Chapter 116: Chapter 116: A Bloody Case Caused by a Night on the Town

It wasn’t just Chen Che and Jiang Jingyuan who passed each other without incident.

Inside the examination grounds, other contestants who crossed paths also subconsciously chose to give each other a wide berth.

The exam would last for three days.

Unless you were a complete hothead, you wouldn’t attack someone without cause. Fighting over items, however, was a different story. Not long after, Chen Che saw two contestants come to blows over an Array Banner.

In the end...

After just three moves, one of the students from a county-level city immediately abandoned the banner and fled.

’No one’s a fool. He didn’t keep fighting for it. Makes sense. The locations of the Jade Talismans haven’t been revealed yet. There’s no need to risk everything for a single support item.’

Chen Che, who had witnessed the whole thing, understood perfectly.

There were two types of items in the provincial competition.

One type was support items from the Four Greats: Pills, Arrays, Talismans, and Artifacts.

The other type was primary combat Weapons.

Only by acquiring the necessary items could one bring their full skills to bear.

’I may have gotten a Pill Furnace, but now I have to find Medicinal Herbs, or else it’s just a decoration.’

Chen Che grumbled to himself.

He glanced at the contestant who’d won the Array Banner, who was now beaming as he examined his prize. Chen Che thought about it but ultimately decided not to make a move. Of course, the main reasons were that they were too far apart and the Array Banner was useless to him.

’My priority now is to find a suitable Weapon!’

Turning away, Chen Che began to search the surroundings for useful items.

Two hours passed.

It wasn’t a long time, but it wasn’t short, either.

BOOM!

Just as Chen Che found another Medicinal Herb, he sensed something and snapped his head up. Ten beams of light suddenly erupted from various points across the examination grounds, shooting a thousand zhang into the sky in an instant, like ten rainbows piercing the sun.

’This is... the first location reveal for the Jade Talismans! Huh...’

Chen Che’s spirits lifted, but when he saw the ten sun-piercing rainbows, he couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.

He discovered...

...two of the pillars of light were extremely close to each other, seemingly originating from the same spot. But he only gave it a passing glance before mentally estimating the distance to the nearest one:

’It seems... it’s not too far from me...’

SWOOSH!

His figure flickered, and he shot off in that direction.

...

「Meanwhile.」

Outside the grounds, the spectator area was filled with parents, teachers, reporters, and some curious citizens who had come for the excitement. They murmured amongst themselves while casually watching the light screens in the sky.

Because...

Based on past competitions, the fighting wouldn’t get truly intense until the later stages.

Of course, every time the Jade Talismans’ locations were revealed, it would trigger a chaotic battle.

BOOM!

As the pillars of light appeared, ten of the large screens changed, each displaying the location of one of the ten Jade Talismans.

A mountaintop, a plain, a dense forest, a desert, a lake...

"Hm?"

Old Li’s eyes swept over the screens, and he froze for a second.

At almost the same instant...

...the previously calm spectator area erupted as if a bomb had gone off.

"Two Jade Talismans actually appeared in the same place!"

"And there’s a Foundation Establishment Great Demon nearby..."

"Does this count as an examination accident?"

Listening to the surrounding cries and sighs...

Old Li held his thermos, took a sip of tea, and thought to himself:

’This is going to be trouble!’

Seeing the commotion in the waiting area, the ten examiners also showed surprise and turned to look at Li Tingyu.

Li Tingyu’s eyes were downcast as she said coolly:

"The locations where the Jade Talismans appear are completely random. No one can control it. This does not constitute an examination accident."

...

’Is that the Jade Talisman?’

In just a few moments, the Jade Talisman was within sight. Chen Che squinted to get a better look.

The pillar of light only lasted for ten seconds; by the time he arrived, it had completely vanished.

In its place, a single Jade Pendant-like object hovered in mid-air. The Jade Talisman radiated a seven-colored light that shifted constantly, shimmering like ripples on water, making it extremely conspicuous.

Not far away...

...a dozen or so contestants were already locked in a chaotic melee.

’...So there are fools here after all!’

Chen Che stopped, hiding behind a large tree to watch the commotion.

He saw the students scrambling over one another, shouting and cursing, their Weapons clashing. Several had become bloodshot with greed, and the whole scene was a total mess!

It was so chaotic he could hardly bear to watch.

’Even if they get their hands on it now, what’s the use!’

Watching the chaos from a distance, Chen Che shook his head internally.

Because...

...even if you put the Jade Talisman in a Storage Pouch, its location would still be revealed on schedule every two hours. Whoever obtained the Jade Talisman would be exposed to all the other contestants and would then have to face a constant barrage of attacks!

’The best time to make a move is actually on the evening of the second day. By then, the number of contestants will have been reduced by at least half. With only one day left, you just have to fend off the remaining students...’

This was the strategy he and Old Li had devised before the exam.

Of course.

Plenty of other students would surely make the same choice.

So Chen Che’s strategy was simple: spend the first two days collecting as many items as possible to prepare for the final day’s frenzied rush.

’Although I’m not going for the Jade Talisman right now, that doesn’t mean I can’t make a move. This is a perfect opportunity to ambush the reinforcements. These contestants must have gathered a lot of items...’

A cunning idea began to form in Chen Che’s mind.

After all, the examination grounds were huge. Collecting items one by one was too time-consuming; hunting other contestants would be more efficient.

RUSTLE~

A sound reached him, and Chen Che’s eyes lit up.

’A free delivery. Can’t let it go to waste...’

He crouched behind the tree, concealing his aura completely.

A dozen or so breaths later, a contestant carrying a spear rushed to the base of the tree. After arriving, he didn’t join the battle but instead carefully observed the battlefield.

At the same time...

He gripped his Long Spear tightly with both hands, his body half-crouched in a ready stance.

’Can’t make a move yet. I’ll wait until they’ve worn each other out, then I’ll snatch it... Hmm? What was that sound?’

He was in the middle of his calculations.

Suddenly, he heard a rush of wind. Before he could even look up, Chen Che descended from above and stomped his head straight into the ground.

A flash of light, and the contestant vanished from the examination grounds.

Eliminated students were restricted by the Array and could not take any items from the grounds. Instantly, all that remained were a Long Spear, a Talisman, and one type of Medicinal Herb.

’Isn’t this much faster than collecting them myself?’

Chen Che grinned, scooping the items directly into his Storage Pouch.

...

In just a few moments, Chen Che had already picked off four or five approaching contestants.

’Someone else is coming!’

He heard movement in the distance.

Chen Che quickly hid behind the tree, but he only heard a brief, sharp sound of fighting, and then the approaching contestant was gone.

’Huh? This is the third time. Is someone copying my ambush strategy?’

Stunned for a moment, Chen Che looked bewildered.

He looked up and saw another contestant rapidly approaching.

BAM!

Just as the contestant flew past, there was a sudden gust of wind. The contestant turned his head to see an Eye-Sealing Hammer smashing into his face. Before he could even react, he was knocked out on the spot.

’Xiao Yang...’

Chen Che’s lips twitched. The one who had ambushed the contestant was none other than Xiao Yang.

Remembering Old Li’s instructions, he crept closer.

"Heh heh, to think I came up with the idea of ambushing the reinforcements. I’m a genius!"

Xiao Yang picked up the items, a wide grin splitting his face. Suddenly, he heard the wind whistle behind him. Without thinking, he lunged forward and threw a punch as unstoppable as splitting bamboo. But his opponent simply raised his right hand in a sealing-and-closing motion, easily blocking the blow.

"Uh... Chen Che?"

Xiao Yang froze when he saw the figure in front of him.

...

「In the spectator area.」

Seeing this, Ye Chao’s expression turned extremely ugly. He turned to Li Xiaoshuang and said:

"Old Li, tonight, I’ll treat you to the works..."

Before he could finish...

...on the screen, Chen Che grabbed Xiao Yang’s fist with his right hand and gently pulled him forward.

In an instant, the 1.78-meter-tall Xiao Yang was being handled like a straw doll. Xiao Yang himself felt as if he had been caught by a Fierce Beast; his entire body flew uncontrollably toward his opponent. Before he could react, a fist had already slammed into his abdomen.

CRACK!

Xiao Yang’s body shuddered, and the imprint of a fist violently appeared on his back.

"...Now you’re telling me this?"

Watching Xiao Yang dissolve into a white light, Li Xiaoshuang calmly took a sip of tea.

"Too late."