Glorious Sun Imperial Palace.
This was the palace of one of the Four Great Empires on Planet Yao. It occupied a large area and had many tall buildings, green tiles, pavilions, fake mountains, small bridges, and flowing water. Everything one could imagine could be found here, making the place look grand and majestic. There was an invisible aura of an emperor floating in the air.
In the largest hall of the palace, the Glorious Sun Emperor and many other officials were having a meeting.
The people gathered here were the nobles of the Glorious Sun Empire.
Sitting on a dragon throne in the hall was the emperor of the Glorious Sun Empire, Zi Longyang.
Zi Longyang was the eighteenth emperor of the Glorious Sun Empire. The empire had a history of nearly two thousand years.
He was about fifty years old, but on the surface, he looked like he was only about forty years old. He still looked young and strong. He was wearing a dragon robe that shone with a golden luster. He had the noble aura of an emperor, and his eyes had a dignified look. There was no doubt that he had the demeanor of an emperor!
The only flaw was the worry that flashed across his face. Clearly, he was troubled by the affairs of the empire.
There were a dozen people standing on his left and right. Long Tianba was standing at the front. He was one of the noblest people in the empire. After all, he was an old official who had been in the empire for three generations. Moreover, he was in charge of the military. Even the current emperor had to show him some respect.
At this time, a middle-aged man was bowing and speaking to Zi Longyang about something. There were three people in front of Long Tianba who were glancing at Long Tianba from time to time with complicated expressions in their eyes.
The kneeling old man had an ordinary appearance. He wore an official's robe and had the aura of an official. After he finished speaking, he returned to his seat.
At this moment, the first old man on the left said, "Earlier, Lord Zuo from the Ministry of Personnel said that General Ma Hu is old and has reached the age of retirement. He is General Longwu's subordinate, so this matter should be handled by General Longwu. However, the old general has been fighting all over the country for the past few years and has contributed greatly to our empire. I believe that we should share the burden of this matter with him. I suggest that the Imperial Guard Commander, Dong Feng, should take over as General Ma Hu's successor."
Since this person dared to speak first, he must not be an ordinary official. Since he was able to sit side by side with Long Tianba, it could be seen that he was the current Prime Minister, Ji Geng.
Ji Hanhan's seniority was not as high as Long Tianba's, but in terms of official position, one civil and one military, they were equal. Moreover, he had an old relationship with the previous Emperor and was deeply trusted by the current Emperor. He was one of the people who could sit on the same level as Long Tianba.
Zi Longyang glanced at Ji Chenhan and then looked at Long Tianba. Long Tianba narrowed his eyes and didn't say anything. It was as if this had nothing to do with him.
Zi Longyang said, "Does anyone have any other opinions?"
"I agree with Prime Minister Ji. Dong Feng is powerful and has the ability to command troops. He is the most qualified person to take over the position of Zhenbei General!" said a middle-aged official who was not tall and had a strange appearance.
This person was the one who had been sneaking glances at Long Tianba just now. He stood two seats behind Ji Chenhan, and his position wasn't low either. He was the Minister of Works, Zhu Mohai.
It was worth mentioning that Zhu Mohai was Zhu Fengbo's father.
Zhu Fengbo had lost both his arms and one of his legs. It was all Yao Yue's doing.
Zhu Mohai naturally wanted to kick Long Tianba when he was down. He began to stand on Ji Chenhan's side and take away some of Long Tianba's military power.
At this time, an old general standing behind Long Tianba said, "Hmph, Dong Feng hasn't even fought on the sand. How can he command troops? Your Majesty, I suggest that General Ma Hu promote Jiao He to be the general. Dong Feng can only be a deputy general at most!"
This old general was one of Long Tianba's Three Tiger Generals, General Li Qianhu. He was only one rank lower than Long Tianba, and he had gone through fire and water with Long Tianba. They were like brothers.
Jiao He was one of Long Tianba's trusted aides. Ma Hu, who was about to retire, was also one of Long Tianba's Three Tiger Generals. The other one was the General of the South, Tu Dahu.
As soon as Li Qianhu finished speaking, a few people voiced their agreement.
From this, it could be seen that Long Tianba had quite a few supporters in the court.
However, after the neutral Minister of Revenue, Yao Mingzhe, supported Ji Chenhan, Fang Ruogang also supported Ji Chenhan.
Of the two, Yao Mingzhe's status was slightly higher. As soon as he spoke, a few people voiced their agreement.
In the end, the number of people supporting Ji Chenhan surpassed Long Tianba's side.
Li Qianhu was so angry that he wanted to curse. Long Tianba couldn't help but have a complicated look on his face.
At this time, the Minister of Revenue looked at Zi Longyang and said, "Since we can't come to an agreement, Your Majesty, please make a decision!"
Zi Longyang respected Long Tianba very much. He looked at Long Tianba and said, "General Long Wu, do you have any objections?"
"This subject will listen to Your Majesty's decision!" Long Tianba replied solemnly.
At this time, all the officials present were astonished. They didn't expect Long Tianba to back down at a time like this.
One had to know that the Northern General was the commander of an army of 200,000 soldiers. That was almost a fifth of the empire's military strength. Moreover, this important position had always been held by someone from Long Tianba.
Yet, Long Tianba had backed down this time. This was truly shocking!
Zi Longyang smiled faintly and said, "Since that's the case, we will do as Minister Ji says. Dong Feng will be appointed as the Northern General!"
"Our emperor is wise!" all the officials cheered in unison.
Li Qianhu's expression was unsightly. He knew that his old general was about to be stripped of his power.
After the court was dismissed, Li Qianhu walked out with Long Tianba. As soon as he walked out of the hall, he said to Long Tianba, "General, how can you let them have their way? If you speak, His Majesty will definitely support you!"
"Qianhu, you still don't understand?"
Long Tianba sighed and continued, "When you get back to the capital, have him come and see me first. I've given him the position of general, but he has to be able to convince his subordinates first!"
After saying that, Long Tianba left without waiting for Li Qianhu.
Long Tianba might be known for his martial prowess, but he was also a very shrewd person.
Otherwise, how could he be the Dragon General who had won countless battles?
From Ji Zihan's suggestion and Yao Mingzhe, Zhu Mohai, and Fang Ruogang's actions, he knew that this matter wasn't as simple as it seemed.
Perhaps all of this had something to do with his grandson-in-law!
In Long Tianba's study, Yao Yue was reading a history book.
"So the place I am in is called the Demon World Star. On the Demon World Star, there are four Great Dynasties and hundreds of dynasties. These four Great Dynasties are the Asura Dynasty, the Wind Moon Dynasty, the Brilliant Sun Dynasty, and the Blue Light Dynasty. Many dynasties are subordinate to the four Great Dynasties. The most powerful Asura Dynasty is a foreign race and is the enemy of the other three Great Dynasties. However, the Asura Dynasty's strength and strength are far above the other three Great Dynasties. They occupy almost half of the Demon World Star's land!" Yao Yue revealed a look of understanding.
Over the past few days, apart from cultivating the Soaring Dragon Art at night, Yao Yue had been cultivating in the morning, and spending the rest of his time with his mother and Long Yue-er, reading all the books in the study.
After a few days, Yao Yue had also finished reading a third of the books in the study. He only read the important ones, causing his understanding of all kinds of things to grow at an extremely fast speed!
After all, he had an eidetic memory.
At this time, the study's door opened and Long Tianba walked in with a worried expression.
"Grandfather!" Yao Yue put down the book in his hand and greeted respectfully.
"I heard that you've been reading here for the past few days. That's pretty good ah!" Long Tianba's worried expression disappeared as he smiled.
"Hehe, I just want to see more, enrich myself, and let me understand more things. I hope that one day, I can help grandfather!" Yao Yue said with a silly smile.
"The sea of learning is endless. Any cultivator must rely on knowledge to survive. Otherwise, they'll become ignorant boors." Long Tianba praised. He paused for a moment before continuing, "Soon, the Imperial Academy will open. With your current strength, you might have a chance to pass the exam. Do you want to use grandfather's connections with you, or do you want to take the exam yourself?"
Long Tianba had once said that he wanted to arrange for Yao Yue to enter the Imperial Academy. However, he had already learned from Xiao Zhan that Yao Yue's current strength was not inferior to any high-grade Yuan Scholar. He already had the qualifications to pass the exam.
The reason why he asked this was because he wanted to see what Yao Yue's choice would be.
"How does the exam usually go?" Yao Yue's eyes lit up as he asked.
"The exam is usually divided into three stages. The first stage is that you must be under the age of sixteen and at least possess the strength of a Yuan Scholar. The second stage is a test of combat ability. The third stage is a test of innate talent. Those in the top hundred who satisfy these three conditions will be able to enter the Imperial Academy!"
Long Tianba replied. He paused for a moment before continuing, "Don't underestimate these three stages. It won't be easy to pass them."
Yao Yue felt troubled. "Grandfather, doesn't that mean that I can't even satisfy the first stage?"
Although he wanted to pass the first stage himself and not make things difficult for his grandfather, he was only a low-grade Yuan Soldier. There was still a long way to go before he could become a Yuan Scholar. It was practically impossible for him to reach the second stage in half a month.
Long Tianba looked at Yao Yue and said, "If you really want to take the exam yourself, the first stage won't be a problem. I can help you deal with it. However, you will have to pass the last two stages on your own. If you don't have the confidence, I'll throw away my pride and let you stay in the Imperial Academy for three years. That place might not be as good as the one I personally taught you, but it won't be completely useless!"
"Alright. In that case, Yue Er will take the exam himself," Yao Yue agreed.
If he really couldn't enter the Imperial Academy, he didn't want his grandfather to beg for help. He could still use the Myriad Blood Devouring Art to become stronger.
Long Tianba revealed a gratified smile and said, "Alright. Since you are confident, work hard. There is still half a month left. I believe that you will be able to pass the exam with your own strength."
After Long Tianba left, Yao Yue was filled with excitement. He muttered to himself, "Looks like I have to work harder!"