The First Summoner - Chapter 114

Instructor Qi Wen had fallen at a disadvantage?!

The spectators outside the secret realm looked startled. Before they could react, Shen Yan and Xiao Zechuan pressed Qi Wen with a relentless succession of moves and actually bested him in three exchanges.

The crowd stared.

They had turned defeat into victory under such conditions?

“They worked together quite well.”

“I misjudged them!”

“Who would’ve thought… I truly never expected it…”

Discussion rose through the crowd.

Shen Yan and Xiao Zechuan had already put away their weapons. They saluted the instructor as juniors and said, “Thank you for yielding, Instructor.”

Qi Wen laughed. “I didn’t yield. You won through your own ability and good coordination. Even I struggled to handle it.”

“All right. You may go.”

They nodded. Their gazes met for an instant, then slid away. Despite having just cooperated, they looked like strangers.

They soon departed in different directions.

Shen Yan’s first priority was to find somewhere to treat her wounds and rest.

Xiao Zechuan had the same idea.

As time passed, many contestants made sudden leaps in rank, while others’ positions gradually stabilized.

Shen Yan’s name remained in first place for a long time.

No one could surpass her.

Pei Wusu ranked second, but his elimination count stopped moving after it reached eighty-four.

The first night in the trial realm arrived. Darkness deepened, and the sounds of fighting rang out now and then, but the number of contestants did not fall by much.

Those who remained were the best among geniuses. When evenly matched opponents fought, victory was difficult to determine, and their battles dragged on longer and longer.

As a result, eliminations became increasingly rare.

Only a little over three hundred people remained.

The contestants soon found secluded places to rest, planning to resume fighting in daylight.

The night passed relatively peacefully.

The rankings barely changed. But early the next morning, one person’s rank soared: Lu Jing of the Cangyu Sect.

He rose to fourth place.

The contestants still inside were startled.

Lu Jing had eliminated twelve people at once!

How had he done it?!

Lu Jing put away his formation totem and looked down at the shattered tokens. As he slowly raised his eyes, he sensed something and whipped around.

A young woman in plain clothes stood before him.

It was Qi Lingxuan!

Lu Jing became wary and slowly identified her. “Qi Lingxuan of the Imperial Dragon Sect.”

“You needn’t be nervous.” Qi Lingxuan smiled faintly. “Lu Jing, why don’t we join forces?”

His expression remained indifferent. “No need.”

Unhurried, Qi Lingxuan said, “I’m a fourth-grade alchemist. If you work with me, I can provide pills to heal your injuries. What do you say?”

Lu Jing looked at her. If she supplied healing pills, joining forces might not be a bad choice.

“All right.”

Qi Lingxuan smiled at his agreement. She took a jade bottle from her storage space. It contained a fourth-grade healing pill, and she tossed it to him.

“A deposit,” she said.

Lu Jing caught the bottle and studied it before nodding. “Agreed.”

The spectators could not help marveling at Qi Lingxuan’s wealth and generosity.

“Forget joining forces—if Qi Lingxuan gave me a fourth-grade pill, I’d be her lackey!”

“Anyone who becomes her friend will be unbelievably lucky! She’s a genius alchemist. With her around, you’ll never fear running out of pills!”

“Qi Lingxuan is so lavish!”

“Qi Lingxuan is my goddess!”

“…”

The first person Qi Lingxuan and Lu Jing encountered after forming their alliance was… Yu Changying.

Graceful and curvaceous, Yu Changying wore a gentle smile on her delicate oval face. When she saw them, she greeted them pleasantly.

She was about to leave when Qi Lingxuan stopped her.

“Yu Changying.”

Yu Changying turned, puzzlement in her eyes and her voice warm and courteous. “What is it?”

“What do you think?” Qi Lingxuan replied. “Inside this secret realm, you and I are competitors. I have long heard that Yu Changying, daughter of the city lord, is a genius artifact refiner of extraordinary strength. Today, Lingxuan would like to seek your instruction.”

Yu Changying glanced at Lu Jing, then smiled at Qi Lingxuan. “Just you?”

“Of course not.”

Qi Lingxuan pointed to Lu Jing. “He is my ally.”

Yu Changying frowned slightly, looking so mournful that one could not help pitying her. Her eyes were soft as water. “Sister Lingxuan, Brother Lu Jing, are the two of you going to gang up on a weak, helpless young lady like me?”

Lu Jing’s cheeks reddened. Covering his mouth, he coughed lightly and said to Qi Lingxuan, “Let’s go.”

Qi Lingxuan’s expression chilled. She had not expected Yu Changying to resort to such cheap, calculating theatrics.

By joining forces with Lu Jing, she had a strong chance of eliminating Yu Changying. Once eliminated, Yu Changying’s rank would fall as time passed.

“Lu Jing, this is a contest,” Qi Lingxuan said.

Shame filled him, but when he saw Yu Changying purse her lips and look so pitiably frail, he… found it difficult to attack.

As a man, how could he strike a young girl?

Qi Lingxuan reminded him, “Lu Jing, she isn’t what she appears to be. That’s Yu Changying, fifth place on the rankings!”

The words jolted him awake. He stared uncertainly at Yu Changying. How could he ever have thought her weak?

If she were weak, she could not have eliminated so many contestants!

Resolve returned to his eyes. “I understand.”

Seeing them prepare to attack, Yu Changying immediately turned and ran.

“Don’t let her escape!” Qi Lingxuan shouted.

Lu Jing focused and used a formation to close the distance rapidly.

Just as he drew near, Yu Changying spun around and flashed him an extraordinarily beautiful smile—one that sent chills down his spine.

She raised a hand. Ten-thousand-year mystic iron instantly encased her left arm, taking the shape of a spirit artifact like the forelimb of a beast. She aimed it at Lu Jing.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless tiny concealed bolts shot toward him with incredible speed.

Lu Jing’s pupils contracted. He immediately formed an array to defend himself.

The barrage forced him some distance back.

Yu Changying clicked her tongue, suddenly radiating the rough air of a bandit. She cursed with a sneer, “Screw you both! Two against one? I’ll blast you to pieces!”