In the depths of Bahuang Forest, the mythical white fox watched in horror as Gu Xiqiao stuffed its body into Dog Feed’s jaw.
Jiji peered at Dog Feed, who had just finished swallowing up the ball of energy. “You’ve eaten so much and yet I haven’t seen you level up?”
Dog Feed wiggled its petals as it yawned lazily. “Make me then.”
“Are you still holding a grudge against me?” If Jiji had eyes, it would’ve glared angrily at the annoying flower. “Believe it or not, I could easily stuff you back where you came from. Let’s see if you can still eat energy orbs when that happens.”
Dog Feed: “… robots like you won’t last long in real life.”
Jiji responded to Dog Feed’s comment with a disdainful look. It pointed its metallic finger at the core of Dog Feed’s flower, and assuming it to be its brain, it said, “I’m starting to suspect that something has gone wrong with this part of yours.”
Dog Feed instinctively closed up its petals and proceeded to ignore Jiji coldly.
“Beauty Qiao, why didn’t we bring Xixi over instead?” ‘This ugly-ass flower is getting on my nerves!’
Gu Xiqiao’s eyes were fixated elsewhere. She remained silent when suddenly, the air started warping. A long, slender figure slowly materialized in front of her.
Frost seemed to appear out of thin air the moment he emerged.
His unexpected appearance stunned the nine people who were busy putting up a fight against the mythical beasts, a mistake that almost cost their lives.
The tenth person, who was thrown all the way to the side of the battlefield, was startled too. They never would’ve expected to see Jiang Shuxuan here, hence explaining why their mouths were wide-open.
The man who topped the ranking list in the previous tournament, whose energy points were countless times greater than the person in second place. His emergence undoubtedly eclipsed the achievements of the talents from the previous tournament.
Footage of that earth-shattering battle was circulated around the supernatural organizations of the world; they all came to a unanimous agreement that his power was far beyond what any of his peers could muster. It was also the reason why he had fans all over the world, even though they had only seen the footage, which did not even contain a clear view of his face.
The first time they saw him in person was ten days ago, when he stood high up on the podium where he made the announcement to the participants of the selection phase that he was the leader of the guard unit.
There were too many rumors about him and every one of them appeared to be rather well-documented. Even the reclusive ones have started to grow envious of him. This of course, was a testament to his strength. Never in a million years could they have foreseen that he would appear right before their eyes.
“Brother Jiang, why are you here?” Gu Xiqiao peered up at him. Although she had planned to call him over, she still hadn’t opened her mouth yet. Despite this, here he was.
Jiang Shuxuan scanned the landscape with his dark eyes, which ultimately stopped at the formation which was sending electric sparks in every direction. He then looked down and directed a smile at her. “This ruckus you have stirred up is too big.”
There was no way he could continue covering her tracks from now on, he thought.
He should’ve known that she couldn’t bear the boredom.
There weren’t many tonal changes when he spoke but he didn’t feel particularly hostile or cold.
“I didn’t intend for this to happen,” Gu Xiqiao turned around and looked at Wu Hongwen and co. “The number of mythical beasts who have gathered in this area is way too big. So I’ve deliberately sealed up this space. In fact, this ruckus is relatively smaller than what would’ve happened if I did otherwise.”
“I know.” Jiang Shuxuan produced a snow-white sheet of paper, which he passed over to Gu Xiqiao. “This is something Baili passed over to me today. Of these nine points, three have already been confirmed. Theoretically, changes should be observed in the remaining six points in the near future.”
“But there has already been energy shifts in these points, right?” Gu Xiqiao understood immediately what Baili Bin was trying to convey to her upon receiving the paper.
Jiang Shuxuan nodded the moment he heard Gu Xiqiao’s words. “After you guys exit this realm, I will completely seal off Bahuang Forest.”
“But… what’s the reason for this?” Gu Xiqiao bit her lip. Dubhe’s appearance, the early energy shifts, and the ominous mythical beasts of Bahuang Forest. It seemed increasingly like an invisible hand was behind all of this.
“What remains in Bahuang Forest are the young ones, who shouldn’t pose too much of a threat…”
A lightbulb suddenly lit up in Gu Xiqiao’s mind. She peered up at Jiang Shuxuan, and at that moment, they acknowledged the shock in each other’s eyes. Seems like they were telepathically linked for they both had the same idea pop up in their mind simultaneously.
“I think their aim is probably to destroy the foundation of the supernatural world.” These 80,000 talents all represent the future of the supernatural world. Should they perish, it would be a fatal blow to the supernatural world. Jiang Shuxuan glanced at the mythical beasts. “I guess, you were not included in their plan before they attacked.”
If not for Gu Xiqiao, at least half of these 80,000-odd youngsters would’ve perished in the battle.
At this point, the nine-man team had already finished off the last mythical beast. However, they did not absorb the energy orbs right away. Instead, they were all rounded up by a formation cast by Baili Wen.
The barrier formation composed of thunder and lightning was instantly pushed back. An immensely strong energy contained within it was sent flying in every direction, which also created a strong gust of wind that made Gu Xiqiao and Jiang Shuxuan’s clothes flutter.
Betty and Hans both stared at Jiang Shuxuan excitedly. They started whispering to each other but neither of them had the guts to walk up to him.
The layer of white frost surrounding his body was an obvious indication for strangers to stay away.
“Brother Jiang, these ten people have lost their identity cards. They can no longer communicate with the outside world so you should probably lead them out. We’ll meet again tomorrow.” Gu Xiqiao glanced at the ten people whom she had flung to the safe zone.
Jiang Shuxuan responded with a nod. “Stay cautious.”
His figure warped out of existence after he said that, followed by the ten people whom Gu Xiqiao was looking at mere seconds ago.
The only thing that told of his presence here was the white frost that littered the ground below.
After he left, Gu Xiqiao looked back at the nine people behind her. Rubbing her chin, she contemplated for a moment before announcing, “Tomorrow’s the final day. There won’t be any rest for tonight. Prepare to make the final rush. Try and absorb as much energy as you can from the mythical beasts you have slain!”
A smile appeared across Wu Hongwen’s face when he heard that phrase. “I’ve been waiting too long for this moment!”
The same smile appeared on the faces of the other members as well.
***
In the outside world.
Countless big shots had their eyes glued onto the current ranking of the selection competition, especially the Obsidian Board, which was more or less similar to the Youth Ranking List. Staff members representing the supernatural organizations of the world were as busy as bees as they handed the latest rankings to their respective leaders.
On the ancient martial arts forum of China, countless users were uploading posts containing the rankings which most of them found to be unbelievable.
OP: In the previous tournament, the ancient martial arts world claimed four positions on the list. Why isn’t there a single position today?!
Anon no.1: Didn’t they say how powerful Miss Gu was? Why hasn’t she even entered the top-100 list? Man, what a let down!”
Anon no.5: Even Young Master Tang isn’t in top-100! God, what has become of our ancient martial arts world?
Anon no.88: Isn’t there another dude called Shi Qin? Why haven’t I seen anything about him yet?”
When the ranking tournament started, these people speculated that Tang Qinghong and Gu Xiqiao would climb up to top-5 in the rankings, especially Gu Xiqiao, who many betted would get number one.
Who would’ve thought…
That they couldn’t even get into top-100!
Disappointment! What a disappointment!
***
Outside Bahuang Forest, the old man stroked his flowing white beard while watching the ranking board. The people next to him kept congratulating him. “Not only have you Japanese achieved number one, but the top-three positions have all been dominated by your countrymen! Congratulations!”
The old man smiled. “The battle is far from over yet. Conclusions must never be reached beforehand.”
“Tomorrow’s the end of the trials. It’s just one day, how much change could you possibly expect there to be?” The rest of the men waved their hands. Everybody agreed that these ranks were pretty much set. “Still, it is quite shocking that no one from the ancient martial arts world managed to make it on the scoreboard.”
The crowd stared at the tall figure standing a short distance away. Although their facial expression remained largely the same, they started cheering away in their hearts.
After living under the ancient martial arts world’s influence for so long, it was finally time for some payback.
It wasn’t just these people who were fixated on the scoreboard. The eliminated participants too, were observing the battle intently. When they heard the discussion among these representatives, they couldn’t help but chuckle to themselves.
They have all heard of the mythical beast reapers back in Bahuang Forest. How could that team not be on the ranking list? Judging from how cunning that small deathsquad was, they must have some kind of trick up their sleeve.
Those who had been rescued by the mythical beast reapers laughed when they overheard the consensus among the ignorant spectators. “That team has started to bare its fangs. I’m guessing it’ll only be hours before the rankings change once more.”
“Which level do you think they’ll climb up to?” These participants flocked together and began debating away.
“In any case, after seeing how terrifying they are, there is no doubt that they’d be able to get into top one hundred!”
Just then, a shout was heard among the crowd. “Guys look! The ranks have changed again!”
At the very bottom of the top-100 list appeared ten new names. This change was large enough to shock the people who were fixated on the rankings.
Of these ten people, eight were from China!
Not only that, their names seemed to be climbing upwards in a consistent fashion!
The most eye-catching name of all was Gu Xiqiao’s!
“Bloody hell, what are they doing? How on earth did this Gu Xiqiao girl manage to get from 91st to 73!”
“It’s changed again! She’s in 59th! Wait, no! She’s among the top-fifty now!”
“Insane! This is insane! How could she gain so much momentum so quickly!?”
The representatives outside Bahuang Forest were starting to lose their edge. They all started to investigate just who this ‘Gu Xiqiao’ person from the ancient martial arts world was. It wasn’t just her who piqued their interest. The ten people who had suddenly emerged on the ranking list were completely unheard of before too.
***
The ancient martial arts forum exploded when news of this got out.
A new reply would pop up every few seconds.
Anon no.1885: Miss Gu! Miss Gu! Did you guys see her?!
These people were either holding their phones, or were facing their computer screen. They watched the reactions of the representatives closely, how their faces all turned bright red and how they kept rapping their knuckles on the table nervously.
Anon no. 2547: This is amazing! To be able to get into top-fifty in just the blink of an eye! Step it up, Miss Gu! Time to bring down the dreadful Japanese from their high horses!”
Anon no.3666: “Eight! We have eight people on the scoreboard!”
Anon no.3986: Xiao Yun! Wu Hongwen! Yao Jiamu! Shi Qin! Baili Wen! Where on earth did they pop up from? Why are they so damn strong?!
Anon no.5877: Top-twenty! Miss Gu’s in top-twenty now!
After an initial round of disappointment and despair, this surprising turning of the tables had made the people of the ancient martial arts world go crazy. They stayed up all night, keeping their eyes glued onto the computer screen, awaiting the latest report of the scoreboard rankings. From their observation, Gu Xiqiao was rising up at an unprecedented speed!
The morale of the people was gradually building up as they shouted increasingly louder at the screen.
20th place!
19th place!
18th place!
***
The people watching outside Bahuang Forest were stunned by the sudden turnout of events. In fact, they were so shocked that they had momentarily lost their ability to speak, especially the old man. The smug look on his face had been replaced by one of horror.
This piece of rock had been passed down through generations. There was no way it could possibly report false information.
It was precisely because of this that the degree of shock they went through was even greater!
The young ones who were initially engaged in a heated debate about the ranking competition had now turned dead silent. They all were looking at the name that kept leaping up the scoreboard.
15th place!
10th place!
There were no signs of stopping.
“Say, you think she’ll hit number one?” Finally, someone snapped out of his shock.
“There are ten people who are climbing up the scoreboard rapidly. They’ve got to be the mythical beast reapers, I’m sure…”
“It’s changed again!”
Gu Xiqiao was standing smack in the middle of Bahuang Forest, which was rumored to be one of the most dangerous areas to be in. Standing in front of her was a mythical phoenix. The air in front of her distorted before six golden needles, all wrapped up with purple sparks, were sent hurtling towards their target.
“Screee!” The mythical phoenix let out a blood-curdling shriek before reducing into an energy orb, which floated into her wooden plaque.
It was the same moment that she rose in ranks again.
Second place: Nozawa.
First place: Gu Xiqiao.
Silence descended upon the spectators.
In the depths of Bahuang Forest, the mythical white fox watched in horror as Gu Xiqiao stuffed its body into Dog Feed’s jaw.
Jiji peered at Dog Feed, who had just finished swallowing up the ball of energy. “You’ve eaten so much and yet I haven’t seen you level up?”
Dog Feed wiggled its petals as it yawned lazily. “Make me then.”
“Are you still holding a grudge against me?” If Jiji had eyes, it would’ve glared angrily at the annoying flower. “Believe it or not, I could easily stuff you back where you came from. Let’s see if you can still eat energy orbs when that happens.”
Dog Feed: “… robots like you won’t last long in real life.”
Jiji responded to Dog Feed’s comment with a disdainful look. It pointed its metallic finger at the core of Dog Feed’s flower, and assuming it to be its brain, it said, “I’m starting to suspect that something has gone wrong with this part of yours.”
Dog Feed instinctively closed up its petals and proceeded to ignore Jiji coldly.
“Beauty Qiao, why didn’t we bring Xixi over instead?” ‘This ugly-ass flower is getting on my nerves!’
Gu Xiqiao’s eyes were fixated elsewhere. She remained silent when suddenly, the air started warping. A long, slender figure slowly materialized in front of her.
Frost seemed to appear out of thin air the moment he emerged.
His unexpected appearance stunned the nine people who were busy putting up a fight against the mythical beasts, a mistake that almost cost their lives.
The tenth person, who was thrown all the way to the side of the battlefield, was startled too. They never would’ve expected to see Jiang Shuxuan here, hence explaining why their mouths were wide-open.
The man who topped the ranking list in the previous tournament, whose energy points were countless times greater than the person in second place. His emergence undoubtedly eclipsed the achievements of the talents from the previous tournament.
Footage of that earth-shattering battle was circulated around the supernatural organizations of the world; they all came to a unanimous agreement that his power was far beyond what any of his peers could muster. It was also the reason why he had fans all over the world, even though they had only seen the footage, which did not even contain a clear view of his face.
The first time they saw him in person was ten days ago, when he stood high up on the podium where he made the announcement to the participants of the selection phase that he was the leader of the guard unit.
There were too many rumors about him and every one of them appeared to be rather well-documented. Even the reclusive ones have started to grow envious of him. This of course, was a testament to his strength. Never in a million years could they have foreseen that he would appear right before their eyes.
“Brother Jiang, why are you here?” Gu Xiqiao peered up at him. Although she had planned to call him over, she still hadn’t opened her mouth yet. Despite this, here he was.
Jiang Shuxuan scanned the landscape with his dark eyes, which ultimately stopped at the formation which was sending electric sparks in every direction. He then looked down and directed a smile at her. “This ruckus you have stirred up is too big.”
There was no way he could continue covering her tracks from now on, he thought.
He should’ve known that she couldn’t bear the boredom.
There weren’t many tonal changes when he spoke but he didn’t feel particularly hostile or cold.
“I didn’t intend for this to happen,” Gu Xiqiao turned around and looked at Wu Hongwen and co. “The number of mythical beasts who have gathered in this area is way too big. So I’ve deliberately sealed up this space. In fact, this ruckus is relatively smaller than what would’ve happened if I did otherwise.”
“I know.” Jiang Shuxuan produced a snow-white sheet of paper, which he passed over to Gu Xiqiao. “This is something Baili passed over to me today. Of these nine points, three have already been confirmed. Theoretically, changes should be observed in the remaining six points in the near future.”
“But there has already been energy shifts in these points, right?” Gu Xiqiao understood immediately what Baili Bin was trying to convey to her upon receiving the paper.
Jiang Shuxuan nodded the moment he heard Gu Xiqiao’s words. “After you guys exit this realm, I will completely seal off Bahuang Forest.”
“But… what’s the reason for this?” Gu Xiqiao bit her lip. Dubhe’s appearance, the early energy shifts, and the ominous mythical beasts of Bahuang Forest. It seemed increasingly like an invisible hand was behind all of this.
“What remains in Bahuang Forest are the young ones, who shouldn’t pose too much of a threat…”
A lightbulb suddenly lit up in Gu Xiqiao’s mind. She peered up at Jiang Shuxuan, and at that moment, they acknowledged the shock in each other’s eyes. Seems like they were telepathically linked for they both had the same idea pop up in their mind simultaneously.
“I think their aim is probably to destroy the foundation of the supernatural world.” These 80,000 talents all represent the future of the supernatural world. Should they perish, it would be a fatal blow to the supernatural world. Jiang Shuxuan glanced at the mythical beasts. “I guess, you were not included in their plan before they attacked.”
If not for Gu Xiqiao, at least half of these 80,000-odd youngsters would’ve perished in the battle.
At this point, the nine-man team had already finished off the last mythical beast. However, they did not absorb the energy orbs right away. Instead, they were all rounded up by a formation cast by Baili Wen.
The barrier formation composed of thunder and lightning was instantly pushed back. An immensely strong energy contained within it was sent flying in every direction, which also created a strong gust of wind that made Gu Xiqiao and Jiang Shuxuan’s clothes flutter.
Betty and Hans both stared at Jiang Shuxuan excitedly. They started whispering to each other but neither of them had the guts to walk up to him.
The layer of white frost surrounding his body was an obvious indication for strangers to stay away.
“Brother Jiang, these ten people have lost their identity cards. They can no longer communicate with the outside world so you should probably lead them out. We’ll meet again tomorrow.” Gu Xiqiao glanced at the ten people whom she had flung to the safe zone.
Jiang Shuxuan responded with a nod. “Stay cautious.”
His figure warped out of existence after he said that, followed by the ten people whom Gu Xiqiao was looking at mere seconds ago.
The only thing that told of his presence here was the white frost that littered the ground below.
After he left, Gu Xiqiao looked back at the nine people behind her. Rubbing her chin, she contemplated for a moment before announcing, “Tomorrow’s the final day. There won’t be any rest for tonight. Prepare to make the final rush. Try and absorb as much energy as you can from the mythical beasts you have slain!”
A smile appeared across Wu Hongwen’s face when he heard that phrase. “I’ve been waiting too long for this moment!”
The same smile appeared on the faces of the other members as well.
***
In the outside world.
Countless big shots had their eyes glued onto the current ranking of the selection competition, especially the Obsidian Board, which was more or less similar to the Youth Ranking List. Staff members representing the supernatural organizations of the world were as busy as bees as they handed the latest rankings to their respective leaders.
On the ancient martial arts forum of China, countless users were uploading posts containing the rankings which most of them found to be unbelievable.
OP: In the previous tournament, the ancient martial arts world claimed four positions on the list. Why isn’t there a single position today?!
Anon no.1: Didn’t they say how powerful Miss Gu was? Why hasn’t she even entered the top-100 list? Man, what a let down!”
Anon no.5: Even Young Master Tang isn’t in top-100! God, what has become of our ancient martial arts world?
Anon no.88: Isn’t there another dude called Shi Qin? Why haven’t I seen anything about him yet?”
When the ranking tournament started, these people speculated that Tang Qinghong and Gu Xiqiao would climb up to top-5 in the rankings, especially Gu Xiqiao, who many betted would get number one.
Who would’ve thought…
That they couldn’t even get into top-100!
Disappointment! What a disappointment!
***
Outside Bahuang Forest, the old man stroked his flowing white beard while watching the ranking board. The people next to him kept congratulating him. “Not only have you Japanese achieved number one, but the top-three positions have all been dominated by your countrymen! Congratulations!”
The old man smiled. “The battle is far from over yet. Conclusions must never be reached beforehand.”
“Tomorrow’s the end of the trials. It’s just one day, how much change could you possibly expect there to be?” The rest of the men waved their hands. Everybody agreed that these ranks were pretty much set. “Still, it is quite shocking that no one from the ancient martial arts world managed to make it on the scoreboard.”
The crowd stared at the tall figure standing a short distance away. Although their facial expression remained largely the same, they started cheering away in their hearts.
After living under the ancient martial arts world’s influence for so long, it was finally time for some payback.
It wasn’t just these people who were fixated on the scoreboard. The eliminated participants too, were observing the battle intently. When they heard the discussion among these representatives, they couldn’t help but chuckle to themselves.
They have all heard of the mythical beast reapers back in Bahuang Forest. How could that team not be on the ranking list? Judging from how cunning that small deathsquad was, they must have some kind of trick up their sleeve.
Those who had been rescued by the mythical beast reapers laughed when they overheard the consensus among the ignorant spectators. “That team has started to bare its fangs. I’m guessing it’ll only be hours before the rankings change once more.”
“Which level do you think they’ll climb up to?” These participants flocked together and began debating away.
“In any case, after seeing how terrifying they are, there is no doubt that they’d be able to get into top one hundred!”
Just then, a shout was heard among the crowd. “Guys look! The ranks have changed again!”
At the very bottom of the top-100 list appeared ten new names. This change was large enough to shock the people who were fixated on the rankings.
Of these ten people, eight were from China!
Not only that, their names seemed to be climbing upwards in a consistent fashion!
The most eye-catching name of all was Gu Xiqiao’s!
“Bloody hell, what are they doing? How on earth did this Gu Xiqiao girl manage to get from 91st to 73!”
“It’s changed again! She’s in 59th! Wait, no! She’s among the top-fifty now!”
“Insane! This is insane! How could she gain so much momentum so quickly!?”
The representatives outside Bahuang Forest were starting to lose their edge. They all started to investigate just who this ‘Gu Xiqiao’ person from the ancient martial arts world was. It wasn’t just her who piqued their interest. The ten people who had suddenly emerged on the ranking list were completely unheard of before too.
***
The ancient martial arts forum exploded when news of this got out.
A new reply would pop up every few seconds.
Anon no.1885: Miss Gu! Miss Gu! Did you guys see her?!
These people were either holding their phones, or were facing their computer screen. They watched the reactions of the representatives closely, how their faces all turned bright red and how they kept rapping their knuckles on the table nervously.
Anon no. 2547: This is amazing! To be able to get into top-fifty in just the blink of an eye! Step it up, Miss Gu! Time to bring down the dreadful Japanese from their high horses!”
Anon no.3666: “Eight! We have eight people on the scoreboard!”
Anon no.3986: Xiao Yun! Wu Hongwen! Yao Jiamu! Shi Qin! Baili Wen! Where on earth did they pop up from? Why are they so damn strong?!
Anon no.5877: Top-twenty! Miss Gu’s in top-twenty now!
After an initial round of disappointment and despair, this surprising turning of the tables had made the people of the ancient martial arts world go crazy. They stayed up all night, keeping their eyes glued onto the computer screen, awaiting the latest report of the scoreboard rankings. From their observation, Gu Xiqiao was rising up at an unprecedented speed!
The morale of the people was gradually building up as they shouted increasingly louder at the screen.
20th place!
19th place!
18th place!
***
The people watching outside Bahuang Forest were stunned by the sudden turnout of events. In fact, they were so shocked that they had momentarily lost their ability to speak, especially the old man. The smug look on his face had been replaced by one of horror.
This piece of rock had been passed down through generations. There was no way it could possibly report false information.
It was precisely because of this that the degree of shock they went through was even greater!
The young ones who were initially engaged in a heated debate about the ranking competition had now turned dead silent. They all were looking at the name that kept leaping up the scoreboard.
15th place!
10th place!
There were no signs of stopping.
“Say, you think she’ll hit number one?” Finally, someone snapped out of his shock.
“There are ten people who are climbing up the scoreboard rapidly. They’ve got to be the mythical beast reapers, I’m sure…”
“It’s changed again!”
Gu Xiqiao was standing smack in the middle of Bahuang Forest, which was rumored to be one of the most dangerous areas to be in. Standing in front of her was a mythical phoenix. The air in front of her distorted before six golden needles, all wrapped up with purple sparks, were sent hurtling towards their target.
“Screee!” The mythical phoenix let out a blood-curdling shriek before reducing into an energy orb, which floated into her wooden plaque.
It was the same moment that she rose in ranks again.
Second place: Nozawa.
First place: Gu Xiqiao.
Silence descended upon the spectators.
