Chapter 123 I am the peak A dirt hill was built forty-nine miles west of the capital. The competition venue for 108 talented people from the capital and various states and counties is set up here. The top of the mountain is flat, six miles square, about the size of three football fields. There are three main arrangements: the first is the shed for watching ceremonies and games, the second is the arena that occupies half of the top of the mountain, and the third is the shed for the talented and brilliant people to rest. The awning for viewing ceremonies and games is at the north and above, while the awning for rest is at the south and below. The east and west are empty. The competition is scheduled to start at 06:00. All those who participated in the competition arrived at the top of the earthen hill at 05:45, a quarter of an hour in advance. The current emperor and the other nobles are busy with state affairs and have no time to visit.

Li Huizu, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, presided over this competition on behalf of all the gentlemen. Da Diao Dangli came on behalf of His Majesty, delivered the opening speech, and then watched the ceremony. The second princess, the third prince, the fourth prince, the fifth prince, the sixth princess, and the seventh prince all came to watch the battle. Apart from this, there were no other spectators. Each princess and prince should have his own pergola. The second princess and the fourth prince, the sixth princess and the seventh prince sat in the same tent, and the construction department responsible for building the competition venue only built six tents. Four of them were for the princes and princesses, and the one in the middle was left empty to show respect for the current emperor. Da Diao Pendant and Li Huizu, the Left Vice Minister of Rites, sat on one of them. This decision was made after the Ministry of Works discussed with the Ministry of Rites, and after informing the Seventh Prince who was observing government affairs at the Ministry of Works and the Fifth Prince who was observing government affairs at the Ministry of Rites. The third prince, the fifth prince, and the seventh prince didn't care about this decision. It was hard to say whether they welcomed it or hated it. Only the Fourth Prince was dissatisfied. The third prince and the fifth prince are both independent. The Seventh Prince is still young, less than eighteen years old, and he listens to the Sixth Princess at all times and in everything, and there is no problem. But the Fourth Prince is already twenty-one years old and had his coming-of-age ceremony last year, so he has become an adult. If he continues to rely on the Second Princess's protection, not to mention whether he is willing or not, even his subordinates and others will have strange opinions about it. However, no matter how much the Fourth Prince said good or bad things, the Second Princess only had one answer every time: I don’t want to listen, I don’t want to listen. Including the fact that they sat in the same tent to watch the battle this time, the Fourth Prince was very angry. The second princess found out, but then ignored it. The resting shed for the talented and brilliant people is a long shed, which is divided into 28 areas, named after the 28 constellations. The capital, the inner nine states, and the outer eighteen states are all in their proper places.

The twenty-eight constellations can be divided into nine areas: the central Juntian, the eastern Cangtian, the northeast Biantian, the northern Xuantian, the northwest Youtian, the western Haotian, the southwestern Zhutian, the southern Yantian and the southeast Yangtian. The three southwestern states correspond to Southwestern Zhutian of course. The corresponding place of Cangyun Prefecture is Jingxiu. They haven't seen each other for a month, and now they meet again. Maybe they will fight side by side soon. Yuan Luyao, Liu Yuling, and Shen Qiong all came to greet Tao Tie and say hello to each other. After a while, talented people from the other two states of the three southwestern states who had always helped each other in the Heavenly Dynasty, including Dong Shou, Shan Yi, Xuanhua from Lianyun State, Lanling, Zhu Cong, and Monk Yuanjue from Hengyun State, also came to greet Tao Tie and reminisce about the past. Lianyun Prefecture has been the leader among the three southwestern prefectures over the years. Logically speaking, it should be the four people from Cangyun Prefecture and the three people from Hengyun Prefecture who should move closer to the three people from Lianyun Prefecture. But there were three people in Cangyun Prefecture: Huang Junshi, Dao Xiaofeng and Tao Tie, a master and his apprentice, who did not follow common sense. Therefore, the practice of Lianyun Prefecture being the leader among the three southwestern prefectures could no longer be maintained. Especially when Dong Shou, who should have stood up to maintain his status as the boss of Lianyun Prefecture, was extremely convinced by Tao Tie. "Hey, Fellow Daoist Tao, is there any secret to your swordplay at Xilu Lake in Dianzhou?" After the greetings, Dong Shou poked Tao Tie's arm with his right elbow, winked, and asked in a deliberately low voice. This question immediately attracted the attention of the talented people from other states and the capital in the rest shed. On the surface, they were still chatting and exchanging pleasantries, but each of them quietly pricked up their ears to eavesdrop on the conversation here. The geniuses from the three southwestern states nearby did not need to act quietly. They all stared at Tao Tie, waiting for his answer. "You want to learn?" Tao Tie looked at Dong Shou with a smile, asked casually, and then said even more casually, "I'll teach you." Dong Shou leaned back, looking extremely shocked: "Can this be taught?" Tao Tie asked back: "What can't be taught?" "That's right. There is nothing that cannot be told to others." After thinking about it carefully, Dong Shou nodded his head in agreement and made a request, "Then I'd like to trouble Daoist Brother Tao to teach me. I want to learn." "Okay." Tao Tie agreed readily. It is better to do it today than to wait for a day, and regardless of the fact that this is a competition venue, he will use the quarter of an hour before the competition begins to start the lecture. At first, when everyone saw Tao Tie really start speaking, they thought he was just going through the motions. Unexpectedly, Tao Tie's first sentence directly pointed out the essence of the sword: "Everything is a breath. Life is a breath. Life and death are a breath. Listen to that breath, grasp that breath, cut off that breath, life and death are determined immediately." A true word is passed on, and a thousand volumes of books are falsely passed on. Just this statement about "one breath" was enough to impress the one hundred and seventeen talented people present.

I have to say that Tao Tie is really upright in that he doesn't hide anything! Next, Tao Tie spoke concisely and in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, talking about his understanding of the Dao as the essence, the Dharma as the function, and the techniques as the superficial appearance, as well as his understanding of forging what he had learned into one. Although no specific details were mentioned and it remained at the theoretical level, the 107 talented geniuses were fascinated by it. Those who can sit in this pergola are the best among their peers. Who can't draw inferences from one example? The less specific details are mentioned, the better. The commotion here would certainly attract the attention of the viewing shed on the north side. The third prince snorted glumly. The wise counselor Shi Guanzhong was sitting on the first chair below the left hand of the Third Prince, pretending to be asleep and not responding. The other subordinates, with their eyes looking at their noses and their noses looking at their hearts, were even more like wood. Before he established his own government, the Third Prince, like other princes and princesses, grew up in the deep palace and rarely went out. People who have never had close contact with the Third Prince can only judge his character and style through some rumors and gossip. It has been a while since the princes and princesses started competing for the throne. They have each done a lot of things. There is no need to make blind guesses about their personalities and styles. The Third Prince's subordinates knew better than anyone that in this situation, only Mr. Shi, the think tank, could take the initiative. Because the third prince is angry. What's more, the person who made the Third Prince angry was not someone else, but Tao Tie, who was currently lecturing in the south shed about the concept of cutting off the breath of life and death of all things. The reason why Shi Guanzhong did not respond was very simple. The reason why the Third Prince was angry was that, under his suggestion, he had tried to win over the three masters and apprentices, Tao Tie, Dao Xiaofeng, and Huang Junshi, who had all performed brilliantly, to show his magnanimity and ability to win people over, but he kept hitting a wall. Either Tao Tie deliberately avoided him, or Dao Xiaofeng refused to invite him to a banquet in public. Huang Junshi, who was far away in Liuxian County, Cangyun Prefecture, said bluntly that he was originally a casual person in the missionary academy, with no interest in fame or gain, but now he was serving the Heavenly Dynasty in accordance with the emperor's order. To put it roughly, it means that you are just a prince, not even the crown prince, so why should he take sides with Huang Junshi? The third prince’s pergola is on the east side of the empty pergola. Further east, there was a pergola where the second princess and the fourth prince, a brother and sister, were sitting. Without waiting for the Fourth Prince to speak, the Second Princess said, "Don't dream about it. He is destined to be someone you can't have." The Fourth Prince's rage suddenly rose several feet high. boom! He clenched his fist and smashed it on the round table beside him, smashing the elegant and beautiful rosewood round table into pieces. Staring at the Second Princess with a pair of bloodshot eyes, the Fourth Prince gnashed his teeth and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with me that makes you look down on me like that? Also, just because my mother asked you to take good care of me and listen to you before she passed away, do you want to control my every word and action?" Faced with the Fourth Prince's questioning, the Second Princess said nothing and made no excuses. But his hands hidden in his sleeves were tightly entangled together. Seeing this, the Fourth Prince continued:

"Sister, I have always respected you and been close to you, but I have already gone through the ceremony of coming of age, I am an adult, I have established my own government, and I am competing for the throne. There are tens of billions of people in Dayong, and outside Dayong, there are also more than one billion people, as well as demons and monsters, all watching my every move. Sister, if you continue to restrict me like this, ordering me not to do this or that, If I don't do what you want, you draw your sword and threaten me with suicide or killing me. Do you really think this is right?" Standing up suddenly, the bloodshot in the fourth prince's eyes faded a little, and the anger and frustration in his voice faded a little. His tone became excited: "I am the fourth prince, a descendant of Taizu, with the blood of the Li royal family flowing in my body. I was born different from ordinary people, and I should make some achievements. I should be a king and rule the world, and rule over billions of people! I..." "enough!" The second princess also stood up suddenly and shouted, interrupting the fourth prince's words. Then he drew out his sword with a clang, placed it on the Fourth Prince's neck, and said coldly: "When you can dodge my sword, you can talk about ruling the world and ruling over billions of people. The world of Dayong was conquered by Taizu with one sword and one gun! The territory of Dayong was opened up by our ancestors one inch at a time! Father's throne was won more than 30 years ago when he led the charge and repeatedly defeated the overseas demon sects! The catastrophe has come, and the chaotic world is coming. You can't even dodge my sword. How can you pacify the world and end the chaotic world? Is it just because of your empty words, or your mighty singing and dancing every night and fighting every day?" The second princess put away her sword and sat back down. "If you are not a great master, you are nothing! Still fighting for the throne? On the battlefield, you are useless!" What is a person with great supernatural powers? According to Taizu's nine-rank system, those above the first rank can be called those with great supernatural powers. According to the traditional five-realm system, taking Taoist practice as an example, when one has achieved “refining the void” and begins to “harmonize with the Tao”, one must be a person with great supernatural powers. If you want to be the emperor of the Dayong Dynasty, rule over the heavens and the earth, and be feared by the world, becoming a person with great supernatural powers is a hard condition! The Fourth Prince was stunned and speechless. Fortunately, each shed on the north side was well soundproofed, so the conversation between the siblings was not leaked. Otherwise, the image of the Fourth Prince will be greatly affected. The two viewing pavilions on the east side are both bustling with activity, and the west side is no less bustling. Sitting on the west side, next to the empty shed, were Da Diao Dangli and Li Huizu, the Left Vice Minister of Rites. Civil officials are naturally opposed to eunuchs, but they often cooperate and have a tacit understanding. However, Li Huizu was a man of integrity and uprightness. What he hated most was forming cliques for personal gain and colluding with the imperial court. He usually did not associate with eunuchs. There was another time when Li Huizu, who was still an imperial censor at the time, reported that Da Diao Eunuch was a censor at a grand court meeting when all officials were paying homage to the emperor and the emperor was accepting congratulations. That was a grand court meeting! It is held only once a year, and on such a festive day as the first day of the first lunar month. Li Huizu's behavior on that occasion caused him to be beaten with fifteen sticks in the court, and also caused Da Diao Dangli to lose his position as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Stables, greatly weakening his power in the inner palace. However, unlike Da Diao Dangli who was simply punished, Li Huizu was tested for several years and transferred from the Censorate to the Ministry of Rites. Within five years, he was promoted three levels and became the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites! It can be said that Li Huizu was promoted to a high position by stepping on the face of Da Diao Yanli Shi! Therefore, it was so quiet in this pergola that you could hear a pin drop. No matter whether it was the eunuchs brought by Da Diao Dangli or the officials from the Ministry of Rites who came with Li Huizu, none of them dared to make a sound. "Ah……" Da Diao Yan glanced at Li Huizu, who had a solemn, serious and righteous face, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Is this the junior brother of the Phoenix Fairy Dao Xiaofeng who ran away from home because Li Shilang's daughter couldn't get him? This little guy is really interesting."

Without looking at whether Li Huizu would react to this, or caring about what kind of reaction he would have if he did, Da Diao Yan gently waved his hand and said, "Go find the little guy and tell him that if the name is not right, then the words will not flow. This earthen hill is newly built and has no name yet. It is not right to start a fight without knowing the reason. Ask him what name should be given to this earthen hill." "Yes, my ancestor." Immediately, one of the eunuchs who came with him bowed and accepted the order, then left the shed with two eunuchs. The fifth prince sat next to Li Huizu at the table. There is a saying that goes, the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is. Because the Fifth Prince did not invite any advisers, the guest Pan Ran had a high status among the Fifth Prince's subordinates and had a lot of say. After discovering the commotion caused by Tao Tie, Pan Ran immediately took the initiative and advised the Fifth Prince: "Your Highness, should we win over one or two of them?" The fifth prince didn't even glance at the ceremony pavilion to the south, and replied indifferently: "Why win him over? He is not Xiao Feng." Pan Ran said in a low voice, "But he is Fairy Nihuang's junior fellow apprentice. In the common people's eyes, he is her brother-in-law. Building a good relationship with her brother-in-law will also help you in your pursuit of Fairy Nihuang, right?" "Well, what you said makes sense." The fifth prince nodded and said loudly to Pan Ran and the other subordinates in the studio, "Don't say it next time. My pursuit of Nihuang is like two armies fighting each other. I should focus on the right side, be upright and clear." As he spoke, the Fifth Prince glared at Pan Ran fiercely and cursed him in a voice transmission: "You idiot! Why did you say such a good plan in public? Don't I have any dignity?" After scolding him, the fifth prince instructed: "Go collect some information about my brother-in-law and write it down. I want to read it before midnight tonight." Pan Ran: (╯□╰) Next door, the westernmost arbor belongs to the sixth princess and the seventh prince. In the past month, the brother and sister went to Yuquan Mountain three times and met the princess three times. Not only did he fail to get the eldest princess' support for the Seventh Prince, but he changed his mindset and began to act as the eldest princess's eyes and ears, gathering information and keeping an eye on the situation for the eldest princess who was imprisoned in Yuquan Mountain. Tao Tie is one of the people that the eldest princess specifically instructed to pay special attention to. "I didn't write it down." The Sixth Princess looked at the Seventh Prince and asked with concern, "You must write down his original words and show them to Big Sister, understand?" "Okay, okay, I got it." The Seventh Prince wrote furiously while answering impatiently, "I promise not to miss a single word, not a single mistake, it's complete and original." At this moment, three eunuchs walked around the big stage and came to the south ceremonial pavilion and waited for a while. He entered the studio only after Tao Tie finished his last sentence. The two eunuchs were not qualified to speak. The eunuch who followed Da Diao Yanli walked to a place not far from Tao Tie and said politely, "I am Wang Jin, and I am here to pass on a message from our ancestor. The ancestor said... the ancestor asked what name should be given to this dirt hill." After listening to Wang Jin's original words about Da Diao Yan Li Shi, Tao Tie thought for a moment and came up with an idea. So he said: "Please ask Eunuch Wang to reply on my behalf. As the saying goes, the sea ends at the end of the sky. In my humble opinion, this mountain should be named..." "I am Feng." (╯□╰) I don’t know if there is a bug in the Writer Assistant or if I made a mistake.

121章明明定时的是6月17日00：01发布。 Results…… It’s hard for me to finish the chapter. Angry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   (End of this chapter)