ASER - Chapter 147
Chapter 147: Changing Zones
There are disparities in the worlds of different people. The principals from the north looked at the principals from the south like starving tigers eyeing lambs, wishing they could devour them raw. The principals from the south looked at Jiang Zhou as if a sauerkraut vat had been left uncovered in a downpour, overflowing with sour water.
Spectators from other zones initially felt a sense of superiority when looking at the spectators from Zone 13.
Firstly, some of them were family members of the examinees in each zone. Secondly, they were proud of their own judgment.
It was like a crayfish competition; if the crayfish you picked was strong, awesome, ran fast, and was good at fighting, wouldn't you share in its glory?
What was there to see in that Salted Fish Zone? Not a single outstanding individual. There was, however, one "Upstairs Downstairs" who loved to stir things up and show off, trying to hog the C-spot with just an ID. But did any of the top twenty prodigies pay her/him any attention?
No.
This was the difference between prodigies and ordinary geniuses. Their vision was more advanced, their temperament more resolute, unshakable.
But... the current audience was definitely shaken, because their faces were being slapped left and right, slap, slap, slap, with such force that their bodies swayed and their hearts trembled.
This, this, this... how could this be!!!
"What's this person's name?"
"Who is it?"
"Chen what Diao?"
"I only know a dish soap called Diao Pai..."
"I think she looks more like a clam spirit."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, her popularity rivaling that of the prodigies from other zones, and with the fierce courage of a cavalry spear piercing through a thicket of thorns, she broke through.
Trampling on all your reputations, an upstart achieves fame!
"My sister, it's my sister!" Chen Yang's handsome, fair face was flushed. The eleven or twelve-year-old boy couldn't suppress his excitement, his eyes shining brightly as he spoke to the person next to him.
Xiao Mieluo, leaning against the railing, looked down at him. "Oh, very impressive."
Only then did Chen Yang smile with satisfaction.
"I didn't know she was this amazing before. No, wait, I didn't even know I had an older sister before. Daddy never told me..." Chen Yang shook his head, his intellect not allowing him to perceive the hidden secrets and strangeness within the Chen family, only complaining slightly.
But Xiao Mieluo and Xiao Jin had long had their suspicions about this.
This Chen family was a bit strange.
A bloodline curse, yet the children were exceptionally outstanding (except for Chen Yang), and Chen Adiao, who was sent away at a young age with an uncertain fate.
Xiao Jin toyed with the Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist, her eyes smiling, yet she glanced at Madam Xu, who was calm and composed next to her.
Xie Yuqing and Chen Yang were definitely in the dark, but this matriarch of the household should be able to discern some clues and surely knew far more about Chen Adiao than the former two, yet she concealed it.
However...
"So, can we now confirm that your sister is that 'Upstairs Downstairs'?" Xiao Jin deliberately leaned over to tease him with ill intent.
Chen Yang was a bit dazed. "Who? What 'Upstairs Downstairs'?"
Huh, this half-grown kid doesn't even check online news? It seems he's been busy studying lately. Not very talented but so studious, it seems the Chen family's upbringing is still strong, or perhaps this child is inherently motivated and holds a strong reverence for his outstanding older brother and sister.
Xiao Jin, analyzing internally, continued to smile sweetly. "The one who wants to be everyone's daddy and happily acquire many wives, that might be your sister, you know."
"Unfortunately, I seem to have gotten dragged into it. Thinking about it really makes me a little angry."
Xiao Mieluo couldn't even watch Xiao Jin teasing a child like this. Xu Zhaoyin and Xie Yuqing also looked over, but they never expected...
Chen Yang paused, not thinking any deeper, but blurted out subconsciously, a little dazed and embarrassed, "Then should you call my sister 'Daddy', or call her 'husband'? In that case, should I call you 'grand-niece', or 'sister-in-law'?"
Xiao Jin: "?"
Xiao Mieluo: "..."
Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, that word had been completely derailed.
Fortunately, the commotion within Zone 13 attracted their attention.
Perhaps the fate of Qi Biyuan and his companion was too tragic. After the eerie silence that followed, like live fish dropped into hot oil, sizzling and dying in three seconds, those from the Northern, Southern, and various other miscellaneous zones, whether from universities or academies, quickly adapted to the situation. The fastest to react was undoubtedly Xiao Du.
He had long been aware of the strangeness of Danzhou Academy, and with his own impressive siblings paying inexplicable attention, he was on guard, but he still couldn't withstand this devastating blow.
When a storm arrives, it never calls ahead.
Xu Ye's shout of "Retreat!" as she fled was the epitome of benevolence, because her own sister had almost turned her into a pig.
This Chen Adiao was too fierce.
But it didn't matter. He got back on his feet and decisively paid one hundred million. "I was unaware of Miss A'Diao's power. If I have offended you in the past, please forgive me."
The Xiao family members were naturally not stupid, their etiquette was impeccable, capable of yielding and standing firm.
A'Diao was checking the list of Mental Power contributors that had refreshed after her wave of devastating attacks. The total Mental Power had reached 5 billion, and she was in a good mood. She glanced at him. "Your one hundred million, it's not necessary."
Xiao Du: "?"
At this moment, if Tuoba, Yuan Shu, and the others were here, they would have sensitively guessed in an instant: Number 3 spare tire?
Others also perked up their ears. They could see that this Chen Adiao had initially held back against Xiao Du and Jiang Yena. The latter had spent five billion, so on what grounds was Xiao Du exempt?
Those who had been struck numb felt a faint sense of injustice.
For example, Yin Canghe looked back and forth between the two, feeling that Chen Adiao's way of looking at people was off, and secretly thought: Is this fellow Xiao Du being lusted after for his body?
But A'Diao said, a little embarrassed, "Could you conveniently give me your brother's and sister's WeChat? From Brother Ritian's mouth, I've heard about them, and I've always... always held them in high esteem."
So, all this time, she was interested in the brother and sister, and both of them at that.
From Xiao Mieluo +1888888!
From Xiao Jin +1666666!
Oh my, are they both watching?
A'Diao suddenly felt a secret thrill and became more animated.
"Hey, why are you all looking at me like that? Don't tell me you think I have improper designs on Young Master Xiao? How could that be? I'm the type of person who never lowers my standards when looking for a partner."
"Of course, I naturally have no ulterior motives towards your brother and sister either. After all, we're not of the same generation."
The scope of her insinuations was incredibly broad, inflicting massive group damage!
"..."
From Xiao Mieluo +2000000!
From Xiao Jin +2000001!
From Xiao Du +666666!
From Yin Canghe +...
From Chen Shuhe, Lian Tingbi and others +++++
As for Xiao Du, one hundred million was naturally incomparable to the privacy of his siblings, but he saw the ruthlessness beneath Chen Adiao's amiability.
If I don't give it, will she cripple me?
If that's the case... it seems I can also use this opportunity to win her over.
Not a loss.
Xiao Du, who had always imitated his elder brother's cold demeanor, lowered his head, took out his phone, and asked gravely, "Just WeChat? Do you want their phone numbers too?"
The people from Qingzhou Academy: "?"
The upright and unyielding Light of Qingzhou?
Qingzhou Academy Principal: "..."
My beloved disciple... very good, able to yield and stand firm, possesses the demeanor of a great general.
From Xiao Jin +1200000!
From Xiao Mieluo +1222222!
Amazing, the two siblings were like fountains. But they must be maintaining a calm and composed appearance in the spectator stands.
Indeed, the more noble and aloof the great figures, the more repressed they are inwardly.
A'Diao thought: But is this goodwill or ill will? What's wrong, am I, the esteemed sister of Zhao Ritian, not worthy of your social circle?
However, A'Diao kept her word. Once she got the money, she let them go.
Zhou Yi and Jiang Yena were both relieved and somewhat uncomfortable, but they didn't dare to delay and fled immediately.
As they left, they exchanged private messages.
Zhou Yi: "She probably knows everything, knows about our despicable, petty tricks."
Jiang Yena: "Naturally, she knows. It's just that with her personality, she doesn't care about such sordid good or evil, only whether it truly harms her interests or touches her aversion points. The fact that she isn't dealing with us now means she knew long ago, and her interests weren't harmed. Her actions now are a warning, and... she's very certain that the two of us combined can't affect her."
This meant that in her eyes, the two of them weren't even considered a proper dish.
Who would care if a dish was secretly plotting to rise up?
Even if you rise up, aren't you still just a dish? What, can it go back to the furnace and turn back into raw lettuce?
One considered himself a business elite, the other a dormant ambitious schemer. Now, their faces were thoroughly slapped, feeling both helpless and miserable.
Zhou Yi: "No wonder my former boss told me not to casually stir up trouble in Danzhou, as it's easy to encounter dangerous individuals."
Jiang Yena: "Your former boss... the one from Huayao Bank?"
Zhou Yi: "Yes, he's now the head of Huayao's Tang Song Nation division. He probably knows something, but he wouldn't tell me more."
Industry confidentiality agreements, everyone understood. But he had only focused on Zhao Ritian's side, and his understanding of Chen Adiao came from Jiang Yena, whose knowledge of her was clearly long outdated.
A'Diao kept her word. With thirty billion in hand, the people she released ran as if their backsides were on fire, incredibly fast.
Too terrifying, truly too terrifying.
In an instant, more than three hundred people had vanished. Xiao Du looked back and saw her take out a purple scroll. Was she going to start solving questions?
The originally bustling place now only had A'Diao left.
She was indeed about to start solving questions.
Outside, in the spectator stands, after the initial shock, Chen Adiao's name shot into the top thirty of all examinees, and even continued to rise, because other spectators were now being recommended to watch her.
Because she was so obscure, such a comeback seemed all the more formidable.
But some people nitpicked, "Even if she hid her strength and played tricks, it's only because Zone 13 has no strong contenders. She, an upper-stage Transcendent Realm cultivator, managed to control those people. And that pig transformation skill was too unexpected, catching everyone off guard. Try putting her in other zones. Let alone others, just Zones 11, 12, or 14, if she dared to act like this there, she'd be eliminated in minutes, unless she had escape abilities like Quan Lie."
This was the "better to be a chicken's head than a phoenix's tail" argument.
Those who refuted sneered, "Your standards are truly high. An upper-stage Transcendent Realm isn't powerful enough? Do you think out of twenty thousand people, how many upper-stage Transcendent Realm cultivators are there? Even if she's not as good as those top twenty prodigies, she can still break into the top thirty, right? Plus, she should be that 'Upstairs Downstairs', and her preliminary exam score was also in the thirties. Such a figure is definitely one of the geniuses of our Tang Song Nation. Why be so harsh!"
The crowd argued endlessly, continuously boosting her popularity.
There was another, more constructive point.
"Don't forget this is the Literary Exam. All scores are based on answering questions. No matter how many scrolls she has, if she can't solve them, it's all for naught."
This statement was irrefutable.
On the other side, in the stands, the Baili Family had received the news.
Currently, it was only the first wave of the Literary Exam. None of the top-tier aristocratic families had any important figures present, not even sending servants.
This was the style of aristocratic families, because they knew their own disciples would definitely pass. As for rankings, they would know when the dust settled. But this didn't mean they were ignorant of the examination intelligence.
In fact, most of the spectators present included spies and informants from aristocratic families and powerful nobles.
The Baili Clan Leader reviewed all valuable intelligence from the 15 zones. When he saw the matter concerning A'Diao, he frowned slightly.
Danzhou Academy? Why did he remember that the incident Xianyun caused last time... was also related to a student surnamed Chen.
Chen family, Chen Adiao.
The Baili Clan Leader's expression changed slightly, but after looking at the assessment of Chen Adiao's strength, his brow relaxed a little.
This strength... should not have exceeded the limit yet, but her progress speed was truly terrifying, even faster than Xianyun. What did this mean?
"But her bloodline is obstructed, which does diminish her future prospects."
As the head of an aristocratic family, meticulousness and caution were paramount. He summarized all the intelligence and instructed his subordinates to pay close attention to several key points.
One of them was—to monitor Chen Adiao's question-solving situation.
If she was also formidable in the Literary Exam, it would mean this girl was skilled in both literary and martial arts, ranking among the prodigies. Even if her bloodline was obstructed, as long as she could endure until she reached the total score standard for the Lushan Academy assessment and entered Lushan Academy, she might not be without a chance to change her fate.
Unfortunately, outside news could not enter the examination venue.
As A'Diao rose, certain people from Donglin University finally realized that this person was unshakable, and the bias of the internet became increasingly obvious.
Naturally, the interests lost by certain people grew even larger.
Thus, those parents became even more resentful and desperate, frantically attacking a certain academician from the Central Academy of Sciences. In less than two hours, the Central Academy of Sciences temporarily suspended this academician, announcing that he would enter an investigation and review phase.
But was this important?
To A'Diao, this person was merely a figure in the current chess game who could be eliminated by borrowing a knife to kill, without her even needing to show her face. Qi Biyuan and his ilk were also nothing, just clowns.
All advantages and disadvantages would vanish like smoke after she rose to prominence in the Lushan Academy assessment.
Except for the Qu Family.
A'Diao knew that the current Qu Family must have informants outside the examination venue frantically evaluating everything about her, further judging the assistance she could provide to Qu Jiangnan once she entered Lushan Academy.
Therefore, the other party would definitely make a move.
Big moves, small moves.
Actually, she preferred big moves, because small moves were very annoying and tended to waste her time.
And the bigger the move, the bigger the flaw.
If so, then she could only become strong enough to make the other party abandon small moves and resort only to big ones.
A'Diao thought, opening the purple scroll.
Oh ho, math problems, her favorite subject. A good start.
Lushan Academy's intelligent monitoring was also quite realistic, very much like a scumbag; whoever had high popularity and value received more camera time.
At this moment, a portion of the screen for Zone 13 was focused on A'Diao solving a problem.
This 100-point math problem also fell into everyone's eyes.
Just as Chen Yang was about to ask, Xie Yuqing covered his mouth.
So annoying, shut up!
The spectators: "Damn, that's hard."
The problem was also transmitted to the internet, and a vast wail swept across the nation.
So difficult... this was only the first stage of the Literary Exam, and it wasn't even the part with the largest score weighting. Lushan Academy's threshold was too high!
A terrifying problem, but... they could only see A'Diao holding the scroll and looking at it for a while, then she entered the answer.
Hmm... all eyes were on her.
Incorrect.
The crowd's spirits rose and fell, and many people breathed a sigh of relief, also revealing smiles.
Chen Adiao's brow furrowed tightly, seemingly very annoyed, and she let out a light hmph.
But Xiao Jin and Xiao Mieluo were both thoughtful. They naturally couldn't claim to understand Chen Adiao well, but due to their keen insight, they could vaguely see... a normal person would indeed have such an annoyed expression.
The problem was, they both knew who this person was.
Zhao Ritian.
What kind of brain did Zhao Ritian have?! Someone who could break the Snow Demon King's altar in the shortest time. What was an altar? It was a complex, high-end knowledge system combining metaphysics, mathematics, and even energy science.
Such a math problem was very difficult, but both he and Xiao Jin could solve it quickly, so... Zhao Ritian definitely could too.
Then Chen Adiao could too.
But she didn't solve it.
The two siblings exchanged a glance. Could it be because the time was too short?
They thought A'Diao would continue working on the problem, but no, this person had little patience and took out a golden scroll instead.
Oh ho, with a spare scroll at home, no panic, pick the ones you can do!
This was indeed the most correct examination strategy.
No one felt anything was wrong here, and this time... in just a minute, the scroll showed "Correct," and then A'Diao swiped her wristwatch.
Swipe! The scroll turned into light and smoke, dissipating.
50 points get!
Everyone: "..."
Many people began to discuss it. The golden scroll problems were also very difficult. She solved it so quickly?
"Her ability cap is probably at this level, or she doesn't want to waste time on the purple scroll, preferring to tackle the easier golden scrolls first and save the purple ones for last to maximize benefits. After all, what benefits her most now is that no one in this Zone 13 is her opponent."
Next, they saw A'Diao begin to rapidly conquer golden scrolls at an astonishing speed.
After the previous wave of group attacks, she already had a considerable number of scrolls on hand, and now they were finally being converted into her points.
In the spectator stands, a low-key couple watched this scene, somewhat amazed.
"So fast."
"Lingling always said she has a friend who is particularly amazing. It's indeed true. This little girl is truly outstanding."
"Yeah, our Lingling has good judgment. No wonder she told us not to look for her exam process, but to watch this little girl A'Diao instead."
"Hey, I see Lingling."
The couple was initially quite happy, but soon they became worried.
Because Song Ling was surrounded.
Actually, Zone 13 had few people, which was the biggest advantage of the Salted Fish Zone. Fewer people, but the frequency of Buddha statues appearing was similar, meaning they got more scrolls. However, it was still the same: too many monks, too little gruel.
After the news of a cluster of purple scrolls appearing in A'Diao's area leaked, too many people moved, causing a huge commotion. Others naturally noticed, but out of fear of those geniuses, some mid-tier figures became cautious and chose a more stable method: taking advantage of the departure of those three hundred people to seize golden, red, yellow, and blue scrolls.
Previously, the purple, gold, and red scrolls were mostly obtained by the top three hundred or so individuals, leaving them no chance. Now, their chance had come, and they were naturally excited, but others had the same idea.
Danzhou, apart from Jiang Yena who got eliminated before achieving his goal, no one else ventured to A'Diao's area.
Did they already know Chen Adiao's strength?
No, it was purely a risk-averse calculation of pros and cons deep down, and they were indeed no match for these Forbidden Masters from the South and North.
So they conceded.
Low-key development.
Tuoba and the others had also grouped up. Just as they seized several scrolls, they suddenly saw two golden scrolls ahead. As Tuoba and his group were about to go for them, the golden scrolls fell into Song Ling's hands.
Snatch them or not?
She's from our own class, that wouldn't be right.
But someone was very fast.
"Hand over the scrolls!"
Several afterimages shot out. They were clearly second-tier figures from the North, also lower-grade Forbidden Masters. But the South also had Song Erhu. These people were truly fast.
Song Erhu, purely because he estimated Chen Adiao's relationship with Zhao Ritian, didn't dare to court death and simply didn't go over there, not expecting this immediate gain.
They quickly surrounded Song Ling.
Song Erhu was still relatively amicable: "Miss Song, we both share the surname Song, so it's fate. We also fought together in the southern coastal campaign. How about we team up... I'll help you deal with these..."
Can you, from Qingzhou, be closer than us from Danzhou?
He hadn't finished speaking.
Tuoba and the others felt their chance had come. Just as they were about to step up and mediate on the grounds of being classmates, then divide the scrolls, they didn't expect... the next second.
Song Ling stroked her brow, her eyes slightly narrowed, and a strange light emanated from her pupils.
A ripple, dual ice and fire, followed by... Hum!
Complete extreme cold confinement!
Tuoba and the others: "!!!"
Damn!
After confining this group of people, Song Ling snatched all their scrolls right in front of Tuoba and his group. Her temperament was cold; she wasn't like A'Diao who enjoyed making provocative remarks to stimulate people. She didn't say a word, and left after succeeding, without even looking at Tuoba and the others.
Song Erhu and the others, in their humiliation and shock, realized a hidden truth: Oh, they both shared the surname Song, but they hadn't fought in the same campaign.
Song Ling was the surprise soldier who played a decisive role in the final battle.
She was also Danzhou Academy's last big fish.
Not far away, Han Zhuo, who had always been a loner, focused on scrolls and never joined in the excitement with others, suddenly smiled after his initial astonishment.
Ah, this was the real Song Ling, the older sister he had admired since childhood.
So... what right did that A'Diao have (at this time, Han Zhuo still didn't know the situation).
Compared to the difficulty Song Erhu and the others had in accepting it, Tuoba and his group perceived the condescension in that faint gaze.
She had already taken a step ahead.
And they, lagging behind, had been herded—herded by Chen Adiao.
Song Ling had once read a book that said: A clever and cunning monkey jumped out of a thorn bush. The monkey saw humans everywhere and sensed danger. It began to learn to walk like humans, to do everything humans did. Finally, it became human, enslaving power, indulging in love and passion, using temptation to guide the most fragile desires. In the end, the former humans all turned into monkeys before it, and it became the master.
Tuoba and these people naturally hadn't lost their wildness, but in front of A'Diao, they had to have no wildness.
And people who have lost their wildness will naturally make the wisest choice.
Avoid her, fear her, even obey her.
But Song Ling also knew that she had merely skipped all the processes from the beginning and arrived at the final step.
Obey her.
However, her aptitude was not considered top-notch in the five prefectures before. Since her mental body mutated, she could directly leap several tiers to match the prodigies of Kyoto. Could she still be content now?
Song Ling hadn't thought about this question. She just lowered her head to look at her wristwatch, specifically pulling up a certain ranking list, and saw a certain 'Upstairs Downstairs' name.
But coincidentally, this name suddenly disappeared.
Song Ling's brow twitched, and she immediately scrolled the list upwards.
2888.
But soon, 2777.
Then again... it jumped after a short interval.
The jumps weren't outrageously large, because it was increasing by 50 points each time, not as eye-catching as a 100-point increase, but its frequency was high and uninterrupted.
Song Ling scrolled through the list lightly, her lowered gaze serene and peaceful, but as her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Song clearly saw their precious daughter's delight.
This delight was as faint as water, but in the spectator stands, there was a clamorous uproar.
Too terrifying.
This Chen Adiao was conquering golden scrolls.
Each time a golden scroll disappeared in her hands, her ranking jumped forward.
Is she starting her sprint now?
It seems she has another plan.
Song Ling seemed to understand something, a slight smile gracing her lips, her cool eyes curving. She stopped scrolling and began to search for scrolls in other places.
After all twenty golden scrolls disappeared, 1000 points were obtained.
Now, the competition had reached its seventh hour.
That annoying ID 'Upstairs Downstairs' shot up from over the 8000th rank to 666th in just ten minutes.
Those who previously said that not solving problems was useless were now silent.
And after Chen Adiao solved these golden scrolls, she seemed unwilling to spend time continuing to tackle red scrolls. She began to fly into the grottoes, starting a new round of scroll hunting. But she was fast, and soon everyone found that their visual angle shifted, and she was gone.
This high-profile 'Upstairs Downstairs' had become low-key again.
But...
Some people in other zones noticed the change in rankings, such as Baili Xianyun and Nangong Zhuolie, who extremely detested the shameless 'Upstairs Downstairs'.
Both of them noticed the speed of this ranking promotion and the rate of point increase while hunting for scrolls.
First, this 'Upstairs Downstairs' was rapidly increasing points by solving a pile of golden scrolls. It's impossible for a person to accurately choose only golden scrolls, as their appearance is random. Probabilistically, if this person had a pile of golden scrolls, they must also have several purple scrolls. The reason there wasn't a 100-point increase meant this person couldn't solve the problems on them, or was saving the purple scrolls to do later?
Second, based on the first point, regardless of the possibility, this 'Upstairs Downstairs' was worth hunting. And Zone 13 happened to be a Salted Fish Zone, without much difficulty to conquer.
So... Baili Xianyun and Nangong Zhuolie silently began to plot.
Zone 13, the Salted Fish Zone, had been boiling, but now it had returned to its salted fish state, though the situation had completely changed.
The three freaks from Qingzhou moved discreetly, while the three black fish from Danzhou swam upstream.
Now, whether from the North or South, they ran at the sight of anyone from Danzhou. And those from Danzhou, surprisingly, also ran at the sight of A'Diao.
Initially, those from the South and North were puzzled, until they saw Tuoba and others being casually turned into pigs by A'Diao when they encountered her on the road.
Everyone: "..."
It's said that masters have a master's demeanor, but the freak in their Zone 13 didn't. When she went crazy, she even turned her classmates into pigs!!!
"She's not usually like this, she's amicable with her classmates. This time, she must have been angered by me. Sigh, this child, why bother." To maintain A'Diao's persona, Jiang Zhou had lost his temper, gulping down tea to refresh himself, while tactfully informing everyone.
Whether others believed it or not, he himself believed it.
Later, no matter who it was, they had to run upon seeing A'Diao. Strangely, Song Ling, Tian Zhongye, and these people never encountered A'Diao; they all avoided each other. What puzzled Jiang Zhou slightly was: Strange, Tian Zhongye and these people definitely got their talismans from A'Diao, which was their advantage. But Tian Zhongye's knowledge and abilities weren't high, so how was his accuracy in solving problems not low? Was it because Tian Zhongxiang and their group prioritized giving him the simplest problems?
This team's style was too nice, harmonious like concubines huddling together for warmth after the emperor's demise.
However, at this point, everyone was too preoccupied to observe others. All had entered a state of consuming scrolls. But some were truly too difficult and were kept in hand, like the purple and gold scrolls. If they couldn't solve them themselves, they couldn't possibly give them to others. As for cooperating and exchanging scrolls, very few people had such high trust in each other.
Han Zhuo was willing to contribute, but unfortunately, Song Ling's attitude towards him was indifferent, and she wasn't enthusiastic about it.
The overall rankings had already begun to change dramatically, and the rankings within Zone 13 were also shifting up and down.
At this time, three names dominated the top three.
First, Song Ling.
Second, Jiang Yena.
Third, Zhou Yi.
Fourth, Xu Ye.
Fifth, Xiao Du.
Sixth, Lian Tingbi.
Seventh, Yin Canghe.
...
The tenth place was 'Upstairs Downstairs', her name so long it was like a carpet paving the way for them.
But their scores were very close. A'Diao was only a few hundred points behind them, yet they had all broken into the top three hundred overall.
Was this result good?
No, for one of the fifteen zones, the strongest group was only hovering around the two hundredth position, a huge gap compared to other zones, truly solidifying the title of Salted Fish Zone.
But after all, they were the strongest elites from the ten prefectures, and the top ten of Tiger Skin Green Suburbs' Salted Fish Zone were mostly dominated by academy students, leaving only Zhou Yi and Gao Zangjian as lone seedlings.
It was also terrifying that these people, except for Song Ling and Xu Ye, had mostly been plundered by A'Diao once, yet now all of them had entered the top ten of the 998 people.
Sometimes, strength truly determined everything.
Now, their scores were still constantly changing... but Jiang Yena and the others felt a little uneasy.
Why, why was that clam spirit still below us!
What right do we have?!!
Is she brewing another big move?!!!
The entire zone had formed a state of obedient salted fish.
Where was Chen Adiao? Where was she.
"She's solving problems! My god, it's 50, 50, 50 again!"
A'Diao's name began to scroll wildly!
Soon, she fiercely charged from tenth in Zone 13 to first!
Dominating the first place in Zone 13, and her points were still skyrocketing!
However, while solving problems, she also took out her phone and sent a message.
Suddenly... beep beep beep, Xiao Du saw a message from A'Diao.
It was just one sentence, and everyone saw it too.
—We're about to cross zones soon. I still have so many scrolls and want to make a final sprint, but I'm so scared of being robbed. Second Brother Xiao, how about I give you a chance to protect little old me?
Xiao Du: "?"
Everyone: "???"
8:55 PM.
The audience was still very excited because the most thrilling moment was finally approaching.
The cross-zone slaughter battle was about to unfold!
"But the question is, how exactly do we cross zones? Will all barriers be opened?"
"It seems not. I saw some examinees seem to be looking for entrances. They should have found some clues, like corresponding teleportation gates between zones. It's impossible to open all barriers, otherwise it would be too chaotic."
"You seem to be right. What's going on with the people in Zone 11? No, they've gathered! Are they going to fight?"
"Damn, Baili Xianyun, Nangong Zhuolie, and Luo He have actually teamed up!"
"Heavens, more than thirteen hundred people!"
"Are they going to... slaughter a zone?!!!"
"They're slaughtering Zone 13. Look, this hidden formation is marked as Zone 13. This is the entrance to Zone 13."
Damn, damn!
Zone 13 was doomed.
When did Zone 11 form such an alliance?
They silently formed such a large-scale encirclement operation.
These prodigies truly don't follow conventional paths.
"It should be because of that Chen Adiao. She has too many scrolls, she fleeced Zone 13 bare."
"But there are pros and cons. She hoarded so many scrolls she couldn't solve herself, suppressing others' room for advancement, but also making herself a fat sheep. The people from Zone 11 must have targeted her."
At this time, outside the barrier between Zone 11 and Zone 13, Baili Xianyun, proud and resplendent, played with the tassel flying blade in her hand and said lightly, "Since we've teamed up, don't drag us down."
Luo He ignored her.
Nangong Zhuolie narrowed his fox-like eyes, his crimson hair dancing in the wind. "Whoever drags us down pays for their dignity, one hundred billion each. Do you two dare to play?"
Baili Xianyun flicked her fingertip, and the flying blade wrapped around it.
"Then, who gets that 'Upstairs Downstairs' will depend entirely on skill."
"Of course, it depends on skill. I'd like to see what expression this person will have later."
"Time is almost up."
Luo He didn't participate in the conversation, merely glancing at the teleportation array.
Three minutes left. He wondered what that 'Upstairs Downstairs' was doing now, still frantically solving problems?
He glanced at the leaderboard.
She entered the top 200.
Huh? Her progress increased by 100 points. It seems she started doing purple scroll problems! And she solved them!
This was not good.
The few of them rarely had such tacit understanding, all poised and ready to rush into the shielded passage as soon as the time came... to abuse 'Upstairs Downstairs' and seize the scrolls!
But while they were aggressive and imposing, the spectators outside the examination venue looked at each other in dismay.
Well, through their god's-eye view, they could see the other side of the shielded passage, in Zone 13, where a certain sleazy black shadow was placing high-level talismans one by one outside the teleportation array.
Yes, more than one.
After arranging everything, she squatted in the grass... gnawing on corn.
Munch, munch, like a hamster.
The spectators looked at the starkly different states and number comparison on both sides, and an inexplicable thought arose: If I called Baili Xianyun and the others now, would it change their fate?
But fate's countdown had already begun.
Three minutes, two minutes, one minute.
10, 9, 8... 3, 2, 1.
Boom!
The shield opened, and a crack punctually appeared at the passage entrance. Streams of light poured in densely, the powerful and concentrated energy aura even causing slight distortions in space.
More than thirteen hundred people.
What was the effect of them pouring in?
Majestic momentum, the ferocity of slaughtering a zone!
But the next second.
A'Diao, still in the grass gnawing on corn, snapped a finger.
The first buried talisman activated.
A large-area, rank-eight energy gravity talisman.
Gravity that could instantly pull down a colossal rank-eight demonic spirit caught everyone off guard... Thump, thump, thump, all of them hit the ground.
Baili Xianyun and the others were formidable, after all, and broke free almost instantly.
But their instant was also the instant their landing weight triggered the second rank-eight talisman.
Cubic Confinement Talisman.
Om... The ice-blue talisman burned, transforming into an ice-blue cubic confinement space.
"Break it!!!"
Thirteen hundred people, including three super-strong peak upper-stage Transcendent Realm masters like Luo He. It could be said they wouldn't be at a disadvantage even against lower-stage Glimmer Realm cultivators. Yet such geniuses, such figures, just as they were about to launch a collective attack...
A'Diao, squatting in the grass, casually took out an energy reagent, pressed a button, and tossed it.
It flew over and entered the formation.
The elites present immediately sensed this was nothing good and tried to control it to fly out, but as soon as it entered the gravity formation, it couldn't withstand the heavy pressure and automatically shattered.
Once shattered.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, blackish-green, foul-smelling poisonous gas crazily released.
Gravity controlled their bodies, confinement sealed the four directions, and the poisonous gas... this was a new type of poison concocted from a mixture of venoms from various rank-seven and rank-eight poison-type demonic spirits.
Don't ask where it came from; just say Brother Ritian gave it.
Using over a hundred corpses, did she make one bottle? Or a batch?
Drowsiness, unconsciousness, nausea, weakness.
The cubic confinement that could have been instantly shattered wasn't, because they were a step too slow to react and were poisoned. The effect was vastly different. So... did she take down 1300 people by herself?
How could that be possible!
Baili Xianyun and the others immediately used all their strength to repel the poison and collectively locked onto A'Diao in the grass.
They could break the confinement in three seconds, and in the third second, execute this damn thief!
Boom!! Just as the confinement cube trembled and cracked... Song Ling reinforced it with a wave of extreme cold confinement. But with so many people, she was under immense pressure, her face instantly turning deathly pale. Fortunately, the goal wasn't to confine them for long, but to temporarily control the strongest among them for one or two seconds.
Nine hundred salted fish from Zone 13 suddenly tore off their invisibility talismans and jumped out from behind the dark clouds in the sky.
A group attack falling from high altitude.
Attack!!!
A wave of bombardment!!!
Over 1300 people from Zone 11?!!!
Damn it, what the hell!
A reverse zone slaughter?
After a wave of bombardment, the people from Zone 11, still poisoned and confined, undoubtedly suffered losses, their armors damaged, but none had yet vomited blood. And in the next second, spiritual power exploded as they collectively counter-attacked.
The two sides frantically exchanged several waves of bombardment.
Blowing up each other's armor.
Zone 11, after all, had more and stronger people, so... Baili Xianyun and the other two had a clear objective: a full-force assault on A'Diao!
But strangely... the locked-on person vanished.
How could this be?!
The three were startled, but then immediately located her... Damn it, she had blended into the center of the fight!
The three immediately chased after her, and the others also redirected all their attacks towards A'Diao.
But Luo He suddenly saw another vial of poison appear in A'Diao's left hand. "Not good, stop her!"
They focused their attacks and attention on A'Diao's left hand, but then, amidst the chaos, they saw A'Diao snap her right fingers again.
A feint?
"Release."
More than two thousand people from two zones were engaged in a chaotic melee, like overcooked dumplings in a pot.
But they never imagined what lay beneath the surface of the chaotic battleground under their feet.
Twenty-four poison vials all exploded.
Terrifying poison liquid crazily released, like a roaring demon opening its savage, blood-red maw to swallow them all in one gulp.
Naturally, this included A'Diao herself.
Was she poisoned?
Of course, she was, because this was an ultra-potent mixed poison that could penetrate armor. But her constitution was incredible, and her armor resistance was amazing. So if she was poisoned, others must have already collapsed.
That's right, no matter how incredible Baili Xianyun and the others were, no matter how genius, they couldn't withstand the tidal wave of venom produced by dozens of rank-seven and rank-eight poison-type demonic spirits.
They knelt weakly, vomiting, and saw that in such a poisonous tide, the only woman standing... she also dry-heaved, then raised her staff and said with difficulty, "Ah, turn into pigs."
With their armor damaged and poisoned twice, these people's resistance was infinitely lowered, which amplified the power of her group curse to turn them into pigs.
To make them fall into the trap, she herself had stepped into it. Professional, right?
"Oof~~"
As she retched, on the ground, more than two thousand people, except for herself, all turned into pigs. Even Rao Xueya and the others were no exception. Only Song Ling, whose mental body had mutated, was naturally immune.
But those affected also included Xiao Du.
Discarding them after use, turning them into pigs once their purpose was served.
The moment he turned into a pig, Xiao Du: "?"
He remembered that half an hour ago, this girl had secretly contacted him, asking him for protection.
Did he believe her? Of course not.
But he knew this was her attempt to cooperate with him.
After weighing the pros and cons, he contacted everyone from the North and South, initiating an unprecedented North-South cooperation. Because compared to the North-South conflict, there was no greater benefit than counter-slaughtering Zone 11.
And then... there was no then.
As a pig, he looked at A'Diao, the only one holding a staff, dry-heaving, taking medicine, and seemingly unintentionally stepping on Baili Xianyun's pig tail, with only one thought.
An absolute monster, crazy enough to poison even herself!
But he suddenly realized why Xu Ye, after he privately messaged her about this, directly refused, saying she wouldn't get involved and was going to Zone 14.
At the time, he thought it was because the two sisters didn't get along.
Now it seemed... their relationship was indeed not good; she was afraid of being turned into a pig.
Two thousand pigs, should they be killed?
It was 9 o'clock, dark. Time to slaughter pigs.
The spectators outside the venue also fell silent.
But soon, thump, thump, thump, Xiao Du and the others all recovered. They had only been transformed for a second. In that second, A'Diao had already used a Mass Spirit Siphon Scroll to snatch the scrolls from Baili Xianyun and most of the other top experts and geniuses.
Xiao Du and the others: So this is the reason you turned us into pigs?
Getting rich through underhanded means, domineeringly dominating others!
However, everyone was terrified of this person's insidious and ruthless nature and didn't dare to pursue the matter. They began to frantically harvest the scrolls from this group of pigs, and then...
"Things are getting dicey, let's scram!"
So many experts, including about two hundred Forbidden Masters, terrifying! Run, run, run!
A'Diao was seen diving into... Zone 11's space, and the others followed suit.
Ah, what kind of operation was this?!!
At this moment, thump, thump, thump, Baili Xianyun and the others all reverted to their original forms one after another and rushed towards the spatial rift of Zone 11 where A'Diao and her group were.
"I'll kill you!!!"
The attacks of the three were the strongest, directly blasting after A'Diao.
But at this moment... A'Diao and her group's attacks had already collectively bombarded the teleportation array.
Boom!
The teleportation array exploded, the rift sealed, and these Glimmer Realm attacks... thud, all slammed into the spatial wall.
The two zones were sealed off again.
But the people on both sides had switched zones.
In Zone 13, the people in the rapeseed flower field were almost sickened to vomiting by this battle.
This was all a setup.
Absolutely a setup. Tracing back from this damn despicable dog thief squatting in the grass, the initial ranking points were a bait.
She couldn't do the purple ones, so she did the golden ones, meaning she must have many purple scrolls. She was a fat sheep.
So the fat sheep attracted another group of calculated fat sheep.
They fell for it!
Damn!!!
And the three great geniuses' faces were exceptionally ugly. Luo He's eyes darkened for the first time, and he said coldly, "This person, I will definitely kill."
Nangong Zhuolie: "Don't kill her, keep her to be skinned and pickled!"
My eight purple scrolls!
Baili Xianyun, a person of such pride, said nothing, which only highlighted her fury.
Suffering such a huge loss today, she was angry enough to flip the heavens.
This person, she had memorized her!
On the other side, A'Diao, having arrived in Zone 11, silently watched the list of Mental Power contributors scrolling wildly, observing the nearly ten billion Mental Power points, and sighed softly in her heart: Everyone is so furious, I'm so scared.
So, when can I farm them like this again?
Hahahahaha!
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