It was just a single arrow.

Helan Yuexi’s expression immediately became incomparably pale.

He looked into the sky, looked at that snow-white peak that seemed to be in the heavens above. His body flew backwards.

There was a gaping hole in his abdomen.

Scalding blood poured over the white snow, but this time, it was his own blood.

…

Wang Jianyu directly sat down on the snowy ground.

Apart from Central Continent Imperial City, some academies, and unknown cultivation lands, the border armies were the places where cultivators were more numerous than any other place.

He had also seen quite a few powerful cultivators and powerful archers.

However, he had never seen anyone who could, from so far away… under this type of mountain wind, shoot down his opponent just like that with a single arrow.

Bian Linghan raised her head, looking at that fine black speck in a daze. She subconsciously covered her mouth with her hand, stopping herself from crying out in alarm.

She, who had the aptitude to become a Windstalker, understood the difficulty of this arrow more clearly than anyone else.

However, in this type of situation without any adjustment, Lin Xi only used a single arrow… a single arrow, with incomparable precision, shot through Helan Yuexi like the judgment of heaven.

This was utterly absurd, yet it played out clearly before her eyes. Lin Xi actually really did it.

Gao Yanan also stared at the snowy peak that seemed to be in the heavens themselves.

Her way of thinking was rather simple, and also full of worry: “Turns out you are the academy’s Windstalker… moreover already this strong… no wonder you had so much arrogance. However, now that you revealed yourself this time, it won’t be good in the future.”

…

Helan Yuexi fell heavily into a muddy puddle of ice, snow, and his own blood.

He stood up tenaciously once more, raising his head to look at Lin Xi on that snowy peak.

He refused to believe that with just that level of cultivation… the opponent he had utter contempt for, actually sent an arrow through his body, striking him down.

He already became a true cultivator, already Thunder Academy’s true number one. With his talent and ambition, his future prospects were endless.

How could he possibly fall under some opponents he didn’t attach any importance to?

He stood back up… because of his inner arrogance and true contempt, an expression of disdain appeared on his face again. However, this expression of disdain quickly became despair and loss.

The tremendous power that originally pervaded his body, because of this single arrow, completely flowed through his body. He discovered that he couldn’t even take a single step out.

This high up… this far away… how could this arrow shoot through his body?

Only now did shock and frustration fully appear in his mind. His body began to shudder.

Suddenly, like a fool, he lowered his head to look at his chest, and then struggled to turn his head around, looking behind himself.

In his chest, there was a sharp end sticking out, even more blood blood flowing down along the pitch-black arrowhead’s bloody grooves.

Behind him, Yuhua Tianji was standing, his hands firmly holding the short sword that had just fallen down, stabbing it through his body.

Bian Linghan and Gao Yanan also turned around, watching this scene in a daze. That arrow from the sky was too shocking, so they didn’t even know when Yuhua Tianji supported himself back up and grabbed this black short sword.

“I already said that if I don’t die… I will definitely kill you.” Yuhua Tianji’s face was incredibly pale, his unbearably weak body in the light armor staggering, but he looked straight at Helan Yuexi who turned around, saying this in an incredibly resolute manner.

When he heard this, Helan Yuexi’s head hung heavily, and then he quietly muttered, “I never thought… I would actually die here, I am actually going to die…”

The instant his head hung down, everything before his eyes going dark, this darkness also eternal, there were some bizarre bugs like those that fluttered about rotting corpses moving around his body.

In that moment of time, he thought of the people he killed, thought about how after he became a cultivator, he thought power was everything, thought about the expressions of fear in the eyes of those collapsed bandits and Thunder Academy students.

“I was someone destined to become even stronger, destined to leave behind a heavy stroke in the annals of history… why am I going to die like this?”

All of this turned into pain and unwillingness, filling his mind.

The entire world he knew collapsed before his eyes. Then, he fell once again, falling heavily into the ground, lying down in the ruined blood-soaked snow, no longer moving.

Thunder Academy’s indisputable number one student, someone who even the powerful army cultivator who found him in a cave called a freak, died just like that.

…

Lin Xi began to quickly descend the mountain.

This arrow’s significance to him was extremely great. Not only did it affect the lives and deaths of many people, it also further increased his perception and archery skills.

Bian Linghan and Gao Yanan also quickly ran up to Helan Yuexi’s corpse.

Before Helan Yuexi fell, Yuhua Tianji had already fallen as well. He was still holding the short sword with both hands, falling down at Helan Yuexi’s side.

Bian Linghan and Gao Yanan quickly wrapped up Yuhua Tianji’s injuries, and at this time, he also started to go unconscious. His aura became weak, his expression starting to turn ash-colored as well.

“He should have died!”

When she saw Yuhua Tianji whose current condition was extremely alarming, also seeing Helan Yuexi’s corpse, Bian Linghan felt an indescribable wave of anger, unable to stop herself from shouting this.

Descending didn’t need much energy. Wang Jianyu had also spent quite some time in the border army. Even though he wasn’t a cultivator, he was still proficient in quite a bit of martial skills. While running and sliding, he arrived at Bian Linghan and Gao Yanan’s sides before Lin Xi.

After just extending a finger, tapping on Yuhua Tianji’s arteries, this experienced military doctor’s face also immediately became pale. “He lost too much blood… it has been too long since he was first injured, the cold has gotten in.”

Gao Yanan looked at Wang Jianyu, remaining silent for a moment. Without asking about his origins, she only asked simply, “How much longer does he have?”

“I do not know.” Wang Jianyu laughed bitterly. “In the border army, with this type of injury… he might die at any time. Moreover, when the cold gets in, his internal organs will also start to fail. Even if there are spiritual herbs and a famous doctor here, it will be hard to rescue him and provide treatment.”

Bian Linghan’s hands tightened again, but then they loosened.

However, Gao Yanan shook her head, saying, “As long as he is quickly sent out, he won’t die. It is because he is Green Luan Academy’s student, and he is also someone from Yuhua Family.”

When he heard the words Green Luan Academy, and then recalled what the title Yuhua Family represented, Wang Jianyu’s eyes lit up. However, immediately afterwards, he seemed to have recalled something. He lowered his body to look at Liu Rou, but after just giving her a look, his body suddenly went rigid.

Gao Yanan and Bian Linghan immediately knew why Wang Jianyu had this type of reaction, the two of them also lowering their heads slightly.

Liu Rou’s eyes had opened unknowingly when, but they stopped moving, not closing again.

Even though Yuhua Tianji didn’t spare his own body temperature to melt snow for her at all, hoping she could live, this fresh life still dissipated in this part of the Heaven Ascension Mountain Range.

…

The diamond dust-like ice fragments fluttered about, scattering down from the sky.

On Ten Fingers Ridge’s highest peak, Yunqin Emperor who was dressed in yellow dragon robes quietly stood at the side of a simple and crude pine tree, once again revealing a true expression of fatigue.

A cultivator dressed in a white brush raincoat was currently floating down between the cliff, toes tapping lightly against the cliff, graceful like a white crane.

Just like how he knew many things in this world like the back of his hand when he was in Central Continent’s Imperial City, since he was in these mountains himself, everything that happened in this Ten Fingers Ridge was also understood perfectly clearly.

Vice Principal Xia looked at this man who had the most authority in the entire world, a bit of pity appearing in the depths of his eyes. In the evaluation of any historian, this was an excellent emperor, but the emperor was the emperor, the academy was the academy, there were some opinions between them that would always be incompatible.

“I’ve lost.”

Yunqin Emperor stared at the scenery below the cliff before him, after thinking for a bit, he uttered these words.

Helan Yuexi died.

Liu Rou died.

Zhan Daoming, who could see clearly in the darkness, also died.

Wanyan Muye was seriously injured.

Of the five Thunder Academy students he meticulously raised and carefully picked, in this type of unfair competition, there were already three deaths and one seriously injured.

Meanwhile, everyone on Green Luan Academy’s side was still alive.

Even Yuhua Tianji who didn’t know that Liu Rou already died, was still tenaciously living, currently being escorted by Lin Xi, Gao Yanan, and the others here.

Even if all the prisoners died, so what?

If, in the end, not a single Thunder Academy student could walk out… anyone could see who exactly won, and who lost.

Someone like him knew that this competition’s victory and defeat weren’t completely decided by the lives and deaths of a few prisoners right from the start.

Vice Principal Xia looked at Yunqin Emperor, calmly saying, “This type of competition, no one was going to win from the very beginning.”

The imperial princess Changsun Muyue still didn’t join in on Yunqin Emperor and Vice Principal Xia’s conversation. She sat in the most simple temporary imperial residence built from pine wood, but she clearly heard this sentence Vice Principal Xia spoke, heard the pity carried within.

She lowered her head slightly.

No matter who won and who lost, in the end, those who died were Yunqin Empire’s cultivation geniuses.

“According to what I previously promised, Thunder Academy will temporarily stop this type of education alteration.” Yunqin Emperor silently turned around, looked at Vice Principal Xia, and then slowly said this.

Vice Principal Xia smiled, giving a bow and saying, “Your majesty is wise and brilliant.”

Now that he lost the powerful drive to see the results of this battle, Yunqin Emperor only felt an indescribable fatigue. Towards this elder, he didn’t feel much hostility, a bit of his original respect instead returning. He nodded his head slightly, returning the greeting, and then waved to the distant silver-armored warriors who were standing tall and majestic, saying, “Let’s have this competition come to an end.”

This was an order, these Central Continent Guards who were absolutely loyal to the emperor naturally wouldn’t show any disobedience. However, when they heard his command, the silver-armored Central Continent guard leader instead respectfully replied, “Your majesty, I fear that there’s not enough time.”