Translator: Lordbluefire  Editor: Lordbluefire

Half a month later.

Liu Yiyi darted amongst the thistles and thorns, completely covered in sweat. She was also suffering from many wounds all over her body.

However, she gritted her teeth and continued to advance forward.

“Xia Qingchen, I won’t lose to you!” Liu Yiyi firmly believed that she’d be able to win against Xia Qingchen with a great lead.

What she didn’t know was that…

Right now, at this moment, at the Ping Lake that was 100 lis away, Xia Qingchen was in the clear lake, taking a bath.

There were hints of fatigue in his eyes.

“There should be enough time with me reaching here half a month in advance.” The reason he had rushed his way here was so that he could gain the precious 15 days.

He wanted to take this time to cultivate the second form of the [Four-Forms Ancient Scroll] by himself in the wilderness—the Barbaric Elephant Gallops in the Wild!

This form was a lot more complicated than the first form—Fire Phoenix Illuminates the Sky, and it was very hard to learn.

“Let’s start!” He left the Ping Lake, picked a wooden plank, carved a few words on it, and stuck it next to the lake.

He then headed deeper inside.

“Barbaric Elephant Gallops in the Wild!” He drew his palms to his chest and then slapped out toward a limestone that had a height of over two zhangs.

The limestone trembled for a while, leaving behind a pair of light palm prints.

Xia Qingchen felt a scorching pain in his hands.

“Hsss! I can do this!” He was starting from the beginning, so the pain was unavoidable.

Ever since he saw the birthday present that supposed to be given to Frost back then, he was even more determined on his cultivation.

He must return to the past once again and ask her for the reason before killing her.

Why was she so heartless!

Were all the things they had been through across the times all fake?

At the thought of this, he ignored the pain he was feeling and continued with his training.

Time passed, and Xia Qingchen’s palms were in a battered state.

The limestone was also covered with bloody palm prints.

However, Xia Qingchen was like a man of steel, repeating his actions again and again.

Until half a month passed by.

“Barbaric Elephant Gallops in the Wild!”

He slapped out with both palms, and the huge limestone released a cracking sound, splitting into three pieces.

He had finally learned this form successfully!

At the same time…

Many students from the D class arrived at the Ping Lake in succession.

Although they were extremely tired, they were also abnormally excited, feeling great elation.

Liu Yiyi was the first to arrive.

She was the most excited of them all.

She had finally won against Xia Qingchen.

Several days later, the other students arrived in succession.

Qin Lin was very happy as he announced the rankings. “Third place, Huang Junlong! Rewarded with 10,000 silver taels.” The others were filled with great envy. If the person in third place was already getting 10,000 silver taels, then wouldn’t the ones in the second and first place get even more?

Liu Yiyi’s eyes continued to gleam. Before she arrived here, Qin Lin had told her secretly that the person who got first place in this wilderness training would be able to get a very special reward.

Its value was so high that it couldn’t be bought with money.

She was filled with anticipation to get that present…

“Second place, Liu Yiyi. 50,000 silver taels!”

Everyone exclaimed in envy.

However, Liu Yiyi was stunned. Second place? She was only placed second?

That couldn’t be!

When she came, there hadn’t been anyone at the Ping Lake.

If she was second, then the first place could only be the air?

“First place, Xia Qingchen!”

What?

Liu Yiyi stood up, her beautiful eyes opened wide. She was unable to believe what she had just heard.

The other students also expressed doubts.

“That must be a joke, right? Until now, Xia Qingchen hasn’t even arrived. Yet, he can still be placed first?”

“Tutor Qin Lin, even if you want to show biasedness to Xia Qingchen, you can’t be so obvious about it. Are you treating us as blinds or fools?” Liu Yiyi’s heart was burning with rage that she had kept suppressed for very long. She walked up and said with a cold expression, “Tutor Qin, please give me and all the students here an explanation!”

She was feeling a little agitated, and her eyes were even moistened up from her aggrieved feelings.

“We’ve been through so much difficulty, unafraid of dangers. How can you be so biased and give the first place to someone who hasn’t even come?” Liu Yiyi said pitifully.

Qin Lin was speechless.

He pointed in a direction. “You can cry after you take a look at this.”

En?

Liu Yiyi opened her tear-filled eyes and looked in the said direction.

Someone had inserted a wooden plank into a gap between the rocks.

“What’s that?” Liu Yiyi was perplexed. Did this have anything to do with the grief she was feeling?

“You’ll find out if you go over and take a look.”

Feeling skeptical, Liu Yiyi and a few other students went up and took a careful look at it. Their countenances changed.

A row of clear words had been carved on the piece of wood.

“Shen Year, 15 October. Xia Qingchen participated in the wilderness training and has come here.”

Everyone was speechless when they saw this.

Liu Yiyi was dumbfounded. “15th? Wasn’t that half a month ago? How could he have arrived here by then?” Qin Lin said. “But even if I were to tell him the location beforehand, do you guys think that he’ll have enough time to rush over and leave this piece of wood here in advance?”

Xia Qingchen had been staying in the cultivation chamber the whole time. It was something that everyone had seen for themselves.

Even if he were to know the location in advance, he wouldn’t have the time to come.

Unless he had a second clone.

“So, Xia Qingchen must have some unique means to be able to arrive half a month before you guys did,” Qin Lin said this with certainty.

He was also very surprised by how Xia Qingchen had managed to do this.

“Liu Yiyi, you can continue to cry now.” Qin Lin shook his head. He admitted that Liu Yiyi was outstanding, but when she was facing Xia Qingchen, sigh…

Waa——

Therefore, Liu Yiyi cried even louder.

It wasn’t because she felt aggrieved, but that she felt a strong sense of defeat.

Swoosh——

Suddenly, a few unfamiliar students’ faces dashed out from outside the forest.

The one at the front was A class’s Lin Tianyou.

Four months ago, he was the person in the great limelight, having taken first place in the martial pavilion’s examinations.

Thereafter, many others also dashed out in succession. In the end, even A class’s tutor, Li Weifeng, had also appeared.

“Tutor Qin Lin, you guys have also chosen the Ping Lake as your training focus?” Li Weifeng asked in surprise.

Qin Lin also found this strange. What a coincidence?

However, he didn’t think too much into it, but smiled and greeted, “It’s really such a coincidence!”

The best and worst classes in the martial pavilion—the A class and D class respectively—had an unplanned encounter at the Ping Lake.

“Since it’s such a coincidence for us to meet, why don’t both classes set up base together and hold a campfire night? What do you think?” Li Weifeng suggested with enthusiasm.

However, he had just proposed this when the students from the A class raised their objections.

Lin Tianyou threw a glance at the students from the D class, then asked while wearing a cold expression, “You want us to hold a campfire night together with the likes of these people? I won’t be joining this!” The moment he said this, many other students from the A class also supported him.

Everyone spoke up, expressing their refusal to take part in it.

However, Li Weifeng was firm in his decision. “Those who don’t wish to participate can go back now!”

It was dark now. Who would dare to go back?

Unwillingly, the A class worked together with the D class, while wearing cold expressions.

This infuriated everyone from the D class.

They admitted that they weren’t as good as the ones from the A class, but how could they be happy to be referred to as ‘the likes of them’?

However, it was true that they weren’t a match for these people and thus could only bear with things.

Both parties unwillingly circled the campfire.

However, all of them only talked to people from their own classes.

Li Weifeng spoke up amidst the stiff atmosphere, asking, “Tutor Qin, who came in first in your class’s wilderness training this time around?”

Hearing that, the students from A class looked over curiously.

In this training, the martial pavilion had given out great rewards. This was especially so for the person who came in first. It was said that the reward was very mysterious.

“Xia Qingchen,” Qin Lin said proudly.

However, only the tutors and Vice Headmaster were aware of how amazing Xia Qingchen was. The students were unaware.

“Xia Qingchen? That good-for-nothing that had fainted?” Lin Tianyou was stunned for a moment before he said in disgust.