Chapter 386: Useless Weakling
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Ever since the ancient times, talents had been looking for love. They were not looking for action on the bed, but they were looking for true love.
There were the hopeless romantics who searched high and low for love.
There were many talents who dreamed that they would find their ideal match to live together and grow old with.
Some of these dreams were bitter, some didn't end well, some ended single, whilst some ended well.
Even though most of them did not end up as perfect as they dreamt it up to be, the candidates still flocked to it like moths to a flame.
Actually...
It was not difficult to understand why.
In this world, studying was the way towards success. Many of them spent decades in their study rooms, watching as the world around them kept changing.
All they were working for was success. They wanted to be revered by their peers. They hoped that they would be able to lift that veil...
How many girls were there in this world that had both the looks and the brains?
That was the perfect girl.
Males needed to know how to appreciate the arts and be skilled in writing. As for ladies, they needed to have the looks and the talent.
Without which, how would they be able to communicate with each other?
As such, the females constantly tried to improve their musical skills and the males learned to appreciate the performance.
That was the beauty of romance.
Every talent in the world tried to be well educated enough to appreciate the arts. Anyone who did not show any appreciation of the arts would not dare talk about romance.
As for Yun Qingwu, she was the dream girl for many of the talents in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Yun Qingwu knew how to draw, perform, compose poetry, amongst other things. In fact, whatever they could do, she could do too, possibly even better.
As such...
How could the candidates not be attracted to such a lady?
"Why is Yun Qingwu in the Southern Regions?!"
The first thought through the minds of the candidates was, "Has she been kidnapped?". Of course, this thought did not last long.
They saw that the demons standing behind Yun Qingwu were stern, but they accorded her immense respect.
"Yun Qingwu is part of the demons?!"
This thought raced through the minds of the candidates. They gripped their fists.
Even though she was a demon, they still admired her.
This was romance.
At least, this was romance in the minds of the candidates.
Nangong Hao's reaction was different from that of the other candidates when he saw Yun Qingwu on the cliff.
"She didn't die?" Nangong Hao tightened the grip on his sword. He recalled the incident where he had destroyed the Sword Star Formation and stained his clothes.
But he had always had doubts...
Was the lady that he killed on the boat... really Yun Qingwu?
"The young master of the demons, Yun Qingwu!" Xing Qingsui's gaze was icy as he unsheathed his sword.
He pointed it straight at Yun Qingwu, his battle intent at its peak.
"What? Yun Qingwu is the... young master of the demons?!"
"Young Master Xing, are you sure about this?"
"How can this be?"
All of the candidates looked on in disbelief when they heard what Xing Qingsui said. It felt as though Xing Qingsui had just called a hawker the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty. None of the candidates wanted to believe it was true.
However, what they wanted to believe was secondary...
It was a fact!
Just as the music continued to resonate through the air, two of the men behind Yun Qingwu began to lift up their cloaks.
Their red demonic eyes were clear for all to see.
Even though the redness was still some ways off from Bai Xing's, their cultivation level was obvious.
Rebirth, both of them!
There was one other person besides these two Rebirth State Demons. His demonic eye was green, but it sent chills down everyone's spine.
Pinnacle Supernatural State.
The three deputies of the 10 demonic domains. Two in the Rebirth State, and one at the pinnacle of the Supernatural State.
"There are two Rebirth State demons, one pinnacle Supernatural State one, and at least 50 Supernatural State elites. Furthermore... we are being surrounded on all sides by the Southern Region soldiers... how are we going to fight this battle?"
"Over my dead body!"
"No! I came here for the examination, not to die!"
"Shut up. Death is no big deal! I will willingly give up my life for this battle. Yun Qingwu, my only wish is to die by your hand!" One of the candidates scorned the cowardly candidate before he screamed to the lady at the top of the cliff, tears in his eyes.
Just as the candidate finished his sentence, a ray of purple light shot skywards from behind Yun Qingwu. Then, it crashed down.
"Sh*t!"
Blood spewed from the candidate's mouth.
He looked at his chest in disbelief. There was a sword embedded deep in his chest.
Blood flowed onto the blade and dripped onto the ground.
"You..." The candidate looked at the middle-aged man standing in front of him. He stared at the red demonic eye in disbelief.
"Useless weakling!" The middle-aged man removed his sword and blood spewed from the wound. However, he did not even bother looking at that candidate. In fact, he didn't even give a reason for killing the candidate.
He merely called the candidate a weakling.
This candidate had spent decades studying for this examination. He was revered by his peers. Yet, the last thing he heard before his death...
Useless weakling.
Panic, disorientation, a sense of loss...
At that moment, all of the candidates understood one thing. In the Great Xia Dynasty, they were the top talents of their generation.
They could enjoy their lives and be revered by others. They could spend their time composing poems and having fun.
But, the moment they stepped out of the Great Xia Dynasty, out of the protective bubble, they were nothing
Fang Zhengzhi was the prime example.
He was a villager. No matter how talented he was, they never thought of him as a serious contender. How could a villager ever match up to them?
They were so arrogant that they ignored everyone else.
But now...
In the battle between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Southern Region, when being flanked by the demons, they were helpless.
Pinnacle Heavenly Reflection talent?
In the face of a Rebirth State demon, he was a weakling.
He could be killed easily.
Chen Feiyu looked at the candidate bathing in his own blood. He was no more than two steps from the candidate. When the middle-aged man removed his sword, he could feel the warmth of the blood gushing out.
Some of it splattered on his face.
He saw the look of defiance on the face of the candidate. For the first time, he felt that death was imminent.
As a disciple in one of the 13 constabularies, he had seen his fair share of blood.
However, he knew that the bloodshed was never lethal. After all, the 13 constabularies ensured that no one was fatally injured.
When he broke through to the Supernatural State...
He only had one thought in his mind. He wanted to showcase his power. He wanted others to cheer for him and recognize him as a talent.
But now?
There was a Rebirth State demon just steps away from him. The demon held a sword stained with the blood of his comrade. The demon had just insulted that comrade...
Yet, what was he doing?
All this while, he had wanted to showcase his abilities.
But now, when the opportunity arose, he only had one thought on his mind. He was going to wait. He didn't know if he was waiting for the sword to strike him down, or if he was waiting for his opponent to leave.
Chen Feiyu did not look at the middle-aged man's expression, neither did he look at the terrifying red demonic eye. He lowered his head as he looked at the fallen candidate.
The middle-aged man sheathed his sword.
Then, he looked around at all the silent candidates, his eyes glowing with disdain and scorn.
He did not draw his sword again after sheathing it. He walked past all the candidates rooted in their position. Then, he walked towards Bai Xing and Nangong Hao.
"He is alone, as long as we stick together..." One of the candidates started to speak. However, he was not given a chance to finish.
There was already a sword at his throat, a sword that had already been stained with blood.
The candidate could not believe his eyes when he saw the sword. His eyes screamed defiance, but he did not look at the middle-aged man. All he did was look at the other candidates around him, the ones that he drank and made merry with...
Right now, all of those candidates looked at him as well. However, they chose not to move. They did not even make a squeak.
"Sh*t!"
Blood spewed out like a geyser from his throat.
The middle-aged man sheathed his sword once again. He did not even look at that fallen candidate, neither did he bother calling the candidate a weakling.
Blood dripped from his hand.
Then, without any change in expression, the middle-aged man walked to Bai Xing's side and remained silent.
He did not draw his sword. He watched Bai Xing, Nangong Hao, Yan Xiu, and the fallen Fang Zhengzhi silently.
The music continued to resonate through the air. Throughout the murder of the two candidates, the music never stopped.
It was still as melodious and intoxicating as before.
However...
The candidates could no longer enjoy the music. All they could feel was blood, the bright red blood that had been spilled.
"Young Master Xing, what do we do now?"
"Yes, the Emperor gave you his token, he must have said something! Did he place the Mountain Breaking Army here? If he did, now..."
"Young Master Xing, we can't hold off all these soldiers ourselves! There are demons as well!"
All of the generals began to voice their opinions as they looked to Xing Qingsui for orders.
This was a dire situation for the Great Xia Dynasty.
They were surrounded by the soldiers of the Southern Mountain Range as well as the demon elites. There was no way they would emerge victorious.
Xing Qingsui, with the Emperor's token in hand, was their only hope.
All of the other candidates looked to Xing Qingsui as well. Right now, Xing Qingsui was their last hope.
Xing Qingsui did not stand with the other candidates. He stood with the other generals, nearer to Fang Zhengzhi.
He heard the generals and the other candidates.
However, he did not reply immediately. He looked at Bai Xing, then at the regiments marching from the Icy Monkey Settlement.
He hesitated.
No one knew why Xing Qingsui hesitated. The only course of action now was to fight the Southern Region and the demons head-on.
But, Xing Qingsui hesitated.
Just at this moment, the music stopped. The hearts of all the candidates were heavy.
It felt as though they were about to be sentenced.
It was life or death for them!
It was almost ironic. The lady that every talent in the Great Xia Dynasty lusted for was now in control of their fate.
What kind of decision would this immensely talented and beautiful lady make?
Yun Qingwu put down the Guqin as she stood up from the stone bench. She looked down at all the candidates below.