[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-king-of-all-manifestations":3,"chapter-king-of-all-manifestations-king-of-all-manifestations-chapter-53":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","King of All Manifestations",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2287889,4474,"Chapter 53: Lian Zhong","king-of-all-manifestations-chapter-53",53,"\u003Cp>The moment Li Luo’s shout reached his ears, a thousand thoughts flashed through Yu Lang’s mind. After all, in the current situation, closing his eyes would undoubtedly give the opponent a better chance to strike, but knowing Li Luo’s style of doing things, he finally gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the instant that blinding glare erupted, Yu Lang avoided the light’s irritation and, relying on his previous memory of the route, reached out and grabbed the Ghost-Face Fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the ambushing figure, they were startled by the sudden, intense light; their eyes stung, and their speed involuntarily slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The intense light appeared suddenly and vanished just as quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lang had already seized the Ghost-Face Fruit, and with a cold, stern expression, a thin sword sprang from his sleeve. Azure resonant power surged, bringing with it the sound of tearing wind as he thrust it mercilessly toward the figure standing within arm’s reach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ambushing figure realized their attack had failed and let out a cold snort. They threw a punch, yellow resonant power whistling as it carried a heavy force, colliding head-on with Yu Lang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Resonant power exploded and surged; the ambushing figure’s body merely swayed, while Yu Lang was sent flying backward, landing on the ground not far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Yu Lang succeeded, Li Luo and Zhao Kuo quickly broke free from the Ghost-Face Demon Vine tree’s attack range and rushed to Yu Lang’s side, their gazes cold and sharp as they stared at the figure ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Heh, what fast reflexes. You actually managed to grab it.\" Facing the three cold gazes, the figure chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, they revealed their appearance: a tall, sturdy youth with short hair and well-developed muscles, exuding a sense of brute strength that gave one a feeling of visual oppression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Someone from Dongyuan Academy?\" Zhao Kuo spotted the crystal badge on the other’s chest at a glance; the school emblem belonged to Dongyuan Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is Lian Zhong from Dongyuan Academy. He is the second-ranked student of Dongyuan Academy, a sixth-grade Earth resonance, with the strength of eight seals.\" Yu Lang immediately identified the person and their details; he was truly worthy of being the one who compiled the grand exam data, as he knew the top students of every academy like the back of his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo’s expression was indifferent as he said, \"Do people from Dongyuan Academy like stealing things so much? Your teaching philosophy has some serious problems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The grand exam rules don't say you can't steal,\" Lian Zhong said with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stealing is whatever, but the key is that you hid like a ground rat for half a day and still didn't manage to grab it—that’s a bit pathetic,\" Li Luo laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smile on Lian Zhong’s face faded slightly. He had plotted this ambush for a long time and originally thought it would be a sure success, intending to mock them afterward. He hadn't expected Li Luo’s reaction to be so fast, directly launching a counterattack that caused him to fail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Li Luo, I really underestimated you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lian Zhong’s gaze fixed on Li Luo, and he then chuckled, \"But this was just a small appetizer; you don't need to be smug.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the sound of it, you're still targeting me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can't help it. The boss gave the word; he doesn't have time to deal with you, so he told us to find some fun for you,\" Lian Zhong said with a seemingly helpless smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shi Kong?\" Li Luo mused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s meaningless to fight you here, since we can't steal points yet. Once we pass this stage and the elimination round begins, I will come looking for you,\" Lian Zhong said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then glanced at Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang, saying, \"If you two are smart, you'll separate from him early. The boss has spoken, and everyone from my Dongyuan Academy will be targeting him. Following him is just asking for trouble.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go fuck yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Kuo’s eyes widened as he cursed, \"I’m practically begging for you dog-things from Dongyuan Academy to come over and deliver points.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Lang shook the thin sword in his hand and said thoughtfully, \"Li Luo and I are friends through life and death, our bond as deep as the sea. If you want me to leave him, you'll have to pay more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stubborn fools, suit yourselves then.\" Lian Zhong shook his head, too lazy to say more. His figure moved, and he darted into the depths of the dark forest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"More or less, at least give me a number! If it's really not enough, we can still haggle!\" Yu Lang said hurriedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by Li Luo: \"No need to waste time here, and it’s truly meaningless to fight here since we can't steal his points.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, so arrogant.\" Yu Lang grumbled, clearly still very angry, though it was unclear if he was angry at Lian Zhong for attempting an ambush or at the fact that the guy wouldn't even negotiate a price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Kuo looked at Li Luo and frowned, \"Brother Luo, if those people from Dongyuan Academy really target you later, let's find others to counter them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they didn't find people, the other side clearly had the numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No rush, let's wait and see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo’s expression was relatively calm. Shi Kong clearly didn't take him too seriously, which was why he left the task of dealing with him to Lian Zhong and the others. But if they really intended to do this, he wouldn't mind letting them know what it meant to throw a meat bun at a dog—never to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait, that's not right, I'm not a dog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here, this is the harvest from this time.\" At this moment, Yu Lang handed over the Ghost-Face Fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Give it to Zhao Kuo first, he got hit the worst,\" Li Luo laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Kuo’s body was still covered in bloody welts, looking quite miserable, but these were only superficial wounds; with his defensive power, he would recover quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhao Kuo didn't say much and reached out to take the Ghost-Face Fruit. He would have to help Li Luo and Yu Lang grab another one later anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held the Ghost-Face Fruit, crushed it, took out the pit inside, and squeezed it hard, finally extracting a drop of green juice that dripped onto the crystal badge on his chest and merged into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, the points on the crystal badge jumped directly to one hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go, keep going for the second one,\" Li Luo said, and then he and the other two continued deeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next hour, the three found two more Ghost-Face Demon Vine trees and repeated the process. This time, there were no other disturbances, so the two Ghost-Face Fruits were successfully obtained, and the base points for Li Luo and Yu Lang also reached one hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the base points reached one hundred, continuing to seize Ghost-Face Fruits had no effect, so the three did not linger and began to head at full speed toward the location of the third-layer elimination round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the foot of White Spirit Mountain, on the massive crystal wall, the points were constantly changing and jumping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless gazes were focused on it, making for a very lively scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the leaderboard, the top spots were still occupied by those with full marks—a full two hundred base points—and among these people, Lu Qinger, Shi Kong, and others were in the lead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most eye-catching were the two mirror projections above the crystal wall, which were quite visually striking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first was Lu Qinger, standing gracefully atop a Ghost-Face Demon Vine tree. At that moment, the incredibly troublesome vines of the demon tree were all frozen by ice crystals. With her long hair fluttering, her slender figure, and her beautiful, moving face, she let countless people appreciate the charm of this number one person of Southwind Academy in that instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second image was Shi Kong, holding a Ghost-Face Fruit with a smile on his face. Behind him was a smoking demon vine tree, with lightning occasionally flickering on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them had relied on their own strength to defeat the demon vine tree and seize the Ghost-Face Fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their impressive achievements won them even greater acclaim, and everyone understood that the first place in this year’s grand exam would likely be between these two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing did not pay too much attention to these images. Their eyes were locked on the leaderboard, and only when they saw Li Luo’s points finally change from zero to one hundred did they breathe a sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although this assessment stage was only to obtain base points, if Li Luo had really entered with two zeros, that would have been too bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As more and more students seized Ghost-Face Fruits through various means, the atmosphere here began to boil, because everyone knew that the two assessment stages were just a prelude, intended to provide everyone with some base points for the upcoming elimination round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, when the elimination round began, this grand exam would finally officially open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In White Spirit Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo, Yu Lang, and Zhao Kuo walked out of the dark forest, and a stream appeared before them. On the other side of the stream was a continuous hilly area with complex terrain, filled with trees and giant rocks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three looked at each other, understanding that crossing the stream meant entering the venue for the elimination round.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, they did not hesitate much. With resonant power surging, their figures flashed, crossing the stream that was several yards wide, and stepped onto the opposite bank, beginning the elimination round of the grand exam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1635,"2026-06-20T03:27:18.369Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","4e356a29fa96adb6955f3247f550f631be08706f2f5eb28d327559346cd437cd","king-of-all-manifestations-chapter-54","king-of-all-manifestations-chapter-52",999,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fking-of-all-manifestations-cover.jpg"]