The competition is over?

Hearing the shouts from outside, Lu Kuang, hidden within a crevice in the ground, immediately perked up, his tightly wound nerves relaxing considerably.

He had chosen to hide here precisely to safely and steadily lie low until the competition ended. He was already quite certain that with his over 3,500 points, he would undoubtedly secure first place in this Outer Sect Competition.

Under such circumstances, ensuring he didn’t mess up was the top priority!

Out of caution, he didn’t reveal himself immediately. Instead, he carefully listened to the movements outside for a while. Only after confirming there was no one around did he silently emerge from his underground hiding spot.

Once on the surface, Lu Kuang brushed the dust off his clothes and swiftly headed in one direction.

He had overheard earlier that jade tokens needed to be handed in within one hour. Now that most of that time had passed, if he didn’t hurry over soon, it would be too late.

“It really is over.”

Upon reaching the assembly point, Lu Kuang quickly spotted Elder Yang Xiude of the Internal Affairs Pavilion among the crowd. This dispelled his last trace of doubt, replacing it with irrepressible joy.

According to past practice, the winner of the Outer Sect Competition not only received a generous reward but would also be specially nurtured after entering the Inner Sect, promising a bright future.

Thinking of this, Lu Kuang couldn’t help but grin, beginning to daydream about his glorious future path.

Suddenly, a slightly teasing voice interrupted his reverie.

“Lu Kuang, why are you so late? Did you have a poor harvest and feel too embarrassed to show your results?”

Lu Kuang snorted coldly and turned to retort. “Han Zaiyuan, I truly hope your luck this time isn’t as terrible as usual. Otherwise, you might not even reach one-tenth of my score!”

Han Zaiyuan was, like Lu Kuang, one of the top Outer Sect disciples. While their relationship wasn’t particularly bad, they often engaged in open and covert rivalry in daily life, viewing each other as competitors.

To Lu Kuang’s surprise, Han Zaiyuan—who usually had a short temper—didn’t get angry at this taunt for once. Instead, he appeared utterly unperturbed, seemingly completely unaffected.

“Oh? I’m truly looking forward to it then. Let’s see if you can produce decent results later.”

Han Zaiyuan slightly raised the corner of his mouth, casting an indifferent glance at the jade token on Lu Kuang’s waist before saying calmly, “If you lose, remember to call me ‘Senior Brother’ in the Inner Sect from now on.”

Hearing this, Lu Kuang raised an eyebrow slightly before bursting into laughter. “Fine! Then let our results decide who’s right.”

At that moment, Xie Yuxing, who had been watching coldly from nearby all along, walked over and said:

“Everyone calls us the ‘Three Elites of the Outer Sect.’ Since we’re competing, naturally I shouldn’t be left out. Why not take this opportunity to test which of us three is truly the strongest rising star within the valley!”

These words instantly attracted everyone’s attention at the scene.

A good show is coming up!

All three belonged to the top echelon among Outer Sect disciples. In terms of strength, they were considered evenly matched and on par.

Now all three appeared brimming with confidence and ready for confrontation. Clearly, they intended to compete based on their points. Regardless of the outcome, what followed promised to be very exciting.

“What are you three standing around for? Hurry up and hand over your jade tokens. Don’t waste everyone’s time.”

Seeing this situation, “Elder Yang Xiude of the Internal Affairs Pavilion” frowned sternly and urged them sharply.

“As you command!”

Hearing this, Lu Kuang, Han Zaiyuan, and Xie Yuxing exchanged glances before simultaneously tossing their jade tokens to Qi Yuan—who was “responsible for tallying points”—and urging in unison: “Tell us now! Among us three, who has the highest points?”

Success!

Qi Yuan smiled as he took the jade tokens from these three outstanding employees. He first glanced at their point totals before announcing.

“Han Zaiyuan: three thousand one hundred twenty-two points. Not bad at all.”

Hiss—

Hearing this number, many uninformed disciples gasped sharply.

How many demon beasts did he have to kill? No wonder we have so few points; they’re all concentrated here.

Seeing the expressions around him, Han Zaiyuan smiled smugly and glanced at his two rivals beside him. But halfway through his smile, it suddenly froze on his face.

He noticed that although the other two showed slight reactions momentarily, they quickly returned to normal expressions without revealing any sign of dejection or dismay whatsoever.

What’s going on?

At that moment, he finally sensed something amiss! He frowned unconsciously toward Qi Yuan…

“Lu Kuang: three thousand five hundred eighty-one points. Ranking second place. Henceforth, you must continue striving diligently.”

Three thousand five hundred eighty-one points?!

Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief, almost doubting their own ears…

Even more outrageous was that three thousand five hundred eighty-one points ranked second…

Even Lu Kuang himself was dumbfounded!

He stared incredulously at Qi Yuan, asking aloud, “There’s actually someone higher than me? How… how is this possible?”

Qi Yuan shrugged, continuing his announcement.

“Xie Yuxing: four thousand twenty-seven points. Seems like putting in extra overtime indeed yields results.”

Although not understanding what that last part meant, upon learning he ranked first place, Xie Yuxing still flushed red with excitement, brimming with satisfaction as he addressed his two disheartened opponents before him.

“My apologies, fellow Junior Brothers, but it seems Senior Brother here has won by a slight margin. Thank you for conceding!”

Just then, “Elder Yang Xiude of Internal Affairs Pavilion” cleared his throat lightly, interrupting the discussions within the scene. “Alright, matters concluded. Please activate the transmission talismans in your hands and leave the competition area now.”

On the square plaza.

Watching one disciple after another transmit over from the back mountain, everyone observing through the magic mirror appeared stunned, eyes glazed over, shocked speechless. Their minds were filled with a single thought:

Holy crap!!!

From a bystander’s perspective, those participating in the competition seemed controlled like puppets, lining up in a long queue before the competition ended, handing their jade tokens one after another to Qi Yuan, some even saying “thank you.”

After handing over the tokens, they used transmission talismans to send themselves out, seemingly completely unaware that exiting early would cancel their results.

This scene was simply too bizarre!

After prolonged silence, someone finally stammered out.

“What just happened? Did… did my eyes deceive me?”

“Why is such a strange situation occurring…”

Suddenly someone exclaimed loudly.

“Forget about that for now. Do you realize what this means?”

“According to the rules, except for that servant disciple, everyone else in the Outer Sect Competition is eliminated. There won’t be any top ten rankings; only one victor exists—Big Qi!”

“Heavens, how did he manage to accomplish this?!”

These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring huge waves.

Amidst the rising exclamations mingling among the group of Inner Sect disciples, Ji Chan’er also recovered from her shock, eyes flickering with unusual brilliance.

Boundlessly imaginative, stopping at nothing.

Skilled at enduring, meticulous planning.

Strikes decisively, leaving no room…

The Demon Sect needs talents like this!

Due to holding the Outer Sect Competition, the entire back mountain had been sealed off for the past few days. It didn’t require her to guard the medicine garden, so she decided to appear publicly to avoid suspicion. She never expected to stumble upon such an unexpected discovery…