Chapter 37

The illusory space distorted and shattered, and the bustling Haojing disappeared from sight. In Yue Heng's eyes, the scene gradually transformed into an examination room. Wen Xin Yue stood beside him, and many of the candidates' seats were empty. He blinked, his mind working, and guessed that the empty seats must belong to those who had been eliminated early.

In the waiting room, discussions were rife, the noise chaotic. Everyone was inquiring about others' achievements. All candidates had experienced the complete illusory realm, but none could remember the details inside. They only knew their own achievements, as each person's waist tag recorded them.

"Ah! I only have a pitiful ten points of achievement. This score probably won't qualify me to pass..."

"I don't have much either, only eight points... Well, well, fortunately, I'm still young. I'll prepare for another year and try again next year!"

"Congratulations! Young Master Huang, being among the top ten warriors, has achieved 190 points. The holy image of his martial soul must have at least four layers!"

"Fortunately, the achievements of the artisan candidates are the most balanced, mostly around twenty points."

The candidates were either sad or happy. Some performed well, while others had the lowest achievements and were eliminated. This was the norm.

Yue Heng looked at his waist tag, which showed an achievement of 730 points. He and Wen Xin Yue discussed it with joy, their faces beaming.

"Don't laugh, don't laugh, don't show off your wealth! With 730 points, we'll just wait to become the top scholar and the top apprentice!" Yue Heng chuckled, glancing around. No one was paying attention to them. As long as they didn't say anything, who would think their team was so outstanding?

Wen Xin Yue smiled proudly. She believed that achieving such high points was due to her efforts. This proved that choosing the path of a warrior was absolutely correct, and her father would surely look at her differently!

In another area of the examination room, a small group led by Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun gathered.

"Brother Kuang, I have 130 points, and Young Master Song has 97 points."

"Brother, I have 180 points, and Young Master Ji has the same. Among the top ten candidates in Hong County, except for Young Master Bai who withdrew for unknown reasons, the rest are around 100 points."

"Bai Ming, what's going on with you? Why did you withdraw so early?"

Several people looked at Bai Ming with dissatisfaction, especially his team members. The average score was only 40 points, and their performance was dragged down by Bai Ming!

"Brothers, I was betrayed by Yue Heng! Do you remember what I told you before the exam? If he hadn't harmed me, who could have eliminated me so early? Look, look, that boy is smirking, with a lecherous look on his face, and he's so close to Miss Wen. He must be sweet-talking her! This scoundrel deserves to die, Brother Kuang, you must help me teach that boy a lesson!"

Bai Ming avoided discussing his own issues and instead pointed at Yue Heng far away, skillfully shifting the blame.

Kuang Qing was furious, saying, "Follow me! I have 210 points, higher than Young Master Ji. I don't believe this boy can surpass me! This fame-seeking fellow, I'll make him lose face in Hong County and force him to leave!"

The group moved forward with a menacing air. Kuang Qing's face was grim, and Kuang Yun followed him, pushing through the crowd to stand in front of Yue Heng and Wen Xin Yue.

"Hey, Yue Brother, you're smiling so happily. Can you share it with everyone, let us all have a laugh?" Kuang Qing said coldly.

Yue Heng looked up, his face darkening. The area was filled with their people, including scholars, warriors, and artisans, all with unfriendly expressions, staring at him with hostility.

Damn, these guys actually dared to block him with a group, and the examination hadn't even ended yet!

Yue Heng casually put away his waist tag. He didn't know if 730 points were enough to be the top, but he believed this score was definitely high. After all, most ordinary candidates had single-digit achievements!

"I'm smiling so happily because I'm laughing at the ridiculous people in the world! A cheerful laugh can make you ten years younger. If you always frown like you two, life would be extremely dull, and you'd die sooner."

Yue Heng laughed, but his mind was calm. If they wanted to cause trouble, he would settle accounts with them today!

"Hmph! You deceived the Fuxi deity, harmed your fellow students, and forced Brother Bai to withdraw early, stealing his achievements. Is this your noble path? Do you still have the face to laugh so happily?" Kuang Qing said with a righteous tone, his face full of disgust.

"You also boast that you will definitely be the top scholar, setting an example for scholars. You..." Kuang Yun was about to point at Yue Heng but was deterred by his glare and awkwardly lowered his hand.

"Kuang Senior, that's enough! No one remembers what happened in the illusory realm. You accuse Yue Gongzi of harming his fellow students without any basis. This charge is too severe. I was on his team, and you are insulting me as well!"

Wen Xin Yue stepped forward, standing between Kuang Yun and Yue Heng. Her face was stern, and she looked at them with disgust. She couldn't believe Yue Heng would harm his fellow students. Their team achieving over 700 points in the illusory realm was impossible through stealing others' achievements, as she would never allow herself or her companion to do such a thing!

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Kuang Qing was taken aback by Wen Xin Yue's defense of Yue Heng, then burst into laughter, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"Miss Wen, Miss Wen, didn't you see what I did? I did it for you! We've been together for four years, and you've never given me such a bright smile, yet you protect this poor boy who you've known for less than two days. Do you know how sad and hurt I am?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt pain. He couldn't bear to look at her and instead stared at Yue Heng, venting all his anger on this unremarkable man, mocking him arrogantly, "Yue Heng, you're still useless, hiding behind a woman. You're not a real man!"

Yue Heng's face was expressionless, and he said lazily, "Whether I'm a man or not, why don't you let your sister come to my house tonight and find out?"

Pfft...

Ha ha ha ha!

The surrounding candidates almost burst out laughing. The words were so refined, but they were definitely a provocation that would make the other person furious. Although the Kuang family wasn't a noble family, they were a prominent clan in Qi County, with members holding positions in the county and the city. Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun didn't have a younger sister, but they had cousins. Hearing this, they couldn't hold back their anger.

"You're asking for death!" Kuang Yun, red with anger, was about to swing his fist but was stopped by Kuang Qing.

"Yue Heng, if you speak too arrogantly, be careful, or you'll die a miserable death!" Their faces were ashen, and their eyes burned with hatred.

"Who is being arrogant? Everyone here can see it. I'm too lazy to argue with you. We don't remember what happened in the illusory realm. How can you accuse me of harming my fellow students? Where is Bai Ming? Let him come out and face me!"

Yue Heng spat and continued, "You believe a failed candidate who can't even pass the re-exam over me, a special candidate who passed the re-exam? Are you treating me differently because I'm from a humble background and have no connections? Ha ha, you even threaten me in front of so many people, saying I'll die a miserable death. I'm so scared! Tsk!"

"Exactly, support Yue Brother! Let Bai Ming come out and face him!"

"Words are useless; evidence is what matters!"

"Humble candidates are not to be bullied at will. We disagree!"

Yue Heng's words resonated with the surrounding candidates, and most of the humble candidates supported him. Bai Ming, who was hiding behind Kuang Qing and others, was recognized and forcibly pulled out of the crowd, pushed in front of Yue Heng.

However, Bai Ming looked uncertain, avoiding Yue Heng's gaze, his eyes darting around.

"Bai Ming, do you dare to face Yue Brother?"

"Face him! And swear to the Fuxi deity!"

"Speak up if you have a grievance, or shut up if you have nothing to say!"

Amid the accusations, Bai Ming's face turned pale, his body trembling, and his heart was uneasy.

He was eliminated, while Yue Heng passed. Yue Heng would certainly leave him a full body as he had promised. This was a consequence he couldn't bear, and he had no way out!

Bai Ming gritted his teeth and said, "Before the exam, I told Brother Kuang that I would find you to discuss cooperation as soon as we entered the illusory realm. The others in my team, like Young Master Zhu, can vouch for this. They were willing to help. But I was the first to die in the illusory realm, the only one among 3,000 candidates to be eliminated. If it wasn't you who did it, who else could it be? How do you explain this?"

Bai Ming recalled how the examiners had harshly ordered him to leave, calling him a shameless person, and the humiliation rose from his feet. How could he lose to Yue Heng? It must have been Yue Heng who did it!

"Will you cooperate with me? Isn't that like a cat crying for a rat or a weasel wishing a chicken a happy new year? You talk so nicely! Brother Bai, I still say, people do things, and the deities watch. Whoever harms me will be repaid a hundredfold. I will never change this. All your speculations about me are baseless. I don't want to argue with you; let the examiners decide!"

Yue Heng pushed Bai Ming aside and looked at Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun, shaking his head and sighing, "Furthermore, Brothers Kuang, why do you keep making things difficult for me? Do you not know what kind of person Bai Ming is? Do I have a direct conflict with you? Or do you think that getting a good score in the re-exam will allow you to humiliate me?"

Kuang Qing's face was grim. His direct conflict with Yue Heng was Wen Xin Yue, but he couldn't say that in front of everyone.

The brothers understood each other, and Kuang Yun sneered, "Talking more is useless. Report your achievements, and let everyone judge! Your arrogance will lead to a bad end."

Yue Heng smiled, unaffected by the provocation, and asked playfully, "Who is being arrogant? I hate it when people point at me and give me orders. What are you, anyway? What right do you have to lecture me? If you want to hear my achievements, will you report yours first?"

Kuang Yun laughed loudly, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, and said proudly, "Why not?"

Kuang Qing also snorted, saying contemptuously, "Clean your ears and listen carefully. Don't be scared! I have 210 points, and Kuang Yun has 180 points! Among the top ten candidates in Hong County this year, except for Brother Bai who was forced to withdraw by you, the rest are around 100 points. You, the despicable one who claims to be the top scholar in Hong County, dare to report your achievements?"

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