However, Shangguan Yunzhu’s figure suddenly jerked to a halt in mid-air.
Her gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, instantly capturing the familiar, quietly standing figure in front of the Light Pillar exit below—wearing cloud-patterned elder robes, with white hair and a youthful face, possessing an otherworldly air and the bones of an immortal.
It was none other than the Presiding Elder, Hu Shi.
Elder Hu Shi?!
Shangguan Yunzhu’s heart instantly sank to the bottom of her chest, alarm bells ringing frantically in her mind.
Why was he here?! In all previous iterations of the Grand Tournament, the Presiding Elder had never stepped foot into the Secret Realm before the competition ended.
A strong sense of unease, like freezing ice, slowly coiled around her heart.
Out of caution and an instinctive reaction to the anomaly, Shangguan Yunzhu did not choose to land directly.
Like a skillful swift, she silently suppressed all her aura and glided gracefully into a dense forest near the exit.
Hidden by layers of foliage, she held her breath, her blade-sharp gaze piercing through the gaps to lock onto the figure of “Elder Hu Shi” standing before the Light Pillar, as suspicions clouded her mind like a thick mist.
In front of the Light Pillar, Lu Qiancha, in his Disguise as Elder Hu Shi, keenly sensed Shangguan Yunzhu’s arrival. His heart chilled slightly, and he immediately shot a look toward where Gantang was hiding.
Half a minute later, Gantang’s figure “happened” to walk out from the brush on the other side.
With a perfect blend of surprise and respect on her face, she walked quickly to “Elder Hu Shi” and performed a proper disciple’s salute.
“Disciple Gantang greets Elder Hu! I did not know the Elder had personally graced the Secret Realm. What matters do you have to command?”
“This old man has come under orders from the Sect to tally the scores of each team in advance to facilitate subsequent rankings.”
Lu Qiancha spoke in a steady and slightly majestic tone, mimicking Hu Shi’s mannerisms perfectly. “Present your scorecard.”
“Yes! As you command!” Gantang responded immediately, offering her scorecard with both hands.
“Mhm.”
“Elder Hu Shi” made a show of inspecting it, nodding slightly as he announced loudly, “Tianquanfeng, a total of one hundred and ninety-two points.” He casually recited a number.
In reality, Gantang’s score was only 90 points. Aside from the initial compensation, the two of them had not hunted any monsters at all.
Immediately after, he indifferently instructed Gantang, “Go and notify the other teams in the Secret Realm to come here quickly to tally their points. Remember, those who are late will not be waited for!”
“This disciple understands!” Gantang saluted again and then took off in an evasion light, flying toward the depths of the Secret Realm as if eager to carry out the order.
In the forest, Shangguan Yunzhu took in the entire scene. Her doubts did not dissipate; instead, she became even more vigilant.
Tallying points in advance? There seemed to be no precedent for such a thing… But she remained still, continuing to observe from her hiding spot.
A moment later, a small three-person team arrived at the exit. They clearly recognized “Elder Hu Shi” as well and did not dare to be negligent.
After bowing respectfully and handing over their scorecards, they stepped into the Light Pillar and were teleported away.
Following that, several more teams arrived one after another. The process was exactly the same: salute, hand over the cards, and leave.
Seeing more and more teams successfully finish their tallying and leave the Secret Realm, and considering the staggering 5,866 points on her own scorecard felt like a hot potato, Shangguan Yunzhu finally couldn’t sit still any longer.
If I wait any longer and the tallying ends, won’t my points be…
She took a deep breath, suppressed the unease in her heart, stepped out from the forest, and walked quickly toward Lu Qiancha.
“Disciple Shangguan Yunzhu of Zaohua Peak greets Elder Hu.” She cupped her hands in salute, her posture impeccable, as she handed over her scorecard.
“Mhm… Zaohua Peak…” Lu Qiancha took the Token, feigning an inspection for a moment before a look of appropriate approval appeared on his face.
“A total of five thousand eight hundred and sixty-six points. Not bad, quite good indeed. If nothing unexpected happens, the top spot of this Nine Peaks Grand Tournament should belong to your Zaohua Peak.”
He intentionally raised his voice, his tone carrying the appreciation an elder felt for an outstanding junior.
“The Elder overpraises me.” Shangguan Yunzhu lowered her head slightly, masking the sharp glint that flashed through her eyes. Her voice was calm and steady.
“The Grand Tournament has not yet ended, so the outcome is still uncertain. Until the final moment, who can say for sure who the winner is?”
“Neither arrogant nor impetuous, calm and composed,” Lu Qiancha, disguised as Elder Hu Shi, stroked a non-existent beard, his face showing the gratified praise of an elder.
“In the future, there will surely be a place for you on the Heavenly Talents List.” His tone was captured perfectly.
“I thank the Elder for his kind words.” Shangguan Yunzhu cupped her hands once more in an impeccable gesture, then turned and stepped into the dazzling Light Pillar that marked the evacuation with a composed stride.
High in the sky, Xuanmo, who had seen this entire farce play out below, was currently biting her lower lip hard. Her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably, clearly struggling immensely to hold back her laughter.
Beside her, the smile that Xuanping had been trying to suppress was also starting to break; the corners of his mouth turned upward uncontrollably.
He looked down at Lu Qiancha, who was causing trouble while wearing Hu Shi’s old face, and couldn’t help but shake his head with a sigh.
“This generation of youngsters… their devious ideas are more numerous than the last. When we participated in the Grand Tournament back then, there weren’t so many strange and bizarre tricks.”
“I’m tired of watching all that killing and fighting,” Xuanmo said, finally managing to suppress her laughter, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous light.
“Isn’t it more interesting to have a unique surprise like this once in a while?”
“I suppose so…” Xuanping nodded helplessly, his gaze returning to the Light Pillar below.
***
Outside the Secret Realm, Shangguan Yunzhu’s figure stepped out from the Secret Exit.
Just as her feet touched solid ground, her vision blurred—and there, wearing cloud-patterned elder robes, with white hair and a youthful face, stood the real Elder Hu Shi.
His face was currently as black as the bottom of a pot as he stood right in front of her, staring straight at her.
Her entire body froze on the spot, her mind going completely blank as if she had been struck by a silent bolt of lightning.
Shangguan Yunzhu: “…”
“Mhm,” Elder Hu Shi spoke expressionlessly, sounding somewhat numb as he reached out a withered finger and pointed at her.
“You are the seventh.” His tone was as flat as if he were stating a perfectly ordinary fact.
Shangguan Yunzhu’s emotions were as complex as a spilled jar of five spices.
The initial shock and the humiliation of being fooled quickly faded.
She instinctively turned her head to look to the side—only to see that several disciples from various peaks, who had come out even earlier than her, had already gathered around the Light Pillar.
Some were beating their chests and stamping their feet, cursing loudly; some were red-faced, filled with shame and indignation; some were still rubbing their eyes in disbelief, doubting if they had been caught in an illusion…
The scene could be described as a public outcry, a boiling cauldron of resentment.
Looking at this noisy scene of shared misfortune, the last bit of depression and embarrassment in Shangguan Yunzhu’s heart strangely dissipated by half.
In fact… a subtle sense of schadenfreude even began to quietly take root.
Fortunately… I’m not the only unlucky one.
This thought caused her tense lips to involuntarily relax into a slight curve.
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