Betrayal

Fire Ants had extremely hard skulls, and Mu Sheng was clumsy at extracting their cores. By the time he had collected six fire-element magic cores, Dongfang Wanyu had already killed a whole swath of them.

Mu Sheng suspected that, at this rate, he was certain to be eliminated after three days.

But that was no longer his immediate concern.

After slaughtering a large number of Level Two Fire Ants, Dongfang Wanyu immediately led him away.

"Why are we leaving so fast?" Mu Sheng protested. He actually wanted to kill another two. It was so rare to find magical beasts that offered no resistance, and he didn't want to give up this chance.

"Shut up. Someone's coming," Dongfang Wanyu said.

After they left, a team of five suddenly appeared. "Someone slaughtered these Level Two Magical Beasts. We're a step too late."

The five approached the Fire Ant corpses to inspect them and found wounds inflicted in two completely different ways. One was brutally direct: someone had smashed the skulls with a bare fist and dug out the magic cores. The other method looked distinctly amateurish, as though someone had used a sharp weapon to cut the skulls open.

"Two people."

"Two people killed this many Level Two Magical Beasts? That's so cool." One of them couldn't resist whistling.

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at the number on her Jade Token and gave a derisive chuckle. "Let's keep going."

Mu Sheng could have Xiao Bai release poison mist ten times a day. They specifically targeted groups of magical beasts, and their strategy never failed, allowing them to slaughter huge numbers of Level One through Level Three Magical Beasts.

Their numbers shot upward. Even Mu Sheng's count reached five hundred. In the announcement of the top three an hour earlier, Dongfang Wanyu's name had already made the rankings: third place, 1,093. She was only two hundred behind first place.

Mu Sheng admired Dongfang Wanyu beyond measure, but right now he felt as though he was about to die. She kept killing magical beasts whenever she found them, day and night without stopping, as if she had no idea what exhaustion meant.

He was different. He could barely lift his sword arm anymore.

"Don't you ever need a rest?" Unable to walk any farther, Mu Sheng leaned against a large tree and panted.

Dongfang Wanyu nudged him with her foot. "Get up. The real struggle comes in the last twenty-four hours. I already let you rest earlier."

Mu Sheng rolled his eyes. They had only rested for a few hours.

But as he watched her walk farther away, he quickly scrambled up and stumbled after her.

"You're already third. Why are you still pushing yourself so hard?" Mu Sheng couldn't understand. If anyone should be anxious, it was him. He only had five hundred.

"Shut up. Save your strength for killing magical beasts."

After that, they encountered a stampeding group of magical beasts. Perhaps something was chasing them; they were fleeing in panic, scattering in every direction.

"Whoa, so many magical beasts! Should we have Xiao Bai release poison mist?" Mu Sheng had become quite practiced at this. Seeing a group of magical beasts no longer frightened him so much; instead, he felt a little excited. The experience had made him braver.

Dongfang Wanyu shook her head. Anything capable of frightening a group of Level Three Magical Beasts like this had to be either a sacred beast or a magical beast at least two levels above them.

"Two Level Six Magical Beasts are approaching from a hundred meters away. Find somewhere to hide, quickly," Qing Mo warned.

A Level Six Magical Beast was equivalent to a human Spirit Lord. That was no mere great spirit master, but a rank three levels higher.

Dongfang Wanyu immediately grabbed Mu Sheng and ran. She could just about handle a great spirit master, but taking on a Spirit Lord? Ha. Only if she had a death wish.

"D-did something happen?" Dragged by the back of his collar, Mu Sheng nearly choked. Seeing her lips pressed together, he instinctively asked.

Dongfang Wanyu followed the fleeing magical beasts, running every which way. She had no idea where they had ended up, but when she sensed their surroundings, she found no magical beasts with powerful energy fluctuations.

"With Level Six Magical Beasts appearing, the danger has increased. Your assessment will probably end early," Qing Mo concluded.

Dongfang Wanyu nodded. They were all new students. However talented they might be, they were still only spirit masters or great spirit masters and couldn't handle two Level Six Magical Beasts.

Even if all five hundred candidates attacked together, they couldn't defeat those two.

Mu Sheng gulped for breath. "Did something happen just now?"

"Yes. The competition will probably end early. How many magical beasts have you killed?" Dongfang Wanyu suddenly asked.

"About 536." Mu Sheng was used to her cold manner, so her suddenly gentle tone actually felt strange. Then he asked in surprise, "How do you know the competition's about to end? Aren't there still ten hours left?"

Dongfang Wanyu didn't explain. She nudged him with her foot. "Come on. Let's get your count up a little more."

They headed south, passing through a dense forest where many Gale Rabbits hid in tree hollows. Dongfang Wanyu took a porcelain bottle out of her storage space and sprinkled its contents over the grass outside, forming a complete circle.

"Seventh Sister, this is definitely good stuff. It's called a Flower Dew Pill. Don't be fooled by the pretty name—it's actually for luring gluttons. It's a little homemade remedy I developed myself, especially for rabbits. If you ever can't find anything to eat, sprinkle a circle outside a tree hollow. I bet plenty of silly rabbits will fall into your trap."

Dongfang Wanyu's lips curved into a smile. She still remembered her Ninth Sister telling her that. She just didn't know how effective it would be.

Mu Sheng looked at her in confusion. "What's that for?"

Dongfang Wanyu gestured for him to be quiet. They crouched nearby for almost an hour before Gale Rabbits with red, gleaming eyes began springing out of the tree hollows and into the trap she had prepared. Even after one fell for it, the others kept foolishly hopping in. Before long, a whole crowd had gathered.

Mu Sheng stared in disbelief. How could such stupid little creatures exist among magical beasts?

"Have Xiao Bai use the finishing move, quick." Seeing him still standing in a daze, Dongfang Wanyu couldn't resist kicking him.

"Oh, right!"

He had almost forgotten they were here to hunt magical beasts. Mu Sheng immediately summoned his little companion. "Xiao Bai, go!"

Xiao Bai settled down upwind, shook its head, and released poison smoke with all its might. Soon, the Gale Rabbits sniffed the air and succumbed one after another, falling in heaps.

"Move quickly." Dongfang Wanyu planted a kick squarely on Mu Sheng's backside.

Though Mu Sheng didn't know why she was in such a hurry, he obediently took out his sword and extracted the magic cores from their heads one by one.

The pale green cores were quite pretty, but they were only Level One wind-element cores. He had no use for them at present, so he put them into his Spatial Ring.

His Jade Token kept chiming, indicating that his count was steadily rising. Just as he was about to finish, the notification sound abruptly stopped.

"Greetings, students. I am your examiner, and I have an announcement. Due to an unforeseen incident during the assessment, the elders of the assessment committee have unanimously agreed to end the competition early. All candidates, listen carefully. Put aside all nonessential activities and leave the trial grounds immediately."

The voice came from an unknown source and repeated the announcement three times. Every student throughout the trial grounds heard it clearly.

Mu Sheng was dumbfounded. Dongfang Wanyu had predicted this two hours ago, which was why she had raced against time to help him complete his task.

"Let's go."

The first elimination round, scheduled to last three days, came to an abnormal end.

Mu Sheng looked at the final number on his Jade Token—687—and grinned foolishly. Three days ago, he would never have believed he could kill so many magical beasts.

"Qian Wanyu, thank you so much for this."

Dongfang Wanyu waved a hand. "Don't celebrate just yet."

According to the original rules, everyone ranked below two hundred in the magical beast kill count would be eliminated. When the results were announced, Mu Sheng stood to one side, watching nervously, filled with both apprehension and fear.

He was apprehensive because, if he passed, how would he get through the second round? He was afraid because he had struggled so hard for three days, going from someone who knew nothing about magical beasts to someone who could expertly dismantle their heads. That, too, had been a journey of growth.

"Congratulations." Dongfang Wanyu patted his shoulder, startling him out of his wandering thoughts.

"Congratulations for what?"

Dongfang Wanyu pointed at the 168th entry on the screen: Mu Sheng of the Wood Hall.

Mu Sheng's heart finally settled. He jumped up in delight. "Wow! I finally did it!"

Then he searched carefully and found Qian Wanyu's name in third place, listed under the Thunder Hall. "Wanyu, you're amazing."

She had said third place, and third place it was. Mu Sheng still remembered not quite believing her when she had made that arrogant declaration. Now he was thoroughly won over.

Once his excitement faded, Mu Sheng realized that every part of him ached and felt exhausted. He desperately wanted to rest.

"Now that you've seen your results on the screen, everyone ranked below two hundred, step forward." A large group silently stepped out. They were the candidates eliminated in the first round.

Mu Sheng covered his mouth. He felt he had come very close to becoming one of them.

"Everyone, stand to my left. An examiner will escort you out shortly."

"First, congratulations on passing the first elimination round and advancing to the second test. I am your examiner, Ouyang. You may call me Teacher Ouyang. Now I will explain the rules of the second round. Starting now, I will place five Spirit Stones in each of your Jade Tokens. Spirit Stones will play a vital role in your future lives. They are a medium of exchange, allowing you to obtain medicinal herbs, enter the Ivory Tower to cultivate, and much, much more... All I want to say here is that Spirit Stones are essential to your survival. Like the first round, the second assessment is a competition in which only the strongest survive. Those with the most Spirit Stones will advance. However, students one year above you are also in the trial grounds, and they will steal your Spirit Stones. Once all five Spirit Stones in your Jade Token have been taken, if you fail to steal any from someone else within two hours and your count remains zero, you will be eliminated immediately."

Openly sanctioned robbery. The entire crowd erupted.

Mu Sheng was rather stunned after hearing the rules. Looking at the packs of ravenous-looking new students around him, he edged closer to Dongfang Wanyu in fear.

"They won't rob me, will they?"

"They might."

Dongfang Wanyu looked at him with a smile, then at the Jade Token in his hand.

By the time everyone entered the trial grounds, they had formed new teams.

Dongfang Wanyu had intended to shake off Mu Sheng and enter alone, but he shamelessly clung to her, putting on a pitiful expression that reminded her of her Ninth Sister. Somehow, she felt a little guilty about leaving him behind.

"Wanyu, do you think those senior students will hide somewhere and ambush us?" Mu Sheng was fairly quick-witted. Ever since the examiner had announced that students from the year above would rob them, he hadn't felt safe at all.

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at him. "Definitely. Though if they rob anyone, it'll probably be you."

The students entered the trial grounds in scattered groups. Before long, Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng encountered some students who had been robbed by their seniors.

"Help! Is anyone there?"

A whole group was shouting for help. The five-person team had been tied together with tree branches, bundled into a tangled mass.

Dongfang Wanyu continued on her way as though she had neither heard nor seen anything.

"They seem to be calling for help. Wanyu, should we go take a look?"

"Sure. You can go have a look."

Did that mean she agreed? Mu Sheng thought for a moment, then eagerly ran over.

"Oh, Mu Sheng! Come help untie us!"

Looking at the five of them, Mu Sheng recognized one familiar face. "Xiao Ruo, what are you doing here?"

The two had entered the Royal Academy at the same time and were both new recruits to the Wood Hall. They had met while asking for directions during the first assessment, so naturally, their relationship was a little closer than that of ordinary fellow students.

At least, that was what Mu Sheng had always thought.

"A team of senior students robbed us just now, then tied us up afterward," Xiao Ruo said pitifully.

As Mu Sheng untied them, he said, "Then you should be more careful next time. Don't run into them again."

"Mu Sheng, are you alone?" Xiao Ruo asked casually.

Mu Sheng naturally shook his head, but he wondered why Wanyu had gone so quiet. Looking back, he found Dongfang Wanyu nowhere in sight and immediately understood what she had really meant by "sure."

"I think I am now." Mu Sheng was terribly dejected. He hadn't expected Wanyu to leave just like that.

The five exchanged glances. One stepped forward and suddenly restrained him, then they used the branches he had just untied to bind his hands behind his back.

Mu Sheng was utterly bewildered. "What are you doing? Why are you tying me up?"

Xiao Ruo stood before him, looking guilty. "Mu Sheng, I'm really sorry. But the rules said we'd be eliminated if the Spirit Stone count in our tokens stayed at zero for two hours. You happen to have five in yours. If we each take one, none of us will be eliminated."

Mu Sheng was speechless. So he had to be eliminated instead?

"Xiao Ruo, why waste so much breath on him? Even if he doesn't give them to us now, he'll still be eliminated when he runs into those ravenous seniors. Hurry up and take his Spirit Stones."

Mu Sheng was completely dumbfounded. He felt as though this dark world had dealt him ten thousand points of damage.

The five took his Spirit Stones and promptly vanished.

Mu Sheng wanted to cry, but no tears came. He had finally gotten a taste of what being a good person meant. What hurt even more was that his friend had actually told him to stay put, saying someone would come for him in two hours.

"Waaah, what am I going to do? I don't want to be eliminated!"

After working so hard, he had finally made it into the top two hundred out of five hundred candidates. The second round had barely begun, and he was already facing elimination less than two hours in. He couldn't accept it.

"Waaah! Wanyu!"

Mu Sheng sobbed while repeatedly calling Qian Wanyu's name.

"You're so noisy. What are you shouting for?"

Dongfang Wanyu hurled a piece of fruit straight at his face, splattering it with pulp.

"Sister Wanyu!" Mu Sheng had looked as though he had lost all will to live, but when he spotted her reclining in the tree, he immediately grinned foolishly. "Sister Wanyu, you haven't left after all!"

Dongfang Wanyu threw another piece of fruit at him. Even when it hit him squarely, Mu Sheng wasn't angry. He chuckled foolishly and even licked the pulp off his face.

"Rest for two hours."

Mu Sheng grew even more desperate. "Sister Wanyu, I was wrong. Please untie me!"

If he rested for two hours, he would be eliminated!

Dongfang Wanyu gave him a cold glance. "Weren't you the one who wanted to free them?"

Mu Sheng nodded guiltily. "I thought—"

"You thought you were saving them. Did they thank you for it? The examiner explained the rules so clearly. Don't you understand yet? You need to be wary even of fellow disciples, let alone strangers."

Dongfang Wanyu had already experienced all manner of vicious schemes firsthand in the Dongfang Family. That was why she had become so cold and ruthless.

Mu Sheng lowered his head and murmured, "I was wrong. I'm sorry, Sister Wanyu."

She had actually been sitting in the tree watching the whole spectacle. She could have intervened, but to grow, a person had to experience deception and betrayal. Only then would he remember that pain.

Then Mu Sheng added, "Sister Wanyu, please untie me. I promise that the next time I see them, I'll take back everything they stole from me."

"You? Steal Spirit Stones from them?"

Dongfang Wanyu jumped down from the tree and patted his face with a smile. "If I release you, won't you just steal my Spirit Stones instead? Do I look stupid to you?"

Mu Sheng was utterly dumbstruck. How could he possibly steal her Spirit Stones? How would he dare?

"Sister Wanyu, stop joking. Even if I had a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare target you." Mu Sheng would have sworn to the heavens if his hands hadn't been tied.

In the end, Dongfang Wanyu waved a hand and simply walked away.

She left. She left. She left... Mu Sheng thought, utterly bereft of the will to live.