Chapter 9

Upon hearing this, the three principals’ initial contention faded, replaced by a deep, shadowed unease—they remembered the secret message received that morning from the Night Watch Headquarters, knowing that besides the four academies, the Cult of the Dark God was also watching Jiang Xia’s SSS-rank ability.

At this moment, Wu Zongshan gazed at the screen where Jiang Xia moved with crisp precision, a cryptic smile tugging at his lips: “Indeed, there are many eyes in the shadows. In our haste to compete, we forgot to watch whether the onlookers might be tempted to strike first.”

The three exchanged glances, each seeing the same thought reflected in the others’ eyes.

After all, Jiang Xia’s talent was too glaring; Ye Lingxi’s identity and Wang Teng’s unique ability were equally extraordinary. Once targeted by malicious factions, this college entrance exam could easily become a game of “the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.”

They fell silent, redirecting their gaze back to the screen, waiting to see what twists would unfold next.

A flurry of footsteps came from behind the trees; six candidates in uniform uniforms surrounded them. The leader, a shaved-head male, spoke with brazen arrogance: “Hey, hand over your storage rings willingly, or don’t blame us for being uncivil!”

“Uncivil? Let’s see how uncivil Itachi can be! Perfect—I’ll let Itachi test the new spell I just mastered this past hour.”

Wang Teng stepped forward first, condensing a dark-black substance in his palm: “Corrupting Heart Spell·Decay!”

Before the others could act, Wang Teng locked onto the team member holding the shield.

The dark substance vanished from Wang Teng’s hand; the team member clutched his chest and collapsed to his knees, screaming: “Ahh! What did Itachi do? Why is my spiritual power being slowly consumed?!”

As several team members behind the shaved-head male prepared to fire crossbows, Ye Lingxi blurred into position behind the squad, her fingertips forming ice blades: “Your crossbows seem useless now.”

No sooner had the words left her lips than the ice blades scattered, cleanly severing the crossbows from their hands.

Jiang Xia stood motionless until he saw the shaved-head youth attempt to ambush Wang Teng—he flicked out a kunai, striking the boy’s wrist.

The boy cried out in pain as his short sword clattered to the ground; when he recognized Jiang Xia’s face, his complexion drained of all color: “Jiang Xia?! Itachi’re the Jiang Xia with the SSS-rank talent!”

“Good that Itachi know,” Jiang Xia stepped forward, pressing the kunai against the boy’s chest. “Leave the rings. Go.”

The squad said nothing, frantically removing their storage rings and tossing them to the ground before scrambling away into the forest’s depths.

Wang Teng picked up the rings and counted them, grinning: “Damn, this squad had three third-rank spiritual beasts—this is a windfall.”

Jiang Xia watched their retreating backs, frowning: “It seems many already know they can gain points by seizing them. We need to change our strategy.”

As he pondered, two masked figures in blood-red hooded cloaks emerged from the forest’s depths. The closer they came, the more faint but unmistakable the stench of blood clung to them.

Wang Teng opened his palm, the dark-black spiritual force coiling again: “Another group here to steal rings? This time, Itachi won’t be so easily dismissed.”

Ye Lingxi once again formed ice blades at her fingertips, her gaze fixed on the bloodstained token hanging from each man’s waist.

“Don’t rush,” Jiang Xia raised a hand to stop them, staring at one of the hooded figures. “Itachi’re not candidates.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the left hooded figure rasped: “No surprise Itachi’re Jiang Xia, SSS-rank talent—and Itachi, granddaughter of the War God. Today, we’ve encountered two extraordinary individuals.”

“Allow me to introduce myself—I’m the Sixth Seat of the Cult of the Dark God’s Bai Chuan Branch.”

The right hooded figure followed: “I’m the Seventh Seat.”

Hearing they were from the Cult of the Dark God, Jiang Xia’s fingers tightened around his kunai, his voice chilling: “This exam realm is surrounded by countless Night Watchers. How dare Itachi act so openly? Don’t Itachi fear death?”

Upon hearing “Night Watchers,” the two Cult members burst into mad laughter: “Hahahaha! And what of the Night Watchers?”

“Once the realm activates, the outside cannot enter for one hour—and your wrist transmission devices have been sealed by our Lord’s grand technique.”

“If we extinguish these sparks of human hope, even death will be worth it.”

Hearing this, Jiang Xia spoke no more—he hurled his kunai straight at the Sixth Seat’s forehead. The Sixth Seat twisted sharply, drawing a blood-red curved blade from his waist and lunging at Jiang Xia.

“Take the other one!” Jiang Xia summoned Kusanagi, parrying as he shouted to Wang Teng and Ye Lingxi beside him.

Wang Teng no longer hesitated—he unleashed his spell and joined Ye Lingxi in combat against the Seventh Seat.

“Kai!” Jiang Xia deliberately exposed an opening to lure the Sixth Seat’s attack; as the blade neared, his body phased out of existence, and his Kusanagi, infused with Chidori, stabbed forward.

The moment the blade touched the Sixth Seat, though he reacted swiftly to dodge, the Chidori’s electric current still grazed his shoulder—blue-white lightning surged across his body. He grunted, nearly dropping his blood-red blade.

“Damn brat!” The Sixth Seat’s eyes flashed with cruelty; he bit his tongue, spitting blood onto the blade. The once-dull crimson blade erupted into a half-meter-long blood-red aura, staining the surrounding air crimson: “Blood Erosion Blade Art!”

The aura slashed toward Jiang Xia’s face; leaves it passed over instantly turned to black ash. Jiang Xia’s pupils contracted—he retreated rapidly, flinging three kunai in precise arcs to strike the aura’s edges, attempting to absorb some of its force.

But the aura’s power far exceeded expectations—the kunai shattered on contact, and the residual force still surged toward him.

“Susanoo!” In the critical moment, Jiang Xia’s eyes opened—his Mangekyo Sharingan’s tomoe spun wide, and a blue skeletal armor enveloped his entire body, absorbing the full force of the Wushi-rank strike without a single crack.

Kusanagi slashed horizontally—“Boom!” The Sixth Seat was blasted backward, his flesh torn open, his body grotesquely mangled.

Jiang Xia stepped forward; a massive blue arm extended from the Susanoo’s frame, gripping the Sixth Seat.

“H-how? Even with an SSS-rank talent, Itachi’re only a Wuzhe-rank—how can Itachi possess such power?!” The Sixth Seat, trapped in Jiang Xia’s grip, screamed in disbelief.

Elsewhere, Wang Teng and Ye Lingxi fought the Seventh Seat together. Wang Teng’s dark-black spiritual force twisted into chains, tightly binding the Seventh Seat’s legs to restrict his movement.

Ye Lingxi formed ice arrows at her fingertips, firing them rapidly at his vital points.

But the Seventh Seat now held a blood-red shield—each ice arrow shattered against it, instantly melting without leaving a trace.

“Is that all Itachi’ve got? Stone Shattering Shock!” The Seventh Seat sneered, slapping the ground. A fissure split open, and countless stone spikes erupted toward Wang Teng and Ye Lingxi.

Wang Teng spread his hands forward: “Diamond Spell·Guard.”

As the stone spikes struck him, a golden shield enveloped him, blocking the assault.

“Stillness Spell·Bind!” Simultaneously, Wang Teng activated another ability, forcibly locking the Seventh Seat in place. “Now, Ye Lingxi!” he shouted.

Ye Lingxi didn’t hesitate—she hissed: “Frost Arrow.” The temperature around her plummeted; fine ice crystals formed in the air, frost radiating outward. Her spiritual power surged, coalescing into a bow of crystalline ice.

With her left hand drawing the bowstring and her right pulling it taut, spiritual energy flowed along the string, forming a transparent ice arrow glowing with bone-chilling radiance.

A sharp "whir—" rang out as the ice arrow shot straight toward the Seventh Seat's chest.

Seeing this, the Seventh Seat’s pupils shrank—he burned his blood to break free from the binding and hastily formed a blood shield: “Bang!” The ice arrow exploded on impact.

Ye Lingxi’s expression didn’t change. Her left hand drew the bow again—this time, three ice arrows formed simultaneously on the crystalline bow, their tips gleaming with even sharper cold. “Shhh-shhh-shhh!” Three arrows flew at once.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!” The arrows struck the shield—the Wushi-rank-constructed barrier instantly shattered, and the Seventh Seat was pierced through, lifeless.