Chapter 146: A New Cooperation (2)
Jin Ling'er had yet to respond, but the guests on top of the high tower already understood Su Chen's intention.
The tower was thrown into a clamor once again.
They began discussing Su Chen's slyness.
"I'm completely convinced by this little demon. He can even think up such a plan," someone sighed in praise.
"Yes, he can pretend to be Jin Ling'er's guard while still possessing his own intellect and wits. He can pretend to be stiff and inflexible, then adapt in a critical moment. When they start fighting, people who are unaware of it will pay quite the price."
"They could even take it a step further. Jing Ling'er could also find another person to control, hiding her strength until an opportune moment."
"They can conceal the strength of two under one. No matter who they fight, their opponent will suffer a big loss."
Everyone offered their thoughts on the situation, constantly praising Su Chen's actions.
Of course, there were also those who mocked Su Chen, saying it didn't matter what little tricks he played. In their eyes, his life was over the moment he offended the Pan Clan. Others argued that the Pan Clan was just a mixedblood clan and that if Su Chen wanted to find safety in their clan, they would gladly take him in.
Nobility Clans also possessed different statuses. Differentiating them between pureblood and mixedblood was the most common method of distinguishing them.
The person who spoke was an important individual in the pureblood Lu Clan. In the entire Three Mountains Regions, he could be considered unparalleled. When he extended his hand to support Su Chen, many followed after.
Those worried for Su Chen's well-being, especially the ones from the Su Clan, felt as though a weight was lifted from their chests.
If they could obtain the protection of the Lu Clan, they could completely disregard the Pan Clan.
Su Cheng'an felt a rollercoaster of emotions these past few minutes. At this point, he wasn't sure if he needed to find an opportunity to recognize this son of his again.
But this thought was quickly discarded. As an elder, he would never bow his head to his son; he simply couldn't deal with the loss of face that came with it. Then again, if he didn't do it, he wouldn't be considered the one to have fostered this genius.
The conflict in his heart was indescribable.
Back on the exam grounds, Jin Ling'er thought for a moment, finally understanding the underlying reasoning behind this proposal. She exclaimed happily, "Great idea! We can bait people in, then destroy them. With your help, I won't be afraid even if I run into Zhang Sheng'an or Zhong Ding. However..."
She lowered her voice. "Pretending to have your consciousness controlled is not easy. Can you do it?"
"Tell me, how does this look?" Su Chen replied. His expression changed. His eyes, moments ago filled with spirit and vigor, were wooden. He really did look like he had lost control of his consciousness.
"Hm? How is your imitation that accurate?" Jin Ling'er was caught off-guard.
When the Su Clan members saw this, they cursed in their hearts.
Dammit, isn't this exactly how that little brat looked when he was pretending to be blind?
The blind and those who had lost control over their consciousness shared quite a few similarities. Their eyes, for example, both looked spiritless, sluggish, and apathetic.
Su Chen's acting was outstanding. He definitely had put an extensive amount of practice into this wooden look.
When Gu Qingluo saw that familiar appearance, her face sank even more. She muttered to herself, "If... then... you're dead for sure!"
When she thought about it, her anger surged, scaring those nearby into retreating. They didn't understand why this young miss suddenly began to emit such power.
Meanwhile, Jin Ling'er and Su Chen had reached an agreement, after which they began to act on it.
They formed a team and began to hunt for targets in the first region.
Jin Ling'er was powerful, but that didn't mean she could sweep through the entire first region unopposed. After all, as time had gone on, most of the exam candidates that remained were quite powerful, and many of them were members of Bloodline Nobility Clans. To make matters worse, many of them had teamed up. If Jin Ling'er wished to ambush them, she would have to put in quite some effort.
There was no one who would wantonly walk into a fight. Understanding how to size up an opponent was a critical skill to possess in this kind of environment. If there was an exception, it was most likely that crazy woman, Frostbird Ji Hanyan. She had a tendency of rushing into a fight, trampling anyone in her path.
However, with the support of Su Chen, Jin Ling'er could set her sights on a much bigger number of the exam candidates.
Jin Ling'er was already one of the most powerful exam candidates, and Su Chen was not weak either. When the two of them teamed up and concealed their strength, anyone they ran into would suffer a huge loss.
That same afternoon, the two of them encountered a powerful five-man platoon. They were well aware of Jin Ling'er's abilities, so they assumed she was alone and engaged her in this five-on-one battle.
If it wasn't for Su Chen here, there was no way she would fight these five. Even if she could control one or two of them, she would still be at a disadvantage, and if she lost control of one of them, she would be as good as done for.
Right now, nothing was like normal. Jin Ling'er wasn't controlling Su Chen in the first place, so she began to control the enemy.
She forcefully took over the two with the weakest willpower and turned the tables on them in an instant. The two-on-five quickly turned into a four-on-three. Su Chen exploded forth with power, using two Erupting Firebirds and a wine jug to knock one of the three remaining out. With only two left, they had no hope of holding out; their loss was catastrophic. They were enraged, cursing Jin Ling'er and Su Chen for being shamelessly deceitful.
The successful cooperation caused Jin Ling'er to beam with joy. This battle caused her to regain some of the points she had lost.
After the battle was over, Jin Ling'er kept the strongest under her control. She didn't let him walk with her, instead hiding him in the nearby bushes.
Everything went exactly as the guests on the high tower had predicted. The duo became the greatest con artist duo in the first region. No one expected that Jin Ling'er, one of the strongest exam candidates, would team up with someone. Everyone knew she prefered to be a loner. Their teamwork was perfectly hidden from view. Anyone who ran into them would suffer a huge loss, usually resulting in a bout of cursing.
But no matter how they cursed, Su Chen and Jin Ling'er's points were rapidly surging. This was an uncontestable fact.
As the duo wrapped up another successful ambush, they heard a loud voice booming through the forest. "You pathetic woman, let my brother go!"
A furious fist wind struck towards Jin Ling'er.
Jin Ling'er hadn't anticipated this sudden attack. She was almost struck by the blow, but thankfully Su Chen charged over, intercepting the blow as he yelled, "Wang Doushan!"
As expected, Wang Doushan had also arrived in the first region. When he saw Su Chen under the control of that vile woman, he had instantly gone into action.
Hearing Su Chen call out his name, Wang Doushan paused, stunned. "Su Chen? Weren't you under the control of this little girl? Goddammit, how come you seem fine to me?"
Su Chen gazed at Wang Doushan, clearly moved. "You thought that I was being controlled by her, yet you still dared to make a move?"
Just Su Chen himself was not much weaker than Wang Doushan, not to mention Jin Ling'er.
Despite this, Wang Doushan had still chosen to his brother's rescue. How could Su Chen not be moved?
Wang Doushan giggled. "No matter what, you saved my life. I can't be indifferent about you falling prey to this pretty girl's hands, can I? But how did this happen? How come you hooked up with this pretty girl?"
Jin Ling'er blushed. "Damned fatty, watch your mouth. What do you mean, 'pretty girl', 'hook up'?"
The three of them found a place to sit down, after which Su Chen told Wang Doushan all that had happened.
Hearing that Su Chen was just pretending to be controlled by Jin Ling'er to deceive their opponents, Wang Doushan guffawed. "You fucker! Not bad, you can even think of such a plan. This sounds pretty fun. Let me try it too!"
"Okay!" Jin Ling'er beamed. "With you here, we're a three man team, and we should be able to sweep across the entire exam grounds unperturbed. Even if we run into Ji Hanyan, we don't need to be afraid."
"That's right, that's right." Wang Doushan repeatedly nodded his head. However, he thought for a moment, then shook his head. "We should be able to trample over most here, but as for Ji Hanyan, let's forget about it."
Even though they had the strength of three people, he still had no confidence.
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Page 2
Chapter 147: Cold Frost (1)
The expansion of their team greatly increased their strength once again. They could crown themselves the unofficial overlords of the first region. After all, under normal circumstances, the exam candidates would not usually gather into groups that were too large. Points were still the primary motivation. With too many people, the number of points would also decrease; there wouldn't be much point in forming an alliance.
Jin Ling'er, Su Chen, and Wang Doushan set off, charging at any participant they ran into.
If their opponents were weak, they would just charge forwards. If their opponents were actual opponents, the three of them would conceal their strength. Su Chen and Wang Doushan both would explode with strength at just the right moment, and Jin Ling'er would also subdue a few of them. With their strength and number of allies ever-changing, their opponents suffered complete defeat. How did this happen?
They cheerfully cheated people out of their points, sweeping through the entire region. Wherever they went, their enemies would flee from them with all their might.
The trio hunted points, relaxed and comfortable. Unbeknownst to them, their friendship also began to improve.
Jin Ling'er was still upset with Su Chen at first, but as their teamwork progressed, she began to feel that he wasn't so bad and did in fact possess some poise. Although they had agreed to take turns harvesting points, Su Chen would always leave the strongest person to her. Everyone knew that under normal circumstances, the strongest person would also possess the most points.
If there were any extra individuals after divvying up the points, Su Chen would do his best to give their points to Jin Ling'er as well, causing Jin Ling'er's favorable impression of him to greatly increase.
Human relationships were often strange like that. Su Chen had taken her points back then, kicking her out of the top 10. Now, all he was doing was giving her some of those points back, and she had already next to forgotten everything that had happened. They were getting along as though they had been friends for years.
After some time, Jin Ling'er had regained all of the points that she had lost. She had earned the most points in this period of time – this plan of concealing their true strength had the benefit of giving them a much wider range of targets to choose from.
Of course, they couldn't completely avoid any tough battles.
After hunting most of the morning, they finally met their first real adversary in the afternoon.
It was Blood Demon Zhong Ding.
Blood Demon Zhong Ding was from the Bloodriver Clan.
The Bloodriver Demon was an ancient Demonic Beast that possessed frightening amounts of strength. During the Illustrious Divine Dynasty, several Bloodriver Demons wreaked havoc on the human race's territory, forming a barren wasteland hundreds of kilometers wide. Tens of thousands of people died. Finally, the Illustrious Divine Dynasty had sent out four Light Shaking Realm cultivators. After a fierce, three-day battle, they wiped them out completely.
In this battle, they obtained the Bloodriver Demon bloodline.
It was gifted to three clans for their meritorious services. The Zhong Clan was one of them.
Blood Demon Zhong Ding was the most outstanding descendant of his generation. After his Bloodriver Demon bloodline was awakened, he obtained a blood-sucking ability. He could drain his opponents of their blood, recovering his physical strength and Origin Energy. He could also consume the blood to generate a blood clone with powerful combat prowess. Finally, he could freely teleport around his clones with his true body.
However, just like Jin Ling'er, Zhong Ding couldn't create too many blood clones. That would result in great injury to him, and could be considered one of his limitations.
In this battle, Jin Ling'er controlled an exam candidate. When adding on Su Chen and Wang Doushan, it was a four-on-one battle. Blood Demon Zhong Ding created three blood clones, teleporting back and forth between them. He was probably the most difficult opponent to land a hit on. His Blood Demon Needles and Black Fiend Hands were both top-notch Origin Skills, leaving the three flustered for quite some time.
That all changed when Su Chen discovered his limitations. He decisively switched to a more fluid battle style, avoiding any forceful confrontations and preventing him from being able to suck their blood and recover. The moment they did this, they put Zhong Ding at a disadvantage. Although his three blood clones were powerful, they expended a large amount of energy. As soon as he lost his ability to recover energy through battle, these clones became his greatest burden.
In the end, Zhong Ding was forced to give up and flee. Even so, his strength was really impressive. Although he couldn't beat the trio, they had no way of keeping him tied up either. In the end, their fight was in vain as they received no benefits.
As they watched the Blood Demon disappear into the distance, the three of them had no desire to chase after him. They sat down and sighed.
Wang Doushan shook his head and said, "Motherfucker, we couldn't beat him even when taking him on four-on-one. A Lord-class bloodline truly is formidable."
"Lord-class?" Su Chen asked. "There's a ranking system?"
"You don't know?" Jin Ling'er piped up. "Oh, right, you're from a clan without a bloodline. Obtaining an average Demonic Beast's bloodline is enough in most cases. You probably won't encounter those with higher class bloodlines very often. You do know the ranking of Vicious Beasts, right?"
Su Chen nodded his head. "Vicious Beasts are divided into high, medium, and low tiers. There's also the peak-level. The four tiers are all equivalent to various layers in the Qi Drawing and Blood Boiling Realms."
"That's right. Demonic Beasts are divided into high, medium, and low tiers. Any higher and they're considered lord-class beasts," Wang Doushan said. "Blood Demon Zhong Ding's bloodline is from the Bloodriver Demon, which is a lord-class Demonic Beast."
"So that's how it is. Does that mean that above a lord-class beast are the Demon Kings and Demon Emperors?" Su Chen asked.
"That's right!" the two of them simultaneously responded.
Blood Demon Zhong Ding's Bloodriver Demon bloodline was from a lord-class Demonic Beast, while Wang Doushan and Jin Ling'er only possessed bloodlines from high-tier Demonic Beasts. They were a tier worse than the Bloodriver Demon, so it was unsurprising they were inferior to Zhong Ding.
Su Chen remembered that Wang Doushan had mentioned that Ji Hanyan and Wang Doushan possessed bloodlines of similar grades. He said, "Do you think Blood Demon Zhong Ding is stronger than Ji Hanyan?"
"Ji Hanyan also possesses a lord-class Demonic Beast bloodline, but Zhong Ding can't compare to her at all," Wang Doushan shook his head and sighed. "Although Zhong Ding is an expert with a lord-class bloodline, Ji Hanyan is a genius that only appears every five hundred years. Not only has she awoken two bloodlines, but even if she only had one, Zhong Ding still wouldn't be her opponent."
When Su Chen heard this, he was rendered speechless.
Earlier, Wang Doushan had claimed that Ji Hanyan was only stronger than him because she had awoken two bloodlines. It seemed this brother of his was boasting of having strength way beyond what he was actually capable of.
Jin Ling'er suddenly said, "You want to know how strong Ji Hanyan is? That's pretty easy. Just test it out for yourself."
Su Chen was startled and was about to say something when he saw that Jin Ling'er was staring daggers at something behind him.
He turned around in surprise to find that a person was charging towards them at high speed.
It was a woman wearing a blue robe. She was extremely beautiful, but her face was as cold as ice.
She charged toward the trio, the wind whipping around her and generating a violent vortex around her. As she moved, the frigid wind became like a tornado, roiling towards them.
"It's Ji Hanyan!" Wang Doushan yelled.
Even though she was far away, the woman had already lifted her hand, sending a palm strike rumbling towards them.
The rumbling turned into a deafening roar. A moment later, a frigid hailstorm loomed over them.
It swallowed the three of them up like a tsunami as the wind screamed around them.
The Frostbird had always possessed an overbearing personality. She didn't waste any time on words, engaging them instantly.
Frostbird White Ice Fists!
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Page 3
Chapter 148: Cold Frost (2)
One fist covered the ground in frost.
Although it couldn't yet blot out the sun, it still possessed tremendous power. Everything in a hundred-foot radius was covered in a thick layer of frost, and the frigid fist wind seemed to pierce into their bodies.
Su Chen, Wang Doushan, and Jin Ling'er simultaneously retreated.
However, the cold frost had already invaded their bodies, slowing their movements. Waves of fist energy surged toward them, putting them under great pressure.
The trio released waves of qi in an attempt to resist the cold. Finally, their feet touched the ground again.
Although they hadn't been injured, their faces revealed grave expressions.
It was just a single fist strike from such a long distance. Yet not only could the freezing intent lock down their movements, even the mere force from the punch was already beyond terrifying.
The frost made them shiver in fear, and the biting cold was piercing their bodies like the tip of a spear.
This woman's frightening strength was obviously manifested in just this single fist strike.
No wonder she could act as she liked. This woman had no equal in these exam grounds.
Ji Hanyan continued to charge forward at high speed after that first attack.
She opened her fist and gently pushed her palm out in front of her. She launched her second attack: Frosted Ice Palms.
Unlike the Frostbird White Ice Fists, the Frosted Ice Palms didn't possess any frightening physical power, but its ability to freeze and seal her opponents' movements was far stronger, and the area-of-effect was also larger.
As this palm strike reached the trio, they felt as though they had walked into an arctic tundra. The chilling intent pierced through their clothes to the bone. It was so numbingly cold that they felt like their consciousness might freeze as well. They trembled violently, and were unable to bring forth any substantial power to block the freezing cold.
The three of them applied magic barriers as soon as they could, conducting the Origin Energy in their bodies to allow them to retreat at high speed from the danger.
But Ji Hanyan jabbed out with her finger this time. Her third attack was the Profound Soul-Splitting Finger.
This finger jab was aimed directly at Jin Ling'er.
In the next moment, a layer of ice frosted over Jin Ling'er's face. She was rendered motionless in an instant.
Although the finger jab was only aimed at Jin Ling'er, Wang Doushan and Su Chen didn't give up on her. They simultaneously struck out with their fists and palms to block it.
Su Chen's Erupting Firebird and Wang Doushan's Cloud Sundering surged forth, opposing the finger strike. The waves of Qi from the ensuing explosion shocked Jin Ling'er, allowing her to escape from the Profound Soul-Splitting Finger.
The three of them attempted to retreat in tandem with Ji Hanyan close on their tails.
Her initial fist strike had been launched at a distance of about three hundred feet. The ensuing palm strike was launched at a distance of two hundred feet, and the Profound Soul-Splitting Finger was launched at a hundred feet. Not only was the power of her attacks were frightening, her speed was too!
When Ji Hanyan was just about to catch up to them, she jumped high into the air and released another Frostbird White Ice Fists.
She only employed these three Bloodline Origin Skills, but they were plenty to suppress anyone in the region.
Peerless, dominating might!
Her fist slammed downwards like a heavy hammer, covering the sky in white frost.
The trio yelled simultaneously, unleashing skills to defend themselves.
When faced with someone as powerful as Ji Hanyan, all battle tactics, teamwork, and deception were pointless.
If they held back in the slightest, they would pay the price for it. When faced with Ji Hanyan's frightening attacks, concealing their true strength was tantamount to killing themselves.
The three of them simultaneously struck out, slamming into the Frostbird White Ice Fist. A loud explosion ensued.
"Ji Hanyan, there's no need..." Jin Ling'er yelled in an attempt to convince Ji Hanyan to stop.
But her pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears. Jin Ling'er was greeted with another palm attack.
The Frosted Ice Palms covered their surroundings in freezing intent. It was hard for them to endure the freezing cold, and it forced Jin Ling'er to close her mouth and retreat.
Jin Ling'er was indignant and ashamed. The fight was a three-on-one, yet the trio was forced to retreat the entire fight.
Su Chen finally understood why Wang Doushan had called Ji Hanyan a crazy woman.
Ji Hanyan didn't listen to any kind of reason. She didn't even have any interest in listening to what others had to say. Her only interest was to battle, battle, and battle!
It was impossible to reason with such a woman. At least, it was impossible so long as they didn't earn her respect through battle. Until then, she would turn them a deaf ear.
Su Chen gave up on his delusions and said, "Since that's the case, all we can do is battle!"
"Okay!" Wang Doushan and Jin Ling'er yelled in unison.
The Erupting Firebird and Cloud Sundering struck out again.
Jin Ling'er cried out, and the hidden exam candidate under her control leapt out and charged toward Ji Hanyan.
Jin Ling'er herself scattered the Jade Dew Fragrance, using her soul-assimilating technique.
Unfortunately, her target was extremely stubborn. Soul-assimilating techniques, unlike Su Chen's Soul Eye, fell under the category of illusion techniques. The success of the technique depended on the other party's willpower. If their will was weak, they were easily controlled. Even if their will was strong, it could still affect their mental state. But Ji Hanyan's will was so strong that there was no effect at all.
Even Su Chen couldn't disregard the soul-assimilating technique, but Ji Hanyan ignored it like it was nothing.
Three consecutive palm strikes generated turbulent waves of Qi, sending Jin Ling'er's Jade Dew Fragrance right back to where it came from. Ji Hanyan punched out, slamming into Su Chen's Erupting firebird and Wang Doushan's Cloud Sundering. Finally, she twisted around in midair, slamming her hand into the controlled exam candidate and sending him flying. Her movements were unbelievably fluid.
As the exam candidate flew through the air, he was already encased in frost. When he fell on the ground, he actually shattered into pieces.
A one-hit kill!
A chill surfaced in the the trio's hearts.
While this woman was not a bloodthirsty killer like Pan Yue, she didn't hold back in her attacks either. Evidently, the thought of showing mercy had never crossed her mind.
Ji Hanyan attacked again – a palm, a fist, a finger jab. A wave of frost roiled through the air, surging towards the trio.
Su Chen realized that apart from the three powerful frost-type Bloodline Origin Skills, Ji Hanyan also cultivated at least two body tempering Origin Skills, which explained her great physical strength; at least one speed-type Origin Skill, which explained her speed; at least one midair-type Origin Skill, which explained her ability to move in midair; at least one targeting Origin Skill, which explained her ability to precisely target opponents; and at least a high-tier absorption technique, allowing her to support her incredible consumption of Origin Energy.
Yes, she did consume Origin Energy very quickly, but she could also recover it very quickly. In addition, she also had a very high cultivation base. It was probably equivalent to Su Chen's, and it might even be one layer higher than his.
She was basically... a demon!
No wonder she didn't need to negotiate. There was no need for her to fear anyone, so she could fight whoever, whenever. Everyone participating in the exam was too weak. No one had the qualifications to negotiate with her.
However, that doesn't mean you're invincible!
Su Chen gazed at Ji Hanyan as the desire for battle in his heart surged.
Meanwhile, another one of Ji Hanyan's Frosted Ice Palms was pressing down.
She flew through the air, looking down at them. A snow-white palm image continued to increase in size, crushing down from midair and freezing their movements to a standstill.
Su Chen watched the snow-white palm image. He flipped his hands over, and an Erupting Firebird appeared.
This Erupting Firebird was abnormally large. A blood-red light flashed across Su Chen's hand, and the firebird flew into the air before slamming into Ji Hanyan's Frosted Ice Palms.
Bang!
The collision of ice and fire generated shockingly powerful shockwaves. The glow from the fire was scattered by the falling snow and rain.
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Page 4
Chapter 149: Cold Frost (3)
The power from the collision of ice and fire caused the guests on the tall tower to exclaim with surprise.
It was the highest praise they could offer for the two candidates' strength, and it was an acknowledgement of the strength they possessed.
"Who knew this brat was still concealing his strength? His Erupting Firebird can actually be this powerful." Many people sighed in praise.
There were those in the crowd, however, for whom the situation became a bit more complex.
Gu Qingluo gazed at Su Chen, bewildered.
She was one of the few who fully understood what just happened.
Yes, his Erupting Firebird had become stronger, but it wasn't the technique itself that was more powerful. The Erupting Firebird's strength originated not only from the firebird itself, but also from the hand that gave it flight.
My Flying Flower Hands!
Gu Qingluo previously suspected that Su Chen's Erupting Firebird contained traces of her Flying Flower Hands, but now she was absolutely certain.
The Erupting Firebird was formed from combining the Flying Flower Hands and other Origin Skills.
But more importantly, the power of Su Chen's Flying Flower Hands far exceeded the upper limit someone without a bloodline could achieve!
Wha-what is going on?
It was very simple. Su Chen's Flying Flower Hands truly had improved.
After consuming the Origin Substance Medicine, Su Chen's mastery of the Gu Clan's techniques had greatly increased. However, this increase was only related to his potential. In other words, Su Chen could only cultivate to the extent possible for an individual without a bloodline, but after consuming the Origin Substance Medicine, he could cultivate to the limit of a mixed-bloodline individual. He would have to cultivate to reach that point though.
In the past, Su Chen had diligently cultivated the Flying Flower Hands, and he wasn't far away from the no-bloodline limit. Upon entering the exam grounds, his techniques were tempered in battle, and he also obtained Brooke's Formula and the Erupting Firebird. The easiest way to make a breakthrough was through combat. Su Chen's Flying Flower Hands had finally broken through the no-bloodline limit, reaching a level equivalent to someone with a mixed bloodline.
Since his Flying Flower Hands had increased by a level, the explosive power of the Erupting Firebird also increased. Su Chen had kept this more powerful Erupting Firebird in his back pocket for quite some time now.
This was his ultimate trump card, which was why he had never revealed it.
He originally thought he wouldn't have to display his ultimate trump card in this exam, but Ji Hanyan had immediately forced out his most powerful Erupting Firebird.
The collision between ice and fire scattered a magnificent light across the sky, yet it also possessed a frightening killing intent.
The powerful Erupting Firebird counteracted the Frosted Ice Palms. Wang Doushan's Cloud Sundering charged through the remnants of the collision. The unearthly white light screamed through the skies, charging towards Ji Hanyan.
Ji Hanyan was caught off guard. She didn't expect to be put at a disadvantage after their exchange. Her jade-like face displayed a trace of astonishment. Finally, a human-like expression surfaced on her otherwise icy face.
A cold light emerged from her body and enshrouded it. She blocked Wang Doushan's attack with this crystalline barrier.
Dammit, she even has protective Origin Skills! The three of them cursed.
Since their plan had fallen through, Su Chen decided to go all-in. He launched several powerful Erupting Firebirds as he yelled, "I'll be responsible for defense. Wang Doushan, you're responsible for counterattacking, and Jin Ling'er, you're responsible for keeping her tied down."
"Understood!" the two of them yelled.
Wang Doushan's yell was excited, but Jin Ling'er sounded a bit wronged.
She did in fact possess quite a bit of strength, but unfortunately the effectiveness of an illusion master in battle depended on the willpower of their opponent. If she could find a weak-willed but powerful exam candidate to control, she would dominate. But there was none at hand, and her opponent was Ji Hanyan, who possessed an inconceivably resolute will. She was completely unprepared to deal with Ji Hanyan.
One could even go so far as to say Jin Ling'er was completely countered by Ji Hanyan. The soul-assimilating technique and Jade Dew Fragrance that she was so proud of were of no use against Ji Hanyan. Jin Ling'er could only use common Origin Skills. Although she wasn't weak in terms of combat strength either, she was inferior to both Su Chen and Wang Doushan. Normally, she would be the strongest of the trio, but now she was the weakest.
Su Chen's performance once again brought shock to the faces of the onlookers.
Having revealed his most powerful Erupting Firebird, Su Chen didn't conceal his strength anymore. He activated the strengthened Snaking Mist Steps.
His speed instantly shot up to a completely new level as he soared through the air, taking multiple steps in midair and reaching a point where he was higher than Ji Hanyan. He simultaneously unleashed a strengthened Erupting Firebird, attacking Ji Hanyan from above.
No one was invincible. Everyone possessed their own limitations.
During the initial exchanges, Su Chen had already begun identifying Ji Hanyan's weaknesses. The first thing he found out was that she was far more powerful when she attacked from higher grounds.
The Frosted Ice Palms, Frostbird White Ice Fist, or the Profound Soul-Splitting Finger – all of them had to be launched from a high point to unleash their full potential.
Ji Hanyan had specifically learned a midair-type Origin Skill just for this.
Why else would she only strike from up above? To appear awe-inspiring?
Su Chen leapt into the air, higher than Ji Hanyan, giving her quite the shock.
She raised her hand and attacked with another Frosted Ice Palms, the wave of frost rushing towards Su Chen. The chilling intent pierced his bones. It seemed as if the attack possessed its previous power, yet Su Chen could clearly sense that the power behind the strike had decreased by about fifteen percent.
His hypothesis was correct!
Boom!
The strengthened explosive firebird slammed into the Frosted Ice Palms. This time, the ice and fire were no longer equally matched. The flames were evidently suppressing the ice and snow. The fire pressed its way through and directly attacked Ji Hanyan.
At the same time, Wang Doushan's Cloud Sundering and Jin Ling'er's Butterfly Wing Sword pierced towards Ji Hanyan.
A chilling expression flashed across Ji Hanyan's eyes.
She let out a quiet cry.
This was the first time she had uttered a sound.
The ice crystal barrier reappeared as Ji Hanyan struck out with her palms in rapid succession.
She did not use the Frosted Ice Palms, but a palm technique they hadn't yet seen. It filled the sky with palm images, generating waves of powerful palm winds. However, these palm winds were solely used to defend herself.
Boom boom boom boom!
Consecutive explosions sounded out.
The palm wind dissipated and her barrier shattered. Ji Hanyan's defensive capabilities were not nearly as powerful as her offensive capabilities. The trio's combined attacks were enough to cause all of her defenses to crumble.
After her last line of defense was breached, she was forced to retreat backwards by the impact.
This was the first time she had ever been forced to retreat in battle.
Today was a day of firsts for Ji Hanyan – the first time she was put on the defensive, and the first time she was forced to retreat.
It wouldn't stop here. The first time she received an injury was waiting for her just around the corner.
Bang!
Consecutive explosions suddenly sounded out.
Ji Hanyan raised her head and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Injured? I... how was I injured?
She gazed at Su Chen in shock.
How did he do it?
Didn't I block his attack?
Only the individuals in the high tower were able to see what had happened. When Su Chen released the strengthened Erupting Firebird, he had also secretly tossed out three jugs of wine.
However, he had tossed them into the air, rather than directly towards Ji Hanyan.
Just like when he fought Jin Ling'er, he had prepared the wine jugs to explode with a slight delay.
Ji Hanyan had focused all of her attention on dealing with the trio's attacks. After being forced back, she didn't notice the three jugs of wine that fell from the sky behind her.
If she hadn't moved backwards, nothing would have happened to her.
But since she did, she had sent herself into the blast radius of the explosions.
Of course, Su Chen had no way of ensuring Ji Hanyan would retreat into the exact center of all three jugs of wine. She had only been hit by one of them.
But this one was more than enough for Ji Hanyan to receive serious damage.
She was injured!
She was actually injured!
Ever since the exam had begun, Frostbird Ji Hanyan dominated the competition. Never had she found a worthy adversary.
Today was her first time experiencing the taste of pain.
Whoosh!
Another three jugs of wine formed a "V" in midair while Su Chen sent another Erupting Firebird toward her. He simultaneously activated his Snaking Mist Steps, raising his speed to its extreme limit. In terms of speed, location, and firepower, he completely suppressed Ji Hanyan. Below her, Wang Doushan and Jin Ling'er were also launching their own attacks.
While you're sick, I'll take your life!
The trio's attacks were extremely fierce. Ji Hanyan was put into dire straits.
At that critical moment, Ji Hanyan opened her mouth.
"Hss!" She sucked in a breath of air.
The incomparably cold hiss caused a chilling intent to enter the trio's hearts, causing their souls to tremble. Simultaneously, a massive wave of frost began to emanate from Ji Hanyan's body, charging towards them.
This wave of frost was extremely powerful. It made Su Chen's strengthened Erupting Firebird, his jugs of wine, Wang Doushan's Cloud Sundering, and Jin Ling'er's Butterfly look like mere toys. Their attacks began trembling under the influence of the cold wind, then were simply blown away like leaves in the wind.
The three of them simultaneously spit out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.
Shock was written on their faces.
This woman still possessed such a terrifying technique?
Was their combined power really not enough to deal with her?
Wang Doushan and Jin Ling'er felt a bitter taste rising in their mouths.
However, Ji Hanyan didn't charge at them, instead choosing to float away.
A cold voice entered their ears. "Impressive. I'll remember you."
Hm?
What did that mean?
Wang Doushan and Jin Ling'er glanced at each other.
Su Chen replied, "We won."
What?
We won?
The two of them finally awoke. Ji Hanyan's final move had exhausted all of her strength. She was unable to continue battling, and so she could only retreat.
"Hey, we won!" Wang Doushan and Jin Ling'er began to yell with excitement.
To them, defeating Ji Hanyan was a great glory.
Only Su Chen gazed off into the distance, watching Ji Hanyan as she disappeared. His eyes flickered.
They had barely won today's battle by relying on the strength of three people.
Next time, I'll defeat you using my own strength!
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Page 5
Chapter 150: Rankings
After forcing Ji Hanyan to retreat, the exam became like a walk in the park.
The three-man team wandered through the exam grounds at their leisure, walking through the different regions and cleaning up any other exam candidates they encountered.
They crushed everyone they encountered; no one was able to put up any kind of resistance against them.
They did run into the more powerful candidates, but next to Ji Hanyan, they weren't all that strong. Their self-confidence rose to new heights as they beat candidates left and right.
On that day, the three of them reaped the most points since entering the exam grounds.
During this time, Su Chen wanted to find Li Qingyun and Bai Li, but no sign of them was found. It was unknown whether or not they even made it to the first region.
The first rays of the sun streaked over the horizon, and a loud whistle sounded out, signalling the end of the Hidden Dragon Institute's three-day exam.
The exam candidates were beamed out of the exam grounds, once again appearing on the large plaza.
They lifted their heads up to look at the massive screens of light, which revealed how many points each exam candidate had obtained and their corresponding ranking.
After three full days of battle, the fruit of their efforts was now manifested. The exam candidates that had endured to the very end searched for their names on the ranking list.
From time to time, people would yell out things like, "I made the top six! I've got a spot in the Institute!" or "Dammit! Three points! I could've beaten him with just three more points!"
Joy, vexation, excitement, and anger could be heard in the students' voices.
Of course, 99 out of a 100 were eliminated by the Hidden Dragon Institute's cruel entrance standards. Most people were sorrowful and disappointed. Only a few showed excitement, and they were very jarring compared to their surroundings.
Most people were only focused on whether or not they got in, but some were aiming higher.
Jin Ling'er nervously searched for her name on the rankings list.
She started at the top and before long she found her name. She was placed tenth!
Jin Ling'er, 722 points.
"Whew! Made it," Jin Ling'er sighed in relief.
Because Su Chen had taken a large handful of her points, Jin Ling'er had far fewer points than she would've liked. Although she furiously fought to recover the gap, in the end, she was only barely able to reach tenth place.
Even so, Jin Ling'er was satisfied.
In reality, the top three were considered to be on a different level than the rest of the top ten, but the differences weren't too great. To Jin Ling'er, as long as she could enter the top ten, she could accept any other loss.
She scanned back up and found Su Chen's name written next to the fifth place marker.
Su Chen, 814 points.
"Hey, congratulations," Jin Ling'er said to Su Chen. "You're in the top five."
"Not much difference between that and tenth place," Su Chen replied nonchalantly.
He spoke the truth. Fifth and tenth place weren't very different from each other.
"Hey, at least you guys are in the top ten. What a pity, I only reached sixteenth place," Fatty Wang sighed. He had fallen too far behind in the beginning, making it impossible for him to catch up.
"That's not bad either. You should still be considered a seedling of the institute, albeit probably with a lower ranking," Jin Ling'er comforted.
The three of them glanced at the leaderboard again. Ji Hanyan was the person with the most points. Even though she had lost to the three of them, it didn't seem to affect her very much; she continued to furiously earn points the entire way through.
She possessed a frightening 1345 points, 500 more than Su Chen. Even the second-place candidate, Blood Demon Zhong Ding, was more than 400 points behind her.
On the leaderboard, Ji Hanyan existed in a league of her own. She was at the top of the rankings list with a point total that simply made others feel helpless. Aside from her, the rest of the top 10 had similar amounts of points.
Despite this, Su Chen's name was still very eye-catching in this top 10.
This was because he was the only one without a bloodline attached to his name.
Although he was only fifth, the attention he drew was no less than Ji Hanyan's.
"Su Chen? Who's that? How can someone without a bloodline enter the top five?"
"I know him. I don't know how he did it, but he somehow teamed up with Jin Ling'er, taking advantage of her in order to obtain so many points."
"That's because he defeated her and teamed up with her afterwards." An exam candidate who was eliminated early on had watched it happen on the big screen.
"Rubbish, how could he defeat Jin Ling'er? I think it's because he's handsome, so Jin Ling'er was willing to submit to him."
Discussions were ongoing in the plaza. All kinds of ideas were being thrown around. There were those who had been "mesmerized" by him, while others were beaten by him and were now slandering him. Many who knew about different parts of what had happened believed themselves to know the whole truth, and there was no lack of embellishment when they spoke about what had happened.
In any case, all kinds of ideas about what tactics Su Chen had used were being thrown around.
But no matter what they thought of him, the name "Su Chen" instantly spread far and wide.
Many people knew a new genius had appeared during this exam period. He had no bloodline, yet he had dominated this region's competition.
Su Chen, however, was not particularly interested in the conversations going on around him. He was focused on the ranking list, trying to find Li Qingyun and Bai Li.
He found them pretty quickly.
Li Qingyun held onto 88th place with 236 points, while Bai Li was only one rank and two points behind him with 234 points. They were the second and third-ranked individuals from the Northface City region, and were both in the top 100, something which was quite rare.
Su Chen later discovered that the two of them had reached the fifth region.
But that was their limit. Not long after arriving there, they were forced to retreat after encountering some powerful exam candidates. They returned shortly afterwards.
Su Chen was still in the Spirit Burying Terrace at the time, so he never ran into them.
Those two also knew Su Chen was Demon Face. They were rendered speechless upon discovering he had even forced Ji Hanyan to retreat. They did not know of Su Chen's plan to borrow their strength to progress forwards. Rather, they were counting their lucky stars that they hadn't fought; otherwise, they would've been the ones to lose. If they had been eliminated, it would've been all over.
They actually felt quite grateful towards Su Chen.
The fourth-ranked person from Northface City was Lin Jingxuan, who took rank 178 with 115 points. Lin Shuyue was three points behind him. She was not fated to enter the Hidden Dragon Institute.
This was not particularly surprising. Su Chen had given Lin Jingxuan many Explosive Medicines with him. Naturally, since Su Chen had forced Lin Jingxuan into submission, he would bring him into the Hidden Dragon Institute and continue to use him.
These results were outstanding for Northface City
Su Chen's placing in the top ten gave Northface City a lot of face, and would bring them a lot of benefits.
By latching themselves onto Su Chen's coattails, the next Hidden Dragon Institute battle would occur five years earlier, and they could obtain at least five or six ranking spots.
Because of this, the Lord of Northface City, Yue Weixiong, was beaming with joy. He received congratulations from many of those present.
To him, this was a great political achievement of his, despite the fact he hadn't lifted so much as a finger.
Even so, bureaucracy was exactly like that. If someone under your jurisdiction achieved success, that was also your success. If someone under your jurisdiction made a mistake, that was on you as well.
Such a great achievement would definitely be recorded in the official books, and would be included in all future official ratings. Yue Weixiong had earned this achievement without paying a penny, and no matter how he looked at Su Chen, he liked him.
He was heading towards the Su Clan to congratulate them.
However, an official registrar on the side saved him the trouble. He secretly said to Yue Weixiong, "Su Chen has no affection for the Su Clan. Half a year ago, he personally ruined his father's Fourth Aunt, Yan Wushuang, angering his father to the point where he tried to kill Su Chen. Apparently, the two of them have not seen eye to eye for a long time, and Su Chen allegedly doesn't even acknowledge Su Cheng'an as his father anymore."
"How did something like that happen?" Yue Weixiong was startled for a moment, then lowered his head and muttered in thought, "If that's the case, there's no need to get too close to the Su Clan. Su Chen is now a seedling of the Hidden Dragon Institute, and his future potential is boundless. Since he's not on good terms with the Su Clan, see if you can rope him in. Do you think we should offer our help to him to deal with the Su Clan?"
The official registrar said, "This little one understands Su Chen's personality; he is someone who is very clear about his grudges. Judging from his actions, it seems that although he's split apart from the Su Clan, he has no intention of dealing with them either. Perhaps he he decided they would simply walk different paths in life. There's no need for you, sir, to deal with the Su Clan. Otherwise... well, you know how it is. Families always argue with one another. If we meddle too much, who knows what will happen?"
"Oh, that makes sense too." Yue Weixiong repeatedly nodded his head.
The official registrar said, "In addition, Su Chen has offended the Pan Clan. Although there are large clans that hold him in high regard, based on his personality I don't think he would be willing to become someone else's subordinate. We still don't know how that situation will pan 1 out. Sir, don't be too short-sighted."
Yue Weixiong stroked his beard and said, "You're not wrong, but Su Chen entered the top ten and lifted up my Northface City along with him. As the lord of the city, it would be callous of me to not express my gratitude. What do you think I should do?"
"Send them some gifts, but maintain your distance."
Yue Weixiong pondered for a moment, then nodded his head and said, "Then it's decided."
1. Blame my editor if you want to blame someone.
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