Chapter 33: Floating Light of Strands

15 minutes passed quickly.

"There are 40 minutes of time remaining."

Song Ling checked her identity device and stood up, "Jiang Jian, let's go."

Her face was still pale.

"Have you recovered?"

Jiang Jian said softly.

Song Ling nodded: "My spirit has recovered a bit; it won't affect channeling my talent."

"Then let's take another look."

Jiang Jian held his wooden sword and walked onto the swaying light ladder first, "There shouldn't be any unofficial citizens left on the first or second floor."

Du Fang followed behind him and asked: "Jiang Jian, how do you know?"

Jiang Jian smiled: "On the first floor, the most powerful thing was that mannequin."

"On the second floor, it was that toy octopus monster."

"Both of them are dead."

"Other things feel fear and will naturally hide somewhere else."

While speaking.

Jiang Jian walked up two floors of the light ladder in succession.

He stopped at the third-floor entrance and looked up.

All around.

Countless counters and goods were overturned on the ground.

It was a mess.

"There's nothing left on the third floor."

Jiang Jian said in a deep voice, "The shops on both sides have been destroyed by very strong blade Qi."

"It should be Shi Xuan's handiwork."

Hearing this.

Du Fang gritted his teeth and said: "This guy Shi Xuan, he doesn't even know to come and meet us!"

Jiang Jian chuckled and said: "Although we are in the same squad, everyone has their own assessment points."

"Shi Xuan has the Moon-Chasing Blade and can cut through everything like a knife through melons; what obligation does he have to help you?"

Du Fang was stunned.

Jiang Jian shook his head without speaking and continued walking toward the fourth floor.

At the same time.

The long-silent notification sound suddenly rang out in succession!

"Squad notification: Shop Assistant Ghost has died."

"Number of unofficial citizens killed: 40."

"Squad notification: Shop Assistant Ghost has died."

"Number of unofficial citizens killed: 41."

"Squad notification: Shop Assistant Ghost has died."

"Number of unofficial citizens killed: 65."

Hearing the notification sound.

Du Fang opened his eyes wide and said in horror: "Killed more than 20 Shop Assistant Ghosts all at once; is this Shi Xuan's doing?!"

Jiang Jian nodded and said: "It should be."

Song Ling looked around and said: "Shi Xuan is very smart; he must have used the Moon-Chasing Blade to drive them together."

"Then used his God-Given Talent, Origin-Returning Gang Qi, to kill them all at once."

"In this way."

"Shi Xuan's assessment performance will mostly be counted toward his God-Given Talent."

Listening to Song Ling speak.

Du Fang couldn't help but look surprised and turned his head to look at her: "Song Ling, when did you become so smart?"

Song Ling rolled her eyes: "Didn't Jiang Jian say that if Shi Xuan used the 'Moon-Chasing Blade' to kill them, it would almost not increase his assessment points."

"Shi Xuan isn't a fool, and he knows more than we do."

"How could he not think of this point?"

Du Fang was sullen: "Fine."

The fourth floor.

Jiang Jian stopped and observed carefully.

There were no unofficial citizens here either.

"The place Xu Yu went to is the sixth floor."

"On the sixth floor, there is a powerful Hanger Ghost."

Jiang Jian continued to walk up along the spiral light ladder.

Just after passing the fifth-floor entrance.

A deafening roar reached Jiang Jian's ears!

Clang!

Dozens of meters away, Shi Xuan held the Moon-Chasing Blade and slashed hard at a steel cargo cabinet!

Sparks flew!

Catching a glimpse of Jiang Jian, Shi Xuan's face immediately showed joy.

"Jiang Jian!"

"Come help me quickly; there is a tricky ghost here!"

"It can turn invisible!"

Shi Xuan propped his blade on the ground and gasped for air.

His clothes were tattered.

His wounds were hideous, blood seeping out, even congealing into scabs.

Song Ling walked onto the light ladder and, seeing this scene, hurriedly channeled Mental Healing.

White light surged.

The wounds on Shi Xuan's body began to heal slowly.

"Thank you!"

Shi Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the ground.

Under the shroud of white light, his expression remained vigilant.

"This ghost is very powerful; it's elusive, and I can't hit it at all!"

"If you hadn't come, I would have ended the assessment!"

Jiang Jian frowned, surveying the empty fifth floor without speaking.

This floor was filled with many steel cargo cabinets.

They were stacked irregularly, which greatly affected his field of vision.

Du Fang stepped forward and asked: "When the lights went out, were you taken away by the Elevator Ghost?"

Shi Xuan shook his head: "I don't know."

"At that time, my vision went black, and when I opened my eyes again."

"I was already on the third floor."

Shi Xuan pointed to the spiral light ladder, "I stood on the third floor and couldn't hear any sounds from other floors at all."

"I wasn't sure if you were still on the first floor."

"So I took the Moon-Chasing Blade and fought my way up."

Speaking of this.

Shi Xuan paused, his pupils contracting suddenly as he looked behind Du Fang, "Dodge quickly!"

Having experienced being ambushed, Du Fang reacted much faster.

He immediately channeled his Ten Thousand Phenomena Sword Qi to the limit, turning it into a flowing light sword screen to protect his back!

Crack!

A hideous ghost face suddenly appeared!

It opened its bloody mouth and bit through Du Fang's sword screen in an instant!

The pitch-black ghost head continued its momentum, fast as lightning.

It grazed Du Fang's shoulder rapidly!

"So painful!"

A large chunk of flesh was torn away!

Blood splattered!

Du Fang fell to his knees, his face as pale as paper.

Jiang Jian, however, had bright eyes and said coldly: "Found you!"

"Slaying the Spirit!"

Boom!

The Purifying Spirit True Fire, which had been lying in ambush for a long time, burned fiercely!

The hideous ghost head, having succeeded in its ambush and feeling proud, was just about to hide its figure again.

When it was rolled directly into the fierce blood-red sea of fire!

Sizzle!

The ghost head struggled crazily, emitting a resentful, sharp scream.

Black smoke poured from its entire body!

"Damn thing, torturing me for so long!"

Seeing this, Shi Xuan was overjoyed; he grabbed the Moon-Chasing Blade and leaped up!

Taking advantage of the ghost head being burned by the True Fire and temporarily manifesting.

The Moon-Chasing Blade carried a sonic boom that tore through the air and slashed across!

Boom!

The blade Qi swirled and chopped the ghost head into dozens of pieces!

At the same time.

Jiang Jian channeled the Purifying Spirit True Fire, his Qi consuming crazily.

The blood-red flames rolled fiercely, gathering the ghost head fragments and making an unpleasant sizzling sound!

In the cracks of the cargo cabinets, black smoke billowed.

A few dozen seconds later.

The black smoke dissipated.

On the identity device, a notification also arrived.

"Squad notification: Model Ghost Head has died."

"Number of unofficial citizens killed: 66."

"Special notification: Killing the Model Ghost Head grants extra assessment points."

Hearing the sound.

Shi Xuan's brows relaxed, and he truly relaxed.

"Jiang Jian, worthy of being a Level 3 'Art'!"

"If it weren't for your Purifying Spirit True Fire, this thing couldn't have been trapped at all!"

Shi Xuan had long noticed.

Jiang Jian hadn't said a word since reaching the fifth floor.

Clearly, he was channeling his talent in secret.

Burying the Purifying Spirit True Fire around them.

As soon as the ghost head appeared, he would channel it instantly to trap it!

Jiang Jian smiled and looked at Du Fang: "Du Fang, are you okay?"

Du Fang grimaced in pain, tore off a corner of his clothes to cover his shoulder, and said: "Jiang Jian, I really have to end the assessment now."

Song Ling channeled her talent to help restore his injuries, her expression complex: "I am mentally exhausted now; forcing myself to use Mental Healing, I will almost faint at any moment."

The short rest just now.

Hadn't allowed her to fully recover at all.

Jiang Jian nodded and said: "Then you two should end the assessment first."

"With the Model Ghost Head's assessment points."

"It should be enough to enter the First Academy."

Hearing this.

Song Ling nodded.

Gritting her teeth.

She channeled Mental Healing one more time to accelerate Jiang Jian's Qi recovery.

The next second.

Her face turned deathly pale.

Her figure swayed violently, and she almost fell to the ground.

At this moment.

The proctor descended and supported Song Ling, saying in a deep voice.

"Du Fang, choose to end the assessment voluntarily."

"Being taken away from the assessment scene now, waiting for grading."

"Song Ling, choose to end the assessment voluntarily."

"Being taken away from the assessment scene now, waiting for grading."

After speaking.

He grabbed Du Fang directly.

One in each hand, he left the shopping mall.

Jiang Jian sensed slightly.

He realized that his Qi was only forty percent left.

Shi Xuan walked forward, holding the Moon-Chasing Blade horizontally, his expression unreadable: "Jiang Jian, actually, I knew you were on the first floor."

Jiang Jian's gaze was calm, seemingly not surprised.

Shi Xuan said: "But I thought that clearing two floors by myself would give me more assessment points."

"That's why I didn't go downstairs to meet up with you."

Jiang Jian said: "Human nature; no need to explain to me."

Shi Xuan smiled and said: "The mannequin on the first floor, the octopus on the second floor, did you kill them all?"

His words, although a question.

Carried a tone of certainty.

Jiang Jian was silent for a moment and said: "What do you want to say?"

Shi Xuan wiped his hands on his clothes and reached out toward Jiang Jian.

"Let me reintroduce myself."

"My name is Shi Xuan."

"Level 3 talent, Martial, Origin-Returning Gang Qi."

"Third son of the head of the Shi family in Linjiang Prefecture."

Looking at his hand.

Jiang Jian pondered for a moment.

He still reached out and shook it lightly.

"So you are from Linjiang Prefecture; no wonder you know so much."

Jiang Jian looked at Shi Xuan and asked: "Since that's the case, why did you go to Shaoshuizhou and enroll as an outside freshman?"

Shi Xuan's face was full of bloodstains, his smile strange, as he said: "Of course, it's because I wasn't welcomed and was sent there."

Speaking of this.

He seemed unwilling to mention more.

He raised his head and looked at the light ladder leading to the sixth floor.

"On the sixth floor, there is still a Hanger Ghost."

"Let's solve it."

"And end this assessment perfectly."

Shi Xuan held the Moon-Chasing Blade, full of confidence.

Jiang Jian said softly: "The Hanger Ghost is not easy to deal with."

Shi Xuan grinned: "I can hold it off for a while."

Jiang Jian raised an eyebrow: "Xu Yu used 'Strong as a Bear' and was slapped away; what are you using to hold it off?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====