Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Time of Fierce Battle

Xiao Yang turned into a flash of white light, leaving behind a clattering pile of seventeen or eighteen items. Among them were Spirit Grass, a Weapon, and even an Array Disc...

’He was even more ruthless than me. Just how many people did he ambush during this time?’

His shock gave way to a pleasant surprise.

Because, counting what he had already collected, plus these herbs, he now had enough Materials for a full batch of Pills.

’If I only had a seventy percent chance of advancing before, now it should be practically guaranteed...’

What is the defining trait of a Pill Master?

Popping Pills!

With a few bottles of the necessary Pills on hand, one could handle any unexpected situation.

"Don’t run! Leave the Jade Talisman!"

"Son of a bitch! Stop!"

Some contestants were yelling and stamping their feet in fury.

Glancing over, Chen Che saw that amid the chaos, one of the contestants had snatched the Jade Talisman and made a run for it.

When the others noticed, they started chasing after him, cursing all the while.

In the blink of an eye, the chaotic battlefield was swept clean, like autumn leaves in the wind.

But a quick look around revealed a few injured contestants who had been left behind. Looking miserable, they didn’t have the energy to give chase and were hunched over, hands on their knees, gasping for breath.

Pathetic.

Quietly observing the battlefield, Chen Che slowly shook his head.

Although these students hadn’t been eliminated, their combat strength was so depleted that they had already lost any chance of advancing.

With this in mind, Chen Che walked forward.

On the battlefield, no one spoke. Regret was written all over their faces.

After all that effort, it had all been for nothing.

Not only had they failed to get the Jade Talisman, but they had also ended up covered in injuries.

Looking back now, they had been far too impulsive. The moment they saw the Jade Talisman, they had lost their heads, completely forgetting their teachers’ warnings. With their injuries, they would need a long time to recuperate. How were they supposed to fight for a Jade Talisman now?

"You’re too late. Someone already took the Jade Talisman..."

A student heard footsteps, and looking up, saw Chen Che striding over. He even kindly pointed in the direction it was taken.

"He fled that way!"

PFFT!

Before the words even left his mouth, a strand of Sword Qi pierced his brow. He vanished in a flash of white light, leaving behind a Flying Sword.

Under the stunned gazes of the others, Chen Che said politely,

"I’ve come to see you all off!"

As he spoke, Chen Che flicked his finger and eliminated another person.

"Fuck!"

Seeing this, the remaining contestants cursed loudly and turned to run.

But they had exhausted their energy in the previous struggle. They were no match for a well-rested Chen Che, who wiped them out in an instant, leaving only one person.

The last one was limping, backing away continuously and crying out in fear.

"Don’t you remember? We had a meal together three days ago!"

"I haven’t forgotten..."

Chen Che naturally remembered him; he was one of the students from that night’s dinner. He waved his hand, signaling for the other not to panic, and even pointed out an escape route for him.

"There’s no one in the woods behind you. Go hide in there!"

"Are you going after the Jade Talisman?"

The student ran a few steps, then suddenly realized something and shouted from behind.

Chen Che didn’t answer.

’Chase the Jade Talisman?’

’Chase my ass!’

He wouldn’t make a move until he was fully prepared.

"Old Li!"

The spared student’s teacher saw this scene, turned, and grabbed Li Xiaoshuang’s hand, saying with immense enthusiasm, "I’ll treat you to a foot massage tonight..."

Old Li said nothing, simply holding up two fingers.

When the other teacher nodded without hesitation, he broke into a grin so wide he couldn’t close his mouth.

...

After leaving the battlefield, Chen Che continued his search.

The Jade Talisman reported its position several more times, but unfortunately, the locations weren’t suitable for him to ambush the responders, so his gains were small.

However, Chen Che also noticed that during these location reports, the positions of eight of the Jade Talismans were constantly changing. But two of them had remained in their initial spots, unmoved.

’What’s going on here?’

As he mulled it over, Chen Che recalled that the location should be a river.

And it seemed to be very close to his current position.

’I can go check it out...’

By the time he arrived, dozens of contestants had already gathered in front of the river.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one; the other contestants had also noticed something was strange.

This was a river that passed through Great Shu Mountain, called the Fifteen Li River. Normally, it was only seven or eight meters wide. But now, under the effect of a Spatial Array, the river had become much grander than imagined, its waters churning endlessly, almost like a great river.

’The two Jade Talismans are at the bottom of the river?’

Chen Che narrowed his eyes.

He could just make out two glowing masses under the water, faintly emitting light.

’So many people are here, yet no one’s going into the river. Could there be a Great Demon in the water?’

Some of the smarter contestants didn’t dare to act rashly, carefully considering the situation.

Just then, another location report came. The two masses of light erupted from the riverbed, sending pillars of light shooting up from the churning water. After ten seconds, they quietly vanished.

One student stared at the Jade Talismans, stepped forward tentatively, and placed a foot in the water.

SPLASH!

The instant he stepped into the water, the great river transformed into a raging sea, whipping up a bloody storm before everyone’s eyes. A massive wave, seventy or eighty feet high, surged forth like a bursting dam, instantly swallowing the contestant. When the wave receded, his figure was completely gone. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Gasp—"

Everyone cried out in alarm and took a step back in unison.

Looking closer, they could see a massive shadow moving slowly within the river.

The students looked at one another in dismay.

"If I’m not mistaken, that’s a Foundation Establishment Great Demon!"

Chen Che saw the shadow as well. Probing with his Divine Sense, he discovered it was a giant old turtle, no smaller than a Jeep. It even had a human-like smile on its face as it circled the Jade Talismans, sizing up the contestants on the bank.

’So, this must be one of those so-called ’Demon Beast Territories’!’

It was a complete simulation of the real Cultivation Realm, so Great Shu Mountain Park also had some special zones.

For example, Demon Beast Territories, Array traps, and forbidden danger zones...

The students were required to identify, utilize, or avoid these special zones.

"Two of the ten Jade Talismans are gone, just like that!"

"Who can possibly beat that Demon Beast in the water..."

"Is an extremely low-probability random event like this really not considered an exam malfunction?"

Many contestants were discussing it loudly.

Chen Che remained silent, merely glancing up at the sky. Li Tingyu, presiding from the center, seemed completely unmoved by the situation. However, when his gaze fell upon the Jade Foot Chain on her ankle, Li Tingyu immediately sensed it and looked down.

’The chief examiner isn’t reacting, which means this doesn’t count as an exam malfunction. In that case, there’s no need for me to waste my time by the river.’

After a moment’s thought, Chen Che turned and left, decisive and resolute.

However, a large number of contestants remained, still hesitating.

「Over the next half-day.」

Using the opportunities from the Jade Talisman’s location reports, Chen Che set up several ambushes and managed to gather enough Materials for another batch of Pills.

Meanwhile, the news that two Jade Talismans were in the territory of a Foundation Establishment Great Demon had spread to most of the students. Amid the uproar, many contestants grew anxious and restless. In an instant, the fight for the Jade Talismans intensified.

"Die!"

A contestant who had taken advantage of the chaos to snatch a Jade Talisman had just escaped the crowd when another student hiding in the grass kicked him squarely.

Just as this student was about to slip into the forest under the cover of darkness, the Jade Talisman in his possession suddenly flared with light. In an instant, the contestants who had just been brawling chaotically swarmed in from all directions. The Jade Talisman changed hands once again.

Similar scenes were playing out in every corner of the examination area.

「In the spectator area.」

When Li Xiaoshuang saw that Chen Che, far from joining the fray, was actively moving away from it, he was slightly stunned. He was even more surprised when Chen Che found a safe spot and actually took out a Pill Furnace. After a brief moment of shock, he stood up and walked directly out of the area.

"Where are you going?"

A fellow teacher asked, confused.

"For a foot massage!"

Seeing the other man’s stunned expression, Old Li grinned, glanced at the light screen where Chen Che had already begun his Alchemy, and said,

"I need to conserve my strength and wait for the moment he makes his move!"