Translator: AnubisTL
"Ugh, that lecherous monk managed to escape unscathed!"
"There are only two possibilities for why the stolen items weren't found in the examination hall: First, the lecherous monk took advantage of the moment when the Grand Examination Formation was withdrawn to throw his Storage Ring out of the examination hall!
Second, the lecherous monk has accomplices who transferred the Storage Ring," Zong Shixuan said with a furrowed brow.
"Throwing it out of the examination hall is unlikely, especially since he was fighting us at the time. It's more probable that he has accomplices. That despicable lecherous monk!" Duan Yansheng leaned toward the second possibility.
"With so many examinees, it's impossible to check each of their Storage Rings. How infuriating!" Dugu Ao gritted his teeth, already convinced in his heart that the misdeeds in the examination hall were the work of Monk Wu De.
"This might be for the best. Let him enter the Grand Harmony Academy; he won't escape our grasp!" Wu Sheng said in a low voice, still harboring resentment over the humiliation he suffered at the hands of that bald monk.
Meanwhile, Hua Wenyue, the top-ranked among the Five Heaven's Chosen, maintained a calm expression, though her heart burned with fury. Combined with Monk Wu De's lewd behavior earlier, a killing intent gradually solidified within her.
Although there were still many unanswered questions, she was certain that the bald monk was involved.
Monk Wu De, who had narrowly escaped punishment, adopted an ostrich-like mentality, tightly covering his ears to block out the surrounding curses.
He was now eager to find out who had framed him. Upon hearing the words "announcement of results," he suddenly realized that the culprit who had manipulated the entire examination hall of fifty thousand examinees could discard the stolen Spirit Stones and Natural Treasures, but there was one thing they couldn't get rid of.
That was the points!
With so many victims on the scene, the culprit must have amassed a significant number of points. By closely monitoring the top one hundred Heaven's Chosen in the Nurtured Spirit First Examination Hall, they would surely uncover the culprit's trail.
The Innate Realm First Examination Hall had a total of five hundred thousand examinees, with thirty percent making the list.
Soon, the names of one hundred and fifty thousand examinees appeared on the Grand Harmony Golden List.
The atmosphere on the scene was a mix of joy and sorrow!
Gu Feng glanced over the list and saw that out of the one thousand and ninety-two examinees from the Sunset Glow Sect, more than six hundred had miraculously made the list, fully adhering to the examination strategy he had devised.
Although their rankings were between one hundred and forty thousand and one hundred and fifty thousand, it was more than enough!
The top scorer of the Innate Realm First Examination Hall was a peak Fifth Stage Innate Realm disciple from the Sword Gate, which brought a faint smile to Wu Sheng's otherwise gloomy face.
Next was the Innate Realm Second Examination Hall!
This was the examination hall in which Gu Feng had placed great hopes.
He first took a general look and saw that the Sunset Glow Sect had performed exceptionally well. Out of more than four hundred examinees, over three hundred and fifty had made the list, with their rankings similar to the previous list, hovering near the minimum admission threshold.
Scanning through the dense list of names, he finally spotted A Fei's name at the top!
What a pity!
A Fei, with a deficit of over twenty points, came in second, becoming the runner-up of the Innate Realm Second Examination Hall.
"Boss, I'm sorry!"
A Fei, weak and covered in injuries, lowered his head as he approached Gu Feng.
"It's alright. You all did exceptionally well, far exceeding my expectations!" Gu Feng smiled as he looked at Wu Qi and the others.
Without even asking, it was clear that everyone had given their all in the examination hall.
"For the next period of time, focus on recovering from your injuries. Compile a list of any pills you need and report it to me. I'll cover the costs personally."
Those who didn't make the list shouldn't be disheartened. I have plenty of exemption spots, and everyone can enter the Grand Harmony Academy!"
Upon hearing this, Chao Yuan, Qi Tingting, Yu Ying, and others smiled, though they looked quite disheveled, their smiles were still beautiful.
"That bald monk is truly despicable!" Shan Feier, who was in charge of the Sunset Glow Sect, walked over and disdainfully glanced at Monk Wu De not far away.
"I want to expose him, let all the cultivators of the Great Chu Dynasty know his true nature as a lecherous monk."
"Forget it, let's leave him some room to live. Even if he enters the Grand Harmony Academy, his life will be miserable!" Gu Feng smiled slightly, stopping the righteous young lady's actions.
"Sect Leader Gu is truly a good person!"
This comment made Gu Feng feel awkward, and he pretended to be nonchalant, softly acknowledging it.
"Wait a moment, next we'll announce the list for the Nurtured Spirit First Examination Hall!" After releasing two lists in a row, Ouyang Qi felt it necessary to let the excited crowd calm down, so he decided to keep them in suspense.
"Young man from the Sima family, are you ready to pay up?"
While waiting for the list, including Ouyang Qi, hundreds of examiners laughed and called Sima Juncong over.
"I've been ready for a long time!" Sima Juncong pouted, opening the storage ring Gu Feng had given him and showing it to everyone.
"Haha, truly a Heaven's Chosen from a major sect. Some of these items make my mouth water," one examiner squinted, his face wrinkling.
"Help me thank Gu Feng. Without him, we wouldn't have gotten so many rare Natural Treasures," another examiner stroked his beard and laughed heartily.
"No one better try to take this 'Netherworld Jade' from me, I've already claimed it."
"Claimed it? Can you guarantee Zong Shixuan will take the top spot? I bet Hua Wenyue didn't even glance at the list, she must be confident."
"Haha, what a coincidence, the Sword Gate's Wu Sheng, who I bet on, didn't look at the list either, showing great confidence!"
"Speaking of which, it seems Duan Yansheng didn't bother with the list either. The scores of the Five Heaven's Chosen must be terrifying. Until the last moment, who knows who will win!"
"Hahaha, no matter who wins, I can't lose!" Ouyang Qi laughed confidently.
"Vice-Prefect Ouyang is indeed wealthy, boldly betting ten million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones on four Heaven's Chosen, a sure win!"
"..."
The examiners were in high spirits, clearly treating Gu Feng as a fool.
They didn't notice the strange expressions of the candidates in the Nurtured Spirit First Examination Hall, thinking they were just nervous about their rankings.
Sima Juncong looked at the group of money-grubbers and pouted in exasperation, "Once the list is released, I'll come back to settle the bets with you seniors!"
With that, he went straight to Gu Feng's side.
"Boss Gu, what exactly happened in the examination hall? Dugu Ao is in such a sorry state! I can't stop laughing, this is great!!!"
Sima Juncong laughed without restraint. As long as Dugu Ao was humiliated, he didn't care who was behind it.
"How's the betting situation?"
"I didn't go to the sect elders because the examiners' bets were already enough!" Sima Juncong waved the betting slip in his hand, smiling.
Gu Feng shook his head with a bitter smile. He never expected that the bettors would be Ouyang Qi and the others. What should he do now?
"Did anyone bet on me winning?"
"Your name wasn't even on the betting slip," Sima Juncong said with a strange expression.
"Oh, I forgot."
"However, someone actually bet on you!" Sima Juncong smiled mysteriously.
"Who? How much?" Gu Feng was stunned. Who could be so bold as to bet on him, even though he wasn't on the list? It must be someone with extraordinary foresight.
"The Third Prince, he bet one hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."
So it was him!
It wasn't surprising that the Third Prince bet on him. Friends naturally support each other, though Gu Feng wasn't sure how he and the Third Prince had become friends.
They had only met twice, but perhaps this was fate bringing them together from afar!
"Boss Gu, I'll leave this to you. I'm going to find Dugu Ao and give him a good taunting!"
After Sima Juncong left, Chu Youhuan and Yan Yexue walked over together, snatching the betting slip from Gu Feng's hand and glaring at him fiercely. "There are so many fat sheep in the world, yet you insist on targeting the Grand Harmony Academy!"
Chu Youhuan knew the situation in the Nurtured Spirit exam hall would be shocking, exposing the lax examination rules of the Grand Harmony Academy and costing them dearly.
Five hundred candidates tied for first place, with Mid-Grade Spirit Stone rewards totaling five hundred million, equivalent to fifty billion Low-Grade Spirit Stones, which was half the cost of the first phase of the Swamp Fortress project.
Not to mention the extremely precious Cultivation Tower, which required High-Grade Spirit Stones to operate.
Gu Feng, this master schemer, had managed to make the Grand Harmony Academy pay at least seven hundred million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones in a single exam.
The key was that he wasn't satisfied and even used the betting system to swindle thirty million Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from the examiners, showing no sense of public morality.
"What, are you feeling sorry for them?"
"What does the Grand Harmony Academy have to do with me? They deserve to be swindled!" Chu Youhuan retorted stubbornly.
"Is there anyone he wouldn't dare to swindle? After today, three percent of my family's Myriad Harmony Guild shares will belong to him.
Poor my father, still laughing so hard he can't close his mouth!" Yan Yexue said helplessly, with an indifferent attitude.
Following her gaze, Gu Feng saw Yan Hanyun, Lin Xinhua, and others, and couldn't help but laugh.
They, who thought they had a sure win, were gathered together, chatting and laughing while drinking Spirit Wine, seemingly celebrating their acquisition of Swamp Fortress shares in advance.
"How about I secretly return your Myriad Harmony Guild shares to your father, or put them under your name?" Gu Feng whispered sheepishly in Yan Yexue's ear.
She glared at him and snorted proudly, "Hmph, do you think my father and I are the kind of people who can't handle losing?"
Gu Feng chuckled awkwardly, scratching his nose to hide his embarrassment.
"If you have the heart, you'd better think about how to explain the points situation later!"
Reminded by Yan Yexue, Gu Feng smiled slightly, pulling Chu Youhuan over and placing his hands on both their shoulders. The three heads leaned together as he whispered something, earning him eye rolls from both women.
"Ahem—I'm sure everyone is getting impatient!"
Before long, Ouyang Qi arrived on the stage.
"Next, we will announce the most anticipated and fiercely contested Nurtured Spirit exam hall rankings!"
As soon as he said this, Monk Wu De below trembled, his chubby face filled with excitement.
Finally, finally, he would see the despicable mastermind behind all this!
Like everyone else, he stared intently at the Grand Harmony Golden List.
Huh?????
A strange scene unfolded.
The Grand Harmony Golden List, which should have displayed over ten thousand names, was now completely blank, just flickering incessantly, as if there was some malfunction.
"What's going on!" Ouyang Qi was also stunned for a moment, immediately instructing several examiners to check the Grand Harmony Golden List.
"No issues here!"
"Everything is normal!"
"Vice-Prefect Ouyang, this situation is most likely due to the appearance of joint top scorers this time!" an experienced examiner reported in a low voice.
Oh!
So that's how it is.
Ouyang Qi nodded, not worried but instead pleased. The appearance of joint top scorers further indicated that the overall quality of this year's candidates was higher than any previous session.
"Everyone, I have some great news to share!"
"The reason the Grand Harmony Golden List has been flickering is because the Nurtured Spirit examination hall will witness joint top scorers for the first time in the history of the grand examination. Please be patient and wait!"
Ouyang Qi was exhilarated, not just because of the remarkable achievement of joint top scorers, but also because his bets with Sima Juncong had now become a sure win.
The top scorers could only come from the five Heaven's Chosen, and he had bet on four of them. Even if a deity came, he couldn't lose.
"Gu Feng is going to be in trouble now!" The other examiners also laughed, as the appearance of joint top scorers significantly increased their chances of winning.
Yan Hanyun and his group were already there, excitedly waving their fists. At least two top scorers meant they would occupy a large number of points, further reducing the chances of Sunset Glow Sect candidates making the list.
"This time, it's a sure win!"
"Fifty billion Low-grade Spirit Stones bought ten percent of the shares, plus five percent from the bets, each family will get a considerable amount!"
"Hahaha, Sect Leader Lin truly has the guts, investing the most, and thus will get the largest share of the profits. It's really enviable."
"Don't say that, it's all luck. President Yan also invested a lot!"
"This is everyone's gain, let's take a sip together!"
"One sip isn't enough, let's finish this pot of Spirit Wine!"
"Bottoms up!!"
"..."
In contrast to their excitement, the cultivators in the Nurtured Spirit examination hall were all bewildered.
They couldn't understand why, despite Monk Wu De having taken most of the points, there would be joint top scorers.
"His accomplice has appeared!"
"So that's it, now let's see how this bald monk escapes punishment!"
"Even the best-laid plans can have flaws. If all the points were concentrated on that lecherous monk alone, we really couldn't do anything about it."
"He's asking for trouble by wanting two top scorers. If there was only one top scorer, the other person would only need a few points to enter the Grand Harmony Academy, and we could only watch helplessly."
"..."
Dugu Ao and others believed that the large number of points Monk Wu De had obtained were shared with his accomplice.
In the entire Nurtured Spirit examination hall, apart from the Sunset Glow Sect cultivators, no one knew that Gu Feng had obtained all 200,000 points of the examination hall.
Time passed, and everyone waited patiently.
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the Grand Harmony Golden List stopped flickering.
Everyone looked over, first in shock, then with disbelief, and finally erupted in deafening exclamations.
(End of the Chapter)
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