Match start

Jiang Luo leaned back and looked at Qi Ye with his arms wrapped around him, "You said that before the second level of the tournament."

Qi Ye's expression stiffened and his handsome face was a little embarrassed, "But I will definitely be number one in the third level."

"There's no hint of the top three in the third level," Qi Ye said seriously, "We're at the same starting point, Jiang Luo, and I'm not going to lose to you."

Jiang Luo smiled and said, "But I want to be number one too."

Qi Ye heard this and smiled with satisfaction, "Are you finally going to get serious?"

Lu Youyi in the front row turned back and asked curiously, "Qi Ye, did you transfer here especially for Jiang Luo?"

Uncomfort flashed across Qi Ye's face, "I just wanted to come and experience what it's like to go to school."

Jiang Luo raised his eyebrows, "You never went to school before?"

"I went to a normal university, not majoring in natural sciences and social studies," Qi Ye looked at Jiang Luo's face, her gaze involuntarily wandering, "I used to learn all this knowledge at home."

Lu Youyi was overjoyed, "So, you're probably going to be the bottom of the list?"

"How can that be," Ye Xun said venomously, "Lu Youyi, Qi Ye is better than you."

Lu Youyi said, "But I ranked above Qi Ye in both levels."

Qi Ye: "......"

He took a deep breath and felt aggrieved, but he couldn't refute it, because Lu Youyi was telling the truth.

Wen Renlian laughed, "Let's go out for a meal together tonight."

Classes ended at six in the afternoon, and the group went to the cafeteria for dinner. Wen Renlian and Jiang Luo walked at the end, Wen Renlian whispered, "Qi Ye is well protected by the Qi family."

Jiang Luo nodded, "He seems to be quick-tempered but quite innocent."

"Talented as well," Yu Guang of the Smellers' Company glanced over at Qi Ye in front of him and smiled, "and handsome as well."

They were passing by a basketball court when a basketball flew towards them and smashed straight towards Jiang Luo. Qi Ye took two steps back in time to catch the basketball, his brow furrowed and he cursed loudly, "Playing ball without looking at the people?"

He kicked the basketball back, straight to the other end of the basketball court.

Only after seeing the basketball far away did Qi Ye look back at Jiang Luo, "Are you alright."

Jiang Luo is so funny, "The basketball didn't even touch me."

Wen Renlian's gaze swept over them and his smile deepened. He took two quick steps to Zhuo Zhongqiu's side, "What do you think of Qi Ye?"

Zhuo Zhongqiu glanced towards the back and picked at it, "It's just okay, not very good-tempered."

Wenren Lian said unhurriedly, "Let's use him as an alternative then."

Qi Ye fits the bill as Jiang Luo's new love interest.

But if you compare Qi Ye with Chi You, there is still a gap. They weren't sure if Jiang Luo would like Qi Ye's type, after all, Chi You is the representative of a gentle gentleman.

Qi Ye sat down next to Jiang Luo at dinner, and as soon as he sat down, the others looked straight at him, and he winced, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ye Xun asks, "Qi Ye, are you in a relationship?"

Qi Ye scowled, "No, not interested."

"So what kind of people do you like?" Ge Zhu was curious.

Qi Ye frowns, "What are you guys asking for?"

Jiang Luo looked at Qi Ye with a sideways smile, his black hair hanging over his shoulders, and pointed out absently, "You have to satisfy their curiosity before they'll leave you alone."

Qi Ye looked at Jiang Luo like this, all of a sudden he remembered the scene where the black-haired youth jumped down from the tree to execute the spider man, his throat tickled and he hastily withdrew his gaze, "I don't know what kind of person I would like."

Seeing that Qi Ye was getting annoyed, the others stopped asking questions.

After the meal, Jiang Luo parted ways with them and went to the Tianshi Mansion. Until the tournament came, he would be staying in the Tianshi Mansion.

Feng Li was not at the Tianshi Mansion. Jiang Luo went to his study alone to read, and only when the moon was over did Feng Li return with two of his disciples.

Feng Li called Jiang Luo in front of him and asked slowly after taking a sip of tea, "How many books did you read today?"

Jiang Luo answered one by one.

Feng Li nodded and took out a talisman book from amongst the cabinets and gave it to him, "When you're done reading those books, take this one and practice."

Jiang Luo took it and saw that the book was full of talismans that were old and had not been circulated to the public. He put it away in his hand and asked, "Master, where have you been today?"

Feng Li glanced up at him, "Went to the Chi family."

Jiang Luo: "Chi family?"

"The first generation of the Chi family is gone, and the side line of the Chi family has invited us to come to their door to witness the takeover of the Chi family by the side line," Feng Li said coldly, "The evil spirit that you have been entangled with is the last of the first generation of the Chi family. The evil spirit that you are haunting is the last member of the Chi family."

"I injured him yesterday, but let him escape at the last minute," Feng Li leaned back, "Chi You deserves to be the strongest of the Chi family's descendants, even if he is dead, he still has such strength. Compared to him, those of the side families are no match."

The Chi family mastered the art of puppet refining, which was ancient and powerful. When such a technique was in the hands of people, it would have made other people feel uneasy in their hearts, fearing that one day they would become puppets in the hands of the Chi family, and that they would be refined by the Chi family even after they died. According to common sense, the Chi family should have been besieged by the people until the puppet soul refining technique was destroyed.

Anything too powerful will only lead to disaster.

However, the Chi family had developed steadily up to the present day for two reasons. One was that the art of Puppet Soul Refining was extremely difficult to master, and from the past to the present, only the Chi family's first lineage had been able to master this art. Secondly, although each member of the Chi family was a genius, none of them could survive past the age of thirty.

When it was Chi You's turn, there was one more thing to add. Chi You's character was kind and gentle, although he had mastered the art of Puppet Soul Refining, he seldom used this art, but on the contrary, he made a lot of good karma, so that the people in the esoteric world were extremely at ease with him, and no one thought that Chi You would use the art of Puppet Soul Refining to do something unfavorable to them or to the esoteric world.

Jiang Luo listened quietly, powerful but not living past thirty, this sounds like a curse.

Jiang Luo : "Master, is the art of puppet soul refining something that only the first family can master?"

Feng Li : "At least to this day, no collateral has been able to master it."

Jiang Luo: "Then with Chi You dead and the direct line broken, is it true that no one can truly master the art of puppet soul refining in the future?"

Feng Li coldly said, "But Chi family still cannot be underestimated. Even if they only mastered one or two of the puppet soul refining techniques, they would still be remarkable."

But by the look on his face, it was clear that he didn't take the Chi family sidekick seriously.

Jiang Luo pondered, "Master, what exactly is the Primordial Heavenly Pearl?"

Feng Li glanced at him, "When you get it, you'll naturally know."

"As my disciple, if you don't get the Primordial Heavenly Pearl," Feng Li's tone was emotionless, "then you don't have to come back from Xiangxi."

Jiang Luo: "......"

In order to come back from western Hunan, Jiang Luo went to the study and stayed up all night. After ten days, Jiang Luo finally finished reading all the books on the shelf.

After reading the book, Feng Li watched him practicing the talisman again. Jiang Luo saw Brother Qiao a few times during this period, but he seemed to have returned to normal, and Jiang Luo did not see a trace of Chi You in him.

A month passed by in a flash, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the third level of the competition.

Early in the morning, Jiang Luo put on his school bag and went downstairs. Feng Li was waiting for him in the hall, where there were brushes and vermilion sand on a long wooden table. Feng Li burned incense to purify his hands and said to him, "Come here."

Jiang Luo walked over.

Feng Li said, "Sit down."

After Jiang Luo sat down as he was told, Feng Li dipped his brush into a bowl of water and suddenly raised his hand and flung it at Jiang Luo.

Jiang Luo subconsciously closed his eyes, and the water fell on him in twos and threes. Feng Li then dipped his brush in the vermilion sand and stood in front of Jiang Luo.

The dark-haired youth's eyelids twitched, and Feng Li said, "Do not move."

Jiang Luo did not open his eyes again.

Feng Li turned the brush in his hand, reversing it. His long fingers clutched the slender black brush and gently tugged at the collar of Jiang Luo's shirt.

Neck exposed, collarbone exposed. Feng Li's light-colored eyes reflected the appearance of the black-haired youth, and he gently nodded twice at Jiang Luo's shoulders, and the two small figures that had already been folded jumped up to Jiang Luo's shoulders and tugged on Jiang Luo's clothes for him.

Feng Li just put pen to paper.

The red vermilion sand coiled around Jiang Luo's neck and even his heart, forming a complex talisman, like a coiled vine. Feng Li drew the talisman with no hurry, and when the last stroke was completed, the talisman disappeared from Jiang Luo's body with a flash of golden light.

Feng Li put away his brush, gave the youth a downcast look, and said, "There."

Jiang Luo opened his eyes and looked towards himself but saw nothing, "Master, what did you draw?"

"A talisman to save your life," Feng Li told Jiang Luo as he motioned for his disciples to come forward and gather their belongings, "The third level is different from the first two, and care and caution should take precedence."

Every word the judges said could be a hint, and Jiang Luo took it to heart, "I know."

Feng Li nods, "Go ahead."

Jiang Luo packed up his clothes, picked up his backpack and left the Tianshi Mansion, heading to the school to meet up with his classmates.

The group boarded an airplane and arrived in Xiangxi three hours later.

This time, Mr. Wan was still leading the group, and after Mr. Wan and the staff handed over, Jiang Luo and his group got on the bus for another four hours.

The bus turned into a Chinese bus and ended up sitting in a van for another hour bumping around before reaching their destination, and when they finally got out of the bus, there were several puking people in the group.

They walked wanly into the resting place when they had finished what they needed to throw up.

The competition would only start tomorrow, and they would have to stay at the resting place for one night, but the room prepared by the tournament organizer for them was extremely simple, as if it had been built on a temporary basis, and the red bricks had not yet been painted with white paint. Twenty-two futons were laid against the two walls from end to end, a big bunk.

Lu Youyi dropped the luggage in his hand to the ground and opened his mouth wide, "This is where we're staying?"

The staff smiled, "Having fun? What a buzz you young people have staying together at night."

"Is there a place to bathe?" Zhuo Zhongqiu asked.

The staff took them to see the bathing room and the bathroom, which was a plastic shed with a few plastic tubs and foot soaking buckets. As for the bathroom, it was the traditional rural style.

The group, speechless, returned to the big bunkhouse and resigned themselves to finding the right nine beds.

Zhuo Zhongqiu was a girl, so they let him sleep against the wall, while the others lined up in a row, with nine of them taking up almost half of the mattress in no time.

Jiang Luo counted the number of beds, "That's not right, how come there are only twenty-two beds."

At the end of the second level, it was clear that thirty people had managed to advance.

"Eight people dropped out," the staff regretted, "in fact, five people ate mushrooms in Yunnan and went back to the hospital and were laid up for a month and still not well."

Jiang Luo and his group: "......"

Sigh.

The people from Birch University came the earliest, they had rushed all day today, only ate a Chinese meal on the plane, got off the plane and threw up, after packing up their beds, a few of them were starving, found the staff, but only got a box of instant noodles, a box of soda and nine ham sausages.

Even the hardy Ge Zhu blanched slightly, "The tournament side is too ruthless."

Jiang Luo sighed, as the only one in the group who knew how to cook, he asked the staff for an iron pot, asked his companions to gather firewood and find some forest vegetables, and set up the pot on the spot.

Wen Renlian curiously squatted down next to him and watched, specifically instructing Kuang Zheng, who had gone to look for the vegetables, to say, "Don't look for the wrong one."

Otherwise they would have had to miss the game altogether, just like those five kindred spirits who ate the fungus and lay in the hospital.

Kuang Zheng's family was accustomed to hard times, and he knew better than Wen Renren what edible vegetables looked like. Still, he nodded seriously and helped Jiang Luo set up the stove before walking into the forest.

Half an hour later, Kuang Zheng returned with not only a handful of vegetables, but also a long-eared rabbit with its fur treated.

Jiang Luo had already set up a fire, surrounded by a group of curious people. When they saw the rabbit in Kuang Zheng's hand, their eyes lit up, "Roasted rabbit?"

Jiang Luo touched his chin, "Yes."

In less than ten minutes, the water in the iron pot boiled, and Jiang Luo put eighteen packets of instant noodles into it.

Probably because doing this line of work would consume the body and need to eat more food to replenish energy, they, no matter male or female, each one of them could eat frighteningly. On the surface, they looked so gentle, but they could take out three bowls of rice in one bite without feeling propped up.

After putting in the noodles, Jiang Luo put the two sliced tomatoes that Wenren Lian had asked for from the staff into the pot, and put some seasoning in moderation, leaving some for the rabbit meat to be roasted.

Vegetables were put in at the end, and between the red soup rolls, the wave-like bubbling noodles sandwiched between green vegetables and ham sausage, the tomato and bubbling noodle aroma intertwined, arousing one's cravings, and gulping sound after gulping sound.

The eyes of the exhausted crowd staring at the iron pot were about to turn red after a long day.

Lu Youyi wipes his mouth and runs to borrow dishes from the staff.

Qi Ye marveled for I don't know how many times, "I can't believe you can cook."

"It's just a matter of cooking instant noodles, isn't it a piece of cake?" Jiang Luo cleanly placed the rabbit on the fire and roasted it, turning his head sideways towards him and lifting the corner of his lips, "What, you think I'm too good and aren't going to steal the first place with me?"

Qi Ye whispers, "It's still up for grabs."

Probably embarrassed to say such things after eating someone's cooking, his voice was as low as a mosquito.

Jiang Luo was amused.

The aroma of tomato infused noodles spread throughout the resting place, and Mr. Wan also came to dabble in the meal, cheerfully saying, "This infused noodles, ah, boiled and infused are really two flavors."

When Jiang Luo says it's ready to eat, ten pairs of chopsticks dart into the iron pot, and half the noodles are gone in a flash.

Jiang Luo was the first to be served a bowl of instant noodles by Lu Youyi, and as he comfortably shivered his noodles and sipped his tomato soup, he heard the sound of a suitcase pulley rolling closer and closer.

Jiang Luo looks up and sees a pale contestant walking slowly.

This person three steps a cough, five features, but the body is thin as sick, the face is bloodless, even pulling the suitcase of the hand are pale and slender, green blood veins emerge clearly.

The contestant saw them as well and gave them a weak smile as he slowly walked over, "Hello there."

"Hello," Jiang Luo withdrew his measuring gaze and smiled kindly, "and you are?"

The lips were tinted with a reddish hue from the red soup.

"I'm Liao Si," Liao Si coughed lowly, "Are you guys eating?"

The man seemed to have used up his strength in the effort of saying two words, but the eyes of Yu Guang glancing over the iron pot from the corner of his eyes implicitly and euphemistically conveyed his meaning.

Jiang Luo said civilly, "Do you want to eat together?"

Liao Si smiled, "Thank you."

He put his luggage aside and slowly sat down next to Jiang Luo, taking the bowl and chopsticks Lu Youyi handed him and gently dishing out a bowl of instant noodles from the iron pot.

"It's delicious," Liao Si exhaled softly and whispered softly to Jiang Luo with a sideways glance, "This journey almost cost me my life."

He looked very sick and weak, and with his appearance, it was already a success for him to have gotten this far. Jiang Luo asked, "Where are you from?"

Liao Si smiled apologetically, "I'm just a local from Xiangxi."

Jiang Luo : "...... hard work."

Liao Si smiled bitterly and said, "I'm not well, I don't have the hard work of you guys who have traveled all the way here, but on the contrary, I don't look as energetic as you guys."

Jiang Luo laughed, "Do you know where we are from?"

Liao Si smiled slightly, "For the third level of participants, only Shanhai University and Birch University would have so many people gathered together. Besides, I watched the live video on the website, and if I don't recognize the others, I'll always recognize you, the first place winner."

Mr. Wan suddenly let out an "eek", "Your name is Liao Si, and you're a native of western Hunan, are you a descendant of the old Liao family, who drove the corpses from western Hunan?"

The group instantly looks to Liao Si, who calmly smiles and nods, "Yes."

"The descendants of the old Liao family have all grown to adulthood," Mr. Wan lamented, "How is your father's health?"

"My father is in good health," Liao Si didn't seem to intend to talk much about it as he glanced at the rabbit and reminded slowly, "Is the rabbit roasted?"

Jiang Luo looks down to see that the rabbit has been roasted to a honey color, and a layer of oil grains sliding off the skin, it is indeed ready.

He removed the rabbit and distributed it to the crowd with his dagger, specifically giving Kuang Zheng a rabbit leg.

Liao Si also got a piece of tender meat, he tasted it carefully and sighed again and said it was delicious.

The pot of tomato noodles was devoured by the crowd, and the sweet and sour soup had reached the bottom, so the crowd rested for a while and took Liao Si back to their rooms.

Liao Si chose a bed next to Birch University, to the left of Jiang Luo.

In the middle of the dense forest, there was no cell phone signal. Luckily, Lu Youyi had brought two decks of playing cards with him, and while they were playing, the rest of the participants arrived one after another.

Twenty-two men, one without fail, squeezed inside the Chase.

As Liao Si said, the vast majority of the twenty-two participants were from Shanhai University and Bai Hua University. The others were scattered and came alone.

The competition party was still somewhat conscientious and didn't let them, the contestants, boil their own hot water, but provided it instead. After everyone had finished washing up in the humble surroundings, the judges' teachers and staff walked into their rooms.

There were six judges, no less, and the one who stood at the front was Feng Li. Feng Li looked indifferent, without a trace of dust on his body due to the bumpy road, and the staff member who stood beside him was holding a tray with yellow paper, vermilion sand, black dog blood and a pile of written talismans.

The staff said, "In light of the incident with Bai Yefeng, who was possessed by an evil spirit in the last level of the competition, we are now going to check on the physical condition of all the participants, and we ask for your cooperation."

Jiang Luo raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but smile, "An unexpected pleasure."

By the looks of this, even if Chi You is really hiding in the crowd, she's going to be raked over the coals.

Liao Si, who was sitting beside him with her hair gently spread out on her forehead, looked at the judges and teachers who had already begun to test the contestants from the end and said in a warm voice, "This is the first time I've ever seen all six of them appear together."

Soon, the judges and teachers came to the heels of Birch University.

The six teachers on the judging panel had different images, but each had their own characteristics. Among them is a bald monk, who looks at Jiang Luo with a smile, "These are all acquaintances of the teachers."

Finally, his eyes settled on Ge Zhu, who sat cross-legged with his spine straight, but with his head bowed so that he couldn't see his expression.

"Ge Zhu," the bald monk sighed vaguely, his voice lowering, "aren't you going to come back?"

Jiang Luo looked sideways at Ge Zhu, Ge Zhu's lips pursed, "Master Cheng De, the path has entered the Taoist sect."

Master Cheng De let out a bitter laugh and shook his head to stop talking about it.

Feng Li walked up to Jiang Luo, "Raise your hands."

Jiang Luo withdrew his gaze and raised his hand as he was told.

By his side, Liao Si was being examined by Zhuo Zhengyu. First, the black dog blood was dotted on the center of his eyebrows, if the black dog blood did not react, then the talisman was used, and when the talisman did not react, then it was determined that the person was not possessed by an evil spirit.

As if that were not enough, the judges and teachers would also write a soul-fixing and evil-quelling talisman on the students' bodies on the spot to prevent them from being invaded by evil spirits during the competition.

By the time Jiang Luo was done, the others were almost done. Feng Li took one last look at him and followed the judges to the next group.

Liao Si looked at the incantations on the back of her hand and smiled seemingly, "The teachers are accomplished, and there is not a single point of stagnation in the drawing of so many talismans."

Jiang Luo said, "After all, it's the Six Great Ones."

He got up and walked over to Wenren Lian and tapped him, "Wenren, which one of those six is a Chi family man?"

Wenren even said, "The second from the left is."

Jiang Luo looked to the second left and saw a middle-aged man with a serious face. He was writing a talisman for a student with a pen, and there was no difference on his face, but beads of sweat were gradually seeping out from the side of his forehead.

"That's Chi You's clan uncle," Wen Renlian smiled coldly for a split second, "an incompetent and inept piece of trash."

Jiang Luo laughed, "It's rare to hear you say something like that."

"Because what he did was really disgusting," Lu Youyi also snorted coldly, "more than ten years ago, he was asked to perform a puja, and because of his carelessness, he almost killed the family, and when it became a big deal, he shifted the blame to Chi You, who was still a young boy, and said that the puja was performed by Chi You without his permission and secretly on his behalf. He said that Chi You had done the puja on his behalf without his permission."

"Chi You brother has a good temper, but he really took this black pot, and was scolded for I don't know how many years," Lu Youyi clenched his fists, "During these years, Chi You brother didn't know how many black pots he took for the Chi family's collateral line... ...It was only after Chi You's friends grew up and he became well liked that people realized that Chi You's good nature wasn't the kind of person who would do those evil things, and that's how Chi You's innocence was restored."

Jiang Luo almost thought he had heard wrong.

Let Chi You take the blame?

He almost laughed out loud, was this serious?

Chi You was made to take the blame, and Chi You took it. Not only did he take it, but the person who made him take the blame is still alive and well?

"What happened to the Chi family people who made Chi You take the fall?" He asked with interest, this clan uncle was still alive but the others weren't so sure.

Wenren Lian said coldly, "Aside from taking the blame, they are still alive and well."

Jiang Luo froze.

How is that possible.

With Chi You's vindictive and cruel nature, how could he let others bully him and not retaliate?

Jiang Luo frowned, feeling a vague sense of oddity.

"Chi family haven't there been any deaths in the collateral line over the years," he asked?"

Another voice came from behind him, "Chi family In all these years, the first family has died out, but none of the collateral ones have been out of order."

Liao Si slowly sat down beside Jiang Luo, smiled at him and said, "Do you think it's strange."

Strange.

Strange.

According to Chi You's character, he would never let go of someone who touches his mold.

In theory, those who dared to make Chi You take the blame should have been retaliated by Chi You a long time ago.

Jiang Luo wanted to ask more, but the six judges had already finished checking all the students, and the staff smiled and said, "Everyone go to bed early."

It was getting late, Jiang Luo gave up the idea of asking further questions and went back to his own bed with Liao Si. Before lying down, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Liao Si, who was arranging the pillows in a slow and methodical manner, "How do you know about the Chi family?"

"Because I was curious," Liao Si smiled implicitly, "I'm from the lineage of corpse catchers, and I wanted to go and see Chi You's corpse after I knew that Chi You had died, but I wasn't in good health, and when I rushed to the Chi family in a hurry, Chi You's funeral was already ended."

"Staying in the Chi family for those few days, I got to know quite a bit."

Jiang Luo didn't find anything suspicious, he nodded and lay back under the covers.

The lights were turned off, and the moonlight filtered in through the window. The moonlight in the forest was clear and bright, and Jiang Luo breathed in the cold evening air, and sleep gradually came on.

But when he was about to fall asleep, his scalp ached, and his entire body instantly awoke from sleep.

Turning his head sideways, it turned out to be Liao Si who had inadvertently pressed down on the end of his hair, Jiang Luo rubbed his eyebrows and lowered his voice, "Liao Si, you're pressing down on my hair."

Liao Si raises her arms and apologizes, "Sorry."