Chapter 14

“Boom—”

At some unknown moment, the sky flashed with lightning and thunder again. Although it was still afternoon, the sky instantly darkened, and with the next thunderclap, the demonic energy rain swept in once more.

“That demonic energy rain is coming again!”

Ni Shushu cursed loudly and shouted as she looked toward Su Lanjin along with everyone else.

Su Lanjin summoned her spiritual energy sword back once more and quickly enlarged it. When Bian Duhen shamelessly tried to get close to the sword, she twitched the corner of her mouth in annoyance.

“What kind of look is that? We’re all contestants. You helped them, can’t you help me too? Besides, if you hadn’t failed to stop us earlier, some of them wouldn’t have died or withdrawn.”

Bian Duhen was unsettled by Su Lanjin’s piercing gaze, but his survival instinct made him boldly argue back.

“You obviously have the power to help all the contestants, yet you selfishly only help those who are good to you. Aren’t you afraid of a guilty conscience?”

Bian Duhen spoke confidently, his eyes turning from evasive to aggressive.

Several people beside him rolled their eyes at his self-righteous words — such nonsense.

Su Lanjin stood upright, looked up at the sky, her eyes full of unpredictable emotion.

According to cultivation world rules, after the demonic energy rain would come an attack by a horde of strange demons, but now there were only a dozen or so people left, and they simply couldn’t fight those demons.

The demonic energy rain drizzled on for over half an hour before finally stopping. When the sky cleared and the dark clouds dispersed, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

“Damn, I was so scared. Finally the sky is clear. If these kids had to quit because of this once-in-a-thousand-year demonic energy rain, it really wouldn’t have been worth it.”

“Fortunately, the ones left are still excellent contestants. Some who withdrew were even officially noted. Maybe they’ll get extra points for the next selection.”

“The first day was way too intense, huh? Hope it won’t be like this tonight — my poor heart can’t take it.”

The audience also let out a sigh of relief along with the contestants, but while everyone was relaxing, Su Lanjin’s brows remained tightly furrowed.

“Su Lanjin, is something wrong?”

Jian Xiangxue’s smile gradually faded as she nervously asked, “The demonic energy rain has stopped.”

“Mm.”

Su Lanjin nodded but her gaze was still fixed on the sky above.

On the sky where the dark clouds had originally been dispersing, a rolling mass of blue-gray clouds was now gathering.

The spiritual energy sword by her side hummed softly.

“Leave quickly now. Go find a place with higher ground.”

Su Lanjin said softly, her words full of endless worry.

But the demonic energy rain had already disappeared—what was there to worry about now?

“Leave now, as soon as possible.”

Without further explanation, Su Lanjin gripped her spiritual energy sword and immediately checked the nearby terrain for higher ground, eventually finding a noticeably tall mountain peak.

About half an hour later, everyone arrived at the mountain peak.

“Boss, why are we coming here? This is way too high.”

Song Juncai looked at the land stretching endlessly below, confusion in his eyes.

【Yeah, why come here? The demonic energy rain is already over.】

【Even newborn babies know that the higher the ground, the easier it is for the strange demons to lock onto you. Without using a good restraining technique, you might even be counterattacked by the demons.】

【Even if Su Lanjin didn’t know this principle, why didn’t the other contestants object and just follow along? Ridiculous!】

【I’ve said it before, Su Lanjin’s personality is very strong-willed. I admit she’s powerful, but she’s too domineering—always insisting on her own way, never considering others’ feelings.】

The accusations on the screen almost overflowed, each word criticizing why they had come to the mountaintop. Were they planning to camp and rest there? Wasn’t this a glaring target?

Bian Duhen looked full of disdain, choosing a spot far from Su Lanjin. “Isn’t this just enjoying the power the higher-ups have over the lower ranks? Ha, and they say people should be modest and low-key.”

“Shut up. If you don’t want to come along, then get lost far away from me.”

Bian Duhen’s constant nagging made Zeng Yanzhi frown repeatedly. Annoyed, he gave him a sharp glare that immediately silenced him.

After dealing with Bian Duhen, Zeng Yanzhi climbed to the mountaintop and was met with Gong Jiaxin’s disdainful look.

“Why are you here too?”

Gong Jiaxin blinked, then after a moment finally blurted out, “You’ve got to give me a chance to protect you, little Xinxin.”

Zeng Yanzhi narrowed his eyes and looked at her with a full smile at the corner of his mouth.

“Zeng Yanzhi! Don’t call me by my nickname.”

Gong Jiaxin glared at him angrily.

“Alright, alright, I won’t call you that.” Zeng Yanzhi raised his hands in surrender, his face full of affection.

Under such a gaze, Gong Jiaxin awkwardly looked away and walked off.

“Aren’t we really going over there? I have a feeling Su Lanjin is quite mysterious. She even saved that contestant who almost became a vessel, and her skills—things I’ve never heard or seen before.”

Zhang San rubbed his nose, eyes wandering nervously. His hands, lowered, couldn’t help but pinch his shirt hem. If Bian Duhen hadn’t spoken up, he would have walked straight toward Su Lanjin.

“Hmph, it’s just some showy tricks. Maybe someone told her how to do it. She just barely came of age—how could she know so much?”

Bian Duhen didn’t think Su Lanjin was impressive at all. She just said a few words and did some things others didn’t dare to do, yet she suddenly became everyone’s idol?

It was simply a joke.

“But…”

Zhang San hesitated to speak, but after locking eyes with Bian Duhen, he instinctively swallowed the words still unspoken.

The reason he had stayed by Bian Duhen’s side during the selection contest wasn’t just because he came from a small planet, more importantly, he didn’t expect to get into the academy. He only needed to build good relationships with the young masters and young ladies inside during the contest, so that his whole family’s life would be better in the future.

Everywhere he looked were the privileged elites of the Capital Star, and he was just the most inconspicuous one. Zhang San lowered his head in inferiority, clenching his fists tightly.

“Hmph, if Su Lanjin had warned us back then, we wouldn’t be like this. All of this is caused by Su Lanjin, and you still foolishly want to follow her to that high ground? Is that what they teach in the federation’s preschool education?”

Bian Duhen shouted loudly, angrily scolding the other contestants who wanted to follow Su Lanjin.

“A nobody who popped out from who knows where, just happened to do a few things by accident, and you all bow down to them? Are your brains filled with water?”

“We’re all here for the selection. Only those who remain at the end have a chance to choose their school. Do you really think she has no selfish motives? The higher you stand, the more you attract the demons. Isn’t this a lesson everyone’s learned since childhood?”

This intimidating speech immediately stopped the restless contestants in their tracks.