ASER - Chapter 158
Chapter 158: It's Him?
Logically, climbing up from the first tower should lead to the second floor, and climbing further from the second floor should lead to the third tower. But now, after climbing up, being dragged down by the spider demon, and getting stuck on a spiderweb in the middle section, everyone then jumped down together... so that's downwards? Does that still count as the fourth tower?
Normally, people like Duanmu Qingyang would definitely not make such a risky choice. But how to put it... Chen Adiao, this person, has a strange influence.
You could say she's not a good person, but you have to admit, this individual has something special; her mind is truly sharp.
So, if she said it was below, then below it was.
So, this group of people followed her down.
When A'Diao and the others jumped collectively, Dantai Sheng and the others who were hanging had already been dragged into the next illusionary realm.
Of course, scores could be refreshed, but they generally wouldn't be higher than the first attempt, because mental body aptitude is fixed, unless there was a sudden mutation or, like A'Diao, a part of an inherent mental body was excavated.
However, if one merely repeatedly experienced illusionary realms, this possibility was practically zero.
However, just as they jumped down, the view panned upwards... Someone was already in the passage, but he hadn't rushed over to be dragged away by the spider demon.
Despite being a hundred meters above, he heard the echoes from below and understood the general situation. Only after A'Diao and her group had left did he step out. Subsequently, he too was dragged down, but as he fell, he saw a group of "zongzi" hanging there.
Indeed, it was fortunate he had avoided them. However, she probably couldn't completely control these spider demons; otherwise, it would entirely disrupt the exam, and the Lushan Academy's powerful figures actually controlling these spider demons wouldn't permit it. What she was currently using was likely her mental body's radiation ability.
888 points. In the early era, by conversion, even some ordinary Grandmaster Realm mental bodies were inferior to hers.
That Chen Adiao was a grave hidden danger.
Spectator Stands.
The Baili Clan Head's expression was grave.
"Truly unexpected."
The little girl they had once disregarded, who had nearly been assassinated by people sent by his daughter, now actually displayed such terrifying aptitude.
No wonder that old dog Jiang Zhou had insisted on saving her back then.
It seemed he had long known how formidable she was.
Not far away, Jiang Zhou once again received the jealous gazes of numerous principals. He said with a perfectly straight face, "I told you all long ago, I, Jiang Zhou, never misjudge a genius. If Jiang Coconut Milk was my foreshadowing, then our little A'Diao is the ultimate trump card of my entire life's chess game. How about that? My strategies, you wouldn't understand them, would you?"
The Qingzhou Academy Principal looked at him the way Song Jiang might watch Lu Zhishen devour chicken—what a braggart, so full of himself, utterly shameless!
As if he couldn't see that the one who had truly nurtured Chen Adiao was Qu Jiangnan. This Old Dog Jiang was just shamelessly basking in reflected glory.
A'Diao's 888 mental body aptitude score caused a huge uproar outside the examination venue. Many families were quite shaken and were dispatching people to meticulously investigate Chen Adiao's background. The Chen family, naturally, was also under scrutiny by many.
Many people were also carefully observing the Qu family's reactions.
Speaking of which, the Qu family really had a peculiar way of doing things.
"They insisted on treating peerless talents like the Qu sisters as mere dancing girls to be ordered around. Now they've run headfirst into an immovable object with Chen Adiao. I wonder what on earth they're thinking."
"Who knows? Anyway, every family has its own ways. Girls born into the Qu family must have had terrible luck for eight lifetimes."
Amidst the widespread discussion, Xie Jingyu heard Zhao Yi quietly reveal a secret.
"The history of the Qu family's rise to prominence is somewhat peculiar," Zhao Yi said.
"How so?" The Xie family's foundation was in Chen Commandery, not Kyoto, so she wasn't privy to such secrets. Zhao Yi explained, "The Qu family's ancestral fox demon bloodline actually originated from the women. However, this was later overturned, and men rose to power. According to my grandfather and the others' speculation, it's likely that within the Qu family's genetics, females are inherently slightly superior to males, and their ability to manifest the fox demon bloodline is also stronger. If men hold power, they would naturally be wary of this. Passed down through generations, their treatment of women became... well, you understand."
Xie Jingyu was thoroughly disgusted but suddenly recalled something. "Does Jiangnan know?"
"She probably knows. And I always feel that there are many things she wouldn't actually tell you. Fundamentally, she doesn't like to involve others in her private affairs, especially those she cares about. So, even if she's hiding some worries, she would be less inclined to tell you."
Zhao Yi was, in a way, reminding Xie Jingyu, "Pay more attention to her movements. Absolutely do not let her confront the Qu family."
"This is also the reply I received from Grandfather some time ago. The five great ducal and marquis manors are not that simple. They are ducal manors that rose with the empire's prosperity. Their ancestors followed the 【Founding Emperor】 to conquer the realm and carved out enormous benefits when the nation was established. Later, during those battles three hundred years ago... the benefits were even more immense. In terms of resources, they are considerably stronger than Daoist families like ours. Moreover, they are accustomed to keeping secondary heirs visible on the surface, while the true talents are hidden. I believe the Qu family must have another scion, over twenty-five years old but also possessing extraordinary talent. Otherwise, with two Qu family sons dead, and Qu Hanchuan's performance not significantly better than others, especially seeing how formidable Duanmu Qingyang and Cao Juanzhi are, the Qu family wouldn't remain so stable."
Xie Jingyu understood. "Just like you?"
Zhao Yi gave a wry smile. "Not me, I'm too old... Sometimes I truly envy these young ones. It's wonderful."
After a pause, he slowly added, "Truly terrifying."
That "truly terrifying" was undoubtedly reserved for Chen Adiao.
Xie Jingyu stroked her elegant chin and chuckled softly. "I now understand why Qu Jiangnan didn't want me to meet this little girl."
"Was she afraid that if I knew the truth, I'd try to snatch her disciple?"
No, in reality, it was fear that after you learned the truth, you would beat her beloved disciple to death.
Splash!!!
A group of people plopped into the water like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
But this water, it was genuinely ordinary water. However, the surface of this water was also a teleportation array.
Entering the water meant instant teleportation. The next second... they all arrived in another dimension.
The Fourth Tower?
Splish, splash. After the group entered the water, they saw a brilliant, starlight-like flowing liquid. Yes, within this "water" were countless flowing specks of starlight, and its fluid dynamics were different from ordinary water.
At the very least, upon entering the liquid, everyone felt a peculiar sensation in their bodies.
Nourishment. Yes, it was a feeling of being nourished.
A'Diao felt an effect on her body similar to that of Grade B formula medicinal liquids.
But this was more ancient, more comprehensive, like an all-encompassing nourishment and marrow cleansing for the body.
Toilet sounded somewhat disgruntled, saying, "Mine is the best, the most suitable for you. This stuff is potent, sure, but it's mainly just the sheer quantity."
The quantity of this liquid was indeed vast. A'Diao's Grade B, C, and D formulas were typically consumed internally in small, single doses... As for the amount of this stuff, well, internal consumption was out of the question; an entire group of people was soaking in it.
But soaking externally was more than enough. A'Diao could feel her body already starting to heat up.
Her bones, flesh, and skin were all burning hot, as if every cell in her body was leaping with energy.
And then... it became unbearable.
Yuan Shu and the others couldn't bear it almost as soon as they entered the liquid. They all swam upwards, and seeing several smooth, black stone islands in the center, they scrambled onto one of them.
"Heavens, the medicinal effect is too potent! I can't stand it."
"So this is the Nurturing Pool? Terrifying!"
"What's the point of trying to buy more time? I can barely last five seconds in this!"
"..."
The group was stunned by the effects of the Nurturing Pool, but Yuan Shu and his companions also noticed that many people hadn't surfaced yet.
Those who hadn't surfaced could clearly endure it for much longer than they could.
Zhongchuan Mingxiu said, "This is like drinking crane's crest red arsenic. Normal people like us can't tolerate it; one touch and we'd be finished. They're different; they could probably ask for a refill or even another bottle."
Tuoba remarked, "It's not that they're abnormal; they're simply not human."
It was clearly meant as a compliment, yet somehow it sounded like an insult.
Anyway, everyone from Danzhou Academy seemed to be a master of sharp retorts.
But it was quite evident that most of them from the Southern and Northern Prefectures were a tier weaker than those from several other remote prefectures. Just look at them, all sprawled out and panting.
However, there were also formidable individuals who hadn't surfaced. In any case, people like Han Zhuo, Xu Ye, and Xiao Du were still under.
Then, the next tier of participants from other prefectures also began to surface.
In fact, as the exam progressed, regional distinctions mattered less. There was only the difference between the ordinary, the prodigies, and the monstrous talents.
Yuan Shu, Tuoba, and their peers could only be considered ordinary. A large group including Baili Xianyun were prodigies. However, the category of "prodigy" was broad; excluding monstrous talents like Cao Juanzhi and Chen Adiao, even individuals like Qiao Liushui could only be classified as prodigies.
"Look at the mental body aptitude rankings."
From first to seventh, they were: Chen Adiao (888), Shen Huajing (666), Cao Juanzhi (520), Shi Qing (510), Dantai Sheng (480), Liu Shiqi (470), and Xiong Chumo (469).
Now, looking at the converted overall rankings:
Overall Rankings.
First, Dantai Sheng.
Second, Cao Juanzhi.
Third, Chen Adiao.
Fourth, Shen Huajing.
Fifth, Shi Qing.
Sixth, Xiong Chumo.
Seventh, Zhao Foshou.
...
Shen Huajing's ranking was understandable. In fact, earlier on, many had discerned that this artist's mental body was extraordinary. Moreover, the mental body is generally related to personal achievements; her spiritual world had to be incredibly robust to achieve such terrifying artistic accomplishments, so her talent was somewhat foreseeable.
However, Shi Qing and Liu Shiqi had been too low-key; hardly anyone had paid them much attention. But looking now...
The big fish were surfacing one by one, making originally monstrous talents like Qu Hanchuan appear rather mediocre in comparison.
But... it was also possible they still had hidden trump cards.
In truth, many people hadn't come down yet, so there were naturally still hidden big fish. Perhaps for Dantai Sheng and his peers, this ranking didn't hold much significance for the time being. But for Yuan Shu and the others, regardless of whether they were big fish or small fry, the individuals on these lists were figures they could only look up to with immense admiration.
"Excluding those who haven't arrived yet, the ones still down there generally match the rankings."
"Actually, one's talent can be gauged by how long they can stay in the pool. However, this place seems very large."
Everyone observed carefully and discovered a total of fifteen large, black stone islands distributed throughout this area. As far as the eye could see, the Nurturing Pool they were in was enveloped by a thick white fog on the outside, seemingly forming an enormous pool with a diameter of a thousand meters. Consequently, they had no idea exactly how many people were still underwater or for how long they had remained there.
Yuan Shu made a quick calculation; by now, even Baili Xianyun and her group had been unable to endure it and had surfaced.
Only A'Diao and others who were ostensibly ranked in the top thirty, along with some "big fish" who had hidden their scores and not yet submitted them, remained underwater.
At this moment, A'Diao, still underwater, was examining the composition of this Nurturing Pool. Unfortunately, she couldn't determine what it was.
"Lushan Academy is truly impressive," A'Diao thought. "Such a massive pool, what a grand undertaking! But the key must be these star-like particles. I wonder what they are."
A'Diao had to give up on trying to copy their formula. However, she took some of the particles to examine them. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she asked Toilet, "Hey, these aren't... bone powder or marrow fluid from some of the first-generation Grandmasters, are they?"
Toilet replied, "Probably."
A'Diao: "..."
Oh, this world of resurgent spiritual energy truly had no taboos. Just how many people had died in those initial battles of the early era?
Toilet found her particularly hypocritical. She herself had used countless skeletal remains and had even considered adding them to medicinal stews. How could she act so surprised now?
"Right, how is my 42-hour reward going to be calculated? Damn it, if the exam duration is only seven days, then everyone's total time is the same. How am I supposed to get my 42 hours back?"
Just as A'Diao was puzzling over this, her wristwatch suddenly displayed a message: "Beneath the Nurturing Pool, there are 15 special nurturing spaces. These spaces contain time-flow acceleration arrays and are available for use by participants with time rewards. The spatial entry points are invisible to the naked eye, but your wristwatch will provide indications."
Wow! That's great!
A'Diao checked the locations of the fifteen nurturing spaces and headed for the nearest one.
Just as her wristwatch indicated the spatial point before her, A'Diao suddenly sensed something. She narrowed her eyes... Her figure abruptly shot forward, forcefully pinning down a young man concealed in the darkness below!
"You cur! Trying to assassinate me?!"
"Huh? N-no, no, Big Sister! I have a reward too! I... I do too!"
A'Diao took a closer look. It was him?!
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