Chapter 73: Could Ming Zhiyuan’s Ancestral Grave Have Emitted Green Smoke Twice?

Seeing An Qianfeng scold him like this, Sun Qingxiong cursed inwardly but did not dare to show it on his face.

His gaze immediately shifted to the high platform, his eyes rolled, and then he strode towards Lu Qianyi.

“Dean Lu, the points have basically been tallied, can we announce the results now?”

Sun Qingxiong rubbed his hands, a fawning smile filling his face, and said softly.

The personal first place was seized by Shangluo Academy, which made Sun Qingxiong feel utterly disgraced.

He was determined to win the honor of academy first place, otherwise, he would have nowhere to hide from Ming Zhiyuan in the future.

In his opinion, the academy first place was already within his grasp. After all, Shangluo Academy only had Leng Ruoyao and two other people with points. How could the last person possibly make up such a huge gap?

Even so, Shangluo Academy had already risen to fourth place with the strength of just three people.

This left Sun Qingxiong with an unspeakable sense of unease, so he decided to go forward and talk to Lu Qianyi in advance, hoping to end this joint examination as soon as possible.

“Dean Sun, why the rush? Isn’t there still three minutes before the time is up?”

“By the way, Dean Sun, what’s wrong with your face?”

Lu Qianyi’s beautiful eyes swept over him. She naturally understood Sun Qingxiong’s intention and responded with a cold tone.

“My face doesn’t matter, I just accidentally fell.” Sun Qingxiong quickly explained.

“What I mean is, since the results are already largely determined, Prefecture Lord Lu should announce them quickly.”

“Even if you can’t announce the final rankings directly, it’s good to announce the top three academies first.”

“I think the other deans also think so.”

Sun Qingxiong changed the subject, shifting the topic to the deans of each academy standing beside Lu Qianyi.

“Cough, cough, I think Dean Sun has a point.”

At this moment, the Dean of Qingyang Third Academy, Lu Rong, stepped forward.

Although two of their academy’s students had their points reset to zero, compared to other academies that generally only had three or four students with points, it was already quite good.

In terms of actual strength, their academy could only rank around fourth or fifth. However, unexpectedly, due to An Qianfeng’s actions, they had unexpectedly squeezed into the top three.

Shangluo Academy’s performance this time was truly astounding. With the strength of only three people, they had successfully ascended to the fourth-place position among academies.

Moreover, Shangluo Academy still had one person who had not yet returned, so it seemed a bit against the rules to end this competition now.

But deep down, he couldn’t suppress the impulse to try.

He even secretly hoped that perhaps the points of Shangluo Academy’s last person had already been snatched by others.

“Yes, yes, Prefecture Lord Lu, I also think we can end it.”

The Dean of Chuanxi Academy, which ranked second, also stepped forward, saying with a sincere expression.

Originally, their academy was in second place. If they were pushed to third, the rewards they could receive would naturally be significantly reduced.

“Dean Ming, do you also think so?”

Lu Qianyi did not respond directly but turned her gaze to Ming Zhiyuan and asked.

“Prefecture Lord, I think we can wait a little longer, after all, the time has not yet ended.”

Ming Zhiyuan pondered for a moment before speaking.

Although he absolutely did not believe that the points Zhao Yan obtained through hunting could make up for the huge gap with Qingyang First Academy.

But when he recalled that young man, his figure was like an exiled immortal descending into the mortal world, exuding an innate noble and elegant bearing, a peerless elegance that was unforgettable.

Cough, cough, more importantly, compared to his youth, it was surprisingly comparable.

This made Ming Zhiyuan involuntarily harbor a different thought: what if he could really win?

“Ming Zhiyuan, do you really think that with that so-called Yan Zhao, you can delusionally surpass my Qingyang First Academy?”

“Dream on, you have everything.”

Seeing that Lu Qianyi was by his side and estimating that Ming Zhiyuan would not dare to act rashly, Sun Qingxiong became bolder at this moment.

“Hmph, I remember when Dean Sun said he would take both personal first place and academy first place, he had the same tone.”

A mocking smile appeared on Ming Zhiyuan’s face, and he responded with a chuckle.

“You!”

Sun Qingxiong was so angered by Ming Zhiyuan that he was speechless, and could only stare at him with eyes full of resentment.

“I would like to ask again, what do the remaining deans think? Do they also think we can end it now?”

Lu Qianyi ignored the argument between Sun Qingxiong and Ming Zhiyuan, her gaze turned to the other deans, and she continued to ask.

“Prefecture Lord, I think Dean Sun’s opinion is very good.” One dean spoke up first.

“I feel the same way.” Another dean echoed.

“Agreed.”…

The comrades who had previously ganged up on Sun Qingxiong with Ming Zhiyuan had now instantly turned their backs.

This was not surprising. After all, how could an academy that had just qualified for the joint examination of eighteen schools so easily defeat a traditional powerhouse and ascend to the top three?

Although everyone did not say it aloud, they were naturally resentful in their hearts.

This was human nature, unable to stand seeing others soar to success, especially when they were being stepped on.

The deans spoke one after another, their meaning all supporting Sun Qingxiong.

It was just that they did not notice that Lu Qianyi’s beautiful eyes had become increasingly cold.

“Enough! You are all deans of top academies in Qingyang Prefecture, how narrow-minded you are, completely disregarding the rules of the joint examination.”

Lu Qianyi’s voice carried a hint of dignity. “It’s agreed to be a few hours, not a second less. How can you arbitrarily change it? This truly disappoints me immensely!”

As soon as Lu Qianyi’s voice fell, the deans who were speaking suddenly felt their qi and blood surge, and a powerful spiritual pressure pressed down on them like Mount Tai pressing down on an egg.

In an instant, their qi and blood churned, and they cried out in pain.

“Prefecture Lord Lu, I was merely suggesting to announce the academy rankings in advance. Do you also believe that Yan Zhao’s meager points can achieve anything?”

After being intimidated by Lu Qianyi’s pressure, Sun Qingxiong, although his qi and blood were unsettled, still forced himself to speak despite the discomfort.

“Hmph, just you wait and see, don’t cry then.”

Lu Qianyi did not respond to Sun Qingxiong, but at this moment, the beast-eared girl standing beside her spoke.

After witnessing Zhao Yan easily slay a fourth-grade early-stage ferocious beast, she was now full of confidence in Zhao Yan, even feeling that this young man would bring her an unexpected surprise.

“Hmph.”

Sun Qingxiong snorted coldly in his heart. Five thousand three hundred and thirty-one points, how could Yan Zhao possibly surpass that?

It was already a miracle for Shangluo Academy to produce one Leng Ruoyao; could they produce a second?

Thus, time trickled by, with only Zhao Yan not having returned yet.

Seeing this situation, the students who had previously disliked the fact that their academy’s girls had their hearts captured began to whisper and discuss amongst themselves.

“It’s him again, he’s putting on a show.”

“Is he going to wait until the last second again? Has he read too many storybooks and thinks he’s the protagonist?”

“Haha, I guess his points were also snatched, and he’s too embarrassed to come back.”

“Hey, brother, he’s coming!”

“This clown finally…”

When they cast their eyes on Zhao Yan’s figure, the words they were about to utter instantly got stuck in their throats like a fishbone, as if choked.