher than Ji Shang's, the more so, the more it can stimulate Ji Shang's heart to pursue the ultimate martial dao. Don't forget, Ji Shang passed the King-Sealing trial. I will never doubt Ji Shang's resolve."
This person spoke slowly, and Ji Yuan nodded. He also knew something about the King-Sealing assessment. It was not merely a test of pure talent; only those who excelled in all aspects could be King-Sealed. He would not doubt that Ji Shang would be knocked down, because he was the King-Sealed Ji Shang. A king. Even if Ji Shang's talent truly was inferior to Lin Feng's, he still had his own domain.
"That's fine. But if an opportunity arises, we don't mind suppressing him a little. As long as we don't kill him, War King Academy won't say anything. They will only regard it as a trial for Lin Feng," Ji Yuan said. The others nodded slightly, understanding in their hearts. People at their level had their own way of thinking. Even if War King Academy knew they were suppressing Lin Feng, they would not interfere. That was Lin Feng's life. A person who grew up in a greenhouse could not stand at the peak and become a king overlooking all living beings. Therefore, he also agreed with the suggestion just now. Ji Shang also needed setbacks!
(End of Chapter)