84: Don't default on your debt

As Tantai Qinghuang's phantom was swept into the Space-Time turbulence and then quietly returned, the aura around her suddenly changed.

Your Saintess Tantai Qinghuang comprehended ancient imperial family secrets within the Space-Time turbulence, and her understanding of the Void Emperor Scripture surged by 25%, reaching 50%!

The profound meaning of the Emperor Scripture is initially revealed, unlocking a new move — 'Void Instant Kill' (Beginner Stage)!

It draws upon the surrounding spatial power, tearing short-distance void, allowing for instantaneous travel; this move contains the embryonic form of spatial laws, it is an unavoidable attack, and the soul will be impacted by spatial turbulence, falling into momentary paralysis!

Su Chen nodded in satisfaction; this gift package was well worth it.

On the opposite island, the gray-robed young man watched as the Tai Ling Fish King was about to bite, but the Tai Ling Fish King, originally attracted by the Dao rhyme, suddenly flicked its tail and swam directly towards Tantai Qinghuang's fishhook, where a light peck was enough to reel it into her basket.

"What's going on?!"

This was his last chance; as long as he caught this Tai Ling Fish King, he could easily surpass Tantai Qinghuang, but just as he was about to succeed, the fish got away!

He stared intently in Tantai Qinghuang's direction, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with unwillingness and frustration.

"Why?! Damn Heaven, I refuse to accept this!"

Not long after, the sixth round of assessment ended.

With a flash of light, the gray-robed young man was enveloped by a teleportation light and disappeared from the secret realm.

...

In an office, a middle-aged man stared intently at the screen showing the gray-robed young man being teleported away, then violently overturned the keyboard onto the floor. Plastic keys scattered, hitting the wall with crisp sounds.

"Useless! Absolutely useless!"

...

Outside the secret realm, the plaza was already crowded with waiting examinees and teachers.

The setting sun cast golden rays upon the teleportation array, yet no new figures appeared for a long time.

"What's going on? Several hours have passed, why haven't they come out yet?" An academy student asked, his tone full of confusion.

"Yeah, it's taking so long this time. Could the teleportation array be broken?"

At the front of the crowd, Zhang Mountain Chief stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the spiritual light of the teleportation array.

He looked at Fang Ze and Le Wan, who had been teleported out early and were full of frustration, his brows furrowed into a frown.

These two were top talents from East Mu Continent; even they couldn't last until the end, which showed the difficulty of the trial. But Tantai Qinghuang's prolonged absence inevitably made people worry that something unexpected had happened.

Just then, the teleportation array suddenly lit up with a soft white light.

Everyone held their breath, and the figure of the gray-robed young man slowly emerged.

His face was pale, and he clutched a jade token engraved with "Second Place," clearly having expended a great deal in the secret realm.

"Second place! It's actually second place!" A sudden exclamation rang out from the crowd.

Zhang Wen quickly stepped forward, his face beaming with joy as he patted the gray-robed young man's shoulder: "Good boy, you didn't disgrace me! You've achieved the best result for our Bei Huang County in decades!"

The gray-robed young man managed a strained smile but was too exhausted to say much, merely retreating to the side silently.

Huang Mu next to him was dejected; he had thought Tantai Qinghuang could last until the end, but now it seemed he had overthought things.

"Qinghuang hasn't come out yet," Liu Qi suddenly spoke, her voice clear, "Is it possible that she's first place?"

At these words, the plaza instantly erupted in laughter.

"Liu Qi, are you stupid? How could first place possibly be hers?"

Fang Ze sneered, his eyes full of contempt, "Which of those children from the capital's noble families wasn't raised with heavenly treasures from a young age? How could a girl from Bei Huang County be worthy of competing for first place?"

"Exactly! Maybe the teleportation array malfunctioned and sent her somewhere else!" Le Wan echoed, her tone tinged with schadenfreude, "I think she probably got lost in the secret realm and can't even find her way out!"

"Ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, a fifth-grade family's offspring only has this much insight!"

Someone chimed in sarcastically, drawing another round of laughter from the surroundings.

Liu Qi trembled with anger but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Fang Ze showed a smug smile, but then he saw Su Chen's calm demeanor behind Liu Qi, which instinctively repulsed him.

He deliberately raised his voice, "Hey, I'm talking to you. Weren't you very arrogant just now, wanting to bet your life? Don't go back on your word."

Su Chen smiled.

The next second, the teleportation array suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light!

As the light dissipated, a figure with fiery red hair and golden eyes slowly walked out.

The young girl wore soft black scale armor, her red hair cascading like flames, and on the jade token hanging from her waist, two gilded characters were conspicuously engraved.

"Champion"!

The entire venue instantly fell silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

The next second, deafening discussions erupted:

"How is this possible?! She actually got first place?!"

"My heavens, Bei Huang County produced a secret realm champion?!"

"Her jade token couldn't be fake, could it? How could anyone be more powerful than the Immortal Descendants from the capital?"

Huang Mu suddenly looked up, his dejection instantly replaced by wild joy.

Liu Qi even jumped up, "See? Qinghuang is first! You lost!"

Zhang Wen stood rooted to the spot, his smile frozen, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He had thought the gray-robed young man's second place was already a pleasant surprise, but he never expected Tantai Qinghuang to take first place; this completely overturned his understanding.

Fang Ze's face instantly turned pale, his hands at his sides clenched tightly, fingernails digging deep into his palms.

Tantai Qinghuang ignored the surrounding discussions and walked directly in front of Fang Ze, her golden eyes devoid of any warmth.

"The bet, don't go back on your word."

Fang Ze suddenly looked up, his brows tightly furrowed: "What do you mean? Betting my life was just a casual threat, you actually take it seriously?"

He found the young girl in front of him simply unreasonable; she had only won a secret realm assessment, yet she dared to speak so wildly and demand his life.

Le Wan stepped forward, glaring at Tantai Qinghuang: "Don't push your luck! A lowly commoner, just a secret realm champion, do you really think you're something special?"

"Slap!"

A crisp slap echoed across the plaza; no one saw Tantai Qinghuang's movements, only Le Wan flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground. On her once delicate face, a clear handprint appeared, and a trace of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth.

Tantai Qinghuang stood still, her red hair swaying without wind, her tone icy: "You have no place to speak."

She was not a vengeful person, but Le Wan had provoked Su Chen in the secret realm before and even tried to interfere with her enlightenment using divine sense. This debt could absolutely not be settled just like that.

Fang Ze looked at the fallen Le Wan, a flicker of anger in his eyes: "What do you want?"

"Kowtow and apologize to my... brother." Tantai Qinghuang's voice clearly spread throughout the plaza.

Fang Ze froze for a moment, then scoffed: "What did you say? You must be crazy!"

He suddenly surged his true qi, and the pressure of the Void God Realm surged out like a tide, the surrounding air instantly becoming viscous. "I am a genuine Void God Realm cultivator, you are merely at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm, with a whole major realm between us, yet you dare to challenge me?"

Fang Ze thought highly of himself; he was not only a Void God Realm cultivator but also a rare genius in East Mu Continent. How could he possibly kowtow and apologize?

The next second, Tantai Qinghuang's figure suddenly vanished from her spot.

Fang Ze's pupils constricted; just as he was about to activate his spiritual power for defense, a sharp pain shot through his chest.

He looked down to see a dark spatial rift passing through his chest, blood instantly staining his robes.

"Pfft—"

Fang Ze spat out a mouthful of blood, then the spatial rift erupted, and his entire body was pulverized into dust, leaving no flesh or blood.

It was precisely the new move 【Void Instant Kill】 that the young girl had just comprehended.

Because this move could shock the soul and cause paralysis, Fang Ze couldn't even use his life-saving magical treasures or moves.

The entire venue instantly fell silent, everyone's eyes wide with disbelief.

A peak Spirit Sea cultivator instantly killing a Void God Realm cultivator?

This simply shattered everyone's understanding!

And, it was too fast.

So fast that no one had time to react.

"He's dead just like that?!"

"He's from the fifth-grade Fang family, how dare she?!"

"Madwoman! She's absolutely insane!"

The aura of the Nascent Soul Realm enveloped the entire plaza like dark clouds.

Zhang Mountain Chief's Nascent Soul Realm pressure exploded, his dark Daoist robe swayed without wind, and spiritual power surged in his sleeves like thunder. With every step he took, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the bluestone tiles of the plaza.

Fang Ze was a genius he had personally nurtured, and he was killed just like that?

How was he going to explain this to the Fang family?

Where was his own dignity?

"Tantai Qinghuang, do you know your crime?"

"The Great Xia Immortal Academy's secret realm assessment strictly prohibits private duels and killings, yet you dared to publicly slay a student."

"Such a heinous crime deserves death!"

Huang Mu's face changed drastically; he stood in front of Zhang Wen, "Old Zhang, you are mistaken. Fang Ze was the one who provoked first, he deserved to die!"

"Deserved to die?" Zhang Mountain Chief scoffed, "A girl from an eighth-grade humble family killed my disciple, and you dare to say he deserved to die?"

"No one will protect her today!"

Tantai Qinghuang stood still, her red hair fluttering in the pressure, yet there was no trace of fear in her golden eyes.

With an Old Ancestor by her side, what did she have to fear?