Chapter 202: One More Cut

That's enough.

In the Star River Secret Realm, Xu Jin's Star-Picking Token trembled, receiving another starlight message from the Grand Master.

This forced Xu Jin to reluctantly stop.

If the Grand Master says it's enough, then it's enough.

"Sister, how many points do we have?" Xu Jin asked Yang Miazhen.

"Seventy-eight hundred and twenty points!"

Even though Yang Miazhen was known for her composure, this score still left her ecstatic.

She couldn't imagine how delighted their teacher must be right now!

This time, the Flying Swallow Academy won't be last—quite possibly, it will rank among the top.

"Tenth?" Yang Miazhen dreamed aloud.

"Sister, I'm going to find a place to restore my star energy. You keep fighting for a bit longer, but stay safe."

Xu Jin informed Yang Miazhen and then left.

But he wasn't going to restore star energy—less than half an hour remained until the end of the Great Academy Competition, and he wanted to test his maximum combat potential here.

Using the Thunderstep technique, he dashed forward, evading all fourth-rank Nirvana Fifth and Sixth Stage aliens with his speed.

Xu Jin's own score could no longer increase dramatically.

Twenty seconds later, Xu Jin suddenly encountered three fourth-rank Nirvana Seventh Stage aliens.

Two ordinary fourth-rank Seventh Stage aliens, and one elite fourth-rank Seventh Stage alien!

Xu Jin immediately charged forward.

With Break Evil plus two Inferno Blasts, he eliminated the two ordinary fourth-rank Seventh Stage aliens.

But the elite fourth-rank Seventh Stage alien took a bit more effort—he fought for six or seven seconds before finally being defeated.

This was due partly to self-imposed limitations and partly to his actual power level.

Moreover, in Xu Jin's perception, these fourth-rank Seventh Stage elite aliens in the Star River Secret Realm were significantly weaker than the fourth-rank Sixth Stage Purple Wing aliens he had faced in the Purple Wind Star Region.

This confirmed the theory that the aliens evolved within the secret realm were weaker than their real-world counterparts.

A few seconds later, Xu Jin encountered a fourth-rank Eighth Stage prodigy alien.

This thrilled him!

This was the perfect opponent to hone his combat experience.

But five seconds later, he was defeated.

It wasn't that Xu Jin was outmatched by the fourth-rank Eighth Stage prodigy alien.

He felt that, given enough time, he could wear down and kill this elite alien.

But the problem was, the prodigy alien had no sense of honor—it roared and summoned seven other fourth-rank Seventh and Eighth Stage aliens, plus four elite aliens.

Xu Jin was surrounded and overwhelmed.

He didn't even try to escape—he used this desperate situation to refine his combat skills, then immediately exited the Star River Secret Realm and returned to the Great Academy Competition realm.

In the Great Academy Competition realm, over two-thirds of the disciples had already returned due to defeat.

As Xu Jin reappeared, his second sister Tang Chuo rushed over, her face beaming with a smile, about to say something but holding back.

A group of junior sisters surrounded Tang Chuo, some even shouting, "Sister Tang is awesome!"

Xu Jin felt relieved—he had repeatedly instructed Tang Chuo not to reveal this during the Star River Secret Realm.

He couldn't let anyone know he was paired with her for combat.

Among the four disciples he teamed up with, Tang Chuo was the one he feared most.

He was terrified she'd blurt it out impulsively.

That would draw too much attention.

Xu Jin himself ranked eleventh, and helped his second sister Tang Chuo surge to sixth place with a single burst of killing aura, bringing her just barely down to tenth.

If this got exposed, it would be incredibly conspicuous.

Fortunately, although Tang Chuo seemed reckless, she had kept her promise—she'd sworn to stay silent.

She was clearly struggling, but she didn't say a word.

Liu Qingzhu watched Tang Chuo's restrained, almost speechless expression toward Xu Jin, and suddenly seemed to realize something.

"You've worked hard."

These words were spoken by Liu Qingzhu to Xu Jin, but they immediately triggered Tang Chuo's emotions—her lips trembled as she shouted loudly at Xu Jin, "Brother, you've worked hard too!"

Liu Qingzhu's eyes instantly brightened with realization—she had already connected the dots.

Meanwhile, other disciples from the Flying Swallow Academy imitated her, enthusiastically shouting at Tang Chuo, "Second Sister, you've worked hard!"

Their cries echoed through the air.

Disciples from other academies watched the Flying Swallow Academy's roaring cheers with varied expressions.

But most noticed Yang Miazhen and Tang Chuo.

These two were currently ranked first and tenth—extremely conspicuous.

As for Xu Jin, ranked eleventh, his achievements were overshadowed.

Farther away, Chancellor Fang's face had turned utterly grim.

His top disciple Fang Ying's score was still slowly climbing, but with only fifteen minutes left until the competition ended, he could at best narrow the gap with Yang Miazhen to under nine hundred points—catching up was impossible!

The thought that the Flying Swallow Academy might rank in the top eight, even top six, made Fang's heart ache.

This was a direct blow to his pride.

Regardless, with one first, one tenth, and one eleventh, the Flying Swallow Academy would almost certainly rank in the top six—anything higher was impossible.

As for the other Flying Swallow Academy disciples, Chancellor Fang didn't care at all.

Their level was what it was—how high could their scores possibly go?

Yang Miazhen and Tang Chuo's explosive performance was already an anomaly; more such cases were unthinkable!

Fang had already decided—he'd simply ignore Liu Qingzhu afterward. So what if they made top six?

Could they possibly surpass him?

The fifteen minutes passed in a flash.

All surviving disciples in the Star River Secret Realm were instantly transported back to the Great Academy Competition realm, reuniting once more.

The returning disciples all stared eagerly at the podium, especially those who had participated before—they were excited and anticipatory.

They weren't just waiting for their academy's ranking—they were anticipating the rewards their academy would receive.

Each Great Academy Competition was a redistribution of internal cultivation resources within the National Dao Academy.

Besides basic cultivation resources, each academy received multiplier bonuses based on their ranking.

These were rewards—and incentives!

However, the rewards were granted to the academies, not individual disciples.

As the competition ended, the black-robed inspectors from the Supervisory Bureau began their work: verifying the identities of all participating disciples and calculating each academy's average score.

Soon, another starry curtain appeared in the sky of the Great Academy Competition realm.

Fang Shinan Academy: 256 participants, average score 938.

Kou Jing Academy: 247 participants, average score 923.

Pan Hong Academy: 236 participants, average score 917.

Gao Xuan Academy: 219 participants, average score 906.

The first four academies' scores were announced—the rankings remained unchanged, Chancellor Fang still ranked first.

The moment these average scores were revealed, Chancellor Fang exhaled in relief—he had kept his first place.

That was only expected.

His top disciple Fang Ying had been the autumn exam champion last year, and his academy had received a fourfold resource multiplier due to winning last year's Great Academy Competition.

He allocated part of it to his key disciples and distributed the rest evenly, improving everyone's strength.

Moreover, most of his disciples came from powerful families with strong support.

Only those with exceptional cultivation talent were accepted if they came from humble backgrounds.

That's why they achieved such results.

Song Ziyeh Academy: 241 participants, average score 879.

Tang Hui Academy: 194 participants, average score 863.

When these rankings were announced, the standings remained stable—Song Ziyeh still ranked fifth, still the top among the deputy chancellors.

That's how he became the chief among the twelve deputy chancellors.

But Song Ziyeh still looked grim.

Whether he could retain his position as chief deputy depended entirely on the Flying Swallow Academy's score.

The Flying Swallow Academy's performance this time was terrifying.

Two of the top ten, plus Xu Jin at eleventh.

Especially Yang Miazhen, who had outscored Fang Ying by nine hundred points.

If averaged out, their chances of breaking into the top six were very high. Soon, each academy's average score was announced one by one.

The rankings of the lower academies shifted slightly, but not dramatically.

Some rose one or two places; others dropped.

Especially Deputy Chancellor Shen Wei—his academy's average score was announced and had risen one rank.

That meant, according to current standings, his academy would rank fourteenth—the third from the bottom, not the second-to-last.

Moved up one rank.

Academic halls with prior ranking expectations in the National Dao Academy also receive additional rewards.

In surprise, Shen Wei suddenly spotted Liu Qingzhu, who had been sitting still.

His expression changed.

His earlier assumption had been based on the Flying Swallow Academic Hall being last.

But judging by the current points, the Flying Swallow Academic Hall would no longer be last.

Then.

The deputy academic head Shen Wei, who had just been elated, instantly slumped back into his chair like an eggplant struck by frost.

All that joy was for nothing!

With the Flying Swallow Academic Hall's points rising, he was still second-to-last by current ranking!

Damn it!

Liu Qingzhu's Academic Hall: 169 disciples, average score over 951.

In the sky, the Flying Swallow Academic Hall's ranking was finally announced.

The moment it was revealed, a chorus of sharp intakes of breath echoed.

Song Ziye sat up straight, his expression incredibly complex!

He had lost the position of top deputy academic head!

From now on, at Minglun Hall meetings, he would sit below Liu Qingzhu!

But even more shocked than Song Ziye was the chief academic head Fang Shi.

The instant the points appeared, Fang Shi's scalp went numb; his body swayed slightly, and his vision darkened.

He had expected the Flying Swallow Academic Hall's points to be high, ranking within the top six.

But he had never imagined it would surpass him and become first!

This.

For a moment, Chief Academic Head Fang Shi was completely stunned.

Where could he possibly save face now?

Just one day ago, he had publicly criticized and targeted Liu Qingzhu's Flying Swallow Academic Hall.

Now, he had been overtaken!

His old face had been slapped.

For a moment, Chief Academic Head Fang Shi didn't know how to react.

The next instant, cheers erupted.

The entire Flying Swallow Academic Hall burst into thunderous cheers.

The female disciples rushed forward, surrounding Senior Sister Yang Miao, lifting her high in celebration; her joyful shouts rose in waves.

Yang Miao looked slightly embarrassed, glancing uneasily at Xu Jin.

In truth, this honor belonged to Xu Jin.

But Xu Jin had instructed them not to say anything.

Watching this, Liu Qingzhu smiled—then suddenly turned away, rubbing her eyes twice.

On the high platform, Left Sacrificial Officer Meng Yanhui suddenly rose, pressing one hand slightly downward; an inexplicable pressure spread, and within a breath, the entire hall fell silent.

"The rankings are final. In this year's Great Academic Hall Competition, Liu Qingzhu's Academic Hall ranks first.

According to National Dao Academy regulations, the cultivation resources allocated to the Flying Swallow Academic Hall will be quadrupled for six months."

The disciples of the Flying Swallow Academic Hall cheered again, each one ecstatic.

Although the hall's total cultivation resources quadrupled, their individual allocations wouldn't—teachers still distributed unevenly.

But even so, each disciple's personal share would likely double or even triple from before.

Everyone benefited!

Left Sacrificial Officer Meng Yanhui didn't rush; he waited until the Flying Swallow disciples' cheers subsided, then smiled again: "According to National Dao Academy regulations, Liu Qingzhu's Academic Hall rose from sixteenth to first place in the Great Academic Hall Competition, leaping three tiers.

Therefore, under the competition rules, every disciple in Liu Qingzhu's Academic Hall will receive a sixty percent increase in personal cultivation resources for the next six months."

This time, the Flying Swallow disciples' cheers grew even louder.

This was real, tangible benefit directly to each person!

With a sixty percent increase, core disciples' treatment approached that of direct disciples.

Inner hall disciples' treatment surged even more!

Over the next six months, the Flying Swallow Academic Hall's disciples would surely make explosive progress.

And this was precisely why Yan Chen had never chosen his aunt Liu Feiyan as his master.

The total resources were too scarce!

"Fang Shi's Academic Hall dropped one rank. According to National Dao Academy regulations, it no longer receives quadrupled cultivation resources, only tripled. Additionally, due to the drop, every disciple in Fang Shi's Academic Hall suffers a five percent reduction in personal cultivation resources."

Upon this announcement,

the disciples of Fang Shi's Academic Hall turned grim.

They'd been cut.

Cut from top to bottom.

Core and inner hall disciples fared better; those direct disciples who normally received preferential treatment were cut the hardest.

Anyone who gets cut won't be happy.

But the worst off was Chief Academic Head Fang Shi himself.

In front of so many disciples, his old face had been slapped hard.

Especially since the Academy enforced the punishment strictly—in Fang Shi's prideful mind, it felt like a whip, lash after lash, striking his body.

He felt like he was being torn apart!

Due to the Flying Swallow Academic Hall's skyrocketing points, all four chief academic heads' halls dropped one rank.

All faced penalties.

But compared to them, these penalties were minor.

For the four chief academic heads, losing face mattered far more.

Fortunately, with Chief Academic Head Fang Shi taking the brunt, Kou Jing, Pan Hong, and Gao Xuan felt little.

Aside from them, the most miserable was Deputy Academic Head Song Ziye.

He had lost the title of top deputy academic head.

And now he was overshadowed by Liu Qingzhu.

The bitterness was overwhelming.

Compared to these men, the other deputy academic heads didn't care.

After all, the four chief academic heads had lost face—what did it matter to them?

Thus, Deputy Academic Head Shen Wei was pleased.

His rank hadn't risen or fallen; compared to others, he was doing fine.

"This year's Great Academic Hall Competition is now concluded. Each academic hall must strive harder. All academic heads must carefully study your disciples' traits, teach according to their aptitudes, enhance their strength, and aim for better results in the next competition.

Additionally, the list of participants for the Lou Gong War will be distributed to each academic hall—prepare accordingly!"

Having spoken, Left Sacrificial Officer Meng Yanhui glanced at the Grand Master, asking if he wished to say anything; after the Grand Master shook his head, Meng Yanhui declared the event over.

But just as the disciples and academic heads were about to leave, Liu Qingzhu suddenly stood and shouted to Chief Academic Head Fang Shi: "Chief Academic Head Fang, by tradition, a teaching summary must be delivered six months after the Great Academic Hall Competition.

Please prepare early—analyze the fundamental reasons your hall's points declined and lost first place, propose improvement measures, and assess their implementation, so you may speak extemporaneously!"

At these words, the entire Great Academic Hall Competition arena fell deathly silent.

Liu Qingzhu was truly fearless!

She was determined to drive Chief Academic Head Fang to madness!

But every word she spoke was based on Fang Shi's own prior actions.

He had insisted that teaching summaries become a formal tradition.

He never imagined the retribution would come so fast!

It had landed directly on him!

Chief Academic Head Fang Shi stared coldly at Liu Qingzhu, saying nothing.

One breath later, he exploded into a streak of starlight and vanished.

No one knew whether he had left—or been driven unconscious by rage.

The other academic heads and disciples then slowly departed.

Only Shen Wei approached Liu Qingzhu, worried: "You're too impulsive! Now you've completely alienated Fang!"

"He was already alienated!

Unless I kneel and kowtow to him publicly now, it's useless!

So I'll add one more cut!

I'll cripple him first!

Let him retaliate however he wants later!

I'll enjoy this first!"

With that, Liu Qingzhu's form also dissolved and vanished.

(End of Chapter)