Sacred Institute.
Everyone waited with anticipation. A month had passed, meaning those who went to Lion Moon City should be returning soon. I wonder how much they’ve gained? Who will take first place in the mission?
After all, finishing first meant receiving a bottle of Body Refinement Liquid—a treasure countless people dreamed of. Naturally, everyone was paying close attention.
「Star Alliance.」
The members of the Star Alliance gathered, discussing the matter rapidly.
"I wonder what Shen Tang’s final score is?"
"Don’t worry. It was decided before we left that everyone in the Star Alliance would fully support Shen Tang, giving most of our points to her to push her into first place. So there’s definitely no problem this time."
...
The older students were also discussing it.
"I wonder who will be number one?"
"It should be Qin Feng. He’s very strong."
"His Body Technique is incredibly swift. He could escape even if surrounded by the Demon Sect."
Someone else said, "I think it’s Xu Qing. His Sword Technique is terrifying; no one can block his attacks."
Another added, "First place will go to either Qin Feng or Xu Qing. Besides those two, no one else is a match."
Amidst the excited chatter, the disciples finally returned. Shen Tang was the first to arrive. As soon as she appeared, all eyes turned to her.
The people from the Star Alliance quickly rushed over and asked, "How did it go? What’s your score?"
A smile touched Shen Tang’s lips. "I currently have 20,000 points," she said.
The Star Alliance members gasped. "Twenty thousand! That’s so many!"
The other disciples were also in an uproar, as this number far exceeded their expectations.
"Could Shen Tang actually take first place?"
"Not necessarily," a senior disciple said. "Qin Feng and Xu Qing haven’t returned yet, and their scores won’t be low."
"It’s hard to say who will be first."
However, Shen Tang just laughed. "Don’t get your hopes up. Qin Feng and Xu Qing both scored less than 20,000 points. They’re simply no match for me. First place is definitely mine."
Her words caused another uproar, though some remained skeptical and continued to wait.
Finally, Qin Feng and Xu Qing returned. The older students hurriedly rushed over. "What about you, Qin Feng? How many points do you have?"
"Xu Qing, did you break 20,000?"
With grim expressions, Qin Feng and Xu Qing shook their heads. "We didn’t break 20,000."
The older students were dumbfounded. How could this be?
The members of the Star Alliance, however, began to cheer. "Haha! It looks like Qin Feng and Xu Qing have been beaten!"
With Shen Tang currently holding the highest score, it seemed undeniable that she would be the final winner. No one could surpass her. That much was certain. If both Qin Feng and Xu Qing had lost, how could anyone else possibly be a match? Qin Feng and Xu Qing were, after all, late-stage Three-Star Grandmasters with plenty of helpers. If even they couldn’t outperform Shen Tang, then no one else stood a chance. First place belonged to Shen Tang.
As everyone stared at Shen Tang with a mixture of shock and awe, a smile spread across her face.
Excellent. It seems everything is going smoothly. First place is mine.
Soon, she would obtain the Body Refinement Liquid. After consuming it, her physique might even achieve a breakthrough.
"How can Shen Tang be so powerful?" many of the older students asked, extremely curious.
Qin Feng gritted his teeth and said, "The Star Alliance helped her, of course."
Xu Qing also snorted coldly. "With her own strength, she couldn’t have surpassed us. But with the Star Alliance’s help, pooling all their points for her, it’s only natural she’d surpass us."
Those older students finally understood. So that’s how it is.
Although it seemed like an unfair victory, the mission rules allowed teaming up with other disciples, so Shen Tang hadn’t broken any rules. It could only be said that the Star Alliance was simply too powerful.
On the other side, the new disciples were also discussing the results among themselves. Their focus was on Lin Xuan. They wondered how he had fared.
Someone sighed. "I really thought Lin Xuan would be able to take first place again this time."
Someone else shook his head. "Stop dreaming. Lin Xuan is strong among the newcomers, but he’s no match for the older students."
"That’s not certain," another retorted. "Don’t forget, Shen Tang was defeated by our Lin Xuan before. Maybe he can surpass her this time, too."
"Surpass me?" Hearing this, Shen Tang sneered. "You newcomers are so naive. I admit, that Lin Xuan has some talent. He surpassed me in Sound Martial Arts.
"But that doesn’t mean he surpasses me in combat strength, nor does it mean he can surpass me in points. After all, this mission wasn’t a one-on-one fight.
"How many helpers does that Lin Xuan have? He can’t compare to our Star Alliance at all.
"Forget surpassing me, that kid probably couldn’t even get 10,000 points. He’s not even worth mentioning."
Members of the Star Alliance chimed in, "Exactly! Does he really think that just because he became the rookie king, he can be arrogant in the Sacred Institute? How laughable!"
"The Sacred Institute is teeming with geniuses and powerful experts. What does he amount to?"
The other older students also shook their heads and sighed. In their view, there was absolutely no way Lin Xuan’s score could surpass Shen Tang’s.
Meanwhile, a member of the Star Alliance said, "Shen Tang, don’t just stand around here. Go to the Task Hall and submit the mission. That way, you can get the Body Refinement Liquid."
Shen Tang replied, "I want to wait for that Lin Xuan to return. I want to see just how many points he managed to get."
During the Sound Martial Arts competition, Shen Tang had lost to Lin Xuan and been thoroughly humiliated. Now, she was determined to reclaim her pride. She would wait for Lin Xuan to return and then compare their scores. She was certain she could easily crush him underfoot!
This way, she would have her revenge and could finally hold her head high! With this in mind, she began to wait.
The others were also very curious. They wondered what this rookie king’s score would be. After all, Lin Xuan was now quite famous within the Sacred Institute, so his results had garnered significant attention. And so, they all waited for Lin Xuan.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lin Xuan finally returned.
"He’s back."
Everyone looked up, only to find that not only had Lin Xuan returned, but the other new disciples had as well. The other newcomers quickly rushed over.
Someone asked, "Lin Xuan, how did you do?"
"How many points did you get?"
Some also looked toward Zi Su and Zhang Shao Chu. "How was your harvest?"
"Our harvest was huge!" Zi Su and Zhang Shao Chu said excitedly.
Lin Xuan, however, just said humbly, "Me? My results were just average."
Hearing this, the new disciples were somewhat disappointed. If even Lin Xuan said that, his score probably wasn’t very high—perhaps not even 10,000 points. The older students also shook their heads, feeling they had waited for nothing. The Star Alliance members sneered; they had known all along. How could Lin Xuan possibly compare to Shen Tang? A rookie was still a rookie, lacking in true strength.
However, Zi Su, Zhang Shao Chu, and Ning Xue simply rolled their eyes.
Your results were average? You have 30,000 points! If that’s ’average,’ then what are our scores? Garbage? This guy is far too humble.
Just then, Shen Tang strode over and spoke condescendingly, "My score is 20,000 points. Now do you see the gap between us?
"Don’t get carried away just because you beat me in Sound Martial Arts.
"My strength is beyond your imagination! You are simply not my opponent. Understand?"