Seventy-three.
That was the final count—73 four-tier Land King Crystals.
At five million apiece, Zhao Xuan earned a staggering 365 million yuan in total.
It wasn't even half of what he had devoured in Spirit Cacti over the last seven days—
but still, money was money, and this was the most he had ever seen in both his lives combined.
When the bank notification popped up, he couldn't help the surge of excitement that flooded through him.
But soon after, his rationality returned.
Without wasting time, Zhao Xuan used a large portion of the funds to purchase energy fluid and Spirit-Nurturing Fruits in bulk.
After saying a quick goodbye to Guildmaster Lian Jie, he returned home—
planning to extend his seclusion for one more day.
He wanted to use the entire day to push his Azure Dragon Fruit mastery into the Expert tier.
Time passed swiftly.
The next morning—
A flash of white light lit up his apartment.
Zhao Xuan's figure appeared, stepping out from the relic's portal.
He frowned slightly after glancing at his status panel.
"Still ten points short."
He sighed. "No matter. There's no rush. Today the exam results are released, and the provincial exam starts the day after tomorrow. As long as I break through before then, I'm good."
He smiled faintly. "I'll just head to school now, and after that, I'll hunt a couple of Desert Golems in the relic to finish the job."
With his plan made, Zhao Xuan relaxed.
He washed up, tidied his hair—which looked like a chicken's nest after seven days of seclusion—and stepped out the door.
As he passed by the Ability Users Guild, he spotted Lian Jie exiting the building with several third-tier ability users.
Their faces were grim, their steps brisk.
Something was wrong.
"Something's happened!" Zhao Xuan thought immediately, quickening his pace to catch up.
"Guildmaster Lian, what's going on?" he asked.
"Ah, Zhao Xuan!"
Lian Jie's expression softened slightly upon seeing him, though the tension in his features remained. His voice was low and heavy.
"Half an hour ago, our guild's outpost near the Xuanbird Relic entrance was attacked by members of the Demon Cult. Though our people managed to repel them, the casualties were severe. And according to reports, it's possible those cultists haven't actually retreated."
Zhao Xuan's brow furrowed deeply.
"The Demon Cult?"
That name alone sent a ripple of unease through him.
In this world, the Demon Cult was synonymous with infamy.
Its members were the worst of humanity—murderers, criminals, psychopaths who delighted in chaos.
Ten years ago, the Shenzhou government had launched a nationwide eradication campaign, destroying all three of the cult's major strongholds, killing both the cult leader and his vice-leader, as well as their three grand elders.
Since then, the cult had vanished from Shenzhou entirely.
They had continued to stir trouble overseas—but within Shenzhou's borders, they never dared to show their faces again.
And yet now—
After ten years of silence—
They had reappeared.
A sense of foreboding crept up Zhao Xuan's spine.
Something big is about to happen.
Then, as a thought flashed through his mind, his eyes widened slightly.
"Guildmaster Lian," Zhao Xuan said quickly, "if the Demon Cult dares to strike again—if they openly attacked a guild outpost—they must have come well-prepared.
And if that's the case, how could such an organized force possibly be repelled by a few stationed guards?
This smells like a trap—a trap meant for you!"
Lian Jie smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Don't worry, Zhao Xuan," he said calmly. "I've already thought of that possibility. I contacted the Regional Admiral earlier—he'll be accompanying me in secret."
Hearing that, Zhao Xuan exhaled, relieved.
"That's good to know."
Lian Jie patted Zhao Xuan's shoulder and smiled.
"All right, no more worrying. Today's the big day—the results are being released. I'm expecting good news from you."
With that, he turned and left with his team.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Zhao Xuan resumed his walk to school.
Soon, he arrived at Tongcheng No. 1 High School.
He joined his classmates, chatting idly as they anxiously awaited the official results announcement.
Time ticked by slowly.
By 9:30 a.m., only thirty minutes remained before results were published.
Excitement buzzed through the campus as students laughed and speculated about each other's scores.
Meanwhile—
Outside the school gates, a gray Baling minivan sat quietly by the curb.
Inside, the man in the passenger seat suddenly opened his eyes.
He gazed at the school before him, listening to the cheerful noise of the students.
A cruel, twisted smile crept across his face.
"The time is right," he murmured darkly. "Both of Tongcheng's fourth-tier ability users have been successfully lured away.
Now… it's slaughter time."
He turned to the others in the van, his voice low but sharp.
"Remember—time is tight. We have twenty minutes. No mistakes."
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
The black-clad men inside the van grinned wickedly, their eyes gleaming with bloodlust as they turned toward the school gates—
each one smiling the same vicious, predatory smile.
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