Chapter 328: Chapter 297 Rank_1

Hum!

In front of them, a slight ripple suddenly appeared in the void, followed swiftly by a portal tall enough for two people, revealing an enigmatic vortex.

Those who had been waiting entered in single file immediately.

In the blink of an eye, their surroundings had drastically changed.

Blue sky, white clouds, and a desolate Black Stone Forest.

“Is this the outside world?”

Xu Ling, with eyes filled with moved tears, gazed at the blue sky and white clouds, a sight they had only ever heard of from their parents. The villagers who had come out with him were overwhelmed with excitement as well.

They had never dared to dream that they would ever escape and live freely. This made their gratitude to Xu Mu increase significantly.

“What is the Eleventh doing bringing these people out”

The princes and princesses who had already emerged questioned in their hearts.

They also encountered similar villagers when they were hunting monsters in the space and knew these people were used to prepare Corpse Puppet materials. Their bodies having been eroded by gloomy energy, they seemed to be of no value.

However, nobody came forward to ask, considering them nothing more than a band of Qi Cultivation stage individuals. They didn’t take them seriously, perhaps it was the Eleventh’s unique taste!

Only when the Fifth Prince saw several people, he greeted them with a smile.

“Fifth Brother!”

“Your Highness, the Fifth Prince!”

“Hmm! I’m relieved to see you all safe,” the Fifth Prince smiled.

“We didn’t expect Friend Wu and his group…”

“Life is unpredictable, and there’s nothing anyone can do!”

The Fifth Prince sighed.

Who could have imagined that those with high strength would meet with accidents, while those with low strength would be safe?

While they were speaking, the Seventh Princess also came out of the passage. Seeing Xu Mu safe and sound, she snorted and went to the side by herself.

Then, the Crown Prince, Third Princess, Second Prince, and others came out one by one.

Last to emerge were the old woman and the youth.

“All right! Come forward one by one and submit the collected qi!”

After counting everyone, the old woman took the compass handed over by a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator and spoke.

Due to her high status, the cultivator originally responsible for overseeing the trial stepped aside to let her take charge. The old woman did not hesitate; it was effortless for her and allowed her to assess the talents of these young ones.

The first to step forward was the Crown Prince. He bowed modestly in front of the old woman, took out the jade bottle containing the collected qi from his storage bag, and cast a spell on it.

The jade bottle immediately emitted a large amount of qi, which then entered the compass.

The compass glowed and then displayed a number –

Seven thousand one hundred and fourteen!

“Not bad!”

The old woman nodded her approval.

Initially, the Crown Prince had not killed many monsters to reach the central area as soon as possible. Later, all his subordinates were lost in the palace, and most of the qi here was collected from beasts he killed alone. This amount was indeed quite impressive.

Then came the Second Prince, with six thousand six hundred and eighty-nine!

Third Princess, six thousand three hundred and twenty-five!

Fifth Prince, six thousand four hundred and ninety-three!

Seventh Princess, nine thousand five hundred and seventy-eight!

When the Seventh Princess’ score appeared, everyone was taken aback. It was significantly higher than the others, exceeding the Crown Prince’s by more than two hundred.

The faces of the leading princes were a bit gloomy. Why was the Seventh Princess’s score so much higher when their situations were similar?

Only the Seventh Princess wore a proud smile on her face, confidant of her victory.

Sharp-minded Xu Mu noticed that some of the princes’ eyes flickered in the crowd and guessed what had happened.

It wouldn’t be surprising given the Seventh Princess’s personality.

However, if you think you can claim first place, you’re absolutely dreaming!

Soon, it was Li Youlan’s turn. Xu Mu had given her the jade vial well in advance.

Li Youlan walked forward, gave her respects to the elder, and then took out the jade vial to release the aura within.

“Fourteen thousand, five hundred and seventy-seven!!!”

All the people were so shocked by this number they were left speechless.

The Seventh Princess had already been flamboyant with her score, and who would have thought Li Youlan outdid her, with five thousand more.

However, considering the strength of Li Youlan’s team, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“Impossible! She cheated!” The Seventh Princess cried out, not willing to accept the result.

“Humph!”

The elder looked at the Seventh Princess expressionlessly and huffed skeptically.

The Seventh Princess, her face full of anger, immediately shut her mouth.

“Next!” The elder coldly called.

Naturally, the scores that followed were much lower. There wasn’t even one that exceeded three thousand. Some scored just over a thousand. The so-called prodigy, the Eighteenth Prince, scored just over a hundred, presumably because he had been engrossed in cultivation instead of hunting monsters. It was really to admire – a true cultivation fanatic.

“First place, the Eleventh Princess Li Youlan! Second place, the Seventh Princess…”

“Elder!”

Even as the elder was reading out the rankings, the Seventh Princess was still unwilling to accept it. She was immediately silenced with a stern gaze.

“I have no patience for your shenanigans, don’t disgrace me here!”

The unmerciful words of the elder turned the Seventh Princess pale.

“This elder, seems like a good person!” Thought Xu Mu to himself.

The reason why Li Youlan had such a large aura is because of his tampering. Before breaking open the Formation, he used the Corpse Puppet Skill to collect a wave of aura. His intention was to secure first place.

However, now it seemed as if it were a bit too much. Luckily, the elder did not suspect anything. Otherwise, it would be quite troublesome to explain.

After the reading was over, the elder left with the young man. She was just passing by and had come to take a look after receiving the news. She wasn’t going to stay behind to deal with the aftermath.

The other princes and princesses also took their leave, leaving only the three at the Nascent Soul Stage. As for the rewards, they would have to wait until they returned to the imperial capital and got the emperor’s approval.

Upon returning to the capital, after a day of rest, Li Youlan was summoned into the palace to receive her reward. She returned in the late afternoon, brimming with a joy that suggested she had received praise from the emperor.

When she returned, she gathered everyone to distribute the rewards, still on the Inviting Moon Platform.

“This time we could claim first place, thanks to Friend Xu’s unparalleled contribution. I have decided to leave the Marquis’s seat to him. Do you all agree?”

“No objections! No objections!”

People like Qiao Qianqian naturally would have no objections. They had been completely sidelined during the process. The internal affairs were known to them. They wouldn’t have been able to secure first place without Xu Mu, or even reach the top five.

Even if Xu Mu took the lion’s share, they had still made a fortune. It was more than what they could have earned by struggling for hundreds of years.

No wonder so many people wanted to follow the royal children, they could make money too fast.

Only Lu Kui was sulking and drinking in silence.

If he had known that the trial would result in the first place so easily, he would not have pretended to be sick. Now he could only watch others eating meat, and he did not even get the soup.

Alas! He shouldn’t have listened to Wang Yongan!

Speaking of Wang Yongan, another sigh, he was also unlucky enough. He didn’t get anything from entering the trial and even lost his reputation.

Lu Kui could only comfort himself by celebrating at least he was still alive.

He glanced at Xu Mu and reminded himself not to offend him again in the future.

After the others divided the remaining rewards, they all drank to their heart’s content, ending up a bit tipsy.

“Friend Xu, I feel a bit dizzy. Can you take me home?” Qiao Qianqian leaned into Xu Mu, exhaling like an orchid.

“There are maids and servants here. I have things to attend to, so I’ll take my leave!”

Xu Mu leaves hurriedly, leaving Qiao Qianqian stomping her feet in anger.

She made her intentions so clear, yet this guy still doesn’t get the hint. Does he see her as less than those two Qi Cultivation maids?

“If it wasn’t for the princess’s order, I wouldn’t even glance at you, old man! Humph!”