GAMMT - Chapter 74
Chapter 74: White Light
A long line of buses traveled along a lush, tree-lined road. Green mountains stretched out on both sides, making it feel like they were on a tour through a massive national 18A park.
The 4,000 middle school students, carrying their backpacks, looked like they were on a field trip. But as they neared their destination, they saw a colossal city wall rising from the plain ahead.
The wall was incredibly high, its surface covered in talismans and arcane script.
Fu Chuan sighed at the sight.
She was good at figuring out strategies, but this kind of writing was a specialty of the natives. She lacked the educational background to understand such a profound "foreign language" for now. However, listening to Shen Qixi and the others discuss it, she gathered it was some kind of seal.
"Some of it is arcane curses formed from legal statutes, which have a potent killing power against criminals convicted of certain crimes. So, this place might be a prison," Shen Qixi suddenly said.
Many others reached the same conclusion, and a stir of unease went through the bus.
A prison? Their re-selection exam was going to be held in a prison?
Fu Chuan looked at the wall's height and its seemingly endless length. She suspected this wasn't a folded space but a true, sprawling territory. The entire plain seemed to be enclosed. What was inside?
There was a checkpoint at the entrance to the wall, but no guards. Instead… the wall itself squirmed and morphed into a face.
Enormous facial features appeared like a bas-relief—eyes, nose, and mouth. It looked at the buses in the front and said, "Bafis Plain Prison welcomes all middle school exam candidates. We hope you have a pleasant experience in the upcoming test."
His tone was so amiable, but why did it feel so creepy?
"Enter the gate. There will be a scan for verification."
The wall automatically parted, like the opening of a giant city gate, creating a gap just wide enough for the buses to pass through.
Bus No. 1 went in first, followed by the others in order…
On Bus No. 9, the proctor once again paused his drama series, stood up, and addressed the students. "After you enter, the first structure you'll see is the Triumphal Arch Hunting Ground. Criminals sent here usually undergo an internal battle. This is an assessment to make them fight for better incarceration conditions, and it also serves to ruin their relationships, turning them into enemies so they don't form factions inside."
Wu Xiaomei was surprised. "But sir, given their violent nature, wouldn't this allow them to gain prestige through combat, making it easier for them to recruit followers?"
The teacher smiled faintly. "No, because their followers would already be dead by this stage."
Many of the candidates paused for a moment before the meaning sank in, their expressions turning subtle.
Fu Chuan looked out the window at the towering walls, which were still covered in totems and arcane script. Higher up, in a rather archaic fashion, hung spiked portcullises used by ancient kingdoms to defend against invaders.
The spikes were distinct, seemingly made of simple iron.
Impossible!
In any case, Fu Chuan found it quite intimidating, especially as the bus drove into the deep, narrow passage within the wall. Thanks to her heightened senses, she could faintly feel… invisible eyes watching them all.
Soon, they saw an orange wall of light ahead.
"This is the verification light hub. Don't be nervous. As long as there's nothing wrong with you, you'll pass."
You could at least tell us what counts as "wrong"!
Fu Chuan subconsciously thought of her dual body. Her fingers curled, digging into the armrest, and her emotions fluctuated, but that fluctuation quickly intensified.
Pang Ci, feeling a little guilty, asked weakly, "What kind of things are wrong, sir? Do hemorrhoids count?"
The other candidates were speechless.
Jingyang truly was a small temple with strong demonic winds, full of weirdos.
The proctor shot Pang Ci a look. "Body odor and hemorrhoids are fine. Even if you're infertile, it doesn't matter. The problems I'm talking about are of a different nature. Figure it out yourselves."
As he spoke, the bus reached the orange light… Fu Chuan lowered her gaze, felt it scan over her, and then… it was gone.
She grew thoughtful and looked at the wall again. As they approached the exit, she mentally calculated the speed and time it took to pass through, determining the wall's thickness. But when the view opened up before them, she was just as stunned as everyone else.
The Triumphal Arch Hunting Ground was a circular arena, hollow in the middle, like a ring. It resembled the ancient Roman Colosseum, not just in shape, but also because the stands surrounding it were packed with people.
They were likely the candidates' families and others who had come to watch the exam.
There were teachers and principals from various middle schools across the 36 cities, as well as members of various noble families and factions.
It was said that for the College Entrance Exam, even titans from every industry would send representatives. After all, they would be recruiting from these top academies in the future, and just like in the real world, one's first degree was the most important.
Both the High School and College Entrance Exams were direct reflections of one's qualifications.
And who was in the stands?
It felt like these people were very conscious of their circles.
Guild members sat with guild members, school staff with school staff, and nobles with other nobles.
Fu Chuan took a fleeting glance and avoided looking at the nobles' section.
The Four Great Orange Bloods were either people she feared or people she was wary of.
Looking at them would only upset her.
Mainly, she was terrified of Xie Siyi.
If I can't see her, she isn't here, isn't here, isn't here…
She probably isn't here today, right?
Convinced that these people had nothing to do with her, she looked straight ahead at the seven circular openings arranged around the arena, wondering what this exam would entail, when she suddenly heard…
"Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, we're over here, over here!"
Fu Qiang was leaning over the railing, waving his hands and shouting for Fu Chuan.
Among the 4,000 candidates, all under 18—18 at the absolute oldest—none of them had a wife.
Fu Chuan felt a wave of embarrassment. She was also puzzled by the Fu Clan's previously subtle attitude toward this son-in-law.
They didn't care what kind of person he was, only that he was someone they could control without raising too many eyebrows. (They chose the Xie Clan of Jingyang because the Fu Clan had countless marriage ties and a powerful network, so they likely already knew about its connection to the Demon Orchid Xie Clan.)
This was the Fu Clan's style. Even when facing difficulties and needing someone to shield them from harm, they would find a pawn they could squeeze some value out of.
However, Fu Qiang could have visited her at the hotel in private. To bring up her status as his brother-in-law in front of all these students… The matter was already public knowledge, so many people knew.
But Fu Chuan guessed his intention at the time was to spread this news throughout Beluke—those students had connections to many different circles.
But that should have been the extent of it. He still had to consider the main branch factions of the Xie Clan who were hostile to Xie Siyi.
Yet Fu Qiang still shouted…
The faction that was threatening the Fu Clan, forcing them to find a son-in-law, was here.
Fu Chuan thought about how Fu Qiang hadn't shied away from Donglong Zhao and the others that day. Clearly, he wasn't bluffing; the Fu Clan's network was extensive, and they truly weren't afraid of those few families.
So, what could make the Fu Clan so desperate as to waste their eldest daughter's marriage eligibility on substitutes like Xie Guangyu and Xie Keli?
It couldn't be the fault of an Orange Blood family, could it?
Now, by publicly calling out to her and causing such a commotion, either this Orange Blood family had already cornered the Fu Clan, or Fu Qiang wanted to muddy the waters, using magic to defeat magic by pitting the Orange Blood Xie Clan against this other Orange Blood family.
Allowing the Fu Clan to survive in the middle.
So cunning.
But it was an open scheme, and Fu Chuan couldn't refuse. On such a grand occasion, publicly disrespecting the Fu Clan would destabilize her own position back in Jingyang.
Fu Chuan had wanted to turn and walk away, but she had no choice. She could only turn around and walk toward the stands on that side of the ring.
Fortunately, the Orange Blood families were over there, while this section was mostly occupied by Blue Blood families.
She controlled her gaze, not looking in that direction, but she was certain someone from the Xie Clan was watching her.
It was surely a casual, indifferent kind of gaze.
Xie Siyi was their real threat. As for Xie Keli, he was truly just a dog. Even Yun Baobao and the others didn't care about him, let alone these powerful members of the Xie Clan.
She was well aware of her own standing and didn't dare to aim for the moon.
But reducing contact was beneficial; it could avoid trouble.
"Hello, Brother Fu. Here to watch the competition? I'm heading to my exam now," Fu Chuan said with a simple greeting, but she suddenly noticed there were a lot of Fu Clan members.
Did they have such a large population?
Their branches were flourishing, especially with so many girls. They were a flock of chattering orioles and swallows, a hundred flowers blooming—a complete opposite to the overly "masculine" Xie Clan of Jingyang.
The group of girls was curiously sizing up Fu Chuan, but several of the older ones had complex expressions, likely aware of the reasons behind this and feeling ambivalent about her.
Fu Chuan only glanced at them before intending to leave. After all, the Fu Clan was using her for cover, and she was doing the same.
With such a clearly transactional relationship, there was no need for excessive contact. Besides, she was a woman herself. It was uncomfortable enough wearing a man's skin; adding a wife to the mix was just awkward to think about.
But then, suddenly.
"Fu Qiang, is this the brother-in-law you chose for Fu Ye?"
A young man from the Orange Blood nobles' section came over. He looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four, a smile on his lips, but it seemed to be a probing taunt.
Fu Qiang lowered his head and said politely, "In this world, how could there be so many outstanding individuals like the Third Young Master? The Fu Clan has low standards; we can't find a particularly good son-in-law. But as you know, Ah Ye has her own temper. She chose him herself, picked someone she likes… I think he must have some extraordinary qualities."
Outsiders like Fu Chuan and the others wouldn't recognize these Orange Blood family members and had no idea which family this Third Young Master belonged to.
"Fu Ye chose him? I don't believe it. Her standards are so high she wouldn't even look at me. She'd fall for him?"
The man sounded like he was joking, but also not joking.
The Fu Clan members fell silent. Fu Qiang smiled, not letting the elders intervene. Since this Third Young Master was of their generation, involving the elders would complicate things.
"About this, Ah… Ah Li, what do you think?"
Fu Qiang was not a kind person. Just as he was about to shift the blame to his tool of a brother-in-law, he saw the person was about to make a run for it.
However… suddenly, many people looked over, because a woman was slowly walking down the aisle. She was also in her early twenties, very young, but clearly not in the middle school category.
She seemed accustomed to being the center of attention. After walking over, she looked at Fu Chuan, her nominal "fiancé," for what was likely the first time. She just watched her calmly, her eyes and expression completely cold.
Like an ice cavern.
It gave one the feeling of a fleeting, breathtaking glimpse of a snow-capped mountain, where a vast field of roses bloomed… but as you drew closer, you discovered a bewitching, alluring mermaid hiding beneath the ice shards in the frozen lake before you.
Bewitching flowers dazzle the eyes, while a demoness hides in the icy pool.
Her pupils, like green silk foil, were so deep.
It was impossible to tell if she was guarding against an intruder or hunting.
The Third Young Master's gaze was fixed on the cold Fu Clan woman. He moved closer, to her side, and asked in a low, seemingly intimate voice, "Fu Ye, your brother said you chose this man yourself?"
"Didn't they say your Fu Clan is the best at choosing sons-in-law? How did you end up with someone like this?"
He mentioned Fu Chuan but didn't spare her a single glance.
He only looked at Fu Ye.
Here, she was the most stunningly beautiful woman, without exception.
But Fu Chuan felt that this Third Young Master was being very disrespectful toward her, his eyes scanning her up and down… it was either lecherous or he was probing for something.
"Men, you have to try them to know if they're any good."
"You've tried the younger brother, and now you want to try the older one? I've never heard you had such a penchant before. But you could have chosen other younger brothers."
His words were suggestive, like a taunt, yet also an insinuation. But they both kept their voices low, so only the Fu Clan, he himself, and Fu Chuan in front of them could hear.
Fu Ye glanced at the Third Young Master, took two steps away, and called out to Fu Chuan, who had already turned and walked several meters away. "Xie Keli."
Fu Chuan wanted to roll her eyes.
This pair of siblings was quite alike, always so fond of their brother-in-law tool.
But the truly difficult ones to deal with were psychos like Xie Siyi and upright people like Zhou Linlang, who were meticulous and had no flaws or weaknesses.
Fu Ye had weaknesses, so she was manageable.
Fu Chuan was only afraid of trouble, not of people. So she turned around, hands in her pockets, waiting for her to cause some mischief.
Instead, Fu Ye rested her hands on the railing, leaned forward slightly, and looked at her. "I believe you won't let me try another man, will you?"
Contrary to her cold, icy exterior, her voice and tone were especially charming and alluring, laced with hooks.
She was doing it on purpose.
She was very good at controlling men.
Using men to deal with other men…
Fu Chuan looked at her for two seconds and said, "Prepare the betrothal gifts first. Once they're delivered, I'll even help you test him."
Then she walked away on her own.
Fu Ye was speechless.
My brother-in-law is certainly fierce.
The atmosphere was probably a bit awkward. Fu Qiang whispered gently to his sister, "Well, my judgment isn't too bad, right? I told you, he might seem flippant and morally questionable, but he's actually a good man, willing to do anything for you."
Although the prerequisite was getting paid enough.
Fu Ye wasn't particularly interested in Xie Keli either; it was just a matter of circumstance. A younger brother could be used, and so could an older one. She withdrew her gaze and, after sitting down, rested a hand on her abdomen.
But a fleeting thought crossed her mind: this Xie Keli seemed different from his brother.
That elegant and noble-looking young man was full of schemes. The moment he saw her, he was thinking about that sort of thing. Half his brain was instinctual desire, the other half was plotting, thinking of controlling her to aid his quest for revenge and rise to power…
But this Xie Keli was strange.
Not like a man.
The other candidates looked from Fu Ye to Xie Keli. Although they had all secretly mocked Xie Keli for being like a live-in son-in-law, sacrificing his pride for the Xie Clan's wealth and not being a real man, now…
But Pang Ci and the others didn't say a word. They could all see that this marriage was fraught with danger. This big brother's situation was truly perilous, like walking a tightrope where any misstep could lead to a fall.
Lian Sujin and her group witnessed all of this. She pursed her lips and sneered, "I've heard before that this Fu Ye from the Mermaid Race flirts with everyone and has ties to scions from several Orange Blood families. Now that she can't handle the situation, she's using this Xie Keli as a shield. We might not even have to do anything before he ends up dead."
As she said this, she deliberately looked at Qin Minfeng, noticing that he wasn't looking at Fu Ye at all. Chen Sihai, on the other hand, was staring intently, his eyes filled with jealousy toward Xie Keli.
Donglong Zhao said, "That's the Third Young Master of the Li Family. The Li Family is the strongest, but they are the best at maintaining stability. Given the complex situation with the Xie Clan, they won't act rashly. However, if we take him out, he might help us handle the pressure from the Xie Clan. Stop thinking about it. Prepare for the exam…"
Qin Minfeng thought the same. Although this Xie Keli was cunning, his circumstances were not as well-managed as his own. Besieged on all sides and treading on thin ice, he wouldn't be hard to kill.
Donglong Zhao gave a meaningful look, and the few of them quietly made their preparations.
Just then, an announcement came.
"Attention candidates, attention candidates. The exam is about to begin. All participants must choose an entrance and enter the examination area within one minute. The exam duration is 90 minutes. The content of this re-selection assessment is survival!"
"There are no upper limits on combat during the exam. If you encounter danger, you may choose to withdraw. If you do not withdraw and die, you are responsible for your own choice. Please choose wisely, please choose wisely."
The message was clear: they had to survive for 90 minutes.
After the announcement was repeated, the 4,000 candidates no longer lingered. Fu Chuan moved extremely fast, not even bothering to avoid others, and was the first to enter.
As they had agreed earlier, Qin Minfeng quickly followed.
Seeing Qin Minfeng's action, Third Young Master Li chuckled softly and had a servant contact the head of the Lian Family… to pass on a message.
He didn't like this pawn the Fu Clan had specifically found.
After sending the message, he and another Li Family member went to a secluded spot on top of the city wall for a private chat.
"How was it? Did you see anything?"
"Yes. It seems she isn't. The device I'm carrying didn't detect any signs of pregnancy on her."
"Looks like there's no hidden danger."
After entering the portal, Fu Chuan found the passage to be of moderate length, with residual spatial elements. As she passed through, she had already figured out the scheme between the Fu and Li families.
"That Li San was asking about me, but he was actually probing about the brothers… the younger brother was him, but the focus was on the older brother. Fu Ye must have had a relationship with that older brother from the Li Family. But something must have happened to him—either he lost a family power struggle, or their relationship fell apart. Judging by how eager the Fu Clan is to marry Fu Ye off and sever ties, it's highly likely that the older brother failed in his bid for power, and now Li San's faction is in charge."
"But even so, they weren't married… why is Li San so anxious to test her? Could it be… she might be pregnant?"
Fu Chuan suddenly recalled the legend that the women of the mermaid Fu Clan were prone to bearing highly talented offspring. She feared that Li San and his faction were worried Fu Ye was carrying the older brother's child, which would be a future threat.
But the Fu Clan was no ordinary family. They had many marriage alliances, including relatives among the Orange Blood nobles. They couldn't just be killed off. So they had to probe like this, and the Fu Clan needed to dispel their suspicions.
So that was it.
So much trouble… First, I'll deal with what I can handle right now.
With a flash, the scene before her changed.
A deep, dark spiral walkway appeared, leading down to a prison.
The threat to their points or survival would likely come from these criminals.
Fu Chuan wasn't in a hurry to go down. She immediately used Invisibility and blended into the space above the ceiling.
There was nothing special or hidden up there; she was just hiding to work on the puzzle.
As for the others, she'd let them go at it for now.
In the stone space above the ceiling, Fu Chuan took out the puzzle to examine it.
Solving this puzzle was no longer related to information about this prison. She had already analyzed the focus of the exam.
Talent, combat power, resources, and strategy.
There would be no room to exploit information. The test was about your most fundamental abilities, which came from your upbringing and learning environment.
If Fu Chuan were truly Xie Keli, having grown up on a garbage star, even with supreme talent, this puzzle would be useless to her. It tested arcane knowledge and skills that only Arcanists of the 40th level or higher would likely master and encounter, and it even involved one's breadth of vision.
Basically, only those from top schools, with that kind of learning environment, high-level teachers, or powerful family members around them…
"An International Arcane Olympiad bonus question, huh?"
It was both arcane and arithmetic.
After this thought, Fu Chuan began to deduce the puzzle.
Outside in the arena, the nobles couldn't see any footage of the candidates.
Over three hundred proctors were present, many of them experts from the guilds and familiar with these people. They explained.
"The assessment is set up so that it only tracks and broadcasts locations where combat is detected. It doesn't follow anything else. You can all go about your other business or check the rankings."
Few of the people here had jobs to get to.
Even the parents of some students who came from ordinary backgrounds, having traveled from other cities, didn't need to rush off. Since their children had already achieved a certain level of arcane ability, earning money wasn't difficult, so they didn't need to bow to necessity. Besides, they wouldn't dare to wander around—there were too many nobles, and they didn't want to cause trouble.
Shen Yunyi blended in with the commoners. Hearing a message on her communicator, she looked down at the content.
Excuse me, is she my daughter?
Shen Yunyi rolled her eyes dramatically, put away the communicator, and got up to leave. She was going to take her car for a drive.
Meanwhile, in the Orange Blood nobles' section, a certain old man was growing anxious but didn't dare to show it, afraid that someone would notice and bring danger to the mother and daughter. He could only poke at his communicator screen and complain silently.
Still such a temper…
I wonder if our daughter is more like her or me…
The puzzle had 99 pieces, each representing a core piece of arcane knowledge or skill. It needed to connect with the adjacent pieces to achieve a state of resonance. If even one piece failed to connect, the entire puzzle would not unlock its secret.
Fu Chuan was very patient with this exam, but she also knew that time was tight. That person, Qin Minfeng, was probably looking for her.
So, Fu Chuan's strategy was to first browse through all the pieces, get a general impression, and then use the little locust as her second pair of eyes from a pet's perspective.
"I don't necessarily have to find the right answer. I can look for the wrong ones. A wrong combination will produce a wrong reaction. By noting the wrong reactions and using the process of elimination, it's actually faster than desperately searching for the correct choice."
"And in arcane arts, the most widely connected is the water element, as it's the source of all life. It has the most composite arcane arts and is the easiest to combine. Therefore, the water element piece is the core."
Fu Chuan picked out the water piece and quickly combined it with the other arcane pieces…
Perhaps her "God's perspective" from outside the game wasn't her greatest advantage, and it might not be enough to offset the abilities of the strongest elites. But now she had mastered two types of pupil techniques, allowing her to lock onto these reactions at the fastest and most microscopic level, then screen and analyze them.
Time passed, second by second.
Shen Qixi and the others had already descended into the prison.
Once down, they found the place to be like a hellish space, with layer upon layer. It seemed some of the cells held something…
"This first level has 100 cells. The criminals are already locked inside, and the locks are on the doors. They don't seem hard to open. Logically, they can't get out, so why is this a survival dungeon?"
Shen Qixi didn't understand, but when she met the crazed, bloodshot eyes of a prisoner in a nearby cell, a chill ran down her spine.
Wait, she thought she had seen this person before.
Because some of her maternal grandfather's family worked in the justice system, she had heard about some social cases. Plus, she had loved watching the news since she was a child, and she quickly remembered.
The cannibal Zhang Keqing, an evil Arcanist. He had once disguised himself as an ordinary servant and infiltrated a wealthy household, acting simple and obedient. However, people in the household started disappearing one by one. Later, the master felt something was wrong and reported it. When officials came to investigate, they discovered the servant had a habit of cannibalism. During the arrest attempt, he had already eaten the master's wife and children and successfully vanished. The police were helpless and vaguely felt something was amiss, so they had to secretly seek help from the Arcanist Guild. When the guild's experts came to investigate… they discovered that the master was actually the disguised servant.
He had already eaten the master.
He just hadn't expected the Arcanist Guild's experts to arrive so quickly and successfully capture him.
When later asked why he had pretended to be the master instead of fleeing, his answer was, "I wanted to see if I could eat a few policemen."
It was utterly horrifying. Yet, a person like this was just one of the hundred prisoners on the first level.
It had been five years, right? As a child, she would get scared just seeing this news story.
Shen Qixi's heart turned cold. Out of fear… she decisively stepped forward…
"Oh, little lamb, are you going to open the cell door? I can give you a treasure, you know. I leave this place, you get the treasure…"
Zhang Keqing tried to tempt Shen Qixi. The latter's heart skipped a beat—this was the setup. The doors were locked, but some candidates would surely be unable to resist the temptation to open them for treasure.
Especially the powerful candidates. As for the consequences of releasing the prisoners…
Shen Qixi swallowed hard, took another step forward, and reached out. Under Zhang Keqing's expectant gaze, her long, slender, fair fingers touched the key.
She pulled it out.
Zhang Keqing stood up, ready to leave this dark and dreary place at any moment.
The next second.
Click!
The girl took a hairpin from her hair, inserted it into the lock, fiddled with it a few times, then summoned a fire arcane art and heated the keyhole. The high temperature successfully melted the metal inside, sealing the lock shut.
Zhang Keqing was stunned.
Now, to open the cell door, one would have to break it by force.
Alright.
After finishing, without seeking fame or glory, she turned and ran.
This place was a bit scary. She had to find her companions and team up quickly. Before that, she would seal as many doors as she could.
Where is Captain-sister?
Big Brother!
On the other side, boom!!
A cell door was blasted open. A young man walked into the cell and single-handedly defeated the ferocious prisoner in a few moves. Then, he stepped on the prisoner's head and searched the cell, finally finding a box inside.
He opened it. Inside was a fruit that could permanently increase strength by three thousand attribute points.
Not bad.
"A strength attribute fruit… not bad."
Then the young man turned and left, but he didn't kill the criminal.
The criminal narrowed his eyes, got up, and walked out. He quickly moved through the corridors and soon encountered another candidate.
The combat screen appeared. Everyone saw the candidate being caught off guard as two hands shot out from a dark corner, wrapped them in red light, and then, with enhanced strength, instantly snapped their neck…
Snap!
But just before dying, she chose to withdraw.
With a whoosh, she reappeared in the center of the original hunting ground. She stood stunned for a few seconds, then squatted down, clutching her neck, and cried.
It was too terrifying.
"Is he doing this on purpose? Using these criminals to eliminate other candidates."
"But, you get points for killing criminals, right? Doesn't he want the points?"
"No, he does. Look."
The criminal, after successively killing three candidates, suddenly felt a burning sensation on his back, and then… boom!
He exploded.
"Fire Arcane: Timed Bomb."
"How could Que Baige give up on kills… In the eyes of geniuses at his level, these criminals are just pawns to be used."
As these criminals were released, or as other candidates killed each other, the number of the 4,000 candidates was constantly decreasing. Of course, the rankings were also changing.
At this moment, the rankings were as follows.
Killing a criminal earned points, as did finding point treasures in boxes. This was the key to this assessment.
Those who had gained nothing so far naturally had 0 points, and those whose names were grayed out had been eliminated.
Ninety minutes. Only 15 minutes had passed, and over five hundred candidates had already appeared in the center of the hunting ground.
And the rate of elimination was still ongoing.
"I can understand having 0 points; they're all fleeing or avoiding risks. But how are there negative scores? And quite a few of them, too."
"Uh, it seems they're all students from the three cities of Jingyang."
"They're all collectively blocking the keyholes…"
At first, it was the people from Jingyang blocking them. Later, for some reason, those from Gao Yang and Dong Chen also joined in.
Clearly, this was a display of the fine virtue of a certain powerhouse from Beluke's weakest city—if I can't make it to shore, I'll sink everyone else's boat too.
The Fu sisters heard others talking about their "brother-in-law's" glorious deeds, their expressions a little awkward.
Fu Qiang was even more embarrassed. "Strategy, it's all strategy. My brother-in-law truly doesn't sweat the small stuff."
Fu Ye had known about this matter before, but now she suddenly said, "You said Zhou Linlang has taken good care of this person, even ignoring his dark history of harming that girl, which goes against her own moral and legal principles. Is it because of this uniqueness?"
That was unknown. Zhou Linlang was a public official, different from them who were immersed in noble struggles.
She had been independent and unconventional since she was young.
"This person seems to be very busy lately… I heard she went on a business trip some time ago. It was said to be a very sensitive mission."
Fu Qiang said this casually, and the two of them were just making small talk. Then, they suddenly saw a screen pop up above, and the rankings changed.
Wait, what just happened?
A minute ago, Fu Chuan had successfully solved the puzzle. After seeing the complete map with annotations, she raised an eyebrow.
Seven levels of prison. The first level had 100 cells, each annotated with the name of the imprisoned criminal. The names were meaningless to her; she wasn't from this world and had no information source for them, but the names were colored.
The first, second, and third levels were green. The fourth to sixth were blue, but the seventh was orange.
The number of cells on each of the seven levels was: 100, 50, 30, 20, 10, 5, 1.
But each level was marked with a red intersection point, with a red skull icon as a warning.
BOSS.
Each level had a final, most ferocious BOSS, but its location was well-hidden.
"It needs the puzzle's annotations. It seems it's a space that can't be detected through mechanisms, clues, or senses. Does that mean it can only be found and opened with the puzzle?"
Fu Chuan thought it over.
She had to go down.
So, Fu Chuan went down.
Now, 20 minutes had passed since the exam began. Her score was still 0, but even so, she was ranked in the two-thousands.
A thousand were dead, and dozens had negative scores.
The names looked quite familiar.
Fu Chuan was speechless.
Because this space was hidden, Fu Chuan felt that those without the puzzle or who hadn't solved it yet wouldn't know about this place.
To confirm if she was the first to grasp this crucial secret, she just had to see if it had been triggered.
But as she went, Fu Chuan didn't use her maximum invisibility, camouflage, and speed. Instead, she deliberately controlled her displayed abilities while secretly using her pupil techniques and releasing the little locust into the ground beneath her feet to extend spider silk, using both abilities in tandem for a wide-area scan.
Good. Que Baige and the others were not on the first level. That made sense. Twenty minutes had passed; how could they bear to stay only on the first level? They had likely cleared out many of the 100 cells here, then found the entrance to the second level and went down.
They wouldn't waste time on the first level.
The first level was for the mid-to-lower-tier candidates among the 4,000.
Except for Qin Minfeng.
He was still here.
Fu Chuan didn't need to search too thoroughly. As long as she appeared and set up her surveillance of the vicinity, she would know in advance if he was coming.
And now… he was here.
Although she had judged Qin Minfeng's strength earlier, Fu Chuan was still cautious. She specifically used her pupil technique to observe his movement speed as he approached.
It was about right. Her judgment was correct, but it also proved that this kind of male lead wasn't as outstanding as those in novels and dramas, who were often Mary Sues. Excluding some bug-like, intelligence-lowering settings and the help of various goddesses and minions, and having lost his true mastermind grandpa, his progress, though fast, hadn't fundamentally grown much.
Fu Chuan relaxed and looked around, finding a cell that hadn't been opened yet…
Bang!
She attacked the cell door, making a noise.
She knew this Qin Minfeng was also very cautious. He wouldn't approach and attack rashly; he would first confirm her strength…
After the cell door was opened, the disheveled old man inside cried and wailed, claiming he had turned over a new leaf and invited Fu Chuan to come in and help him up.
"The people in this prison told us to cooperate with your exam, but I have long since repented. How could I be willing to harm innocent young people like you? So, take this box."
He proactively took out a box. As expected, the young man at the door's eyes lit up, and he walked right in.
The moment Fu Chuan got close.
The old man's body suddenly transformed. His arms stretched out, turning into a clam-like shell covered in thorny blades, which clamped down on Fu Chuan in a full encirclement!
Light came, and an explosion!
The clam shell was completely blown apart. The old man, who had fallen to the ground, spat blood with a ferocious expression. He immediately burned his blood and spat out a black bead. The bead had its own power, releasing a stun effect… Was Fu Chuan stunned?
A second later, she quickly recovered, narrowly dodging the bone spur that shot toward her throat as the old man leaped up.
Swish… The bone spur grazed past her throat. She had perceived it and dodged, but the bead stunned her again…
Boom! Another light explosion, and the old man's body was finally blasted apart.
Flesh and blood separated.
After the bead fell to the ground, Fu Chuan controlled her breathing and used an arcane art to lessen the stun effect. Just as she was about to bend down and pick up the bead, a black shadow suddenly appeared behind her.
To be precise, it suddenly dropped from the ceiling.
Qin Minfeng. He had immediately cast various buffs on himself. As a male lead, his opportunities were excellent. Fu Chuan felt he must have obtained far more treasures than she had. Coupled with the benefits from the love-struck Lian Sujin, his foundation was extremely high. Looking at the array of buffs and the condensed metal longsword… metal element Arcane, Blue-tier Attack Arcane Truth: Sword's Edge.
This one sword strike completely surpassed Chen Sihai's combat power and was basically ten times stronger than Luohe Sanqian's strongest single-target attack.
Fu Chuan didn't know the elite LV standards within their noble and guild systems. She only knew that if she had faced this sword before her breakthrough, she would have been instantly killed…
And at this moment.
She didn't choose to block it head-on. Her defense was poor, and she had to maintain this weakness to the outside world.
Swish! Fu Chuan narrowly dodged. But Qin Minfeng hadn't landed yet; his body was half-airborne. Cloud Element Arcane, Levitation Technique!
He reversed his body's control, dodging Fu Chuan's retaliatory Light Glory… As he landed on the wall, he saw Fu Chuan's pupils shining with an azure light.
Blue-tier pupil technique!
At this time, the sounds of several other candidates came from outside.
They had already seen Fu Chuan.
"It's Xie Keli!"
Fu Chuan didn't even notice they were the top ten from Luoyu City, the ones who had previously threatened her not to run into them. Well, here they were.
Attack! Just as they had this thought.
Swish! Qin Minfeng inside the cell moved. The golden light around him shattered, and even the metal of the cell door melted, quickly forming dozens of sharp, slender golden swords.
They shot out in a flurry.
Three Arcane Truths—two for attack, one for support, with two being Blue-tier and one Green-tier. Plus, he had mastered the top-tier Blue metal arcane art: Sword Feather, a high-difficulty, high-density, continuously controllable attack arcane. With just this reveal, Qin Minfeng's combat power completely exceeded many people's expectations and far surpassed his previous performances.
What level was he?
Elite LV25.
And people like Luohe Sanqian were only considered LV5.
Having seen the formation of the golden swords in advance through her pupil technique, Fu Chuan had already shot outward. In mid-air, she spread her hands.
Light Stream and spider silk had perfectly merged.
Steel Transformation!
Who was stronger?
If it were just Steel Transformation, of course, it would be no match for these sword thrusts. But at this moment, Fu Chuan revealed her own attributes.
Although her mental power still couldn't catch up to the second-tier geniuses, her strength, constitution, and agility were already at the forefront of the second tier. Her agility, in particular, was at the level of the first tier.
Agility meant attack speed. She also had her pupil technique, and both Light Stream and spider silk were high-agility attack methods… Her pupil technique saw through the trajectory of the Sword Feathers, and the light streams pierced with precision…
The result was that all the swords were intercepted and entangled in a massive, steel-transformed web of silk.
At the same time, the corpses of Xin Yunhai and his group were pierced and hung within the web.
Instant kill. All of them were killed in a single move.
But were they important?
As their bodies faded, Fu Chuan had already given chase… but Qin Minfeng had already turned into a shadow, bursting out with three times his speed, rapidly moving through the corridor, and twice escaped into the wall to escape.
As he fled, his face was a little pale.
How could this be!
He had endured so much hardship and faced so many dangers to have these opportunities. The Lian Family had also given him many good things. What about Xie Keli?
It must be that Xie Siyi and Zhou Linlang gave him benefits.
And his pupil technique must be from the Xie Clan. Why wasn't I given such good genes!
Damn it!
All of this should have been mine!
Qin Minfeng's heart was filled with resentment and jealousy to the extreme, but he still fled quickly and soon entered the entrance to the second level.
He felt someone chasing him from behind… although he had pulled away.
Xie Keli will definitely come to kill me, definitely!
The atmosphere in the hunting ground was somewhat silent.
This wasn't the highest-scale battle scene they had seen; it didn't even rank in the top twenty, because the top-tier and second-tier elites had already had their turn.
However, these two were the dark horses who had exceeded their apparent strength the most.
Even the Lian family members were a little surprised… but their faces quickly darkened. Before they could be happy about their future son-in-law's superb talent, they had to face the fact that their future son-in-law's enemy was even more formidable.
Now, far more people were discussing Xie Keli than Qin Minfeng.
"He didn't use many arcane arts, just that combination of three light elements, but his attributes aren't weak. They probably rank in the top five hundred among these 4,000 people."
"Probably in the top two hundred. He definitely qualifies for Bus No. 1."
"His strength should be around one hundred and ten to one hundred and twenty thousand, constitution a bit higher, but his agility is too strong, at least one hundred and seventy thousand."
"How can you calculate it so accurately?"
"I'm a Star Arithmetician, what do you think! But the most terrifying thing about this kid is his control over arcane arts… and his pupil technique. The Xie Clan's pupil technique."
That seemed to explain it.
Many people from the Xie Clan were also surprised. An elder who wasn't supposed to meddle in family disputes, after learning of the situation, asked someone beside him, "Just a branch family member, who returned not long ago and hasn't even enjoyed the gene pool of that small Jingyang branch many times, and he already has a Blue-tier gene talent?"
He was astonished.
He wasn't the only one. Many of the Xie Clan members who had previously treated Fu Chuan like a dog now had complex expressions.
But someone also quietly sent a message to Xie Siyi.
No response.
There was a response on the screen.
Fu Chuan had already given chase. Unfortunately, after the battle ended, the screen could no longer track her. The crowd only saw her chase after him, not knowing if she could catch up.
At this moment, Fu Chuan wasn't chasing Qin Minfeng at all. She went directly to the front of that hidden space.
It hadn't been triggered.
This meant she was the first to successfully solve the puzzle.
But she wasn't sure when the second person would arrive. She had to open it quickly!
Fu Chuan began to use the puzzle to unlock it. At this time, the little locust asked, "Sister, why didn't you just kill him? Why did you deliberately let him go?"
"He's still hiding something."
"Huh? But you could still kill him, right? You should have killed him even more, why?"
"Because I need him to successfully lead me to those three people."
With a click, the cell door opened. Fu Chuan saw the person imprisoned inside.
A 45th-level high-level Arcanist prisoner, whose destructive power was rated as an Elite LV34 expert.
He raised his head, and upon seeing Fu Chuan, he grinned, as if looking at a dead person…
But with another click, Fu Chuan shut the cell door. The entire small room was instantly filled with a terrifying and seamless brilliance.
Green Blood eruption + pet fusion + gene sequence.
One second.
The light was there, the screen was there, but the people outside couldn't see anything. By the time they saw it, the screen had just popped up, showing only white light. But as the white light faded, there was only a mangled corpse on the ground and what looked like a very ordinary cell.
Completely unremarkable.
No one saw anything wrong, not even the experts outside. What could they tell from such a brief moment, through a screen?
And now, as a second-tier elite, it was normal for her to instantly kill a prisoner.
Someone checked the scoreboard. Xie Keli's score had only increased by a little.
Because she had chosen to hide her true score. It wasn't an increase of 50 points, but 500 points.
Done. Time to go out… and kill Qin Minfeng.
This time, it would be a true slaughter.
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