Nian Zhi sighed helplessly in his heart and said:
"Alright, let's leave it at that. As for the grades, they're not a problem for me..."
As he spoke, Qin Luo took out the captain's token engraved with the words "Ling Yuan" from his pocket. He channeled his spiritual energy into the token, and a light screen appeared out of thin air, flashing with dense characters and patterns, which was the real-time ranking of the academy competition.
But the next moment, Qin Luo's pupils suddenly contracted, and his previously calm face instantly stiffened. At the top of the ranking list, the three large characters "Linghuang Sect" were particularly eye-catching.
Before Murong Liyue and the other two could get closer to look, Qin Luo hurriedly removed the light screen.
Oops! I almost forgot about Zihan, that ticking time bomb. I made such a promise to her back then to reassure her about going to the Spirit Phoenix Sect. Knowing her temper, if she sees these three women, she's bound to start a fight.
Although Qin Luo's current strength is not a concern for being torn to pieces by Xia Zihan, with her current cultivation level of Spirit Tribulation, Murong Liyue and the others would be in dire need of protection.
After all, he couldn't say how crazy Xia Zihan, who had completely become a yandere, could be.
Noticing Qin Luo's unusual behavior, Murong Liyue narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly and asked with concern:
"Qin Luo, what's wrong? Has something changed in the rankings?"
Su Yaoyue and Huang Lu also cast questioning glances at him, clearly all three of them noticing that Qin Luo's behavior was somewhat unusual.
"It's nothing, it's just that some unexpected things happened on the leaderboard." Qin Luo coughed twice, his face showing forced composure, and said unhurriedly:
"I've just thought about it carefully. This competition for university admission has only just begun, and scores aren't the most important thing for us right now. After all, in this six-month-long competition, a temporary lead in scores doesn't mean anything."
"The real key is to secure opportunities for you. Your current cultivation level is still low, making it difficult to gain an advantage against 'powerful enemies.' Only by improving your cultivation foundation can we be able to handle things with ease in the future."
The three were bewildered by Qin Luo's sudden change in tone, exchanging puzzled glances.
Murong Liyue frowned, seemingly wanting to ask something, but when she looked at Qin Luo's feigned composure, she swallowed her words.
Su Yaoyue bit her lower lip lightly, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. She vaguely sensed that Qin Luo seemed to be deliberately hiding something, but seeing Qin Luo's insistence, she didn't say anything more.
Huang Lu blinked her big, watery eyes and stood obediently to the side, full of curiosity but choosing to remain silent.
After a brief silence, the three women responded softly:
"Okay! We'll do whatever you say."
Qin Luo looked at the three of them and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He straightened his sleeves, and his expression regained some of his usual confidence.
While scores are important, we can't let Zihan ruin these foundations. It's safer to help them improve their cultivation levels before that.
However, what Qin Luo said was true. This score was insignificant to them in the short term. Although this score was related to the next stage of the relic competition, his divine soul perception seemed to be able to cover the entire area.
Thinking of this, Qin Luo closed his eyes and fully released his divine soul perception, which rapidly spread outwards.
Within his current sensory range, all he could see was a world of pristine white snow, where many cultivators were engaged in battle. However, beyond the limits of his perception, Qin Luo still caught a glimpse of something unusual: what appeared to be a corner of a desert, where golden sands were faintly visible in his senses.
"That must be another area, completely different from this snowy landscape."
After sensing that corner of the desert, Qin Luo thought to himself.
After sensing it for a while, Qin Luo felt relieved. In this way, as long as they were within this snowy area, the second-stage ruins would not escape his notice.
Once the ruins are discovered, he will know about them immediately, thus avoiding missing the opportunity.
When Qin Luo opened his eyes, he turned to look at the three beauties beside him and said in a deep voice:
"Let's go. There are too many people over there, and I've discovered that my senses can't penetrate them. I think there's definitely something fishy going on there; maybe there's something good inside."
After saying that, Qin Luo lightly touched the ground with his feet and hurried off in that direction. Murong Liyue, Su Yaoyue, and Huang Lu followed closely behind, and the four of them gradually disappeared into the vast snow.
Within the location Qin Luo sensed, this place was deep within the ice plains, where a half-hidden ice cave existed.
The entrance to the ice cave was covered by millennia-old black ice, which exuded a bone-chilling cold, and many blue runes were faintly visible on its surface.
Looking into the half-open entrance of the ice cave, an upside-down ice crystal palace comes into view, with countless icicles hanging from the palace dome, shimmering with a cold, chilling light in the dim light.
The ground is made of a transparent layer of ice. Through the ice, one can see the underground river flowing below, its waters rushing and roaring, yet imprisoned by the ice.
At this moment, at the entrance of the ice cave, the teams from Tongtian Academy, Luoyan Academy, and Huanmeng Sect were facing each other in a triangular formation, while more scattered figures stood in the shadows.
At the head of the Illusionary Dream Sect's procession stood Sikong Xiu, dressed in a long purple-black-pink dress. Her long, ink-black hair was casually draped behind her, and her eyes, gleaming with countless calculations, inexplicably gave off a sense of oppression.
This woman is not the kind who can captivate everyone with her looks alone.
However, she exuded a unique aura, a captivating charm that seemed to understand the hearts of all. Like a poppy hidden in the depths of the night, though unseen, it emitted a deadly fragrance, drawing people in irresistibly, making it impossible to look away once their eyes were drawn to it.
"Your Dream Sect is acting far too domineeringly! The opportunities here were discovered through the joint efforts of many of us. Now that you have forcefully intervened, you are trying to take the lead and leave us with no benefits whatsoever. This is unreasonable and justifiable!"
Within the Tongtian Academy, a burly man with a full beard roared angrily, his eyes wide with fury. As he roared, his spiritual energy surged, his clothes fluttering wildly, and he looked as if he was about to charge forward and fight the Huanmeng Sect to the death at any moment.
Sikong Xiu's lips curled into a half-smile. She slowly extended a finger, gently twirling a strand of hair near her ear, her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Hmph, a brute is a brute. He doesn't even use his brain before spouting such things. The competition between academies is a place where strength speaks volumes. My Illusion Dream Sect has the strength, so why can't we take the lead?"
"Furthermore, I'm not necessarily as upright as your Tongtian Academy. Does your Tongtian Academy dare to swear to heaven that you never intended to monopolize this opportunity? Is it a case of 'the magistrate is allowed to set fires, but the common people are forbidden to light lamps'?"
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