by Shian Jeen
Due to Huwang Xiao’s low ranking at the beginning, his existence was inconspicuous. Despite his later efforts, his ranking climbed at a gradual pace over time, escaping everyone’s attention, even when he finally inched his way up to the twelfth place. Thus, when Huwang Xiao’s name suddenly burst into the top ten ranks, it was an abrupt shock for everyone.
“Who is this Huwang Xiao?” Some amongst the crowd questioned. A small disturbance waved through the square. The majority present had never heard of the name, yet there were individuals aware of Huwang Xiao.
“During the talent test, his strength seemed to exceed 2200 points.” Someone in the crowd said. This little piece of information instantly passed through the square like a hurricane. Movements in the top ten rankings were like rocking the boat.
In one area of the square, members of the Zhu Family were staring intently at the scoreboard as their family’s disciple, Zhu Haixiang, fell out of the top ten rankings. This unexpected turn greatly upset them.
“Strength exceeding 2200 points? Who knows if he just ran into some dogshit luck! How can this level of strength enter the top ten?” One of the Zhu Family disciples scoffed with disdain.
“That’s right, it’s just a fluke that he managed to squeeze into the top ten. In my opinion, he can stay there for even a few minutes, he’ll be kicked down by our Big Bro Zhu Haixing very soon!” Another Zhu Family disciple arrogantly clamored.
“But, being able to stay a few minutes there and catch a few minutes of the limelight is worth several generations of his ancestors’ good karma.” Another Zhu Family disciple chimed in, snickering. His words made the group of Zhu Family disciples burst out in wanton laughter.
Toward Huwang Xiao’s sudden breakout into the top ten, the many experts watching had differing opinions. However, the majority felt it was just a stroke of luck, that he won’t be able to remain long in the ranks and would very soon be kicked down by Zhu Haixiang.
After all, Zhu Haixiang’s strength during the aptitude test scored higher than Huwang Xiao’s.
Deep in the void, Li Zhiqun was dazed for a moment at the sudden emergence of Huwang Xiao’s name in the top ten ranks. He turned toward Su Haodong asking, “This Huwang Xiao, what do you think?”
Su Haodong shook his head, “What can I think? He would only last a brief moment there, Zhu Haixiang will catch up quickly, kicking him down. However, this Huwang Xiao actually managed to enter the top ten, it seems he held back a little during the aptitude test.”
Li Zhiqun nodded in agreement, “We assumed earlier that this Huwang Xiao could enter the top thirty, now it seems he could be in the top twenty.”
An unknown character from a little-known family of a small world surface, being able to enter the top twenty ranks could be considered quite excellent. One must know, the number of talented geniuses that registered for the assessment this time around reached a staggering eighty million people.
Being one of the top twenty from a mass of eighty million disciples, or even top one hundred, passing the Black Warrior Institute’s assessment was already a genius amongst geniuses.
Of course, Gudu Leng and the others on the Deepwood Star also noticed the shift in the top ten rankings. Toward the sudden appearance of an unknown Huwang Xiao, they too were slightly surprised, for none of them had ever heard of this name prior to this.
Gudu Leng was merely a little surprised in passing and did not put the matter in his mind as he continued hunting. He didn't even put characters like Jiang Shaoze or Wang Biaoyuan in his eyes, what’s to say about an unknown disciple of a nameless family?
Jiang Shaoze, Wang Biaoyuan, and the others also did not pay much attention to this small ripple.
However, one hour later, Huwang Xiao’s name remained on the top ten list and wasn’t kicked out of the top ten by Zhu Haixiang in a matter of minutes, like everyone expected. Not only did Huwang Xiao not drop out of the tenth place, the score gap between him and Zhu Haixiang grew increasingly bigger. When he first surpassed Zhu Haixiang, the difference between their scores was a mere 60,000 points, but now, as the first hour passed, Huwang Xiao had pulled away by more than 10 million points.
On the Hall of Heroes square, the Zhu Family disciples that had been clamoring about the fact that Huwang Xiao entering the top ten rankings was a fluke, having some dogshit luck, and it was only going to last a few minutes until ‘Big Bro Zhu Haixiang’ kicked him down, had long swallowed their words. Huwang Xiao’s glittering name on the scoreboard’s top ten was the biggest slap on their faces.
The two words ‘Huwang Xiao’ were so glaring in their eyes.
“It’s just some ten millions points, there are more than five days left, Big Bro Zhu Haixiang can absolutely snatch the spot back from Huwang Xiao!” A Zhu Family disciple said, but even so, his words faltered at the end, losing confidence.
Two more hours passed, and the points between Huwang Xiao and Zhu Haixiang widened further to 22.32 million points. The Zhu Family disciples had gone totally quiet. Experts who did not look favorably on Huwang Xiao’s chances were dumbfounded.
Huwang Xiao actually held firm to the tenth place!
Moreover, his progress was dogging on the heels of the ninth place, Su Meiyi, with just a little over 7 million points difference.
High up in the deep void, both Su Haodong and Li Zhiqun were just as astonished. Both of them could obviously see their shock mirrored on each other’s face, neither of them expected Huwang Xiao to able to hold on to the tenth place for so long. This time, both men reserved their opinions.
In a valley on the Deepwood Star, a young man clad in a striking red brocade robe was waving the sharp sword in his hand. A torrent of sword energy flew out, piercing into the cliff wall in front of him, instantly followed by the screeching wail of a demonic beast.
This young man was none other than that Zhu Family’s disciple, Zhu Haixiang.
An intense murderous aura shrouded Zhu Haixiang, and his eyes glinted with danger. He was actually kicked out of the top ten out by an unknown brat named Huwang Xiao! On top of that, more than two hours had passed, and not only had he failed to recapture his spot, the points difference between them grew wider still.
“Huwang Xiao!!” He spat the name coldly, the sharp sword in his hand hummed with bloodthirst, “Pray that you don’t run into me.”
If they did, Huwang Xiao would be a dead man! He refused to believe that a disciple from an unknown family was stronger than him. He, who was recognized as the Zhu Family’s rare genius in a hundred thousand years.
The institute’s assessment scoring was based on the number of demonic beasts, monsters, and demons killed to determine their ranks. Therefore, a high ranking was not equivalent to higher strength. However, the Deepwood Star was a very big planet, even if they stayed here for a hundred years, he and Huwang Xiao might not run into each other.
Zhu Haixiang leaped into the air, the sharp sword in his hand changed into a fire phoenix, hovering around his body. Moments later, he disappeared from the valley in a flicker.
At the same time, on a stretch of plains, an alluring young woman dressed in an open collar gown was frowning. On the scoreboard, Huwang Xiao’s points were getting closer to hers, raising a strong sense of danger in her.
“Mmm, looks like I need to use my ultimate skill.” Su Meiyi muttered to herself. In the next moment, the two colorful jade bangles on her wrist suddenly shot out. All the demonic beasts in their path exploded to their deaths.
The jade bangles made a curve in the air, falling back onto her wrist.
But it made her gloomier still; even after using her biggest skill, Huwang Xiao continued to narrow the gap between their points.
Two hours later, Huwang Xiao overtook her. Thoroughly overtaking her position!
When the second day ended, Huwang Xiao had left her behind by 10 million points, firmly sitting onto the ninth place.
The silence of the night was occasionally broken by demonic beast roars.
Huwang
Xiao shuttled under the night sky, leaving the stone forest area and arriving at a different mountain range. For the third day, Huwang Xiao aimed to move up two ranks, just two ranks were sufficient.
Ch.538
The third day of assessment.
On the Hall of Heroes square, the crowd seemed to be staring at the scoreboard even more intensely, extremely unwilling to accept what was before them.
Not only had that Huwang Xiao kid entered the top ten ranks, he was securely sitting in the ninth place!
The original ninth place holder, Su Meiyi, was relegated to the tenth place. Moreover, Huwang Xiao had pulled his score by 20 million points away from Su Meiyi. By noon on the third day, Huwang Xiao drew closer to the eighth place Yang Shiqi with a mere few million points difference between them. Judging from the look of things, surpassing Yang Shiqi was only a matter of time.
On the square, the unbridled mocking disdain toward Huwang Xiao from yesterday had completely vanished.
“Which small world surface’s family did this Huwang Xiao popped out from? Aren't his strength and talent a little too frightening!?”
“Say, which rank do you think Huwang Xiao can climb to by the last day?!”
As the mocking jeers died down, a feeling of amazement lingered.
Due to Huwang Xiao suddenly bursting into the top ten scene, then climbing up to the ninth place, he became the most focused person on the scoreboard after Gudu Leng. Everyone was trying to guess the same thing, what ranking could Huwang Xiao get at the end of the assessment?
By now, all of them were sure that Huwang Xiao must have held back during the aptitude test, but by how much, that was the question.
“I’d say Huwang Xiao can most probably reach the fifth place!”
“Fifth? Not possible, my guess is the seventh place.”
Everyone was busy making their own guesses.
In the void above, as both Su Haodong and Li Zhiqun watched Huwang Xiao’s points eating away the gap between him and the eighth place Yang Shiqi, both of them were reluctant to accept this fact.
Li Zhiqun shook his head with a bitter smile on his face, “This Huwang Xiao really surprises me, I did not expect him to be capable of rising to the eighth spot.”
Su Haodong sounded solemn, “This Huwang Xiao has a high chance of taking the fourth place by the last day.”
First place, Gudu Leng. Second, Jiang Shaoze. Third, Wang Biaoyuan. As strong as Huwang Xiao’s talent and strength might be, the top three places would remain unchanged; Gudu Leng, Jiang Shaoze, and Wang Biaoyuan.
Li Zhiqun nodded, he was of the same opinion. It was very unlikely, even impossible, for Huwang Xiao to breach into the top three, “What a pity, if this was a different time, this Huwang Xiao might have been able to enter the top three, but there is Gudu Leng this time.”
On the Deepwood Star, Huwang Xiao retrieved the Blades of Asura as he watched the pack of demonic wolves in the distance. His hands formed into claws, striking out.
“Fifteenth Move of the Dragon God!”
Vigorous dragon qi turned into fifteen different natured dragons; water, fire, wood, metal, wind, Buddha, black, white, hump, bone, nether, devil, true, sky, and ice.
Dragon roars reverberated in the sky, clouds rolled and the wind howled.
The wolf pack exploded as fifteen dragons weaved in their midst, leaving beast cores floating in midair one after another. Then, the Dragon Pearl shone in a brilliant light as Dragon Emperor Ao Taiyi opened his mouth and inhaled all the beast cores into his body. Strands of pure demonic essence energy seeped out from his body and transferred into Huwang Xiao’s to be absorbed and refined by him.
Now, Huwang Xiao’s True Dragon Physique had grown powerful enough to absorb the energy inside several hundred Tenth Order Saint realm, half-step God Realm, and peak half-step God Realm beast cores in a few breath’s time. Hence, he no longer needed to go into closed-door cultivation to do so. All the beast cores would be refined by the Dragon Pearl immediately after the kill. In the two days he was hunting on the Deepwood Star, his strength was growing at a slow but steady pace.
When Huwang Xiao was still a peak mid-Tenth Order Saint realm, he was able to stand against Deities Templar’s Temple Preceptor Ying Tian. With his current strength now, he only needed one move to deal with any early First Order God Realm demonic beasts.
It was a bit more troublesome to deal with mid-First Order God Realm demonic beasts, but still, it would only take three moves at most.
After a little more than two days, the number of First Order God Realm demonic beasts that died under Huwang Xiao’s hand came up to one hundred and sixty-three. Among them, eight were mid-First Order God Realm. Until now, he had yet to come across a late-First Order God Realm demonic beast.
Just as Huwang Xiao landed the final strike on a mid-First Order God Realm demonic beast, changes took place on the scoreboard once more.
Eighth place, Huwang Xiao, 687.039 million.
The initial eighth place holder was relegated to the ninth place.
“Already number eight.” Huwang Xiao muttered to himself.
At the moment, the seventh place He Xiu had just passed 700 million points, just slightly over a million points higher than Huwang Xiao. To him, catching up on a million points gap was very easy.
After thinking for a while, Huwang Xiao took out over one hundred and sixty beast cores from the Asura Ring. These beast cores were of various colors, floating around Huwang Xiao in the air, emitting a soft glow. He tried controlling these beast cores with his consciousness, making them rotate at high speed, raising a frightening wind cyclone.
The wind cyclone continued to expand, growing bigger. All the demonic beasts in the proximity were pulled into the wind cyclone. Inside the wind cyclone, these demonic beasts’ bodies were pierced through by the spinning beast cores, killing several at one go.
In this way, Huwang Xiao flew forward.
Beast cores continued to rotate around Huwang Xiao at high speed, expanding even bigger in size. All the demonic beasts in his path were swallowed into the wind cyclone.
“What is that?!” In the air above a mountain range, several disciples belonging to the same family watched dumbstruck at the giant wind cyclone moving in their direction. Seeing the wind cyclone swallowing demonic beasts into it one after another, with even peak half-step God Realms being killed, these disciples’ faces became ashen.
Recovering from their shock, these family disciples quickly descended to the ground surface, hiding inside a cave.
The last disciple barely made it into the cave when they saw the scary wind cyclone blow straight at the mountain over them. The entire cave trembled violently as if the world was collapsing. It wasn’t until the cyclone was long gone before they dared to exit the safety of the cave, but that did not make it any better discovering that all the demonic beasts in the area had disappeared.
“So scary, how is there such a character in this time’s assessment?!” Recalling the scene earlier, the disciple’s heart palpitated.
They could vaguely make out the shadow of a person inside the wind cyclone.
“Who was it really? Gudu Leng? Jiang Shaoze or Wang Biaoyuan?!” Each disciple was still bewildered by what they had just witnessed.
“Jiang Shaoze and Wang Biaoyuan probably don’t have this level of strength, that person is likely to be Gudu Leng!” One of the disciples stated after a while.
As everyone continued to pay close attention to the scoreboard, the sky gradually darkened. By the evening sunset at dusk, Huwang Xiao had inched up to the seventh place, and He Xiu dropped to the eighth place.
Yang Shiqi and Su Meiyi remained at ninth and tenth places consecutively, whereas Zhu Haixiang who was kicked off the top ten ranks by Huwang Xiao remained on the eleventh place.
Looking at the night sky, Huwang Xiao descended on one of the mountain peaks, breathing out a mouthful of turbid qi and shaking his limbs to loosen his muscles. In the last three days, if not killing demo
nic beast he would refine beast cores. Feeling dull from the tedious repetitions, he decided to relax a little.
His current score had surpassed He Xiu’s by more than twenty million, it wasn't a gap that He Xiu could narrow in a short period.
On the peak, Huwang Xiao built a bonfire and placed the meat of a tiger-like demonic beast over it. Then, he took a gulp of Duanren Empire’s Sapidity Wine. ‘Ah, excellent wine.’
In the blink of an eye, it had been over two years since he left the Martial Spirit World. To be honest, he indeed missed the days spent there.
A short while later, the aromatic fragrance of meat permeated the air. The tiger-shaped demonic beast meat that Huwang Xiao was roasting belonged to a mid-First Order God Realm demonic beast, its meat was a hundred times more fragrant than the Tyrant Boar meat.
Reaching out to tear off a piece of meat and biting into it, his mouth was filled with a fragrant, tender, and juicy meat with excellent texture.
If, by chance, the experts on the Hall of Heroes square knew that Huwang Xiao was enjoying himself with roast meat and good wine during the assessment, it was a wonder what kind of expressions would they make.
“So fragrant, what is it? Roast meat? Wine?” A bemused tone of voice rang in the dark. , a large group of family disciples rushed in Huwang Xiao’s direction, two hundred people more or less.
“Haha, are my eyes seeing right? Someone is actually roasting meat and drinking wine here?” When the group of people saw Huwang Xiao, they couldn't resist laughing. “Which family's disciple does this kid belongs to, if his elders knew what this kid is doing right now, they’d be angered to their deaths!”
Ch.539
Huwang Xiao ignored the group of family disciples after a cursory glance, nonchalantly feasting on roast meat and wine.
Excellent meat paired with excellent wine.
Huwang Xiao was probably the only person extravagant enough to use a mid-First Order God Realm demonic beast’s meat for barbecue. His profligate use of resources even surpassed that of large families’ disciples.