Translator: AnubisTL
Bang—
Bang—
In a valley, crisp banging sounds echoed.
"Damn it—"
"Ah—"
In just a few breaths, nearly a hundred members of a squad were all lying on the ground, their eyes rolled back.
The figure of the perpetrator was nowhere to be seen, only the Storage Rings being opened one by one, with a few items flying out before their points were instantly snatched away.
Like a ghostly presence, a few "gah gah gah" laughs were heard, and the valley returned to silence.
Not long after, the unconscious examinees slowly woke up, their faces pale with anger. After checking their belongings, they roared in frustration.
"Senior Brother, all the Spirit Stones have been stolen!"
"A few rare Thunder Attribute Natural Treasures are also gone!"
"Everyone's points have been reset to zero."
"Senior Brother, what should we do? At this rate, we have no hope of getting into Grand Harmony Academy."
"Heavens, we were so highly regarded. How can we face our elders when we return?"
"Ah—damn bald monk, I swear I'll never let this go!!!"
"..."
Scenes like this were happening every moment in the examination grounds.
The robbed examinees, their faces twisted, eyes bloodshot, and filled with murderous intent, were helpless nonetheless.
This damn bald monk was like a dragon, seen only in glimpses. Even if he was right next to you, as long as he didn't make a move, you wouldn't notice him.
His strength was formidable, his movements incredibly fast. Once he struck, there was no chance of escape.
What was even more infuriating was that this damn bald monk had no sense of honor. He often struck when your guard was at its weakest, especially when you were relieving yourself. With a single strike of his Vajra Pestle, the victim would collapse into their own filth, driving them to madness.
Even so, this wasn't the worst of it. After all, this was an exam, and doing whatever it took to gain points was allowed by the rules.
What drove people truly mad was that every examinee struck by the Vajra Pestle would have one or several ancient Buddhist characters imprinted on their forehead, back of the head, or face.
Characters like: "A," "Mi," "Tuo," "Fo," "Om," "Ma," "Ni," and so on.
These characters contained mysterious laws, impossible to wash off or erase. This humiliating act drove the examinees to the brink of insanity.
At first, the victims, ashamed to be seen, would cover their heads.
But as more and more people fell victim, everyone stopped caring and walked around the examination grounds with the characters proudly displayed.
This wasn't entirely without benefit, though. At least when you saw someone with these characters, you knew they had also been a victim of the bald monk and likely had no points left, so there was no point in trying to rob them.
In previous exams, by this stage, large-scale battles would have broken out in the examination grounds. But now, it was eerily peaceful, with everyone having no points to fight over. What was the point of fighting?
In fact, imprinting ancient characters on the examinees' foreheads wasn't something Gu Feng had intended to do. He had no choice.
The reason was that the bald monk's Vajra Pestle was also incredibly mysterious. Gu Feng couldn't refine it and could only forcibly activate it. While it still had the effect of knocking out cultivators, the side effect was that it left ancient characters on their bodies.
Gu Feng was also at a loss for words about this.
In a hidden valley, Gu Feng revealed himself, looking at the points on his token with a smile.
After two days of effort, he had gained over 60,000 points, an astonishing number considering the entire examination grounds only had 200,000 points in total.
According to his estimation, the remaining points were mostly concentrated in the hands of the five major sects.
With seven days left until the end of the exam, Gu Feng was in no hurry.
He took out a roasted beast leg and leisurely gnawed on it. After downing a pot of Spirit Wine, his stamina was replenished once more.
"Time to get to work!"
Gu Feng stretched, draped his kasaya over his shoulders, and disappeared into the shadows once again.
Suddenly, his expression shifted, and a hint of surprise appeared between his brows. "This bald monk is quite impressive. In just three days, he managed to break through my seal."
At this moment, the bald monk absolutely could not show himself.
So, Gu Feng quickened his pace and rushed toward the place where the bald monk was buried.
...
"Damn it, that bastard Gu Feng!"
The fat monk sat cross-legged on the ground, his body radiating a dazzling golden light, accompanied by faint Buddhist chants.
At a certain moment, his entire body trembled, and a look of delight appeared on his face.
"Hmph, trying to seal me off? Wishful thinking!" He chuckled softly, but just as he was about to stand up, the boulder blocking the cave entrance exploded.
"You bald monk, you've got some skills!" Gu Feng stood with his hands on his hips in front of the fat monk, whose face turned grim as he tried to make a run for it.
Gu Feng's figure flashed, and he reached out, grabbing the monk's arm. With a swift shoulder throw, he slammed the monk hard onto the ground.
"Bald monk, go back to sleep!"
Gu Feng sneered, pulling out the Soul Shattering Whip and delivering a flurry of strikes to the monk's bald head.
Crackle, bang, thud—
The fat monk's eyes rolled back, and as he howled, he muttered incoherent curses, foam spilling from the corners of his mouth. Before long, he fell unconscious.
Gu Feng's fingers danced as he furiously tapped hundreds of acupoints on the monk's body. With a clang, he tossed the monk into the deepest part of the cave, piled several large boulders on top, and buried him once more.
After finishing all this, Gu Feng clapped his hands and walked out of the cave, ready to wreak havoc in the exam grounds once again.
...
With only seven days left, Gu Feng had been targeting small sects and minor teams, avoiding the main forces of the five major sects. Their presence greatly increased the efficiency of point accumulation.
Time flew by, and on the sixth-to-last day—the 24th day of the exam—Gu Feng set his sights on one of the five major sects: the Flower Sect.
The Flower Sect's headquarters was located in a picturesque valley filled with spirit flowers.
Over twenty female cultivators stood before Hua Wenyue, their faces filled with resentment. On each of their foreheads was a clearly visible ancient Buddhist character.
"So, the points you seized today were all intercepted by that bald monk on the way back?" Hua Wenyue's eyes lightly closed as she spoke in a calm tone.
"Senior Sister Hua, that bald monk is too slippery! He's impossible to guard against!"
"He's been silently following us, waiting until we've just finished raiding other teams and are at our weakest before launching a sneak attack."
"Moreover, he's really strong. With just one strike of his demon-subduing staff, most of us fall into a brief coma."
"He also steals our Spirit Stones. What's strange is that he only takes Natural Treasures with thunder attributes."
"..."
Hua Wenyue listened quietly, her flawless face as calm as still water. A bald monk at the peak of the third level of Nurtured Spirit, no matter how strong, was not worth her attention.
"How many points have we accumulated in total?"
"About forty-five thousand," one of the female cultivators replied in a low voice.
"Hmm, that's quite a lot. As long as we hold onto them, winning the top spot shouldn't be a problem," Hua Wenyue nodded.
"Transfer all the points to me. Your next tasks are: first, try to seize as many points as possible; second, find Gu Feng for me." Compared to the points, she was more eager to locate Gu Feng.
"Senior Sister Hua, we've encountered Chu Youhuan and others from the Sunset Glow Sect, but we haven't seen Gu Feng. He must be hiding," a female cultivator said with a furrowed brow. They had spent most of their time searching for Gu Feng, but he seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"The Sunset Glow Sect is a minor sect, not worthy of our Flower Sect's attention. Right now, I only want to find Gu Feng!" Hua Wenyue reiterated.
"Understood. We'll focus our efforts on finding Gu Feng."
"Senior Sister Hua, all the points have been transferred to you. We're heading out!"
After the female cultivators left, Hua Wenyue, accompanied by ten cultivators at the peak of the third level of Nurtured Spirit, made her way toward a lake.
"Guard me while I take a bath," Hua Wenyue said softly.
"Senior Sister Hua, perhaps it's not a good idea. That bald monk is elusive, and if he—" The female cultivator's words were cut short.
"In my dictionary, there's no 'if.' That bald monk hasn't dared to confront the main force of our Flower Sect, which means he fears me, Hua Wenyue.
If he dares to show up, all the better. I can seize his points and solidify my position as the top scorer!"
As she spoke, a confident gleam flashed in Hua Wenyue's eyes. She couldn't believe that anyone in this examination would dare to rob her.
She had an invincible mindset. Even if the bald monk was powerful and possessed a mysterious Mystic Artifact, she had no fear.
The ten female cultivators exchanged glances and then dispersed, surrounding the lake.
They simultaneously activated their Spiritual Power, creating an impenetrable Spirit Energy Shield around the lake. The bald monk might be able to hide his form, but that didn't mean he could silently penetrate the Spirit Energy Shield.
As soon as he appeared, they would detect him. Of course, this was just a precaution. The bald monk wouldn't dare to provoke the Flower Sect.
Meanwhile, Hua Wenyue began to undress, revealing her flawless figure as she slowly walked into the lake.
At the same time, Gu Feng, who had been hiding at the bottom of the lake for hours, laughed inwardly.
"I knew it. Given Hua Wenyue's personality, even if the sky were to fall, she wouldn't change her routine of bathing every three days... It wasn't a waste to hold my breath in the lake for hours."
Gu Feng had long since figured out Hua Wenyue's habits and anticipated that if he aggressively targeted the Flower Sect's disciples, Hua Wenyue would inevitably transfer all the points to herself.
Because she was an extremely proud woman who, in critical moments, only trusted herself.
This would propel her to great heights in the martial path, but it would also lead her to experience the most devastating failure of her life.
(End of the Chapter)
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