Chapter 34 : Third Exam

A week had passed since then. The day of the third exam finally arrived. Only half of the entire new disciples participated. Yang Wei stood in front of the arena, watching the name list of disciples who would face each other. It seemed like Xu Yanran and Bai Zhi were also participating, but they wouldn't face each other until at least the finals.

"I knew you'd join," Xu Yanran said as she walked toward Yang Wei, a spear slung over her back. "You changed your weapon?" Yang Wei asked. "The sword isn't for me after all. I need something with a wider range," she replied.

"I'll wait for you in the finals," she added. Yang Wei chuckled. "I know I'll meet you in the finals." "I should go now, bye," Xu Yanran said as she walked off.

The arena was packed with spectators, both new disciples and senior disciples. The number exceeded a thousand people. Just like in the previous exam, the four peak masters watched from a higher altar, and Liu Yong was among them. As soon as Liu Yong started his speech, the crowd fell silent.

"I won't say much during this exam, so I'll stop beating around the bush. About a hundred people have joined this exam. The goal is simple: defeat your opponent and raise your worth. You are allowed to use weapons, talismans, and healing potions. However, you are prohibited from killing your opponent, or there will be severe consequences."

The crowd remained quiet as they listened to Liu Yong. "A great reward awaits the top contender. If one of the peak masters takes an interest in you, you can choose to become their direct disciple. If not, you may choose one treasure from my storage."

"(There's such a reward? If only I were a new disciple, I could ask for the sacrificial blade)," Yang Luoya thought. "The rewards have changed..." Kirin suddenly appeared beside Yang Luoya. "Ah, don't worry about me, you're the only one who can see and hear me."

"What do you mean by the rewards have changed?" Yang Luoya whispered.

"Well... in the past, the reward was different. The top contender got to choose which master they wanted to serve, regardless of the peak master's opinion."

"Something like that happened?" Yang Luoya asked in surprise.

"Yeah... maybe everything changed because of that one man, Zhou Chenfeng," Kirin replied.

"Zhou Chenfeng? You mean the person Elder Yan Xiaoluo talked about? His disciple?" Yang Luoya asked.

"Yes, something like that. In the past, he was quite troublesome. Yan Xiaoluo took on a disciple beyond his capability. You heard him in person, right? He has a certain trauma, and that trauma led to small messes, like getting injured by a grade-5 demon beast."

"But a greater mess happened after that—Zhou Chenfeng. He was... how should I put it, 'unluckily affectionate'? I don't know what to call it. Every time Yan Xiaoluo tried to reject Zhou Chenfeng's feelings, his luck grew worse, as if the world wanted him to accept Zhou Chenfeng. The sect nearly disbanded because of it," Kirin laughed as he finished.

"(Probably protagonist plot armor)," Yang Luoya thought.

"Yang Luo, what are you looking at? The fight has started," Wu Zhen, who was sitting beside Yang Luoya, called out to him. "Ah, I got distracted. Who's fighting now?"

"Look, your brother has already defeated three of his opponents," Yang Luoya was captivated by Yang Wei's fight. He never knew his brother had another side to him other than being a cute little brother. The arena was so loud, with the crowd cheering, cursing, and yelling.

Hours passed, and the exam finally reached the semifinals. This time, Xu Yanran would face Bai Zhi, while Yang Wei would face another contestant. Their fight was fierce. Bai Zhi, trained in stealth skills, tried to evade Xu Yanran, who aimed to close the distance and take advantage. In the end, Bai Zhi was defeated. Yang Wei's fight was one-sided; he defeated his opponent easily. Yang Wei and Xu Yanran would face each other in the finals.

The final match between Yang Wei and Xu Yanran began. Both exchanged fierce attacks. Spells, talismans—there was even some damage to the arena. Fortunately, Liu Yong had installed protective spells around it. The battle lasted longer than expected, but in the end, Yang Wei emerged as the victor.

"Congratulations to those who made it into the top three," Liu Yong announced. After he said that, the names of Yang Wei, Xu Yanran, and Bai Zhi appeared on the floating screen. "As I mentioned before, the top three may become direct disciples of one of the peak masters. Without further ado, for third place, Bai Zhi, are there any peak masters who wish to take him as a direct disciple?" Liu Yong asked, staring at the four peak masters.

"It feels like an auction..." Yang Luoya muttered. After he said that, Gao Jun suddenly raised his hand. "(Master?)" Gao Jun's action was unexpected.

"His stealth ability is impressive... so, Bai Zhi, do you want to become my disciple?" Gao Jun softly asked.

Bai Zhi's eyes suddenly glimmered. "(Learning beside Senior Yang Luo?!)" His happiness was beyond words. Bai Zhi quickly knelt down, "This disciple greets the master."

Yang Wei's mood dropped tenfold as he glared at Bai Zhi with jealousy.

"For second place, Xu Yanran, are there any peak masters who wish to take her as a disciple?" Liu Yong asked again. This time, the Phoenix Peak Master, Yue Lan, raised her hand.

"Despite being a female omega, I like your fighting spirit. Your determination moved my heart. Will you become my disciple?" she asked.

Xu Yanran knelt down. "This disciple greets the master."

"Finally, for first place, Yang Wei, are there any peak masters who wish to take him as a disciple?" Liu Yong asked once more. Unexpectedly, both Sun Guang and Yue Lan raised their hands at the same time.

"...This is unexpected," Liu Yong said.

"Yue Lan, aren't you already taking in a disciple? Why are you robbing mine?" Sun Guang said provocatively.

"Who says he's yours? His life will be miserable if he learns under you, you freak," Yue Lan retorted.

"What great provocation you have there, but still not as good as mine," Sun Guang shot back.

"I really want to drown you in salt and pepper because normal injuries won't work on you," Yue Lan said.

"Oh well, should I rub salt in your wound then?" Sun Guang smirked.

"Don't worry, I've prepared to fry you alive before that," Yue Lan replied. They continued their bickering.

Liu Yong clapped his hands to bring attention back to him. "Since two peak masters have raised their hands, how about we ask Yang Wei himself?" All eyes turned to Yang Wei, but he was busy glaring at Gao Jun as if trying to tell him to raise his hand too.

"Why is he glaring at me like that? He might create a hole in my head with that glare," Gao Jun thought, looking away and pretending not to notice.

Yang Wei's attention returned to the matter at hand. "Sect Leader, both of the peak masters are great, but I don't know who to choose as my master," Yang Wei said. "(Becoming a direct disciple is better than being an inner disciple. At least I can see my brother every day)," he thought. "This is difficult," Liu Yong said.

"So that means it doesn't matter who becomes your master?" Sun Guang asked eagerly. Suddenly, he jumped into the arena and extended his hand to Yue Lan.

"Yue Lan, I challenge you to a duel," he smirked. "The winner will become Yang Wei's master, of course. How about it? Don't tell me you're backing off now?"

Yue Lan glared at his provocation but descended toward the arena anyway. "This is new, but first, let's get out of the arena." Liu Yong, Yang Wei, Xu Yanran, and Bai Zhi immediately left the arena. Only Sun Guang and Yue Lan remained. The crowd was buzzing with excitement over the two peak masters fighting each other.

Liu Yong added another layer of protective spell. Both took out their main weapons.

"The winner also gets a kiss from Gao Jun," Liu Yong said, as he dashed forward.

"Why am I dragged into this?!" Gao Jun yelled.