Mid-term Exam, Part 7

The Sword School had placed one third-year student as an Area BOSS in each region on the map.

Once the circle contraction passed a certain area, if the BOSS in that area had not been eliminated by the participating examinees, that BOSS would gain the right to act independently.

In other words, these third-year students could leave their respective areas and move freely throughout the map like regular examinees.

Similarly, these third-year students who left their areas would also be subject to examination rules, such as being affected by sandstorms when outside the circle.

Thus, as the safe zone shrunk, the Golden Core cultivators were herded together like fighting cocks. @Exclusive good literature, all at Jinjiang Literature City

By the fifth contraction, the safe zone was centered around the cafeteria.

At this point, Golden Core cultivators were walking everywhere.

Su Qing and the first-year students were unaware of this rule, but the second-year students knew it well.

Most of them chose to team up to slay the Area BOSS within their region.

If successful, they could inherit the BOSS’s legacy and illuminate their stats to the Golden Core cultivation stage.

If they failed… they would become nourishment for the BOSS.

However, in the hearts of the second-year students, losing to a third-year was not as humiliating as being eliminated by a first-year.

Moreover, since it wasn’t their exam anyway—they were just accompanying examinees and didn’t need to fret about failing—they naturally chose whatever was most enjoyable.

Su Qing hadn’t anticipated that the Area BOSSes would move with the safe zone, but she had eliminated Jiang Chixue and inherited at least eighty percent of her legacy, meaning she was also numerically a Golden Core cultivator now.

This also meant that the other examinees who defeated Area BOSSes would become new Golden Core cultivators, all vying for victory in the final moments.

Su Qing mused, ‘I feel like relying solely on a formation disk isn’t entirely reliable…’

The Area BOSS she encountered was an Array Cultivator, and the inherited formation had significant usage restrictions.

…

‘I should just keep laying low outside the circle, continuing to temper my body.’

Jiang Chixue retorted angrily, “What do you mean ‘not reliable’? The Celestial Net Array I meticulously selected, how could it be unreliable?!”

Eliminated examinees, accompanying examinees, and even Area BOSSes would exit the game once eliminated, but as long as the Illusory Chest wasn’t disengaged, they couldn’t return to the real world. So, they just watched the match from the sidelines.

Jiang Chixue was now in a place similar to the mission hall on the first floor of Limitless Pavilion, with a large screen in front displaying the entire map and broadcasting the match progress from all angles.

The elders of the Hall of Affairs, led by Qin Suzhi, were operating the Illusory Chest behind the map with expressionless faces.

It was clear their work wasn’t easy, as their expressions were indeed quite grim.

The mechanisms within the Illusory Painting were incredibly complex; it was said to use the silk threads of a sea silkworm as a medium, requiring divine sense to manipulate these threads and connect various mechanical parts to weave the immersive illusion.

It was said that Carefree Immortal once mentioned something called “programs,” which could make the Illusory Chest run automatically, without needing so much manpower and resources, only requiring a high-level cultivator with a powerful divine sense to oversee the whole thing.

However, after the Full Moon War, the Illusory Painting was damaged, and parts of this “program” were also destroyed.

After True Immortal Wujing ascended, no one could repair this so-called “program,” so the damaged parts had to be forcibly supplemented by humans.

Currently, the people from the Hall of Affairs were the best at this job, because they were all very skilled at interrogating prisoners.

Whether it was the physical torture of dismemberment or the mental coercion of interrogation, nothing was beyond them.

Not only were their ten fingers exceptionally nimble, but their stamina was also astonishing, and their energy was even more abundant, given that they could go three years without food, drink, or sleep for the sake of interrogating prisoners.

In the Sect Leader’s words, they were truly excellent candidates for operating the Illusory Chest.

It was just that the people of the Hall of Affairs were not very happy. If the Sect Leader hadn’t promised extra allowances, they probably would have gone on strike, though their expressions were still very grim even now. After all, this work consumed a lot of divine sense and was said to cause significant hair damage, though they didn’t know why.

Su Qing had no idea that all her rewards were actually distributed manually. @Exclusive good literature, all at Jinjiang Literature City

Including the descriptions of many items, although most were pre-written, some were improvisations by the Hall of Affairs’ torture elders.

In addition, there were specific skills, such as “Precognition,” “Calculation,” and “Omniscience.”

These all relied on the rich experience of the Hall elders, who helped dissect battle situations, predict opponents’ next moves, next attacks, and how examinees using skills should attack.

Human plans cannot always overcome heavenly fate, and unexpected events are bound to occur.

Fortunately, until now, they hadn’t made any mistakes, so much so that many examinees using these skills truly believed it, thinking that the heavens had opened a window of opportunity for them.

In reality, there was no peaceful passage of time, only the Hall of Affairs elders carrying the heavy burden.

Jiang Chixue was extremely interested in the Illusory Chest.

After she successfully graduated from her fourth year, if she was still willing to stay in the Sword School for further studies, she could choose a mysterious course called “Cosmic Machine.” It was said that this course was closely related to the reconstruction of the Illusory Chest.

If she studied well, perhaps she too could design her own “program” like True Immortal Wujing and sell it to the Sword School, earning millions of spirit stones.

All this aside, Jiang Chixue was brutally knocked back to reality by a first-year Body Cultivator’s headbutt.

As the person involved, she naturally knew that her elimination wasn’t due to a headbutt at all, but rather her divine sense!

But how could a first-year Foundation Establishment cultivator’s divine sense possibly surpass hers?

Formation mapping was complex, and its execution demanded high divine sense. Jiang Chixue’s Sea of Consciousness had been honed daily to be extremely stable, so how could it be injured by a first-year Foundation Establishment cultivator?

No one would believe it if she told them.

Rather than believing she was defeated by a first-year’s divine sense, everyone was more willing to believe the stereotype of an Array Cultivator: she was simply knocked out by that headbutt!

Jiang Chixue gnashed her teeth, glaring at the massive “One Against Three” symbol above Su Qing’s head. When she heard this clumsy, dull-witted Body Cultivator call her “Celestial Net Array” unreliable, she immediately burst into a fit of rage.

“How could it be unreliable?” she gritted out, “This is the formation I meticulously selected, capable of decisive victory even at the very end!”

Zhang Han’yi, hearing her resentful voice, empathized, “Exactly. These foolish Body Cultivators are like mountain pigs who can’t appreciate fine grain; no matter how good a formation disk you give them, it’s still useless.”

Hearing his voice, Jiang Chixue’s eyes suddenly widened. She was speechless for a moment. “How did you get eliminated too?”

This Zhang Han’yi was quite capable, and his tongue was never forgiving, yet he was eliminated so early.

Out of twenty Golden Cores, Array School members accounted for at most three to four. Now two of them had been eliminated. Was their Array School really so useless?

Amidst her surprise and humiliation, Jiang Chixue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This sense of reassurance was no less than what she felt when she overslept for a strict elder’s 8 AM class and, while rushing, met the eyes of a classmate who was also late.

She savored Zhang Han’yi’s words, then understood. “Could it be that you were also dealt with by a Body Cultivator?”

Zhang Han’yi sneered, grinding his teeth so hard that his skin tightened.

His usually gentle, jade-like face twisted into a ferocious grimace. “The first thing Ling Yunxiao did after lifting the regional restriction was to charge straight at me…”

The rest needed no explanation; those who understood, understood.

Jiang Chixue, mindful of Zhang Han’yi’s pride, thoughtfully remained silent.

Zhang Han’yi said, “Heh, don’t you think it’s interesting for the remaining Body School disciples to fight among themselves?”

Jiang Chixue glanced at him and said, “You’re quite good at self-comfort.”

The awkward silence continued.

She looked around and found that besides her and Zhang Han’yi, seven Golden Core cultivators had already been eliminated.

Even before the fifth circle contraction, seven people were out. This year’s first-year students seemed to be quite extraordinary.

Inevitably, a feeling of melancholy washed over her, like an older wave being crushed by a younger one.

Especially since a hundred and twenty years separated the first and third years, which, in the long-lived cultivation world, was essentially the same generation.

Thinking this way only made it more annoying.

Zhang Han’yi persistently asked, “How exactly did that first-year Body Cultivator win against you? Surely she’s not as brutish and unreasonable as a Golden Core Body Cultivator, right?”

“Hard to say. She really does have some mysterious qualities. My elimination wasn’t unwarranted.” Jiang Chixue frowned, staring intently at the screen. “Besides, she might even be able to contend with a third-year Body Cultivator now.”

It turned out that Su Qing had already managed to forcefully extend her health bar to triple its original length by repeatedly tempering her body in and out of the circle.

Now, anyone who encountered her would either first notice the enormous “One Against Three” emblazoned above her head, or her health bar, which seemed too long to take in at a single glance.

Zhang Han’yi’s eyes flickered. “However mysterious she is, can she be more mysterious than the other one? Do you know that three Golden Core cultivators were eliminated by the same first-year?” @Exclusive good literature, all at Jinjiang Literature City

His fingertip pointed to the shadowy figure of a female cultivator in black at the center of the cafeteria. “To stop killing with killing, to foster war with war—it’s nothing more than that.”

This person had not moved since landing in the center of the cafeteria. Everyone who rushed towards her was decisively cut down by her sword, and the dropped resources actually nurtured her.

“Want to bet?” Zhang Han’yi raised his eyes. “The final victor, will it be your chosen one, or someone else?”

‘Aren’t they both from the Body School?’

Jiang Chixue pouted. “I’d rather bet on Ling Yunxiao; at least she’s a third-year.”

Before Zhang Han’yi could even retort, the map showed the sixth circle contraction had arrived.

Unluckily, because the safe zone shrunk again, this time, Su Qing ran head-on into two third-year students who had arrived together.

The three pairs of eyes met, and all were startled.

Su Qing silently looked at the combined health bars of the two, which were roughly equal to hers.

Then she squeezed the Tier 3 Man Qing Sword in her hand, feeling that she might actually be able to fight them.

Then, she saw the two third-year students glance at each other, unable to suppress their laughter, and released their companion spirit beasts.

Clearly, these two were Beast School students, and according to the Beast School’s principle that the cultivation gap between a beast and its master should not be too large, these two spirit beasts were also at the Golden Core stage.

This had now become a one-against-four situation, and Su Qing, without a word, turned and ran.