Washing Face

Jiang Ran's control was simply too strong.

The strength of his divine soul far exceeded the limits, beyond anything any early-stage Qi Refining cultivator could possibly match.

Even ten moving halos posed no real challenge to him.

And so came this attempt.

The Fireball Technique struck the red rings, the Stone Shattering Technique struck the yellow rings, and the Water Ball Technique struck the blue rings...

Fight fire with fire, water with water.

Elemental restraint could maximize a spell's power.

Then what would happen if spells of the same element were used?

"Now..." Jiang Ran's eyes glimmered faintly.

"Burst!"

He quietly altered the path of spiritual energy within the spells. The multicolored spells that had entered the halos instantly exploded, and every halo shattered along with them!

"That's right. Spells of the same element can suppress each other too." Jiang Ran withdrew his hand, countless insights surfacing in his mind.

"The generation and restraint of the Five Elements isn't absolute. Spell construction and the level of power can both affect it..."

Whether he could place in the Spell Tournament was not particularly important to Jiang Ran.

Learning something and improving himself—that was what made this trip worthwhile.

Including Jiang Ran himself, no one knew that the big shots on the viewing platform had long since erupted into an uproar.

"You said this kid came from Pingjiang?" A teacher from Mingzhu Group spoke with undisguised doubt.

"Absolutely true. Pingjiang No. 1 High School's roster is right here. His name is Jiang Ran."

"Unbelievable... At Qi Refinement Level Two, he can achieve Spirit Communion. He's definitely a genius!" Director Liang Wenjun declared with resounding force.

"A genius like this cannot be allowed to remain buried."

"Little Wu, register him immediately and transfer him to Mingzhu!"

"No... Put him in the Elite Class!"

"Wait, wait..." Guo Renwu, principal of Pearl High School, was sweating profusely.

"Elder Liang, this child has a Low-Grade Spirit Root."

"A Low-Grade Spirit Root? So what if it's a Low-Grade Spirit Root?" Director Liang waved a broad hand. "At worst, give him a student loan and replace it with a Superior Spirit Root."

"Elder Liang, his family is classified as impoverished..."

"Impoverished?" Director Liang froze slightly. He had not heard that term in many years.

After a long while, Secretary Wu behind him cautiously spoke up.

"Sir, should we continue with the transfer arrangements?"

"Mm..." Liang Wenjun coughed. "This child comes from Pingjiang. He should naturally be cultivated by Pingjiang."

"We'll discuss this matter later."

Discuss it later.

Those two words vetoed every bit of importance they had placed on Jiang Ran.

Jiang Ran's performance just now had indeed been dazzling, but that was all. There were simply too many geniuses in this world.

Liang Wenjun was one of the directors of Pearl Education Group, undoubtedly a major figure. In truth, someone like him could have rewritten Jiang Ran's fate with a single sentence and brought him endless sponsorship.

Unfortunately, what mattered most to Pearl Education Group was not education, but the group.

Capital was realistic. The talent Jiang Ran had displayed was not enough to make those people invest in him unconditionally.

Being impoverished meant having no resources, no connections, nothing. Everything would have to come from Mingzhu Group, and the returns on that investment were far too low.

Back at the competition grounds.

The results of the third round had already been announced.

Several thousand people had once again been eliminated by more than half, leaving only the final three to four hundred contestants in the arena.

"Go, Jiang Ran! You're the best!" Tao Dapeng shouted from afar.

Dapeng was more excited than anyone. The more impressive his good brother was, the more glory he felt on his own face.

By the numbers, the three to four hundred students still on the field would all receive the Spell Tournament's "Silver Award."

The Silver Award did not carry as much weight as the Gold Award, but for high school students, it was already a highly meaningful trophy.

Pingjiang No. 1 High School had sent five hundred students to compete. Aside from Jiang Ran, Tao Dapeng, and a small handful of others specially recommended by their spell teachers,

nearly every remaining student had been among the top five hundred in their grade at Pingjiang No. 1 High School.

The facts proved that high cultivation and good grades did not necessarily mean one's spellcasting level would be higher than others'.

Of the few hundred people still on the field, three were students from Pingjiang No. 1 High School.

Qi Ming, Zhang Jingjing, and Jiang Ran.

By the final stage of the Spell Tournament, many high schools had already been wiped out entirely.

For Pingjiang No. 1 High School to have three people remain until the end was already proof of the school's strength.

"He actually made it to the finals..."

"No way. Did he pull strings or something?"

"How is that possible? I got eliminated even at Qi Refinement Level Three. How did he pass at Qi Refinement Level Two?"

A sharp rebuke suddenly rang out from the crowd.

The one who spoke was not Tao Dapeng, but Cheng Qian, the class monitor of Class Three.

"Have you said enough?" Cheng Qian's expression was exceedingly stern.

"Jiang Ran is a student of our No. 1 High School. He represents our school's honor. You're spouting nonsense here—if you have the ability, why don't you go up there and compete?"

Everyone was rendered speechless.

Tao Dapeng's eyes widened. He had never expected the class monitor, who had always been sparing with her words and smiles, to take the initiative to defend Jiang Ran.

"Jiang Ran's progress lately has been obvious for everyone to see." Cheng Qian deliberately—or perhaps not—glanced at Tao Dapeng.

"Keep watching. I believe Jiang Ran is no worse than anyone else."

Inside the target range, Mingzhu Group's teachers had already finished explaining the rules for the final round.

It was very simple. The final round was the most direct of all.

—Spell duels!

Spell duels, a true combat competition.

The students would be paired off and draw lots for offensive and defensive matches. The rules stated that only spell power would be tested; close-range weapon combat was prohibited.

The Spell Tournament was, after all, a Spell Tournament. What it tested was spellcasting ability.

As the match was about to begin, Zhang Jingjing shot Jiang Ran beside her a look filled with complicated emotions.

Poor grades, no common sense, random confessions, selling his Spirit Root... That had been Zhang Jingjing's former impression of Jiang Ran.

But recently, Jiang Ran seemed to have completely changed.

He trained diligently, his grades improved, teachers praised him, and now he had even reached the final round of the Spell Tournament.

It was simply unbelievable that a student who had ranked at the bottom of Pingjiang No. 1 High School just a few months ago could undergo such a huge transformation.

In Zhang Jingjing's eyes... this was surely the finest proof of unyielding self-improvement and Heaven rewarding diligence.

"Good luck..."

Qi Ming remained expressionless as he turned his head slightly and met Jiang Ran's eyes.

Neither of them thought much of it. Both assumed Zhang Jingjing was encouraging the other.

The match began soon after.

Jiang Ran's opponent was a student from Huachuan High School in the eastern region, with Qi Refinement Level Three cultivation.

If it were only Qi Refinement Level Three cultivation, Jiang Ran had nothing to fear.

Yet now, he was trembling slightly, debating whether to apply to withdraw from the competition or simply surrender outright.

It was not that he lacked confidence in his own strength.

Rather, he had suddenly realized that he seemed to be a little lopsided in his studies.

I'm screwed... I never learned any defensive spells! Jiang Ran felt rather embarrassed.

He was given no more time to hesitate.

The teacher announced the start of the match, and the Huachuan High School student had already launched a blazing mass of flame.

"Forget it..." Jiang Ran sighed.

He completed the Torrent Technique in an instant, raising his hand and firing out a stream of water with savage force.

Torrent Technique sounded impressive, but in reality, it was just a column of water—at most, the current was a little fiercer.

Relying on his Qi Refinement Level Three cultivation, the Huachuan High School student paid Jiang Ran's attack no heed at all, a scornful smile appearing on his face.

Fire spells were inherently devastating. Jiang Ran had chosen defense rather than offense; he was simply seeking his own death.

But what he never could have expected was...

The water column collided with the flames and scattered them in an instant.

Its remaining force did not diminish in the slightest. It struck him squarely in the face, drenching his entire body with a loud splash.

"Thanks for letting me win." Jiang Ran curled his lips.

Professor Cao had said to use the least spiritual energy to unleash the greatest power.

Now he had done it. Qi Nourishment Perfection had given him absolute control over spiritual energy.