Chapter 3940 — The Curtain Falls on the Newcomers' Trial

A strange light flickered through Murong Zhen's eyes as she gazed at Wei Zhao, tinged with a deep, bitter jealousy. Why? Why was it that when you set yourself against Wei Zhao, he still protected you? And I, a woman of rare beauty, offer myself freely—yet Wei Zhao has no interest at all?

Shangguan Lan'er, just you wait. I will make Wei Zhao fall at my feet, and then he and I will join forces and make your life a living death!

"Junior Brother Lin, this time you've locked down first place in points beyond any doubt. Congratulations are in order," the Wretched Senior Brother said, genuinely delighted on Wei Zhao's behalf.

By the rules, the victor took all the loser's points. Wei Zhao had begun with two hundred eighty-one, and adding Meng Zhou's one hundred eighty brought his total to a staggering four hundred sixty-one—a score that was simply frightening.

Never mind catching up—the other Qingyun Pavilion newcomers could pool every point they had among them and still not match Wei Zhao's tally. They were not even on the same plane.

"Points are secondary, honestly. But I was a little careless this time—a miscalculation on my part," Wei Zhao said, glancing at Meng Zhou in the distance with some regret.

His original plan had been to kill Meng Zhou outright this time and eliminate the threat for good. The Meng Zhou of today was an entirely different creature from the old one; the former buffoon could be dismissed, but this one had to be guarded against.

In Wei Zhao's estimation, the twenty-four forms of the Frenzied Fire Fist should have been enough to instantly kill a peak early-stage Foundation Establishment expert. But Meng Zhou had swallowed the Midnight-Noon Heart-Shattering Pill, making him something other than a normal peak early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. Whether a single blow could kill him this time was still uncertain.

What a pity—the fight was already over, and it was too late for Wei Zhao to finish him off. He should have held nothing back from the start and gone straight to the twenty-third form of the Frenzied Fire Eight-Trigram Palm.

"The way I see it, Junior Brother Lin, there's no need to be disappointed. Wounded into that wretched, pitiful state, it's still unknown whether Meng Zhou will even survive. We leave it to heaven's will," the Wretched Senior Brother consoled.

"Mm. For now, that's all we can do." Wei Zhao nodded. With his strength, he could already suppress his opponents—even Meng Jiaming was no match for him. Meng Zhou might be somewhat sinister, but there was no need to fear him excessively.

At that moment, the rest of the crowd was still so shaken by the battle between Wei Zhao and Meng Zhou that they could not collect themselves for a long while.

From the very first day, friction between Wei Zhao and Meng Zhou had never ceased. The newcomers still remembered vividly how Wei Zhao had defeated Meng Zhou in a single exchange that day.

After that, Meng Zhou had schemed ceaselessly to reclaim his face, only to watch helplessly as the gap between them widened—until at one point even Qiao Hongcai, a mere underling beneath Wei Zhao, could pin him flat in a head-on clash.

And now, having finally swallowed the Midnight-Noon Heart-Shattering Pill and thinking he could at last turn the tables, he had instead met such a humiliating end. Even if Meng Zhou's own life or death remained unknown, the other newcomers could not help but feel their hearts break for him.

After this battle, since the arena had been utterly destroyed by Wei Zhao, the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers had to relocate. They found an open stretch of ground and continued the last of the scheduled duels among themselves.

With the Wei Zhao–Meng Zhou fight behind them, the remaining duels among the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers clearly lacked that scalp-prickling intensity.

Though they too staked their fortunes and lives, every one of them fighting desperately—many battering each other to mutual ruin—and the spectacle was hardly lacking in ferocity, their strength set the limit, and that was all that could be said.

Worth noting among these was that Wei Zhao stepped forward once again, naming Murong Zhen as his challenge.

The previous bout had been Meng Zhou challenging him; Wei Zhao still had one opportunity left to challenge someone of his own choosing.

Wei Zhao did this not only for his own group but also with Shangguan Lan'er in mind. If that woman Murong Zhen chose to accept the challenge in some fit of recklessness, Wei Zhao could seize the chance to root her out completely.

After what had happened at Half-Moon Lake, his opinion of Murong Zhen could hardly have been worse. If he truly got the chance, tender mercy for a fair lady would be so much mist in the wind—beating her to death was the way to go.

Unfortunately, the woman was perceptive enough to choose submission. Fifty points meant nothing to her, and Wei Zhao's overwhelming strength had already sunk deep into everyone's minds. A woman skilled at enduring humiliation like her would never give Wei Zhao the opening he sought.

After that, Murong Zhen promptly returned the favor, naming Xiao Che as her challenge. Even if she was no match for Wei Zhao yet, she could at least recover her face at the expense of his underling.

Wei Zhao could do nothing about it. His strength was indeed formidable, but he could hardly fight in Xiao Che's place. And with only early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, Xiao Che was plainly no match for Murong Zhen.

With no other choice, Xiao Che could only do as Murong Zhen had—hand over fifty points and concede the match.

Thus the crucial final stage of the newcomers' trial at last drew entirely to a close. The results were plain: Wei Zhao took first without suspense, Qiao Hongcai second, and Li Zhengming third.

As Pavilion Master Hu Yunfeng had announced long ago, in this newcomers' trial the points determined not only one's future treatment and standing after entering the Triple-Tier Pavilion, but the victors would also receive no small reward.

The top three of each of the Three Tiered Pavilions would each receive a pill as reward—a choice between a Foundation Establishment Pill and a Foundation Establishment Barrier-Breaking Pill.

All three of them—Wei Zhao and the others—were already experts at early-stage Foundation Establishment or above, so without question they all chose the Barrier-Breaking Pill. And the moment Wei Zhao received his reward pill, he promptly handed it over to Xiao Che.

After all, Wei Zhao had only just broken through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment with three Foundation Establishment Golden Pills and one Barrier-Breaking Pill. He would have no use for this one in the short term, and even if he did, he could simply open his own furnace and refine it.

This Barrier-Breaking Pill was, by contrast, far more vital to Xiao Che. Given his foundation and cultivation talent, he might surprise Wei Zhao at any moment by becoming a peak early-stage Foundation Establishment expert.

After several months and a full six stages, the much-watched newcomers' trial had finally drawn its curtain. The results were cause for joy in some quarters and sorrow in others, but among the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers, Wei Zhao's group was unquestionably the greatest winner, laughing last and laughing best.

After the trial, the newcomers of the Welcome Pavilion could at last breathe easy. Nerves strung taut for so long could finally relax; some took their rest, some resumed their cultivation, each with their own plans.

What Wei Zhao had to do now was consolidate his realm. For all that he had overwhelmed Meng Zhou utterly, he had in truth broken through only recently, and only by relying on a large quantity of pills. Consolidation was therefore especially important—otherwise he might well leave hidden peril for the days to come. R1152