Chapter 630 - 624: Forfeit

"Next match!"

The exchange meet continued, and the people in the audience took their turns on stage one by one. It had to be said, these people truly lived up to their reputation as geniuses selected by the major branch halls. Their strength was astonishing. It seemed the Alchemists of the Demon Race weren’t as pathetic as the Human Race’s rumors claimed.

During the following matches, the curious Yan Jue again asked Shen Haoran a few things about the developing battles. It seemed the girl wanted to test whether Shen Haoran’s ten-minute prediction earlier was just a lucky guess.

But as it turned out, Shen Haoran was right about every single match. Whether it was the end time or the advantage on the field, his predictions were flawless. If one match was an accident and two were luck, then what about three or four? Everyone stared at Shen Haoran as if he were a monster. Even those who had been looking for trouble with him shut their mouths, not knowing what to say.

In the end, Yan Jue simply stopped asking. The girl seemed to have suffered some kind of blow and no longer chirped around Shen Haoran. She sulkily propped her chin on the railing. Beside her, Long Aotian gave a helpless smile, but his gaze toward Shen Haoran held a new seriousness. From that moment on, he began to see Shen Haoran as an equal, someone on his level based on true strength, with no other factors involved.

"The winner’s about to be decided!" Just as Long Aotian’s mind was wandering, Shen Haoran said softly, looking at the stone stage below. Sure enough, in the next instant, one contestant’s Spiritual Thought was blasted apart by their opponent. The outcome was decided in a flash.

"Your perception is just monstrous!" Long Aotian sighed, watching the two people who had left the stone stage.

"Haha, it’s really just good luck!" Shen Haoran chuckled and started to walk forward.

"Where are you going?" Long Aotian asked, confused to see Shen Haoran leaving.

Hearing this, the corner of Shen Haoran’s mouth twitched. He then raised the wooden slip in his hand and said, "I say, Eldest Young Master Long, you haven’t forgotten that I’m a contestant too, have you? Of course I’m going down to compete. I’m not like you seeded players who don’t have to go on stage and can just enjoy the leisure!"

Seeing the wooden slip in Shen Haoran’s hand, Long Aotian instantly understood and gave an embarrassed smile. He had started to see Shen Haoran as a genius on his own level, so he had naturally assumed Shen Haoran wouldn’t have to participate in this so-called exchange meet. Now, seeing the slip, he remembered that Shen Haoran was just the representative from the lowest-ranked of the twenty major branch halls.

When Shen Haoran took the stage, everyone in the audience perked up and turned their eyes toward him. After his accurate predictions of the battles, Shen Haoran had used his ability to change the impression most people had of him. Now, they were all curious just how strong he really was.

Of course, there were still some who disliked Shen Haoran. The moment he stepped onto the stage, they started their attacks. "He’s finally on stage. I’d like to see if he can predict how many seconds *he’ll* last up there!"

"I’d bet no more than ten seconds. That Yin Xueyu from Silver Snow City is pretty strong. I’ve seen him in action before; he’s good enough to rank in the top ten. Shen Haoran is just a Fourth Grade Alchemist; he’s definitely no match for Yin Xueyu!"

"Let’s just sit back and enjoy the show. We’ll see if he can still smile after he gets instantly defeated!" some people in the stands sneered.

Shen Haoran quickly arrived on the stone stage, but it was completely empty in front of him. There wasn’t a single person in sight. After a long moment, still no one came up.

"Number seventeen! Who has number seventeen?" Ji Wuqing shouted toward the audience.

"It’s Yin Xueyu. Where is Yin Xueyu?" Those who were waiting for Shen Haoran’s downfall also began searching for Yin Xueyu in the crowd, but after looking for a long time, they couldn’t find him. Even Yin Chuan was gone.

"Um, Brother Yin said something came up, so he left early!" Chi Lian and Mu Tong said weakly, though inwardly they were cursing. The truth was, the moment Yin Xueyu drew his lot and saw his opponent was Shen Haoran, he had left immediately. ’Are you kidding me? Fighting Shen Haoran is just asking for death! The scene of Shen Haoran’s Seventh Grade Alchemist assessment yesterday is still fresh in my mind. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be ’monstrous.’ Even if Shen Haoran gave me an arm and two legs as a handicap, I’m not sure I could win. Better to just slip away early.’

"He bailed!" Hearing Chi Lian and Mu Tong’s words, the surrounding Alchemists were instantly dumbfounded. ’What the hell? A Sixth Grade Alchemist is up against a Fourth Grade Alchemist, and he bailed before even fighting? Where’s your integrity? Your decency? Do you have any backbone at all?’

On the stone stage, Ji Wuqing’s expression had also turned ugly. Although she had witnessed Shen Haoran’s strength yesterday and had even been extorted by him, she thought, ’As a man, you should at least have some backbone, right? To run away before even getting on stage... it’s just disgraceful.’

"Number seventeen is absent, so number nineteen, get up here!" Ji Wuqing shouted coldly.

As Ji Wuqing’s voice fell, everyone in the audience turned their gaze to Mu Tong. He was the one who had drawn number nineteen.

Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, Mu Tong trembled. He glanced at Shen Haoran standing in the center of the stone stage and couldn’t help but gulp. Finally, he said, "Vice Hall Master Ji, I just remembered... I ate something bad today and need to rest. I forfeit!" Without waiting for Ji Wuqing’s reaction, he turned and sprinted out of the Testing Hall. The speed he was running at was probably the fastest he had ever run in his life.

"What is happening?!" Watching Mu Tong disappear without a trace in an instant, the audience was left completely stunned. Two Sixth Grade Alchemists had been scared off by a single Fourth Grade Alchemist from the Human Race. Who would believe that if they heard it? Where was the pride of the Demon Race’s Alchemists? For a moment, everyone silently cursed Mu Tong and Yin Xueyu in their hearts.

If Yin Xueyu and Mu Tong were here, they would surely be crying foul. ’That damn Shen Haoran isn’t some Fourth Grade Alchemist! That guy is a monster! A Seventh Grade Alchemist! That’s the same level as the four seeded players! Forget just me, even with two more people, we probably still wouldn’t be Shen Haoran’s match.’

Ji Wuqing couldn’t take it anymore. She bellowed, "Number twenty! Who is number twenty? If you dare to run away too, you’ll be disqualified immediately!"

Hearing Ji Wuqing’s furious roar, a figure leaped down from the audience. He threw his bamboo slip directly in front of Shen Haoran and said coolly, "Don’t worry, Vice Hall Master Ji. I, Chen Chen, am not like those two cowards. Just a minor Alchemist from the Human Race. I’ll let him know that there’s always someone better out there!"