Chapter 117: Little Maiden Feeds Blood, Little Person Acts Rashly
“Zou Er, what are you doing, what are you doing!”
A burst of sobbing sounds suddenly rang out in the arena, attracting the attention of quite a few people.
Hearing this, Fang Shu couldn’t help but turn his head to look, and he happened to see an acquaintance.
It was none other than the “former second aunt” who had just come forward to greet him earlier; she was tugging and pulling at a young man.
The young man’s qi and blood was restless and unstable, clearly having already tried multiple times to step forward but failed to ring the bronze bell. As time drew near, he became increasingly frantic.
The former second aunt didn’t know what she was kneeling and saying, but the Zou family youth roared: “Useless thing! What does my dad keep you around for!”
The youth’s face was twisted, his expression a mix of resentment, fear, and weakness, moving the onlookers. Even the two immortal sect envoys who caused this scene couldn’t help but glance over a few more times.
“Tsk tsk, what an incompetent and furious look.”
One immortal sect envoy, standing in front of Fang Shu and the others, spoke up:
“Don’t blame us. Who among you entering the sect wasn’t tempered like this? You all are already doing better than we two were back then.”
These words left Fang Shu and the other passed candidates exchanging glances, unable to tell for a moment if these two were telling the truth or lying.
But whether truth or lie, Fang Shu and the others’ hearts sank once more.
As they spoke, the situation in the arena changed again.
Some candidates truly couldn’t bear it, had nowhere to turn, and could only stumble through the crowd, slinking away in defeat; some had relatives quickly buy precious medicine, but after hastily buying it at a high price, they still couldn’t enter the exam area, both sides anxious and sweating profusely.
And that Zou family youth who had just demanded milk to drink was now drinking.
But what this youth drank was not milk; he was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his face ferocious as he bit open his “little mother”‘s wrist, gulping down the married woman’s blood.
In just a few breaths, the married woman’s face turned pale, her lips bloodless, her body beginning to tremble, clearly severely depleted.
And after guzzling the human blood, the Zou family youth’s face flushed red; he immediately stood up.
“Zou Er.” The married woman clutched her wrist, calling softly.
The Zou family youth ignored her completely; he strode toward the bronze bell, mustering all his qi and blood, and struck with a fist.
Dong! This person’s qi and blood finally reached three zhang high, ringing the bronze bell.
The bell’s sound brought ecstatic joy to the Zou family youth’s face, and also a smile to the weak married woman beside him.
When the married woman staggered back into the crowd, though her face was pale, facing the crowd’s gazes, she surprisingly showed a sense of pride.
The remaining candidates in the arena saw this and became even more restless.
Some made a snap decision and also sought essence blood from their relatives to consume. Some hesitated, unwilling to drink the offered essence blood… all sorts of appearances, truly the hundred states of candidates.
Three quarters of an hour passed, and the two immortal sect envoys did not hesitate, saying in unison:
“Time’s up!”
A chorus of unwilling voices rose in the exam area.
In the end, only twenty-seven candidates successfully stood on the immortal sect envoys’ side.
The later the passed candidates, the more miserable their states; the last one passed by desperately headbutting the bell, directly cracking his skull and flowing a large pool of blood.
Facing these ruthless candidates, the two immortal sect envoys remained unmoved, mockery in their eyes as they lightly said:
“What’s this about? If you can’t pass the spring examination, just wait for the autumn one. Someone will come collect you then all the same.”
Soon, Fang Shu and the others understood why these two envoys showed mockery.
Because the next round of screening was the old standby of arena fights.
At the two immortal sect envoys’ orders, the several arenas in the field were cleared out, and those candidates still lingering on the platforms were mercilessly driven off.
After a brief explanation of the rules, all the passed candidates’ faces sank.
The spring examination arena fights had no restrictions on methods or time, just no use of certain external objects; eighteen circles were drawn in the arena, high and low, some just wooden stakes—anyone who could continue standing in the arena without challenge passed.
Knowing the method of the final round, the twenty-seven candidates couldn’t help muttering lowly, and some familiar ones immediately exchanged flickering glances and hooked up.
For example, Qin Min, who like Fang Shu had reached the third round. She stood especially close to Hua Xiaqing of Bi Zhu Guan, smiles on their faces.
This kind of arena fighting was undoubtedly a way for familiar candidates to wear someone down with wheel battles.
Some were secretly conspiring, so naturally some candidates were targeted, like Fang Shu.
But those eyeing him had wariness and uncertainty in their gazes, choosing first to look away and target the later-passed candidates instead.
In just ten breaths or so, undercurrents surged among the twenty-seven, the crowd’s resentment toward the immortal sect envoys temporarily replaced by vigilance and hostility.
But just as the two immortal sect envoys were about to announce the final selection’s start, boom!
A muffled thunderclap suddenly came from the sky, rolling and continuous; this sound startled everyone, and they looked toward it, discovering that on one side of the town, billowing flames were rising, dyeing a corner of the sky red, like a fire dragon emerging.
“Oh no!”
The exam area was shocked, soon filled with the dojo masters’ furious cries: “Riot at Qian Shan Mine!”
“What, rioting again?”
“Damn it, message from the mine—this time it’s different from usual; all dozens of mines up and down the mountain have rioted. They beg us to hurry out of town to suppress it!”
This sudden event drew the dojo masters’ attention from the spring examination; some had clearly invested a lot of silver in the mine and immediately cursed: “These mine slaves deserve to die!”
Some gloated: “Heh, knew it would come to this, why not treat them like people? If they’d been kinder to the mine folks earlier, it wouldn’t have blown up right today.”
This commotion also drew the immortal sect envoys’ attention; the two conversed lowly.
The woman of the Zong family in the middle slowly opened her eyes, gazing toward the Qian Shan Mine with flames shooting to the sky.
Fang Shu and the other candidates were variously worried the spring examination would be interrupted and delay going up the mountain, or hoping it would pause so they could heal—expressions all different.
Soon, after the marketplace manager consulted with the dojo masters, he steeled himself and cupped hands toward the immortal sect envoys:
“Reporting to the three, Qian Shan Mine is this town’s primary mine supplying ore to the immortal sect; it cannot be lost.
To prevent those lowly folk from too severely damaging the mine tunnels and delaying future output, please allow us envoys to excuse ourselves and not let them succeed!”
The two immortal sect envoys both turned to look at the female immortal of the Zong family for her decision.
The woman of the Zong family did not reply yes or no, only saying: “Interesting.”
Then she stood up, gazing toward the mine, and said: “Third round arena fights, canceled.”
Hearing this, the dojo masters and candidates froze, staring intently at her.
Her calm, still face finally showed a light smile as she said:
“What’s the point of arena fights, so restricted.”
Whoosh!
Her figure blurred, shooting like an arrow from a string straight toward Qian Shan Mine, leaving only her voice lingering:
“Quickly go suppress the riot; those with the greatest merit pass!”
At these words, everyone in the exam area was stunned, then all responded:
“Yes, we obey the envoy’s orders.”
Swoosh swoosh swoosh!
Fang Shu and the other candidates snapped out of their shock and immediately unleashed their means, racing toward Qian Shan Mine without yielding to each other.
The dojo masters also understood the woman of the Zong family’s intent; they followed around the candidates as support.
Meanwhile.
As the townsfolk gazed fiery-eyed at Qian Shan Mine, outside Gu Ling Town.
Others also leaped into the air, gazing greedily at the prosperous, bustling, lamp-lit Gu Ling marketplace.
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