The First Summoner - Chapter 111

Before summoning the horde, Shen Yan needed to recover her spiritual power quickly. Otherwise, even if she brought the beasts forth, she would struggle to sustain them.

She rose, found a relatively secluded place, and sat cross-legged to recuperate.

The spectators outside saw her actions.

Some could not help commenting, “Shen Yan actually went into hiding. Is she planning to hide until the end?”

“At her current rank, she should still remain in the top hundred when the secret realm closes.”

“I can’t believe she gave up so quickly…”

“Hey, hey, how can you tell she’s giving up? Maybe Shen Yan is simply recovering her spiritual power and stamina.”

Opinions varied.

But Xiao Zechuan and Pei Wusu soon drew the crowd’s attention away. As they fought, Xiao Zechuan took a strike from Pei Wusu’s sword, and blood instantly soaked his arm.

Xiao Zechuan’s eyes darkened. He decided to stop entangling himself with Pei Wusu and leave.

He swept his crescent saber sideways, forcing Pei Wusu back, then drove it into the ground. The Hourglass Formation appeared in an instant.

Pei Wusu’s feet sank as though trapped in deep mud, leaving him unable to break free for the moment.

By the time he shattered the Hourglass Formation with his sword, Xiao Zechuan was already speeding away.

Pei Wusu did not pursue. His profound gaze followed Xiao Zechuan’s back for a moment before he put away his black sword.

Clutching his bleeding arm, Xiao Zechuan hurried forward. Just then, he ran into two contestants.

At first, they instinctively tried to flee when they recognized him. But a closer look showed that Xiao Zechuan was pale and wounded in the left arm. He appeared badly hurt.

Confidence immediately filled them.

One laughed. “Xiao Zechuan, how unfortunate for you to encounter the two of us!”

They exchanged a glance and attacked him together.

Xiao Zechuan narrowed his eyes and stopped. A powerful aura burst from his body, freezing both contestants in place. His bloodstained hand summoned the crescent saber once more.

Boom—

One slash sent them both flying.

“Aaaagh!”

They screamed and spat out blood. As Xiao Zechuan approached step by step, panic crossed their faces, and they hurriedly apologized. “Young Master Xiao, we were wrong! We shouldn’t have provoked you! Please spare us this once!”

Xiao Zechuan’s expression did not change. He merely closed his eyes for a moment, concealing the vicious glint within them.

The next instant—

Crack! Crack!

His saber wind shattered both tokens.

The two stared in shock, consumed by regret. They never should have provoked Xiao Zechuan. Who could have known he would remain so powerful despite being badly injured?

Xiao Zechuan’s rank rose again.

At the same time, the elimination counts of Zhuge Youlin, Jiang Xianyue, Yu Changying, Qi Lingxuan, Wen Yuchu, and the others were soaring.

Time passed little by little.

About two hours later, four hundred and fifty-seven people remained in the trial realm. Pei Wusu still held first place with seventy-three eliminations.

Elsewhere, Shen Yan opened her eyes.

Her spiritual power had almost fully recovered.

She rose and left the secluded corner, whereupon she happened to encounter a contestant.

Their gazes met, and the contestant jumped in fright.

“You?!”

With a startled cry, he turned and fled without looking back.

How could Shen Yan let such an opportunity pass? She rapidly caught up, drew the Crimson Flame Dagger, and hurled it at his waist.

The cord holding his token was severed in an instant, and the token fell to the ground. By the time the contestant realized what had happened, Shen Yan had already picked it up and crushed it.

He wanted to cry but had no tears.

“I hate you!”

His figure soon vanished.

Shen Yan stopped and swept her gaze around. There was no one else nearby.

She raised both hands and swiftly formed a summoning formation. A black totemic array appeared beneath her feet, then spread outward at tremendous speed, covering a vast area.

The spectators outside noticed what she was doing. The Summoner elder of Western Region Academy in particular stared fixedly at her, his eyes gleaming.

He murmured, “Has Shen Yan contracted other otherworldly beasts?”

Dean Xuanyun also watched her.

An elder in Western Region Academy’s seating area sighed. “Shen Yan and Shen Huai are both Summoners. Shen Huai can summon the ancient divine beast Vermilion Bird, while Shen Yan can summon only a flood dragon of unknown species. There is quite a gap between their talent for summoning.”

“Indeed. Shen Yan’s summoning talent does appear weaker.”

The sword-cultivating elder brightened. “If you think her talent for summoning is poor, don’t have her study under you. A sword-cultivation genius like her should follow this elder!”

Another elder started in alarm. “Who said we don’t want Shen Yan? Her summoning talent may be inferior to Shen Huai’s, but among Summoners, it still ranks at the very top!”

At that moment, the elders and instructors noticed that the Summoner elder had said nothing. They turned toward him and saw him staring at Shen Yan on the crystal screen with shining eyes, looking almost crazed.

Surprised, they followed his gaze and happened to see Shen Yan summoning otherworldly beasts.

“Gate to the Otherworld, heed my summons!”

“Guide the otherworldly beasts to serve my will!”

As her cool, indifferent voice rang out, the summoning totem formation beneath her feet transformed into the shadows of many different beasts.

The next instant—

A densely packed horde appeared. There had to be at least several hundred otherworldly beasts!

The crowd stared in stunned silence.

Their pupils contracted violently, and their jaws nearly dropped. They gazed at the horde behind Shen Yan in disbelief, shaken to their core.

After a single instant of silence, the entire venue erupted.

“What the hell!”

“That has to be fake! Is this an illusion?”

“This is too absurd. It must be an illusion! If Shen Yan had summoned four or five beasts, I might believe it, but there are as many as a beast tide! That’s simply impossible!”

“Exactly! Who would have thought Shen Yan also knew illusion arts?”

“Her illusions are incredible!”

The Summoner elder of Western Region Academy sprang to his feet, the light in his eyes seemingly brighter than the sun. “No! This is no illusion! A genius—she is an unprecedented summoning genius!”

“Summoning a horde of beasts has never been recorded in the histories, yet it has appeared before us today. Shen Yan is unquestionably a genius of summoning!”

The Summoner elder’s face flushed with excitement. He wished he could enter the trial realm that very moment and see Shen Yan’s summoned horde with his own eyes!