King of Ten Thousand Years

Chapter 46: Chapter 45: Who is First?

"This... This is impossible!"

Nangong Yu was completely stunned, unable to imagine how such a huge reversal could have happened in a matter of moments.

「Three breaths ago.」

Nangong Yu had still been facing off against Tang Wei. Princess Yunxiu had run off to hunt down Luo Tian, which actually left him with one less formidable rival.

Nangong Yu hadn’t even been worried when Luo Tian approached the Armored Warrior. It never even crossed his mind that a Martial Artist at the Fourth Layer of Meridian Opening could instantly take out an Armored Warrior at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening.

However, in the moments that followed...

Luo Tian’s single, stunning finger strike had made the incomparably fierce Armored Warrior dissolve into mist.

In a mere two breaths, the number of Starlight Marks above Luo Tian’s head had surpassed those of Tang Wei and Princess Yunxiu, two of the three great geniuses.

And now, the Starlight Marks above Luo Tian’s head were dazzlingly bright, even looking as if they would surpass his own.

"You..."

Just as Nangong Yu was about to speak, the mist in the valley began to churn.

WHOOSH!

The mist shrouding the entire valley rapidly began to disperse.

In an instant, the view across the entire valley became clear and unobstructed.

Fewer than two hundred young contestants remained, each with a different number of Starlight Marks gathered above their heads, all wearing slightly dazed expressions.

"The Holy Mansion trial is now over!"

A resonant voice echoed across the valley.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Four or five Mentors from the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion appeared in the center of the field, summoning everyone to gather.

"For this Holy Mansion trial, the top one hundred will be admitted."

A stout, middle-aged man with a severe expression spoke with an air of indifference.

The moment he finished speaking,

WHOOSH!

clumps of mist the size of millstones appeared once more, sweeping the seventy or eighty contestants with the fewest Starlight Marks completely out of the valley.

"To the one hundred who remain, congratulations. You are now members of the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion."

the stout man announced.

The group of contestants below immediately erupted in cheers.

With the exception of a few top talents like the three greatest geniuses, most of the contestants had earned their spots in the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion the hard way. Their admission came through desperate, perilous battles.

"To be precise, you have become ’Bronze Students,’ the lowest rank in the Sun Chasing Holy Mansion,"

a beautiful female Mentor in a long dress added with a smile.

’Bronze Student?’

Luo Tian committed the title to memory. ’It seems all new entrants are considered Bronze Students.’

"Now, we will fulfill our earlier promise. The contestant who took first place in this trial will receive a special reward."

The white-robed elder announced slowly.

Luo Tian recognized him at a glance—it was the same elder who had come to Lingyun County to escort the candidates.

"Who’s in first place? What will the reward be?"

"It has to be Nangong Yu. Just look at the Starlight Marks above his head."

A buzz of discussion went through the crowd.

All eyes were fixed on Nangong Yu.

"Huh? Who’s that? The number of Starlight Marks above his head is almost the same as Nangong Yu’s."

Soon, someone spotted Luo Tian.

WHOOSH!

The crowd automatically parted, leaving Nangong Yu and Luo Tian to stand alone in an open space.

"One, two, three..."

The contestants present began to count the number of marks above the two of them.

Nangong Yu and Luo Tian’s eyes met. Neither of them felt certain about the outcome.

At a glance, the number of Starlight Marks above their heads looked roughly the same.

If there was a difference, it couldn’t be more than one or two.

"Nangong Yu has ninety-seven Starlight Marks."

someone called out quickly.

"That’s right, ninety-seven marks!"

"That’s insane! How many Mist Shadow Warriors did he kill?"

"I went through hell and risked my life just to get a dozen or so marks."

A wave of astonishment swept through the crowd.

Then, all eyes turned in unison to stare at Luo Tian.

"Ninety-five... ninety-six... ninety-seven!"

"Huh? They both have ninety-seven."

The final tally left everyone stunned.

What a coincidence!

"The same number?"

Even the Mentors present looked surprised.

At the last moment, Luo Tian had killed the Armored Warrior and gained twenty-seven marks in an instant.

Had any of the other three great geniuses managed that, they would have unquestionably taken first place.

However, Luo Tian’s original mark count had lagged behind the three great geniuses; he had been exactly twenty-seven marks behind Nangong Yu.

’The same number?’

Nangong Yu breathed a small sigh of relief, a confident look appearing on his face.

’Don’t forget!’

’This trial also had a hidden test.’

Nangong Yu remembered being the first to awaken. ’All things considered,’ he thought, ’first place is mine without a doubt.’

"Mentor, who’s first?"

Chen Haofei squeezed through the crowd and walked to Luo Tian’s side.

Seeing the brilliant, dazzling Starlight Marks above Luo Tian’s head, Chen Haofei was filled with shock and admiration.

He had originally thought Luo Tian would be eliminated during the hidden test. He never imagined that Luo Tian would not only pass but become one of the very top contenders in the Holy Mansion trial.

Who was number one?

All eyes turned toward the several Mentors.

The Mentors exchanged glances, the corners of their mouths twitching into bitter smiles, before one of them finally let out a long sigh.

"First place is... Luo Tian."

the white-robed elder announced dispassionately.

Luo Tian knew this white-robed elder; he was the very one who had come to Lingyun County to escort him.

"Luo Tian?!"

"Why not Nangong Yu? They both got the exact same number of marks."

The crowd was in an uproar.

However, the Mentors on the field remained expressionless, showing no sign of disagreement.

"This... Why him?"

Nangong Yu’s expression changed instantly. His sharp eyebrows arched as he scanned the Mentors before his gaze landed on Luo Tian.

He made no attempt to hide the doubt on his face.

"Nangong Yu, during the hidden trial, Luo Tian awoke five breaths before you did,"

the beautiful female Mentor in the long dress explained with a soft sigh.

The beautiful Mentor exchanged a look with Nangong Yu and gave a helpless nod.

"Is that true?"

Nangong Yu’s body trembled, but he had no choice but to accept the reality.

This female Mentor knew Nangong Yu, and they even had some history. She wouldn’t lie to him.

’This trial’s special reward for first place was meant as a favor to Nangong Elder’s grandson, Nangong Yu. I never thought...’

The beautiful Mentor sighed to herself.

Who could have imagined that an anomaly like Luo Tian would appear in this trial?

In truth, Luo Tian’s creation of the "Luos’ Circle Raising Method" to rapidly rack up his score wasn’t technically cheating.

At most, it could only be considered exploiting a loophole in the Array.

But those Mentors, in order to curry favor with Nangong Elder, had gone against their better judgment to declare it cheating and created the Armored Warrior at the Seventh Layer of Meridian Opening.

However, fate was a fickle thing.

The very Armored Warrior that had been created because of Luo Tian was ultimately finished by him, allowing him to seize first place in the Holy Mansion trial.

"Brother Luo, you really shot straight to the top, taking first place in the Holy Mansion trial."

Chen Haofei was dumbstruck, as if in a daze.

He vaguely recalled a scene at his own front door back in Lingyun County.

At that time, Luo Tian had volunteered to move out, telling him, "We’ll meet again at the Holy Mansion!"

He never expected those words to come true so quickly.

Luo Tian had created another miracle, not only successfully enrolling in the Holy Mansion but also becoming the number one new student.

’He... he was also first in the hidden trial! Could it be that this person really has some skill...?’

Princess Yunxiu’s beautiful eyes glinted, shimmering like light on water.

Coming in first in that trial was actually more difficult than getting the most marks. Without superior Spiritual Power and willpower, it would be impossible to stand out.

Suddenly, she found herself becoming curious about this young man.

Perhaps his comment about "beautiful women suffering tragic fates" wasn’t just a careless remark after all.