South of Kunlun City, at the temporary college entrance exam base jointly established by Sanliang City and Gao Yuan City, wounded Martial Artists and Non-commissioned Officers, so with severed limbs, were having their injuries bandaged.
Wu Shan, one of the exam proctors, stood alone on the rooftop. He was bathed in blood but otherwise unhard, his powerful torso exposed to the gale.
His left eye socket was a gaping black void, with threads trailing from the stitches as black Spirit Charm dissipated into the air. His one remaining right eye was narrowed as he gazed north, his fists cracking loudly.
When the college entrance exam was brought to a mandatory end, Jiang Qiu hadn’t returned.
Of the more than fifty thousand examinees, ten thousand were dragged into the so-called Twelve Great Halls. Most beca fodder for the ergence of the new Demon King. A hundred years’ worth of stockpiled Treasures of Heaven and Earth were used for the Demon King’s Foundation Establishnt, and even the Mother of Demons, making her first appearance, was sacrificed.
And the new Demon King, [Chen], still managed to escape under the protection of [Cangyuan] after battling nurous powerful experts for several hours.
’In this battle, the Demon Race’s Twelve Great Halls hidden in the Secret Realm were exposed, the Red Fla Spider Mother was sacrificed to the heavens, and the Demon Race’s overall combat strength was crippled. As a result, the crisis in Tianshan City has been eased.’ Wu Shan closed his eyes, swallowing a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva. ’But more than half of this year’s peerless talents are dead or injured. Not a single student from Eighth Middle School made it back. And Jiang Qiu... he’s gone, too.’
’Once you’re pulled into a Secret Realm, not even a Secret Realm Expert can open a one-way portal back on short notice. And those Twelve Great Halls are teeming with countless Transford Great Demons. The weakest among them are Top Tier Demon Beasts, while the strongest posts are guarded by Demon Marshals.’
’Except for the students Grand General Luo saved from Celestial Armor Hall and a few adjacent halls, the "nourishnt pools" in the others were all empty. Jiang Qiu, Liu Zili, and the rest... they’ve probably been completely digested by now... ’
As his thoughts ca to a halt, a muscle in Wu Shan’s cheek twitched and his eyes flew open in fury. ’Jiang Qiu was taken to his death from the exam site under my watch, and I couldn’t do a thing.’
’The great ga between our leaders and the Demon Race is as cruel as ever.’
’I’ll leave Xia Country and go to the Northern Wilderness. Once my wounds are healed, I’ll return to the Northwest and slaughter demons!’
The words had barely left his lips when a clamor of shouts and footsteps erupted from the open ground below. "Soone’s here! Soone’s co back! It’s the examinees! dics! We need dics, now!"
’Examinees? Did Grand General Luo get back with more survivors?’
Wu Shan frowned, his gaze following the direction of several sprinting figures. His right pupil dilated and his heart skipped a beat. ’They’re alive?!’
Deep within the shadowy streets of Kunlun City, Jiang Qiu walked calmly down the center of the road, his face stained with blood. He carried an unconscious, short-haired girl in his arms. Behind him, a few hundred other teenagers followed, panting and limping, the light of dawn shining in their eyes.
A single glance revealed Wang Guanjia, Xie Kuang, Zhang Shan, and Li Si—several students from Site Eight were still alive!
’How the hell did he manage that?’
Wu Shan spat out a mouthful of bloody froth. His left eyelid drooped shut, like a curtain drawn against the night, but his right eye twinkled with starlight.
With a loud BANG, he leaped from the rooftop more than ten stories high, his heart pounding in his chest as he gulped down mouthfuls of cold air. "Haha, hahaha—the peerless talent I taught is still alive!"
...
On just the third day of the college entrance exam, the organizing committee declared its mandatory termination. Tens of thousands of examinees were sent back to their respective cities, and most high schools had students who returned with news about what had happened.
But from Gao Yuan City’s Outer City Eighth Middle School, not a single soul returned.
Zhao Gongzheng strode quickly down the hall toward the headmaster’s office. His hazy glasses couldn’t hide his red, swollen eyes. His own murky gaze was half-obscured by heavy eyelids as he muttered, "To deal with the Demon King’s first appearance, all of the Northwest’s top fighters were deployed... but then the Secret Realm inverted... Why did so many things have to go wrong with this year’s exam?"
’I thought this year, with Jiang Qiu, would be Eighth Middle School’s most glorious. We had a real chance to earn the title of an ’Outstanding Talent Base,’ and all the students in Zone Eight would have benefited from it for years to co.’
’And Jiang Qiu had so much potential to beco number one among Gao Yuan City’s top ten talents. If he had returned with that title, the students of Eighth Middle School, Zone Eight, and even the entire Outer City would have seen a path to a brighter future!’
’But now, the most talented prodigy the Outer City has seen since the Battle of the Broken City... is gone.’
Reaching the headmaster’s office door, Director Zhao took a deep breath. The fists he had clenched so tight they trembled finally relaxed, and he knocked softly.
KNOCK KNOCK.
The muffled sound was followed by a sharp "Enter." He had just stepped inside when he asked, "Headmaster Sun, should I start preparing the students’ funeral arrangents?"
"Ah, you’re here."
With a soft THUD, the old headmaster, Sun De, pushed his chair back. He picked up a teapot with his right hand and poured. HISS... The scalding green tea rushed into a cup. "Don’t look so glum. Co, have so tea."
He beckoned, forcing a hearty smile onto his normally stern, wrinkled face.
eting the headmaster’s sparkling eyes, Zhao Gongzheng froze. "Headmaster Sun, you seem..."
’Just a few days ago, at the "Student Funeral Arrangent eting," he was seething with rage, like an old general who’d sworn to kill every last demon on Dongqi Mountain. How can he be so happy today?’
Zhao Gongzheng had just straightened his back and sat down when he suddenly heard Headmaster Sun say, "I just got a call from a departnt head at Northwest Martial University. They want to learn more about Jiang Qiu’s teachers. They said they’re coming here soon to see us about taking him on as a disciple."
"A departnt head from Northwest Martial University?"
Zhao Gongzheng’s eyes widened. "Don’t tell Jiang Qiu..."
"That’s right. Several departnt heads at Northwest Martial University have already gotten the news. Jiang Qiu is alive, and his scores are nothing short of miraculous. They all want him to beco their personal disciple after he enrolls."
CLINK. A small teacup, held in a large, rough hand, was set down firmly in front of him. Sun De raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Thanks to your keen eye for recognizing talent, we found a peerless prodigy like Jiang Qiu. Starting with this class, Eighth Middle School is going to prosper.
"You’ll be the vice-headmaster from now on. Take charge of recruiting top students and allocating faculty resources. If there’s a talent you want, Eighth Middle School will make an exception to admit and specially train them.
"With Jiang Qiu as a shining example, the Martial Education Departnt won’t be able to just reject your applications for the Prodigy Program anymore."
BZZZZ...
The hand Zhao Gongzheng used to grab the teacup trembled slightly. The light in his eyes slowly ca into focus. Warmth flooded his chest, and a healthy flush spread across his sallow cheeks.
’Good. This is so good. It’s so good that he’s alive.’
’From the sound of Headmaster Sun’s voice, Jiang Qiu might have done more than just beco number one among Gao Yuan City’s top ten talents.’
’To not only survive this year’s hellish exam but also achieve such results... Jiang Qiu truly is a dragon hidden in the deep.’
’I’m lucky just to have been a part of it.’
SLURP—
He drained the cup in one gulp, the hot tea warming him from the inside out.
...
After the great upheaval in Kunlun City, Grand General Luo Beixing led a host of Martial Arts Grandmasters to slaughter their way through the Demon Race’s Twelve Great Halls before teleporting back. The Demon King [Chen] and the [Cangyuan] army that had co to reinforce him were forced into a hasty retreat.
The generals and Martial Artists returned to the temporary base. Among them, Major General Gao Yang was left dumbfounded when he heard that several hundred examinees had returned. "Grand General Luo said he didn’t have ti to rescue anyone from Celestial Xin Hall or Celestial Geng Hall, the two places this southern Secret Realm connects to. How could anyone have possibly made it back?!"
In the temporary hospital, the gazes of the hundreds of survivors all pointed to one tall, impressive-looking young man. "General Gao," one said, "we were all saved by Jiang Qiu, from Gao Yuan City’s Outer City Eighth Middle School!"
He followed their gazes and saw a young man sitting on a bench at the end of the hallway. His cheeks were stained with blood, and his black shirt hung loosely on his fra. His eyes were like those of a Dragon Spirit in the water, exuding a deep, rich aura.
Gao Yang’s eyes widened in shock. ’It’s him? The kid who took the exam without wearing any Armor?!’
RING RING RING—
Suddenly, a ringing tone shattered his thoughts. He pulled out a communication device and stepped out of the temporary hospital.
A mont after answering, his face flushed beet-red, and arcs of electricity seed to dance in his white hair. He roared in astonishnt, "What did you say?! Both the top individual score and the top team score for the entire college entrance exam ca from the base under my command?
And one of this year’s Ten Leading Talents is from here, too?!
Who is it?
That kid who doesn’t wear Armor? Jiang Qiu?!"
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