Chapter 63: Space Revitalization - Cultivation World Progress 63%
Helian Yi followed closely behind Su Xiaoyao.
Su Xiaoyao was staring at the ground, lost in thought, but she couldn't ignore his overly intense gaze. She stopped and looked up helplessly: "Young Master Helian, is there something you need?"
The image of the noble young master is gone forever. Helian Yi could no longer maintain his former aloofness and kept muttering, "The assessment rules were just announced. Jun Laiye said that the top 100 in each group have the right to choose their own combat opponents. You must choose me after you come out."
Su Xiaoyao rolled her eyes: "You think too highly of me, so sure I can finish before you."
"I'm just letting you know, just in case you're worried about losing badly against me and that's why you didn't choose me." Helian Yi waved his fan, deliberately keeping his tone calm.
"Why did you choose me? I'm just a weapon cultivator with no physical strength, I don't specialize in martial arts." Su Xiaoyao glanced at him sideways.
Do you want to take her share?
After thinking it over, this is the only reason.
She scored one point higher than Helian Yi in the written test. This regional selection competition was also an elimination system, and since they were not on the same track, it was impossible to determine who was better. Therefore, the overall score would depend on the final round of martial arts.
Although the scoring criteria for the final round of martial arts competition are not yet known, Jun Laiye said that winning the first place in the previous round of regional selection competitions would be very advantageous in the next round.
After much deliberation, the safest way to secure first place in the entrance examination was for the two of them to face off directly and defeat each other.
She felt that Helian Yi was probably thinking the same thing. He was extremely competitive and concerned about his reputation. With the Heavenly Dao Ancestor's evaluation in front and the Heavenly Projection behind, he was determined to win first place in the entrance exam.
Unexpectedly, Helian Yi said, "I chose you because you are the only opponent I value among all the people here. You don't need to lie to me. We've faced each other so many times in dungeons, and the strength you showed without going all out was already quite good. Given your personality, you must have other tricks up your sleeve. You're definitely not as simple as you seem."
"You flatter me, you flatter me." Su Xiaoyao certainly had her trump cards up her sleeve; what she revealed was only the tip of the iceberg. Not wanting to be tricked into revealing information before the competition, she rolled her eyes and said, "Su Qinghuan wouldn't be happy to hear this."
Helian Yi frowned: "Who is Su Qingqian? Let's talk about our own things. Why bring him up out of the blue?"
"Oh dear, 007 is crying his eyes out in the corner." Su Xiaoyao clapped her hands, playing an old joke.
Helian Yi suddenly realized that it was 007.
He said, "He's not as smart as you, not as resourceful, and not as cunning. I know you must have other tricks up your sleeve, and I want to see them."
Su Xiaoyao's smile suddenly turned somewhat strange.
Helian Yi realized there was something wrong with her expression, but it was too late. The sound of chains clanging came from behind him.
"Helian Yi, you better pray I'm not the first one out, or I'll definitely send you to the loser's bracket." Su Qinghuan, who happened to be passing by, chuckled coldly, snorted, and turned to go to his own area.
Su Xiaoyao stared wide-eyed at Helian Yi, her expression utterly innocent.
"Huh? Look, Su Qinghuan actually went over there. He's actually a physical cultivator." She looked at Su Qinghuan with chains wrapped around his arms and fists and said in surprise.
Her attempt to change the subject was full of flaws.
Helian Yi knew that Su Xiaoyao liked to tease him, and in his eyes, this was actually a good thing.
Su Xiaoyao would never tease others like this, but she treated him differently, which just proves that he was special in her eyes.
She regarded him as her most important rival, and he was overjoyed.
"What path he cultivates is none of my concern. Once I lead my scimitars to break through the encirclement, I will surely see only your name. You'd better be prepared and not disappoint me," he said proudly.
"Wow, pretty arrogant, huh? Well, let's wait and see."
Su Xiaoyao snatched the folding fan from his hand, unfolded it with a "whoosh," her movements graceful and fluid, even more so than her owner's. The ornate satin fan became even more elegant in her hands.
Helian Yi was momentarily stunned.
Su Xiaoyao closed the folding fan and played with it for a while, then teased as she touched the expensive jade frame, "You can't play with a fan like that."
She couldn't stand anyone putting on airs in front of her, especially Helian Yi, who was always arguing with her.
After saying that, he turned the folding fan upside down and handed the handle end back to him.
Helian Yi chuckled as he recovered from his daze and pushed the folding fan back: "It's yours."
Su Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow.
He laughed and said, "It's more suitable for you."
"Your judgment is not bad. You're qualified to be my rival now." Su Xiaoyao didn't stand on ceremony with him and withdrew her hand without saying a word.
Having received a definite answer, Helian Yi walked towards the martial arts assessment with satisfaction, taking a new fan from his storage bag as he went.
The black jade fan ribs and the previous white jade folding fan were made by the same master.
After dealing with Helian Yi, Su Xiaoyao focused her attention on the division.
The zoning was very deliberate. There were many candidates in each area, but visually each area could be seen at a glance, and the faces of each candidate were clearly visible. This was not normal and could only be attributed to the same technique of minimizing the size of the area used in the written exam that day.
Even though she was a professional weapon refiner, she still couldn't see any flaws in the space within the visible range.
The technique of creating this space stirred her heart, and she couldn't wait to enroll and master this knowledge.
"And then there are teleportation arrays. The forging techniques involving space are controlled by various major sects, and I've never been able to access them. I'll have to learn these things properly once I enroll in school," she murmured to herself.
She began to fantasize about creating a gigantic, comprehensive entertainment mall that would be unparalleled in heaven and earth after she learned spatial technology. This mall would allow cultivators from all four continents to shop as soon as they stepped out of their homes, with a dazzling array of everything available, filling all the spirit stones in every cultivator's pocket.
"That's incredible! To compress space so perfectly, there's no trace of spiritual energy fluctuations on the surface." A cultivator waiting nearby had his eyes shining.
"Who says otherwise? I must pass the test!" Another artifact crafter said with great interest. "I guess this must be the work of the Dao Ancestor herself! I have seen other artifacts made by the Dao Ancestor in ancient books. They are exquisite and novel. She can always make things that other artifact crafters cannot."
The artifact cultivator who had spoken earlier had his eyes shining with anticipation: "From the moment I stepped onto this island, I noticed that space compression techniques were used everywhere. The interior of the island is much larger than it appears on the surface, and it's as if it were a spiritual artifact in itself."
"I noticed it too. I was a little suspicious at first, but on the day of the written test, I was sure there were no monitoring artifacts or spiritual energy fluctuations around me. Yet everything that happened was recorded. That's when I knew that the island was the artifact itself." The woman said her guess with a hint of pride on her face.
After their conversation, some people suddenly realized what was going on, while others seemed to have expected it.
Once the conversation started, everyone began to chat.
Su Xiaoyao joined the discussion.
"Does anyone here have experience with space technology?" she asked.
"No, I'm a rogue cultivator and don't have access to the secret manuals of major sects," the woman said.
Su Xiaoyao asked curiously, "I see you're very knowledgeable. The fact that you passed the first few rounds shows you're quite capable. Why didn't you formally become a disciple?"
The woman shook her head: "I don't want to go. In those sects, someone with my average talent can only do manual labor. I won't get access to the core teachings, and I'll have to complete sect tasks and regularly hand over a certain amount of spiritual artifacts. There's simply no time to solidify my foundation. I don't want to be a mediocre artifact cultivator in a small sect, just waiting to die. I'd rather give up the protection and be a poor but carefree rogue cultivator. In short, having a skill means I won't starve."
“Me too! A kindred spirit!” another person exclaimed excitedly. “I once visited the sect, but I left because I found it too boring. When this assessment started, I met the senior brother who had visited the sect with me before. I saw that although he was skilled in using spiritual fire, he had not made any progress. It was clear that he had only been doing odd jobs all these years, constantly forging low-grade spiritual weapons for the sect, and had no chance to break through. I am now extremely grateful for the choice I made back then.”
Su Xiaoyao nodded repeatedly: "I am also a rogue cultivator. Although life is a bit tough, no matter how many resources I acquire, they are all mine."
"We know you. You shone brightly in the first round and even took first place in the second round. You really brought glory to us independent cultivators," the woman said with a hearty laugh.
"Yes, who says we rogue cultivators can't beat them just because we don't have resources?"
"It's a pity that the last round is a martial arts competition. We weapon cultivators are at a disadvantage. If we could make it into the top 100, we could pick a weaker opponent and pass the test directly."
Su Xiaoyao smiled upon hearing this: "That's not entirely true. If one can forge a weapon spirit, even a weapon cultivator would have a fighting chance."
The woman laughed: "That's difficult. It's better to save up and buy one."
She glanced back with a hint of bitterness: "The one behind us is my roommate, the heir of a major sect. She enjoys countless resources and works hard herself, with a solid foundation. I accidentally discovered that she has a Saint-grade spiritual artifact, so she probably won't have to worry about martial arts battles."
Good weapons can often make up for a lack of strength.
"Not many people can tell that the island is a spiritual artifact. I suppose you have extensive knowledge of artifact crafting. Maybe if you make it into the top 100, you won't have to risk challenging the martial arts masters," Su Xiaoyao encouraged.
"Thank you for your comfort." A fierce fire ignited in the woman's eyes. "I have always believed that my talent is not limited to the level of judging spirit stones. Now that I have this opportunity, I will do my best to stay."
They chatted for a while about what the weapon repair exam would cover, and then they saw a line of cranes flying across the sky.
Accompanied by the cry of a crane, a neat single table appeared before him, on which were placed materials that looked extremely familiar to the artifact cultivator.
"They didn't give me a refining cauldron, so it seems I'll have to use my own. That's great, I'll use my own as it's the most convenient for me." The woman immediately stood in front of a nearby table and set out her own cauldron.
Su Xiaoyao skillfully scooped out the pot, standing out awkwardly from the various bronze and stone tripods around her.
She took the opportunity to observe other places.
Herbal medicine for medicinal practitioners, cinnabar for talisman practitioners, Xiao Tingyuan alone occupying the entire area with his own pot... The assessment content for each area has been released.
Jun Laiye had somehow ended up standing outside the assessment area.
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Author's Note: I'm experiencing writer's block. I'll see if I can finish the chapter I owe tomorrow. ORZ
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