Investigation

Not long afterward, a man and a woman in black uniforms arrived at the scene.

"Long time no see, Senior Qiu Di!" The short-haired female prison guard ran over excitedly the moment she saw Yu Qiudi. Yu Qiudi, looking thoroughly disgusted, retreated several steps—but ultimately failed to escape the hug.

"So, it was him..." The male prison guard had a somewhat gloomy demeanor. His tall, slender frame and black uniform gave off a Killing Aura. He adjusted his black cap, put on a pair of White Gloves, and crouched beside Wu Youde's corpse on one knee. Without the slightest hesitation at the mangled flesh and blood, he began examining the body.

"Multiple fractures across the body. The muscles have already begun to stiffen, which indicates strenuous activity before death. There are also signs that his Vital Energy was depleted... Did he fight some Strong Enemy?"

At those words, Su KeKe instinctively looked towards Luo Jun. Yu Qiudi, having finally freed herself from her junior's clinging, explained, "He was crushed to death by that Giant Stone. Before he died, he must have used Gang Qi to hold it up for a while. He was only crushed after his Vital Energy ran out."

The male prison guard nodded, apparently accepting the explanation.

"Hm? What's this?" The prison guard pulled a photograph from the corpse, then looked up at Luo Jun. "Is this you?"

"Me?" Luo Jun was stunned. He leaned in for a look, and it really was him.

"Why would he have your photograph?" The prison guard looked at Luo Jun, his gaze as cold and grim as ever.

"How would I know?" Luo Jun was equally baffled, but then his eyes lit up. "Wait... This photo looks familiar..."

As he spoke, he leaned closer and examined it carefully. "This seems to be our school's Graduation Photo! The collar is from our School Uniform, and you can vaguely make out the outline of the Teaching Building in the background."

"A graduation photo from your school? Which school? When was it taken?"

"Second High School, just last month. Judging by the size of the portraits, it wasn't a large group photo—it should have been a small group photo..." Luo Jun's eyes brightened. "Right, two of my classmates are taking this exam too..."

The prison guard looked at Luo Jun. "Before entering the examination grounds, every prisoner underwent a physical inspection. None of them carried any unrelated items. This photograph could only have been obtained during the exam. It was very likely given to him by one of your classmates."

"That person helped him remove his collar, gave him the photograph, and wanted him to kill you!"

"Then I think I know who it was!" Luo Jun narrowed his eyes.

Somewhere in the Lower District, Han Yuri was sneaking along.

As a Green Wristband holder who had already obtained a Score Plate, he was relatively safe in the Lower District. He had originally planned to head straight for the entrance and hide among the many Gray Wristband holders until the exam ended. But on second thought, getting a three-point Score Plate so quickly would be too conspicuous. It would be better to wander around the Lower District for a couple of hours before heading over. After all, the prisoners here were all lower-level than him and basically no match for him.

Just then, he suddenly heard movement behind him. He immediately turned around alertly and discovered a man in black walking toward him.

"Who are you?" Han Yuri became wary. This man wore no collar, and there was no wristband in sight. He Didn't Know whether he was a prisoner or an examinee.

"Han Yuri, Class Three, Year Three, Ningdong City No. 2 High School?" The newcomer directly stated his school, class, and name. Han Yuri instinctively answered, and the Man in Black vanished in a flash. Before Han Yuri could react, pain struck the back of his neck, and his vision went black as he lost consciousness...

At the Same Time, atop Bewildering Peak, two prisoners lay on the ground unconscious. A beautiful Young Girl with a high ponytail and a Denim Outfit sat on a Giant Stone at the summit, idly playing with two five-point Score Plates in her hands.

Across from her, Not far away, a purple-haired Young Man wearing a gold wristband was engaged in a fierce battle with a five-point prisoner.

Layers of shattered rocks circled the prisoner. In battle, the stones moved at his will, shooting toward his opponent like bullets with considerable force. The Young Man, meanwhile, possessed the ability of Lightning Control. Electric Light coiled around his body, and every strike unleashed dazzling arcs of electricity. However, it was clear that he had only recently mastered his ability and could not use it very effectively. He was being suppressed by the stone-wielding prisoner.

Yet the prisoner continued holding back part of his strength, repeatedly glancing toward Ling Xin during the battle. It seemed that compared to the opponent In Front Of him, this absent-minded Girl was the greater threat.

"I advise you not to get distracted." Ling Xin spoke casually. "The Lei Family's Thunder Control Technique is renowned throughout the world. Young Master Lei Three may have only recently broken through, but he surely has some powerful Ultimate Move. Besides, he wants to fight you fairly and hasn't used a Treasure Tool."

"Even if you're going to lose, you should at least force out some of his trump cards. You were quite a formidable figure in your day. Aren't you afraid of losing face by being defeated by a junior who hasn't even used his full strength?"

Ling Xin's words truly stirred up the prisoner's ferocity. His attacks immediately became sharper and fiercer. Young Master Lei Three could not hold him off and retreated again and again. In the end, he sighed, used a Thunderstorm to force his opponent back, opened his Hundred Treasure Box, and took out a long saber.

"I didn't want to use this..." The moment the saber left its sheath, Thunder Light wrapped around it. Young Master Lei Three's presence surged sharply, and he charged at his opponent with a sudden burst of speed. Electric Light flashed all around as every floating stone around the prisoner was cut to pieces. In the end, the prisoner fell beneath Young Master Lei Three's blade.

Young Master Lei Three removed the Score Plate from the prisoner's charred, smoking body and walked over to Ling Xin. "Though I don't want to admit it... thank you for covering me."

"I didn't do anything." Ling Xin Shook her head. "Besides, he gave it his all in the end. You won fair and square."

Before her words had even faded, Ling Xin's brows tightened. She raised a hand and conjured a golden longsword, shooting it to the right.

The sword stopped in midair. A moment later, before Young Master Lei Three's astonished eyes, the air where its tip pointed warped, revealing a figure—a prison guard in black clothes and a black cap, both hands raised and sweat beading on his forehead.

"From the Yuan Cultivation Society prison?" Ling Xin dispersed the golden sword and asked, "Weren't you guarding the perimeter? How did you get in?"

"Something happened..." The prison guard Breathed a sigh of relief. "There are some things we need to confirm. Please come with me..."

"Me?" Ling Xin found this strange.

"You are one of the suspects... Of course, I personally believe this definitely has nothing to do with you, but procedure requires it..." As he spoke, the prison guard took out his identification.

"I understand." Ling Xin Nodded. "Let's go."

When Han Yuri woke up again, he found himself in a dim classroom, shackles on his hands and two people seated across from him.

One was Yu Qiudi, the examiner from the third round of the exam. The other was a middle-aged man in a black uniform. He was thin, with narrow eyes, high cheekbones, and sunken cheeks. His face held a coldness tinged with harshness.

Besides those two, two young people in black uniforms stood behind Han Yuri, one to his left and one to his right.

"What's going on?" Han Yuri panicked. "Examiner Yu, I'm an examinee in this test. Why have you locked me up here?"

Yu Qiudi yawned. "Let me introduce them. The man beside me is Shi Li, Warden of the Yuan Cultivation Society's Northern Prison. The two behind you are both Level Three prison guards from Northern Prison: Cui Zhen and Xiang Muzi."

"They are all responsible for the prisoners' safety during this exam." As she spoke, Yu Qiudi propped her chin on one hand and gave Shi Li beside her a listless glance. "I'll leave the rest to you."

People from the Yuan Cultivation Society prison? Hearing that title, Han Yuri roughly guessed why he had been arrested. But he still held onto a sliver of hope, repeatedly telling himself to stay calm. The Yuan Cultivation Society was an Official Organization—they needed evidence to do things!

Martial Uncle failed? Impossible! He's a Foundation Establishment Realm expert. Without the collar restraining him, killing a second-level Body Refinement Realm cultivator would be like crushing an ant. Martial Uncle must have killed that orphan and escaped. When the Barrier Breaking Talisman expired, they discovered a prisoner was missing. While tracking him down, they found that Luo Jun had died at Martial Uncle's hands, and since Luo Jun and I had a conflict, they suspected me.

Master said that outsiders didn't know about his relationship with Martial Uncle. They shouldn't have any evidence against me!

With that thought, Han Yuri gradually calmed down, though he still put on a frightened expression.

"A Yuan Cultivation Society prison? What do you want with me? I'm just an innocent examinee. I haven't done anything..."

"You know perfectly well what you did." Shi Li let out a Cold Snort and produced a photograph of Wu Youde wearing prison clothes. "Do you know this person?"

"Huh?" Han Yuri pretended he could not see clearly and tried to stand up to get closer, but Cui Zhen pressed him back down with one hand, preventing him from leaving his seat.

Xiang Muzi walked smilingly over to Shi Li, took the photograph, and held it before Han Yuri's eyes.

Han Yuri pretended to examine it carefully. After looking for several seconds, he frowned and Shook his head. "I don't know him. I've never seen him before."

"Oh?" Shi Li's narrow eyes suddenly opened wide, and a Killing Intent instantly filled the room, as though the temperature had dropped several degrees.

Han Yuri immediately shuddered. "Warden, I really Didn't Know..."

"Then you must know this person, right?" Shi Li let out another Cold Snort and took out a second photograph. It looked like an identification photo taken during examinee registration.

"I know this one! His name is Luo Jun, and he's my high school classmate!" Han Yuri's thoughts raced. "Did he say bad things about me? Warden, you can't believe what he says! That guy was a delinquent at school. He had a crush on a Girl in our class, but she was closer to me, so he always held a grudge against me and kept causing me trouble. During yesterday's exam, he even dumped snacks all over my face... A lot of examinees saw it!"

"So you admit that there was bad blood between you?" Shi Li narrowed his eyes and stared at Han Yuri. "The man I just showed you was named Wu Youde. He was one of the prisoners participating in this exam. But someone helped him escape the collar's restraints. This guy ran to the Lower District and attacked Luo Jun!"

At this point, Shi Li slammed his hand down on the table. "You and Luo Jun were the only ones in the examination grounds with a grudge against each other. Speak! Did you help Wu Youde escape and have him eliminate your enemy for you?"

(End of Chapter)