The homeroom teacher’s resonant voice rang through the entire classroom:
“Use the time now to review every subject. Focus on talismans.”
“When the broadcast sounds at eight-thirty, the class monitor will lead the team. All of you go downstairs and warm up on the field while you wait.”
“I’m reminding every one of you—”
“This time, all the major universities have sent people specifically to observe. You must bring out your best condition and perform well.”
“Have you all got that?”
“Got it!” the students answered loudly in unison.
The homeroom teacher turned and hurried away.
—Today was the monthly exam, and they also had to receive visitors from various universities. There were not enough hands to go around, and the teachers were all very busy.
“Got anything else to eat?”
Xu Yuan asked in a low voice.
“Were you reincarnated from a hungry ghost or what? Seriously.”
Zhao Afei took a pill from his desk drawer and handed it over.
Xu Yuan sniffed it, then tossed the pill into his mouth and slowly chewed.
—It was a pretty decent-grade Bigu Pill.
Other than tasting bad, it had no flaws. Nutritionally, it was more than enough.
Xu Yuan often freeloaded little things from Zhao Afei.
—Zhao Afei’s family was the provincial distributor for a branded pill company. They could be considered filthy rich.
By comparison, Xu Yuan’s family was much poorer.
On top of that, Xu Yuan’s mother was ill, and his father was away from home year-round.
Xu Yuan himself also had a bit of that “delinquent punk” adolescent style—if words didn’t go his way, he started swinging.
The other classmates did not really associate with Xu Yuan.
Only Zhao Afei, his sworn buddy, had always treated him like a brother.
“When it’s time for the swordsmanship exam later, use my sword—mine is way better than the public swords the school provides.”
Zhao Afei pulled a sword out from under his desk and waved it in front of Xu Yuan.
Before Xu Yuan could speak, he quickly added:
“For this team battle, you’ve got to look after your brother here.”
“What? Did something happen?” Xu Yuan asked in surprise.
“My relatives looked down on me. I’m seriously pissed—Brother Xu, let’s do well on this exam, okay?” Afei looked as though he carried a deep grudge and bitter hatred.
“Of course. I’ll be a little serious,” Xu Yuan said, patting him on the shoulder.
He took the sword and weighed it in his hand.
Faint glowing words immediately appeared:
“Elegant Shadow.”
“Sword-type weapon, Fine grade.”
“Afterimage Level 3: When activated in battle, it creates three afterimages to confuse the enemy.”
Fine grade!
Once this effect was used, it would be both flashy and threatening.
Pay-to-win players really made people miserable.
—Even in a cultivation world, it was the same!
Xu Yuan sighed, then suddenly remembered something. He returned the sword to Zhao Afei first, then silently recited, “Shop.”
An illusory shop immediately unfolded before his eyes.
Seeing that the other students all continued studying as if they saw nothing, Xu Yuan pressed the short blade “Nightwalker” in his hand.
“Sell.”
He said in his mind.
Sure enough, on the counter in the shop, an empty price tag appeared, showing the price of “1 gold coin.”
You sold it to me for 2 gold coins, but buy it back for only 1.
What a profiteer!
But this short blade truly was no longer suitable for him.
Xu Yuan sold the blade and glanced at his remaining gold coins.
—He had 19 left.
The shelves were empty.
“Refresh.”
Xu Yuan said.
One gold coin was deducted.
Three items immediately appeared on the shelves.
A pair of “Ordinary”-grade leather gloves, a pair of “Excellent”-grade boots, and a bundle of talismans.
The talismans were actually Fine grade.
“Blazing Dash Talisman.”
“Talisman-drawing speed +2, success rate increased by ten percent.”
Xu Yuan thought of Yang Xiaobing.
Yang Xiaobing was already at the third level of Qi Refining. She excelled in two subjects, talismans and spirit plants, and had obtained the qualifications to participate in the independent admissions selections for Jiuyao and Luofu.
Specializing in two subjects while using the other courses as auxiliary means in combat.
This was actually the best choice for low-level cultivators.
After all, one’s energy was limited.
When one’s cultivation was higher in the future and one’s horizons broadened, then considering deepening the other subjects would be the proper path.
“Refresh.”
Xu Yuan silently recited again.
Gold coins -1.
His assets were now down to 17 gold coins.
Correspondingly,
the three items on the shelves disappeared.
New goods appeared.
There were two in total.
One was a little rabbit pendant.
Excellent grade.
“Movement speed +1.”
The other was a longsword.
Also Excellent grade.
“Sharpness +2.”
“Price: 3 gold coins.”
This was it.
Xu Yuan reached out and drew it out, grasping the longsword named “Gentle Wind” in his hand. He weighed it and felt quite satisfied.
Refreshing the shelves was too expensive.
He only had 14 gold coins left now.
—He could not just keep drawing forever.
Besides, his goal was very clear.
As long as it was better than the school’s public swords and did not affect his team battle, he would use it for now.
He raised his head and looked at the signboard of the shop:
“Combat Preparation Room for Qi Refiners.”
Perhaps—
Once he broke through to the second level of Qi Refining and became a higher-level Qi Refiner, the shop’s grade would also rise.
“It will not.”
As if knowing what he was thinking, an empty price tag on the shelf quickly displayed small words:
“Only by winning a ‘Hard’ match will there be a chance to raise the shop’s grade, or cause other changes in the shop.”
“After the shop changes, the quality and grade of the goods sold will also change accordingly.”
…All right, then.
It seemed he still had to fight matches.
Xu Yuan silently placed the longsword across his lap, reached out to flip open his book, and continued reviewing the talisman textbook.
—The team battle was actual combat!
The topic was confidential.
He really did feel a little eager to try.
Elsewhere.
The teaching building, rooftop.
“Xueyao, you were looking for me?”
Yang Xiaobing asked.
Jiang Xueyao stood opposite her.
Today, she wore a black sweater with dark blue jeans on the bottom, and a jet-black longsword slung diagonally across her back, making her waist appear slender and her legs long.
Her waterfall-like long hair fell over her shoulders. She looked fresh and otherworldly, poised and beautiful.
“Yes, there’s something.”
Jiang Xueyao said.
“You could’ve just sent a message. You even specially came to the rooftop—what is it?” Yang Xiaobing asked curiously.
Jiang Xueyao gazed into the distance at the autumn colors filling the city, a smile in her tone:
“Do you want to take a look at this?”
With a light flick of her finger, a letter flew toward Yang Xiaobing.
Yang Xiaobing caught it, opened it, and swept her eyes across it.
It was a love letter.
—The signature was Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan had only said yesterday that someone was going to impersonate him and write a love letter.
She had not expected it to truly be like this.
Who was this sinister?
“Where did you get this love letter?”
Yang Xiaobing asked without showing any emotion.
“It was Song Huaijin,” Jiang Xueyao said. “He has a friend named Li Tao in Xu Yuan’s class.”
“But Xu Yuan never told me he was going to send a love letter,” Yang Xiaobing said.
“Li Tao found it by rummaging through his desk,” Jiang Xueyao said.
Yang Xiaobing looked at her without speaking.
Jiang Xueyao also shook her head and said:
“Of course that’s not honorable. Song Huaijin even wanted to spread this love letter around and report it to the teachers. I stopped him.”
“What do you think I should do?” Yang Xiaobing asked.
“Up to you—this is your business. As a friend, this is all I can do,” Jiang Xueyao said.
Only then did Yang Xiaobing smile. With a light exertion of force from her hand,
the letter instantly scattered into white fragments, flying far away with the wind.
“Xu Yuan didn’t write a love letter.”
Yang Xiaobing said.
Jiang Xueyao was startled and asked, “You trust him that much?”
“Yeah. What about you—do you believe Song Huaijin’s words?” Yang Xiaobing asked.
“Song Huaijin has no need to lie to me about something like this,” Jiang Xueyao said.
“I believe Xu Yuan,” Yang Xiaobing said.
The two of them fell silent.
You believe Song Huaijin, while I believe Xu Yuan.
Between these two people, one of them must have lied.
—Who would it be?
Suddenly,
the school broadcast sounded.
After an impassioned musical melody, a dignified voice rang out:
“All third-year students.”
“Please gather on the field.”
—They had to gather on the field and prepare for the warm-up before the monthly exam.
Standing on the rooftop, they could see below that the classroom doors on every floor, for every class, had already opened.
The third-year students streamed out, went downstairs, and gathered toward the field.
A breeze blew over.
Beneath the clear blue sky,
Jiang Xueyao’s long hair fluttered in the wind. She looked like a fairy from a painting, as though she might ride the wind away at any moment.
She suddenly took out a patterned hair tie and began tying up her hair.
“How interesting.”
She looked down at the movement below the teaching building, her voice gentle and soft.
A lie was very easy to pierce.
All it took was one sword strike.
One strike.
That was enough.
“Huh?” Yang Xiaobing raised her head and looked at her with a pair of rippling almond eyes, not understanding.
“Xiaobing, everything about you is good, except that you trust others too easily.”
Jiang Xueyao’s tone was somewhat stern, and also somewhat concerned.
“Xu Yuan wouldn’t lie to me,” Yang Xiaobing said, refusing to back down. “It’s you who trusts Song Huaijin too much.”
The conversation once again reached a stalemate.
“I also want to know who is lying,” Jiang Xueyao said softly.
Her hair tie fastened into a ponytail.
Now it would do.
She walked a few steps forward, stood before the railing, lightly stroked her longsword, and looked down at the slowly moving crowd below.
Searching.
Searching.
Searching—
Her hand suddenly stopped, lightly gripping the sword hilt.
Then she said softly:
“You said he has always been cultivating diligently, didn’t you?”
Yang Xiaobing’s heart sank violently.
No, no.
Had she said something wrong?
Or was it—
“Why don’t you go test Song Huaijin?”
Yang Xiaobing said urgently.
“Testing one person is enough,” Jiang Xueyao said. “If Song Huaijin lied to me, I’ll beat him so badly he won’t even think about taking next year’s college entrance exam.”
“Don’t—” Yang Xiaobing drew out two talismans.
“Don’t mind it. I’m guessing you also want to know the answer,” Jiang Xueyao interrupted her and continued, “Why don’t we make a bet?”
“A bet?” Yang Xiaobing asked.
“I bet Song Huaijin wouldn’t dare lie to me,” Jiang Xueyao said.
“He absolutely lied to you,” Yang Xiaobing said, unconvinced.
“Exactly. Now let’s see who is telling the truth and who is lying—”
She—
What was she about to do?
Yang Xiaobing suddenly let out a scream.
—Because Jiang Xueyao, standing at the edge of the rooftop, had jumped down!
This proud daughter of heaven moved as fast as lightning. Her feet tapped lightly against the wall a few times, and she shot straight toward a certain target like a soaring mountain eagle.
Just one strike!
Clang—
Jiang Xueyao landed on the wall of the stairwell, drew her longsword, and thrust diagonally toward that young man.
Judging by her leisurely expression, this sword strike was as effortless and freehand as reaching down during a stroll to pick up a flowering branch from the ground.
The sword blade was like water, like a mirror, reflecting the stunned or terrified faces of the students all around.
Timing, angle, technique—all were just right.
This sword strike could not be avoided.
Xu Yuan abruptly turned his head, and a sword instantly appeared in his hand.
His expression was still somewhat puzzled.
But his sword had already gone up to meet it.
The sword’s spine shone brightly, reflecting the autumn light outside the building, the trees upon trees of gold, and the white frost that had yet to disperse from the roof tiles.
The sword was extremely fast, extremely steady.
In an instant,
the two swords clashed.
All light and shadow trembled, scattering from the blades.
He had blocked it!