Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 117 The Little Girl Feeds Blood, the Breast is Presumptuous
"Zou'er, what are you doing? What are you doing!"

A sudden burst of sobbing and wailing filled the air, attracting the attention of many people.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shu turned his head to look and happened to see an acquaintance.

It turned out to be the "former second aunt" who had greeted them earlier; she was arguing with a young man.

The young man's blood and energy were surging restlessly; he had already tried many times but failed to ring the bronze bell. As the time drew nearer, he became increasingly agitated.

After his former second aunt knelt down and said something, the young man surnamed Zou roared, "Useless trash! What's the point of my father raising you!"

The boy's face was contorted, his expression a mixture of resentment, fear, and weakness, moving all who beheld him. Even the two envoys from the immortal sects who had caused this scene couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

"Tsk tsk, what an incompetent and furious sight."

An envoy from a celestial sect stood before Fang Shu and the others and spoke up:

"Don't blame us. Every family that enters the sect goes through this kind of tempering. Compared to the two of us back then, you are already considered better off."

These words left Fang Shu and the other qualified candidates looking at each other in bewilderment, unable to tell whether the two men were telling the truth or lying.

But whether it was the truth or a lie, Fang Shu and the others felt their hearts sink once again.

As they spoke, the situation in the room changed once again.

Some candidates couldn't bear it any longer and, having nowhere to turn for help, could only stumble through the crowd and leave in disgrace. Others asked their relatives to quickly buy precious medicine, but after hastily purchasing it at a high price, they were still unable to enter the examination hall, leaving both sides sweating profusely with anxiety.

And that boy surnamed Zou who asked for milk earlier, he's already drinking it now.

However, what this child was drinking was not breast milk. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his face contorted as he bit open his "little mother's" wrist and swallowed the mature woman's blood.

Within a few breaths, the mature woman's face turned pale, her lips were bloodless, and her body began to tremble, clearly showing signs of severe depletion.

After drinking the human blood, the young man surnamed Zou's face turned flushed, and he immediately stood up.

"Zou'er," the mature woman whispered, clutching her wrist.

The young man surnamed Zou ignored the woman and strode towards the bronze bell, gathering all his strength and throwing a punch.

Dong! The man's qi and blood finally reached a height of three zhang, causing the bronze bell to ring.

The sound of the bell brought a look of ecstasy to the young man surnamed Zou, and also brought a smile to the face of the frail mature woman beside him.

When the mature woman stumbled back into the crowd, her face was pale, but she even had a sense of pride on her face as she met everyone's gaze.

The remaining candidates in the room became even more agitated upon seeing this.

Some acted decisively, asking their relatives for the essence blood to consume. Others hesitated, unwilling to drink the essence blood offered to them… Their reactions were varied, truly reflecting the diverse attitudes of the examinees.

Three-quarters of an hour passed, and the two envoys from the immortal sects, without hesitation, said in unison:
"time up!"

A voice filled with resentment rang out in the examination room.

In the end, only twenty-seven candidates successfully stood on the side of the Immortal Sect's envoy.

The more candidates passed, the more miserable their situation became. The last one to pass was able to do so by desperately hitting the bell with his head, which cracked his skull and caused a large pool of blood to flow out.

Faced with these ruthless examinees, the two envoys from the immortal sects remained unmoved, their eyes filled with mockery as they casually remarked:
"Why is that? If you can't pass the spring imperial examination, then just wait for the autumn one. At that time, someone will come to take you in the same way."

Soon, Fang Shu and the others understood why the two envoys had such mocking expressions.

Because the next method of screening people will be the same old challenge: a contest of skills.

Under the orders of the two immortal sect envoys, several arenas in the arena were cleared away, and those candidates who were still lingering on the stage were mercilessly driven off.

After a brief explanation of the rules, all the candidates who passed the test had a somber expression.

The imperial examination's arena had no restrictions on methods or time, but certain external objects were forbidden. Eighteen circles of varying heights were drawn in the arena, some even consisting of wooden stakes. The one who could remain standing in the center without being challenged was the one who passed the final test. Knowing the method for the final test, the twenty-seven candidates couldn't help but whisper among themselves, some of them exchanging knowing glances.

For example, Qin Min, who had also reached the third level, stood very close to Hua Xiaqing from the Green Bamboo Pavilion, both of them smiling.

This kind of arena-style fighting is undoubtedly a way for familiar candidates to wear someone down through a series of battles.

With some people secretly making connections, naturally some candidates were targeted, such as Fang Shu.

However, those who had their eyes on him all looked wary and uncertain, so they chose to look away and instead focus on the candidates who passed later.

In just over ten breaths, undercurrents surged among the twenty-seven people, and the resentment they felt towards the Immortal Sect envoy was replaced by vigilance and hostility.

Just as the two envoys from the immortal sects were about to announce the start of the final selection, a loud bang!
A muffled rumble of thunder suddenly echoed in the sky, startling everyone. They looked in the direction of the sound and saw flames rising on one side of the town, turning a corner of the sky red, as if a fire dragon had been born.

"not good!"

The examination hall was filled with surprise, and soon the angry shouts of the curator and others rang out: "A riot has broken out at the Lead Mountain Mine!"

"What, another riot?"

"Damn it, a message came from the mines that this time is different from usual. Dozens of mines across the entire mountain have rioted. They're begging us to leave the town immediately to quell the unrest!"

The sudden event drew the attention of all the guild leaders away from the imperial examinations. Some of them, who had clearly invested a lot of money in the mines, immediately cursed, "These mining slaves deserve to die!"

Some people gloated: "Hey, if they had known this would happen, why didn't they act like human beings? If they had treated the people at the mine better earlier, they wouldn't be causing trouble today."

This commotion also attracted the attention of the immortal sect's envoy, and the two spoke in hushed tones.

The woman surnamed Zong slowly opened her eyes and gazed at the lead mine where flames were soaring into the sky.

Among the candidates, Fang Shu and others had mixed feelings. Some were worried that the spring examination would be interrupted, delaying their journey up the mountain, while others hoped that the spring examination would be suspended so that they could recuperate and recover.

Before long, after discussing with the other shopkeepers, the market manager reluctantly bowed to the envoy from the Immortal Sect.
"Reporting to the three of you, the Lead Mountain Mine is the primary mine in this town that supplies minerals to the Immortal Sect, and it cannot be lost."

To prevent those lowly people from causing excessive damage to the mine shafts and delaying future production, we beg Your Excellency's permission to excuse us and not let them succeed!

Both envoys from the immortal sects turned to look at the immortal family with the surname Zong, letting the other make the decision.

The woman surnamed Zong did not reply with a yes or no, but simply said, "Interesting."

She then stood up, looked in the direction of the mine, and said, "The third arena is void."

Upon hearing this, all the hall masters and examinees froze, staring intently at the woman.

A slight smile finally appeared on the woman's usually impassive face. She said:
"What's the point of fighting in a ring? It's too restrictive."

Whoosh!

The woman's body swayed, like an arrow released from a bow, heading straight for the location of the lead mine, leaving only her voice echoing in the distance:
"Quickly suppress the riot; those who perform the best will be granted passage!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the examination hall paused for a moment, then responded in unison:
"Yes, I will obey the messenger's orders."

Whoosh whoosh!
After recovering from their astonishment, Fang Shu and the other candidates immediately used their own methods to head straight for the lead mine, each vying for dominance.

The owners of the pavilions also understood what the woman surnamed Zong meant, and they all followed around the candidates as a form of support.

at the same time.

While the townspeople stared with burning eyes at the lead-aluminum mine, outside Guling Town...

Some people stood up and looked at the bustling, brightly lit Guling market with greedy eyes.

　P.S.: Please vote for me! I'll add an extra chapter if I break into the top ten of the new book charts.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)