Chapter 123: The Winged Serpent Rides the Mist, Laughter Amidst the Blood

Shi Tiexin watched, stunned. His entire being was shaken by the short girl.

The petite girl’s eyes were bloodshot, her body was drenched in blood, and she had reached the end of her tether, yet she still pressed forward with indomitable courage. With both arms shattered and her body gravely wounded, anyone else would have been waiting for death, but the short girl accelerated—accelerating again and again—running at the highest speed she could possibly muster!

In that instant, her speed was like lightning.

Then, she suddenly leaped—leaping so high and so far, like a venomous snake coiled and sprung from the ground, striking straight at Gao Shaoling’s face!

Even at this point, the short girl did not give up.

Mid-air, she curled her body into a tiny ball, her two legs poised like striking vipers. At the moment of engagement, she kicked out in a rapid, continuous series, unleashing an incredible, swirling mid-air attack.

She had only the strength for this one final strike.

After this attack, whether it landed or not, she would be forced out of the secret realm.

But Gao Shaoling did not dodge.

He chose to raise his hand and counterattack!

*Pshhh—* As they crossed paths, a massive spray of blood mist erupted in the air. Shi Tiexin’s eyes widened; in his vision, the world seemed to turn black and white. Against a stark, pale background, the short girl was like a sliced tomato, spraying black ink across the sky.

*Thud.* The short girl fell to the ground like a sandbag, hitting the floor flat with no way to cushion the impact. A pool of blood spread beneath her; she lay there in the dust, looking like a total loser.

The entire arena erupted in clamor, praising Gao Shaoling’s strength and worshiping his perfection. No one cared whether the short girl lived or died.

But Shi Tiexin’s pupils contracted sharply. From his angle, he saw it—he saw that on the short girl’s face, a face so battered she could barely lift it, she was actually smiling!

She was laughing wildly!

The laughter was silent but proud, as if to say: "Gao Shaoling, is that all you’ve got?"

He looked back at Gao Shaoling. Gao Shaoling still stood straight and tall, his clothes unsullied by a speck of dust. But Shi Tiexin suddenly noticed that within the radiance shimmering around Gao Shaoling’s throat, there seemed to be a tiny hole, no thicker than a finger. There were no cracks around this hole, making it hard to see clearly, and Gao Shaoling immediately raised his hand to cover it as if gesturing, preventing Shi Tiexin from seeing it again.

Yet, he believed he had not been mistaken.

Shi Tiexin immediately looked at the ground, searching for traces of blood.

There was so much blood on the floor, from the girl’s starting point to where she fell, that it was impossible to tell whose was whose. But Shi Tiexin chose to believe that on this path of blood, there was at least one drop that belonged to Gao Shaoling—a testament to the short girl’s pride.

*Crack.* The Wenxin Secret Realm shattered and vanished completely.

The layers of light, the wounds, and the bloodstains all disappeared, as if everything that had just happened were merely a fleeting dream.

"The Hundred-Year Mist, the Tumu Fortress Provincial Examination: the victory is decided. The champion of the Golden List is Gao Shaoling!"

As the Longtu Scholar announced the result, the entire arena cheered. Bathed in a sea of applause, Gao Shaoling waved his hand gently, wearing a satisfied smile. Suddenly, golden light descended from the unfathomable heights of the void, bathing Gao Shaoling in its glow—a reward for his status as the provincial champion.

Only then did Shi Tiexin realize that while the students at Fengming No. 1 High School could not see it, the martial artists of this world line could indeed witness the Heaven-Sent Golden Light.

"Second place on the Golden List, Shi Yulei."

The short girl climbed up from the ground. After exiting the secret realm, her grave injuries seemed to have eased significantly. However, compared to the glorious young master of the Gao family, this "overreaching" challenger received little applause, and the atmosphere was somewhat cold. Some sycophants, looking to curry favor with the Gao family, even sneered at her.

But just then, a spirited voice rang out from the stands: "Well done, sister!"

Everyone turned to see an even shorter girl jumping up and down in the stands. Some jeered, but a louder, thunderous voice boomed, drowning out the mockery.

"Shorty, well fought!"

It was Shi Tiexin.

Shi Tiexin watched the silent short girl, cheering for her with all his heart. In that moment, he forgot the regulations, forgot the thirty points, forgot everything, and was simply cheering wholeheartedly for the girl who had fought until the very last second.

Led by Shi Tiexin, a smattering of applause began, then gradually grew louder. There were, after all, true martial artists and men of real mettle in the stands.

"Third place on the Golden List, Zhuang Zhiqiang."

The Longtu Scholar spoke. The third-place winner was the thin boy who had fought the short girl in the semi-finals. There should have been a match to decide third place, but his opponent—the one who had fought Gao Shaoling in the other semi-final—had fallen into a coma and been sent to the hospital, so he had become third by default.

As for whether the fourth-place contestant would be dissatisfied? No one cared. Victory was victory, defeat was defeat; no one had anything to say.

Zhuang Zhiqiang walked onto the stage, waved to the audience, nodded earnestly at Shi Yulei, and received his share of the Heaven-Sent Golden Light.

"The rest are ranked accordingly. The gold, silver, and bronze lists shall be posted immediately!"

Martial artists were direct and efficient, rarely dragging things out. They didn't wait after the exam and began posting the list right away. However, "posting the list" here didn't mean putting up red paper on a bulletin board like at Fengming No. 1 High School. Suddenly, the entire dome of the space city changed.

Under the influence of the weather control system, the clouds and mist over Tumu Fortress vanished instantly. Golden light shimmered on the dome of the space city, and a massive provincial examination list appeared directly above the heads of everyone in the city.

This wasn't just using the dome as a screen; that would have made it hard for people to see the full list. This time, they used an optical imaging technology that Shi Tiexin could not comprehend, allowing everyone in the city, no matter where they were, to look up at the sky and see the giant list hanging in mid-air.

First place, Provincial Examination: Gao Shaoling.

Second place, Provincial Examination: Shi Yulei.

These words would remain there for three days, becoming the enduring topic of conversation throughout Tumu Fortress.

Shi Tiexin looked at the sky through the opening above the circular platform, momentarily dazed, his heart surging. After witnessing this provincial exam, Shi Tiexin felt that such official academic examinations maintained a certain level of fairness. The results were posted immediately after the matches, leaving no room for black-box manipulation.

If it were not so, the Sage’s rules would not have recognized it as one of the official examinations of the world. Without fairness, it could not have been widely acknowledged, and there would be no Heaven-Sent Golden Light.

Since it was fair, then one should be like that short girl—advancing bravely forward.

One day, his name would also appear on that list. One day, he would also be seen by the entire city. One day, he would also have such a shining moment, looking down upon his peers and surveying the vast mountains.

One day...

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and help!"

A roar from the modeling team leader snapped Shi Tiexin back to reality. Well, before becoming famous throughout the world, he should focus on the task at hand. Right, didn't Deputy Director Tao Zhongming mention that the Municipal Cultural Bureau was hosting a calligraphy competition? He was in the Upper City anyway; he would go check it out after his shift!