Chapter 813: The Golden List Reappears, Bowls Full to the Brim

A grand lecture was taking place on the highly anticipated competition stage.

The judges' panel was in utter chaos, like a pot of porridge that had been overturned, filled with heated arguments.

"Full marks! It has to be full marks!"

"No, it can't be full marks. No one has ever gotten full marks in the second round of the Lian Dan Grand Assembly."

"But according to the rules, the three scoring criteria are high grade, high quality, and minimal time consumption. Xu Shao refined the highest-grade six-pin Dan Yao in the field, with top-quality results and the shortest time... I'm referring to his time for a single refining session."

"This at most gives him ninety points."

"No, you forgot the extra ten points for the additional item. He submitted all the variations of the other Dan Yao, recorded in a Yu Jian, and the Dan Fang was normal. Even if some details need verification, he provided way more than required—fully exceeding the thirteen variations we asked for... It has to be full marks."

"If you're counting it that way, why calculate the total time for others who refined twice, but for Xu Shao, it's just the single refining time? Keep in mind, he was the last one to complete and submit!"

"Can you even compare that?"

"What's not comparable about it?"

"You old fool, say that again if you dare!"

"Try me if you dare!"

"Ah!"

A group of elderly judges on the panel nearly came to blows with their arguing.

There was no doubt that Xu Shao would take first place in the second round.

But opinions diverged on whether to award full marks.

Some argued that Xu Shao's total refining time was the longest.

Others insisted that his time for a single refining session was the shortest.

Dong Ling listened from the side until her head was spinning.

In her view, Xu Shao's submission was beyond dispute, so after listening for a while, she forcefully interrupted.

"Everyone, just think about it—across the five domains of the continent, where else could a genius like Xu Shao emerge?"

The crowd was stumped by the question.

The leader of the opposition, Lu Cheng Hui, turned his head away. "It's just that we haven't seen one, doesn't mean they don't exist."

The old presidents behind him chimed in one after another.

"That's right!"

"Each major force must have a few geniuses they're cultivating, right?"

"The Sheng Gong has a bunch!"

Shi Ti, the representative of the supporters, scoffed. "You mentioned Sheng Gong, but Sheng Gong is Sheng Gong. Standing before you is a young man, not those half-dead old fogies with one foot in the grave. What he did today was earth-shattering!"

"Watch your words," Dong Ling whispered in reminder.

Shi Ti was clearly furious, flinging his sleeve in frustration and saying no more.

Everyone fell silent.

Indeed, Xu Shao was terrifying.

His submission was too perfect, so perfect that it made people wonder if some great power had taken over his body. Otherwise, how could a young kid have such seasoned experience?

Yet, watching him on the stage, lecturing a group of peers his age with an air of commanding the world, he seemed just like a normal young man.

Once he achieved something, he couldn't stay low-key anymore and just had to show off.

What kind of person was he, really... Dong Ling sighed inwardly, deciding not to let the presidents debate further. She exercised her rarely used authority to make the final call.

"This matter doesn't need more discussion. Leave it to me. Just sit tight, and if the Sheng Gong inspectors investigate any score fraud later, I can handle it."

As she spoke, she glanced toward the viewing platform where Hua Luo sat.

This young girl was from the Sheng Gong, after all!

The lecture was abruptly interrupted.

A cry of surprise came from the audience.

"The Jin Bang has updated!"

The competitors on the stage rushed over to the Jin Bang, abandoning the lecture altogether.

After all, in this Lian Dan Grand Assembly, scores were what mattered most.

Xu Xiao Shou finished his flamboyant lecture, feeling parched.

He took the tea cup handed by Xiao Wan Feng and casually headed toward the Jin Bang.

The scoring Jin Bang had been updated.

"First, Xu Xiao Shou, 100 points."

"Second, Zhu Yan, 69 points."

"Third, Yu Chu Chu, 67 points."

As soon as the top three were read, people realized something was off and started gasping.

"Heavens, the top scorer Xu Shao got full marks, and the others don't even reach seventy?"

"This is insane. I heard the second round of the Lian Dan Grand Assembly is hell mode, and seeing it today confirms it."

"Even six-pin Lian Dan masters can't score above seventy. Aren't the standards too harsh?"

"So, the real question is, how did Xu Shao pull off such an exaggeration... full marks? Does he have inside help?"

The audience fell silent as they watched.

It had to be said that when the first round's Jin Bang appeared, with scores of 100 and 97, everyone thought the gap wasn't huge—maybe just luck, turning Xu Shao into a dark horse overtaking the favorite, Yu Chu Chu.

But now, no one thought that way!

Full marks in the second round too...

Xu Shao maintained his lead, while the highest others got was just 69.

How absurd was that?

"So, Xu Shao's 100 was because full marks are only 100, while Miss Yu's 97 in the first round was just good luck."

Voices like that emerged.

Yu Chu Chu's face turned red with embarrassment.

In this round, her score was even lower than Zhu Yan's, landing her in third place.

But that wasn't the point—if everyone had low scores, it would be fine, but there was a freak with full marks at the top.

How could the others bear it?

The group of geniuses turned back with complex expressions, wanting to see Xu Xiao Shou's reaction to his score.

As they turned, they saw him lounging on a tall-backed chair in the distance, legs crossed and eyes closed in rest. "Wan Feng, what's my score?"

Xiao Wan Feng had followed Xu Xiao Shou long enough to know exactly what to do.

He flattered him by offering a cup of tea and announcing loudly, "Xu Shao, full marks!"

Xu Xiao Shou frowned with his eyes still closed, got up, and walked away without even glancing at the Jin Bang. "Full marks, so what? Nothing special. Why shout so loud?"

Xiao Wan Feng rolled his eyes behind him but forced a helpless smile on his face. "Xu Shao is right. Full marks is something anyone with skill can do. If you can't get it, that's just a personal problem."

Anyone with skill...

Personal problem...

The group of Lian Dan talents behind them felt like they'd been stabbed, some even experiencing a twinge in their hearts.

Yu Chu Chu's eyelids twitched wildly.

She thought she couldn't let Xiao Wan Feng keep hanging around Xu Xiao Shou, or the kid would be ruined.

But...

"But if things keep going like this, I'll end up as his Lian Dan assistant. How can I worry about Wan Feng?" Yu Chu Chu bit her lip, her face full of bitterness.

The hundred-person Jin Bang only listed thirteen names.

"Thirteenth, Long Mei, 42 points."

Beyond that line, it was empty, as if mocking the competitors.

The players on the stage soon left with dejected faces.

Listing up to thirteenth meant that not just the top ten for the final round were shown, but anyone with a score was listed.

In other words, in the second round, out of a hundred competitors, eighty-seven produced nothing by the end of the time limit.

Some didn't even come up with a final solution and just stood there for an hour.

What a blow!

Dong Tian Wang City knew that geniuses from the five domains had come.

But once the questions got tough, the elimination rate was still shockingly high.

This also meant that scoring 42 points for thirteenth place didn't indicate weakness—it meant those who made the list were already elite among elites in the Lian Dan world.

Of course, if you counted it that way, you absolutely couldn't include the full-marks top scorer Xu Xiao Shou.

Otherwise...

There was no otherwise!

Because there was no comparison between them!

The commotion after the Jin Bang update lasted for quite a while before settling down slightly.

"Too outrageous."

Not just the audience shaking their heads at the top of the Jin Bang.

Even the eliminated Lian Dan masters couldn't help but be amazed.

As fellow Lian Dan masters, they knew how difficult the second round was, so they appreciated even more what it meant for Xu Shao to get full marks again.

On the viewing platform, Hua Luo sat among a crowd.

In a place full of faction leaders (middle-aged men) and guardian elders (aged elders), this young girl looked completely out of place.

During the Lian Dan Grand Assembly, many people came over to greet her, trying to get to know this girl who had appeared at the Ling Que Trade Fair but whose background was unknown.

But Hua Luo turned them all away without exception.

She was only here as Dong Ling's guest and had no expectations for the competitors' Lian Dan skills.

Because in Lian Dan, she was only half an insider.

This wasn't because her master, grandmaster, or great-grandmaster taught poorly—it was just that her skill tree, Hua Luo's, was fully invested in the Jin Zhao lineage's explosive arts, with nothing left for Lian Dan.

Still, even if her Lian Dan skills were lacking, Hua Luo had the experience to recognize things.

"How did his final condensing technique look so familiar?"

On the viewing platform, the young girl watched Xu Xiao Shou leave the Jin Bang and start wandering the venue, while her mind replayed his final technique, which resembled the "Jin Zhao Ning Dan Shu."

It could be said that this was the only Lian Dan method Xu Shao had shown—condensing.

Before that, no one could tell where his Lian Dan techniques originated from.

What could you see from a black chicken?

But this Ning Dan Shu...

Hua Luo furrowed her brows.

She couldn't help but recall what Zhou Tian Can had shouted at the Ling Que Trade Fair that day.

Touching her chest, she still had the letter urgently needing Xu Shi Bo's signature that she hadn't delivered.

Hua Luo naturally remembered her master Bai Lian's instructions.

And finding someone as famous as Xu Shi Bo in Dong Tian Wang City—someone who could do Lian Dan, had strong cultivation, and casually caused explosions...

"Saint Nu Xu Xiao Shou, Tian Shang First Tower Xu De Ye..."

Unconsciously, in Hua Luo's mind, these two images overlapped, piecing together a figure that was eighty percent like the one she had imagined for Xu Shi Bo.

"No way?"

A not-very-bright girl who was easily influenced by others' words actually trusted her sixth sense, even if it was baseless and unprovable.

But she just believed it!

Or rather, most women, except for extremely rational ones like Lan Ling or Rao Yao Yao, thought their sixth sense was accurate.

Hua Luo felt the same way right now.

She thought that if she tried to figure it out herself, she might not find Xu Shi Bo until next year.

But now, with someone so similar appearing, if she didn't ask him directly after the Grand Assembly, it would be unjust.

"Xu Shi Bo couldn't possibly refuse his little niece Hua Luo, right?" she thought.

But suddenly, she shuddered, remembering something.

"I just beat up Zhou Tian Can, and now I'm going to find this Xu Shao. If I get a positive answer, doesn't that mean Zhou Tian Can was right?"

For a moment, Hua Luo scratched her head in confusion.

Her little mind wasn't big enough to figure out why Xu Shi Bo had two identities and what he was up to.

But that didn't stop her, after seeing the ninety-percent similar Jin Zhao Ning Dan Shu, from making this decision.

"Once the Grand Assembly ends, I'll go talk to this Xu Shao again!"

"No matter what, even if he's not Xu Shi Bo, based on his talent alone, I'll drag him to the Sheng Gong and show Xiao Bai how capable I am!"

"Passive value: 964,722."

On the other side, when Xu Xiao Shou checked his information panel, he was startled by his stockpile.

Over nine hundred thousand!

Almost hitting the million target!

He knew that people couldn't continuously output emotions toward one person in the short term, even if that person's actions were extraordinary.

Constant highs would make anyone numb over time.

After the first round, the audience had already given him plenty of passive value.

Now, at the end of the second round, getting around five hundred thousand more proved that the shock he, Xu Xiao Shou, had given them far exceeded his expectations.

"Stirring up a crowd is exhausting..."

After two rounds of competitions, Xu Xiao Shou had gone all out to make a splash, just to gather more wool.

By now, he was pretty much tapped out.

The audience was the same group.

If he wanted to rake in a big haul of passive value in the next round, he'd have to do something even more outrageous than the previous two.

But he, Xu Xiao Shou, wasn't a god!

"I have nothing left..."

For the third round, he decided to just do his best.

A million was a small goal, and reaching it today was inevitable.

How much more he got didn't matter to Xu Xiao Shou; he decided to enjoy the competition.

On the judges' panel, after giving the competitors enough rest time, Dong Ling President began speaking loudly:

"First, congratulations to those who made the Jin Bang in the second round. The top ten will advance to the final."

"Additionally, I believe everyone has gained a clear understanding of their own abilities through this competition."

"This time, I won't say anything about how with effort, anyone can take first place. For the final qualifying round, just do your best, because at this point, you've all earned qualification for the Wang City Trial!"

The competitors exchanged glances.

Yes!

Do your best and leave it to fate.

With a top student overhead, you might think you could surpass them with effort.

But when you realize it's not a top student, but a mountain like Tai Shan...

No one felt like smashing themselves against it anymore.

Might as well fight for second place...

Xu Xiao Shou listened from below and found it amusing.

He suddenly realized that, without noticing, he'd already secured his small goal of a Wang City Trial spot.

All that was left to fight for was the first-place reward—the Ping Hu Xiao Qing Hua.

"A minor heavenly fire?"

Xu Xiao Shou had to admit, he was quite tempted by it.

Even though he had the Jin Zhao Bai Yan, the stuff from the Jin Zhao lineage was too distinctive.

And more treasures were always better, right?

If he could get the Ping Hu Xiao Qing Hua and use it as a chance to obtain the Ping Hu Qing Hua from Sheng Fu Tu City, then combine this supreme heavenly fire born from the Cang Qiong Zhi Tree with the Jin Zhao Bai Yan to improve his Five Finger Mark Technique...

"What would that look like?" Xu Xiao Shou's heart raced with excitement.