Trial Ends, Academy Head Candidate

As time passed, the crowd in the square gradually increased, but the atmosphere became increasingly subtle.

The doubts gradually subsided in the face of the silent exhaustion of those who experienced it firsthand, but another, more turbulent undercurrent was silently sweeping in.

Chu Wujiu leaned against the cold stone pillar and slowly exhaled a long, suppressed breath.

The sense of defeat in my eyes did not completely fade away; instead, it settled into a clearer understanding.

"The road... is still very long," he muttered to himself.

"Oh, you're out?"

A slightly relaxed voice rang out.

Chu Wujiu looked up and saw Zhou Yunyi walking slowly towards him, his face showing a relaxed and carefree air that seemed out of place with the somber atmosphere around him.

Chu Wujiu nodded, his exhaustion making him a beat slower in his reaction.

Only now did he belatedly realize a crucial question:

"Where are you? I didn't see you on the Eleventh Layer."

At this moment, Li Xuan and Ji Wuchen also noticed the commotion and slowly walked over.

Although Li Xuan tried his best to remain calm, the weariness in his eyes was still evident.

Ji Wuchen raised an eyebrow, sizing Zhou Yunyi up and down, his tone inquisitive. "You won't be eliminated below the tenth floor, will you?"

"How could that be?"

Zhou Yunyi immediately denied it, but his tone wasn't exactly firm, and his eyes even flickered for a moment.

He didn't explain in detail, only giving a vague answer.

After all... he was actually given special treatment and sent directly from the ninth floor to the outside.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming slightly awkward, Yun Zexuan and Zhao Lingyun walked over side by side.

Yun Zexuan's face held a hint of amusement as his gaze swept over the crowd, lingering particularly on Zhou Yunyi: "I just took a walk around and heard a rather interesting rumor."

Chu Wujiu and the others looked at him.

Yun Zexuan continued unhurriedly, his voice clear. "An elder revealed that the first place winner of this trial... is Zhou Yunyi."

"First place?" Chu Wujiu repeated subconsciously.

Zhao Lingyun nodded in confirmation, his expression somewhat complicated. "That's right. Moreover, he's the only one who made it through the Eleventh Layer."

"Pass through the Eleventh Layer...?"

Ji Wuchen and Li Xuan exchanged a glance, both of them clearly displaying a huge question mark in their eyes.

Ji Wuchen couldn't help but ask, "You're the first one? Then why didn't we see you on the Eleventh Layer?"

"And when I went up there, I didn't see any signs of a battle?"

Instantly, everyone's gaze—curiosity, inquiry, doubt, and shock—was focused on Zhou Yunyi.

The pressure has increased sharply.

Zhou Yunyi's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly, and his back stiffened slightly.

He tried to maintain a calm demeanor, even deliberately raising his chin, and said in a slightly provocative (but actually guilty) tone, "Just because you can't do it doesn't mean... I can't."

But what I was really thinking was: I can't possibly tell you that I got in through connections, can I?

Just as Zhou Yunyi was struggling Celestial Person but trying to remain calm, a slight commotion suddenly arose at the edge of the crowd.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Qin Wangchuan walking over with several elders of profound aura.

He walked calmly and composedly to where Chu Wujiu and the others were.

"Did you have fun?" Qin Wangchuan stopped a few steps away, his gaze sweeping over the slightly disheveled Chu Wujiu, Li Xuan, and the others, clearly noticing their hard work.

Chu Wujiu snorted irritably, but a complex emotion flashed in his eyes. "The Supreme Dao Heart version of the Heavenly Sword can even fire in rapid succession!"

"Plus, your Law Follows Words become law; you're quite good at hiding your true intentions."

Qin Wangchuan's lips seemed to twitch very slightly. "Indeed, some remained."

My Second Brother often taught me, "When you're out and about, always keep some things hidden away."

"Hidden strength? Does that mean you only use half your strength normally?!" Chu Wujiu's pupils contracted slightly, and even Li Xuan and Ji Wuchen beside him paused in their tracks.

"I didn't say that," Qin Wangchuan added casually, silencing Chu Wujiu's almost-spoken question.

Their seemingly casual but actually tense banter attracted the attention of many people around them.

But soon, everyone's attention was drawn to the high platform.

An elder in charge stepped forward, cleared his throat, and sent his voice, imbued with powerful Spiritual Power, to every corner of the plaza:

"Quiet."

"The Myriad Dao Book Palace Trial has now concluded. The rankings will now be announced based on the trial performance!"

The noisy square fell silent instantly, and countless eyes focused on the scroll in the elder's hand that emitted a faint golden light.

With all the previous rumors in place, almost everyone had already formed an expectation.

"The first place is undoubtedly Qin Wangchuan, right?" someone whispered to their companion.

"It must be him. With that brand being so powerful, wouldn't the person himself be unstoppable?"

"The second should be Chu Wujiu. Although he lost, his ability to contend with that kind of mark shows his strength is beyond doubt."

"Third... it's hard to say about Li Xuan and Xiang Haoran, we'll have to see how they perform."

Whispers rippled through the room.

The elder said no more and tossed the scroll in his hand into the air.

The scroll unfurled in the wind, radiating golden light, and lines of names appeared one by one from bottom to top, each name followed by a brief evaluation and the number of levels.

People's eyes habitually sweep from the back of the list, then quickly move upwards, searching for those familiar names.

Chu Wujiu, Xiang Haoran, Li Xuan, Ji Wuchen... their names are among the top names, but not at the very top.

Qin Wangchuan is only ranked tenth?

In terms of speed of clearing the checkpoints, this ranking is not high.

But don't forget, Qin Wangchuan and Qin Zhaoer were actually taken away by Sixth Brother after only passing the first nine levels. Not only did they miss out on the scores for the last two levels, but they also watched the battle until it ended.

When everyone's gaze finally settled on that single name at the top of the list—

"Zhou Yunyi?"

After a brief Deathly Stillness, a chorus of astonished gasps arose.

"Who is it? Did they write it wrong?"

"This... I seem to vaguely remember him, the First Feather of the Zhou Clan in this generation? I'm not quite sure..."

"Never heard of it!" A loud voice, filled with undisguised doubt, rang out.

Zhou Yunyi, who was standing near the center of the crowd, felt a vein throbbing on his forehead as he listened.

I've never heard of it!

"Why are you shouting so loudly?!" he roared inwardly, but he had to keep a straight face, even muttering aloud.

"Yes, yes, I'm just a nobody, okay?"

Zhou Yunyi's almost self-deprecating mutterings only made the expressions of the people nearby who recognized him even stranger.

Next comes the distribution of ranking rewards.

For top Prodigy, the regular rewards of the Book Palace Trials are mostly just icing on the cake; what they value more is the potential represented by the ranking itself and the future resource allocation from the Academy.

As expected, Chu Wujiu and the others didn't even lift their eyelids when they received the pills.

These things, which are the dream of ordinary disciples, are not very attractive to them.

But Zhou Yunyi was secretly overjoyed!

What he lacked, he received! These were exactly the things he desperately needed at this stage!

My previous frustration dissipated considerably.

However, just as the regular rewards were being awarded and everyone thought the event was about to end, He Xuan, the First Elder of the Xuanyi Academy, slowly walked up to the high platform.

The elder, known for his eccentric temperament and sharp eyes, swept his gaze across the dark mass of people below, finally settling on Zhou Yunyi, who was secretly delighted to have received his reward.

He Xuan's lips curled into a meaningful smile, and his voice echoed throughout the hall:

"I have something else to announce."

"As decided by the academy meeting, effective immediately, Zhou Yunyi, a freshman from this year's class, will serve as the Academy Head our Xuanyi Academy!"

What?!

The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted in uproar!