134: Chapter 134 First Place: Li Wen

At the Xinhuo Ancestral Vein, in front of the massive light screen on the White Jade Square.

The place was already packed with people.

Not only were there the examinees who had been eliminated, but also numerous current students of Kindling University who had rushed over upon hearing the news, and even some powerful figures within the academy were drawn by the anomaly in the practical assessment.

The light screen was divided into multiple perspectives, but the core protagonist was only one person — Li Wen.

From Ron Zaka's overestimation leading to ridicule, to Li Wen descending like a divine soldier to instantly kill the Wolf-Headed Demon General and save Ron Zaka.

And then to his heroic feat of shuttling back and forth across the entire battlefield like a firefighter, turning the tide single-handedly — — — —

The entire process left all onlookers dumbfounded and their blood boiling.

The silence on the square was broken by incredulous gasps, immediately erupting into a deafening wave of discussion.

“My heavens! He — he’s still slaughtering them inside the Yao Race horde?!”

“Is he supporting the entire defensive line by himself?!”

“That movement technique! That Blade Technique! That awareness! Is he even human?!”

“Look at the points board, his score is leading by a landslide; it seems the total points of everyone else combined are still less than his alone.”

As the screen showed Li Wen appearing time and again at the verge of the defense line collapsing, resolving crises with thunderous means, a group of Kindling University students looked as if they had seen a ghost.

“Wait — if he keeps killing like this —” a voice with a tremor sounded: “This batch of ours — they won’t actually — succeed in defending against the Yao Race's impact, will they?!”

This sentence was like a huge stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly igniting an even greater disturbance.

“Holy crap!?”

“Defend — defend it?”

“Impossible! How many years has this practical assessment been set up? In the last hundred years, how many people could defend against the impact of the Interstellar Gate? Only a handful, right?”

“But — looking at the current situation, the number of Yao Race members he’s killed is indeed rapidly decreasing!”

“I remember the last time they successfully defended was over fifty years ago, right? Wasn’t that the record set by the current Blade Lin King?”

“No, even Senior Brother Ling Feng leading the team three years ago only managed to barely hold on until the final few rounds.”

“If — if he really leads the team to defend it, that would truly be outrageous!”

“A Prodigy! An absolute Prodigy! His practical combat capability is equivalent to an entire legion used by one person!”

Everyone’s gaze was fixed tightly on the light screen.

Watching that gray-white figure move freely amidst the Yao horde, watching the number behind that single name on the points board jump like crazy.

Watching the Yao tide, under the dual blow of the 'Decapitation Operation' and 'Troop Clearing Efficiency,' visibly thin at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the light screen, Li Wen’s saber light was like an inexhaustible storm.

One powerful Elite-level Commander after another fell under his saber. No matter what innate abilities they used or what heavy weapons and giant hammers they swung, none could escape the precise execution of that gray-white saber gleam.

Using 'Overlapping Waves - Ninth Layer' combined with 'Lve Ying' to slay the extremely fast Mantis Demon General.

'Guarding the Gate - Mirror Reflection' performed an ultimate block against the Mountain Giant's earth-shattering hammer blow; the rebound force caused it to become rigid, and it was split in half by the subsequent 'Drooping Heaven Stance'.

'Penetrating Mountain Stance's' heavy Saber Intent directly smashed the last, astonishingly defensive Tortoise-shell Demon General.

As the Elite Commanders were almost completely wiped out by Li Wen alone, the remaining ordinary Yao Race members, having lost command, finally began to scatter under the fierce counterattack of the Xinhuo geniuses.

The pressure suddenly eased, and the defense line was completely stabilized.

On the entire battlefield, although the Human Race members were all injured and their auras weak, their formation remained unbroken.

Conversely, the Yao tide had sharply decreased in number, and its offensive had lost its initial ferocity and order.

When Li Wen’s figure floated down from the mountain of Yao corpses, his gray-white swift saber pointed diagonally at the ground, what dripped from the tip of the blade was not blood, but dissipating energy light spots.

The last charging Yao soldier shattered and vanished before him, and the entire battlefield fell into a deathly silence.

Hoo! After a brief dead silence, a massive uproar erupted.

“Killed — they killed them all?”

“They really — held the line?!”

Everyone on the square, whether watching students or current Xinhuo students, was stunned.

They entered a state of collective speechlessness, struck by a historical achievement.

The next second, thunderous applause and earth-shattering cheers swept across the entire Lanxing Pavilion Square like a tsunami.

Everyone was shouting one name — “Li Wen!”

Inside the virtual battlefield.

At the top of the thirty-meter-tall Interstellar Gate, space distorted slightly, and the majestic figure of Marquis Qingyuan, carrying unconcealed amusement, appeared there.

He looked down at the remaining geniuses below, who were exhausted but standing straight, and his resonant voice echoed across the battlefield: “Assessment concluded!”

“Very good! Today, you have shown me the tenacity and courage of the Human Race's younger generation — — and the unyielding will to unite, cooperate, and protect comrades in desperate situations!”

His gaze finally landed on the slender youth in the center of the field, whose aura was also considerably depleted, but whose back was still perfectly straight, his gaze as calm as still water while holding his saber.

“What is particularly rare is that in this assessment, under the leadership and fierce struggle of student Li Wen, you have created the feat of completely annihilating the simulated Yao Race vanguard and successfully defending the front line for the first time in nearly fifty years! Such merit shall be recorded in the freshman roster of Kindling University!”

Marquis Qingyuan’s words were like a stream of scalding hot current, injecting into the hearts of every participating student.

They followed Marquis Qingyuan’s gaze toward Li Wen, their eyes filled with gratitude, admiration, and deep shock.

The youth from a small county town now shone like a brilliant, scorching sun in everyone's eyes.

Chu Feng tightly pursed his lips, looking at that figure. The solemnity in his eyes transformed into an inexpressible complexity, but finally, all emotions turned into a silent sigh.

He understood that, at least for now, the gap was like an insurmountable chasm.

Nangong Xue revealed a sincere smile on her cool face and gave a slight nod toward Li Wen’s direction.

Ron Zaka stood in a corner of the crowd, his head bowed, his fists tightly clenched, his fingernails almost digging into his palms. The dazzling light of victory was particularly harsh to him.

Du Yun leaned on his long spear, looking at the sheer gap on the points board, then at the profile of the saber-wielding youth. He took a deep breath, and only blazing fighting spirit remained in his eyes: “Li Wen — one day, I will catch up to you!”

White Jade Square.

All the geniuses who completed the final practical assessment were gathered here again.

The square was noisy; some were excitedly discussing the battle they just witnessed, while others sat cross-legged, urgently recovering.

But even more gazes were filled with tension and anticipation, constantly sweeping toward the empty space at the front of the square, where the final golden ranking list that would decide their fates was about to be projected.

Although everyone knew their points and general performance when the practical assessment ended, the final comprehensive admission ranking required calculating the combined scores of the first three items and the practical assessment.

This involved the allocation of spots; no one could remain calm.

A few minutes of waiting felt as long as several centuries.

Suddenly!

Buzz — Brilliant golden light shone above the square.

A massive golden scroll slowly unfurled like a curtain across the sky.

《Final Ranking and Admission List for the 226th Freshman Enrollment of Kindling University

First Place: Li Wen. Those two golden characters hung at the top, their light the most dazzling.

Immediately following was Second Place: Du Yun.

Third Place: Fang Chenghong.

Ron Zaka, the Genius ranked first among the Blue Star youths, only squeezed into the top twenty.

Chu Feng and Nangong Xue were ranked over one hundredth.

The air on White Jade Square was heavy, as if frozen.

The golden list, symbolizing glory and the future, hung high, the first two hundred names shining brightly.

Everyone looked at the list before them, their moods varied, like an overturned bottle of five flavors.

Li Wen’s name ranked first, like the brightest star in the night sky, attracting the vast majority of attention.

He himself stood quietly among the crowd, his expression calm, neither joyful nor sorrowful; only the tenacity forged through life-and-death trials in his brow had become deeper.

He knew this was only a beginning.

Du Yun slowly released his tightly clenched fists; his fingertips were even slightly pale.

Second — in the end, he was still one step short.

He glanced complexly at Li Wen’s upright figure, but quickly let go of his feelings, as Li Wen’s performance in the practical assessment just now was too dazzling.

Fang Chenghong looked at his third-place ranking. There was no change in expression on his sharp-featured face; he merely nodded slightly.

— —

This result matched his expectations. Although there was competition, losing to an anomaly like Li Wen was acceptable with equanimity.

He cared more about the 'Nine Heavens Divine Body' technique he was about to obtain.

Ron Zaka squeezed into the top twenty but showed no joy on his face.

He looked at Li Wen at the top of the list, then recalled his own pathetic performance in the virtual world just now. His face flushed and paled, finally settling into deep defeat.

He would definitely wash away this humiliation on the front lines in the future! But at this moment, he only felt his cheeks burning and couldn't lift his head in front of Li Wen and the others.

Chu Feng and Nangong Xue were ranked over one hundredth. Although they made it into the ranks of top academies, their ranking was far below expectations.

Chu Feng frowned tightly. After dominating the Jiangnan Province rankings for many years, through this selection, he finally realized the gap between himself and those top geniuses.

Nangong Xue sighed softly, her ice-like demeanor carrying a trace of fatigue and solemnity. She clearly understood the gap between herself and the true Prodigies; the road ahead was still arduous.

More people nervously searched for their names on the list.

Some cried out in pleasant surprise, while others shook their heads in disappointment.

“How could this be — impossible! My performance in both the strength test and Heart-Nature test wasn't bad!”

A burly youth repeatedly scanned the bottom of the list a few times, then suddenly looked up, his face full of shocked and unbelievable flush, shouting hoarsely, “There’s a problem with the list! It must be wrong!”

His voice was like a stone thrown into stagnant water, instantly stirring up ripples.

Three or four other geniuses who either didn't make the list or felt their ranking was too low couldn't hold back either, and they all started clamoring, questioning the fairness of the assessment.

For a moment, small-scale disturbances spread.

The geniuses who had just passed the assessment, immersed in joy or calculation, all looked over.

Their expressions varied: some showed disdain, some sympathy, and more showed detached indifference, as if it had nothing to do with them.