58 Accelerated Change
The sudden change attracted everyone’s attention.
They had thought after using the Supreme Yang Swordplay, Chong Yanhe would have the upper hand. Who would have thought he would be beaten into a sorry state by Zhao Xueying in the blink of an eye?
Looking at the slowly dissipating red string on the screen, many examinees looked confused.
“What’s that?”
“Did she release her spiritual essence?”
“Impossible. The release of spiritual essence is a technique that only cultivators at the Long Breath Stage can master. Zhao Xueying is only at the Qi Transformation Stage!”
“Then how do you explain what just happened?”
“You ignorant people. You don’t even know Condensed Strings!”
“Condensed Strings? The number one martial technique in the Qi Transformation Stage?”
Shock quickly spread through the crowd. Many people looked at Zhao Xueying with utter astonishment.
Condensed Strings were the Zhao family’s most powerful technique. Many people thought it to be the number one martial technique in the Qi Transformation Stage!
It was because it could allow a Qi Transformation cultivator to unleash an attack similar to the release of spiritual essence!
Just this alone allowed Condensed Strings to surpass most Qi Transformation martial techniques!
Moreover, even at the Long Breath Stage, the Condensed Strings could still unleash extraordinary power.
This was also a common characteristic of powerful martial techniques!
“The Zhao family has a peerless genius!”
Ke Ya couldn’t help but feel amazed.
Cai Zhonggu also agreed.
Zhao Xueying was already at the eighth level of Qi Transformation. Coupled with the Condensed Strings, even if she was only at Beginner, no one below the Long Breath Stage would be her match.
It was obvious who would be the chief disciple!
In the image, Chong Yanhe’s face was livid. With a flip of his wrist, another long sword instantly appeared in his hand.
He held his sword horizontally in front of him and stared at Zhao Xueying as if he was facing a great enemy.
The girl’s expression was indifferent. With a swipe of her finger, a red string instantly tore through the void and whooshed toward Chong Yanhe like a long whip.
Chong Yanhe had some understanding of Condensed Strings. He knew although this red string looked thin, it was condensed from the purest and most refined blazing energy. It was enough to break iron. Ordinary weapons couldn’t withstand it at all. Anything the strings touched would be melted, just like his long sword just now.
Therefore, Chong Yanhe didn’t dare to face the incoming red string head-on and dodged it without thinking.
However, in the next second, another red string tore through the air.
Swoosh!
In a short span of two to three breaths, dozens of red strings appeared in the void. They intertwined and enveloped Chong Yanhe. He was unable to fight back and could only dodge awkwardly.
After gritting his teeth and enduring for a few minutes, Chong Yanhe finally couldn’t help but admit defeat.
“I admit my defeat. Zhao Xueying, I’ll give you this flag. We’ll stop fighting now!”
Swoosh!
The red strings that filled the sky suddenly dissipated, revealing Chong Yanhe’s battered and exhausted figure.
He looked at Zhao Xueying gloomily and left without another word.
Zhao Xueying watched with a calm expression until Chong Yanhe disappeared through the door. Only then did she board the altar and pull out the flag.
A minute later, Zhao Xueying’s score soared by 200 points. Her ranking instantly surpassed Lin Shen’s, and she regained first place.
First place, Zhao Xueying, 802 points.
Second place, Lin Shen, 785 points.
Third place, Xue Feng, 583 points.
Fourth place, Chong Yanhe, 562 points.
Fifth place, Wei Cheng, 330 points.
Sixth place, Yan Xing, 323 points.
“Zhao Xueying is back in the first place!”
“Haha, I knew it. Zhao Xueying will definitely surpass Lin Shen!”
“What’s there to be proud of? Lin Shen is less than 20 points away. He’ll definitely catch up soon!”
“You’re dreaming. Zhao Xueying has mastered the Condensed Strings. Lin Shen is no match for her at all!”
“What’s with the noise? We’ll know if we continue watching!”
After all, they had just been warned by Ke Ya. Although the ordinary students and disciples of influential families present were bickering, they didn’t dare to argue loudly anymore. They glared at each other before turning their heads resentfully and returning their attention to the water screen.
The change in the first place was like a switch being pressed.
In the time that followed, the changes in the rankings became more and more drastic.
One after another, people discovered the altar, and often several people discovered it at the same time. As a result, several battles broke out.
The loser would be driven out of the fog formation, while the winner would rise high in the rankings.
As more and more examinees left, the fog beasts quickly became stronger, eliminating more examinees.
Everything was accelerating!
It was an hour after the exam began.
...
There were less than twenty images left on the water screen.
This also meant that there were less than twenty examinees left in the fog formation.
Among them, the one ranked at the bottom had already exceeded 500 points.
After another four to five minutes, two more candidates were driven out of the fog formation. In the next moment, all the fog beasts suddenly raised their heads and roared, their strength breaking through to the sixth level of Qi Transformation.
That was the last straw. The examinees, who were already struggling to hold on to their limits, could no longer resist. They were drowned and suppressed by the fog beasts and immediately turned into streams of light that flew into the sky.
More than ten candidates suddenly appeared in the square!
“Heh… Heh…”
Yang Zhongyi took a few deep breaths and wiped his cold sweat. It took him a while to come back to his senses.
He looked around and immediately noticed Su Nian, who was a few meters away.
“Haha, Su Nian, you’re out too. Looks like you didn’t last longer than me!”
Su Nian’s face was slightly pale, and his forehead was covered in sweat. This was a sign that he had exhausted too much energy.
...
Hearing Yang Zhongyi’s words, he glanced at him angrily and looked at the rankings on the water screen.
Yang Zhongyi also looked up. He was also very concerned about his results.
12th place, Yang Zhongyi, 786 points
15th place, Su Nian, 773 points
“Haha, my ranking is higher than yours. Su Nian, you have to admit I’m stronger than you now!”
Yang Zhongyi laughed proudly. After a few seconds, he didn’t hear a response. He turned around and saw Su Nian standing rooted to the ground in a daze. His eyes were fixed as if he had seen something unbelievable.
“Hey, Su, what’s wrong?” Yang Zhongyi pushed his friend’s shoulder in confusion.
He was just three places behind him. There was no need to be so shocked, right?
Su Nian didn’t answer. Instead, he pointed at the rankings with a blank expression.
Yang Zhongyi turned around in confusion. In the next second, his eyes widened.
“Shit! What’s going on? Why is Lin Shen in second place?”
Yang Zhongyi’s face was filled with disbelief.
When he came back to his senses, he quickly pulled over an examinee beside him and asked some questions.
A moment later, Yang Zhongyi and Su Nian, who had learned what had happened, looked at each other. They were both inexplicably shocked and couldn’t regain their senses for a long time.
Actually, before the exam, they had vaguely guessed Lin Shen’s strength must have increased.
After all, even the two of them had broken through at the last minute. It was impossible for Lin Shen to still be at the same level.
However, the two of them didn’t expect Lin Shen’s progress to be so shocking. Even Yan Xing was defeated by him!
Right, Yan Xing!
Yang Zhongyi suddenly looked up at the rankings. After searching for a while, he quickly found Yan Xing at the back of the rankings.
142nd place, Yan Xing, 323 points.
As one of the four seeded candidates, Yan Xing was publicly acknowledged as one of the candidates with the highest chance of obtaining the chief disciple’s position. Now, he had fallen to the point where he couldn’t even enter the top 100. It really could make one’s jaw drop.
Yang Zhongyi looked around and quickly found Yan Xing in the corner of the square.
The latter was staring fixedly at the water screen with bloodshot eyes and twitching cheeks. He seemed as if he’d seen the enemy that killed his father and completely lost his usual arrogance.