Chapter 10

Zhu Wenhan, who had already arrived nearby, watched helplessly as Bian Duhen and the other contestants ran into the cave. Just after they entered, the cave entrance instantly sealed shut, as if it had never existed.

Having been close earlier, Zhu Wenhan had vaguely heard the words “underground abyss.”

He never expected that even the privileged youths of Capital Star would stoop to such a despicable act—just one look was enough to drive the others to recklessly rush into the abyss.

Zhu Wenhan withdrew his gaze and focused on Su Lanjin, seemingly eager to understand what kind of merit or ability could make those young masters and misses of Capital Star seek help so desperately.

Chen Haobo, who had also arrived here to watch the drama unfold, agreed strongly with their tactics.

They knew very well what kind of person Bian Duhen was, there was no need to stir up trouble over strangers.

He actually supported their approach more.

“So, Capital Star is just like other planets after all—no lofty superiority, pretty down-to-earth.”

The contestants nearby who heard Chen Haobo’s words all twitched at the corners of their mouths. “Down-to-earth?” That was the funniest joke they had ever heard.

Asking the young masters and misses of Capital Star to be down-to-earth was about as likely as asking the sinister demons to be down-to-earth.

Maybe they just admired the strong.

“Boom!”

At some unknown time, thunder once again roared across the barren star, lightning swept over, and the demonic energy rain poured down heavily. The large raindrops fell like a waterfall, sending chills through the contestants who were watching the scene.

“It hurts so much.”

“Ugh, damn acid rain!”

“My face!”

Various cries of shock and anger could be faintly heard from around, full of despair and frustration.

The sky was dark and gloomy, the smell of burning soot drifting away with the cold wind. The demonic energy contained in the rain grew even stronger.

“No good, the talismans and formations are about to break.”

“We need to find a solution quickly.”

Ni Shushu felt the talismans and formations shattering, anxious like ants on a hot pan.

The formation on the ground cracked inch by inch, and the talismans above were shattered one by one. This situation made the viewers sweat nervously for them.

【Judging by this trend, the acid rain will only get heavier, and without any support, they will have to endure this crisis like this.】

【Under such harsh conditions, the number of contestants quitting is steadily rising, and it’s only the first day.】

Some viewers outside couldn’t help but calculate the ranks of the contestants still enduring the selection trial. Besides those in the underground abyss, the rest were at least double-A rank, and although Su Lanjin hadn’t revealed her rank, they instinctively placed her at a higher level.

“Gasp, the talisman shattered.”

Song Juncai drew a sharp breath, his skin instantly corroded by the acid rain. The burning smell left him dazed as he stared fixedly at the parts emitting black smoke.

“This… demonic energy?”

Inside a Federation conference room, a middle-aged man suddenly stood up, both hands gripping the edge of the table, his gaze locked on Song Juncai’s wounds.

Beneath the large live broadcast screen, subtle fluctuations of demonic energy made his heart race.

A thought flashed through his mind: it’s not acid rain, it’s… demonic energy rain.

The man watched the confusion on the contestants’ faces, observed the surrounding demonic energy rising gradually, and saw the sinister rain growing heavier. Panic set in.

He realized something had to be done now to help them avoid the sinister rain as soon as possible.

On the live broadcast, besides Song Juncai, others also began to notice the difference in this rain—besides the corrosive feeling, there was also the pain of attacks from the sinister demons. The combined effect was overwhelming.

Many lower-ranked contestants collapsed to the ground, fully exposed, with not a patch of unscathed skin left on their bodies.

Within seconds, another group of contestants decisively clicked to withdraw from the competition.

“What are you waiting for? Hurry up and use the first aid spray to treat him!”

Gong Jiaxin grabbed a spray from the first aid kit and tossed it toward Song Juncai.

Fortunately, some of the first aid supplies were corrosion-resistant, otherwise, they might have been too damaged to treat before suffering severe harm.

Meanwhile, others started using every bit of strength they had to resist the torrential acid rain.

At this moment, Su Lanjin stepped forward, stopping everyone from causing themselves more harm. With a wave of her hand, a sword made of spiritual energy flew toward her.

“Calm!”

With Su Lanjin’s sharp command, the spiritual energy sword suddenly grew larger. A golden glow flashed, and everyone looked up to see a giant sword hovering above their heads.

The heavy raindrops fell on the sword, then slid off onto the ground, splashing water everywhere.

For a moment, this place became a hotspot, attracting the surrounding contestants to rush over.

Zhu Wenhan wasted no time and arrived first, shamelessly shouting, “Thanks, boss!”

One after another, the area filled up with contestants.

Fortunately, Su Lanjin had enlarged the spiritual energy sword several times, otherwise, it might not have been able to shield so many people.

“So this is another way to use it. We tried before but couldn’t achieve this effect.”

“It must be spiritual energy. This contestant attached spiritual energy to the sword blade, so while the rain attacked, it was wrapped by the spiritual energy—so to the naked eye, it looks like nothing is happening.”

“I’ll try.”

Zhu Wenhan spoke. The remaining contestants were all talented, compared to relying on others, they preferred to rely on themselves.

One minute, two minutes, ten minutes passed, yet no method was found for the knives or swords in their hands. Everyone’s cheeks flushed red, their eyes wide with disbelief.

“Is there really a secret to this?”

Ni Shushu murmured to herself. After some thought, she formed her hands into the sign of ten and began drawing the formation, but when trying to draw the protective barrier, her skill completely failed. The spiritual energy at the base of the formation’s framework gradually dissipated into the air.

Su Lanjin glanced at Ni Shushu with a tilted, almost teasing look, then slowly shook her head.

Then, to Ni Shushu’s shocked eyes, Su Lanjin followed the fading outline of Ni Shushu’s formation frame, tracing it exactly one-to-one, seamlessly and meticulously infusing spiritual energy into it.

Seeing Ni Shushu’s eyes tracking her every movement, Su Lanjin’s hand gestures became faster and faster.

In the overlapping afterimages, a huge magical formation was finally completed, enveloping the few of them inside.

Although the framework was still the one Ni Shushu originally drew, it was now infused with Su Lanjin’s spiritual energy, and the final formation was indeed solid and strong.

Ni Shushu looked at Su Lanjin with a complicated expression. Her lips moved slightly, and she finally forced out, “So amazing.”

【Wait, can someone tell me—can two people really draw the same formation together?】

【No way, everyone please don’t try. Normally, everyone’s spiritual energy is different. Injecting two different kinds of spiritual energy into the same formation can cause explosions at best, and injuries to both sides at worst.】

【So how exactly did Su Lanjin do it? Is there a formation master here who can explain?】

【According to formation principles, a formation master can’t simply trace another’s steps when drawing a formation. Each spiritual energy carries the unique ‘essence’ of its formation master, which differs from person to person. When overlapped, these essences often cancel each other out or cause collisions and explosions.】

【So deep… I kind of get it, but also don’t. No one in the entire interstellar can do this, yet Su Lanjin managed it—she’s a freak of nature.】

【But now Su Lanjin did it! How does she know a little bit of everything?】

Inside a coastal research institute of the Federation—

The experts devoted to studying the relationships between spiritual energies stared with bloodshot eyes at everything, meticulously recording how Su Lanjin had just repaired Ni Shushu’s formation.

“Now those old relics can’t say our research is nonsense anymore, right?”

A few elderly men muttered while watching the recorded video, their eyes burning with passion.

This was a completely new research direction—a new milestone!

…

…

The scrolling comments were frequent and dense, all filled with admiration, with a few comments even about Su Lanjin’s formation research.

【This formation looks very familiar. When Ni Shushu was drawing it, it seemed like a very basic defensive formation, but after Su Lanjin’s touch, it feels like I’ve seen this formation somewhere before.】

【Hint: The formation from the treasure pavilion of the Federation and the Empire.】

【!!! So it’s that formation! No wonder it looked so familiar. Last semester, I went to the Empire as an exchange student, and the teachers there proudly said that only Empire talents could learn such formations.】

【Wait, I noticed something interesting — if this is a formation only Empire talents can learn, does that mean Federation people can learn it too?】

【Although I don’t want to speak up, we really haven’t mastered this kind of formation yet.】

Speaking of the Empire, in the entire interstellar, the Empire seems to be born with the ability to use formations. From the moment they are born, no matter how simple or complex the formation, they can learn it perfectly in one go, with no exceptions.

Outside the Empire, everyone is a formation heir, each person is a formation master. Their comprehension of talisman crafting far surpasses that of the Federation. Compared to the use of spiritual energy by demon-sealing masters, there are very few of them.

Empire people drawing formations is as simple as eating and drinking. Yet even such formation geniuses sometimes fail in drawing formations.

The people of the Federation, as if energized by adrenaline, felt incredibly proud.

【Hahaha, I told you Su Lanjin is our Federation’s pride. Beating Empire people feels so satisfying.】

【Although as formation masters we don’t understand Su Lanjin’s drawing steps, I have to say, it’s awesome. Her spiritual energy talisman drawing already had everyone worshiping her, and now she’s showing a little more skill. I boldly ask, is there anything Su Lanjin can’t do?】

【Wait, let me piece this together — Su Lanjin can craft talismans, can draw formations, is also a demon-sealing master, but doesn’t know confinement techniques, yet she can directly kill sinister demons? Emmm, is she even human?】

【She’s basically a genius!】

The audience’s eyes sparkled watching Su Lanjin on the screen, unable to help but sigh—this new generation’s quality is truly outstanding.

Meanwhile, those Empire people secretly climbing the walls and cursing themselves could only watch helplessly. How can they learn just by looking? They don’t even get a chance to record videos.

They complained that this Federation selection tournament produced an incredible newcomer, but classmates wouldn’t believe it. After all, the Federation’s most famous group was the faction led by Wen Hanzhou—how could a rookie be found in the selection tournament who’s even better than Wen Hanzhou?

Just as everyone was convinced by Su Lanjin’s strength, several contestants who had entered the underground abyss fled in panic. Nobody knew who had broken a porcelain jar, awakening the sleeping sinister demons inside one by one.

The entire underground abyss was filled with fluctuations of spiritual energy and deceptive energy. They could only rely on instinctive resistance, throwing out spiritual energy to fight the sinister demons.

However, as time passed, those spiritual energy attacks on the sinister demons felt like just tickling them—completely ineffective.

Gradually, the few contestants began to fall behind.

“Damn it, what kind of place is this?”

Bian Duhen cursed as he ran, passing places covered in bones. The terrifying colors and dismembered limbs made his whole body tremble uncontrollably.

At this moment, he realized what Song Juncai meant by grabbing him earlier.

But sadly, it was already too late.