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Chapter 165: Chapter 165 Wuming’s Battle Spear
Zhan Lan felt as if a lifetime had passed as she took another careful look at the spear in her hand.
It was indeed her Vermilion Bird Spear, Wuming!
But how did Mu Yan manage to find the Vermilion Bird Spear, Wuming?
Mu Yan looked down, gazing at the excitement in Zhan Lan’s eyes; her long eyelashes quivered, seemingly fond of the spear.
Zhan Lan looked up, meeting Mu Yan’s eyes that were as deep as a pond, and he said, "This spear seems to suit you very well!"
Zhan Lan murmured, "Thank you."
Bai Lu grumbled from below the stage, "Well, I have no idea what seductive tricks Zhan Lan used to actually have Mu Yan personally deliver a spear to her!"
Cui Ying said discontentedly, "Would you please say less, it’s too noisy!"
"You’re just sour because you can’t eat the grapes; don’t tell me what to do!" Bai Lu glared at Cui Ying, thinking to herself: Cui Ying must be jealous, why is she taking it out on me!
Cui Ying gave Bai Lu a sideways glance, retorting sarcastically, "You’re out of the loop, aren’t you? I heard Zhan Xuerou and Young Master Si Jun are together, writing love letters to each other, an exchange of longing."
"You!" Bai Lu was so annoyed she was almost speechless.
She sneered, "This young lady has already lost interest in him!"
Cui Ying rolled her eyes, Bai Lu was always like this, fickly changing her affections as soon as Si Jun lost his edge.
Absolutely disgusting! 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
For a moment, the four veteran examiners squinted their eyes, observing the silky glance Mu Yan gave Miss Zhan.
"I can’t bear to watch!" Zhang Zhao simply closed his eyes.
Wang Chen also shook his head and urged, "Mr. Cui, please start the competition!"
Mu Yan took the Iron Blood spear from Zhan Lan’s hand and said, "Go on, I’ll keep this spear safe for you for now."
Zhan Lan nodded appreciatively, the competition was about to start, and having the Vermilion Bird Spear, Wuming, back by her side was definitely the best support.
Ouyang Qingming watched Mu Yan and Zhan Lan interact with an unfriendly gaze, his pupils darkening as he coughed, coughing up a bit of blood.
He wiped it away with his hand, frowning at the bright red color, thinking to himself: Zhan Lan’s last hit had hit him right in the chest.
However, he was confident that he could defeat Zhan Lan and take his revenge!
Ouyang Qingming was inherently petty, and Zhan Lan had made him lose face in public, regardless of Zhan Xincheng’s silver, Miss Zhan was already his prey.
Especially since Lord Mu seemed to be interested in Zhan Lan, which excited him even more.
Taking away someone’s beloved, he quite enjoyed that!
As Mu Yan left the stage, he gave Ouyang Qingming a deep look, which instantly made Ouyang Qingming feel an immense sense of pressure.
With a sycophantic smile, Ouyang Qingming bowed, "Have a good journey, Lord Mu."
Mu Yan didn’t respond to him, returning to his original seat.
Cui Hao, very observant, announced the official start of the competition after Mu Yan sat down.
Zhan Lan gripped the Vermilion Bird Spear, Wuming, ready to face Ouyang Qingming’s assault.
Bang!
The first clash of weapons found Ouyang Qingming barely maintaining his stance.
Watching Zhan Lan’s every move from below the stage, Mu Yan was moved, thinking after he had collected so many spears, his instinct told him this Vermilion Bird Spear, Wuming, was very suitable for Zhan Lan.
And he was right!
Following that, Zhan Lan’s attacks became more agile, and instantly, Ouyang Qingming seemed overwhelmed.
He secretly plotted in his heart how he could kill Zhan Lan, or at the very least, inflict an injury upon her, so that the reputation of Heavenly Slaughter Sect and himself could be preserved.
The four old generals watching the match frequently nodded their heads, and Zhang Zhao said with a beaming smile, "Oh my, what superb spearmanship my prized disciple has!"
"Pah! Old dog, try to keep your shameless face in check!" Wang Chen couldn’t bear it any longer and spat out through gritted teeth.
The other two also shot a stern glance over.
"Shameless!"
"Disgraceful!"
Who in the audience could have imagined that the four stern-looking examiners were actually behaving like children, covertly vying with each other to recruit disciples.
Before stepping onto the stage, Ouyang Qingming swallowed a Power Pill in determination, and its effect had already begun to take hold; he swiftly turned the tide and launched an assault on Zhan Lan.
Zhan Lan was forced to the very edge of the arena.
She was about to fall.
Underneath the stage, the spectators held their breath, their hearts going out to Zhan Lan with sweaty palms, while Zhan Xincheng clenched a corner of his garment, praying for Ouyang Qingming to strike a fatal blow.
At the critical moment, Zhan Lan suddenly fell backward.
"Ah! Miss Zhan has lost!"
"No! I don’t believe it!"
"I can’t bear to watch!"
Some of the audience members became agitated and stood up, others covered their eyes, while some began to scream in fright.
Zhan Xincheng concealed his own excitement, simply hoping that Ouyang Qingming would act quickly and decisively end Zhan Lan’s life.
Ouyang Qingming had the same thought; he raised his spear aiming to stab into Zhan Lan’s body.
Unexpectedly, at the next moment, just as Zhan Lan fell, her left arm braced her body, and her right hand thrust the spear into Ouyang Qingming’s thigh.
"Ah!"
With intolerable pain, Ouyang Qingming dropped his spear, watching in horror as Zhan Lan’s weapon pierced through his thigh.
Flesh and bone exposed from Ouyang Qingming’s thigh, and he stumbled, kneeling heavily on the ground; Zhan Lan extracted her spear and leapt up to her feet.
"Young Master!" Two figures rushed onto the stage the very next moment.
Firmly pointing their spears at Zhan Lan, they uttered fiercely, "How dare you..."
Before they could finish, they were kicked away by Vermilion Bird and Yun He, falling face down to the ground.
"Xingtian Department..." The two turned their gaze and recognized from the attire that it was the Xingtian Department, and panic-stricken, they tried to flee the stage.
Mu Yan spoke coldly, "Mr. Cui, are your men just for show?"
The incident happened too fast for Cui Hao to react; he wiped the sweat from his forehead and immediately ordered, "Before the match, all participants swore a military decree. Weapons do not have eyes, and fate determines life or death! Seize those two who have disturbed the order and send them to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation!"
The Ministry of Justice officials promptly tied up Ouyang Qingming’s two disciples and took them away.
The blood from Ouyang Qingming’s leg stained his entire trousers red, his complexion ashen, while other members of Heavenly Slaughter Sect who had come to watch the battle dared not come near.
The chief examiner Zhang Zhao, hiding his inner glee, totaled the scores before stepping onto the stage and announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, after two rounds of assessments, according to the total scores from highest to lowest, the rankings are Zhan Lan, Ouyang Qingming, Xiao Chen! All Advanced Scholars, wait for the imperial edict for your rewards."
Instantly, a cheer erupted from below the stage.
Overcome with fury, Zhan Xincheng watched as Ouyang Qingming, who had not gotten back up, was supported by the disciples of Heavenly Slaughter Sect, wailing as they left the arena.
Zhan Xincheng’s heart was in turmoil. Although Zhan Lan was the one who had personally thrust the spear into Ouyang Qingming’s thigh, he was the one who had hired the assailant.
Not only had his plan failed, but he had also caused the greatest heir of Heavenly Slaughter Sect to lose a leg. How would he explain this to the Heavenly Slaughter Sect now?
