Li Yunxian didn’t respond to that, instead looking at them with clear interest and asking, “So, what do we do next?”
She had always been the one leading others, and rarely ever played the role of someone being directed.
She found it rather novel.
The people from Yuehai Province glanced at each other when they heard this question, but no one spoke.
Of all the cities in Yuehai Province, only four had sent the most participants to the Selection Trial.
They were all too unfamiliar with each other.
In the end, everyone’s gaze inevitably fell upon the one with the highest score, who was also currently ranked the highest among them.
Jiang Yuan made a rejecting gesture and gave a very convincing reason: “My cultural score is 61.”
That 61 wasn’t just barely passing.
The full score for the Xiuzhe Exam’s cultural test was 150, with the passing line set at 90.
Everyone fell silent, then collectively pretended nothing happened: “Anyway, there are only 22 of us. Let’s discuss things together.”
“First, should we analyze our advantages?”
They glanced at one another, seeing only confusion reflected in each other’s eyes.
Did they really have any advantages?
“…Then let’s analyze our disadvantages?”
They looked at each other again. This time, what they saw wasn’t confusion, but a tacit ‘There are too many, where do we even begin?’
Everyone:
There’s no need for everyone to be this self-aware.
After several minutes with no progress, Jiang Yuan grew a little impatient. “Who here has the highest cultural score? Anyone above a hundred, report in.”
Everyone had received some combat training and knew the importance of choosing a leader for group activities. Soon, someone spoke up.
“103.”
“105.”
“100.”
Li Yunxian still wanted to hear more, but after the third person reported, no one else spoke.
Li Yunxian: ?
No way?
Only three??
“…120.” Li Yunxian helplessly announced her score, feeling a headache coming on. “Why are your scores so low?”
Everyone gave a dry laugh. “As long as we pass the 700 total mark, it’s fine. Besides, it’s way easier to raise our cultivation scores than our cultural ones.”
Li Yunxian recalled her own situation.
In just a few days, she had gone from an ordinary person to Qi Layer One, instantly gaining over a hundred points.
It really did improve much faster than cultural scores.
Not to mention, almost everyone present had exceptional talents. In the Cultivation World, they would all be disciples specially nurtured by various Zongmen.
Their aptitude scores really were easier to raise than their cultural ones.
Li Yunxian had nothing more to say.
With everyone looking at her, Li Yunxian had no choice but to think for a moment before saying, “We’ve never had a format like this before. We’re strangers, and so are the others.”
“With 22 of us unable to come to a conclusion after all this discussion, the other provinces with even more people will have an even harder time.”
As she spoke, Li Yunxian looked at Jiang Yuan. “The top-ranked ones in each province want to make a move as soon as possible, to have a better shot at breaking into the top hundred.”
“Those ranked lower mostly hope to show off in front of the four big provinces and the Xueshi examiners, rather than being mere background characters.”
Just as the Yuehai Province group had thought earlier, when they saw the Qingdao candidates escorting Li Yunxian over.
Who among those who made it to the Qingteng Selection Exam didn’t have a bit of pride as a chosen one?
No one wants to just run away.
“In a short time, there’s no way to come up with an outcome everyone’s satisfied with.”
“The more people there are, the easier it is for things to split and turn into arguments.”
“I think everyone should split into groups of two or three, or even stick to the old ways and act alone.”
“If we encounter people from other provinces, we can quietly approach and, if they’re arguing, they’ll definitely be distracted. That’s our chance to take one down.”
“In an hour, we…” Li Yunxian looked up, then pointed at an inconspicuous hill in the distance. “We’ll meet at the foot of that hill.”
Everyone looked at each other.
They all knew that Li Yunxian’s suggestion wasn’t the best, but… it was the easiest for everyone to accept.
“Alright.” Everyone agreed. As for how to split into teams, there was no need for Li Yunxian to arrange it.
The people present immediately formed small teams based on their respective cities.
Jiang Yuan glanced at the four people on his side, then at Li Yunxian, the lone representative from Jincheng, and said, “I’ll go with you.”
Although Jiang Yuan didn’t like dragging along someone who might slow him down, if that person was their only commander from Yuehai, he could make an exception.
Li Yunxian refused without hesitation.
“No need, I’ll go alone.”
She didn’t want to drag anyone down, either.
But she knew Jiang Yuan meant well, so she smiled gratefully at him, and in the blink of an eye, vanished from everyone’s sight.
Yuehai Province students: “???”
Something… feels off.
Is someone at Qi Refinement Second Layer really that fast?
By now, Li Yunxian had already darted up a tree after leaving the crowd, nimbly and swiftly leaping from branch to branch.
Only the slight rustling of light branches marked her passage.
It was as if a breeze had swept by.
This wasn’t the use of any spiritual power—just pure skill.
And so, Li Yunxian easily bypassed all the Pingling Province’s sentry measures and arrived directly above them.
Lightly holding the tree trunk, Li Yunxian calmed her mind and listened to their conversation.
There were 52 candidates from Pingling Province.
They didn’t argue as Li Yunxian had predicted, but every time a plan was proposed, all sorts of suggestions and opinions would pop up, and within a few minutes, the plan would be overturned.
Again and again.
Li Yunxian noticed that among the fifty or so people below, the strongest few had a look of suppressed impatience on their faces.
“Someone’s already made a move!” someone below suddenly shouted in alarm.
Li Yunxian quickly glanced at the Qingteng Ranking.
- Shen Bofeng, Capital City, 4
- Ying Qian, Capital City, 2
Capital City, or rather, the provincial capital, had already reached a consensus and started acting!
***
Immediately after, Li Yunxian saw the name in the 11th slot change.
- Jiang Yuan, Lingcheng, 1
Among all the city names from the capital, “Lingcheng” stood out conspicuously.
“Where is Lingcheng?” someone below asked in confusion.
Most of the Pingling Province group fell into deep thought.
A great opportunity!
Li Yunxian’s gaze locked onto the strongest person in the group below, pouring spiritual power into her longsword and forming a hand seal with one hand.
The sword shot out like lightning.
This sudden movement instantly drew the attention of the Pingling Province students, and their first reaction was to look in the direction the sword pointed.
It only took a split second, but for Li Yunxian, it was enough!
Like mist and cloud, Li Yunxian gracefully dropped from the tree, landing right beside her true target.
She reached out.
Crack.
That was the sound of a skull breaking, announcing the end of the opponent’s Selection Trial.
- Li Yunxian, Jincheng, 2
The Qingteng Ranking immediately updated.
Li Yunxian didn’t bother looking at it.
She reached out and seized the sword from her chosen target’s hand, then kicked the yet-to-disappear body into the crowd.
Instantly, she cleared a whole swath of people.
Using the force from her kick, Li Yunxian left her spot without any hesitation.
The next moment, a dozen attacks crashed down on her previous position, leaving a half-meter-deep, pitch-black crater.
Li Yunxian raised her eyebrows slightly.
These Pingling candidates were more coordinated than she’d imagined.
Li Yunxian suddenly recalled how, on the way to the Capital City, the Qingdao classmates had quickly activated Bus Defense when they were attacked.
But… their combat experience was still sorely lacking!
Li Yunxian swung the sword in her hand in a backhanded motion, sending a streak of blood flying.
- Li Yunxian, Jincheng, 4
Pingling Province’s strongest gritted his teeth against Li Yunxian’s overwhelming flying sword, quickly scanning the surroundings before shouting to the others, “She’s alone! Don’t worry about me! Take her down!”
Li Yunxian smiled, her hand forming a sword seal as she suddenly swept her sword to the side, forcibly pushing back another strong opponent who was just about to act.
At the same time, she didn’t pause—bending low, she dodged the second wave of attacks, and with her other sword-wielding hand, stabbed out.
Straight through the heart.
Another candidate’s Selection Trial ended.
Li Yunxian twisted aside, ready to follow through and pull out her sword, but suddenly her hand was empty.
The stolen sword disappeared along with the refresh of her first target’s body.
That was completely unexpected.
Li Yunxian clicked her tongue.
Seeing the Pingling Province group all joining the fight, Li Yunxian hooked her hand in a sword seal.
One against forty-nine—she had no interest in that.
Her sword returned, bringing with it the attacks of the two Pingling Province powerhouses she’d delayed.
Wind and thunder roared, the power nearly matching Foundation Establishment.
But might, if it didn’t land, was still just might!
Li Yunxian wasn’t interested in a drawn-out fight. As she retreated, she grabbed the belt from a nearby corpse, whipped it out, and in an instant, hooked it around someone’s neck.
A second crack was drowned out by the wind and thunder, and Li Yunxian’s figure disappeared at the same time.
The last thing the Pingling Province group saw was the longsword chasing after the attacker, a bright afterimage flashing through the air, announcing the intruder’s safe retreat.
Looking at their resting spot, now a complete mess in less than half a minute, the Pingling Province group’s faces were pitch black.
“Who was that!” the leader roared, eyes blazing with anger.
The quick-reacting Pingling students had already opened the Qingteng Ranking.
- Li Yunxian, Jincheng, 10
- Shen Bofeng, Capital City, 6
The answer was obvious.
“Li Yunxian!!!”
Hearing her name called from afar, Li Yunxian suddenly felt an urge to go back and strike again.
But on second thought, since they’d all be classmates in the future, it was better not to go that far.
Li Yunxian glanced around, picked a direction, and set off.
Meanwhile, everyone on the platform who saw the Qingteng Ranking was asking the same question.
—Who is Li Yunxian?
When Jiang Yuan appeared at the top with Lingcheng’s name, everyone just wondered for a moment where Lingcheng was—nobody cared who Jiang Yuan was.
After all, taking out one person could be due to any number of lucky factors.
But Li Yunxian was different.
No one ever gets first place by luck—especially not with 10 kill points, far ahead of Shen Bofeng.
And it had been less than half an hour since the start.
Everyone who’d been in the top hundred on the Qingteng Ranking now silently fixed this sudden new name in their minds.
It was a threat.
Meanwhile, the people from Yuehai Province who knew who Li Yunxian was stared in shock at that name on top.
Was that really not just someone with the same name?
What exactly had happened?
In their memories, the porcelain doll clutching a small blanket and sipping Qiqi Water had really existed, hadn’t she?
Or… was taking out candidates from other provinces actually this easy?
Among the Yuehai Province candidates, a series of “try and you die” cases quickly appeared.
The previously confident Yuehai candidates: QAQ
🤣🤣🤣