Reincarnated as a Mosquito, I Sucked the Reborn Empress to Tears

Chapter 126: Chapter 126: No Suspense for the 3-Provincial Joint Exam? Gu Yuexi Can Only Get 3rd?

The two auras belonged to Zhou Qing, the Governor of Celestial Fire Province, and Li Jianye, the Governor of Canglan Province.

Zhou Qing was a burly, square-jawed middle-aged man. He was naturally imposing and exuded the iron-blooded, domineering aura unique to military men.

Li Jianye, on the other hand, appeared much more scholarly. Dressed in a Zhongshan suit and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he looked more like a university professor than a high official.

“Old Qi, you’ve really put on quite a show!”

His voice arrived before he did, his booming tone making one’s eardrums ache. “What’s this? Did you realize your province has no hope of winning the Champion Scholar title this year, so you specially called us over, hoping we’d go easy on you?”

Hearing this, Qi Chongshan just chuckled and went forward to greet them personally. “Old Zhou, come on now. The three of us haven’t seen each other in years. What better time than this joint exam to get together for a couple of drinks? It’s better than staring at each other on a screen, isn’t it?”

He sounded polite, but internally, he was bursting with glee.

’Get together? Have a couple of drinks?’

’Bullshit!’

’I just want to see with my own eyes what priceless expressions you two will have when your faces get slapped silly by a mosquito!’

Even Xiao Ran could guess that the “Evil Giant Mushroom” was that mosquito.

As a provincial Governor, Qi Chongshan was better informed and knew more about Chu Sheng. How could he possibly not have guessed?

He had guessed it the very moment he received the news yesterday!

He had been completely stunned at the time, sitting dumbfounded in his office for a full half-hour before he could even begin to process this ridiculous fact.

The first thing he did when he came to his senses was immediately send an urgent invitation to the other two Governors!

If he missed this golden opportunity to watch his old friends get humiliated, he would regret it for the rest of his life!

Beside them, Li Jianye pushed up his glasses and laughed, trying to smooth things over. “That’s just Old Zhou’s rotten temper. Don’t mind him, Old Qi.”

“But speaking of which, Old Qi, that little girl from your Sui Ming Province, Gu Yuexi, she really surprised me!”

“To comprehend three Perfect Fulfillment Realms at just the Second-Grade Middle Stage… that level of comprehension is truly a rarity in history!”

“What a pity… her talent is too poor. At this stage, she’s only at the Second-Grade Middle Stage. Her cultivation level is just too low. She’s ultimately fated to miss out on the Champion Scholar title. At best… she’ll get third place!”

Li Jianye’s tone sounded like praise, but the sense of superiority between the lines was impossible to hide.

These Governors from other provinces naturally wouldn’t know about Gu Yuexi’s status as a “top secret of the Federation.”

Their knowledge of her was limited to the information that had circulated during the qualifying rounds.

In their eyes, no amount of comprehension could bridge the insurmountable gap in cultivation levels.

This year’s Champion Scholar for the three provinces could only emerge from the monsters of their two provinces.

Sui Ming Province?

No chance!

Zhou Qing didn’t even try to hide his smugness. He clapped Qi Chongshan on the shoulder and roared with laughter.

“Old Li’s right, that Gu Yuexi is indeed not bad. A shame! Not like Mu Linyuan from our Celestial Fire Province, or that Lin Feng from Canglan. They’re both bona fide Third-Grade Early Stage! The Champion Scholar can only come from one of them!”

At this, he sighed with a hint of regret. “Though, speaking of which, I’m a little jealous of Old Li! Your Canglan’s Lin Feng has an Innate Sword Body and is a homegrown genius. If he wins the Champion Scholar title, think of the prestige!”

“Unlike our province’s Mu Linyuan, who transferred from Hong Kong Island. He’s a Hong Kong Islander. Although his strength is also monstrous, the prestige of the honor… well, it’s just lacking a little something!”

Listening to their back-and-forth of insincere flattery, Qi Chongshan remained outwardly impassive, but internally he was laughing his head off.

’Monsters?’

’Those two of yours are worthy of being called monsters?’

’Do you have any idea how ridiculously strong that mosquito is?’

’Just you wait. You’ll be crying soon enough!’

He suppressed his laughter, waved his hand, and put on an expression that said, “I’ve already accepted my fate.”

“Alright, alright, I know your two provinces are strong. Sui Ming Province is just here to fill the roster this year, okay?”

“Stop it, already. Any more and I won’t have any face left to show! Come on, come on, the competition is about to start. Let’s go to the viewing platform!”

The three of them made their way to the highest viewing seats, specially prepared for them.

Before them was a massive virtual screen that could switch in real-time to the battle footage from any arena within the Secret Realm.

With a long, resonant chime, the three-province joint examination officially began!

Three thousand examinees flooded into the massive entrance of the Secret Realm like a tide.

The scene before them suddenly opened up.

It was a vast, boundless plain under a clear blue sky. The air was fresh and rich with Spiritual Qi.

In the center of the plain, dozens of giant arenas constructed from a special alloy had already been built.

Surrounding each arena stood several formidable-looking Fourth-Grade Soldiers, as well as professional referees and examiners, ensuring the fairness and safety of the competition.

Countless drones hovered in the air, clearly transmitting real-time footage from each arena to the live broadcast screens outside.

The rules of the competition were simple: it was still a single-elimination tournament in the arenas with random matchmaking.

The horn for battle soon sounded.

The first few rounds of the competition held little suspense.

Almost everyone’s attention was focused on the few popular contenders for the championship.

“Look! It’s Mu Linyuan from Celestial Fire Province! He’s up against Qin Zheng! I think there’s a cha— HOLY SHIT! One move! Another one-move knockout!”

“He’s ridiculously strong! His Purple Fire Qilin, a Third-Grade Early Stage cub with a King-level Bloodline, can casually slaughter an ordinary Third-Grade Late Stage Martial Artist, you know? How could Qin Zheng possibly stand a chance?”

“That Lin Feng from Canglan is even more absurd! He didn’t even draw his sword. He scared his opponent into surrendering just with his Minor Success Sword Intent!”

“Monsters! Both of them are fucking monsters!”

For a time, an atmosphere of repression and resentment filled the entire Sui Ming Province viewing area.

The gap… it was too vast!

Gu Yuexi’s performance, however, became their only consolation.

She won every one of her battles cleanly and decisively. Whether facing someone at the Peak of Second-Grade or a genius who had comprehended a Realm Prototype, she could defeat them all effortlessly with just one finger.

At this moment, Gu Yuexi had just finished a match and was walking off the arena, her expression blank.

Her opponent had been a rather famous genius from a neighboring province, a Peak Second-Grade Martial Artist who had even comprehended a Great Success Level Realm Prototype. His strength was considerable.

But against her, he still couldn’t withstand a single finger.

The Sui Ming Province examinees below erupted in cheers, but their cheers were tinged with an undeniable sense of repression and bitterness.

Gu Yuexi was indeed strong, unimaginably so!

But so what?

Her cultivation level was too low, after all. Although her Cross-Level Combat Ability was extremely strong, she could only dominate geniuses at the Peak of Second-Grade.

Once she reached the final rounds and was matched against those two monsters, it would probably… be the end of the line for her.

Gu Yuexi ignored the discussions around her and walked straight back to the rest area for the Hidden Dragon Class.

As soon as she got close, she keenly sensed that the atmosphere here was off.

A heavy, suffocating sense of depression hung over the small area.

She looked up and saw Xiao Ran and Chu Yiran, the two Top Notch geniuses hailed as the “Peerless Duo” of Du Nan and Sui Ming Province’s only two Peak Second-Grade Martial Artists this year, sitting on the ground looking utterly dejected.

One’s eyes were vacant, while the other’s fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white. Both of their faces held a look of dazed resentment, their pride brutally shattered by reality.

Qin Zheng, nearby, was in an even more pathetic state. It was as if his soul had been ripped out. He sat slumped in a corner, staring blankly at the ground and muttering something to himself, looking completely shut down.

It seemed they had all been unlucky enough to be matched against those so-called monsters early on.