In front of the Literature Palace, Shen Diexin’s cold voice rang out, as melodious as a chiming bell. "Lin Huang... Double A!"
At this moment, the scene suddenly fell remarkably quiet.
Dead silent!
"Double A?"
"Double A!"
Everyone’s hearts trembled wildly. They couldn’t believe their ears. What had they just heard? Double A? And it was Lin Huang? The scum of the Dynasty, the biggest playboy in the Imperial City?
The smile on Hann Shan’s face froze instantly. He snatched the exam paper from Shen Diexin’s hands. He wanted to verify it!
In the crowd, Lin Huang felt the gazes directed at him. His expression remained calm, even cold. Watching Hann Shan’s reaction, he felt quite satisfied.
Fatty Bai, however, was beaming with pride, looking as if he were the one who had received a Double A. He leaned in and whispered into Lin Huang’s ear.
"Boss Lin, you’re way too reckless. I secretly slipped you the answers, but you could have at least gotten two wrong! Look at how tactful Lu Wuji and Ming Ao were. Aren’t you afraid of being confronted on the spot? If the secret gets out, you’re going to drag me down with you!
"No way, you have to treat me to the Tianxiang Tower tonight!"
Lin Huang smiled without a word, turning his gaze toward Ming Ao and Lu Wuji. The two were glaring daggers at him, their eyes filled with disbelief, anger, and a hint of a sneer.
"The Divine General’s Mansion truly has immense power. To think they could cheat twice in a row."
"Exactly. In the first round of screening, a mere Human Element Seventh Heaven cultivator like him actually managed to overshadow Ming Ao and Lu Wuji, bizarrely snatching the top rank."
"And this time, he got a Double A!"
"I’d like to see how this Lin Huang manages to win the third round of the Martial Artist competition!"
While the crowd whispered among themselves, Hann Shan looked up in utter disappointment. The hand gripping the exam paper was turning slightly pale. He never expected this.
Double A!
Lin Huang really scored a Double A!
He had clearly smeared Thousand Shadows Illusion Liquid on the exam paper, making Lin Huang’s questions different from everyone else’s. Even if Lin Huang answered everything perfectly, his answers would all become incorrect once the Thousand Shadows Illusion Liquid faded.
But why...
Lin Huang’s answers were all correct.
He had perfectly answered all the questions that appeared after the Thousand Shadows Illusion Liquid faded, without a single mistake.
"Elder Hann Shan, what are the results?" Shen Diexin asked faintly. She knew he had definitely tampered with Lin Huang’s exam paper, but Lin Huang’s Double A score was now undeniably real.
"Lin Huang... Double A!" Hann Shan gritted his teeth, the veins on his hand bulging as he crumpled the exam paper into a tight ball.
The crowd’s expressions shifted before erupting into an uproar. When they turned their heads, the light on the stone stele shifted. Every name on the ranking board was aggressively pushed down one spot.
Lin Huang, Double A, first place!
"The second Double A in thirty years has appeared."
No matter how reluctant the crowd was to believe it, the ranking on the light screen would not lie. Those two blinding words, "Double A," shone brightly.
"The first Double A was Lin Cangxue, and the second is Lin Huang!"
The crowd’s hearts pounded, and a speculation surfaced in their minds. "Could it be that this Lin Huang is truly a genius just like his sister?"
"Back in the day, Lin Changtian seemed to be just as spirited and dashing," someone added.
The crowd discussed fervently, filled with jealousy, helplessness, disdain, and shock.
Ming Ao clenched his fists, murderous intent welling up within him. He thought, "I could have amazed everyone this time, yet I’ve been constantly suppressed by Lin Huang. I hope that when you fall into my hands during the third round, you won’t fall to your knees and beg for mercy!"
Sensing Ming Ao’s intense glare, Lin Huang offered a calm smile. He looked up at Hann Shan, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Elder Hann, do you need to ask me a few questions to prove the authenticity of this Double A?"
"No need!" Hann Shan’s eyes narrowed into thin slits. He had indeed harbored that exact thought, but Lin Huang’s prompt question had choked his words back.
"In that case, I have a question and would like to ask Elder Hann for some guidance!" Lin Huang cupped his hands.
"Speak!"
"I know there are many magical things in this world, and among them is something called the Thousand Shadows Illusion Liquid, which can conceal the true appearance of things and confuse others. I would like to know, how does one break this Thousand Shadows Illusion Liquid?" Lin Huang asked, his voice ringing loud and clear.
Hann Shan’s body jolted. It was obvious that a boundless fury was suppressed in his heart with nowhere to vent. He never expected Lin Huang to actually see through his trick.
More importantly, he truly had no idea how to break the Thousand Shadows Illusion Liquid.
At this moment, Hann Shan felt as if he was being toyed with by Lin Huang.
"I suppose you already know the answer. Why don’t you enlighten everyone?" Hann Shan said, kicking the question back to Lin Huang.
"I don’t know either!" Lin Huang smiled faintly. "But I do know that some old thieves certainly consider themselves smart, thinking they can play others in the palm of their hands. Little do they know, their intelligence is still a bit lacking compared to the big yellow dog in my Divine General’s Mansion."
"You..."
Hann Shan’s eyes spat fire. He was about to point his finger and erupt in fury but forcibly held it back. If he really exploded, wouldn’t that be tantamount to telling everyone he had tampered with Lin Huang’s exam paper?
And that he had failed!
That he had been utterly humiliated by Lin Huang?
And completely outsmarted!
Thinking of this, Hann Shan had no choice but to grit his teeth forcefully, suppressing a chest full of rage. His cold, fierce glare looked as if he wanted to slice Lin Huang into a thousand pieces.
Lin Huang smiled smugly. Only at this moment did he finally breathe a sigh of relief. He had bet right!
During the exam, after seeing the test paper, Lin Huang had intentionally revealed a smug smile to tell Hann Shan, "Even if you altered my questions, it’s nothing to me."
And back then, Hann Shan’s response was a disdainful sneer!
Therefore, without a second thought, Lin Huang had directly copied the answers Fatty Bai had given him exactly as they were, without missing a single word.
And then... he was graded a Double A!
Although he had cheated, this feeling... was damn exhilarating!
With Lin Huang’s name entering the rankings, the second round of screening for the Four Sects’ selection officially ended. The top one hundred would participate in the Martial Artist competition seven days later, while the rest were eliminated.
In front of the Literature Palace, the Four Sect Elders had already left. The crowd gathered here also dispersed continuously; some carried a bit of joy, while others were filled with disappointment.
"Lin Huang, ranked first on two boards. You must be feeling very proud!"
A remarkably clear yet highly provocative voice suddenly rang in Lin Huang’s ears.
Lin Huang looked up at Ming Ao, who was strolling over, and frowned. "There shouldn’t be any enmity between us."
"Indeed, there is no enmity. You are the esteemed Young Master of the Divine General’s Mansion, while I am merely an illegitimate child of a minor family," Ming Ao said coldly.
"However, you shouldn’t be so presumptuous. As a mere Human Element Seventh Heaven cultivator, what right do you have to rank first in the first round of screening? How long have you even been cultivating? How many volumes of Martial Arts theory have you read? What right do you have to receive a Double A?
"None of these belong to you. You are just a playboy," Ming Ao stated ruthlessly.
"Are you jealous that I stole your thunder?" Lin Huang countered.
"Why would I be afraid of you stealing my thunder?" Ming Ao’s eyes flared, as if his mind had been read. "I am at the Realm of Human Element Ninth Heaven, and you? You’re nothing but a lowly Human Element Seventh Heaven."
"Oh," Lin Huang replied coldly.
"You..."
Ming Ao’s tone faltered. He actually felt disdain from Lin Huang’s tone—a feeling that Lin Huang deemed him unworthy to be an enemy!
A mere Human Element Seventh Heaven was actually looking down on him!
"I really hope you run into me during the Martial Artist competition in seven days," Ming Ao said through gritted teeth. "When the time comes, you will definitely pay the price for your attitude today. Only then will you understand that all your pride is so incredibly fragile, and all your glory will become my stepping stone."
"We’ll wait and see!" Lin Huang smiled brightly.
"There was once a dog of the Crown Prince named Lin Haoran; I killed him. There was a guy named Crazy Cui; I killed him too. There was also a brainless fool named Pang Bai; I severed his neck with one slash, and his head rolled on the ground like a watermelon. How do you think you will end up?" Lin Huang asked.
"A person can get lucky once or twice, but do it too many times, and you’ll eventually stumble," Ming Ao sneered, before turning to leave. "As for your worth, you’re only worth an Earth Element Pill. Cultivate well; I am very much looking forward to the competition in seven days!"
Watching Ming Ao’s retreating back, Lin Huang shook his head. Ming Ao’s unreasonable provocation wasn’t enough to cause the slightest ripple in his state of mind.
Only after experiencing the ways of the world would one understand that some provocations were youthful spirit, while others were as stupid as a pig.
Looking up at his name on the light screen, Lin Huang clenched his fists. The youth standing under the setting sun, bathed in the cascading afterglow, looked rather sharp and resolute.
Seven days later, the third round of the Four Sects’ selection would begin.
On that very day, he would engage in a life-or-death battle with Crown Prince Lingyun!
"Prepare to welcome the upcoming surprise, my Crown Prince," Lin Huang murmured, a cold smile appearing on his face. He was confident about fighting Crown Prince Lingyun in the competition seven days later.
Following that, Lin Huang navigated through familiar streets, heading toward the Divine General’s Mansion. The streets were bustling; even as night approached, it was extremely lively, highlighting the prosperity of the Imperial City.
After turning a few street corners, the silhouettes of people gradually thinned out, becoming somewhat desolate.
At some point, raindrops began to fall from the sky, growing heavier and heavier. They fell like dense threads of water, splashing up numerous puddles with a continuous PATTERING sound.
Lin Huang walked briskly through the heavy rain. The freezing rainwater battered against his body, making him shiver slightly. Suddenly, his footsteps halted, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
The keen perception he had honed from a decade of struggles in his previous life made a piercing chill run through his entire body.
Faintly, a trace of Evil Qi seeped through the rainwater.
Looking into the distance, he saw a figure holding a black umbrella standing at the end of the street, slowly approaching from afar...
"The Evil Rain Array!"
Watching the youth dressed in black slowly approaching under the black umbrella, Lin Huang’s expression turned ruthless. He spat out coldly, "Which sect are you from? Fengyu Tower? Celestial Thunder Sect?"
"Guess correctly, and I’ll tell you!" the man spoke icily. His entire body was shrouded beneath the black umbrella. His figure was gaunt, his handsome face somewhat sinister, and his thin lips emitted a blade-like coldness.
"Hand over the Thousand Spirits Sword Formation, and I will spare your life!"