Forget the young disciples. Even an Elder like him couldn’t possibly be as relaxed as Su Mo while subjected to the pressure from Fairy Jinghong’s Secret Technique and Origin Power.
How damn strange.
The Middle-aged Steward guessed, "Could it be? Does he have some kind of protective Exotic Treasure on him?"
The old man in charge of registration shook his head. "No. I’ve been watching him this whole time. He hasn’t used a single Exotic Treasure, and he didn’t even activate his Realm."
Whether one used an Exotic Treasure or activated their Realm, it required gathering Spiritual Qi.
That was something that couldn’t be hidden.
And yet, from beginning to end, there was no flow of Spiritual Qi around Su Mo. He finished counting ants and then just lay down flat.
Li Nan couldn’t help but shudder. "So, you’re saying... he’s enduring it purely with his physical body?"
"Most likely!"
The old man said with a heavy nod.
HISS...
Li Nan couldn’t help but gasp.
’If that’s true, Su Mo is terrifying!’
The old man said gravely, "I suggest we don’t disturb him for now, not before he’s shown any malicious intent. We don’t want to tip him off."
Although they didn’t know what tricks Su Mo had up his sleeve, they were certain they were terrifying.
It was best not to make an enemy of such a person.
The crowd began to clear the square.
Li Nan went over to Su Mo. He was about to wake him, but ultimately didn’t dare. Instead, he kicked Man Mountain and said, "How long do you plan on sleeping?"
"Elder... Li Nan..."
Man Mountain scrambled up from the ground in a panic, apologizing, "My apologies, I accidentally fell asleep. Please forgive me."
"Hmph!"
Li Nan shot Man Mountain a cold glance.
’Everyone else was fighting for their lives, and you passed by taking a nap. And you have the damn nerve to say it out loud.’
Li Nan pointed at Su Mo. "Is he with you?"
Man Mountain nodded and woke Su Mo. "Elder Su, the assessment is over."
"So soon?
Su Mo yawned. "I was hoping for a few more minutes. If I’d known it would end this fast, I wouldn’t have bothered sleeping."
UGH...
Li Nan almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood.
’And isn’t it all your fault that the assessment ended early? If it hadn’t, all the other disciples would be dead!’
"Quick, look! Hua Tianmen is coughing up blood."
"Bai Luoxue is badly injured, too."
"And Xiao Ran! Isn’t his body supposed to be invincible? Why is he being carried off on a stretcher?"
Man Mountain and Mu Qing exclaimed in surprise.
These three were the top contenders to win this Holy Spirit Assembly, yet all of them ended up injured in the assessment.
"That Fairy Jinghong... she’s ruthless."
"If the three top prodigies were injured, doesn’t that mean everyone else would have been killed?"
"Haven’t you heard? The deadliest poison is a woman’s heart."
Man Mountain, Mu Qing, and the others complained.
Su Mo also felt Fairy Jinghong had been too harsh. He guessed, "She’s probably on her period, or someone pissed her off. She was angry about something, so she got mad and took it out on the Holy Spirit Assembly."
"Even if she was angry, she shouldn’t take it out on the Holy Spirit Assembly."
"Well, she did. What are you going to do about it?"
"What else is there to do? Just chalk it up to bad luck."
Mu Qing said, "It’s a good thing we had Elder Su protecting us. Otherwise, we would’ve been just as unlucky as the others."
Hearing their conversation, the Middle-aged Steward couldn’t hold back any longer. "It was all because you lot were sleeping! You infuriated Fairy Jinghong and got everyone else caught in the crossfire."
"Huh...?"
Man Mountain and Mu Qing were completely baffled.
’How is this our fault?’
Su Mo asked in confusion, "Are you not allowed to sleep during the assessment? I don’t remember that rule. If there is one, why didn’t any of you tell me sooner?"
The Middle-aged Steward was speechless.
The Holy Spirit Assembly indeed had no explicit rule stating one could not sleep during the assessment.
Mainly because no one had ever thought it was a possibility.
The Middle-aged Steward said, "But it’s just so disrespectful."
"What’s disrespectful about it?"
Su Mo was exasperated. "We can’t be forbidden from sleeping just because she’s in a bad mood. That would be completely unreasonable."
Hm?
Just then, the crowd felt a terrifying aura wash over them. They turned to see Fairy Jinghong standing nearby, her eyes fixed on Su Mo, her expression so dark it could drip water.
’This Su Mo... he’s giving me no face at all.’
’Not only did he sleep during the assessment I was proctoring, but he even called me unreasonable afterward.’
’If word of this got out, wouldn’t I become the laughingstock of the entire Northern Profound Domain?’
At this thought, Fairy Jinghong completely lost her temper.
BOOM!
Fairy Jinghong’s Martial Monarch Realm power erupted. The silver longsword in her hand glowed with a cold light as an intense killing intent poured from her.
Seeing this, everyone around them panicked.
"This... Fairy Jinghong is furious."
"The Soul-Startling Sword? That’s her signature killing move! He just took a nap under her nose. Does she really need to go this far?"
Li Nan quickly intervened. "Fairy Jinghong, what do you think you’re doing? Are you planning to commit murder here?"
If they allowed Fairy Jinghong to kill someone in the Holy Spirit Manor, it would be a major scandal.
Who would dare attend the Holy Spirit Assembly after this?
Fairy Jinghong said coldly, "Stand down, Elder Li Nan. Rest assured, I only intend to teach him a lesson, not kill him."
"That’s not acceptable either!"
Li Nan continued to object.
Fairy Jinghong’s voice was icy. "Hmph, I *must* teach him a lesson today. He only has to receive a single sword strike from me, and I will forgive him. No one can stop me."
"This..."
Li Nan’s brow furrowed, but he ultimately stepped aside.
’It wasn’t worth offending Fairy Jinghong for a stranger.’
’Besides, she had already promised not to kill Su Mo.’
Li Nan looked at Su Mo with pity, a cold sweat beading on his brow for the young man’s sake. ’This could be a good thing,’ he thought to himself. ’We can use this to test the boy. I wonder if he can actually take a hit from Fairy Jinghong’s Soul-Startling Sword.’
RUMBLE!
Fairy Jinghong’s aura surged, locking completely onto Su Mo.
"Heh heh, what an unlucky kid."
"It’s all because he’s so arrogant. If he hadn’t been poking ant nests and sleeping during the assessment, Fairy Jinghong wouldn’t have targeted him."
"That said, I’d really like to see him get taken down a peg."
Everyone watched Su Mo with schadenfreude.
All they could say was that Su Mo was just too arrogant.
However, Su Mo remained completely unfazed. He looked at Fairy Jinghong and asked, "What’re you lookin’ at?"
The moment their eyes met, Fairy Jinghong’s body trembled, and she fell right out of the sky.
Everyone’s faces were masks of pure shock.
What was going on?
How could a powerful Martial Monarch like Fairy Jinghong suddenly fall from the sky?
Li Nan hurried forward and asked with concern, "Fairy Jinghong, are you all right?"
"I’m fine!"
Fairy Jinghong shook her head. "During the assessment earlier, I used my Origin Power. I’m just momentarily exhausted, that’s why I lost my footing."
Li Nan suggested, "Sigh... Let me help you back to get some rest."
Fairy Jinghong nodded and, with Li Nan’s support, walked into the City Lord’s Mansion.
The crowd looked back at Su Mo and grumbled, "Damn, that guy’s got some insane luck. He actually dodged that bullet."