Meanwhile, elsewhere on the Ling Shan map, nearly all candidates were keeping an eye on the leading red dots.
“Look over there!” a candidate pointed at the holographic map in shock.
“Achilles and the others are so fast—they’re way ahead of everyone!”
“No wonder they’re number one,” another said enviously.
“Looks like they’ll be first to reach Little Thunderclap Monastery.”
“Of course—they’re from the Seven Great Clans, so that’s normal.”
“We gotta speed up, or they’ll get too far ahead. Who knows, maybe we’ll get to pick up some leftovers after they beat the boss!”
“Good point, hurry up! If they take out the boss and we arrive just after, maybe we’ll get a piece of the action.”
Everyone sped up, afraid to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
The breeze was light, the sun just right.
Freya’s giant cat chariot moved like lightning, giving the riders a first-rate experience.
Achilles lounged lazily on his seat, letting the high-altitude wind ruffle his golden hair.
Bodhi Yue sat cross-legged in meditation, Merlin flipped carelessly through an old tome, and Saffiros gazed silently at the distant clouds.
Freya calculated the distance and said, “We’re almost there—ten minutes more and we’ll see Little Thunderclap Monastery.”
Achilles snapped to attention and replied, “Let’s hope this ends quickly. I can’t wait to get out of this damned map.”
Freya raised an eyebrow and asked, “What, stomach trouble? Want me to give you a rub?”
Achilles: “…..”
‘Damn, why bring that up again?’
He’d never realized having nothing in his stomach could feel so wonderful.
“Heh.” Achilles sneered, looking at Freya, “If not for the Bull Demon King incident, who knows how long you’d have made us carry those things, huh?”
He was clearly hinting she’d dragged things out on purpose.
Freya forced a couple of laughs, then shot a suspicious look at Merlin.
Could it be his prophecy had foreseen this, so he sent them to the Bull Demon King for a solution?
She had wanted to cause a big scene, but unfortunately, plans never keep up with changes.
Although Freya thought so inwardly, she denied it with a straight face: “As if I’d do that?”
“And don’t forget, I found the solution. If not for us, your stomachs would still be…”
“Can’t deny that.”
“Enough, stop arguing.” Bodhi Yue opened his eyes, voice calm.
“Our speed’s the fastest—let’s save our energy and prepare for the battle ahead.”
All eyes turned to the holographic projection in midair.
They weren’t just in first—they were far, far ahead.
No one found this surprising—if anything, it seemed perfectly natural.
“Eh, wait.” Freya suddenly frowned.
“Look at those red dots—why are Su Fu and her group still so slow? Didn’t they have a flying vehicle?”
Saffiros furrowed his brow and asked, “Could it be…she’s already realized Hopte was sent by us?”
Freya caught on, “You mean—she’s plotting something against us?”
But what could she do?
At that moment, a blue-green dragon-shaped flying vehicle soared across the sky, its speed rivaling even their chariot.
Achilles eyed it warily, “What’s that?”
Freya immediately steered her chariot, “Are they trying to ram us?”
While the group was on high alert, they saw the flying vehicle slowly unfold a massive holographic projection.
Then, a line of text slowly appeared on the projection: “Congratulations to Achilles, Bodhi, Freya, Merlin, Saffiros, and others on the birth of your precious sons and daughters! The people of the Women’s Kingdom celebrate, and hereby proclaim it!”
Everyone’s expressions froze.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
The image changed.
It showed the royal palace of the Women’s Kingdom, with an extremely tricky angle, as if shot from high above.
In the picture, white gauze in the palace billowed in the wind.
As the gauze lifted, you could see several of them seated together, their silhouettes faintly visible…
One look was all it took to know what that was.
The key point was, it wasn’t just one—it was a whole circle of people in that state.
The shock value of this image was overwhelming, especially from a third-person perspective.
“Boom—”
Everyone felt their minds buzz and instantly froze in place, brains going blank.
Achilles was the first to recover and he asked, “Who…who did this…who dared to spy on us?!”
Saffiros’ eyes went dark, his Adam’s apple bobbing wildly, voice shaking, “Someone recorded it—this flying vehicle…someone wanted us to see this on purpose.”
At that moment, the flying vehicle seemed to sense its mission was complete and gracefully left.
And that humiliating holographic projection faded away, as if it had never existed.
Achilles flung a bolt of lightning, but it was absorbed, and the flying vehicle only sped up in its escape.
Achilles: “???”
‘Where would it go? With that recording? Would other candidates see it?’
There was no need to even ask—the answers flashed through his mind.
Of course they would.
It was over.
Done for.
Rage and shame surged inside them all.
“It’s Su Fu!” Achilles’ face was dark, thunder crackling around him.
“It has to be her—she’s getting back at us. She’s trying to spread those images for all the candidates to see!”
“Freya, turn the chariot—I want to smash that damned flying vehicle!”
He was furious, his thunder power roaring inside.
Freya’s cat chariot spun around almost instantly, speeding off after the fleeing vehicle.
“Wait!” Bodhi Yue suddenly interrupted: “If we chase now, what about Little Thunderclap Monastery?”
“To hell with Little Thunderclap Monastery,” Achilles shouted, beside himself with rage.
“If she spreads those images everywhere, what’ll happen to our reputation? What about the honor of the Seven Great Clans?!”
Bodhi Yue stared hard at him and asked, “Even if you destroy that vehicle now, how do you know how many others she has? How many times is she going to broadcast? How many people have seen it?”
“And as long as she’s around, she can keep showing it, over and over.”
“Calm down,” Bodhi Yue took a deep breath and continued, “She’s doing this now for a reason—she wants us to make a move.”
Achilles felt as if doused with cold water.
He was silent for a long time before saying, in a low voice, “You’re right. She planned this—if we chase her now, we’ll definitely fall behind.”
In the projection, they could see countless red dots catching up fast behind them.
In less than three minutes, the lower four of the Seven Great Clans would overtake them.
In less than five, the candidates from the auxiliary Twelve Great Clans, or even new rising stars among commoners—they were all closing in rapidly.
Dense lines of red dots formed a dragon.
If they hesitated to chase, even for a moment, the others would surpass them without mercy, seizing first place.
“Fine. Very good.” He gritted his teeth at last. “Keep moving!”
“Su Fu, just you wait. Once I get to Little Thunderclap Monastery, I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
He wanted to tear that wretch to pieces.
At the same time, the Storm Wyvern had already arrived above another candidate team.
The blonde girl in the lead immediately grew alert, “Look! What’s that over there?”
Somehow, the blue dragon-shaped flying vehicle was floating silently among the clouds.
Then, a massive holographic projection unfolded before them.
At first, the screen showed drifting white veils, leaving everyone bewildered, but soon the image gradually sharpened.
“That’s…” The blonde girl stared at the screen, utterly shocked.
“Achilles and the others?”
“Wait, their stomachs… Oh my god!” A bespectacled boy gasped, even rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
“They… they’re pregnant?!” Another girl screamed outright.
The entire team fell silent at once; the scene before them was simply too astonishing.
Soon, more and more people witnessed this, with some even snapping pictures and sharing the gossip with friends and classmates.
It didn’t take long before most examinees had received the footage.
Countless images played everywhere, exclamations erupting from all sides.
“Oh my heavens!”
“Is this real?!”
“…”
“The geniuses from the Seven Great Clans, all together…?”
“These bigshots really know how to play!”
“This is just… too explosive!”
“Is this really something we’re allowed to see?”
“What’s there to be afraid of? I bet everyone in the test center’s seen it by now.”
“What, are they going to kill everyone in the exam hall?”
The examinees from Tianqiong Path Academy instantly became spectators, gossiping away.
Some were shocked, some terrified, some furious, and some simply critiqued with relish.
“I have to admit, it’s filmed rather beautifully.”
“The composition, the lighting, the atmosphere… that sense of mystery, just barely visible…”
“Seriously, you’re analyzing that now?”
“But it’s true… the filming really has a vibe… so much of that ‘caring mother and father’ feel.”
At the very end, the candidates discovered a text narration:
[Thanks to these examinees for their monumental contribution to raising the human civilization’s birthrate.]
[Special thanks to: Rare video material provided by Hopte.]
Upon seeing this, the examinees erupted.
Not even the exam could keep them from gossiping now—it was simply too, too explosive.
***
Meanwhile, Hopte was leading his team on the road to Little Thunderclap Monastery.
When the video appeared before his eyes, he was shocked at first.
Although he’d always threatened Achilles and the others, to be honest, he’d never dared actually release footage like this.
Otherwise, that bunch of lunatics would have made his life hell at the university.
But now, this video wasn’t released by him—he was off the hook.
Hopte immediately gloated, sighing, “Didn’t expect someone else to discover this and even dare put it out there.”
Since it wasn’t his fault, he and his teammates began gleefully enjoying the gossip.
“Wow, the filming quality is really good!”
“Yeah, especially the part where Achilles rubs his belly. The camera zooms right in.”
“And that bit with Bodhi Yue meditating—my god, how do I see such maternal radiance from that angle?”
“If you ask me, Saffiros takes the cake… even in discomfort, he’s a total father figure, right?”
Just as everyone was getting into it, the video suddenly ended.
Hopte couldn’t help but complain, “Why is it so short…”
But the instant he saw the closing credits, his smile froze.
[Special thanks to: Rare video material provided by Hopte.]
“Wha… what the hell?!”
He was instantly stunned, cold sweat soaking him from head to toe.
“How… how did it become my video?!”
“When did I ever provide this kind of footage?!”
Someone was framing him—he’d never done anything like this.
‘Who? Who could it be?’
‘…Wait.’
‘Could it be… Su Fu?’
The realization hit him like lightning, his teeth grinding audibly, “It’s Su Fu! It has to be her.”
She must have guessed Achilles and the others sent him to ambush her, so in a fit of rage, she not only released the footage, but pinned it on him.
This was revenge.
Too despicable, too shameless.
This was clearly a sowing-distrust tactic—she wanted Achilles and the others to think he’d betrayed them.
Though he knew Achilles and the rest wouldn’t fall for such a trick, the problem was now everyone in the test center thought he was the shameless informer…
“God!”
Hopte’s head buzzed—it was over.
He was bound to become famous for this, branded as the “Shameless Villain.”
All the good reputation his family had built for him over the years was instantly destroyed.
And worst of all, he remembered Achilles’ rabid fans…
What if he ran into them?
“Su Fu—!” Hopte’s vision went dark, his voice filled with grief and anger, “We are irreconcilable enemies!”
***
Everyone stared at the holographic display before them, each with a complex expression—without exception, their looks were incredibly subtle.
Examiner Murray wiped his forehead, his voice dry, “Uh… what should I even say?”
“This Su Fu… her methods are…” Kofman murmured, “She really is ruthless. The scenes Achilles and the others most wanted hidden were broadcast from every angle without a single blind spot.”
“She didn’t even let the accomplice Hopte off.” Ji Yao added, “Dragged him right down with them. Two birds with one stone.”
“The key is, that video—those veils, that subtlety—it leaves everything to the viewer’s imagination…”
Zhou Yu shook his head, his expression complicated, “Those family scions’ images have really hit rock bottom now.”
Everyone imagined themselves in that situation and couldn’t help but shudder.
“This is a living tragedy…”
“Before this, what were Achilles and the others in everyone’s eyes? Chosen ones! Handsome, dazzling, incredibly powerful, boundless prospects…”
“But from now on,” Fox said grimly, “whenever someone brings them up, what everyone’ll remember first is this bit of gossip—’Oh, those were the ones who ended up pregnant on their test papers, right?'”
Too tragic.
Everyone felt the same—a blow to one’s reputation like this was more merciless than being directly defeated.