Chapter 53: Free-For-All Rumble (4)
After killing five men, the number above Xu Miao's head increased from 550 to 1,350. This was a cruel indication that test-takers could steal points from others!
When the crowd in the same safe zone noticed Xu Miao's score, they didn't utter a word. They kept the info among themselves, so they could secretly use it to their advantage.
Still, none of them dared to pick a fight with Xu Miao again. They were afraid of the consequences of provoking the Silver Phoenix Sect and Xu Xiuying.
This was an important perk being Xu Xiuying's relative. Nobody with common sense would want to offend them. Yu Lin and his gangs were simply idiots, who tried to steal a weapon from Xu Miao without caring about the consequences.
Since Xu Miao was left alone, he managed to finish his make-shift resident, a simple wooden shack. It was big enough for him to sleep under a roof, and he didn't have to worry about ants and pests on the dirt.
'Ah, it's done. I can finally rest... Wait, is it safe to sleep alone?'
Xu Miao's face twitched, realized his mistake. Since he could murder people in the safe zone, the others also could easily kill him in his sleep. With the delicious bounty flashing on top of his head, he didn't need to guess that everybody else was tempted to kill him.
The greatest danger wasn't the monster beasts but the fellow test-takers. This was a cultivation world where the strong trampled on the weak.
Xu Miao wasn't confident that he could last 3 days without a wink of sleep. He checked the surrounding, observing the safe zone.
Wei Yuan had already left the area. Others also rushed into the dead forest, but a few stranglers remained in the zone, building their camps or crafting their stone weapons.
When Xu Miao was thinking about what he should do to secure a safe place to sleep, multiple rays of light flashed. Golden beams shot up from various places and Xu Miao could see them rising to the sky.
"???"
Xu Miao immediately exited the safe zone and climbed one of the tall dead trees to scan the surroundings from the high ground. When he got to the top, he could see a bit further away.
Within the radius of one kilometer, there was nothing but dead trees. However, on the horizon to the north, a faint silhouette of a mountain range could be seen.
About a bit over one kilometer, south of Xu Miao's safe zone, a golden beam of light shone, highlighting a place of interest.
Xu Miao could see other golden beams, but they were too far from his location. He couldn't rush there without meeting obstacles, such as hidden monster beasts or other examinees.
Since the guy had nothing to do, he followed the nearest golden light, wondering what might be there.
...
Along the way, Xu Miao ran into several packs of monster wolves and other examinees. All of them were busy fighting against each other. These test-takers were from Xu Miao's safe zone, and they were attracted to the light beacon as well.
"Get lost, punk!"
"Kill the wolves, first! You fool!"
"You kill the wolves! I'm going to the beacon!"
None of them cooperated with the others. They fought among themselves, caring only about their personal gain and interests. As they fought the wolves, they also tried to kill each other.
Xu Miao ignored these people. He took a detour, avoiding fighting with any monster beast or other cultivator.
Unfortunately, a few of them noticed Xu Miao's presence.
"Young master Xu Miao! Help us!"
"We are attacking the wolves! We don't have a weapon! We need your help!"
Hearing their voice, Xu Miao clicked his tongue.
'You fuckers were fighting before. After you see me, you say you want my help? Who am I, your father?'
Xu Miao was not a saint or a righteous MC. He disregarded them and proceeded forward, leaving them on their own.
The examinees were shocked when Xu Miao only glanced at them and left them behind. They shouted in anger.
"Bastard!"
"Coward!"
Xu Miao shrugged, 'None of my business.'
...
15 Minutes later, Xu Miao managed to reach the location of the beacon. The light beam was huge. Judging by a glance, the diameter should be at least 10 meters.
However, when he arrived, five girls had already been there, occupying the area inside the light.
One of the test-takers, Wei Yuan, the girl that Xu Miao had threatened, was sitting cross-legged at the center of the light beam. Four other examinees also copied her action, meditating and absorbing Qi from the surroundings. As they were being in the light, the numbers above their heads kept increasing.
Xu Miao gazed at the light beacon. Under the ground where Wei Yuan was sitting, he could sense intense energy flowing upward.
The light was not a beacon, but it was the condensed essence, leaking from a mysterious array underground.
Looking at the group of people, Xu Miao figured that they were cultivating the mysterious energy from the array. He wanted to ask them to make a room for him, but Wei Yuan suddenly opened her eyes and looked at him.
"I'm sorry, young master Xu. This place is occupied. The array only allows five people to enter."
Xu Miao was annoyed. He thought that Wei Yuan chased him away, paying back for what he had done to her.
'This little bitch, do you think you can threaten me?'
Wanting to teach the girl a lesson, Xu Miao tried to enter the lighted area.
*BOOM*
His body was bounced back by an unknown force. He couldn't enter the golden beam.
Xu Miao got frustrated and tried to get inside again. But when he noticed a moving magic array on the ground, he realized that Wei Yuan wasn't responsible for the previous attack.
'An array?'
Xu Miao gazed at the five people, who were shivering in fear, including Wei Yuan.
"Please don't be angry, young master Xu. There's an array here. When we got inside, we're also trapped in this small circle."
Wei Yuan explained their circumstances. They also didn't want to stay here for too long, but they couldn't get out after walking into the light.
Xu Miao snorted and turned around, leaving without saying anything. He jumped up and climbed a tree to search for another nearby beacon or something interesting.
...
Wei Yuan was relieved that Xu Miao didn't pursue the matter or try to break the formation. She looked at her new friends, "The danger is gone. We can continue cultivating."
"Y-Yes, Sister Wei."
"T-Thank you, Sister Wei!"
These people formed an alliance and worked together in this round of exams as they were the only girls in the starting safe zone. Female cultivators had it tough when they were out in a foreign land, so they formed a group to cover each other's weaknesses.
All of them shifted their seats, revealing hidden items that they were sitting on.
10 Small boxes were hidden under them. They were the items that they found when they had arrived here.
Inside those boxes, small knives, rare herbs, medicinal pills, water bottles, and food supplies were kept. They were the trophies for the early birds.
Unfortunately, the five girls were trapped inside the array, which forced them to cultivate here. They didn't know when the array would free them. Without a choice, they gave up hunting monster beasts and continued gathering Qi and increasing their scores.
Wei Yuan distributed these boxes evenly. Each of the girls obtained two boxes.
Since Xu Miao failed to break the array, these women treated it as another safe zone. They opened the boxes and inspected the supplies and other goodies.
Wei Yuan also checked her loot. She examined the rare herbs first since she might be able to consume it right away.
A minute later, one of the girls noticed a small note at the bottom of her box. She picked it up and read.
[The protection array will imprison everyone inside when there are five cultivators. To disable the trap, the number of cultivators inside the array must be less than five.]
The girl was shocked. She immediately checked another box if there was another note like this.
Inside the second box, there was the same note, giving her the same advice. Not only she received the sinister hint, Wei Yuan and others also got them. They nervously looked at each other.
Wei Yuan took an initiative first, "Everyone, remember why we are here. We are here to pass the annual examination to become a disciple of either the Mountain Goose Sect or the Silver Phoenix Sect! We're not here to kill each other! When the 3 days are over, we can return home!"
Hearing Wei Yuan's reminder, everyone was relieved. Yet, they were still paranoid. The four of them kept a distance from each other and sat alone, fearing that one of them might change their mind.
Wei Yuan had a bitter smile on her face. She never planned to kill any of them. She was saddened that none of them truly trusted her.
This trial was cruel and heartless. Wei Yuan blamed Jia Shan and Xu Xiuying for coming up with such a trap.
'Nothing like this occurred in the previous exams. What are they thinking!? Why are humans so cruel to their kind!? Just why!?'
...
One hour later
Xu Miao's journey toward another beacon wasn't so peaceful as before. As he traveled further, stronger monster beasts appeared and got on his way.
He encountered monster ents, which were disguising as dead trees. These tree monsters uprooted themselves and swung their branches and roots at Xu Miao.
'Annoying fuckers!'
Xu Miao didn't hold back using his Qi after he had completely digested and converted Wei Yuan's demonic Qi into his energy. Flame bullets and fire spears were thrown toward the trees.
He used Yang Qi to create fire instead of using the orthodox ice manipulation skill of the Silver Phoenix Sect. Since his enemies were trees, it was a common sense that fire might be their weaknesses.
'Burn it! Burn it with fire! Hans, where are my fucking flamethrowers!?'
Like a kid, Xu Miao enjoyed burning the ents and the dead tree forest. He cackled while he was watching the monster trees slowly died one by one.
Unfortunately, he caused a forest fire. By the time he knew it, his fire already surrounded him, leaving no path to escape from the forest.
'Whoops.'