Chapter 274: Arrival! (Fifth Update)

"Congratulations?!"

Hearing these words, Situ Xingchen felt as if she had been slapped hard across the face!

Even if Chu Liuyue had competed in her stead and secured this first place for her, everyone had seen it clearly—the fourth-grade pills were refined by Chu Liuyue!

Every single person had personally witnessed Chu Liuyue's transcendent talent and astonishing strength!

At this moment, Situ Xingchen finally realized one thing—the higher the grade of the pills Chu Liuyue refined and the better the ranking she achieved, the greater the humiliation it brought to her!

After the Qingjiao Assembly, everyone would know that the only reason she, Situ Xingchen, could claim the title of Top Heavenly Physician was because Chu Liuyue was sufficiently outstanding!

When that time came, the focus of everyone's conversation would be on Chu Liuyue; who would care about her then?

All the fame and honor would, in the end, still belong to Chu Liuyue!

And what was she?

Nothing more than a pitiful, lamentable foil!

By giving her this first place, Chu Liuyue was simultaneously handing her a massive humiliation!

Situ Xingchen's intestines twisted with regret; her face flushed and paled in rapid succession, and she wished she could vanish from this place immediately!

Elder Feng Yi scanned the crowd

"I declare that the winner of this year's Qingjiao Assembly Heavenly Physician competition is: Taiyan Academy—Situ Xingchen!"

As his low, powerful voice fell, the vast plaza fell into an eerie silence.

The members of Taiyan Academy, in particular, wore expressions that were difficult to describe.

"Princess Situ, you don't look very happy?"

Chu Liuyue blinked and asked.

"I vaguely heard you say just now that you wanted to cancel the agreement between us. Why? Is my compensation not enough?"

Situ Xingchen's body trembled slightly.

Asking when she already knew the answer!

Chu Liuyue was clearly doing this on purpose!

Gritting her teeth, she forced a smile, though there was no warmth in her eyes.

"No... no..."

Chu Liuyue had helped her secure first place; how could she say it wasn't enough?

But—she would rather not have this first place at all!

Elder Feng Yi cupped his hands toward Cheng Han and said with a chuckle

"Dean Cheng Han, congratulations!"

A mouthful of old blood felt stuck in Cheng Han's chest.

Before this, he had never imagined he would win the top rank for Martial Artists in such a manner!

But now, hearing the word "congratulations," he felt it would have been better to have no ranking at all!

This first place, when all was said and done, was still taken by Chu Liuyue!

In all these years, he had never encountered something so stifling and speechless!

Sun Zhongyan looked at Ji Zixing and patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"Zixing, you performed very well this time. Although you didn't help our academy take first place, strength is everything. One must accept defeat gracefully when gambling, right?"

Ji Zixing responded

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder Sun. This student will keep it in mind."

Cheng Han clenched his fists.

Sun Zhongyan was clearly insulting him through metaphor!

Every single word was laced with sarcasm!

Yet, he was utterly unable to refute it!

Zuo Rong, Xuan Cang, and the others exchanged glances, their expressions complex.

After a long while, Zuo Rong could not help but press his hand to his forehead, muttering with a headache.

"I knew that girl was hiding her strength!"

During that previous time, she must have intentionally acted so clumsy; to think they actually believed she was truly unskilled in alchemy!

Xuan Cang felt even more embarrassed.

At that time, he was the one who had looked down on Chu Liuyue the most. He hadn't expected...

After a long silence, he finally said

"No wonder the Dean was willing to take her as a disciple."

With such talent, one could likely not find a second one in the entire Yaochen Kingdom!

Zuo Rong, however, moved on quickly, clapping his hands together.

"Hehe, why think so much! That girl was intentionally hiding her strength before. It wasn't just us; didn't so many people fail to notice? Tsk, I heard that previously, Liuyue caused quite a stir in the Chu family. Looking at it now, that was nothing. Just wait until the news of the Qingjiao Assembly spreads, tsk tsk!"

When Chu Liuyue first enrolled in Tianlu Academy, the members of the Chu family might have felt some regret, but it wasn't enough to cause them heartache.

After all, the Chu family still had Chu Xianmin, who was considered an outstanding student in the academy.

But now, things were different.

At the Qingjiao Assembly, Chu Liuyue had taken first place in both the Martial Artist and Mystic Master categories!

Even, to be more precise, the first place in Heavenly Physician was also hers!

Such a genius had almost never appeared in the entire history of the Yaochen Kingdom!

Even thinking with one's toes, one could tell what the talent Chu Liuyue was currently displaying meant!

—Barring any accidents, she was destined to be a top-tier powerhouse with boundless prospects in the future!

That would be the truly fatal blow to the Chu family!

The three competitions of the Qingjiao Assembly finally came to a complete end. Next was the distribution of rewards based on the competition rankings.

Situ Xingchen did not remember how she accepted this so-called "first place"; her entire being felt numb, and her mind was a chaotic blur.

In contrast, Chu Liuyue was not affected in the slightest.

An adjudicating teacher brought forward two Universe Bags.

Sun Zhongyan smiled and said

"Liuyue, these two Universe Bags are the rewards for your first place in the Martial Artist and Mystic Master categories, respectively. The items are all inside; you may inspect them yourself."

A wave of envious clamor rose from the crowd.

These two Universe Bags alone were precious enough, let alone the other treasures inside!

Chu Liuyue performed a brief inspection and found that they included some precious Mystic Array diagrams, several high-level martial techniques, and even the core essence of a mid-tier magical beast.

The corners of her mouth curled into a bright smile

"Thank you, Elder Sun."

Seeing her composed and dignified manner, Elder Sun nodded with satisfaction.

There were many good things in those Universe Bags.

For Chu Liuyue to remain so calm and poised was truly impressive, bringing honor to their academy.

Of course, the most important thing was still her talent and strength.

"Besides these, there is one more thing. You may choose any one of the three great academies to enter and borrow books for free for one month. When I asked you a few days ago, you said you needed to think it over. Now, do you have an answer?"

Chu Liuyue nodded.

"Elder Sun, I have decided. I want to go to—Taiyan Academy!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

Although Taiyan Academy was an option, it was now very obvious that Chu Liuyue had completely offended the entire hierarchy of their academy.

If she went there, wouldn't she just be looking for trouble?

Even Cheng Han could not help but ask

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure," Chu Liuyue's expression remained unchanged.

She needed to personally investigate the matters regarding Heng Jingchuo and Yang Jianqing.

And this was the best opportunity.

"Why? Is Dean Cheng Han not welcoming?"

Cheng Han sneered and said slowly

"How could that be? Taiyan Academy welcomes you most!"

Chu Liuyue pretended not to hear the threat in his words, her smile beaming.

"Thank you."

Emperor Jiawen finally spoke

"Liuyue, you—"

Before he could finish, Eunuch Min suddenly rushed forward, saying urgently

"Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jiawen said displeasedly

"What is all this frantic rushing about!"

Eunuch Min hurriedly knelt and presented a letter with both hands.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty! This old servant has urgent news to report—the envoys of the Heavenly Decree Empire have arrived twenty kilometers outside the Imperial Capital! They will arrive in a moment!"

Chu Liuyue's heart trembled violently! She abruptly looked up!