Chapter 61: Double Standards, First Place in the Assessment

After the Shadow Wolf was successfully slain, the live stream exploded once again.

“Damn! Incredible, they actually managed to kill a Level Two Shadow Wolf.”
“Yeah, I thought those two would end up eliminated by the wolf as well.”
“Lin Xiao’s a savage, he locked down the Shadow Wolf completely—I’d call that the strongest locking technique.”
“Haha, but in the end, it was our beautiful Shen Yao who landed the killing blow. Lin Xiao must be furious.”
“Is the assessment over now? That was absolutely thrilling!”
“Worth it! Staying up three nights in a row to watch was not in vain!”
“Impressive, but let me remind you—watch out for sudden death!”
…

The fact that the Shadow Wolf had been slain left Zhou Wei and the others deeply shocked. Although he was the one who designed this trial, his aim was to temper the students, not to see them actually kill the beast.

That was a Level Two Shadow-type spirit beast!

These kids had truly given him a surprise.

After the wolf was killed, Lin Xiao finally released his grip and collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath.

His entire body ached from head to toe.

Shen Yao was in much better shape than Lin Xiao, at least she didn’t look nearly as battered.

Perhaps it was the camaraderie of fighting side by side, but at this moment, Shen Yao showed no trace of wariness toward Lin Xiao. She walked to his side and extended her hand.

Lin Xiao didn’t think much of it and handed his own over.

With a firm pull, Shen Yao lifted him from the ground.

“Sorry about snatching the final kill. It wasn’t intentional—sometimes in battle, things just happen out of our control.”

Lin Xiao was speechless. Shen Yao was clearly doing this on purpose, rubbing salt into his wound.

“I understand. At that moment, who cared who got the kill?”

“I’m glad you’re taking it well. Sorry again, but the top spot in this trial is mine!”

Shen Yao smiled radiantly, and Lin Xiao smiled back.

“Not necessarily!” he replied, and as he spoke, he raised his hand and struck Shen Yao’s neck with a karate chop.

He controlled his strength perfectly—enough to avoid real harm, but sufficient to make her lose consciousness.

Shen Yao never expected that, after all that, Lin Xiao would attack her. The last thought before she blacked out was:

Damn it, you petty little bastard—can’t play by the rules, resorting to sneak attacks because you lack skill.

Lin Xiao’s sudden move left everyone stunned; the barrage of comments in the live stream went wild.

“∑(°口°?), holy crap, Lin Xiao finally made a move against Shen Yao.”
“I’d call him a role model—even a beauty doesn’t make him hesitate.”
“Shen Yao: Thought victory was assured, never expected a snake right beside me.”
“Hahahaha, why do I find this so hilarious?”
“Am I the only one who thinks Lin Xiao went a bit too far?”
…

Among the viewers were students who had already been eliminated.

Zhou Zhi felt complicated emotions, wanting to shout “Brother Xiao, mighty!”

Looking at Lin Xiao, it was clear he had no interest in Shen Yao, so Zhou Zhi could confidently pursue her himself.

Others felt the twist was so sudden, no one expected Lin Xiao would pull such a stunt at the end.

The happiest of all was Ji Boxiao.

“See, what kind of person is Lin Xiao? In the end, he turned on his teammate. Why aren’t you all complaining now?”

Everyone looked at Ji Boxiao as if he were a fool.

Lin Xiao’s actions were indeed questionable, but completely different from Ji Boxiao’s.

Ji Boxiao had abandoned his teammates and fled alone in the face of danger.

What Lin Xiao did? At most, after the danger was gone, he used some means to secure first place.

Though his methods were a bit underhanded, perhaps even unsavory.

But so what? It was a far cry from Ji Boxiao’s behavior.

Ji Boxiao felt even more aggrieved under everyone’s gaze.

“You guys are so biased!”

No one bothered with Ji Boxiao anymore; there was no need to explain to someone like him.

…

Wang Qing and the others had been about to step out and announce the end of the trial, only to be surprised by Lin Xiao’s final move.

After considering it, they walked out.

“Lin Xiao, didn’t we say that slaying the Shadow Wolf meant the trial was over?”

Lin Xiao: (╬￣皿￣)

No way! If it ended just like that, his effort would have been for nothing.

“Chief Examiner, you can’t say that. As long as you haven’t officially announced the end, the trial is still ongoing. By eliminating Shen Yao, her points are mine. You’re not going to default, are you?”

Wang Qing was speechless, but had to admit Lin Xiao was right.

“Fine, you win. You’re the champion of this trial.”

“Don’t say ‘I win’—I was always the winner!”

“Whatever you say.”

Thus, the secret realm trial concluded perfectly, with Lin Xiao—possessor of an F-rank power—taking first place, shocking countless people.

Many ordinary folks even wondered whether they too could become as strong as Lin Xiao.

Sun Zhiyuan and Murong Yu didn’t show themselves, but their eyes were full of smiles as they watched Lin Xiao.

“This kid really surprised us. Murong, when you said he should participate, who could have guessed he’d win?”

“No one, but that last move of his was a bit unscrupulous.”

“I disagree. Of all his actions in the secret realm, I’m most satisfied with that one. You can’t be too rigid in life.”

“You old rascal!”

“Haha, just wait until he gets back—Old Shen will certainly give him a hard time. He treasures his granddaughter.”

“That kid deserves a lesson. And once he returns, the old folks’ home will be livelier than ever. For some reason, I’m suddenly excited.”

“Indeed, at least a dozen people want to teach Lin Xiao their skills, as far as I know.”

…

Because Lin Xiao didn’t strike too hard, Shen Yao soon regained consciousness.

Seeing Lin Xiao’s infuriating face, she almost couldn’t resist giving him a good beating.

She genuinely hadn’t expected, after trusting him so much, that Lin Xiao would actually go for her.

“Hmph!”

Lin Xiao rubbed his nose, feeling rather awkward.

“Well, you don’t care about the reward for first place, but I really need the money, so please forgive me.”

Shen Yao wasn’t truly angry—she was just surprised Lin Xiao actually dared to strike.

After all, she was a beauty, wasn’t she?

“I don’t care about the reward, but I wanted to be first!”

“Well, what’s done is done. Do whatever you like.”

Shen Yao: o(▼皿▼メ;)o

Those words made her feel as if Lin Xiao had somehow taken advantage of her.

Lin Xiao, thick-skinned as ever, didn’t bother whether Shen Yao forgave him. After all, there might not be another chance to meet again.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh hard!

“The trial may be over, but the battlefield hasn’t been cleared yet. Damn, how could I forget something so important? That’s money, after all!”