"I am the loser."
Cao Qian's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but loud enough for people nearby to hear.
A deathly silence.
Those on the outer circle, unable to hear clearly, anxiously peered inside to ask what Cao Qian had said.
Cao Wen's mouth dropped open. After a moment of stunned silence, she exclaimed, "Brother...you're saying you lost to Shen Qian? How is that possible!"
In her shock, Cao Wen couldn't control her voice, and now most people heard it, even those in the inner circle were confirmed to have heard correctly.
"Cao Qian lost to Shen Qian, so what?"
Another candidate from Hongcheng didn't realize what was happening and asked the person next to him.
"Dude, your logical thinking is terrible!"
A candidate from Mingcheng next to him analyzed, "Look, Geng Qianqiu was rumored to be the strongest, right?"
The man nodded blankly.
"As a result, Geng Qianqiu can't beat Li Jiaqi or Cao Wen. And judging from Cao Wen and Li Jiaqi's reactions, Cao Qian is stronger than them, yet Cao Qian actually said he was defeated by Shen Qian..."
"So, it turns out that Shen Qian from Jingcheng was the strongest?"
The man took a moment to process it, then finally understood and said with a look of shock.
When he saw the other "early learners" looking at him with disdain, he could only lower his head in shame, feeling ashamed of his nonconformity.
"Even you lost?"
Li Jiaqi raised an eyebrow but didn't dwell on the issue of authenticity, because Cao Qian would never make such a joke in public. She simply asked in surprise.
"Looks like you've run into him too. No wonder you're here." Cao Qian chuckled.
"Yeah, he... is really outrageous. I won't be able to sleep well until I've clarified some things." Li Jiaqi frankly admitted her defeat.
Cao Wen found it unbelievable, "But when he fought me, he was clearly only slightly stronger than me. If he hadn't suddenly made a breakthrough..."
Li Jiaqi's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and she couldn't help but interject, "Speaking of which, my fight with him was also strange. He was clearly at a disadvantage, but suddenly he became very powerful."
If it were just Cao Wen saying this, Cao Qian wouldn't have cared, but when he heard Li Jiaqi say the same thing, Cao Qian was taken aback.
"If that's the case, then there are only two possibilities," Cao Qian said calmly after a moment's thought.
Which two?
"Firstly, he wasn't that strong at the beginning, but he improved continuously in a very short time, becoming stronger and stronger, from being on par with Xiaowen until he defeated me."
"This is impossible!" Cao Wen and Li Jiaqi both shook their heads, unwilling to accept this fact.
This is truly appalling.
"Then it's the second possibility: he's hiding his strength and deliberately playing you for fools," Cao Qian said confidently, clearly this was what he really wanted to say.
Cao Qian glanced deeply at the provincial gymnasium behind him, then left with a resentful and frustrated Cao Wen.
Now is not the time to compete with Chen Qian.
But Cao Qian found that a long-lost sense of anticipation had arisen in his heart.
Because he saw another "sky".
Li Jiaqi, still clinging to her beliefs, didn't leave, though she appeared somewhat dazed.
Although Cao Qian's first possibility was somewhat of a joke, Li Jiaqi couldn't help but recall the ancient martial arts technique he had used before sinking.
She was certain that, apart from the Li family, there was no other place where the "mountain collapse" tradition existed.
What if... just what if he really did learn it during the fight?
Moreover, she clearly remembered that Shen Qian initially had no idea what martial arts technique he was using, and even asked her about it.
If he was just teasing her, then... this person is absolutely awful!
Another person was horrified.
Geng Qianqiu's mind was buzzing. Cao Qian was no match for Shen Qian?
He finally understood why Cao Wen and Li Jiaqi had attacked him in anger.
Geng Qianqiu found it all absurd.
In just ten minutes, he became the one at the bottom, while the strongest person was actually Shen Qian, who should have been the weakest.
Having lost all face, Geng Qianqiu left without saying a word. Some observant people noticed that his clenched knuckles had lost their color due to excessive force.
Ouyang Fei and the others, who had noticed Geng Qianqiu passing by, finally figured out what had happened. They looked at each other, but remained silent for a long time.
"Was he really that strong in actual combat before sinking? If that's the case, he must have held back that day..."
Gu Zifang murmured.
Chen Peng and the others could only manage a wry smile.
"No wonder he's been inside for so long and hasn't come out yet."
Ouyang Fei was the quickest to come to terms with it, laughing, "I'm just curious which floor of the stairs he actually reached?"
"What a pity." Gu Zifang laughed at first, then couldn't help but say, "If he hadn't made mistakes in the first two exams, maybe... maybe our Jingcheng really had a chance to produce a top scholar this time!"
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
Ouyang Fei opened his mouth, wanting to say something but then didn't.
He suddenly remembered that Shen Qian had never admitted to failing the exam. What if... what if what he said was true?
However, it is also impossible to explain why the well-informed Thousand Star Society did not extend an invitation to Chen Qian.
This is also the point that netizens on the Jingcheng Forum attacked most before the sinking.
"Beating others in one subject at least salvaged some face," Chen Peng said with a smile.
The examination site at the provincial gymnasium has been quiet since Geng Qianqiu came out, but many people still haven't left and keep glancing over there.
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