Assassination

Everyone turned to the side as a man, carrying a large golden hammer spoke out. The emperor frowned.

"Do you believe that you would be more likely for the position compared to master Fang here?" he asked.

The man frowned.

"An Imperial Smith must also be combat ready as well as a good forge, your imperial highness," he spoke carefully.

The emperor frowned. This was a valid point as he could not appoint anyone without sufficient proof of their prowess in combat. Sighing, he turned to Fang.

"Master Fang, if you can defeat anyone here, you will have earned the right to be the Imperial Smith," he spoke.

Fang frowned.

"Your imperial highness...," he hesitated.

The emperor smiled.

"Don't worry. You can challenge my guards. They will lose on purpose and you'll get the title,"

Fang frowned.

"But your highness, I don't wish to be the Imperial Smith," he spoke firmly.

There was a collective gasp as the emperor frowned.

"You are refusing my goodwill?" he asked.

Fang smiled amiably.

"Not at all. I just feel that I am not the right person for the job. After all, my combat skills and forging skills are still lacking...," he apologized.

The emperor frowned. Sighing, he accepted his fate. He could not force such a powerful master at any rate.

"Fine. I shall appoint someone else," he sighed.

"Thank you very much your imperial highness," Fang spoke.

The emperor sighed as the man with the golden hammer smiled.

"Of course. Your combat strength was lacking anyway," he sneered.

Fang frowned as Tang Junxin leapt out of his seat.

"How dare you! Apologize at once!" he thundered, sparks flashing in his eyes.

The offender simply grinned. According to the reports, this boy was still a Mortal Realm cultivator and couldn't harm him.

Tang Junxin frowned. Raising his hand, he released a blast of ice energy. It flew out in a spear of crackling blue ice.

Hitting the man squarely in the chest, there was an explosion. The mist cleared slowly and the man was found lying on the ground, shivering of hypothermia. Shock could be seen on his face.

Tang Junxin smiled. His newfound power was truly amazing. Around him guests were talking in hushed whispers, spreading rumors faster than disease.

In the very back, a man dressed in a green robe frowned.

"Tell them to start the attack. The boy has gotten too powerful. We must eliminate him now," he whispered.

A cold chill blew through the room and the guests frowned. Chills were usually bad omens. Ignoring it, they carried on whispering.

"Now," the man in green spoke softly.

There was a tremendous boom as a a dark shape rushed for Tang Junxin.

Seeing it out of the corner of his eye, Fang reacted.

There was a large bang as the two figures collided.

[Your plot armor has been activated]

[Initiating now]

Fang felt immense power flow through his veins. Roaring he thrust his fists forward.

An enormous bolt of white energy flew out, hitting the man in black. There was a massive boom as the man in black groaned and flew backward. Fang calmed down slightly, extremely dense energy flowing through his veins. He smiled menacingly.

The man in black screamed in terror and stumbled backward, into the arms of the guards.

The emperor looked furious as he walked over to the prisoner. The man struggled fiercely but couldn't escape.

"Take this man to the brig! I shall deal with him later!" he spoke in a threatening voice.

Turning around, he frowned.

"You may all leave this chamber except for Tang Junxin and Fang Zhen," he thundered.

The guests left slowly. Eventually they all cleared the room. The emperor approached Fang.

"Master Fang," he spoke.

Fang straightened his back.

"You have saved the life of the prince consort of this country and my son in law. Therefore I must reward you," he spoke.

Snapping his hands, he summoned a green scroll bound in gold.

"Take this. It is a mysterious cultivation method that is extremely powerful. Our ancestors had left it here in hopes of our progeny learning it. However, we were unable to do so. However, I believe that you can do so," he said, handing the scroll to Fang.

Flustered, Fang accepted it.

"One more thing: this is called the Supreme Turtle's Cultivation Manual. It is said to be created by a legendary existence that gave it's lifestyle immortality and form by preserving it's spirit in this cultivation manual," the emperor informed him.

Fang smiled.

'Interesting,' he thought.

Grinning from ear to ear, he bowed to the emperor.