Chapter 143: By the Grove, No One Asks
Looking at that young Huaiyuan Academy scholar, Tang Thirty-Six raised his eyebrows high and lifted his chin even higher. His expression carried the same feeling as "come pick me" and "come hit me" combined—in short, it gave off an extremely arrogant, showy, and exceptionally punchable vibe, no matter how handsome his face was. In fact, the more handsome his face was, the more punchable it seemed to other men.
All the examinees followed the gaze of that Huaiyuan Academy scholar and understood the subtext of Tang Thirty-Six's posture: If you don't pick me, you're my grandson.
That Huaiyuan Academy scholar had never even considered picking him. After all, Tang Thirty-Six was a young powerhouse ranked thirty-second on the Azure Cloud List. Would he choose him as an opponent out of sheer pride? Even if he barely won, it would definitely affect his subsequent rounds and ultimately his final score in the Grand Examination. A wise man wouldn't act this way. Huaiyuan Academy cultivated mental acuity, so he naturally wouldn't do such a thing. He had deliberately let his gaze fall on the Grove, where the National Academy's people stood, just to make them nervous. Who would have thought Tang Thirty-Six would respond with such arrogant provocation? His face instantly turned extremely ugly. Remembering Tang Thirty-Six's harsh and sarcastic words during the earlier dispute on the forest path, his blood surged hotly, and he could no longer control his emotions. He raised his right arm to point at Tang Thirty-Six.
Just then, a hand reached out from the side and pressed down on that Huaiyuan Academy scholar's arm. The one stopping him was a classmate—a young scholar with a slightly childish look in his eyes. Among the four Huaiyuan Academy participants in the Grand Examination, he appeared the youngest, yet his status was subtly the highest. Earlier, on the north bank of Qujiang River, he had also stopped his classmates from seeking justice from the National Academy.
That Huaiyuan Academy scholar named Huo Guang sneered coldly at Tang Thirty-Six, casually picked someone from the latter half of the examinees, and walked toward the Dust-Washing Pavilion.
Watching this scene, Chen Changsheng felt somewhat surprised, thinking that the south truly was different. In places like the Mount Li Sword Sect and Huaiyuan Academy, it was always the youngest disciples whose words carried the most weight.
The second match ended even faster than the first. It didn't take long—it was as if that Huaiyuan Academy scholar named Huo Guang had merely stepped into the Dust-Washing Pavilion for a look before pushing the door open again. His opponent didn't come out, meaning he had lost, and was then escorted away from the academy by the priests.
Earlier, during the martial examination crossing Qujiang River, the four Huaiyuan Academy scholars had crossed at almost the same time. After Huo Guang, it was naturally his three classmates' turns. Without any surprises, each match ended faster than the last, and they all won their first-round battles, advancing to the next round.
"Huaiyuan Academy... so it really is this strong." Su Moyu walked to the Grove and remarked with emotion.
Tang Thirty-Six watched the four Huaiyuan Academy scholars, his expression gradually turning serious. He didn't like these Huaiyuan scholars. In his view, they cared too much about rules and intellect, which essentially meant they liked tattling and playing petty tricks. But he had to admit, these Huaiyuan scholars were genuinely powerful.
"That young scholar is called Zhong Hui, ranked ninth on the Azure Cloud List."
He knew Su Moyu was well aware of this, but Chen Changsheng probably didn't remember, so he lowered his voice and said, "Those two Huaiyuan scholars are also on the Azure Cloud List, both in the top hundred. That guy Huo Guang isn't on the list, but he's stronger than those two. He's probably been hiding in Huaiyuan Academy studying all these years, waiting to make a stunning debut today."
Three Azure Cloud List members plus one hidden young powerhouse—Huaiyuan Academy's strength was indeed as unfathomable as people guessed. At this moment, if judged by academies and sects, aside from the lofty Mount Li Sword Sect, Huaiyuan Academy, the Heavenly Dao Academy, and the National Academy should be considered the three strongest factions.
What was interesting, though, was that all four members of the National Academy were now in the latter half, forced to wait and be chosen.
The written examination required thinking and writing; the martial examination required probing with spiritual sense and preparation; the duels only required choosing an opponent and then fighting. And since battles were decided in just a few moves, even if the two sides were very close in realm and strength, it didn't take long to determine the winner.
The wooden door of the Dust-Washing Pavilion opened and closed, closed and opened. The oil in the hinges seemed to be depleting from the frequent use, gradually creaking. Amid these sounds, the first round of duels advanced rapidly, quickly finishing dozens of matches. Some were won by higher-ranked examinees, but lower-ranked examinees also won quite a few times.
Higher-ranked examinees had the initiative to choose, allowing them to pick opponents they deemed weaker. But for the Grand Examination, the young cultivators of this continent had prepared for an entire year. Past data or impressions were no longer accurate; strength was hard to judge, and victory or defeat was naturally unpredictable.
The recently updated Azure Cloud List had become the most reliable reference. First, the Azure Cloud List was authoritative enough—the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion's judgments were trustworthy. Second, since the list had just been updated, the strength changes of those on it shouldn't be too drastic. Cases like Xu Yourong and Princess Luoluo couldn't happen often.
So no examinee chose Su Moyu as their opponent. Ranked thirty-third on the Azure Cloud List, aside from the top fifteen and a few from Tong Academy, his strength could easily rank in the top five among the remaining examinees. As for the National Academy, no one even bothered with them. Only someone insane would choose Princess Luoluo. As for Tang Thirty-Six... even the Huaiyuan scholar hadn't chosen him; who would be stupid enough to let him step down?
Even Xuan Yuan Po dared not be chosen as an opponent. Though he was at the bottom of the Azure Cloud List, he was still on it. Moreover, demon race cultivation was completely different from humans, making their talent hard to predict. To be safe, some higher-ranked examinees would rather choose opponents ranked higher on the list than pick him.
Interestingly, or rather eerily, even Chen Changsheng, who wasn't on the Azure Cloud List, remained unchosen.
All the examinees clearly knew that when the Azure Cloud List was updated, Chen Changsheng hadn't yet succeeded in marrow cleansing. Even if he later had a fortuitous encounter and luckily completed it, his short-term cultivation absolutely wouldn't allow his strength to skyrocket. He should be the weakest person here. Yet... no one dared to choose him.
The area outside the Dust-Washing Pavilion was bustling, but the Grove was desolate.
Luoluo hugged Chen Changsheng's arm, leaning against him, nearly asleep.
Xuan Yuan Po yawned, his mouth wide enough to fit an entire deer leg.
Tang Thirty-Six was saying something to Su Moyu, whose face was full of shock.
The youths of the National Academy were truly bored.
Fortunately, according to the rules, this boring wait would eventually end.
The wooden door of the Dust-Washing Pavilion creaked open again. The young girl from Tiger Gully Temple walked out, her small face covered in joyful tears of victory. She threw herself into her senior sister's arms, wanting to act spoiled, but sensed the strange atmosphere around her. She instinctively wiped away her tears and looked toward the arena.
An examinee walked heavily to the arena, looked toward the west side of the stone square in front of the Dust-Washing Pavilion, toward the Grove, and his face turned somewhat pale.
Only five people remained there. Now, he had to pick one of them as his opponent.
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(When the next chapter will be written, only the ghosts know. Anyway, it'll be done before I sleep. If there are still friends waiting for updates at this hour, what I want to say is: let's have some midnight snacks together first! I'm going to cook some Master Kong pickled cabbage beef noodles, spicy flavor! What about you!)