Chapter 41: Defense of the City (Part VII)

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Slash—

A rain of blood poured down, accompanied by a nauseating stench. Large chunks of viscera slammed into the ground like hailstones; the brutal sight would have been a heavy burden on the stomach of anyone with a weaker disposition.

Yet, Tang Hongning, who appeared innocent and lively, was completely unfazed.

She shook her nearly crimson hands dry and stretched comfortably. "Mmm, exercise really is the best way to release stress! My shoulders, which were aching from staying up late to do homework, feel so much lighter now."

Confirming that the 100 points for protecting the citizens had been credited, she steadied her breathing, preparing to claim the heads of all the remaining monsters in the vicinity in one go.

Her "Truth" activated. The slender, graceful figure shed its heavy aura, once again revealing a sharp and thin presence—the form best suited for efficient killing.

"Bird Play."

However, though her movements were swift, someone was faster.

The monsters currently entangled with the examinees left the ground simultaneously, all floating upward into the sky.

"My apologies, everyone, I will be taking these points."

Su Wumi walked over with a gentle breeze carrying faint, cold notes of fragrance. Her slightly narrowed, icy eyes held no reflection of the people around her, only deep, complex formulas sketched in chalk.

She raised her hand, aiming at the dozen or so monsters clustered together like a hornet's nest in the sky. With her palm facing downward, she made a light, flicking gesture as if brushing something away.

In an instant, an infinite gravitational force was generated!

That cluster of monsters seemed to be struck by a thousand-pound hammer, slamming back to the ground with an acceleration far exceeding normal gravity.

The sturdy floor tiles shattered into pieces, and the monsters' corpses were mangled and dismembered, their deaths gruesome and incomplete.

Having finished this, Su Wumi turned and left, as if she had never been there at all. Only the dozen or so new points at the top of the leaderboard served as proof of her presence.

"It's like this again. The gap is so wide it makes one lose the desire to even give chase." Tang Hongning looked at the pile of shattered remains on the ground, then toward the direction Su Wumi had disappeared, feeling a wave of discouragement.

Sometimes, she truly wondered if someone of that caliber was even taking the same exam as her; it felt like the other girl was more than qualified to be a proctor herself.

"I heard Su Wumi has been roaming around everywhere, supposedly looking for someone. I wonder if she's run into Zhou Ke?"

Tang Hongning had a bit of a gossipy streak. If she weren't in the middle of an exam, she would have followed her to take a look, ninety-nine percent certain.

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At the same time, in the spectator area outside the [Gate of Bi Yue Wu], some of the remaining proctors let out exclamations of shock; they, too, had witnessed Su Wumi’s decisive strike.

Most of them, hovering around the fifth stage of the Candle Wick level, had humbly wondered if they could last thirty rounds if they were to face Su Wumi as an opponent.

"Haha, with the first wave of the monster siege over, the distinction between diamonds and gravel becomes clear," Liu Xishu said with a calm, unruffled smile while watching the virtual screen.

"Indeed. Pedestrian cleverness crumbles in the face of absolute adversity; the second wave of the siege is the moment for true geniuses to shine."

Zhu Xusheng’s expression brightened in agreement; he was very satisfied with the current leaderboard.

First place was Su Wumi, followed by Tang Hongning in second.

Third place was a seed candidate whom their [Flame Emperor Guild] held in high regard, named Zhou Yu, whose "Truth" was "Records of the Three Kingdoms: Burning of the Red Cliffs," possessing the aptitude of the seventh stage of the Power of Reason—extraordinary potential.

Zhu Xusheng was calculating how to use heavy rewards and incentives after the exam to persuade Zhou Yu to forfeit his admission to the [Magic Academy] and sign with their Flame Emperor Guild instead.

The guild had been founded recently and was in a stage of rapid growth; they were practically starving for talent.

Add to that the excellent achievement of Zhou Yu placing third in the Mage Exam, and with the right promotion, it would be another wave of hype.

It was just a pity that…

"If only I could recruit Tang Hongning, who is in second place. The 'Holy Hands' Hua Tuo's 'Truth' must have healing capabilities, and Tang Hongning herself possesses combat power that cannot be underestimated. I wonder how much it would cost..."

Zhu Xusheng dared only to think these words to himself.

But he never expected that someone could judge what he was thinking simply by the changes in his facial expressions.

"Healing-type 'Truths' are so rare, and Vice President Zhu's Flame Emperor Guild is just in need of personnel. If Tang Hongning were willing to sign with the guild, that would be wonderful," Liu Xishu said with a gentle smile.

"Yes, I was just think—" Zhu Xusheng started to reply in a daze, but suddenly realized something was wrong and clamped his teeth shut.

He looked nervously toward Jing Mu, who sat in the seat of honor, and offered a clumsy, defensive justification: "Of course not! A talent as excellent as Tang Hongning is surely destined for advanced studies at the Magic Academy; how could she ever look twice at a small outfit like the Flame Emperor Guild!"

Jing Mu had not spoken from the beginning, head bowed as he sipped high-quality tea. Seeing Zhu Xusheng look over, he said unhurriedly:

"Do not be nervous. If the [Shennong Guild] were here, they would certainly have the same thoughts as you."

This sentence actually had a second half, which was: "Thoughts are just thoughts, and thoughts can only remain as thoughts."

Jing Mu did not spell it out, but neither of the two present was unaware.

Jing Mu had observed the mere Zhou Yu; he could only be described as above the passing line, not a great talent. For the sake of the effort and resources the Flame Emperor Guild had contributed, conceding him was no loss.

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As for Tang Hongning, she was not someone just any stray dog could covet.

As for Su Wumi, it went without saying: she had a noble family behind her. Taking the exam was merely a formality to enter the Magic Academy and, incidentally, to test her strength.

"That is true, that is true." Seeing that Jing Mu was not displeased by his overstepping, Zhu Xusheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly put on a fawning smile.

At the same time, a trace of wariness entered his eyes as he looked at Liu Xishu.

He hadn't expected that someone who appeared so young and devoid of guile would actually wait for an opportunity to lure him into a trap. It was fortunate that he had reacted in time.

"As expected of the auspicious branch president of Baiyue Province; I nearly underestimated him because of his age."

Liu Xishu noticed Zhu Xusheng’s gaze and gave a friendly gesture with his teacup.

Yet, how much of that friendliness was genuine and how much was false, no one could tell.

Competitors are rivals; the rise of one guild inevitably causes the loss of another. Mutual suppression was the most natural thing in the world.

In the premium seats, the two engaged in duplicity, while Jing Mu acted entirely on his own terms—that was status.

The superior never needs to care about the thoughts or attitudes of the inferior.

"Cameraman, switch the main screen to the footage of the examinee Zhou Ke," Jing Mu said bluntly.

"Understood, Chief Proctor Jing Mu, please wait a moment."

The familiar broadcast voice immediately echoed from the screen.

The virtual screen was not some high-tech device; it was essentially a "Truth" itself.

It was "Vanity Fair," directed by Lowe Sherman, the first film in history to have both sound and color.

It could condense ether into hundreds of eyeballs to act as cameras, even allowing the eyeballs to enter the [Gate] independently to scout the situation.

The drawback was that it required intense concentration; when using this "Truth," the main body had almost no defensive capability.