Chapter 1521 — Sweeping the Top Five

The trial participants on the mountain had in truth been waiting for this moment as well. The heavenly treasures on the mountain had already been all but divided up among them; there was nothing more to be found by searching further.

"It looks as though everyone is here!" Xiao Qing nodded in satisfaction. "Next, Xiao Li will call the roll. When your name is called, step up and present your heavenly treasures and your points card!"

The final moment had come, and at Xiao Qing's words the expressions of the trial participants were as varied as could be.

Those like Wei Zhao, who held many heavenly treasures in their hands, had nothing to worry about. And those with only a handful of treasures had simply stopped fretting over it—there was no chance they would place in the top ten, so there was no need to trouble themselves at all.

The most anxious were those who had a fair number of treasures, though not quite enough; every one of them hoped to scrape through by luck.

"Chen Jindan!"

One of the trial participants heard his name called, and came up before the innkeeper, handing over his points card and his heavenly treasures.

The innkeeper gave them a look over and nodded. "Three hundred and fifty-five points!"

Of the participants called up after him, most had scores in the three hundreds; only a few surpassed five hundred, and there were likewise some with scores in the dozens or in the low hundreds. Those people, however, all wore bleak expressions, having already resigned themselves to packing up and going home.

"Yang Qiqi!"

When her name was called, Yang Qiqi took up her pack and her points card and stepped forward, calmly handing what she held to the innkeeper. With Wei Zhao's help, she had been all but assured of victory in this trial; there was no suspense to speak of.

"Fifteen hundred points!" When the innkeeper read out the number on the points card, he could not help but be startled. He knew well enough what Yang Qiqi's strength was—a practitioner of the external school, at that; by such strength alone, she might well be called the weakest of all the trial participants. And yet Yang Qiqi's score was the highest to date!

But when the innkeeper saw the snow spirit ganoderma in Yang Qiqi's pack, he let out a breath of relief. A single snow spirit ganoderma was worth a thousand points. Seen that way, it could only be said that Yang Qiqi had been rather lucky.

Naturally, the innkeeper had not witnessed the trial itself—which was why he was surprised—whereas not a single one of the participants present was surprised. Yang Qiqi and Wei Zhao were of the same team; even if she had two thousand points, that would be perfectly normal.

Wei Zhao, after all, had taken the heavenly treasures of both Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian for himself!

Xiao Qing had stood at the Ice Palace Master's side and witnessed the whole course of the trial. Though it was impossible to take in every last detail, the whole picture could still be taken in. Naturally, Xiao Qing had watched as Wei Zhao defeated Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian, and knew that Yang Qiqi was one of the little team around Wei Zhao; so Yang Qiqi's score did not surprise Xiao Qing either.

Next to step forward were Yu Bing, Zhao Qitan, Zhao Qijiu, and Wei Zhao. All of them, save Wei Zhao, had around thirteen hundred points; Wei Zhao alone had taken exactly two thousand.

Wei Zhao's purpose in this was to rank first—for only by taking first could one have a greater voice, and dealing with the Ice Palace would be that much easier.

Before long, the scores of all the trial participants were fully recorded. Wei Zhao and the others had swept the top five places of the entire trial without the slightest suspense.

Wei Zhao first, Yang Qiqi second, Yu Bing third, and Zhao Qitan and Zhao Qijiu tied for fourth.

Though the top three were to receive a special reward from the Ice Palace, Zhao Qitan did not dare entertain such thoughts. He knew that his own ties with Wei Zhao were not as close as Yu Bing's or Yang Qiqi's, and so he voluntarily yielded his place in the top three, going straight to a tie for fourth with Zhao Qijiu.

Those participants who had not placed were rather dejected, sighing and groaning one after another. One in particular, who had missed tenth place by a mere five points, beat his chest and stamped his feet, cursing his bad luck.

"Very good! The participants of this round are all of no small strength, and five of them have achieved outstanding results!" Xiao Qing nodded, gaze sweeping past Wei Zhao and the others—though it lingered a while longer on Wei Zhao's face—before saying, "The list of the top ten participants is now settled. Those who have won, please line up in order of rank and state the trial reward you would like; Xiao Li will register it for you!"

Under Xiao Qing's sharp gaze, Wei Zhao felt as though his innermost thoughts had been seen through. The invisible pressure left a person somewhat short of breath—the aura of a Heaven Rank expert was truly extraordinary! Yet Wei Zhao could tell that in Xiao Qing's eyes there was mostly curiosity, and no ill intent.

"Yes!" The ten winning participants went off, all of them delighted, to register with the innkeeper.

"Let those participants who did not advance not be discouraged either. Should any of the top ten give up becoming an outer disciple of the Ice Palace and choose instead the right to exchange for heavenly treasures, the vacated place may be passed down the list in order!" Xiao Qing said to those who had not won.

At once, a flicker of hope darted through the eyes of several among those who had not won. Those few, of course, all ranked below tenth and above fifteenth; the eleventh-place participant was the most excited of all. As he saw it, if even one participant chose the exchange right, his turn would come.

"Rogue cultivator Ling Yi, may I ask whether you wish to become an outer disciple of the Ice Palace, or to have the right to exchange for a heavenly treasure?" the innkeeper asked Wei Zhao.

Of all of them, Wei Zhao's victory was the least surprising to the innkeeper. Wei Zhao's situation had made him deeply curious from the start; he could not sense Wei Zhao's strength, and the speed at which Wei Zhao recovered from his injuries startled him as well.

"The exchange right," Wei Zhao said without the slightest hesitation.

"Very well." The innkeeper was not surprised. A man like Wei Zhao had no need to temper himself among the Ice Palace's outer disciples; he had his own way of cultivating. Most rogue cultivators who came here for the trial chose the exchange right.

Hearing Wei Zhao's words, the eleventh-place participant's face flushed red with delight. He had not expected that the very first man would give up becoming an outer disciple of the Ice Palace. At this rate, was it not certain that he himself would become a disciple of the Ice Palace?

"Rogue cultivator Yang Qiqi, may I ask whether you wish to become an outer disciple of the Ice Palace, or to have the right to exchange for a heavenly treasure?" The innkeeper put to Yang Qiqi the same question he had put to Wei Zhao.

"The exchange right," Yang Qiqi said, as unhesitatingly as Wei Zhao.

The innkeeper nodded and noted it down all the same.

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