An open-format competition?
Blowing the lights?
Xu Yuan’s expression stirred, and he immediately grasped the crux of it.
He himself wasn’t afraid of these things.
He just hadn’t expected that an eight-school joint exam for senior-year students would carry such weight!
It could even affect the upcoming nightmare-level matches!
But what was a little strange was that the previous monthly exam had only involved driving away rat demons harassing the crops.
Something of that level could influence his life and death?
That didn’t seem quite right.
Xu Yuan looked up.
He saw the principal accompanying a group of people out of the administration building.
—They were admissions teachers from various universities.
Perhaps.
This eight-school joint exam would be rather special?
If viewed from that angle.
After all, every university had sent people to watch this monthly exam.
If he could catch the eye of a top university and receive an independent admissions invitation—
Then perhaps the “human trafficking ring” and “assassin organization” two days later wouldn’t appear at all.
Because they wouldn’t be able to face the wrath of Jiuyao and Luofu!
If something happened to the seeds chosen by these two universities—these sects—they would definitely send people to investigate to the very end!
So this was the meaning of “blowing the lights”?
—He had to draw attention, become the strongest one!
Xu Yuan felt as though he had suddenly figured out the entire matter, and his heart instantly cleared.
No need to say more.
Next.
All he had to do was go all out!
At the same time.
Elsewhere.
In a corner of the sports field.
Jiang Xueyao had returned at some point.
“Xueyao, I found Li Tao from Class Three. He’s skilled in artifact refining and formations.”
Song Huaijin stood to the side and introduced him.
Li Tao greeted Jiang Xueyao stiffly:
“Hello, Student Jiang.”
Jiang Xueyao said, “You’re the one who found Xu Yuan’s love letter?”
“Yes,” Li Tao said.
“Since Song Huaijin says you’re good, then you must be good.” Jiang Xueyao nodded.
Song Huaijin and Li Tao exchanged a glance, joy appearing on their faces.
Jiang Xueyao was the strongest combatant in the whole school.
As long as she was there, they would definitely score highly in this group battle.
Who would have thought Jiang Xueyao’s tone would suddenly shift as she said:
“Come warm up.”
“Take one strike from me, so I can know exactly how strong you are—don’t worry, we’re only testing moves. Song Huaijin, help him out. Take my sword together.”
“Okay,” Li Tao said.
“Ah, okay,” Song Huaijin also said.
The group match was about to begin.
It was indeed time to warm up.
“Then I’ll draw my sword,” Jiang Xueyao said.
Seeing their nervous expressions, she suddenly smiled and said to Song Huaijin:
“No need to be nervous. This strike of mine will only be a horizontal slash. Just block it directly.”
“Okay,” Song Huaijin said knowingly.
“Then I’m coming,” Jiang Xueyao said.
“Please.” Li Tao also raised his hand in invitation, assuming a defensive stance.
—Being able to warm up and fight together with the school beauty Jiang was simply like a dream!
Jiang Xueyao’s slender jade-like fingers rested on the sword hilt. Suddenly, they tightened, and she drew it outward.
Clang!
The sword emerged like fire.
Explosive flames clung to the blade, carving a meteor-like trajectory through the air.
Boom—
Two figures were sent flying by a single slash, smashing into the wall more than ten meters away.
Jiang Xueyao’s entire body was filled with chilling killing intent as she held her sword and gave chase.
Two figures flashed over and shouted in unison:
“Stop!”
—They were two teachers maintaining order.
Only then did Jiang Xueyao halt, saying softly:
“Teachers, we were warming up before the match. Why are you stopping me?”
The two teachers glanced behind them.
Li Tao was charred black all over, lying on the ground, unconscious.
Song Huaijin was supporting himself with his sword, both arms covered in wounds, his entire body trembling nonstop.
—You call this a warm-up?
Song Huaijin looked toward Jiang Xueyao and saw her hand pressed on her sword hilt, as if she might strike again at any moment.
“Huaijin, how can you not even block one move from me? And you think you can be my comrade-in-arms?”
Jiang Xueyao’s face was full of disappointment.
“I…” Song Huaijin gritted his teeth, unable to speak.
“Right, I fought Xu Yuan. At the very least, within thirty moves, neither of us could decide the victor.”
“You’re that much worse than him, so where did you get the confidence to say he was weak?”
Jiang Xueyao asked in an innocent tone.
“This has nothing to do with me. Li Tao was the one who said it,” Song Huaijin deflected.
“You really know how to pick friends. You found someone even weaker than you—was it to set yourself off?” Jiang Xueyao asked indifferently.
For a moment, Song Huaijin simply didn’t know what to say.
—Jiang Xueyao was clearly angry!
But before her absolute strength, he couldn’t even defend himself.
He couldn’t even block a single sword strike!
What else could he say?
Say that her sword was too powerful?
As a cultivator, carrying a powerful sword or some formidable magical treasure was also considered part of one’s strength.
This was universally acknowledged.
“Were you really warming up just now?” one teacher asked sternly.
Song Huaijin suddenly raised his head and looked at Jiang Xueyao.
Jiang Xueyao had already said they were warming up.
Now they were asking him.
In this sort of situation, the consequences could be major or minor. As long as it wasn’t determined to be intentional, one could generally get through it.
But if it was determined to be intentional injury—
Then one would face many kinds of severe punishment. Some people might even be expelled.
Once expelled, it was equivalent to having one’s character utterly denied.
No university would accept them.
There would be no chance to repeat the year either.
They could only remain a commoner for the rest of their life.
Song Huaijin said solemnly, “Xueyao, go call Yang Xiaobing back. Then we still need another student with roughly similar strength.”
The two teachers had seen plenty of such things. At this moment, they stood aside, waiting for the outcome.
Generally speaking.
After an accident occurred, one side would put forward conditions.
Just like how Song Huaijin was directly demanding, “Go call Yang Xiaobing back, and then form a team with another strong student.”
As long as those conditions were agreed to, he would declare it “an accident during warm-up.”
Then there would be no problem.
The two teachers also didn’t want the matter to blow up.
After all, people from many universities were present at the school today. If something went wrong, the school would lose face.
“Go. I guarantee that once Li Tao wakes up, he’ll be able to think things through. Leave this side to me.”
Song Huaijin said.
Jiang Xueyao finally nodded.
“That’s more like it,” Song Huaijin said with a smile.
“You’re mistaken,” Jiang Xueyao said. “Just now, I was only feeling glad—because of what happened with Yang Xiaobing and Xu Yuan, I was able to see through you a little earlier.”
“Don’t ever come looking for me again.”
“Otherwise, I’ll cripple you and make you an ordinary person for the rest of your life, never able to enter the Dao again, Song Huaijin.”
After Jiang Xueyao finished speaking, she didn’t look at him again and turned to leave.
She walked toward the other side of the sports field.
—That was where the students without teams were.
They were waiting to be randomly assigned into groups.
Watching Jiang Xueyao’s back, then thinking back to the sensational battle in the teaching building earlier, Song Huaijin suddenly realized something.
Was it that love letter?
It seemed she really knew?
—But I did that to strengthen the group’s power!
“Teachers, although Jiang Xueyao’s cultivation is outstanding, her attack just now was intentional.”
Song Huaijin immediately said to the two teachers.
One teacher said gently, “Student Song, today’s monthly exam is exceptionally important, so monitoring formations have been set up around the sports field. Are you certain Jiang Xueyao never said anything like ‘warm-up’ just now and attacked you and Li Tao directly?”
Before his voice had even fallen.
Several students standing nearby jumped out:
“Teacher, we saw it! They really were warming up!”
“I even recorded a video here!”
One person raised his phone and played the video of Jiang Xueyao previously inviting the two of them to warm up.
The two teachers both breathed a sigh of relief.
“So it was a warm-up after all.”
“That’s good.”
“Stretcher. Take him to the infirmary.”
“Register it. In this monthly exam, two students are unable to participate due to injury.”
The two spoke on their own, making notes in a register.
Li Tao was immediately lifted onto a stretcher and taken away directly.
Song Huaijin’s eyes widened as he looked at the two teachers. His mouth opened, but he couldn’t say a word.
It was over.
This monthly exam was extremely important, yet he had messed it up!
Not only that.
His relationship with Jiang Xueyao was also over.
He was helped onto a stretcher and swiftly carried out of the sports field.
Elsewhere.
In the middle of the sports field.
Yang Xiaobing, Xu Yuan, and Zhao Afei had already formed a team and were discussing finding one more classmate.
From the edge of the sports field came the explosive roar of flames.
—Jiang Xueyao had removed Song Huaijin and Li Tao’s exam qualifications with one sword strike.
“That’s her business. There’s nothing worth watching.”
Yang Xiaobing knew what was going on and deliberately covered for Jiang Xueyao.
—In truth, she was also worried that after Xu Yuan learned the truth, he would do something irrational.
The third year of high school was a crucial period. Not a single step could go wrong.
The matter of the love letter could already be considered turned over.
“What a temper.”
Xu Yuan muttered.
“Not at all. She treated Song Huaijin as a friend, but Song Huaijin deceived her over something and nearly caused serious consequences. She was too angry to let it go, that’s why she acted like this,” Yang Xiaobing said, standing up for her best friend.
“All right. Thinking about it that way, I actually feel like she went easy on them,” Xu Yuan said.
Zhao Afei stood to the side, his eyes round and wide, his mouth tightly shut, not saying a word.
—Although he didn’t know what had happened, this was clearly gossip about the school beauty Jiang!
It was a moving emotional story of deception and being deceived!
He had to listen properly!
Not miss a single word.
“Now we still need to find one more classmate,” Xu Yuan said.
“Yes. Do you have anyone to recommend?” Yang Xiaobing asked.
“I think Jiang Xueyao would work,” Xu Yuan said.
The top-ranked girl in the year.
If they could convince her and have her participate in the group battle with them, that would be best.
—This exam is very important to me!
Yang Xiaobing froze for a moment, then clapped her hands and said:
“That’s right! She doesn’t have a team now. I’ll go talk to her!”
She ran over quickly.
Very soon, she ran back again, biting her lip as she said, “She won’t team up with us. She says the previous fight wasn’t satisfying enough, and during the exam later, she wants to fight you again.”
“Tell her that if she doesn’t team up with me, then I absolutely won’t fight her ever again—I’ll run every time I see her.”
Xu Yuan said resolutely.