32: Chapter 32 Victory! Desperate Examinees

At the center of the energy vortex, the deep purple Lightning Radiance and the grayish-black shockwave tore at each other frantically, and the Qi in the heavens and earth was churned into a boiling turbulence.

Zhang Wen's muscles were tense, and the spiritual power of the Nine Heavens Tribulation Thunder within him surged like a tsunami, suppressing that continuously counterattacking shockwave with all his might.

Suddenly, the head of the Dragon of lightning reared up, emitting a roar that pierced through the clouds.

The deep purple Lightning Radiance suddenly surged, swallowing the grayish-black energy like a tidal wave, and pushed back along the trajectory of the shockwave!

The Hundred-Foot Centipede let out a shrill hiss that didn't sound like it came from a beast, its massive body instantly engulfed by the Lightning Radiance.

Its carapace shattered inch by inch amidst crackling explosions, and its newly shed light-brown shell, along with the flesh inside, was scorched charred black by the lightning.

When the Lightning Radiance dissipated, only a charred, broken remnant of the centipede remained on the spot, twitching a few times before it completely lost its life.

Zhang Wen exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, the lightning around his body rapidly receding, and his body swayed before he managed to stand steady.

He looked at the remains on the ground, his chest still throbbing with pain, yet he couldn't help but pull a tired yet satisfied smile.

"In the end... your Grandpa Zhang is still the superior one."

In the distance, Ding Siyi ran over quickly, supporting his teetering body.

Her eyes were slightly red, but she wore a smile of relief from surviving a disaster: "You won."

Zhang Wen leaned on her shoulder, feeling the long-lost sense of security, and whispered: "I told you earlier... there's no good end to angering me."

Before he could finish his sentence, he fainted due to spiritual power overdraw, yet the corner of his mouth still held a victorious arc.

The night seemed soaked in ink.

As soon as Zhang Wen opened his eyes to the darkness, he sprang up, his spiritual power gushing out, looking just like a ruffled rooster—the energy from his life-and-death struggle with the Hundred-Foot Centipede hadn't dissipated yet, and his arms and legs were taut like drawn bowstrings.

"Ancestor, please put away your Divine Ability," Siyi's voice drifted over, carrying a tremor of suppressed laughter.

"Just woke up and you're already overdrawing your spiritual power. Are you planning to fertilize the trees in the middle of the night?"

Zhang Wen turned his head to look.

The girl was sitting on a rock, holding half an energy bar, the moonlight making the crumbs on the corner of her mouth shine.

He instantly wilted, his spiritual power shrinking back like a leaking balloon.

Rubbing his waist that was creaking with soreness, he muttered, "I've lost face... With my SSS-Rank Talent, I actually drained my mana bar beating up a Forming Realm Vicious Beast."

"If that gets out, won't those guys compose a rap to mock me? 'Genius Zhang, high combat power, legs went soft fighting a centipede'—just thinking about it gives me goosebumps."

"Do you think everyone is like you, chopping up Vicious Beasts like they're weaklings?"

Siyi handed over a water bottle and poked his wrist with her fingertip.

"That centipede's shell was hard enough to be a shield, and its venom could melt black iron; it was clearly a seasoned veteran in the Forming Realm."

"Stop being emo, check your score quickly."

"Oh, oh."

Zhang Wen scrambled to tap his watch, the blue light lighting up with a "pop," his eyes widening like copper bells: "Holy moly! 4... 4225 points! And it's still hanging a little 'First Place' banner?!"

He swiped his finger on the screen for a long time, then suddenly slapped his thigh: "I was only at 3,000 before, and we split the loot 60/40, so this centipede just gave us 2,000 points?"

"This isn't a Vicious Beast, it's a walking point ATM!"

"I'm at 2816 points, currently ranked third."

Siyi shook her watch, the numbers on the screen flashing happily.

Zhang Wen suddenly jumped up on the spot, flailing his arms as if having a seizure: "Last year's provincial top scholar only just crossed 7,000 points after three days, and we still have two days left!"

"This time, this is a guaranteed provincial top scholar win!"

Siyi watched his silly look as if he'd won the lottery, helplessly holding her forehead, a laughing scolding leaking through her fingers: "Can you stop that seizure-like dance?"

"Be careful, you might alert another Forming Realm Vicious Beast and let you experience the joy of spiritual power overdraw again."

"Hehe, how could that be!"

Zhang Wen rubbed his hands and laughed, his eyes shining like he had two searchlights in them.

"Give me a Vicious Beast right now, and I can perform a bare-handed centipede-chopping show. As for motivation, I have so much I can share it with other examinees as a midnight snack!"

"Less nonsense."

Siyi patted the stone next to him, "Quickly sit cross-legged and rest, we still have to go farm points when it's light out."

Zhang Wen immediately stopped laughing, sat cross-legged with a serious look, and clasped his hands together; the stance actually looked quite convincing—except that as soon as his spiritual power cycled twice, his stomach let out a "rumble," and he couldn't help but grimace himself.

The next day, before the rooster had even crowed, while other examinees were still inseparable from their bed boards in their dreams, Zhang Wen and Siyi were already out with their gear.

When they encountered a Vicious Beast, Zhang Wen would raise his hand and unleash a bolt of lightning, a "crack" sounding like the heavens sneezing; if it didn't die, Ding Siyi would immediately follow up with a flame, a "whoosh" that could roast the opponent into a skewer.

The two of them were so fast it was like the wind blowing by, making the Vicious Beasts in the Secret Realm want to play dead the moment they saw their shadows.

By the end of the day, Zhang Wen tapped his watch and looked; his score had zipped past the 7,000-point line of last year's provincial top scholar, his mouth grinning almost to his ears, and he nearly performed a split on the spot for Siyi.

But while he was overjoyed, other examinees were about to cry.

Who cared if the Secret Realm was difficult now?

Their heads were full of "Bath-Scrubbing War God" Zhang Wen—this guy used lightning in his left hand and fire in his right, as nimble as if he were scrubbing a Vicious Beast, and he had wiped out all the farmable points.

The examinees wandered around the forest holding their weapons, not at all afraid of this Hell-difficulty Secret Realm, their eyes wide as copper bells, cursing: "Does that guy Zhang Wen have a radar? He won't even leave a caterpillar!"

The desperation in their tone was just like children who had their candy stolen.

"Achoo! Who is thinking of me?"

Zhang Wen rubbed his nose and said.

"Thinking of you? I doubt it, but I think there are quite a few people cursing you," Siyi scolded with a smile.

"I'm sharing the burden for them, you know. This Secret Realm is so dangerous, there are Vicious Beasts everywhere, not to mention the Forming Realm Vicious Beasts hidden in the shadows."

"If I hadn't taken action to kill those Vicious Beasts, what if they encountered a Forming Realm Vicious Beast? Where would they find the strength to run away? I'm doing this all for their sake," Zhang Wen said earnestly.

"Achoo!"

Zhang Wen sneezed violently, rubbed his nose, and hissed through his teeth, "Who is talking about me? Could it be some little fanboy or fangirl praising my brilliant battle record?"

"Praising you?"

Siyi crossed her arms and glanced at him sideways, the corners of her mouth curved like a crescent moon, "I think the people cursing you have gathered enough spit to form a river."

Zhang Wen immediately stopped smiling, straightened his face, and waved his hand seriously: "You don't understand, do you? This is called saving the country by a roundabout path, carrying the heavy burden for them!"

He patted his chest, his posture like a storyteller, "Think about it, this Secret Realm is like a Vicious Beast wholesale market, with snarling, vicious creatures everywhere."

"Who knows which grass patch hides a ruthless Forming Realm character? If I clean these things up in advance, don't they have less risk? If they really run into a tough one, they can at least have the energy to run for their lives, right?"

The more he spoke, the more he felt he was great, and finally he sighed: "Sigh, doing good deeds is always misunderstood. This is probably the loneliness of a Genius."

Siyi couldn't help but "pfft" with laughter, reaching out to poke his forehead: "Fine, you have a point."

"Next time you 'do a good deed,' can you leave a rabbit for others? If you keep ruining things like this, they'll probably have to gnaw on tree bark."

"Alright, alright," Zhang Wen smacked his lips, with an "I have no choice" expression on his face, "Before we leave, let's catch one more Forming Realm Vicious Beast to walk around, and add some insurance to our score."

"Can't have some unexpected challenger jump out halfway and suddenly topple my top scholar throne—that would be so embarrassing."