Chapter 122: Chapter 122: Nothing is Set in Stone, We Are All Dark Horses

Silence!

Inside and outside the examination area, it was deathly still.

It was as if someone had pressed pause on time. Every examinee and teacher who witnessed the entire spectacle stood there stunned, as if petrified.

In just a few short minutes, while surrounded and attacked by thirty or forty other examinees, Chen Che had cut down more than half of them with ferocious momentum.

Now, only seven examinees remained on the lake!

At first, when they saw him preparing to fight everyone at once, the crowd outside the exam area had scoffed and sneered. But now, it was clear that he wasn’t being arrogant or overconfident—they had simply been too shortsighted.

WHOOSH...

Without even glancing at the examinee who had dissolved into a flash of white light in his palm, Chen Che flicked his finger, and two Pills flew into his mouth.

Then, he slowly turned to face the others on the lake’s surface.

BOOM!

At the sight of him turning, the faces of the dumbfounded examinees drained of color, and they all took a step back in unison.

"Do you want to continue?"

Chen Che raised his head.

None of the seven examinees said a word. Their eyes darted toward the Jade Talisman.

The Jade Talisman still hovered over the center of the lake. It hadn’t moved since the battle began.

Even though Chen Che was hundreds of feet away from it, while they were so close it seemed within arm’s reach, they all knew it was just a ’distance trap.’ ’The moment any of us gets a little closer, we’ll face his most ferocious attack!’

"I’m not continuing!"

After glancing at the Jade Talisman, the nearest examinee couldn’t help but sigh. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and left.

The other examinees, however reluctant they were, also knew it was pointless to stay.

’We can’t beat him at all.’

Rather than get eliminated here, it was better to look for other Jade Talismans. At least that way, there was still a slim chance of advancing.

In a flash, the seven remaining people on the lake all started walking toward the shore.

As the last examinee stepped off the lake, he couldn’t help but look back. He saw Chen Che treading barefoot across the water to the center of the lake. He reached down, fished his school uniform out from the bottom, and tied its sleeves around his waist.

Then, he sat down cross-legged beside the Jade Talisman.

"He won?"

"He won!"

After a moment of stunned silence, the viewing area erupted into a heaven-shaking uproar.

Although there was still more than half a day until the competition ended...

...everyone knew that based on the power Chen Che had displayed, the chances of anyone snatching the Jade Talisman from him were infinitesimal. Weng Dazheng collapsed weakly into his seat. He glanced back and saw Li Xiaoshuang already surrounded by excited teachers he knew.

"Teacher Li, congratulations!"

"Chen Che advanced! The provincial competition! He’s advanced in the provincial competition!"

"Don’t forget to treat us to a foot massage!"

"Just a foot massage?"

Old Li chugged a mouthful of his goji-berry-infused tea, looked at the congratulating crowd, and sneered, patting his chest.

"You’re underestimating me! The full package, two girls for each of you! It’s on me, Old Li, tonight!"

Listening to the cheers around him, the reporter looked at Chen Che, who was now sitting back in the middle of the lake on the screen.

Having previously prepared to write a critical piece, he now pondered for a moment before putting pen to paper again:

Main Headline: [Invincible!]

Sub-headline: [Until the Dust Settles, Anyone Can Be a Dark Horse!]

He also snapped a photo.

The photo was of the exact moment: Chen Che sitting cross-legged before the Jade Talisman.

...

The great lake grew quiet once more.

Suddenly, another round of Jade Talisman locations was revealed as ten pillars of light shot into the sky.

The examinees who had left the lake earlier paused for a moment, then quickly dashed toward the next location.

’It’s finally over! That battle looked easy, but it was anything but.’

Chen Che let out a breath of stale air. A smile crept onto his face as he gazed at the Jade Talisman before him. Although this Jade Talisman was a single-use item, to him, it meant ten extra points on his college entrance exam!

’If it weren’t for my True Essence reserves being 134.1% greater than other Cultivators at my level, I probably would have been eliminated by that last barrage with just my Qi and Blood and Divine Sense! Thankfully, I made thorough preparations beforehand and refined several batches of Pills.’

’Qi and Blood, Divine Sense, and True Essence—all three need to be improved. On top of that, I need to learn some powerful Magic.’

As was his habit, Chen Che began his post-battle analysis, weighing his gains and losses.

His combat power had seemed so immense because his stats in these three areas were higher than almost any of the other examinees.

Of course, while these stats seemed astonishing in the provincial competition, they might seem mediocre or even unremarkable at the Immortal Sect Grand Tournament.

’The All Immortal Sects provincial competitions all start on April 1st...’

’By now, Ye Zhihan has probably already secured a Jade Talisman, right? The last time I saw him, he was only at the Mid-stage Eighth Layer. He must be at the Ninth Layer by now, at least. By the time the Immortal Sect Grand Tournament starts, could he have already reached Foundation Establishment? I wonder how many other students like him are out there?’

In his eyes, people like Jiang Jingyuan weren’t even considered opponents. Only those in the same league as Ye Zhihan counted.

His mind settled, Chen Che was about to begin his Cultivation when he suddenly sensed something and looked up.

He saw the proctor, Li Tingyu, looking down at him. She gave a slight nod, her gaze filled with what seemed to be encouragement and praise. He nodded back, and in the corner of his eye, he saw her Jade Foot Chain glittering, making her toes look all the more smooth and perfectly rounded.

’That foot chain must be a Magical Artifact. A Magical Artifact belonging to a Nascent Soul Cultivator... not only is it elegant and beautiful, but her skin is so fair... ’

Just as he was thinking this, Li Tingyu’s expression turned stern. With a wave of her hand, her figure was shrouded in a thin mist.

...

「At the same time.」

Beyond the Fifteen Li River, Zong Yudao was bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

He’d had pretty good luck.

Shortly before the exam started, he had found Lin Yi.

Because their Cultivation was too poor, they couldn’t get involved in any fights, so they had hidden in a hollow tree for two full days. Later, he had suggested that they couldn’t keep hiding and should go find Chen Che. Maybe they could even ride his coattails.

But not long after leaving the tree hollow, the two of them were swept into a battle over a Jade Talisman. Lin Yi, who was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, was insta-killed on the spot by the stray energy. Yet he, who had been right next to him, had managed to dodge it perfectly.

Terrified, he had sprinted all the way here.

’Old Chen, where did you run off to?’

’Old Lin just got wiped out. Don’t tell me you got wiped out too? What am I supposed to do now?’

Looking around, Zong Yudao’s eyes were filled with bewilderment. He had been waiting for Chen Che to go on an absolute rampage, then suddenly appear before him and generously say, "I’ve snatched up all the Jade Talismans. Here, this one’s for you."

’Too bad, now I’ve got nothing.’

Just as he was lamenting his fate, two pillars of light suddenly erupted over the Fifteen Li River in front of him.

?!

Zong Yudao froze for a moment.

Then, he looked around in disbelief.

’There are two Jade Talismans here, why aren’t any other examinees coming to get them?’

’Oh, holy shit...!’

With that thought, Zong Yudao stepped onto the river’s surface. But he had already exhausted his True Essence from sprinting all that way. What little he had left was not enough to support him on the water. He lost his balance and immediately plunged into the surging waves.

As he struggled desperately, he was shocked to find a current of water gently lifting him up.

At the same time, a voice echoed in his mind:

"Your cultivation is so weak. How are you even participating in the provincial competition?"

"Who’s talking?"

Just as Zong Yudao was about to ask, a giant tortoise larger than a Jeep slowly emerged from the churning river water, its round turtle eyes staring at him with immense curiosity.

...