Era of Mist

Chapter 164: Chapter 163: A Pillar of Golden Light, First on the Golden Roll

HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...

Huge beads of sweat dripped to the ground—PLIP, PLOP—splashing into the pools of blood. Shi Tiexin stared down at He Chong, who was now nothing more than a headless corpse. For some reason, the body remained on display for a moment before finally vanishing from the secret realm.

The thing he had been standing on vanished, causing Shi Tiexin to stumble before slowly pushing himself upright. The sleeve of his right arm had been blasted to shreds, revealing a limb that was a horrifying shade of blue-black. The swelling was shocking, like the wrecked remains of a cannon that had backfired, a gruesome sight to behold.

Shi Tiexin gasped for breath, exhausted. Then, he clenched both fists and let out a roar that shook the heavens.

”AAAAAAAH—!!!”

The roar, amplified, thundered and echoed throughout the stadium like the cry of a trapped dragon straining against its bonds—a howl of agony and defiance.

’I will never yield! I will never surrender! I will never bow my head in fear or stop moving forward!’

”Amazing!!” ”He did it!!” The other examinees erupted, cheering and shouting. Most martial artists were, by nature, a valiant and hot-blooded bunch.

The medical team rushed forward and scraped He Chong’s body, which had just fallen out of the secret realm, off the ground. He Chong wasn’t actually dead now that he was outside the realm, but after having his head exploded by a single punch, his condition was truly wretched.

However, this was only the semi-finals.

After his roar, Shi Tiexin turned to look at the other match. His mind-force and stamina were both severely depleted, he had taken numerous heavy blows from He Chong, and he was drenched in blood. He didn’t know if he could defeat his final opponent and win the preliminary provincial exam.

’Whether I win the exam or not, being able to kill He Chong made it all worth it.’

’Of course, as long as there’s a shred of hope, I have to fight for first place!’

But as Shi Tiexin looked over at the other match, he saw both combatants rushing toward each other at top speed. Amid a deafening clash, a continuous series of CRACKS and SNAPS rang out. Both fighters were sent flying backward, and with a THUD, they slammed to the ground, unable to get up again.

Shi Tiexin’s eyes widened.

’What a coincidence. They took each other out?’

No. After a moment, a hand rose, trembling, and reached for the sky, clenching into a tight fist.

A victor had emerged!

It was that young man who looked vaguely familiar.

As for the other one, the braggart from outside the examination hall, he was left with only a single breath. He was declared the loser, ejected from the secret realm, and lost his qualification to compete any further.

In the end, this ”Soaring Sky” duo had barely managed to flap their wings before both came crashing down.

”Combine!” The Dragon Map Scholar didn’t wait a single second, immediately initiating the final match of the preliminary provincial exam.

The spectating examinees grew tense. Both semi-final matches had been clashes between titans, and now the stronger of each had emerged. It was time to see who would claim the ultimate victory!

Look, on one side was the big fellow, bathed in blood, his arm black and blue, his stamina and mind-force both severely drained. He was in terrible condition for a fight.

Now look at his opponent—uh... he was still lying on the ground. To say he was bathed in blood was an understatement; he looked more like a bag of blood. His fist was still stubbornly raised to the sky, as if symbolizing his unquenchable fighting spirit. But before everyone’s eyes, the hand suddenly went limp and, with a SPLAT, fell back into its own pool of blood.

Then, silence.

CRACK. The secret realm shattered.

The contestant had actually bled to death!

Of course, once outside the secret realm, he stood up weakly. His handsome and harmless-looking face was a bit pale, but he seemed to be fine otherwise.

Looking back at Shi Tiexin, the blue-black color of his right arm had faded somewhat, but it was still incredibly swollen and would require time and treatment to recover.

Shi Tiexin truly hadn’t expected this. In the final match, he had done nothing at all. He had won just by standing there.

Shi Tiexin looked at the opponent who had bled to death. ”Have we met before? You look a little familiar.”

The contestant smiled, a hint of shyness in his expression. ”We are classmates, sir, from the Star Worker School. I just enrolled very recently as a transfer student, so we haven’t seen much of each other.”

’A fellow student?’

Shi Tiexin thought for a moment. Oh, he remembered now. During the last qualification test, this guy had indeed been there, standing inconspicuously behind He Chong. At the time, all of his attention had been on He Chong, so he really hadn’t noticed him.

’Is that why he looks familiar?’

’It seems so, but I have a vague feeling that’s not it.’

Shi Tiexin asked, ”May I have your name?”

Just as the young man was about to speak, a great clamor suddenly erupted from the surrounding examinees. ”Look! Look at the sky!”

The stadium, like the main examination venue, was shaped like the Roman Colosseum. Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but look up. In the distance, a beam of crimson and gold light shot up from the direction of the Upper City District, ultimately transforming into a massive crimson and gold roll that hung high in the sky.

”It’s the Upper City District! Their preliminary exam is over, and they’re posting the roll!”

”Quick, look south! The South City District seems to be posting theirs too!”

”Whoa, to the north! The North City District is posting theirs at the same time!”

Almost one after another, a crimson and gold radiance shot into the sky from both the South City District and the North City District, forming their own great rolls that hung in the heavens.

Names glittered in golden light, so clear that everyone, near or far, could see them.

Upper City District Champion—Shen Xingye!

South City District Champion—Shi Yuwei!

North City District Champion—Gao Chongxiao!

Everyone was discussing the results, and then, as if by unspoken agreement, they all turned to look at Shi Tiexin, their eyes filled with fervent anticipation. At the same time, the Dragon Map Scholar’s voice drifted down from above, booming like a great bell.

”In this hundredth year of the Mist, in the preliminary provincial exam of the Tumu Castle Pasture District, the victor has been decided.”

”The champion of the Golden Roll is Shi Tiexin—!”

”Shi Tiexin!”

”Shi Tiexin!”

The Dragon Map Scholar’s voice echoed, and the shouts of the spectating examinees echoed along with it. Shi Tiexin suddenly felt an indescribable emotion surge from the bottom of his heart to the top of his head, making his scalp tingle and his vision blur.

Tears were actually welling up in his eyes.

’Was he weak?’

’No, he was never weak. The weak had already died on the path to survival.’

’It was just that the fatigue, the perseverance, the endurance, the suffering—it had all piled up for so, so long. And now, at this very moment, he finally saw its meaning. He finally saw the clouds part and the moon shine through.’

Shi Tiexin could no longer hear anything. He raised his head as a crimson and gold beam of light erupted from above the stadium, shooting straight into the sky like a blast from a starship’s cannon fired in reverse.

In that moment, he could almost hear the clamor of the parents waiting outside the stadium.

Shi Tiexin looked up at the golden roll.

The very first name at the top—Golden Roll Champion, Shi Tiexin.

He looked again. Golden Roll Champion, Shi Tiexin!

That’s right.

That’s me.

That’s damn well me.

I am—the champion!!

A golden radiance burst forth from the void, instantly enveloping Shi Tiexin. Wordlessly, he clenched his right fist, then thrust it high into the air.

Today, he was finally certain: all his sacrifices had paid off; all his efforts had not been in vain.

The journey ahead was still long.

But no matter what pressure he faced in the future, he would live by the words in his heart—

A heart of stone, bones of iron, raising a fist to the heavens!!!