ASER - Chapter 59
Chapter 59: Total Annihilation
Song Ling looked at him, frowning slightly. But A'Diao glanced at Zhongchuan Mingxiu, then turned to Ming Zeye and his partner, asking, "Do you two want in on this? If we don't have enough money, I'll go borrow from my brother. We'll pool together fifty million to bet against Classmate Zhongchuan. If we lose, it's on me. If we win, you get a tenth of the winnings as a reward."
She was just bluffing; there was no way she would actually borrow from Chen Xun. The reason she bluffed like this was because she was certain such a situation wouldn't arise.
But the others took her seriously.
Playing for such high stakes?!!!
Tian Zhongye and the other two were a little worried, but based on their understanding of A'Diao and Song Ling, these two always planned before acting. They probably had some confidence.
Originally, everyone's attention was drawn by the points, but now they were stunned by the combined one hundred million in gambling stakes from both sides.
Yuan Shu's face also turned pale. He wasn't afraid of not being able to afford losing this sum, but rather feared the consequences of losing money again.
He wasn't a fool; he knew the consequences of being consistently seen as one.
When a person faces a situation they can't resolve, they subconsciously seek help from someone stronger. So, he looked at Zhongchuan Mingxiu, only to see the latter's calm expression... He wasn't looking at A'Diao, but at Ming Zeye.
The couple smiled at this moment.
They had no friendship with Chen A'Diao and Song Ling, but they had always been in a competitive relationship with Zhongchuan Mingxiu. This was because Jinling Academy offered ranking rewards based on quarterly assessments. According to inside information they had received, these rewards were very generous, and even a single rank difference meant a huge disparity. Therefore, while Zhongchuan Mingxiu was strengthening his own faction, he also tried to weaken them.
Because their strengths were too similar, their relationship had also become precarious.
So, Ming Zeye and his partner would rather help Chen A'Diao and her group, who posed no immediate threat to them, to suppress Zhongchuan Mingxiu.
"Alright, if Classmate Zhongchuan agrees, I'll definitely do my part."
Anyway, if they lost, it wouldn't cost them anything, and if they won, they'd get money. Who wouldn't want such a fantastic deal?
Zhongchuan Mingxiu should have been angry, but he was someone who rarely showed his emotions. Then Bai He suddenly spoke up, "Among classmates, it's nothing for one or two to have a dispute out of pique. You are all the strongest in the class; it's better not to have internal strife. Classmate Zhongchuan, it's best you don't participate in such a pointless competition."
The ladder had been set up.
Cheng Zhang glanced at Bai He. This person had taken a side. He had thought Bai He would continue to maintain his aloof, "flower on a high peak from humble origins" stance and watch them fight with a cold eye.
In the end, he too had descended to the mortal realm.
The path of resources was truly a difficult one; it was understandable.
"Alright then, I won't participate. Speaking of which, fifty million is quite frightening. I don't have a brother as capable as Classmate Chen A'Diao's. I heard he casually tutored Classmate Song Ling a bit, helping her get first place, and the reward was ten million."
Only core members of the Song family, Chen Xun, and A'Diao knew about this. The fact that Zhongchuan Mingxiu knew implied that the Song family already had spies from the Zhongchuan family?
But there were definitely spies from the Wang family.
Whether the Zhongchuan family's capabilities exceeded expectations, or the two families had secretly joined forces, it was not good news for the Song family.
Song Ling felt a stir in her heart, but she showed nothing on the surface.
A'Diao had even less of a reaction.
But others were shocked, and then the way they looked at Song Ling became a bit strange.
Tutored by Chen Xun, huh? No wonder she got first in the entrance exam's written test. Is there any difference between this and using connections?
Others' speculations would turn into prejudice; this was precisely Zhongchuan Mingxiu's aim with his few words. However, Song Ling didn't care, nor did she bother to explain that the focus of Chen Xun's tutoring wasn't the basic knowledge in those written exams, but other, more advanced things.
After that, Zhongchuan Mingxiu said nothing, but his gaze swept over... Tang Zhou suddenly came out smiling and put his arm around Yuan Shu's shoulder.
"Yuan Shu and I are brothers. Since you two good sisters are competing together, then we two good brothers will accompany you. I'll compete against Classmate A'Diao, and Song Ling, you compete against Yuan Shu. Each with a stake of 10 million, how about it?"
A'Diao already knew that given their current states, Zhongchuan Mingxiu wouldn't want to compete against Ming Zeye and his partner because he couldn't afford to lose. A mere ten million wasn't worth the risk for him; he would definitely push someone else forward. But as long as it wasn't one of the top five, she still had some confidence.
She agreed at once, and of course, Song Ling wouldn't object. It just so happened that their turns were up.
However, the administrator suddenly came out and asked, "Let me ask first, who among you has mastered Spirit Power now?"
"If you haven't mastered Spirit Power, be cautious when you go in. You might suffer too great a blow, leading to a period of mental readjustment, which wouldn't be worth it."
He was the administrator. It was true he enjoyed watching the excitement, but he couldn't just watch these talented kids fool around too much and affect their cultivation.
Here it comes, here it comes!
Many of those who had mastered Spirit Power after a day and a night secretly suppressed their excitement.
Shi Dagang, that rough fellow, didn't even conduct this crucial segment when class started, giving them no chance to show off. Meanwhile, Yuan Shu and Chen A'Diao, those two troublemakers, had occupied the top trending spot for two consecutive days, making people from other classes stare at them. It was too much!
They were prodigies too, alright!
This old administrator knew what was up.
In Class 1, twelve hands were raised, faces showing pride. After Cheng Zhang and Bai He raised their hands, both surreptitiously glanced at Song Ling and A'Diao.
As for people from other classes... it was a bit awkward; not a single one.
Song Ling raised her hand.
Mm, this was within expectations.
Then A'Diao also slowly... raised her hand.
Everyone's heart skipped a beat, only to see her slowly reach up and pick her ear.
Damn!
From Bai He +1222!
From Yuan Shu +2333!
From...
After easily accumulating over twenty thousand thought power, A'Diao lowered her left hand and raised her right.
Everyone: "?"
The administrator gave A'Diao another look. "You've mastered it too?"
This troublemaker isn't bad.
A'Diao: "Yeah, so when some fool wanted to gamble with me, I got really excited. I kept feeling like I was the main female protagonist in a novel, holding the script for a 'trashy concubine's daughter's comeback.' Am I getting carried away?"
Administrator: "..."
From Yuan Shu...
From Song Ling +3555!
From Tian Zhongxiang +1888!
From...
Anyway, both favorable and unfavorable impressions were soaring.
Fifty thousand was gathered in an instant, equivalent to half-burying Cui Yun.
As expected of Jinling Academy's strongest Class 01, the quality was too high.
Seeing this, the administrator couldn't be bothered to stop them and waved them in.
As a result, just as the few of them were about to enter the door...
Swish, swish, swish, several beams of light appeared, and a few people materialized before their eyes.
The people on both sides looked at each other in dismay.
A'Diao: "?"
If she remembered correctly, these people had gone in while she was arguing with Yuan Shu and the others. They came out right after the argument ended.
This was fucking awkward.
A'Diao, being sharp-tongued, even asked, "Reached the second floor so quickly?"
From Wang Shen +1999!
From...
A group of people all sent out a pile of thought power.
A'Diao: "..."
They didn't even pass the first floor, and they came out so quickly. It seemed super brutal inside.
No need to compete anymore; perhaps no one could pass the first floor.
The administrator of the Clearance Points Tower was a blabbermouth. He immediately forwarded the news to the group chat, startling many teachers, who then all tagged Qu Jiangnan.
Teacher Qu, amazing! The students in your class are all like lucky carps, so much money involved.
That's a total of forty million, right?
Qu Jiangnan had just found out. She didn't have much of a reaction, nor did she pay attention to the good or ill intentions of these teachers. She just replied with one sentence: "Stimulating consumption is conducive to promoting the national economy."
Very good, broaden the perspective.
However, Qu Jiangnan truly didn't take this matter to heart. If it wasn't life-or-death, it wasn't very interesting. But these little brats really treated the Clearance Points Tower like a little game, even betting ten million.
It would be a surprise if even one of these four people could pass the first floor.
After A'Diao entered the entrance, her vision flashed black and white. The next second, she suddenly felt her legs become heavy, and then with a 'thud,' she appeared in a space.
It was a wilderness. The surrounding area looked like an empty mountain forest, with wind and the fragrance of flowers. And the sensation in her legs was very distinct—gravity. The gravity here wasn't right; it was possibly twice the normal amount.
It seemed the toilet wasn't responding either.
So, was this due to the help of a Spiritual Vessel inhibitor?
This was bad.
Her current abilities were mostly concentrated on the toilet.
"Clearance Points Tower First Floor is about to begin. Please select a weapon from the following."
A selection screen appeared before her, giving 15 seconds.
A'Diao's gaze swept over, locking onto a saber, but she didn't select it. Instead, she used this time to observe the surrounding environment.
There was a problem with the bushes.
A foul, fishy smell was approaching.
When the 15 seconds were up, she immediately selected a long, thin-bladed saber and quickly sidestepped. At the same time, a dark shadow indeed shot out from the bushes, swish!
As she dodged, she felt the pressure of doubled gravity. Her speed and reaction time were not what they used to be. This wasn't just a matter of self-weakening.
A crimson, fleshy tongue covered in thorns suddenly shot out from the bushes, aiming for her neck. She sidestepped, and the thorny tongue grazed past her neck, slime splattering. She retreated, raising her saber, Spirit Power directly imbuing the blade. With a sharp cry, it slashed down on the tongue.
But the tongue was soft and recoiled. A'Diao had somewhat anticipated this, her reaction keeping up for the moment. She quickly swung the saber in an arc, swish! The tongue was finally severed. But at the instant it broke, A'Diao saw the contact surface where flesh and thorns connected.
These thorns were sharp on the surface and embedded in the flesh underneath. At this moment, they were being squeezed by the severed flesh...
Not good!
Swish, swish, swish! A dozen or so thorns detached from the flesh and shot out like arrows with ferocious speed.
The flung saber spun back into her hand... A'Diao tapped her foot, her figure darting. While dodging, the thorns whizzed past her body, a hair's breadth away. Yet, she still managed to evade them, saber in hand, and then leaped to thrust fiercely at a spot in the bushes!
Damn thing, hiding here!
Plonk!
The blade plunged into the body of a large toad weighing over twenty jin, killing it in one strike. It let out a dull, gurgling cry, its limbs twitched, and then it died. But before A'Diao could breathe a sigh of relief... Swish, swish, swish!
Two hidden toads on the side suddenly shot out their fleshy tongues.
Damn it, no wonder so many people failed.
This Clearance Points Tower was clearly an enhanced version of a simulated battle combining a gravity chamber and a consciousness reaction chamber!
A'Diao gritted her teeth, desperately dodging with the saber in one hand, while drawing an immobilization talisman in the air with the other!
Spirit Power was rapidly being consumed, and the immobilization talisman was quickly forming...
In the Clearance Points Tower hall, because most people had rushed in for the assessment all at once, the hall had suddenly become quiet. But just as the administrator, like an affected internet celebrity, had elegantly brewed himself a cup of coffee, before he could even take a sip, swish, swish, swish, group after group of students were teleported out.
Each one looked ashen-faced.
Ha, they got a shock, didn't they?
A few sharp-tongued students couldn't help but complain. The administrator smiled, slowly savoring the aroma of his coffee, and said, "Little brats, the Academy's resources aren't that easy to get. Those officials outside, how many demonic spirits do they have to kill, risking life and limb, to save up enough spirit cores to exchange for usage counts of the government's Little Spirit Gates? You think you can just easily pass the first stage and get one for free?"
"Cultivate well. Come back in ten days to half a month. By then, you should be able to pass the first stage."
These few students fell silent for a moment. But Tian Zhongxiang, Tian Zhongye, Rao Xueya, and others had also failed one after another. After hearing this, although they still felt bad, they also managed to look on the bright side a bit.
Rao Xueya's thinking was very direct. "Look, so many people didn't pass. It seems like the only one who has passed so far is... 1 person!"
Just one!!!
Only one out of all 10 classes combined?
"My god."
"Only Tuoba. After his name, it says 'Cleared First Floor,' and there's a clear time. But there's no one else. Does that mean those who haven't cleared it don't qualify for the leaderboard?"
"..."
Too terrifying, it was almost a total wipeout.
The crowd, who had been under immense pressure, actually relaxed a lot. After all, if everyone failed together, it didn't matter if they themselves were trash. Besides, it wasn't just them; even Zhongchuan Mingxiu and his group hadn't passed yet.
Just as everyone was discussing, suddenly another wave of teleportations... Cheng Zhang and the others also came out.
The leaderboard hadn't changed, meaning they hadn't passed either. They were all "corpses" hung out to dry.
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