Jiang Luo leaned back and folded his arms. “Didn’t you say that before round two as well?”
Qi Ye’s expression stiffened. His handsome face looked a bit embarrassed. “But I will be first in round three.”
“There won’t be any hints for the top three in round three,” he added seriously. “We’ll be starting on equal footing. Jiang Luo, I’m not going to lose to you.”
Jiang Luo smiled sweetly. “But I want to be first place too.”
Hearing this, Qi Ye actually smiled in satisfaction. “So you’ve finally decided to get serious?”
From the front row, Lu Youyi turned his head curiously. “Qi Ye, did you transfer here just for Jiang Luo?”
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Qi Ye’s face. “I just wanted to see what school life feels like.”
Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow. “You’ve never been to school before?”
“I attended a regular university, but not for Natural Sciences and Social Studies,” Qi Ye said, his eyes involuntarily drifting as he looked at Jiang Luo’s face. “I studied those subjects at home.”
Lu Youyi lit up. “Then does that mean you might end up dead last?”
“No way,” Ye Xun cut in sharply. “Lu Youyi, Qi Ye’s way better than you.”
“But I ranked above him in the last two rounds,” Lu Youyi retorted.
Qi Ye: “…”
He took a deep breath, feeling stifled, but couldn’t refute it—what Lu Youyi said was true.
Wenren Lian chuckled. “Let’s all go out for dinner tonight.”
Classes ended at six in the afternoon. The group headed to a restaurant. Wenren Lian and Jiang Luo trailed behind, and Wenren Lian said in a low voice, “Qi Ye has been very well protected by the Qi family.”
Jiang Luo nodded. “He seems a bit hot-tempered, but also pretty naive.”
“And very talented,” Wenren Lian glanced ahead at Qi Ye, smiling. “Not to mention good-looking.”
As they passed a basketball court, a basketball suddenly came flying toward them, aiming straight at Jiang Luo. Qi Ye stepped back a few paces and caught it in time, his brow furrowing as he shouted, “Watch where you’re throwing that!”
He kicked the basketball back—sending it flying all the way to the far end of the court.
Only after the ball had rolled off did Qi Ye turn back to glance at Jiang Luo. “You okay?”
Jiang Luo laughed. “It didn’t even touch me.”
Wenren Lian’s eyes swept over the two of them, his smile deepening. He quickened his pace and caught up to Zhuo Zhongqiu. “What do you think of Qi Ye?”
Zhuo Zhongqiu glanced back, then said critically, “He’s alright. Bit of a temper.”
Wenren Lian said calmly, “Let’s keep him as a backup option.”
As a potential new romantic interest for Jiang Luo, Qi Ye fit the bill fairly well.
But compared to Chi You, he still fell short. They weren’t sure whether Jiang Luo would be into someone like Qi Ye—after all, Chi You had been the very image of a gentle and noble man.
At dinner, Qi Ye naturally sat next to Jiang Luo. As soon as he sat down, everyone stared straight at him. He shivered. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”
Ye Xun asked, “Qi Ye, have you ever dated anyone?”
Qi Ye replied with a stony face, “No. Not interested.”
“What kind of person are you into, then?” Ge Zhu asked curiously.
Qi Ye frowned. “Why are you all asking this stuff?”
Jiang Luo turned his head and smiled at him, black hair falling over his shoulders. He lazily said, “Indulge their curiosity and they’ll leave you alone.”
Looking at Jiang Luo like this, Qi Ye was suddenly reminded of the scene where the black-haired youth had leapt from the tree to slay the Spider Man. His throat itched, and he quickly looked away. “I don’t know what kind of person I’d like.”
Seeing that Qi Ye was getting annoyed, the others let it go.
After dinner, Jiang Luo parted ways with the group and headed for the Heavenly Master Residence. Until the competition, he would be staying there.
Teacher Feng wasn’t in. Jiang Luo went alone to the study and read. When the moon had risen high in the sky, Feng Li finally returned with two of his direct disciples.
Feng Li called Jiang Luo over. After taking a sip of tea, he asked slowly, “How much reading did you do today?”
Jiang Luo reported each book.
Feng Li nodded and pulled a talisman book from the cabinet. “When you’ve finished the others, start practicing with this one.”
Jiang Luo took it and saw that the book was filled with ancient, obscure talismans that had never been passed down to the public. He carefully put it away and asked, “Master, where did you go today?”
Feng Li lifted his gaze to him. “To the Chi family.”
Jiang Luo said, “The Chi family?”
“The direct bloodline of the Chi family is gone. The collateral branch invited us over to witness their takeover,” Feng Li said coldly. “That ghost who’s been haunting you was the last of the main line.”
“I injured him yesterday, but he managed to escape at the last moment,” Feng Li leaned back. “Chi You really was the strongest of the Chi family’s main bloodline. Even in death, he’s that powerful. Compared to him, the side branch is nothing.”
The Chi family practiced the art of soul-refining puppetry, an ancient and powerful technique. In the hands of mortals, such power naturally stirred unease—no one wanted to risk becoming a puppet after death, their soul refined by the Chi clan.
By all logic, the Chi family should’ve been besieged long ago, their arts eradicated.
Such overwhelming power only brings disaster.
But the Chi family had prospered peacefully until now, for two reasons: first, soul-refining puppetry was extremely difficult to master. In all their history, only the main bloodline ever wielded it. Second, every genius of the main line died before the age of thirty.
When it came to Chi You, there was a third reason. Chi You had a gentle and kind personality. Though he had mastered soul-refining puppetry, he rarely used it. Instead, he made many friends and built trust in the metaphysical world. No one believed Chi You would ever use that technique for evil or personal gain.
Jiang Luo listened quietly. Great power, yet unable to live past thirty—it sounded like a curse.
Jiang Luo asked, “Master, is the Puppet Soul Refining Technique really something only the direct bloodline can master?”
Feng Li replied, “At least up until now, no collateral line has been able to.”
Jiang Luo asked again, “Then if Chi You is dead and the direct line is cut off, does that mean no one will truly master the Puppet Soul Refining Technique again?”
Feng Li said coldly, “But the Chi family still can’t be underestimated. Even if they grasp only a part of the Puppet Soul Refining Technique, that’s already incredible.”
From his expression, it was obvious that he didn’t consider the collateral Chi family members to be of any real threat.
Jiang Luo mused, “Master, what exactly is the Yuan Tian Bead?”
Feng Li gave him a sideways glance. “When you obtain it, you’ll know.”
“As my disciple, if you don’t retrieve the Yuan Tian Bead,” Feng Li said flatly, “then don’t bother coming back from Xiangxi.”
Jiang Luo: “…”
In order to make it back from Xiangxi, Jiang Luo burned the midnight oil again in the study. After ten more days, he finally finished reading the entire bookshelf of books.
Once he was done, Feng Li had him start practicing talismans. During this time, Jiang Luo saw Senior Brother Qiao a few times, but Senior Brother Qiao seemed back to normal—Jiang Luo could no longer detect even the slightest trace of Chi You in him.
A month passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time for the third round of the competition.
Early that morning, Jiang Luo shouldered his backpack and went downstairs. Feng Li was already waiting in the main hall. On the long wooden table were calligraphy brushes and cinnabar ink. Feng Li had lit incense and washed his hands clean. He looked at Jiang Luo and said, “Come here.”
Jiang Luo walked over.
“Sit,” Feng Li instructed.
Once Jiang Luo was seated, Feng Li dipped the brush in a bowl of clear water and suddenly flicked it at Jiang Luo.
Jiang Luo instinctively shut his eyes as drops of water lightly splashed on him. Feng Li then dipped the brush into the cinnabar ink and stepped in front of him.
The black-haired youth’s eyelids twitched. Feng Li said, “Don’t move.”
Jiang Luo obediently kept his eyes shut.
Feng Li adjusted the brush in his hand, reversing it front to back. His slender fingers gripped the black brush shaft, and he gently pulled down the collar of Jiang Luo’s shirt.
His neck and collarbone were revealed. In Feng Li’s pale eyes was reflected the image of the dark-haired youth. He gently tapped Jiang Luo’s shoulder twice, and two little paper effigys, already folded and prepared, leapt up and helped hold Jiang Luo’s shirt.
Only then did Feng Li begin to draw.
The red cinnabar trailed from Jiang Luo’s neck to his chest, forming a complex talisman shaped like a coiled vine. Feng Li painted slowly and steadily. When the final stroke was complete, the talisman flashed gold and vanished from Jiang Luo’s body.
Feng Li put the brush away, glanced down at the young man, and said, “Done.”
Jiang Luo opened his eyes and looked down at himself but saw nothing. “Master, what did you draw?”
“A life-saving talisman,” Feng Li replied. As a disciple came forward to clear the materials, he added, “The third round is different from the first two. You need to be careful and attentive.”
Jiang Luo took the advice to heart. “Understood.”
Feng Li nodded. “Go.”
Jiang Luo straightened his clothes, picked up his backpack, and left the Heavenly Master Residence to meet up with his classmates.
They boarded a plane, and three hours later arrived in Xiangxi.
Teacher Wan was still leading the team. After checking in with the event staff, Jiang Luo and the others got on a bus for another four-hour ride.
From bus to minibus, and finally another hour of bumping around in a van, they reached the destination. By the time they got out of the vehicle, several of them had already thrown up.
Once everyone had finished vomiting, they dragged themselves into the resting area.
The competition wouldn’t begin until tomorrow, so they had to spend the night there. But the rooms provided were extremely simple—clearly makeshift, with red bricks that hadn’t even been whitewashed. Twenty-two bedding sets were laid along the two side walls, forming a large communal sleeping area.
Lu Youyi dropped his luggage to the ground, mouth agape. “We’re sleeping here?”
A staff member chuckled, “Isn’t it great? You young people can bond and have fun staying together at night.”
“Is there a place to shower?” Zhuo Zhongqiu asked.
The staff showed them the wash area, which was just a plastic shed with some plastic basins and foot soak tubs inside. As for the toilets—they were the traditional rural kind.
No one could speak for a while. Back at the sleeping area, they resigned themselves to fate and picked out nine beds.
Zhuo Zhongqiu was the only girl, so they let her sleep against the wall. The rest of them laid out in a line, and the nine of them took up nearly half the space.
Jiang Luo counted the beds. “Wait a minute, there are only twenty-two?”
There should have been thirty people who passed the second round.
“Eight people dropped out,” the staff said regretfully. “Actually, five of them ate wild mushrooms in Yunnan, ended up hospitalized, and haven’t recovered even after a month.”
Jiang Luo and the others: “…”
That was… tragic.
The students from Baihua University had arrived earliest. After traveling all day, with only one meal on the plane and lots of vomiting afterward, they were starving. But when they went to ask for food, they were handed a single box of instant noodles, a box of soda water, and nine hot dogs.
Even Ge Zhu, who was usually the toughest, went pale. “This competition is brutal.”
Jiang Luo sighed. As the only one among them who could cook, he asked the staff for an iron pot and had his teammates collect firewood and forage for edible plants in the forest. He set up the pot on the spot.
Wenren Lian squatted nearby, watching curiously, and warned Kuang Zheng before he left to forage, “Don’t pick the wrong plants.”
Otherwise, they’d end up like those five unfortunate souls who ate wild mushrooms and ended up in the hospital, completely missing the competition.
Kuang Zheng had grown up used to hard times, so he knew what edible wild vegetables looked like better than Wenren Lian. Still, he nodded seriously, helped Jiang Luo set up the stove, and then headed into the forest.
Half an hour later, Kuang Zheng returned—not only with a handful of wild vegetables but also with a skinned long-eared rabbit.
By then, Jiang Luo had already lit the fire, surrounded by a group of curious onlookers. When they saw the rabbit in Kuang Zheng’s hands, their eyes lit up. “Roast rabbit?”
Jiang Luo rubbed his chin. “Sure.”
In less than ten minutes, the iron pot’s water was boiling. Jiang Luo dropped in a whopping eighteen packets of instant noodles.
Maybe it was the nature of their work, which consumed a lot of energy—they all needed to eat a lot to replenish themselves. Regardless of gender, every single one of them could eat like a bottomless pit. They looked refined on the outside but could easily put away three bowls of rice without breaking a sweat.
After adding the noodles, Jiang Luo sliced up two tomatoes Wenren Lian had managed to get from the staff and tossed them into the pot. He seasoned it with just the right amount of spices, saving some for the roast rabbit later.
The vegetables were added last. As the red soup boiled, waves of noodles tangled with green vegetables and sausage slices, the aroma of tomato and noodles intertwined and whetted everyone’s appetite. The sound of people swallowing their saliva echoed continuously.
Everyone, exhausted from the day’s journey, stared at the pot like starving wolves.
Lu Youyi wiped his drool and ran off to borrow bowls and chopsticks from the staff.
Qi Ye exclaimed for who knew how many times, “You can cook too?”
“It’s just instant noodles. Not a big deal.” Jiang Luo efficiently placed the rabbit on the fire to roast. Turning his head with a smirk, he asked, “What, am I so amazing that you’re thinking of giving up on first place?”
Qi Ye muttered, “Still going for it.”
Maybe he felt a bit awkward saying that after eating food someone else cooked, so his voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s.
Jiang Luo was amused.
The fragrant tomato noodles filled the whole rest area with their smell. Even Teacher Wan came over to mooch a meal, chuckling, “Noodles cooked in a pot taste completely different from ones made with just hot water.”
When Jiang Luo finally said they could eat, ten pairs of chopsticks dove into the iron pot, and in a flash, half the noodles were gone.
Lu Youyi enthusiastically served Jiang Luo the first bowl of noodles. Jiang Luo happily slurped them down and sipped some of the tomato soup. Just then, he heard the sound of suitcase wheels rolling closer.
Looking up, Jiang Luo saw a pale-faced contestant slowly approaching.
The person coughed every few steps. He had proper, delicate features, but his figure was emaciated and sickly. His face had no color, and even the hand pulling the suitcase was so pale and thin you could clearly see the blue veins under his skin.
The contestant also spotted them. With a weak smile, he slowly made his way over. “Hello.”
“Hello,” Jiang Luo returned the polite smile, retracting his curious gaze. “You are…?”
His lips were bright red from the tomato soup.
“My name is Liao Si,” the newcomer said softly and coughed, “Are you eating?”
Just from saying two sentences, he already looked drained. But the glance he sneaked at the pot was subtle and unmistakably full of longing.
Jiang Luo courteously offered, “Would you like to join us?”
Liao Si smiled, “Thank you.”
He put his suitcase to the side and slowly sat down next to Jiang Luo, accepting the bowl and chopsticks Lu Youyi handed him. He gently scooped up some noodles from the pot.
“This is delicious,” Liao Si breathed out softly and turned to Jiang Luo. “That trip almost killed me.”
He looked so frail that making it this far seemed like a miracle. Jiang Luo asked, “Where did you come from?”
Liao Si smiled bashfully, “I’m actually local—born and raised in Xiangxi.”
Jiang Luo: “…Tough.”
Liao Si gave a wry smile. “I’m not in good health, so it wasn’t as exhausting as your journey. But somehow I still seem more out of it than all of you.”
Jiang Luo laughed, “You knew where we came from?”
Liao Si nodded slightly, “In this third round, only Shanhai University and Baihua University would have groups this big. Besides, I’ve seen the live streams online. Even if I don’t recognize the others, it’s hard to miss you—the number one rank.”
Teacher Wan suddenly went, “Oh? You’re Liao Si, and you’re from Xiangxi? Are you a descendant of the corpse-driving Old Liao clan?”
Everyone instantly turned to look at Liao Si, who nodded calmly, smiling. “Yes, I am.”
“The children of the old Liao clan are already grown?” Teacher Wan said with amazement. “How’s your father doing?”
“My father’s in good health,” Liao Si seemed unwilling to continue the topic. Instead, he looked at the rabbit and gently reminded, “Is the rabbit done roasting?”
Jiang Luo glanced at it. The rabbit was now a golden honey color, with layers of fat dripping from the skin. It was indeed ready.
He took the rabbit down and used a dagger to divide it up among everyone, making sure to give Kuang Zheng a rabbit leg.
Liao Si also got a tender slice. After taking a bite, he gave another quiet compliment: “Delicious.”
The pot of tomato noodles was cleaned out, not even a drop of soup left. After a brief rest, everyone helped Liao Si back to the dorm.
He chose a bed beside Baihua University’s group, settling in right next to Jiang Luo’s left.
There was no cell signal in the dense forest. Fortunately, Lu Youyi had brought two decks of playing cards. As they played, more and more contestants trickled in.
All twenty-two of them squeezed into the large shared room—no one missing.
With more people, things got livelier. Just as Liao Si had said, most of the twenty-two contestants were from Shanhai and Baihua Universities. The rest came alone, scattered here and there.
The competition organizers still had some conscience—they didn’t make the contestants heat water themselves and instead provided hot water. After everyone had finished washing up as best they could in the rough conditions, the judges and staff walked into their room.
All six judges were present, with Feng Li standing at the forefront. His expression was indifferent, and not a speck of dust marred his appearance despite the bumpy journey. A staff member beside him held a tray containing yellow paper, cinnabar, black dog blood, and a stack of pre-written talismans.
The staff member said, “In light of the previous incident where Bai Yefeng was possessed by an evil spirit, we will now conduct a health check on all contestants. Please cooperate.”
Jiang Luo raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “A pleasant surprise.”
Judging from this setup, even if Chi You was hiding among the crowd, he’d be dragged out now.
Liao Si, seated beside Jiang Luo, had soft hair gently falling across his forehead. Watching the judges starting from the far end to inspect the contestants, he said in a warm voice, “This is the first time I’ve seen all six teachers appear together.”
Soon, the judges reached the students of Baihua University.
The six judges each had distinct appearances and temperaments. Among them was a bald monk, who smiled at Jiang Luo and the others. “All familiar faces to us teachers.”
Finally, his gaze landed on Ge Zhu. Ge Zhu sat cross-legged with a straight back but his head bowed, expression hidden.
“Ge Zhu,” the bald monk sighed faintly, his voice dropping, “You’re still not planning to come back?”
Jiang Luo turned to look at Ge Zhu, whose lips were tightly pressed together. “Master Chengde, I have already entered the Daoist path.”
Master Chengde gave a bitter smile and shook his head, saying no more.
Feng Li stepped in front of Jiang Luo. “Raise your hand.”
Jiang Luo withdrew his gaze and obediently lifted his hand.
Beside him, Liao Si was being examined by Zhuo Zhengyu. First, a drop of black dog blood was applied to his forehead. If it didn’t react, a talisman was applied next. If that too remained inert, the person was deemed unpossessed.
And that wasn’t all. The judges would then inscribe a talisman for soul stabilization and evil warding directly onto the contestants’ skin, as a safeguard against malicious ghostic intrusion during the competition.
By the time Jiang Luo’s check was complete, the others were mostly done as well. Feng Li gave him one last glance before moving on to the next group.
Liao Si looked at the characters on the back of his hand and smiled faintly. “The teachers are quite skilled—drawing so many talismans without even the slightest pause.”
Jiang Luo replied, “They are the Six Great Families, after all.”
He stood and walked over to Wenren Lian, patting him on the shoulder. “Wenren Lian, which of those six is from the Chi family?”
“The second from the left,” Wenren Lian replied.
Jiang Luo looked over and saw a stern-looking middle-aged man. He was currently writing a talisman on a student’s body. His expression was calm, but sweat was beginning to bead at his temples.
“That’s Chi You’s uncle,” Wenren Lian said with a cold smile. “A useless piece of trash.”
Jiang Luo laughed. “Rare to hear you speak like that.”
“Because what he did was disgusting,” Lu Youyi interjected with a snort. “Years ago, someone hired him for a ritual. Because of his carelessness, he nearly killed that family. When things blew up, he pushed the blame onto Chi You’s older brother, claiming the boy had performed the ritual in secret without permission.”
“Chi You’s brother had a gentle nature and actually took the fall. He was scolded for years,” Lu Youyi’s fists clenched. “Over the years, Chi You’s had to carry the blame for so many of the Chi family’s failures… It was only after he made friends and built a reputation that people realized someone like him wouldn’t do those things. That’s how his name got cleared.”
Jiang Luo almost thought he misheard.
Chi You took the fall?
He nearly burst out laughing. Were they serious?
They made Chi You take the blame—and he actually did it? And the ones who framed him were still alive?
“What happened to those Chi family members who pinned it on him?” Jiang Luo asked, clearly intrigued. While that uncle was still alive, the others might not be so lucky.
Wenren Lian said coldly, “Besides earning a bad reputation, they’re all still alive and well.”
Jiang Luo was stunned.
How could that be?
Given Chi You’s vindictive and ruthless nature, how could he let people walk all over him without retaliating?
Jiang Luo frowned. Something didn’t add up.
“These years,” he asked, “has no one from the extended Chi family died?”
A new voice chimed in from behind. “The main family is all dead. Not a single branch family member has had an accident.”
Liao Si slowly sat beside Jiang Luo and smiled faintly. “Isn’t that strange?”
Very strange.
Extremely strange.
Someone like Chi You would never let an enemy off the hook.
Logically, those who dared frame him should have been taken care of long ago.
Jiang Luo wanted to dig deeper, but the judges had already finished inspecting the students. A staff member smiled and said, “Everyone get some rest.”
It was late. Jiang Luo shelved his questions and returned to his bed with Liao Si. Before lying down, he suddenly looked up at Liao Si, who was calmly adjusting his pillow.
“How do you know so much about the Chi family?” he asked.
“Because I was curious,” Liao Si answered with a subtle smile. “I’m from a corpse-driving lineage. When I heard Chi You had died, I wanted to see his body. But my health isn’t great, and by the time I reached the Chi family estate, the funeral was already over.”
“Living at the Chi family’s place those few days, I ended up learning quite a bit.”
Jiang Luo didn’t notice anything suspicious. He nodded and laid back under the covers.
The light was turned off, and moonlight filtered through the window. The moon above the forest was bright and clear. Jiang Luo breathed in the crisp evening air, and drowsiness gradually crept in.
But just as he was about to fall asleep, he felt a sudden pain on his scalp, instantly jolting him awake.
Turning his head, he saw that Liao Si had accidentally pressed down on the ends of his hair. Jiang Luo rubbed his forehead and said in a low voice, “Liao Si, you’re pressing on my hair.”
Liao Si raised his arm and said apologetically, “Sorry.”
