Chapter 376: Fu Mingwu Wins
The ancient sealing barrier around the Willow Garden suddenly hummed with a deep mechanical sound. Runes lit up across the massive formation pillars as the entire barrier began to dissolve like melting ice.
A loud, emotionless voice echoed across every corner of the garden.
"The Willow Garden Hunt has ended. All disciples, return to the exit immediately."
The announcement hit like a thunderclap. Every participant still inside froze for a second before scrambling toward the exit. No one dared linger. All of them were surprised, knowing there was probably a lot of time before the hunt ended.
However, since the mechanical voice announced, they didn’t dare to linger anymore.
Outside, on the massive spectator platforms, the crowd erupted into confused chatter.
"What the hell? It’s barely been a few hours!"
" Something happened inside? Damn it, some of the water curtains were broken!"
" Refund money! Refund money!"
"Something’s fishy... the elders look way too tense."
Elder Xiang Wang, the chief overseer from White Crane Hall, stood up slowly. His face remained calm, but the slight twitch in his eyebrow showed he was relieved more than anything.
"Everyone, quiet down," he announced, voice amplified by a sound talisman. "The hunt has ended ahead of schedule because the main Ethereal Yao the Blood Fox has been slain. That is the secret condition to end the trial early. After all, it’s hard for anyone to match 1000 points and more."
A wave of gasps and murmurs swept through the stands.
"So someone actually managed to kill that monster?"
"No way... that thing was Rank 4! It was comparable to Primordial Spirit Unification Realm?"
Elder Xiang’s voice echoed again, " Everyone, please calm down. Though it was a rank 4 Ethreal Yao, it was already weakened by us. Therefore, what disciples fought wasn’t a full rank 4 yao."
The elders standing beside Xiang Wang exchanged quick glances and let out a collective sigh of relief. One of them wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Thank the heavens," an elder muttered under his breath. "If we had waited any longer for White Crane Hall to arrive with the opening seal, half the disciples would’ve been turned into dog food."
" You mean, Fox food?"
" Potato potato."
Xiang Wang shot him a sharp look, but didn’t disagree.
One by one, the disciples poured out of the garden, some covered in blood, others limping, many still breathing hard. They lined up in front of the judging platform and handed over their point plaques to the appraisers.
Wen Qiming walked out with a swagger, golden robes barely wrinkled. He tossed his plaque onto the table with a loud clack.
"630 points," the appraiser announced.
A ripple of admiration spread through the crowd. 630 points in such a short time was no joke.
"Wen Qiming really is something else..."
"As expected of the Wen Clan’s young master."
Wen Qiming smirked, already imagining the rewards and the praise he would receive. He didn’t even care why the hunt ended early. He did felt uneasy that the hunt ended fast.
’ Anyways, I already killed that pair of Aboriginals. Along with some more points, no one can score more points than me in such a short time.’
But then the crowd’s attention shifted.
Two figures emerged from the exit carrying a third person between them. Qi Xueyu and Chen Wei looked exhausted, their clothes torn and covered in blood. Between them, Fu Mingwu hung unconscious, face pale but breathing steadily.
Qi Xueyu didn’t say a word. She simply slammed three point plaques onto the judging table.
The appraiser picked them up, checked them, and froze.
"Fu Mingwu... 1250 points."
The entire plaza went dead silent for half a second.
Then it exploded.
"1250?! That’s double Wen Qiming’s score!"
"How the hell did he get that many?!"
Wen Qiming’s face twisted with rage. "Impossible! That plaque must have been tampered with! There’s no way a nobody like him scored higher than me!"
Everyone knew the secret of scoring 1000+ score, that’s to kill the rank 4 ethreal yao. But they had expected the disciples of some powerful clan or sect to kill it.
Who the fuck is Fu Mingwu?
He stepped forward aggressively. "Elder Xiang, this is clearly cheating! I demand an investigation!"
Elder Xiang Wang raised a hand, silencing the uproar. "Enough. The Willow Garden Hunt is as impartial as ever. However, since the circumstances is extraordinary, we have our method of re checking."
He took out a photographic jade and inserted it into the central array. A massive water screen appeared in the sky, replaying the final moments of the fight in perfect clarity.
Everyone watched as the Rank 4 Blood Fox descended like a nightmare of fire and claws. They saw the desperate teamwork, Huang Cheng’s cowardly escape, and finally; Fu Mingwu’s lone punch that shattered the beast from the inside.
The moment the fox collapsed, the entire crowd burst into thunderous applause.
"Insane! He actually killed a Rank 4!"
"That punch... what kind of technique was that?"
"Fu Mingwu! Fu Mingwu!"
Even the elders looked genuinely shocked. " What kind of fist technique is it?"
" It’s truly exquisite. It should be a Spirit Grade technique?"
Wen Qiming’s face turned purple with humiliation, but he couldn’t say a single word. The evidence was right there for everyone to see.
Not to mention, he realized if he dared to make more mess, what if the elders investigate regarding the escape of Blood Fox?
A short while later, Fu Mingwu slowly regained consciousness. He blinked, finding himself lying on a cushioned platform with Qi Xueyu and Chen Wei standing guard beside him.
Elder Xiang Wang approached with a warm smile.
"Fu Mingwu, you did well. Truly well."
Fu Mingwu tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness hit him. "The fox... did we-"
"You killed it," Xiang Wang said, placing a small exquisite pill bottle and a heavy pouch in his hands. "This is the Blood Blaze Pill, as promised to the top scorer. And here are one thousand low-grade spirit stones as an additional reward for slaying the main Ethereal Yao."
Fu Mingwu stared at the rewards, still half-dazed. The crowd cheered his name again, louder this time.
Chen Wei grinned and slapped his shoulder. "You crazy bastard. You really did it."
Qi Xueyu simply nodded, but the faint smile on her usually cold face said everything.
Fu Mingwu looked at the pill and stones, then at the cheering crowd. A strange mix of exhaustion and pride filled his chest.
Bai Luo Luo applauded loudly, " Goodness! It’s brother Fu! To think he turned out to be a hidden genius!"
Fu Mingwu looked at Long Ming, who gave him a meaningful smile.
’ Not bad, that brat really does have some potential.’ Long Ming muttered.
[ Ding! Without much interference, Host made Fu Mingwu win, creating a significant change. Host gets 5000 LP! Host gets 2x Violet Silver Chest]
However, as Long Ming was about to get up, a group of people approached him.
" We meet again, Fellow Daoist Lu." Long Ming chuckled as he recognized the man. It was the person who came to the shop with his young master.
" Esteemed Guest, our Young Master wishes to see you." Old Lu cupped his fist as he bowed.
