Whether they belonged to Li Cang or not, Yao didn't expect an answer from the void. She had asked merely as a formality, a preemptive measure to avoid being labeled a pervert when she returned the item later. Her carefully cultivated persona was that of a petty scoundrel, but despite her diligent efforts, the public perception seemed to have escalated beyond her intentions…
'Duck King'? 'Pervert'?
Was it so easy to earn such titles?
Sighing internally, she moved with practiced efficiency, swiftly gathering the spoils littering the scorched earth. The loot fell into two categories: that of the eliminated examinees, and that of the executed prisoners. A single sweeping glance, honed by countless virtual inventory checks, gave her a mental tally. She collected everything, though the bulk of the examinees' items were merely point-fodder. Some point tokens needed to be returned to their original owners, per her… agreements.
Her true interest lay in Wei Ran's drops.
Amidst the cataclysmic lightning purge, she'd noted only two items materializing from his final dissolution. Now, holding them, she felt a resonant hum of power through her gloves.
Blood-Orange Crystal: Gravity-Space Composite Principle Stone (Orange-Grade). A fusion of two supreme principles forming one of the coveted Energy Field Arcanas. Ultra-rare. Potentially mind-shattering for any arcanist below Level 50. Tread with extreme caution.
Crimson Tear: The Life Gem of Criminal Wei Ran (Orange-Grade Special Gem). Forged from the concentrated malice, flesh, and soul-essence of a master Blood-Arcanist under celestial punishment. Can be used to permanently summon a bound version of Wei Ran, or fed to a pet for assimilation and immense power growth. Warning: The summoned entity retains its evil nature and requires regular blood sacrifices. Pet assimilation carries risk of catastrophic feedback.
Magnificent treasures, yet each came shackled with chains of dire consequence. Yao's lips thinned. Typical.It mirrored the examinees themselves. Who was truly the strongest? Li Cang? His perception was a glaring flaw. Faced with foes like her, Xie Yiyuan, or Wei Mingtang—masters of evasion and subtlety—in an open field, he'd be hard-pressed to land a decisive blow. Yun Baobao and Zhang Doudou? Their weakness was transparent. Herself? Even with the Mystic-Turtle talent, her defense was the weakest link. Stripped of the element of surprise, her prep work, Xiao Huang's support, and the tentacles' versatility, her raw combat power likely matched Hong Yan's at best, still below Wei Mingtang and the others.
No, the truly formidable ones were the complementary pairs: Wei Mingtang and Yue Mingze; Xie Yiyuan and Que Baimo. Perfect synergy.
A shame.
Everyone had flaws, cracks in their armor. Her entire strategy had been to find those cracks and apply pressure until they shattered. It was ironic that the rewards mirrored this truth—potent, yet imperfect, burdened with conditions.
Annoying.
But Yao's mind was a blade honed on split-second cost-benefit analysis. She made a decision. "Xiao Huang," she called mentally.
The little locust materialized, shimmering with faint light. "Sister?"
"Take a look. Judge. Can you digest this?" She held up the Crimson Tear.
Xiao Huang's tiny form vibrated with shock. "This… for me?"
"You don't want it? I'll give it to Da Hong."
"No, no, no! I want it! I can!" Xiao Huang chirped urgently. "My innate talent is to digest anyenergy-bearing substance! I just have to control the pace. It's my… my special trait!"
Yao had surmised as much. As a veteran strategy analyst, her eye for value was razor-sharp. Xiao Huang's initially poor stats hadn't deterred her; the 'Digestion' trait had been the diamond in the rough. Even the weakest creature had its niche. Even the 'Oaks' body, for all its flaws, had that trace of ancestral blood to exploit, a foundation upon which to build.
She might seem calculating and frugal, but when it came to utilizing resources, Yao was decisive and without regret. She pushed the pulsating gem toward Xiao Huang. "Then take it."
Xiao Huang seemed on the verge of tears. "Sister… I swear, I'll digest it properly! I'll become super powerful! I'll be a pet worthy of you!" Secretly, it had always envied the majestic pets others commanded. My sister deserves the best presentation!
"Hmph! I'mthe Boss's ultimate presentation!" Da Hong's voice grumbled from the pet space, having overheard.
Xiao Huang gave a mental sniff. "You're just a noisy, deep-fried chicken. No elegance whatsoever."
Da Hong: "?! I'll blow you up!"
Xiao Huang swallowed the gem and vanished into pet space to begin the arduous process. Simultaneously, Yao received a notification: Pet Intimacy with 'Xiao Huang' and 'Da Hong' has increased by 200%.
Higher intimacy meant better fusion synergy and skill amplification. Such bonds usually took years of companionship to build. She'd had them for mere days. The surge was… surprising.
Then again, perhaps it wasn't. Pets, like people, valued action over words. Tangible benefits, granted freely, safety provided, a future offered—who wouldn't respond with loyalty? If someone treated herthat way, she'd likely offer trust in return.
If only.
Beyond Wei Ran's treasures, the other high-level prisoners had dropped valuable point tokens and a few unique items from the fifth and sixth layers. The haul was substantial.
But it wasn't over. If the Four Great Academies followed the Ministry's reformed education model, patterned after the middle school exam, there should be a final, overarching reward.
Yao made her way to the ruins of the toilet chamber. Hesitating only briefly, she lifted the heavy cistern lid.
A prompt appeared: [Scenario complete. As the sole victor, the final seal is lifted. Claim your reward from the Imperial Education Ministry. Continue to strive, Talent of the Empire.]
Talent of the Empire.Official recognition, stamped upon the 'bonus round' victor.
Inside, resting in clear, strangely pure water, was a triangular prism. It glowed with a subdued orange light, containing a swirling, complex liquid that seemed part advanced machinery, part alchemical essence.
Intermediate Gene-Triangle Equation (Imperial Research Institute Artefact, Orange-Grade Peak). A holistic upgrade module applicable to genetic talents, bloodline, sequence trees—all gene-based attributes. Success rate: 100%. Degree of enhancement varies with innate aptitude. Limitation: Cannot be used by those with Violet-Grade blood/talents or above. Higher base grades may experience diminished returns.
A consolation prize after the restrictive treasures? This limitation was negligible in Beiluk Province, where Violet-tier genes were mythical. For someone with Orange-tier potential, the boost would be monstrous.
"My blood is Green, talents are Blue… far from the limit. The enhancement should be significant. Unless my luck hits rock-bottom." She stored the prism.
One last impulse made her gather the broken, smoldering chains—the special nullifying shackles that had bound Wei Ran. A habitual looter's instinct.
"Your cleverness has earned the exam's ultimate surprise: 30kg of Forbid-Ore (Violet-Grade Special Material). Good fortune. Scenario concluding. We hope to see you among the Empire's future luminaries. Examinee #4562, Oaks."
The world dissolved.
In the hunting grounds, the massive screen winked out. The silence that followed was profound, thick with unspoken thoughts, before hundreds of eyes swiveled toward Que Baimo.
Que Baige struggled to keep his face neutral. Personally, he was glad Que Baimo had failed. For the family, either of their failures was a loss. He could oppose his cousin, but not the clan's interest. He held his tongue.
Que Baimo, to his credit, showed remarkable composure, though a deep frown etched his brow. As the light of ejection faded around Yao, he stepped forward, only to be shouldered aside by a faster, more volatile presence.
Hong Yan stormed up, his expression thunderous. "Oaks! You actually—!" His tone was pure accusation.
Yao cut him off by pulling a spatial pouch from her belt and handing it to him. "As agreed. For your cooperation earlier. Thanks."
Hong Yan: "?"
The crowd: "!!!"
Holy—!So Hong Yan had been in on it too? No wonder she'd hitched a ride on him! Maybe the prisoner release was theirjoint scheme all along!
Hong Yan, brash but not stupid, instantly grasped her ploy. Damn this scoundrel!Afraid of bearing the full wrath of the four Orange-Blood clans alone, so he was dragging him, a sufficiently weighty target, into the mire with him?
As if I'd fall for that!He was about to refuse when he saw Yao casually return Li Cang's items—including thatgarment—and glanced at the provisional ranking. Wei Mingtang would undoubtedly get her points back too, maybe more. If he refused…
Hong Yan took a deep, steadying breath, accepted the pouch with a grimace that might have been a smile. "Don't mention it. Just an exam. But next time, pick something less disgusting than a louse."
By accepting, he tacitly endorsed the narrative. The fallout from the great clans? He'd been their rival for years anyway. What was one more offense?
Yao nodded solemnly. "Next time, a flea."
You're actually insane.Hong Yan's rugged aura dimmed, but he held his tongue. A real man knows when to bend.He'd bide his time. In the academies, there would be chances for a proper, head-on fight!
His irritation faded as he checked the pouch. His points soared, rocketing him to second place. A genuine, fierce grin spread across his face. Worth it.
Yao then turned to Wei Mingtang, returning her share openly. There was no time for secrecy; the final ranking countdown had begun.
Wei Mingtang took her items, then handed back a small portion of extra point tokens.
Yao raised a brow. "Worried about guilt by association?"
"No," Wei Mingtang said, her usually frosty voice holding a note of something else. "The initial alliance was pragmatism. This isn't." A ghost of a smile touched her lips. It transformed her haunting, melancholic beauty into something momentarily breathtaking—like the first light piercing a sea of night, or ten thousand lanterns blooming across a dark plain.
Many spectators felt their breath catch. Even Yun Baobao and the others, who had been gathering to confront Yao, felt their anger momentarily soothed.
Beauty truly is a weapon beyond compare.
Wei Mingtang continued, "Consider it… a preemptive gesture of self-preservation. Like Li Cang, I'll bear the consequences. But… thank you." The final thanks held a weight only the two of them could fully comprehend.
She saw through Yao's gesture with Hong Yan. It wasn't just about sharing the heat; it was also because her own partnership with Yao was now exposed. Without backing, she was the most vulnerable target. Pulling Hong Yan into the spotlight provided a buffer.
The insight surprised her. For a fleeting moment, she'd wondered if this notorious scoundrel harbored some… interest. Her practiced smile was a test. But the gaze that met hers was clear, devoid of any carnal curiosity. Only calm assessment.
Pure, calculated kindness.Stranger still. Pity for the orphanage girl? She'd met that kind before, like the Yun family. She'd always refused.
This was different. This person was a paradox: ruthless yet merciful, a master schemer who could orchestrate a considerate, face-saving solution for others and then pretend it never happened. That was harder than simple charity.
How very odd.
Pushing the thought aside, she adhered to her core principles: take only what is yours, covet not the excess, do not approach the dazzling sun too closely. Live another day. See another night's moon. That was enough.
She turned and walked away, her departure as elegant and detached as her arrival. Yue Mingze watched her go, a complex look in his eyes, then hurried after her. "Hey, so you teamed up with her and just… left me out? When did you two even—"
A blade of solidified darkness pricked his throat. He froze.
"My apologies. Poor choice of words," he amended quickly.
Wei Mingtang sheathed the dagger, seemingly unperturbed. "The note. You saw it. You didn't understand. That meant you weren't suited for that phase." The misspelled, crudely drawn 'warning' note. The crossed-out name wasn't a mistake; it was a message: He's out. I need a new partner.
Yue Mingze's eyes widened. So that's what it meant?"You agreed just like that? You didn't know anything about her!"
"I knew nothing. But I tried to curse her using the severed arm. It failed. That told me either her power far exceeded mine, or her genes had undergone a radical change in a very short time. Given her already terrifying survivability, such progress made her the apex predator. Not aligning with her meant likely death. She likely deduced I'd try a curse, and that it would fail. An exam tests more than power. It tests the mind." A seventeen-year-old orphan who'd navigated a pit of human snakes had made the correct call.
Yue Mingze didn't follow. He understood the gap now. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He'd always known their partnership was temporary, but its end still stung. At least she hadn't formally dissolved their team link. That was courtesy enough.
"Hey, Wei Mingtang," he called out to her retreating back. "If we can't be a team, maybe classmates? If any flies buzz around you, I'll swat them for you." The offer was genuine, expecting nothing. He knew he wasn't chasing the sun, but a moon that refused to fall, and such a moon shouldn't be troubled by gnats.
Wei Mingtang didn't look back, but lifted a hand in a brief, casual wave. A gesture of farewell, acknowledging his freedom without commitment.
She didn't see Yue Ming泽's small, resigned smile. Nor did he see her, minutes later, in a solitary bathroom stall, coughing up mouthfuls of viscous black blood into a pristine sink. She turned on the tap, watching the evidence of her body's slow rebellion swirl away. Pulling her collar aside, she observed the sinister black veins creeping further across her pallid skin. Her expression remained impassive. She drank a vial of bitter medicine, endured the wave of agonizing cold that followed, sweating profusely. She had ten minutes before final ranking locked. Ten minutes to compose herself.
Many wondered why a child of such devastating beauty had been abandoned. In this age, who lacked food for one more mouth?
The answer was simple: A lifespan cut too short.
Down in the clearing, none of the 4000 examinees had died inside. A miracle. No matter how brutal, it was just an exam. A fleeting, violent dream.
Fu Jiang, watching from the stands, glanced at his drowsy sister. "How are you holding up?"
"Tolerable. Is it ending?" Lang Hao seemed genuinely disinterested in her fiancé's earth-shaking performance, oblivious to the envy radiating from the Lian family.
"Soon. If you're up for it, maybe… befriend that Wei girl? She seems like serious competition. Can't let our hot new brother-in-law get snatched."
Lang Hao's weariness intensified. "He's not a piece of meat."
"But he's the Duck King."
"…I sometimes think it's you who wants to marry him."
Fu Jiang flushed. "If I could land a spouse that formidable, I'd gladly be the live-in son-in-law!"
Lang Hao closed her eyes. Spineless. The elders are right.
Yao, meanwhile, gave Wei Mingtang no further thought. The girl was an enigma, and helping her had been, perhaps, just habit. Her parents had supported orphanages. She'd continued the tradition. Sometimes it was just a reflex, not profound pity. A helping hand, nothing compared to those who rescued angels while mired in their own hell.
She remembered an old man, a waste-picker, finding an infant in the trash. Uneducated, poor, in a place with no welfare system, he'd raised the sickly child on scraps. Five years later, a lively little girl with boundless energy, riding on his junk cart, a toy pinwheel spinning in her hand as they traveled dusty lanes… Later, the old man fell ill. Cancer. He hid it, spoiled the girl with treats, a new coat, new shoes, making every day a festival. One cold night, he bundled the sleeping child in quilts, placed her on his tricycle, and pedaled for three hours through the biting wind to the city orphanage. He left her on the steps, turning away as she woke and cried out, running after him on bare, bleeding feet. He didn't look back, tears freezing on his weathered cheeks.
Yao had been in her parents' car, window down, passing the sobbing man on his squeaking tricycle, the wailing child chasing behind, orphanage staff in pursuit. It wasn't a chase between people, she realized later, but lovechasing love. Her mother had slammed the accelerator, turned the car around, and blocked the old man's path. Yao had run to the bleeding girl.
They later learned the cancer was treatable, but required a fortune. Her father leveraged connections, charities, media—good people and corporate PR alike raised the funds. The old man lived another ten years. "More than enough," he'd said. She attended his funeral.
A decade after that, her grandmother fell gravely ill. The family was desperate. A brilliant surgeon, visiting from abroad with her mentor, took the case. The surgery was a success. The mentor later told Yao the surgeon had abandoned a crucial career opportunity to return.
The little girl had grown up. She stayed. She became Yao's closest friend. Perhaps that was why Yao was immune to mere beauty.
Did she delete our chat logs?Yao wondered with a sudden, sharp pang of guilt. Are Mom and Dad… okay?
The resurgence of suppressed grief cast a pall over her. When she handed Li Cang his items—and the underwear—her low, grim energy was palpable.
Li Cang, raised among the strong and perceptive, sensed her mood. "If you're so reluctant, you needn't bother. And while we were adversaries, resorting to such… juvenile humiliation…" He held a measure of respect for her, despite everything.
Yao surfaced from her thoughts, her voice flat. "It's not that. I was just thinking… your underwear is enchanted with anti-arcane sigils. Quite ingenious. A masterpiece of… peculiar dedication. No wonder it dropped as equipment."
Li Cang stared. It was normal underwear!
You're slandering me!
His jaw tightened. "I, Li Cang, have no intention of pursuing petty vendettas over this exam. Must you…?" Must you ruin my reputation?! 'Peculiar dedication'? You're the pervert!
But the damage was done. The crowd's eyes wrote novels. It wasn't me! I didn't! Stop it!
Swallowing his fury, maintaining his icy dignity, he watched Yao turn to distribute other point tokens. That absolute degenerate.
Yao hadn't meant to slander him; she'd been in a foul mood, and his subtle accusation about the underwear irked her. I was doing you a favor by returning it!So she'd struck back. Later, when other examinees' dropped items included shoe lifts and a denture, the crowd collectively decided these too were 'ingenious equipment.'
"So devious!"
"They had extra gear slots! Underwear! Shoe lifts! The shamelessness!"
"Ugh!"
Many seethed. Damn Oaks! Damn the lightning! Couldn't you have spared the shoe lifts?!
Yun Baobao privately celebrated her early exit.
Having blackened Li Cang's name, Yao distributed points to the three-city group. Whether it was the loudmouthed Pang Ci or the aloof Luo He Sanqian, they all accepted quietly, not daring a word.
Yu Qin's situation was unique. Everyone knew she harbored a secret, but questions felt inappropriate, bordering on dangerous given the great clans' involvement. When Yu Qin received her points—plus an extra portion—she hesitated, then accepted. She was different now. She would get stronger. Strong enough to maybe, one day, stand in her captain's team.
Big sister is too terrifying. Better as an ally.
Pang Ci subtly rubbed the sole of his shoe against the ground.
Yao's apparent largesse with point distribution created an illusion. Maybe she was… approachable? Willing to deal?
Yun Baobao was the first to pounce. "Sell your point tokens? Name your price. I'll buy all you're willing to part with. You're locked in first anyway. The points are just numbers now." Her eagerness reminded Yao of certain 'wealthy patron seeks companionship' ads.
Yao intended to refuse, but reconsidered. The Yun family seemed more reasonable, less likely for underhanded revenge. Maybe a connection was worthwhile. Her tone softened. "These points exchange for academy resources. You think I'd sell?"
Yun Baobao's face fell, but she grabbed Yao's sleeve, dragging her away from the listening ears of Xie Yiyuan and others. "True, but talent has limits. You'll have a mountain of points. More than you can likely use efficiently. And high school isn't free—materials, private tutors, advanced manuals… it's expensive. I'll give you twenty thousand Blue Coins for every ten thousand points. Deal?"
The number made Yao's pupils contract. She'd been ready to refuse. But the offer was… substantial.
After a beat, she leaned in, voice barely a whisper. "If I help you, what about the others?"
Yun Baobao thought she was being rejected.
"So you'll have to convince me. Right up until the last minute. Understand?"
Oh!Yun Baobao's eyes lit up. I understand!
Thus, for the next several minutes, Yun Baobao and Zhang Doudou badgered Yao theatrically, making Xie Yiyuan and others believe she'd failed. Yao's points stood at a monstrous 700,000. Second place, Li Cang, had 72,000. A chasm.
Just as everyone thought the ranking was final… a flash. Yun Baobao's points rocketed to 80,000, seizing second.
What the—?!
Li Cang's face turned ashen. Others glared. All eyes found the source.
Yun Baobao was exclaiming, "Thank the stars you changed your mind! I was ready to haunt your family's doorframes every holiday!"
"Yeah! Doudou on the Jingyang Xie gate, me on the Beiluk one!"
"Seriously, you saved your lintels."
The collective stare from the other great clans could have melted stone.
Unbelievable. Shameless!
The ranking finalized.
1. Oaks – 700,000
2. Yun Baobao – 80,000
3. Li Cang – 72,000
4. Wei Mingtang – 63,000
5. Zhang Doudou – 62,000
6. Que Baimo – 54,000
7. Xie Yiyuan – 48,000
8. Hong Yan – 27,000
9. Yue Mingze – 20,000
10. Yu Qin – 18,000
The rest of the top 50 was filled by other first and second echelon candidates. No more dark horses.
As settlement light bathed the top 50, experience flooded in. For Yao, it was a torrent, pushing her straight to Level 30. The notification chimed: [Settlement: Comprehensive performance ranked 1st in both Damage Output and Strategy. Comprehensive Coefficient: 10.15. Coefficient exceeding 10.0 grants eligibility for additional rewards from the Divine Temple's Arcane Palace. Claim at your convenience.]
A Guild official's voice boomed. "The Four Great Academies' Preliminary Selection has concluded. The top 50 are admitted."
"Rank 1 enters Class A. Ranks 2-10 enter Class B. 11-30 enter Class C. 31-50 enter Class D."
"Candidates ranked 51 to 300, along with recommended students from other selection paths, will enter a one-month wilderness trial. The top 30 performers from this trial will enter Class E."
"Term begins in three days. The academy does not operate on fixed grades. All students must advance through class rankings via semester-end examinations. Resources, tutelage, and privileges increase dramatically with each higher class. Do not be late."
Yao scanned the list, not focusing on the top, but scrolling down. At rank 50, a name made her brow furrow.
Qin Minfeng.
How? He'd been eliminated early by her. Had he killed that many prisoners? Unlikely. Unless… he'd possessed high-value point tokens that were consumed on use, not carried.
But that didn't fit. He'd been killed; his items should have dropped.
Dong Longzhao had made top 50, but Chen Sihai and Lian Sujin were out. They too were baffled.
Qin Minfeng offered a smooth explanation. "Just lucky. Found a couple of special point token boxes earlier. The tokens inside were the consumable type. They add points directly when used, don't stay in inventory to drop."
Murmurs of disbelief and envy rippled. That kind of luck?!
But something felt off. Why was Oaks staring at Qin Minfeng with such… intensity? Not anger, but a deep, calculating focus. It was out of place. Oaks rarely wasted attention.
Xie Yiyuan turned, murmuring to a family aide. "Investigate Qin Minfeng. He's suspicious. And they're both from X5 Star."
"A backwater trash planet producing twoelites of this caliber, even if one is inferior, is statistically anomalous."
The Li, Que, and Yun families reached similar conclusions. There must be a secret on X5 Star, a resource they'd both accessed, with Oaks gaining far more. Their enmity stemmed from competing for that secret.
As speculation swirled, Yao lowered her gaze, a single thought crystallizing. Qin Minfeng will run.
But her display had just guaranteed the four great clans would do one thing: Lock down the spaceports. Don't let Qin Minfeng leave.
His time was now desperately short.
Yao turned away, accepting a wedge of watermelon and a spoon offered by a sheepish Zhang Doudou. The clearing was now a scene of familial reunions—parents comforting children, teachers praising students, the relieved chaos after a storm.
The undisputed Number One walked against the flow. She exited the clearing, climbed the worn stone steps of the outer wall, and sat down on the sun-warmed stone. Alone, she began to eat the watermelon, spooning the red flesh slowly, gazing at the vast, empty plains stretching toward the horizon.
Someone in the crowd watched her and suddenly understood.
"She took first place… but it seems there's no one to share the victory with."
"How profoundly lonely."