Chapter 483: Provisionally Ranked First

The stone tablet was instantly split into fragments!

When the many young disciples rushed over, what they saw was the two of them breaking the stone tablet.

"Looks like it's ending." The handsome man in red robes chuckled lightly, holding a tender-green jade flute, his gaze falling on the green-clad maiden not far away.

"It's Ying Wuji and Yuan Yao!" A young disciple instantly recognized the boy and girl dressed in the same colors.

In the crowd, the white-robed youth Xie Zixu also stared at Yuan Yao's silhouette.

In the next moment—

Everyone in the illusion suddenly felt a sensation of weightlessness, and then they were all sent out.

On the Floating Capital Martial Arena.

Two thousand four hundred young disciples were sent back.

Yet the time of this illusion heart trial was less than an hour, and it had already ended.

Most of the young disciples were still in a daze; they suddenly found themselves back on the martial arena, countless gazes falling on them, and they thought they were hallucinating.

"Is this an illusion?!"

"Could this also be part of the illusion heart trial?"

"Quick, look up there!"

The contestants all looked up, and saw that the text floating beside the Water Realm Spirit Crystal had undergone a huge change.

What shocked them was the ranking of the top two of the Ninth Province!

Yuan Yao: 1,369 points.

Ying Wuji: 1,053 points.

Ninth Province total points: 3,001.

Ninth Province provisionally ranked first!

——Ninth Province first?!

——Ninth Province first!!!

Whether the Ninth Province's participating disciples or those from other provinces and islands, everyone wore an expression of disbelief.

Not only them, but everyone in the cultivation world was astonished.

Although the Ninth Province's participating disciples were a bit dazed, they quickly showed ecstatic expressions.

"Our Ninth Province is first!"

"Hahaha..."

"Yuan Yao is awesome! Ying Wuji is awesome!"

No one expected this result.

At this moment, Lu Xiangxiang's face was extremely ugly; clearly the one who should have been in the spotlight was her, yet it was those two hated scoundrels!

Lu Xiangxiang took a deep breath, using spiritual power to amplify her voice: "Immortal Lord Kui Qian, I, the disciple, am dissatisfied!"

This sentence almost echoed throughout the Floating Capital Martial Arena.

At the same time, the scene of the Floating Capital Martial Arena could be seen and heard throughout the cultivation world.

After Lu Xiangxiang's words, the Floating Capital Martial Arena fell into a brief silence.

Lu Xiangxiang stepped out from the crowd, came to the front of the martial arena, raised her hands in a salute, and bowed to the immortals on the high platform.

Her voice rang out: "In the illusion heart trial, it was the disciple who first discovered the key source; if not for Yuan Yao and Ying Wuji's sudden sneak attack, these points should have been mine, and also should have belonged to the First Province."

The people of the First Province hearing this also spoke up.

"Exactly! These points should have been Lu Xiang's! Moreover, their sneak attack is something that orthodox sect cultivators despise the most!"

"Immortal Lord Kui Qian, it was Lu Xiang herself who grasped the crucial clue and acted on it! She was only a little short! Please, Immortal Lord Kui Qian, return the points earned by Yuan Yao and Ying Wuji to Lu Xiang! Return them to the First Province!"

"Exactly! If you have the ability, don't use these underhanded tactics! Compete openly!"

"Is it just the Ninth Province that has this problem?"

"They are actually disciples of Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord, yet they've utterly disgraced Thousand Mountain Immortal Lord's reputation."

Everyone voiced their accusations.

Among them were people from other provinces and islands, who could accept the First Province pressing down on them, but could not accept the Ninth Province, the weakest in overall strength, becoming first.

Immortal Lord Kui Qian's eyebrows were indifferent, yet his voice carried an indescribable dignity: "Yuan Yao, Ying Wuji, do you two have anything to say?"

Under everyone's gaze, Yuan Yao stepped forward, first bowed, then spoke calmly and confidently: "I believe this is a test of ability, not of morality. Since it's a test, until the very last moment, everyone has a chance to win."

"May I ask everyone: is the grand sect competition just for yielding?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became somewhat subtle.

Lu Xiangxiang narrowed her eyes, about to retort, but Yuan Yao spoke first.

"If Lu Daoist Friend had sufficient vigilance and sufficient strength, she could have stopped me and my youngest senior brother, but she couldn't, which proves that the victors of this illusion heart trial are me and my youngest senior brother."

At this moment, Ying Wuji stood beside Yuan Yao, his expression cold, saying: "If she could grasp the crucial point, why couldn't we?"

Lu Xiangxiang's face changed slightly, she questioned: "How could you possibly grasp the crucial point so quickly?"

Ying Wuji's narrow phoenix eyes gave her a cold, mocking glance: "Then what about you? Why could you grasp the crucial point?"

Lu Xiangxiang met Ying Wuji's gaze, her heart sank sharply.

She seemed to see the Ying Wuji of her past life.

Lu Xiangxiang's expression shifted slightly; she hastily lowered her eyes, and a shocking thought arose in her mind: Could Ying Wuji also be a reborn one?

Otherwise, how could he have rushed to the stone tablet at the city center in such a short time?

In her past life, it was also the same illusion heart trial.

But back then, the illusion heart trial lasted seven days.

In the end, it was Xie Zixu who found that stone tablet and destroyed it.

But a lifetime……

Lu Xiangxiang thought more and more that it was possible.

She couldn't help but recall all that had happened after her rebirth.

She had heard that at the recent Fusang Festival, only one major event had occurred: Yuan Yao had contracted a true dragon.

But in her previous life, tens of thousands had died at the Fusang Festival, and the demon clan had secretly infiltrated the world of cultivation through it.

But in this life, no one has died!

And coincidentally, Ying Wuji and his group are on Fusang Island!

Just thinking about this made Lu Xiangxiang's scalp go numb.

She had thought only she was a reborn one, but she hadn't expected that Ying Wuji, Song Yan, and others were also reborn; no wonder they despised her so much—it turned out… they remembered what had happened in the previous life!

Just as Lu Xiangxiang was dazed, everyone thought she had been left speechless by the rebuke.

Immortal Venerable Kui Qian glanced at Immortal Venerable Wu Xiang.

Immortal Venerable Wu Xiang said, "Xiang'er, everyone can see your excellent performance, but a loss is a loss; don't take it to heart. In the next match, just do your best."

Lu Xiangxiang suddenly heard Immortal Venerable Wu Xiang's voice, snapped back to attention, and quickly showed an apologetic expression, bowing and replying, "Disciple understands."

Immortal Venerable Kui Qian swept his gaze over the crowd and announced loudly, "The Phantasm Heart Trial is over; next up is one-on-one arena combat."

"The match rules are as follows: each round, one disciple from each of the Three Islands Nine Provinces is sent to fight, twelve people total drawing lots to pair off on the spot. The winner gains thirty points and may remain on the stage; the loser is eliminated immediately."

"Please note: every participant must take the stage to compete, and no disciple may fight more than once in the first two hundred rounds."