Chapter 27: The End of the Mansion Examination

The silence outside the martial arts arena lasted for a long while before it was finally broken by deafening cheers. Countless young men and women gazed with fervent eyes at the slender youthful figure on the stage. No one had expected that this prince, who was previously rumored to be unable to cultivate his meridians, would put on such a nearly miraculous performance today.

At this moment, they all clearly believed that the Zhou Yuan of the past had simply been concealing his true abilities.

Hearing the cheers from below the stage, Zhou Yuan smiled, clasped his hands in greeting to the crowd, and then stepped down from the arena, walking towards Su Youwei.

Seeing Su Youwei's eyes fixed on him without a blink, he couldn't help but chuckle, "What? Overwhelmed by my charm?"

Su Youwei's pretty face flushed slightly. She chided softly, then hummed, "You truly know how to keep things hidden."

Earlier, when she saw Zhou Yuan facing off against Lin Feng, she had been filled with all sorts of worries. But who would have thought Zhou Yuan had so many astonishing tricks up his sleeve, even defeating Lin Feng?

"Now even Lin Feng is no match for you. It seems you'll surely rank first among the new students this time."

Zhou Yuan smiled indifferently at this. He had little interest in the title of "first among new students." His participation in this examination was solely to enter Academy A and help stabilize Chief Chu's position.

After all, the Great Zhou Prefecture was extremely important to their Great Zhou Royal Family.

His original intention was to make it into the top ten, a goal he had now achieved. Therefore, he had little interest in the subsequent matches. With even Lin Feng defeated by him, there was naturally little suspense left in the remaining battles.

As thoughts churned in Zhou Yuan's mind, he suddenly looked up at the elevated platform not far away. He caught sight of Qi Yue's extremely grim expression and immediately offered the latter a slight smile.

Seeing Zhou Yuan's smile, Qi Yue's expression grew even uglier. He gripped the railing, and it splintered again. He had gone to great lengths today to make Zhou Yuan lose face completely, but who would have thought it would end up enhancing Zhou Yuan's reputation instead? This undoubtedly infuriated him.

"What an arrogant fellow! Does he really think defeating Lin Feng means he can act so wildly in the Great Zhou Prefecture?!" Liu Xi, standing nearby, gritted her teeth and said bitterly.

She and the Liu family behind her were aligned with the Qi Royal Faction. Seeing Qi Yue suffer a setback now naturally made them angry at Zhou Yuan.

"This is just the Grand Examination. Even if he takes first place, in the various academies, he'd only be considered average. Doesn't he know that even Lin Feng doesn't have the courage to make a move in front of you?" Liu Xi looked at Zhou Yuan with disdain in her beautiful eyes, comforting Qi Yue.

Qi Yue took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. His expression returned to one of indifference as he said, "Don't worry. Even if he enters Academy A, it won't help. Once the year-end provincial examination arrives, I will personally make a move and crush him again. By then, the Great Zhou Prefecture itself will also fall into the hands of my Qi Royal Faction."

Seeing Qi Yue recover his composure, Liu Xi nodded. She didn't doubt Qi Yue's words. Even though the strength Zhou Yuan displayed today was astonishing, one had to remember that Qi Yue had already opened six meridians at this time, and would become even stronger by the year-end provincial examination.

Therefore, compared to Qi Yue, Zhou Yuan still had a long way to go.

Though she didn't know why Zhou Yuan had suddenly risen to prominence, in Liu Xi's eyes, Qi Yue was the true heaven-blessed talent. As for Zhou Yuan, the useless prince, just like the Great Zhou Royal Family, he would eventually be trampled underfoot by Qi Yue and the Qi Royal Faction.

Thinking this way, she actually looked forward to future confrontations. She wondered if Zhou Yuan could still smile so triumphantly when he was crushed by Qi Yue.

On the martial arts arena, the Grand Examination continued, but after the fierce battle between Zhou Yuan and Lin Feng, the other matches seemed somewhat dull.

Fortunately, after the final round of battles, the Grand Examination finally concluded.

On the viewing platform, Chief Chu Tianyang nodded in satisfaction as he watched the examination end. This time, both Zhou Yuan and Su Youwei had made it into the top ten, which delighted him immensely.

After all, he had only favored Su Youwei initially. But who would have thought Zhou Yuan would suddenly prove so valiant, even defeating Lin Feng? Moreover, he was well aware that Zhou Yuan had only been cultivating his meridians for a month.

In just one month of cultivation, he had opened two meridians, and his combat power even surpassed Lin Feng, who had four meridians. Such talent was perhaps even stronger than Su Youwei's.

How could such an unexpected gain not make Chu Tianyang overjoyed? He even felt a glimmer of hope for the year-end provincial examination, which he had previously considered hopeless.

"The Grand Examination has concluded. Next is the assignment to various academies. As long as you meet the requirements, you may choose your own academy," Chu Tianyang said, his resonant voice echoing in the ears of the many young men and women in the arena.

His gaze first fell upon the new students who had entered the top ten. "Those in the top ten may enter Academy A. Are you willing?"

At this moment, Xu Hong also approached Chu Tianyang, saying with a half-smile, "If you wish to join my Academy B, that is also an option. You should know that for the past two years, my Academy B has been ranked first in the Great Zhou Prefecture."

Chu Tianyang's eyes flared with anger, but what Xu Hong said was the truth, so he could only let out a muffled snort.

"I wish to join Academy B.""I'm joining Academy B as well."As soon as Xu Hong's voice fell silent, several voices rang out simultaneously. Among the top ten, a full seven declared their intention to join Academy B. Clearly, these individuals had already been swayed by Qi Yue with generous offers.

Upon seeing this, Chu Tianyang, though he had anticipated it, couldn't help but look somewhat pale. After all, years ago, virtually all top ten candidates would choose Academy A. Now, however, only two or three out of ten chose Academy A.

Xu Hong let out two loud laughs upon seeing Chu Tianyang's unpleasant expression. "Good. In that case, you will all be members of my Academy B from now on."

"I'm joining Academy A," Zhou Yuan said calmly at this moment, interrupting Xu Hong's laughter.

"I'm joining Academy A too," Su Youwei said without hesitation.

The last person hesitated for a moment but ultimately also chose to enter Academy A.

Xu Hong saw that the two most outstanding individuals from this Grand Examination had entered Academy A, and the triumphant look on his face lessened somewhat. He flicked his sleeve and snorted coldly.

Chu Tianyang's expression softened. He said to Zhou Yuan, Su Youwei, and the third person, "Since that is the case, you three will be members of my Academy A from now on."

"To the various academy masters, you may begin admitting new students as well."

Chu Tianyang looked at the masters of the other academies. The best prospects from the top ten had been divided up; the remaining students would be assigned to other academies.

The martial arts arena was filled with a commotion, which gradually quieted down after a long while. All the new students had been assigned to their respective academies.

"The Grand Examination officially concludes today. From now on, all of you will cultivate in your assigned academies. Do not be negligent," Chief Chu said in a deep voice.

On the martial arts arena, countless young men and women responded respectfully.

With everything concluded, Chief Chu glanced in the direction where Zhou Yuan and Su Youwei were, nodded slightly at them, and then turned to leave.

The martial arts arena was bustling with activity. Many young men and women were exceptionally joyful. Starting today, they had shed their identity as new students and become true disciples of the Great Zhou Prefecture.

And the treatment and benefits for true disciples would be markedly different from those of new students.

Zhou Yuan called out to Su Youwei, intending to leave, but suddenly looked up, as if sensing something. On the elevated platform not far away, Qi Yue looked at him with an expressionless face, a chilling glint in his eyes, then turned and walked away.

Zhou Yuan watched his retreating figure, his own eyes just as cold. He gently flexed his slender fingers. He knew that his struggle with Qi Yue would not end with the conclusion of the Grand Examination. On the contrary, with his entry into Academy A, the confrontations that followed would likely be even more intense.

However, Zhou Yuan was not afraid in the slightest, because he knew that the Qi Royal Faction was plotting to seize the Great Zhou Prefecture, and as the Prince of Great Zhou, he naturally wouldn't let them have their way.

He couldn't deal with King Qi for now, but as for Qi Yue, he would have a proper fight with him next.