GAMMT - Chapter 50
Chapter 50: Flames
Don't let the Education Center's appearance fool you; it might seem like a place for scholars, but people like old Mrs. Zhang Ruo were all formidable Arcanists in their youth, elites who had fought their way through all sorts of exams. As such, the training center itself was vast. The pre-exam broadcast mentioned nothing about the setting for this assessment, only that it was the training center. Fu Chuan noticed that the children of bureaucrats were particularly confident, most likely because their privileged upbringing had allowed them to visit this place before. That was the source of their confidence.
However, Fu Chuan suspected the exam setting had likely been modified. And the broadcast had mentioned that clues about the exam content were to be discovered on their own…
As she walked through the entrance gate, Fu Chuan quickly scanned the environment, soon spotting some colorful advertisement posters on the walls.
The ads were bizarre, promoting all sorts of things.
Fu Chuan's gaze swept over them, and she thought to herself, "The ad board on the left is promoting intestines, a small mining robot, high blood pressure medication, bread, a bagpipe, and a poster for the movie Age of X. The corresponding ads on the right have the numbers 4000, 2600, 500, 320,000, and 600. The movie poster shows the positioning of the characters."
"That should mean this area is 4000 meters long, 2600 meters wide, 500 meters high, has an area of 320,000, and a depth of 600 meters. The character positions in the movie poster might relate to the locations of the meditation devices."
"But something's not right. An area of 320,000 is neither a standard planar area calculation nor a cubic volume. And there are only 24 people on the poster, which doesn't correspond to the 1500 devices. Could I have guessed wrong?"
As Fu Chuan pondered this, she saw three diverging paths ahead. It was clear they had to choose which sector to enter.
Then she saw Lan Chenshuang blocking the way, obviously waiting for someone.
His presence made everyone else hesitant to move, fearing they were his target and that he would follow them.
Truly… shameless!
Fu Chuan was speechless. She walked over and asked, "Waiting for someone, little brother Lan? Who might that be?"
She quietly activated the amplifier on her person.
Lan Chenshuang lifted his eyelids, his voice cold. "You."
Fu Chuan replied, "I don't love you. Give up."
Lan Chenshuang: "?"
Then Fu Chuan took a step into the middle path, and Lan Chenshuang immediately followed.
"Still running? You think I can't catch you like this?!"
But in the next second, Fu Chuan swerved into the left path and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Lan Chenshuang, come after me if you have the guts! But I, Xie Keli, am not a man you can win over with your persistent pestering—unless you pin me down."
Her voice was incredibly loud, echoing and drifting outwards… all the way to the waiting area, where the parents and teachers were left wondering, "?"
They began to whisper among themselves. The faces of the Lan Clan members turned purple with rage.
That shameless Xie Keli!
The Vice Minister was also at a loss for words. Seeing the complicated expression on Zhou Linlang's face beside him, he felt a strange sense of secondhand embarrassment and thought, Thank goodness my child isn't like that. He said, "Xiao Zhou, you've probably never seen such an ill-behaved child back in Beluke."
"Mm… no, I haven't," Zhou Linlang replied, feeling a little puzzled. She opened her communicator and looked at a photo she had saved.
The girl's eyes held a numbness and gloominess born from the pressures of life, but she was undoubtedly beautiful, with the haggard aesthetic of someone shrouded in darkness.
But trying to reconcile that image with someone like Xie Keli gave her a sense of cognitive dissonance.
If not for the definitive DNA evidence, she would have truly doubted her own judgment.
Or perhaps that girl had such a sharp, mischievous, and shameless side to her all along?
Lan Chenshuang had wanted to give chase, but after Fu Chuan's outburst and realizing she had used an amplifier, he knew that many people outside must have heard. He gritted his teeth in anger but ultimately didn't follow. Why?
Fu Chuan walked unhurriedly down the left path. She knew he wouldn't dare to follow. From the two most outstanding disciples of the Xie Clan, she had seen how much these noble scions cherished their reputations, especially those from the direct lineage with a claim to inheritance. They were extremely mindful of their public image. Furthermore, he hadn't yet cleared his name from the previous incident. If the people outside deliberately spread rumors about his preference for men, and those rumors spiraled, it wouldn't be worth it. Catching Xie Keli wouldn't allow him to kill him, and it would only tarnish his own name. The cost was too high.
So, Lan Chenshuang could only walk down the middle path with a dark expression.
Seeing this, the people behind them who were wary of Lan Chenshuang all went to the left or right.
Ah Qi glanced at Fu Chuan's back, hesitated for a moment, and then followed her. Jian Feilan and his two companions looked at each other. Xu Yi, usually the most good-natured, said, "The exam is merciless. It's best to avoid conflict when we can. What if I've been playing the pig to eat the tiger all this time and suddenly take you two out? Our brotherhood would be over."
Jian Feilan rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming. That's a line I should be saying. To prevent you two from holding a grudge, I'll let you off the hook for now."
But Chen Mofei disagreed. He said, "Keep an eye on Zhang Juan and his group. We've only ever seen their academic scores, which are usually in the top thirty of the joint exams. But with the cheating methods revealed this time, the three of us suffered, and Lan Chenshuang and the Lin siblings moved up. Yet, Zhang Juan's group's scores looked normal. This proves they weren't in a hurry to gain a huge advantage in theory exam."
Jian Feilan frowned, guessing Chen Mofei's meaning. "Are you saying they're confident in their arcane abilities, in meditation and control? So they weren't willing to take risks in theory exam?"
Chen Mofei's attitude was cautious, but his speculation was sharp. "Do you really think they couldn't figure out the pattern in the test with their intelligence? Since they saw it but didn't exploit the loophole to cheat, it means they didn't think it was necessary. And it turns out their choice was correct. Being conservative can sometimes be an advantage. But for them to be so confident, they must have other trump cards for this assessment. Whether it's meditation or micro-control, these are usually determined by one's innate aptitude. Yet, we've been placed in a large-scale environment where interference is possible. So, I think it's better for us to stick together, unless you think you can dominate the entire field on your own."
Were they confident?
Of course not. They had no idea which of these bookworms, whom they had only competed with academically, were hiding their true arcane prowess. After all, countless dark horses emerged during the high school and college entrance exams every year.
"Let's stick together then."
The three of them changed their strategy and chose the first exam area on the right path.
It wasn't that they were afraid of Lan Chenshuang, but rather of Lan Xuanyu, who stood behind him. That man's current position was quite high, and the skills and resources he possessed were top-tier. If he had given Lan Chenshuang some kind of trump card, they wouldn't be able to handle it.
There was no need to take such a risk in the second stage of the assessment.
Later, the Lin siblings also chose the first exam area on the right, while the others made their own choices and scattered.
The exam had now officially begun, which was also when the parents were supposed to be at work. But very few left; some even called their offices to request time off.
The Vice Minister was hesitating. He was a good father and cared about everything concerning his child, but he was also unwilling to neglect his duties. As he wavered, his subordinate beside him said gently, "I've already completed my work. Technically, I can take a three-day leave. I happen to find this high school entrance exam quite interesting and would like to watch a bit longer, so I won't be going to work. How about you approve my leave request now, sir?"
The Vice Minister understood instantly, silently praising the young woman for her astuteness. No wonder she was doing so well in the Economic Department. He readily agreed. "Then I'll head back now. Xiao Zhou, if you discover anything here, let me know."
After the Vice Minister left, Zhou Linlang sat down. Sipping her water, she watched the exam scene displayed on the screen. Her gaze wasn't fixed on any single person but darted around, seemingly without focus. Her mind, however, was on her communicator, where a message had just arrived.
The person you asked me to investigate has been found. I was wondering why you were interested in a young boy, but now I see this kid is no simple character. Look at these photos.
He even had the other party get a new identity. Legally, his current identity is legitimate and valid.
Zhou Linlang looked at the people in the photos, her gaze falling on the young man whose neck was being hugged by a charming girl who had jumped onto his back. She recognized the young man, and the girl's face was not unfamiliar either.
"Truly impressive. A professional ladder-climber."
And this ladder was a tall one, high enough to ensure a meteoric rise.
Zhou Linlang didn't treat this as mere amusement; she felt a terrifying sense of crisis.
"If he's allowed to keep climbing… once he reaches the top, he will surely retaliate. At the very least, his choice of this girl is targeted."
What kind of people were most numerous in this world?
Ordinary people… and the petty individuals who clawed their way up from among them.
In Exam Area 3, Fu Chuan had to marvel at the prowess of this extraordinary world the moment she entered. Outside was a prim and proper metropolis, and the architecture of the Education Center was stern and orderly. Yet, within this enclosed space existed a massive mountain forest that looked completely natural.
High mountains, dense forests, streams, and valleys—it had everything.
Fu Chuan quickly used the height of the mountains to verify the numbers she had guessed earlier.
They matched.
So the 320,000 and the character positions were indeed valid clues.
Where on earth were the meditation devices?
"Bro, should we team up? Damn, Guan Zizai and Li Yu are in the same exam area as us." Short and Tight had chosen the same place as Fu Chuan, Exam Area 3. Now that everyone else had scattered, he felt a sense of crisis and wanted to team up with her. Fu Chuan glanced at the departing backs of the two he mentioned.
"Are they that strong?"
Short and Tight looked astonished. "You don't know? Although they aren't nobles, nor are they from wealthy or official families, their aptitude has been excellent since childhood. They were sent to study under some of the most famous masters in our city. In terms of overall strength, they're even more dangerous than Lan Chenshuang and the others. Their academic performance, arcane aptitude, and the quality of their teachers are all top-notch. If we truly infringe on their interests, they will definitely come after us."
Fu Chuan said, "Logically speaking, someone ranked 1300th like you shouldn't be able to infringe on their interests."
Then she walked off on her own, leaving Short and Tight with a sullen, dog-like expression. "What the hell? Aren't you 1299th yourself?!"
From the god-like perspective of the waiting area, the teachers and parents saw the 1500 candidates quickly dispersing. Some lingered in place, hesitating on where to search for the meditation devices. Some ran around randomly, while others explored methodically. And then there were those who left their starting point swiftly, as if heading towards a specific destination.
"Those kids must have figured out the hint on the billboards."
"What hint?"
"You didn't even see that? Those ads…"
"You're so smart, then tell us where the devices are."
"…"
The Lan Clan members were also puzzled, but a fair-skinned man in his thirties with a small mustache suddenly walked over and said to them coolly, "The last billboard. The character's stance represents the number 7, but the staircase represents the number 8. There are 12 floor tiles on the ground. The totem on the ceiling lamp and rug is a White Tiger, representing a constellation. This corresponds to the 12 constellations of the White Tiger in meditation astrology. The star coordinates encompassed by the seventh and eighth regions total 1600. Among them, 1500 star points signify the locations of the meditation devices. Although there are some errors, with only 100 incorrect locations, it's not difficult to rule them out. This part of the exam tests their mastery of meditation astrology."
Who was this person?
Many members of the Lan Clan stood up, bowed to him, and addressed him as Third Master. He seemed to be the younger brother of the Lan Clan Head, a genius in his own right, though he hadn't been the one to inherit the position of Clan Head.
Not everyone in the Lan Clan was a talent. They were educated, but…
"1600 coordinates? Who the hell can remember all that!"
Third Master Lan replied, "Not many people can, but remembering a portion is enough to find the location of one device. It just takes time and effort. The four hours are for them to allocate themselves. From finding the device to meditating, and then to the micro-control test, how they distribute their time to maximize their score is entirely up to them."
"This year's assessment seems to be designed to weed out the duds."
As Third Master Lan mused, he didn't stay with his familiesmen but instead walked towards the second floor.
"Linlang, long time no see."
Zhou Linlang had been chatting with someone on her communicator. Hearing her name, she turned and recognized the man as Lan Luoqi, who also worked at the Beluke Economic Department. Unsurprised, she greeted him amicably, neither warm nor cold.
Why hadn't this man become the Clan Head? Because he had to join the Economic Department, which sometimes stood in opposition to the powerful families. He could only choose one: the position of Clan Head or a post in the Economic Department.
Lan Luoqi asked, "Is it convenient for me to sit?"
Zhou Linlang smiled politely. "My family has been trying to set me up on dates recently, so it might not be convenient. It wouldn't be good for either of our reputations. After all, gossip can be vicious."
"Understood." A flicker of light passed through Lan Luoqi's eyes, and he gracefully took a seat further away.
Nearby, although all the Teng Family's candidates had been eliminated, some members were still observing. After witnessing this scene, they relayed the information to the Teng Family Head.
The Teng Family Head sneered slightly after seeing the photo sent back to him.
"The Lan Clan is truly greedy. The son is to enter the military, the brother the Economic Department, and that's not all… It seems that after Zhou Linlang was transferred to our Jingyang, although Lan Luoqi didn't take her position, the people who used to work under her have been heavily suppressed. The ones suppressing them are likely from Lan Luoqi's faction."
But compared to the Lan Clan's widespread influence, both the Teng family and Xie Clan were weaker in this area.
"Zhou Linlang is not that simple. When she returns, Lan Luoqi is finished."
As the Teng Family Head was chatting with a family elder, he suddenly said, "If I were Lan Luoqi, I would certainly not want her to return so easily."
The elder replied, "Would he dare?"
The Teng Family Head said, "Of course he wouldn't dare. But there are too many people in this world who want Zhou Linlang dead. I'd rather they fight each other, preferably until both sides are crippled… How are things on Lan Xuanyu's end? Add more fuel to the fire. We must cut off his path to the military, or we'll have no good days ahead of us."
The elder replied, "It's already been arranged. But Clan Head, that Lan Chenshuang has found a device."
The Teng Family Head turned to look and saw Lan Chenshuang being the first to find a device. But the first thing he did upon finding it was—Boom!
He smashed the device to pieces.
The Teng Family Head's expression changed slightly.
At that moment, the faces of many others watching also changed.
Zhou Linlang looked up, her hands clasped. Her first thought was that communicators were forbidden in the exam area; a student had already tried. This meant Lan Chenshuang had been coached in advance.
Lan Xuanyu.
The heir of this generation of the Lan Clan was indeed extraordinary. But it was impossible for him to have connections with the national-level Education Ministry's exam setters to get the test content in advance. That meant he had guessed this year's testing style from the first stage's theory exam.
Testing arcane knowledge during theory exam.
Testing theory during the arcane aptitude exam.
It was a dual test, designed to eliminate the duds who had been propped up by resources and experience to the greatest extent possible.
Coupled with the fact that the Education Ministry had locked onto meditation from the start, it wasn't surprising that he had his younger brother memorize astrology beforehand. Memorizing all 24 constellations with tens of thousands of coordinate points was impossible, but this year happened to be the year of the White Tiger.
Lan Xuanyu had simply narrowed down the scope of the exam questions for his brother in advance.
In Area 3, Fu Chuan's mind was already filled with the 1600 coordinate points.
The reason she remembered so many was because she had recently been trying to make meditation puppets. Alchemy was the most difficult profession, requiring a terrifyingly vast knowledge system. She was but a drop in the ocean, but because she was specifically trying to make meditation puppets, she had to master meditation astrology and mark the star coordinates on each one.
Although she had already failed a dozen times and had no time to fail again, she had indeed done the preparatory work.
So she knew all the coordinates. Finding a device was not difficult.
Beneath the dense waterweeds by the stream, she entered the water and soon felt the cold device below.
To smash or not to smash?
Smashing the others would directly eliminate everyone else's chance at the meditation test.
At this moment, the people outside also saw many students finding devices, including Xie Keli.
"This person's character is so awful, he'll probably be as ruthless as Lan Chenshuang."
"Definitely."
"See? He's definitely going to smash it… After all, he even used that pilot's life."
As they were badmouthing her, they saw Xie Keli activate the meditation device and his body was drawn inside.
They fell silent, then changed their tune, saying he was probably afraid he wouldn't find another one.
However, because she had entered the device for testing, the screen shifted away from her.
Zhou Linlang glanced at the rankings. There were very few names on the leaderboard for the second stage of the exam, as most people hadn't started meditating yet, but some had.
The scores were increasing point by point.
In ninth place was Xie Keli.
"It's the Second Young Master! It's the Second Young Master!"
Members of the Xie Clan were also present. After all, even the Teng Family had people here despite being completely wiped out. It would be unreasonable for the Xie Clan not to watch, especially since their Second Young Master was still in the running.
However… the Second Young Master's rank was truly embarrassing.
1299.
Fortunately, he was making up for it in the second stage assessment. He was 9th on the board as soon as he started!
But… the score next to the Second Young Master's name was 0.1 points.
Compared to the people above him who started with four, five, or even ten points, that 0.1 seemed a bit… shabby.
"That device the Second Young Master found must have a bad connection."
A Xie Clan guard said.
But Zhou Linlang had a bad feeling.
Could it be that this person's meditation was even worse than his theory exam?
Fu Chuan had hesitated, but then she thought about her own meditation aptitude, which was a complete mess. To get ahead, she would have to smash hundreds of devices, and four hours wouldn't be enough for her to run wild. It was better to just let it go and avoid being resented.
After entering the device, Fu Chuan checked the time and saw that fifteen minutes had already passed. Not daring to delay any longer, she began the test.
"Beep. Meditation test beginning. Please enter a meditative state. You may link with the device to end the test at any time."
Eh, wait!
Fu Chuan was surprised. Link with it herself? So if she didn't link with it, she could keep testing indefinitely?
This discovery was… disastrous for her!
When Fu Chuan saw that her base score was 0.1, while the base scores of others on the leaderboard were mostly above 1, her expression soured.
Such a huge gap?
This was killing her!
Maybe if she tested more seriously, it would get better?
Fu Chuan suppressed her anxiety and began to enter a meditative state… The score started to increase.
She was getting the hang of it!
Half an hour later, Fu Chuan, who had been meditating diligently, opened her eyes and glanced at the rankings.
It was truly a joyous occasion. She had climbed from 9th place to 999th!
She had added two nines.
What left Fu Chuan even more speechless was that the name in 998th place was Pang Ci.
Wasn't that Short and Tight's name?
What kind of cursed fate was this?
Fu Chuan felt her head buzzing.
The heads of the Xie Clan members were also buzzing. At the same time, this news reached the Xie household, and some members of the branch and main families started to cause a commotion.
Damn it, with such rotten meditation aptitude, how did he even get in!
Even Xie Lin's meditation is better than his!
"Clan Head, let's forget about the three uses of the Gene Pool. We absolutely cannot waste resources on such a useless person."
"Exactly! We originally thought he had potential, but look at his scores now. It's trash. I don't agree to giving him three uses of the Gene Pool."
In truth, Xie An was also reluctant. He had long seen that this illegitimate son had little submission towards the family or him. Taking advantage of the pressure from these people, he relented slightly.
"Then let's see the final exam results."
What other results could there be?
He had just dropped from 999th to 1010th.
However, this wasn't entirely without benefits.
"It wasn't Xie Keli."
"That Lan Chenshuang really knows how to frame people. With meditation aptitude like that, how could he create an arcane effect strong enough to cover several exam halls?"
"Impossible."
"I bet even Lan Chenshuang didn't expect the scapegoat he found would prove his own innocence."
When Zhou Linlang heard them mention "prove his own innocence," she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
At that moment, the self-exonerated Fu Chuan made a decision.
This wasn't working. She couldn't continue with meditation. The meditation test was a dead end for her. She had been in this world for less than a month; how could she compare to others who had over a decade of meditation foundation?
She wasn't the male lead with a cheat system!
Fu Chuan decisively gave up. But now the problem was that she had drawn the worst cards in both theory and meditation exams. She had been lucky enough to drag others down with her cheating, but that had only barely kept her above the elimination line. What was she going to do about this meditation test?
If she got another 1300th place, even if she wasn't eliminated, her overall ranking would be terrible, beyond recovery.
"Does meditation decide everything? Not necessarily. When heaven closes a door, it also closes your window, but you can still dig a tunnel. The Lanxiang brand excavator, you deserve it."
Fu Chuan remembered the slogan from one of those advertisements.
Strangely, this slogan appeared in very small print at the bottom of a flour advertisement.
This was a hint.
A hint from the Education Ministry.
Meditation wasn't everything; micro-control was also a way out. The four hours could be managed freely. If your meditation aptitude was terrible, then spend all your time on micro-control.
There was no upper limit to the score. Whether it was from meditation or micro-control, points were points!
Fu Chuan understood. She immediately ended her meditation. As she was getting out of the stream, wondering what the micro-control test would entail, her high agility suddenly sensed something nearby…
Fu Chuan leaped out of the water, and a plump, yellow figure leaped out right after her.
Splat. After landing, Fu Chuan looked and was stunned.
A duck. A bright yellow duck, weighing about five or six pounds, flapped its wings and opened its mouth to spray at her.
It was a duck, but not a living creature. It was mechanical, because Fu Chuan couldn't sense its breath.
It was probably a mimetic bionic machine developed for the exam.
So these were the test subjects for micro-control?
Bang! Fu Chuan tried to attack but found that the elemental concentration here was extremely low.
Huh?
Not good!
Because the elemental concentration was too low, Fu Chuan's attempt to cast an arcane spell failed. She could only hastily fire an Arcane Missile, which hit the duck with a thud.
It hit!
But in the next second… it didn't even lose a couple of feathers. It locked onto her and fired off a series of sharp water arrows.
Fu Chuan dodged to the side. The water arrows pierced through the grass beside her, cutting down a large patch.
"Damn it, this area was deliberately set to have low elemental concentration to lower our attack ceiling. We can only cast the lowest-level arcane spells, like Arcane Missile or Fireball, which can't even break the defense of these big yellow ducks."
"Since we can't break their armor, we can only rely on skill to kill them."
But as mechanical beings, it was difficult for the candidates to sense and lock onto them. On the other hand, they could easily lock onto the candidates.
"It's likely equipped with thermal sensors."
Swoosh! The water arrow was surprisingly fast, but Fu Chuan anticipated it. She dodged into the tall grass and immediately used a "Low-Temperature Reliance" Stone on herself to lower her body temperature.
Glancing at the duck's body outside… she immediately spotted a red dot under its left wing.
Having lost its high-temperature target, it was now trying to locate Fu Chuan by sound. But Fu Chuan was already rapidly fanning the tall grass with her palm, creating waves in the nearby vegetation to mask her movements.
Seeing the duck trying to pinpoint her location, she suddenly darted out and flung a wind-based Arcane Missile.
Bang!! The big yellow duck was struck under its left wing.
"Beep. One big yellow duck hit. +30 points."
Fu Chuan looked at the 150 points she had struggled to earn in half an hour, her expression miserable.
But this tunnel she had dug after the door and window were sealed was pretty good. Fu Chuan immediately perked up and entered a state of ambushing ducks.
Outside, several proctoring teachers were somewhat surprised.
"This kid's control is pretty good."
"It's really strange. His meditation is so bad, his theoretical knowledge is so poor, yet his control is excellent. How did he learn? Let me see his file."
"What file? Haven't you been watching the news? This kid has been in the news several times recently, his background has been completely dug up. He came back from a garbage star. There are no educational resources there. He probably never even meditated as a child. Didn't Lan Chenshuang also say he only started learning arcane arts this month… Looking at it this way, this kid is a real talent. No wonder his theory and meditation are so poor. I just checked his elementary and middle school records. There were no records before; they were all added last night. He barely took any exams. His comprehensive coefficient is pitifully low."
"Really? Then he's not useless at all. At the very least, he's much stronger than those scions who have been raised with good resources since childhood."
These teachers discussed from a professional standpoint, not avoiding others. This immediately made many of the parents feel awkward.
What, were they like pig farmers, diligently raising pigs for over a decade only to produce… pigs?
"But this Xie Keli does seem to be a talent."
"But the Xie Clan doesn't seem to value him much. He's been back for so many days, and they didn't even tell him he needed to make up his academic records? Otherwise, why would he only start last night?"
There were many intelligent people here, and they saw the essence of the matter at a glance.
Looking at Xie Keli now, they had a moment of clarity.
This Second Young Master of the Xie Clan actually had no backing at all.
While Fu Chuan was killing ducks, most of the others were meditating.
Their meditation aptitude was high, so meditating in the early stages was more suitable for them. But a few… noticed that some people's rankings were rising rather quickly, especially the notorious Xie Keli, whose name was fluctuating strangely.
"It's a foregone conclusion that his meditation aptitude is terrible. For him to improve so quickly, getting 90 points in such a short time, can only mean he's doing the micro-control test. Are the points for micro-control that easy to get?"
A few individuals, seeing their meditation scores plateauing, decisively went out. One was lucky enough to encounter a duck right away.
Ha!
The person was overjoyed and raised his hand to attack, and then… he couldn't break its defense.
Bang! A bolt of lightning struck him, leaving his entire body numb.
"Hit by a big yellow duck. -30 points!"
"!!!"
What the hell, why were points being deducted! The exam setters at the Education Ministry this year were really trying to ascend to the heavens!
Fu Chuan didn't know that her rising score had spurred on other candidates. She was methodically ambushing and killing ducks, one by one.
But these ducks weren't easy to kill.
Mechanical bodies were too difficult to perceive, but this was Fu Chuan's specialty. She had a feeling this place might be projected, so every time she released her spider silk, she made it completely invisible and transparent. The people outside had no idea that her perception already covered a diameter of several hundred meters. Still, she deliberately took over ten minutes to find the first three big yellow ducks, then gradually accelerated her search.
The effect was that others would think she had mastered the technique of finding the ducks, rather than possessing a more advanced perception method.
Her speed increased.
Fifth, sixth, seventh…
Fu Chuan's score rose rapidly, soon climbing from the 1000s to the 700s.
This shocked many people. They also noticed that her attack skills were improving at a terrifying rate. With the first one, she had been a bit clumsy and flustered, but now it was basically ambush, surprise attack, one-hit success, retreat!
The whole process took less than a minute, and then she would change position and continue searching for ducks.
"Each duck's weak point is different. Some are under the wing, some on the tail, some on the neck, but he hits the vital spot directly every time."
"This shows his reaction time and judgment are very strong."
Was this strange?
Not at all. From the plane crash incident and the restaurant incident, it was clear that this scummy Second Young Master's judgment of situations was terrifyingly sharp.
He could always play a bad hand and achieve a royal flush effect.
Third Master Lan frowned and looked at the family subordinate beside him. "The Xie Clan has such a disciple, why wasn't it reported? And they even allowed that foolish boy Chenshuang to walk right into his trap?"
If he hadn't learned about Lan Xuanyu's matter today and rushed back to Jingyang, he wouldn't have even known that such a person had appeared in the Xie Clan.
The Lan Clan member was embarrassed. "But before, he was really trash. You saw it too, his aptitude is genuinely terrible. As for what he's really like underneath, he hid it so well, we had no idea."
This was the effect of a gradual reveal. But each time, this person had crafted a despicable character with a terrible image and morals, causing the role of the villain to overshadow others' observation of his true nature.
Once the image of a profligate scion was established, others would mostly attribute his actions to his noble birth and resources, rather than considering whether he himself was powerful.
Third Master Lan was a deep thinker. He couldn't help but glance towards Zhou Linlang.
He had actually been secretly pleased when Zhou Linlang was transferred to Jingyang. After all, Jingyang was his family's territory. With a little maneuvering behind the scenes… heaven had smiled upon him and sent a natural disaster dungeon. He had immediately usurped the family's plan, along with other nobles, to raise grain prices, thereby obstructing her work and preventing her from using her merits to return to the provincial Economic Department.
But he never expected this person to break the deadlock using the grain from a single Xie Farm.
Could it be that she knew from the beginning that this Xie Keli was a talent with potential?
"Forget it. He's too far behind, and with such poor meditation aptitude, his mental power is destined to be weak. We'll just have to pay attention to him in the future."
The so-called "pay attention in the future"… meant there would be no future.
The Lan Clan members understood and whispered a few words.
Third Master Lan raised an eyebrow and murmured to himself, "Is that so? My nephew is truly formidable…"
Meanwhile, on the screen, Fu Chuan had already locked onto the eighth big yellow duck and was about to kill it.
Suddenly, her scalp tingled.
From the stream, a large patch of plump, yellow figures emerged.
A large flock of ducks was staring at her with bright eyes, and at the same time, they all opened their mouths.
Water arrows, fireballs, arcane missiles, and even lightning came bombarding towards her.
Wait, how did so many ducks gather together? Something was wrong!
Fu Chuan's scalp exploded. She turned and ran.
As she ran, she sensed a dark shadow moving in tandem with her in another patch of grass… She narrowed her eyes, pretending not to notice, and then… the other party suddenly cast a level-one arcane spell at her ankle from the shadows.
Entangling Vines!
Rustle!
A vine wrapped around Fu Chuan's ankle, tripping her. The fireball from the fastest-pursuing duck slammed into her arm.
Flames burned, her clothes sticking to her skin, licking towards her face. The pained Fu Chuan received a notification of points being deducted, but she immediately rolled on the ground, using the grass and dirt to smother the flames. She then drew a blade to cut the vine, while simultaneously throwing out some level-one explosives to hinder the pursuing ducks. With a quick level-one speed boost, she fled wretchedly into the dense forest nearby.
The ducks were momentarily held back by the explosions.
The people outside could, of course, see that she had been ambushed. That vine didn't appear out of thin air.
But where was the person?
The screen had been focused on an empty area. The view shifted, and soon, they saw a faint shadow.
He followed the footprints on the ground, catching up to the base of a tree before the ducks arrived. He looked up into the tree warily, about to launch an attack.
At this moment, the Lan Clan, Xie Clan, and Teng family, as well as the school staff, all realized that Xie Keli was done for. He had already been injured by the ducks and had exhausted a lot of his mental power. Now that he was targeted, he would surely be crippled and his exam would be over.
The corners of the Lan Clan members' mouths turned up.
It was a success.
The Eldest Young Master's plans truly left nothing to chance. He had contacted students affiliated with the Lan Clan beforehand to act as ambushers.
The Lan Clan's butler still remembered what the Eldest Young Master had said during a remote connection from Beluke City.
"Never underestimate anyone. I don't believe someone who could frame me so precisely is a waste. If he isn't, then we'll make him a real waste in a timely manner."
"Arrange for people to keep an eye on him."
Xie Keli had indeed been playing the pig, but their assassination plan had clearly succeeded.
The Lan Clan's butler was just about to report the good news to his Eldest Young Master.
Suddenly.
The hearts of everyone watching the screen skipped a beat.
Zhou Linlang's fingers twitched.
Because from the tree behind the shadow, a dark figure suddenly leaped down.
A speed boost, a fall, a wine bottle.
Thwack!
A wine bottle smashed against the shadow's head.
The bottle shattered. The shadow's brain rattled, blood and wine splashing everywhere. His head lolled to the side. He was stunned but not dead, as the exam rules forbade killing.
So he was hammered. A wine bottle shattered.
After he fell, the blood-splattered Second Young Master Xie casually tossed away the broken bottle and replaced it with a real hammer.
Thud, thud, thud. She brutally hammered his limb joints.
Blood splattered continuously, but it was only four strikes.
She restrained herself. Then she turned towards an empty patch of ground and muttered an incantation…
The sound of the ducks outside grew closer. The spell she chanted had already formed, and a trap pit appeared below. She grabbed one of his legs, dragged him a couple of steps, and then tossed him in like a piece of trash. Then she took out some beers, threw them down, and smashed them with loud bangs…
Then she sealed the trap.
The person below struggled painfully, but he was powerless to escape, able only to watch in terror as the trap's opening was sealed.
Pitch blackness.
She leaped back up into the tree and squatted there, watching, watching as the ducks followed their mechanical instincts.
Thermal sensors, smell, sound—every method of capture led them to lock onto this area.
Of course, Fu Chuan had long seen that they had no ability to judge danger. Their programming was surely to chase and attack candidates!
Therefore, they would definitely…
As expected, twenty to thirty big yellow ducks found the spot, charged forward, and fell into the pit in a great cascade.
A level-one trap pit, even with metal thorns, couldn't break their armor. What did they have to fear?!
Nothing!
Down they went!
A flock of ducks went down, and the person in the pit was nearly crushed to death by the fat ducks. But what was more terrifying was their attacks, which rained down on him.
His points dropped like a waterfall.
Zero, zero, zero!
There was nothing left to deduct!
He was instantly at the very bottom, 1500th place!
What the fuck?
The turn of events was so fast that many people didn't even know this person's name yet. They just saw him being swarmed by a flock of ducks in the pit, and then… they saw Xie Keli in the tree take out a pack of cigarettes, light one with a lighter, and then toss the lighter down.
The bottom was filled with alcohol.
Fwoosh!
Flames shot up.
The ducks were incinerated in the flames… and so was the candidate.
The sustained high temperature from the fire in the trap would alter the metal in the mechanical bodies' chips, causing their programs to fail. This was equivalent to a kill.
This was the greatest weakness of mechanical bodies—fire was their ultimate nemesis!
Screams filled the air.
"I give up! I give up! I'm not taking the exam anymore! I'm withdrawing completely! Help! Help! Ah!"
The person who had been cunningly ambushing Fu Chuan just minutes ago was now like a pathetic wretch.
The scene was shocking, but Fu Chuan squatted on the branch, quietly smoking, exhaling clouds of smoke.
At this moment, many people remembered that this person was truly a gangster from a garbage star.
Brutal, insidious, vicious, inspiring fear.
But her face still bore the red marks from the burns she had received during the ambush, and her clothes were tattered.
She hadn't cried out in pain, and when the massive influx of points refreshed her ranking, sending her directly into the top two hundred, she didn't smile.
She just calmly watched the person below beg for mercy in agony.
In truth, she didn't even know his name.
The firelight was dazzling. The cigarette between her fingers seemed to reach for the blaze, as if lighting itself from the distant flames. She savored that wisp of tranquility rising with the smoke.
At that moment, Zhou Linlang put her head in her hand, her fingers massaging her temple.
Why did she feel that this cunning and cruel Xie Keli had a hint of sadness in his eyes?
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