Chapter 109: Counter-kill and Fourth Place (Please Subscribe)

"Quick, tell me what the situation is for your first stage?" Just as Xu Jin finished reading the messages that appeared before him, Ning Ning Yuchan asked anxiously.

In an instant, Xu Jin reacted; Ning Ning Yuchan must want to give further guidance to the many Autumn Exam participants before the exam.

Looking at Ning Ning Yuchan's nervous and anxious appearance, Xu Jin could see that.

It seemed that this Autumn Exam was also very important to Ning Ning Yuchan.

"I must get a good ranking."

While Xu Jin secretly decided, he also told Ning Ning Yuchan the star-light information that had appeared before him as quickly as possible.

Ning Ning Yuchan only pondered for a few breaths before clapping her hands to remind the many participating disciples.

"First, there is no enemy kill count, which means this Grand Selection Stage will not have enemies that need to be killed. In other words, even if enemies truly appear, you don't need to kill them; pass them quickly or go around them, don't waste time.

Second, danger may appear from all directions. This is the second key point: there will be all kinds of different dangers appearing randomly. Crossbow arrows, traps, or even star beasts or enemy attacks are all possible.

That is to say, there are two elements to passing this stage: arrive at the military flag position alive within one hundred breaths!"

"Third, this Grand Selection Stage, besides stating that you must arrive at the military flag position within one hundred breaths, has no other rules. That is to say, this stage has no rules at all.

During the process of running, especially in the final stage, whether you attack others or others attack you to slow down your speed to fight for a higher ranking, it is all compliant.

Pay attention to the risks brought by your fellow examinees in front, behind, left, and right."

"Alright, remember these three points. Enter!" After a quick analysis, Ning Ning Yuchan let the disciples start entering the stage.

While Xu Jin nodded to indicate he remembered, he suddenly reacted: Ning Ning Yuchan, this Chief Ning Jiaotou, was acting as a coach on the field?

In the next instant, Xu Jin took a step forward, his figure stepped into the first stage that had just been evolved by star light below, and information appeared simultaneously.

【Autumn Exam First Stage: Each person can choose one first-tier star weapon. Star weapon, soft armor, light armor, heavy armor, arm shield, round shield, large shield, light boots, heavy boots. Please choose within ten breaths.】

If it were purely a comparison of speed, then it would definitely be light boots.

But according to the rules Ning Ning Yuchan just interpreted, the roles of other choices like star weapons, soft armor, arm shields, round shields, and light armor were all quite large.

After considering for only two breaths, Xu Jin still chose light boots.

Whether it was defense or offense, Xu Jin's star techniques were completely sufficient; on this point, Xu Jin had full confidence.

When Xu Jin made his choice, a pair of light boots appeared before him, looking exactly like the Wind-Chasing Boots Xu Jin had used before, and the effect was the same: they could increase speed by twenty percent.

In the next instant, Xu Jin appeared at the edge of a plain.

The plain was extremely vast and oval-shaped; all the disciples who entered were at this edge.

Looking into the distance, he could see the plain shrinking rapidly several miles away, and the passage at the very end seemed very narrow.

More and more disciples wearing different colored uniforms descended around him, but there wasn't a single disciple from his own prefecture Dao Academy.

It seemed that the landing points were also random.

The uniform style for the Chen Guo Dao Academy Autumn Exam was unified, but the colors of the collars and sleeves were different depending on the prefecture.

The collar and sleeve colors of the Yan Prefecture, to which Xu Jin's Jin Shan Dao Academy belonged, were all crimson.

In the sky, a countdown light shadow composed of star light hung high.

Ten breaths until the exam started.

Xu Jin calculated it himself; one breath was about three seconds.

That is to say, the final time was one hundred breaths, which was three hundred seconds.

The maximum time to pass this first stage was at most five minutes.

Xu Jin glanced left and right; the disciples around him were also sizing up Xu Jin. Quite a few chose star weapons, and many chose arm shields.

In comparison, those who chose light boots were actually the fewest.

In the next instant, the countdown in the sky returned to zero, and a countdown of one hundred breaths instantly jumped out.

At the same time, the light screen before all the participating disciples instantly disappeared.

The exam had started!

Almost the moment the light screen disappeared, star light flashed under Xu Jin's feet, and he instantly exploded out like lightning.

This explosion was sixty meters.

In an instant, he was far ahead of the other disciples.

In just five breaths, after exploding his Flying Star Steps over twenty times, Xu Jin had already rushed out over two miles. The terrain in the distance became clearer and clearer; it was a passage only one meter wide.

Danger might appear there.

Xu Jin sized up the participating team slightly; in just five breaths, they had already pulled apart into tiers.

He should be in the fastest wave.

Because the distance was quite far, he couldn't judge, but there were fewer than one hundred people whose progress was similar to Xu Jin's.

That is to say, Xu Jin had already rushed into the top one hundred.

But he hadn't reached the finish line yet, so it was hard to say.

*Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh! *

In the next instant, ear-piercing sounds of breaking air rang out.

The sounds of breaking air rang out in one piece, and hundreds of thousands of arrows came covering the sky and earth.

Xu Jin's expression changed; his Star Light Cover had already covered his body, and while adding an extra layer of Star Shield, two Star Ropes instantly appeared in his left hand.

At least a dozen arrows were covering Xu Jin.

This was an indiscriminate attack.

The Star Ropes swept through instantly, shattering all the arrows in front of him.

Xu Jin's speed also slowed slightly because of this, but in the next instant, his Flying Star Steps exploded again, heading straight for the narrow passage ahead.

Five breaths later, another wave of arrow rain arrived, and Xu Jin did the same thing again.

He instantly stepped onto the narrow passage ahead.

Almost the moment Xu Jin stepped on it, *whoosh whoosh whoosh*, one after another, over a dozen figures rushed into the narrow passage.

*Boom! *

A heart-shaking sound rang out.

On both sides of the narrow passage, giant waves over ten meters high actually rose up, and the giant waves slapped toward everyone who had just rushed onto the narrow passage indiscriminately.

This was also an indiscriminate attack.

This kind of attack could only be received head-on.

While propping up his Star Light Cover, Xu Jin's left hand's Star Shield and Star Ring swung out continuously, reducing the impact of the giant waves.

But the powerful slap of the giant waves tilted Xu Jin's figure.

Fortunately, Xu Jin's Flying Star Steps were extremely proficient; his Flying Star Steps exploded slightly, stabilizing Xu Jin's figure.

The giant waves only lasted for half a second before ending.

All the disciples who rushed onto the narrow passage slowed down, but not a single person fell off.

However, in this less than a second, dozens more people rushed onto the narrow passage.

The narrow passage was just one mile long, and it only took three or four breaths to rush out.

At this very moment, there were only four people in front of Xu Jin, while there were over a dozen people around him.

Next was a very complex terrain.

There were giant rocks, giant trees, giant pits, and even fire traps and entanglement traps.

When you passed through, flames would suddenly spray seven or eight meters high.

If your reaction was slightly slow, you would be sprayed.

Xu Jin saw with his own eyes a disciple being sprayed by flames; his Star Light Cover melted, and he fell to the ground on the spot.

Fortunately, when he fell, he exploded his Flying Star Steps again, so he didn't fall into the fire trap; otherwise, he would have been directly eliminated.

About five breaths of time, Xu Jin encountered a total of fifteen various attacks, but they were all surprise attacks, not the indiscriminate attacks from before. This section of the road should be testing footwork and adaptability.

Suddenly, Xu Jin's eyes lit up, and he saw the military flag on the mountain peak ahead.

In front of the military flag was a cable bridge two miles long.

Xu Jin understood that the final pass had arrived.

At this very moment, there were still four people in front of Xu Jin.

A few breaths later, just before Xu Jin stepped onto the cable bridge, there was suddenly a shrill whistling sound in the sky. A fierce bird suddenly appeared in the sky and then swooped down toward the first five people who were rushing the fastest in a line.

At this very moment, Xu Jin was rushing in fifth place, about ten meters from first place and less than two meters from fourth place.

The Dao Academy disciple rushing in first jumped up, like a drill, nimbly drilling out from between the fierce bird's claws, his speed not decreasing at all.

Second, third, and fourth place were a bit worse; the second place even used a Star Shield to defend, slowing down for an instant, while the third place surpassed him. The disciple in front of Xu Jin also slowed down slightly, but still successfully passed.

The fierce bird rushed to Xu Jin, but Xu Jin's footwork was even more ingenious.

With Xu Jin's mastery of the Flying Star Steps, dealing with this was too easy.

Several star lights exploded one after another from his feet, waist, and thigh areas, and Xu Jin, like a flexible fish, passed through the fierce bird's swooping claws.

Not only did he pass through, he also took the opportunity to accelerate.

With this acceleration, he surpassed the fourth place who was only two meters ahead of him in an instant.

Moreover, at the last moment, borrowing this acceleration, Xu Jin exploded his Flying Star Steps at his feet, pushing his speed to the limit.

For the last two hundred meters, Xu Jin began to sprint with all his might.

In Xu Jin's feeling, he had hope of fighting for second or first!

But in the next instant, just as Xu Jin had just surpassed the fourth place and intended to surpass the third place, the third place raised his hand, and while his speed didn't decrease at all, he flicked his hand and two Star Arrows blasted toward Xu Jin.

This was a surprise attack with Star Arrows at ultra-close range.

Xu Jin and the third place were only two meters apart, and Xu Jin was in a state of super-speed forward movement.

Almost the moment the two Star Arrows were blasted out, they hit Xu Jin.

Instinctively, a Star Ring swung out from Xu Jin's chest, shattering a Star Arrow that was about to hit his body.

The second Star Arrow, however, hit Xu Jin accurately.

Xu Jin's Star Light Cover instantly rippled violently.

However, it didn't break!

Although the Star Light Cover didn't break, these two Star Arrows successfully sniped Xu Jin, making Xu Jin, who was moving at high speed, feel as if he had hit a giant rock. His speed plummeted, and he stumbled, almost falling.

Naturally, the fourth place Xu Jin had just surpassed was about to surpass Xu Jin.

At this very moment, they were only two hundred meters from the finish line military flag position. With this slow-down, Xu Jin basically had no chance to surpass them again and could only grab fourth or fifth place.

But the moment the fourth place barely passed Xu Jin, a Star Rope and two Star Arrows were blasted toward Xu Jin.

Xu Jin's nerves instantly tightened to the limit.

If he were hit by this, he would definitely be eliminated on the spot.

If he were eliminated, it would mean Xu Jin's Autumn Exam journey would end here. 【112】 Let alone a ranking, he wouldn't even be able to qualify. 【113】 At the critical moment, the adaptability footwork Xu Jin had practiced bitterly with Fairy Zuiyue and "Nothing More" in the Practice Arena Secret Realm was instinctively unleashed. 【114】 Star power exploded continuously from his waist, and his whole body spun wildly like a spinning top. 【115】 He dodged the bombardment of the two Star Arrows. 【116】 But that Star Rope still coiled toward Xu Jin like a poisonous dragon. 【117】 Xu Jin flicked his five fingers, and in an instant, three Star Ropes condensed, one of which, like a vine, instantly coiled around this Star Rope. 【118】 He locked this Star Rope and pulled hard. 【119】 In an instant, this fourth place was pulled to a halt by Xu Jin. 【120】 At the very front, the first, second, and third place had already reached the finish line. Seeing this, they shouted, "Lü Kun, break the rope!" 【121】 The intention should be to remind Lü Kun to break the Star Rope, get rid of Xu Jin's entanglement, and take the ranking first. 【122】 But at this very moment, Xu Jin was also furious. 【123】 Damn it, the third place's surprise attack made him lose his ranking, and the fourth place's casual surprise attack was actually trying to take his life. 【124】 Although it couldn't take his life here, it could cut off his future and ruin his path! 【125】 Cutting off his future was no different from killing him in reality. 【126】 Therefore, with one move, Xu Jin went all out. 【127】 One Star Rope coiled around Lü Kun's Star Rope, and the moment his figure halted, the other two Star Ropes also swirled toward Lü Kun like poisonous dragons. 【128】 Lü Kun also swung out a Star Ring, but what terrified him was that he had to swing two Star Rings to destroy one of Xu Jin's Star Ropes. 【129】 At this time, Xu Jin had already rushed to his side, and while borrowing the pull of the Star Rope, he pulled him closer. 【130】 Only then did Lü Kun react and break the Star Rope. 【131】 He was already too late. 【132】 Xu Jin's iron fist had already blasted onto his body. 【133】 The star light exploded twice in a very short instant. 【134】 The first time, Lü Kun's protective Star Light Cover was shattered. 【135】 At this time, the few people who had reached the finish line at the military flag position changed their expressions, exclaiming, "Show mercy!" 【136】 Show mercy my ass! 【137】 When you were ruining my future, you didn't show mercy. 【138】 The second star light blasted onto Lü Kun's body, directly shattering Lü Kun into a ball of star light that dissipated. 【139】 The star light Lü Kun blasted toward Xu Jin also dissipated. 【140】 The top three who reached the finish line had their expressions become incomparably ugly at the same time. 【141】 Because of this delay, the sixth place had already arrived and was about to surpass Xu Jin. Xu Jin didn't look back, but the three Star Ropes controlled by his left hand danced like poisonous dragons, instantly forcing the sixth place to a halt on the cable bridge. 【142】 The sixth place attacked Xu Jin's Star Rope without hesitation, but in the next instant, Xu Jin's Flying Star Steps exploded, and he instantly accelerated toward the finish line military flag position! 【143】 "Ruining someone's future, how can you be so vicious!" 【144】 At this very moment, the second place was the angriest. Seeing Xu Jin rushing over, his left hand's Star Rope danced, and his right hand's star light appeared, intending to attack Xu Jin, block Xu Jin from reaching the finish line, and even intending to kill Xu Jin. 【145】 *Boom! * 【146】 A lightning snake suddenly descended from the sky and blasted in front of the second place. 【147】 "Those who have reached the finish line, if you dare to disrupt the exam hall, it will be treated as cheating!" A black-clothed Supervisor appeared under the military flag at the finish line, staring coldly at the second place who intended to attack Xu Jin. 【148】 Xu Jin, who was originally prepared for a big battle, also withdrew his star power, exploded his star power at his feet, and reached the finish line. 【149】 Star-light information appeared. 【150】 【Xu Jin, congratulations, you have passed the Autumn Exam Grand Selection Stage. Time taken: twenty-nine breaths. Current ranking: fourth.】 【151】 Subsequently, the sixth place from before arrived as fifth, followed by the sixth, seventh, and eighth place. 【152】 After the eighth place arrived, his expression suddenly changed. "Eh, where is Senior Brother Lü? I saw him in front the whole time?" 【153】 No one spoke, but the first, second, third, and fifth place all looked at Xu Jin, their expressions incomparably ugly. 【154】 Especially the second place and the third place who had just ambushed Xu Jin; their eyes were even more gloomy. 【155】 Xu Jin finally understood the Chen Guo Dao Academy. 【156】 These disciples, except for Xu Jin and the seventh place, were all silver, representing the Chen Guo Dao Academy. 【157】 That is to say, the top eight were mostly covered by the Chen Guo Dao Academy. 【158】 "He killed Senior Brother Lü, causing Senior Brother Lü to be directly eliminated!" The fifth place, Yu Guan Li, gave the answer. 【159】 "What?" 【160】 The eighth place, Fang Fang Mingchun, was shocked, then looked at Xu Jin and scolded angrily, "Which Dao Academy are you from? Competing for ranking is competing for ranking, how can you easily ruin someone's path? Do you know that killing and directly eliminating Senior Brother Lü will make him lose his true disciple quota!" 【161】 Xu Jin glanced coldly at Fang Fang Mingchun. "His future is a future, but mine isn't? He wanted to kill me; do you want me to wait for death?" 【162】 Fang Mingqing was confused. 【163】 But the second place, Yan Chen, said angrily, "Nonsense, you could have clearly surpassed Junior Brother Lü just now; it was you who deliberately used a lethal move to kill Junior Brother Lü?" 【164】 Xu Jin glanced gloomily at this Yan Chen and labeled this guy: a double-standard grandson! 【165】 Facing this kind of double-standard grandson, any explanation was useless. 【166】 "So what if I did?" 【167】 Xu Jin stared provocatively at Yan Chen, making Yan Chen jump with anger. 【168】 "You, you wait, I want to avenge Junior Brother Lü..." 【169】 "Enough!" 【170】 The first place, Meng Meng Qingqiu, was a woman, and she suddenly scolded angrily, "We are all disciples of the Chen Dao Academy; what revenge are you talking about?" 【171】 "But Senior Sister..." 【172】 "The Autumn Exam is just a competition among fellow disciples; each relies on their own ability, and each accepts their own fate. If you are not as good as others, you can't blame anyone! If you mention revenge or hatred again, do you think the Supervisor is just for show?" Above his head, the black-clothed Supervisor standing on the star light on the military flag smiled coldly. 【173】 Yan Chen then stopped. 【174】 The third place looked at Xu Jin and suddenly stepped forward. "I am Yuan Yuan Feiqing; may I ask your name and where you are from?" 【175】 Xu Jin glanced at Yuan Yuan Feiqing; the person who had ambushed him first was exactly this person. 【176】 However, Xu Jin didn't resent this person. 【177】 The rules allowed it; if it were Xu Jin, he might have made a move too, as it was a higher ranking after all. 【178】 Lü Kun, whom he had just killed, was just too bad; he blocked him and even wanted to kill him. 【179】 If he encountered him again, Xu Jin would definitely kill him! 【180】 However, at this very moment, Yuan Yuan Feiqing asking for Xu Jin's name and background seemed to have other thoughts. 【181】 But Xu Jin wasn't afraid. 【182】 In a moment, the rankings would all be displayed, and Xu Jin's background and name couldn't be hidden, so it was better to say it openly. 【183】 "I am Xu Jin, from Jin Shan Dao Academy of Yan Prefecture!" 【184】 As soon as these words were spoken, the dozen or so people who had already arrived at the military flag position all looked at Xu Jin, and even the Supervisor couldn't help but look at Xu Jin a few more times. 【185】 The top ten, even if it was just the top ten of the first stage of the Autumn Exam, it wasn't rare for disciples from prefecture Dao Academies to break in. 【186】 It happened every year. 【187】 Like today's seventh place, he was a disciple from a prefecture Dao Academy, but it was very, very rare for one from the lowest-level county Dao Academy to appear. 【188】 It could be said that it was rare to see one in several years. 【189】 The last time a county Dao Academy disciple appeared in the top ten of the Autumn Exam seemed to be six years ago; it seemed her name was something like Chan, and she was a girl. 【190】 The Supervisor had an impression, but he couldn't quite remember the specific name. 【191】 "I am Meng Meng Qingqiu, Chen Guo Dao Academy." 【192】 "I am Yu Guan Li, Chen Guo Dao Academy." 【193】 "I am Ying Ge, from Song Prefecture Dao Academy." This was the seventh place. 【194】 "I am Fang Fang Mingchun, Chen Guo Dao Academy." Following the so-called Senior Sister taking the lead to greet Xu Jin, the others present also greeted Xu Jin one by one, considering it an introduction. 【195】 "I am Miao Long, Yan Prefecture Dao Academy." 【196】 "I am Ji Ji Hongli, Dachen Wan Yi Dao Academy." 【197】 Xu Jin met them one by one; many people, especially the top twenty or thirty, could be considered to have met each other. 【198】 After all, those who could rush into the top thirty in the first stage would be true disciples or core disciples in the future, with limitless prospects. 【199】 At this time, it was the moment to expand connections and get to know each other. 【200】 Inside the Practice Hall of the Chen Guo Dao Academy, a spirited young man with a gloomy look between his brows stood up abruptly, his eyes wide with anger. "Bastard, actually ruining my future, bastard, bastard..." 【201】 "Lü Kun, if you want to receive punishment, then continue." A black-clothed Supervisor guarding the Practice Hall looked at Lü Kun and said. 【202】 "Hmph!" 【203】 Lü Kun stomped his feet in anger and held the Star Token again, re-entering the Star Tower! 【204】 He wanted to watch the battle! 【205】 He wanted to know who the person who ruined his future was! 【206】 In Lü Kun's mind, he hadn't deliberately wanted to ruin that person's future at the time; he just attacked casually, wanting to see if this little guy who dared to rush in front of him could handle it. 【207】 But he never expected that he would provoke such a fierce retaliation from the other side. 【208】 And until this moment, Lü Kun still believed that Xu Jin's counterattack was too violent and too vicious! 【209】 In the first stage secret realm, the countdown hanging high in the sky had entered the final ten breaths. 【210】 Xu Jin saw many familiar faces. 【211】 He saw Lu Lu Xianbing, saw Wang Wang Weisheng, saw Zhang Han, and even saw Han Yue Han Yue Daqi and Yu Yu Xianghua, but there were still many figures he didn't see, such as Yu Yu Guan, who hadn't appeared; he might have been eliminated on the way. 【212】 Moreover, the number of eliminated people was not small. 【213】 Compared to the pitch-black crowd when they first entered, the number of people standing at the finish line military flag position at this time was only seven or eight out of ten. 【214】 Unexpectedly, just as the countdown in the sky was about to return to zero, Xu Jin saw Yu Yu Guan. 【215】 Yu Yu Guan and over a dozen others rushed to the military flag position just in time. 【216】 After they rushed over, in the back, one could vaguely see over a hundred people showing expressions of despair. 【217】 The moment the countdown returned to zero, Xu Jin and the others disappeared on the spot, while the disciples who were still in the first stage secret realm also dissipated into points of star light. 【218】 When he opened his eyes again, Xu Jin found himself appearing under the flag of Jin Shan Dao Academy of Yan Prefecture. 【219】 Ning Ning Yuchan was looking at him with a face full of surprise. 【220】 Xu Jin subconsciously looked up at the ranking list hanging in the sky of the secret realm. 【221】 【First place: Xu Jin, 324 points】 【222】 【Second place: Meng Meng Qingqiu, 161 points】 【223】 【Third place: Yuan Yuan Feiqing, 149 points】 【224】 【Fourth place: Xu Jin】 【225】 【Fifth place: Yu Guan Li, 133 points】 【226】 【Sixth place: Ji Ji Hongli, 127 points】 【227】 【Seventh place: Ying Ge, 119 points】 【228】 【Eighth place: Fang Fang Mingchun, 109 points】 【229】 【Ninth place: Miao Long, 104 points】 【230】 【Nineteenth place: Wang Wang Weisheng, 93 points】 【231】 【One hundred and thirty-third place: Zhang Han, 68 points】 【232】 Among those who broke into the top one hundred, Jin Shan Dao Academy actually had two people, and the third senior brother of Jin Shan Dao Academy, Zhang Han, actually rushed into one hundred and thirty-third place. 【233】 This result was already very good. 【234】 In the entire Autumn Exam Secret Realm, some were cheering and some were crying. 【235】 Those crying were the ones directly eliminated. 【236】 Once eliminated, they had no qualification to continue participating in the Autumn Exam. 【237】 But those who passed the first stage of the Autumn Exam, especially the disciples from the county Dao Academies, were all beaming with joy. 【238】 Because their first goal was achieved. 【239】 According to the Autumn Exam rules, especially for those from county Dao Academies, as long as they pass the first stage of the Autumn Exam, they automatically obtain the qualification to be selected into the prefecture Dao Academy. 【240】 After the Autumn Exam, as long as they succeed in forging their star, they can continue to enter the prefecture Dao Academy to study and cultivate, and continue their path. 【241】 According to the rules of the Chen Guo Dao Academy, all disciples of county Dao Academies can study in the academy for at most two years. Within two years, as long as they succeed in forging their star, they must leave the Dao Academy, or enter the army, or enter local troops, or execute the Dao Academy's miscellaneous affairs. 【242】 Afterward, they can only cultivate while working. 【243】 If they can enter the prefecture Dao Academy, the total study time in the prefecture Dao Academy is still two years. 【244】 Within these two years, besides disciples selected for the National Dao Academy, or very individual disciples, most, as long as their cultivation breaks through to the early stage of Refine Star, will also be arranged for miscellaneous affairs. 【245】 According to Xu Jin's understanding, it was forcing them to find employment. 【246】 The army, local troops, special agencies, etc., were all employment directions; afterward, they could only cultivate while working. 【247】 But it was different if they were selected into the National Dao Academy. 【248】 Being selected into the National Dao Academy, the study time was at least three years, and the forced employment restriction also reached the Condense Star Realm. 【249】 Generally, when they break through to the Condense Star Realm, their destination will be arranged. 【250】 If they haven't broken through to the Condense Star Realm within three years, their destination will also be arranged. 【251】 But the positions arranged for disciples from the National Dao Academy were all very good, such as Chief Ning Jiaotou of the Dao Academy, some mid-level military officers, etc., with more free time, and while executing tasks, they could use more time to cultivate. 【252】 There were even a small number of disciples who would always be cultivated as future backbone forces. 【253】 This kind of system arrangement naturally determined the cultivation ceiling of each Dao Academy. 【254】 Therefore, for geniuses, if they couldn't enter the National Dao Academy, it meant their path was basically cut off. 【255】 Because in the National Dao Academy, besides being able to cultivate with massive resources, most of the time for all disciples was used for cultivation. 【256】 And if they couldn't enter, they needed to execute various miscellaneous affairs early and earn cultivation resources themselves. 【257】 This gap was not just a little bit. 【258】 At this very moment, under the flag of Jin Shan Dao Academy, there were twenty-five disciples left. 【259】 This made Ning Ning Yuchan both pleasantly surprised and worried. 【260】 What was pleasantly surprising was that two people actually rushed into the top one hundred, and Xu Jin was even high in fourth place; this was a huge surprise. 【261】 What was worrying was that in just the first stage, ten disciples of Jin Shan Dao Academy were eliminated, a ratio close to thirty percent, far exceeding the overall elimination rate of twenty percent for the first stage. 【262】 After a few more stages, I don't know how many disciples Jin Shan Dao Academy will have left. 【263】 "Reporting to Grand Master, a total of 7,612 people passed the first stage of the Autumn Exam." On the viewing platform, after the first stage ended, Chief Ning Jiaotou Yu Da of the Chen Guo Dao Academy reported. 【264】 "7,612 people. Old Chen, what do you think of this first stage?" Grand Master Cheng Cheng Yuexiao looked at Supervisor Chen Liao. 【265】 "It's okay! However, I see that Jin Shan Dao Academy is quite eye-catching; it actually had a county Dao Academy disciple rush into the top ten of the first stage, which is truly not bad! 【266】 After all, many prefecture Dao Academies didn't have a single person rush into the top ten. 【267】 By the way, how many years ago was the last time a county Dao Academy disciple rushed into the top ten?" Chen asked with a smile. 【268】 "Reporting to Supervisor, six years ago, Jin Shan Dao Academy disciple Ning Ning Yuchan rushed into seventh place in the first stage during the Autumn Exam." Chief Ning Jiaotou Yu Da knew everything about this clearly. 【269】 "It's still Jin Shan Dao Academy?" Supervisor Chen Liao asked with a smile, and said intentionally or unintentionally, "Grand Master, another Jin Shan Dao Academy disciple has rushed up, twice in a row. 【270】 It seems that putting Little Dong in Jin Shan Dao Academy is a bit of a waste of talent." 【271】 It was quite a recommendation. 【272】 "Yes, I think he should be transferred to be one of the four Academy Directors of our National Dao Academy to match Dong Zhao's status!" Right Libationer Song Bing also suggested with a smile. 【273】 But as soon as this suggestion was made, everyone on the viewing platform closed their mouths. 【274】 Within the National Dao Academy, the Grand Master, Supervisor, and two Libationers were followed by the four Academy Directors. 【275】 The four Academy Directors were already power giants of the National Dao Academy. 【276】 Song Bing saying this was no longer a recommendation, but a "praise to death"! 【277】 Grand Master Cheng Cheng Yuexiao smiled. "Yu Da, prepare for the second stage!" 【278】 (End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 110 =====

Not to mention a ranking, he couldn't even reach the qualification.

At the critical moment, the evasive movement techniques Xu Jin had practiced hard with the Drunken Moon Fairy and 'Nothing More Than That' in the Practice Arena Secret Realm were unleashed instinctively.

Star power exploded continuously at his waist, and his whole body spun wildly like a spinning top.

He dodged the bombardment of two Star Arrows.

But that Star Rope still coiled toward Xu Jin like a poisonous dragon.

Xu Jin flicked his five fingers continuously, and in an instant, three Star Ropes condensed; one of the Star Ropes, like a vine, instantly coiled around this Star Rope.

He locked this Star Rope tight, then pulled with force.

In an instant, this fourth-place contestant's figure was pulled to a halt by Xu Jin.

At the very front, the first, second, and third place contestants had already reached the finish line; seeing this, they shouted loudly, "Lu Kun, break the rope!"

The intention should have been to remind Lu Kun to break the Star Rope, shake off Xu Jin's entanglement, and secure a ranking first.

But at this very moment, Xu Jin was also furious.

Damn it, the third-place contestant's sneak attack made him lose his ranking, and the fourth-place contestant's casual sneak attack was actually out to take his life.

Although it couldn't take his life here, it could cut off his future and ruin his path!

Cutting off his future was no different from killing him in reality.

Therefore, as soon as he made a move, Xu Jin went all out.

One Star Rope coiled around Lu Kun's Star Rope, and the moment his figure halted, the other two Star Ropes also rolled wildly toward Lu Kun like poisonous dragons.

Lu Kun also unleashed a Star Ring, but what terrified him was that he had to unleash two Star Rings before he could destroy one of Xu Jin's Star Ropes.

At this time, Xu Jin had already rushed to his side, and simultaneously, by pulling on the Star Rope, he pulled him closer.

Only then did Lu Kun react and break the Star Rope.

He was already too late.

Xu Jin's iron fist had already slammed into his body.

The star radiance exploded twice in a very short instant.

The first time, Lu Kun's protective Star Light Cover was shattered.

At this moment, the few people who had reached the finish line where the military flag stood changed their expressions, and simultaneously exclaimed, "Show mercy!"

Screw your show mercy!

When you were ruining my future, why didn't you show mercy?

The second strike of star radiance slammed into Lu Kun like lightning, directly blasting Lu Kun into a mass of star light that dissipated.

The star radiance that Lu Kun had simultaneously blasted toward Xu Jin also dissipated.

The top three who had reached the finish line had their expressions turn incomparably ugly at the same time.

Because of this delay, the sixth-place contestant had already caught up and was about to surpass Xu Jin. Xu Jin didn't look back, but the three Star Ropes driven by his left hand danced like poisonous dragons, instantly forcing the sixth-place contestant to a halt on this rope bridge.

The sixth-place contestant attacked Xu Jin's Star Ropes without hesitation, but the next instant, the Flying Star Steps under Xu Jin's feet exploded, instantly accelerating toward the military flag position at the finish line!

"Ruining someone's future, how can you be so vicious!"

At this very moment, the second-place contestant was the most furious; seeing Xu Jin rush over, his left hand's Star Rope danced, and star light appeared on his right hand, intending to attack Xu Jin, block Xu Jin from reaching the finish line, and even intending to kill Xu Jin.

Boom!

A lightning snake suddenly descended from the sky and slammed in front of the second-place contestant.

"Those who have reached the finish line, if you dare to disrupt the examination hall, you will be treated as cheating!" A black-robed supervisor appeared under the military flag at the finish line, staring coldly at the second-place contestant who intended to attack Xu Jin.

Xu Jin, who had originally prepared for a big battle, also withdrew his star power, and with an explosion of star power under his feet, he reached the finish line.

Star Light information appeared.

【Xu Jin, congratulations, you have passed the autumn examination selection stage, time taken 29 breaths, currently ranked fourth】

Subsequently, the previous sixth-place contestant arrived as fifth, and the sixth, seventh, and eighth place contestants arrived one after another.

After the eighth-place contestant arrived, his expression suddenly changed, "Eh, where is Senior Brother Lu? I saw him in front the whole time before?"

No one spoke, but the first, second, third, and fifth place contestants all looked at Xu Jin, their expressions all incomparably ugly.

Especially the second-place contestant and the third-place contestant who had just sneak-attacked Xu Jin, their gazes were even more gloomy.

Xu Jin finally understood at this moment, the Great Chen State Dao Academy.

Except for Xu Jin and the seventh-place contestant, the collars and cuffs of these disciples were all silver, representing the Great Chen State Dao Academy.

In other words, the top eight were mostly swept up by the Great Chen State Dao Academy.

"He killed Senior Brother Lu, causing Senior Brother Lu to be directly eliminated!" The fifth-place contestant, Yu Guan Li, gave the answer.

"What?"

The eighth-place contestant, Fang Fang Mingchun, looked shocked, then looked at Xu Jin and cursed angrily, "Which Dao Academy are you from? Competing for a ranking is one thing, but how can you easily ruin someone's path? Do you know that by killing and directly eliminating Senior Brother Lu, you will cause him to lose his quota for a true-transmission disciple!"

Xu Jin glanced coldly at this Fang Fang Mingchun, "His future is a future, but mine isn't? He wanted to kill me, are you telling me to just stand there and wait to die?"

Fang Mingqing was confused.

But the second-place contestant, Yan Chen, said angrily, "Nonsense, you clearly could have bypassed Junior Brother Lu just now; it was you who deliberately used a lethal move to kill Junior Brother Lu?"

Xu Jin glanced gloomily at this Yan Chen and immediately labeled this guy: a double-standard grandson!

Facing this kind of double-standard grandson, any explanation you give is useless.

"So what if I did?"

Xu Jin stared provocatively at Yan Chen, making Yan Chen jump with anger.

"You, you just wait, I'm going to avenge Junior Brother Lu"

"Enough!"

The first-place contestant, Meng Meng Qingqiu, was a woman, and she suddenly scolded angrily, "You are all disciples of the Great Chen Dao Academy, what revenge are you talking about?"

"But Senior Sister"

"The autumn examination is just a competition among fellow disciples; each relies on their own ability, each accepts their own fate. If your skills are inferior, you can't blame anyone! If you mention revenge or hatred again, do you think the supervisor is just for show?" Above, the black-robed supervisor standing on the military flag in star light smiled coldly.

Only then did Yan Chen stop.

The third-place contestant looked at Xu Jin and suddenly stepped forward, "I am Yuan Yuan Feiqing, may I ask for your name and origin, brother?"

Xu Jin glanced at Yuan Yuan Feiqing; the person who had first launched the sneak attack on him just now was exactly this person.

However, Xu Jin didn't resent this person.

The rules allowed it, and if it were Xu Jin, he might have made a move too, after all, it was a higher ranking.

Lu Kun, who had just been killed by him, was just too damn evil; he blocked him and still wanted to kill him.

If he encountered him again, Xu Jin would definitely kill him!

However, at this moment, Yuan Yuan Feiqing asking for Xu Jin's name and origin sounded like he had other intentions.

But Xu Jin wasn't afraid.

In a while, the rankings would all be displayed on the leaderboard, and Xu Jin's background and name couldn't be hidden, so it was better to just say it openly.

"I am Xu Jin, from the Jin Shan Dao Academy of Yan Prefecture!"

Once these words were spoken, the dozen or so people who had already reached the military flag position all looked at Xu Jin, and even the supervisor couldn't help but take an extra look at Xu Jin.

It was not uncommon for disciples from state Dao Academies to break into the top ten, even if it was just the top ten of the first stage of the autumn examination.

It happened every year.

Like today's seventh-place contestant, he was a disciple from a state Dao Academy, but it was very, very rare for someone from a lowest-level county Dao Academy to appear.

It could be said that it was hard to see once in several years.

The last time a county Dao Academy disciple appeared in the top ten of the autumn examination seemed to be six years ago, and it seemed they were called something like 'Chan', and it was a girl.

The supervisor had a slight impression, but he couldn't quite recall the specific name.

"I am Meng Meng Qingqiu, Great Chen State Dao Academy."

"I am Yu Guan Li, Great Chen State Dao Academy."

"I am Ying Ge, from the Song Prefecture State Dao Academy." This was the seventh-place contestant.

"I am Fang Fang Mingchun, Great Chen State Dao Academy." Following the so-called Senior Sister taking the lead in greeting Xu Jin, the others present also greeted Xu Jin one by one, which counted as getting to know each other.

"I am Miao Long, Yan Prefecture State Dao Academy."

"I am Ji Ji Hongli, Dachen Wan Yi Dao Academy."

Xu Jin met them one by one; many people, especially the top twenty or thirty, could be considered to have gotten to know each other.

After all, those who could rush into the top thirty in the first stage would either be true-transmission or core disciples in the future, with limitless futures.

At this time, it was exactly the time to expand connections and get to know each other.

Inside the Practice Hall of the Great Chen State Dao Academy, a spirited young man with a somewhat sinister look between his brows stood up abruptly, his eyes wide with anger, "Bastard, actually ruining my future, bastard, bastard"

"Lu Kun, if you want to receive punishment, then continue." A black-robed supervisor guarding the Practice Hall looked at Lu Kun and said.

"Hmph!"

Lu Kun stomped his foot in anger, held the Star-Plucking Token in his hand again, and re-entered the Star-Plucking Tower!

He wanted to watch the battle!

He wanted to know who the person who ruined his future was!

In Lu Kun's mind, he hadn't deliberately wanted to ruin that person's future at the time; he had just made a casual combo, wanting to see if this little guy who dared to rush in front of him could take it.

But he never expected that he would provoke such a fierce and violent retaliation from the other party.

And until this moment, Lu Kun still believed that Xu Jin's counterattack was too intense and too vicious!

In the first-stage secret realm, the countdown hanging high in the sky had already entered the final ten breaths.

Xu Jin saw many familiar faces.

He saw Lu Lu Xianbing, saw Wang Wang Weisheng, saw Zhang Han, and even saw Han Yue Han Yue Daqi and Yu Yu Xianghua, but there were still many figures he didn't see, for example, Yu Yu Guan, who never appeared, perhaps he had already been eliminated on the way.

Moreover, the number of eliminated people was not small.

Compared to the black mass of people when they first entered, the number of people standing at the military flag position at the finish line at this time was only seventy or eighty percent.

Unexpectedly, just as the countdown in the sky was about to return to zero, Xu Jin saw Yu Yu Guan.

Yu Yu Guan and a dozen other people rushed to the military flag position almost at the very last second.

After they rushed past, one could vaguely see hundreds of people behind them, showing expressions of despair.

The moment the countdown returned to zero, Xu Jin and the others disappeared on the spot, and those disciples who were still in the first-stage secret realm also had their figures turn into points of star light and dissipate.

When he opened his eyes again, Xu Jin found himself appearing under the flag of the Jin Shan Dao Academy of Yan Prefecture.

Ning Ning Yuchan was looking at him with a face full of surprise.

Xu Jin subconsciously looked up at the leaderboard hanging in the sky of the secret realm.

【First place: Meng Meng Qingqiu】

【Second place: Yan Chen】

【Third place: Yuan Yuan Feiqing】

【Fourth place: Xu Jin】

【Fifth place: Yu Guan Li】

【Sixth place: Ji Ji Hongli】

【Seventh place: Ying Ge】

【Eighth place: Fang Fang Mingchun】

【Ninth place: Miao Long】

【Nineteenth place: Wang Wang Weisheng】

【One hundred and thirty-third place: Zhang Han】

There were actually two people from the Jin Shan Dao Academy who broke into the top hundred, and the third senior brother of the Jin Shan Dao Academy, Zhang Han, actually also broke into the one hundred and thirty-third place.

This result was already very good.

In the entire autumn examination secret realm, some were cheering and some were crying.

Those crying were the ones directly eliminated.

Once eliminated, they had no qualification to continue participating in the autumn examination.

But all those who passed the first stage of the autumn examination, especially the disciples from various county Dao Academies, were all beaming with joy.

Because their first goal had been achieved.

According to the autumn examination rules, especially for those from county Dao Academies, as long as they passed the first stage of the autumn examination, they automatically obtained the qualification to be selected into a state Dao Academy.

After the autumn examination, as long as they successfully forged their star, they could continue to enter a state Dao Academy to study and cultivate, and continue their path.

According to the rules of the Great Chen State Dao Academy, all disciples from county Dao Academies could study in the academy for at most two years; within two years, as long as they successfully forged their star, they had to leave the Dao Academy, either to enter the army, enter local troops, or execute the Dao Academy's miscellaneous affairs.

Afterward, they could only cultivate while working.

If they could enter a state Dao Academy, the total study time limit in the state Dao Academy was still two years.

Within these two years, except for disciples selected into the State Dao Academy, or very individual disciples, most, as long as their cultivation base broke through to the early Refine Star stage, would also be arranged miscellaneous affairs.

According to Xu Jin's understanding, it was forced employment.

The army, local troops, special institutions, etc., were all employment directions; afterward, they could only cultivate while working.

And it was different if they were selected into the State Dao Academy.

Being selected into the State Dao Academy, the study time was at least three years, and the forced employment restriction also reached the Condense Star Realm.

Generally, once they broke through to the Condense Star Realm, their destination would be arranged.

If they hadn't broken through to the Condense Star Realm within three years, their destination would also be arranged.

But the positions arranged for disciples from the State Dao Academy were all very good, such as the general instructor of the Dao Academy, some mid-level military officers, etc., who had more free time and could use more time to cultivate while executing tasks.

There were even a small number of disciples who would always be cultivated as future backbone forces.

Such a system arrangement naturally determined the cultivation upper limit of each Dao Academy.

Therefore, for a genius, if they couldn't enter the State Dao Academy, it meant their path was basically cut off.

Because in the State Dao Academy, apart from being able to cultivate with massive resources, most of the time for all disciples was used for cultivation.

And if they couldn't enter, they needed to execute various miscellaneous affairs early, and also had to earn cultivation resources themselves.

This gap was not generally large.

At this very moment, under the flag of the Jin Shan Dao Academy, there were still twenty-five disciples remaining.

This made Ning Ning Yuchan both pleasantly surprised and worried.

What was pleasantly surprising was that two people actually broke into the top hundred, and Xu Jin even held the fourth place, which was a huge surprise.

What was worrying was that in just the first stage, ten disciples of the Jin Shan Dao Academy were eliminated, a proportion close to thirty percent, far exceeding the overall elimination rate of twenty percent in the first stage.

After a few more stages, it was unknown how many people from the Jin Shan Dao Academy would be left.

"Reporting to the Grand Master, a total of 7,612 people passed the first stage of the autumn examination." On the viewing platform, after the first stage ended, the general instructor of the Great Chen State Dao Academy, Yu Da, reported.

"7,612 people, Elder Chen, what do you think of this first stage?" The Grand Master, Cheng Cheng Yuexiao, looked at the Supervisor, Chen Liao.

"It's alright! But I see the Jin Shan Dao Academy is quite eye-catching; there are actually disciples from a county Dao Academy who broke into the top ten of the first stage, which is truly not bad!

After all, many state Dao Academies didn't even have one person break into the top ten.

By the way, how many years ago was the last time a county Dao Academy disciple broke into the top ten?" Chen said.

"Reporting to the Supervisor, six years ago, the Jin Shan Dao Academy disciple Ning Ning Yuchan broke into seventh place in the first stage during the autumn examination." The general instructor, Yu Da, was very clear about all this.

"It's the Jin Shan Dao Academy again?" The Supervisor, Chen Liao, asked with a smile, and said intentionally or unintentionally, "Grand Master, another Jin Shan Dao Academy disciple has surged up, two times in a row.

It seems that putting little Dong in the Jin Shan Dao Academy is a bit of a waste of talent."

It had quite a bit of a recommendation intent.

"Yes, I think he should be transferred to be one of the four great scholars of our State Dao Academy to match Dong Zhao's status!" The Right Libationer, Song Bing, also suggested with a smile.

But once this suggestion was made, everyone on the viewing platform shut their mouths.

Within the State Dao Academy, there were the Grand Master, the Supervisor, the Left and Right Libationers, and then the four great scholars.

The four great scholars were already power giants of the State Dao Academy.

Song Bing saying this was no longer a recommendation, but a 'praise-to-death'!

The Grand Master, Cheng Cheng Yuexiao, smiled, "Yu Da, prepare to conduct the second stage!"

(End of chapter)