Chapter 89: Results Announced, Bewildered Geniuses

"Knock knock..."

A series of knocks came from outside the Cultivation Chamber.

Chu Han opened the door and found several staff members from the Martial Arts Association.

"Mr. Chu, what happened inside? We detected high-level energy fluctuations and damage to the walls."

Chu Han helplessly pointed at the large hole in the inner wall. "Sorry, I accidentally caused this while I was cultivating."

The staff members were all shocked, looking at Chu Han as if he were a monster.

To cause such destruction just by cultivating—he truly was the person the President had told them to look after specifically.

"I don't have to pay for this, do I?" Chu Han asked the question he cared about most.

"Of course not. The President said that as long as Mr. Chu's safety is guaranteed, you can do whatever you want."

One of the staff members said with a smile.

"That's good then."

Chu Han nodded and then checked the time on his bracelet.

Since there was still some time before the Martial Arts Grand Examination ended, he resumed his cultivation.

It wasn't until noon that the Martial Arts Grand Examination finally concluded.

Although only four hours had passed in the outside world, thirty hours had passed within the Secret Realm.

Chu Han was able to leave the Cultivation Chamber.

He happened to run into a beaming Chu Tianxiong and President Sun.

It seemed the results for the entire Tianyuan Province were quite good; otherwise, these two big shots wouldn't be so happy.

"Chu Han, I can arrange for someone to take you back to Jiangcheng at any time. It's up to you; if you like, you can stay for a few more days," President Sun said with a smile.

Chu Han smiled and shook his head. "I just want to go back to Jiangcheng now. My parents are still waiting for me outside the Martial Arts Association."

"Very well, I'll arrange it right away."

President Sun acted quickly, immediately taking out his communicator to make the arrangements.

At this moment, Chu Tianxiong, who was standing nearby, showed a hint of surprise that quickly turned into delight. "You've already mastered the first layer of the Nine Dragons True Fire Art?!"

Chu Han nodded and opened his right hand. A fire Dragon emerged from his palm and circled around his body.

"This... it really is the feeling of Dragon fire!"

Chu Tianxiong was overjoyed, his face turning red with excitement. "Excellent! It seems I didn't give this Cultivation Technique to the wrong person!"

"It's all thanks to Elder Chu's gift that I've achieved this," Chu Han said with a smile.

After bidding farewell to Chu Tianxiong, Chu Han got into the private car sent by President Sun and headed toward Jiangcheng.

Meanwhile, the Martial Arts Association squares in major cities across Tianyuan Province were bustling with activity.

Batches of examinees were being teleported out of the Secret Realm.

Parents stepped forward one after another to welcome their children.

For a time, the square was filled with a cacophony of voices.

Some had excellent results, and their entire families cheered.

Others were dejected due to failure, leaving their families in silence.

In the crowd, Chu Zhan and Meilan kept their eyes fixed on each wave of teleported examinees.

But they waited for a long time without seeing Chu Han.

"Why hasn't Xiao Han come out yet?" Chu Zhan was getting impatient.

"Don't worry, maybe he's at the very end," Zhang Meilan comforted him.

Just then, Zhang Meilan's communicator rang.

She took it out and was immediately overjoyed. "It's a call from our son!"

"Mom, you and Dad stop waiting there. Because of some things, I was teleported to the Provincial Capital. I'm on my way back to Jiangcheng now, so you two should head home first."

Chu Han's voice came through the communicator.

"Xiao Han, so how did you do on the exam?"

Both parents were very concerned about Chu Han's results.

"I did very well. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be the provincial top scorer!"

Chu Han said without any modesty.

He needed to inform his parents of this good news as soon as possible.

"Really? You're not lying to us, are you?"

Hearing this news, Zhang Meilan felt lightheaded for a moment, unable to fully believe it.

"Of course. Don't worry, the results for the entire province will be announced tomorrow morning. You'll be busy then."

Chu Han said with a smile.

"That's wonderful! Then your dad and I will head back first."

Zhang Meilan hung up the communicator and hugged Chu Zhan excitedly.

Chu Zhan was also very excited, and in his exhilaration, he actually picked up Zhang Meilan and spun her around.

He completely forgot that his current body was weaker than an average person's... Meanwhile, near the Martial Arts Association square in the Provincial Capital.

A group of examinees gathered in a café, checking their scores against each other in a lively yet tense atmosphere.

"It took me 9 hours and 12 minutes to clear the Death Forest. In the second stage, I was defeated after hunting 7 Wild Gorillas. Total score: 2977 points!"

Li Tianhe raised his hand to show the score on his bracelet, his face full of unconcealed pride.

He was a Genius from the Li Family in the Provincial Capital, and his strength at the Early Stage of Rank 3 was the highest among all the examinees.

"Last year's provincial top scorer only had a bit over 2933 points. Your score should be a lock!"

Someone immediately said flatteringly.

A woman with a pretty face and a gentle temperament nearby had a flash of regret in her eyes as she held out her bracelet. "I lost to you again this time. My score is only 2792 points."

"Shuya, with your score, you can take your pick of the top four martial arts universities in the country."

Li Tianhe said with a smile, feeling relieved in his heart.

Lin Shuya had been his rival for the past three years. Hearing her admit defeat personally made Li Tianhe feel incredibly relaxed.

"True, the results of the Martial Arts Grand Examination are only temporary. Once I get to Modu Martial Arts University, I will definitely surpass you!"

Lin Shuya was not one to give up easily.

With the Martial Arts Grand Examination over, she had already set her sights on university.

"So your goal is Modu Martial Arts University; I expect I'll be going to Kyoto Martial Arts University."

As a Genius, Li Tianhe had also long since decided which university he wanted to attend.

He was still a bit uneasy and asked, "Have we gotten the scores of the geniuses from other cities?"

At this moment, a classmate raised their hand to speak. "Ling Ying's score from J-City is out; she got 2745 points."

"I got Bai Ye's score from a friend at the First High School; he scored 2699 points."

"Zhou He from A-City, 2579 points."

"Zhao Feiyu from Jiangcheng got 2611 points, and Lei Meng got 2527 points."

"..."

Relying on their powerful network, Li Tianhe and the others had obtained the scores of all the geniuses in the province.

"As expected, Tianhe's score is the highest. From now on, we can call him the top scorer!"

Everyone said excitedly.

"Great! Everything today is on me. Order whatever you like!"

Li Tianhe said loudly, filled with pride and satisfaction.

Just as he was enjoying this glory, the communicator on him suddenly vibrated.

It was a message from his uncle, who worked at the Provincial Martial Arts Association.

Li Tianhe stepped aside and opened it; the smile on his face froze instantly, and his brow furrowed deeply.

"Uncle, you must have sent this to the wrong person. My total score is 2977 points, higher than last year's top scorer. How could I be in second place?"

He immediately called back, his tone full of disbelief.

"The news is absolutely accurate; the internal rankings have already been finalized."

The voice on the other end of the communicator was extremely serious. "The score for first place hasn't been publicly announced yet, but it far exceeds yours. Why would I lie to you about something like this?"

Li Tianhe hung up the communicator, completely stunned.

In his mind, he kept wondering who could possibly have achieved a score higher than 2977 points.

This was simply beyond his comprehension!

"What's wrong?" Lin Shuya noticed his strange behavior and asked quickly.

Li Tianhe took a deep breath and said slowly, "My uncle said I'm in second place. Someone else has a much higher score than me, it's just that their results haven't been announced yet."

"What?!"

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar, their faces filled with shock.

"That's impossible! Who could get such a high score?"

"I don't know. My uncle didn't mention the specific score, only that we'll find out when the official announcement is made tomorrow."

Li Tianhe's expression was solemn, a strong sense of unwillingness and curiosity welling up in his heart.

Thinking of how he had just been getting carried away with himself, he suddenly wanted to find a hole to crawl into.