Chapter 39 I Want to Challenge You

"First place!"

Qin Zhanshan stared blankly at the array screen, looking at Qin Lang's supreme ranking with a stunned expression. With Qin Lang performing so remarkably, wouldn't this impact his son Qin Jian's status as the young patriarch?

However, Qin Zhanshan quickly relaxed, a smile spreading across his face. With Qin Lang's exceptional performance and potential, how could he possibly harbor the shortsighted ambition of coveting the position of a mere young patriarch of the tiny Qin family?

"Zhanshai has raised a fine son! If he knows of this in the netherworld, he will surely be immensely gratified!"

Qin Zhantian sighed, his voice trembling slightly. As he looked at Qin Lang's calm and composed figure, he seemed to catch a fleeting shadow of his brother Qin Zhanhai from back in the day.

"Hahaha! The first place belongs to our Qin family!"

Cheers erupted among the Qin family members in the square. After all, Qin Lang was one of their own, and securing the top spot naturally brought glory to the family!

"Young Master is amazing!"

Yun'er's clear, beautiful eyes rippled with brilliance, and her pretty face blossomed into a radiant smile as she gazed infatuatedly at Qin Lang beside her.

"Doesn't Qin Lang only have the strength of the seventh-level Martial Disciple realm? How could he possibly win first place? And why didn't Qing'er take his martial soul? Could something have happened to Qing'er?"

Ye Xuan looked at Qin Lang with a shifting, uncertain expression, full of doubts. He wished he could grab Qin Lang on the spot and demand an explanation.

His daughter Ye Keqing had originally planned to use this trial to seize Qin Lang's martial soul, but she had yet to return. Not only had Qin Lang returned safely, but he had also achieved such a shockingly high score!

Though difficult to accept, a faint, ominous premonition crept into Ye Xuan's heart: his daughter had likely perished!

At this thought, Ye Xuan narrowed his eyes, a fierce glint flashing in his gaze as he looked at Qin Lang.

"Eh? Second place isn't Huang Bo either!"

"Not just second place, even third place isn't him!"

A fresh wave of startled cries broke out among the crowd.

Hearing this, Huang Bo was taken aback once again, hurriedly casting his gaze back onto the huge magic array screen.

Second Place: Qin Jian, Score: 614;

Third Place: Qin Yue, Score: 587;

Huang Bo's gaze grew panicked. Not only was first place not his, but neither was second or third!

There were only three spots available to enter the Cloud-Wind Sect, the premier sect of the Vast Horizon Empire. This meant he simply could not enter the Cloud-Wind Sect he had yearned for day and night, his dream of dreams!

"How could this happen!"

On the high platform, Huang Guang wore a desolate expression. His son Huang Bo, of whom he had always been so proud, had actually fallen out of the top three in the trial competition!

Earlier, he had mocked Qin Lang for spouting nonsense and talking through his hat, but now reality was delivering a merciless slap to his face!

At this moment, the most ecstatic person was undoubtedly Qin Zhanshan, the patriarch of the Qin family!

He had originally thought Qin Jian and Qin Yue had perished in the beast tide, but to his surprise, they had returned in triumph at the very last moment!

What made Qin Zhanshan feel even more proud and vindicated was that the top three positions of this trial competition had been entirely monopolized by the Qin family!

Seeing the envious and awe-struck gazes directed at the Qin family by the crowd, Qin Zhanshan felt that today was the most gratifying day of his life!

Basking in the envious stares of those around them, Qin Jian and Qin Yue were overjoyed. At the same time, they looked at Qin Lang beside them; being able to achieve such outstanding results was entirely thanks to him!

Huang Bo violently shook his head, snapping out of his shock, and turned his gaze onto Qin Lang with narrowed eyes. "Qin Lang, if I recall correctly, you only have the strength of a seventh-level Martial Disciple, right?"

Huang Bo's implication was crystal clear: with Qin Lang's mere seventh-level Martial Disciple strength, how could he possibly have obtained a score as high as 752 over thirty days of trials?

Clearly, there was something fishy going on here!

Of course, Huang Bo didn't need to spell it out directly. With his "reminder," someone would naturally wake up and voice the suspicions he held in his heart.

Sure enough, as soon as Huang Bo finished speaking, the surrounding crowd snapped out of their shock.

"That's right! With seventh-level Martial Disciple strength, how on earth could he get such a high score?"

"A score of 752 means he had to hunt down at least twenty-five first-tier fierce beasts every single day!"

"For an average seventh-level Martial Disciple, killing three or five first-tier fierce beasts in a day is already the absolute limit. With Qin Lang's strength, achieving such a high score is clearly impossible!"

"It's obvious that Qin Lang's score is heavily padded with moisture!"

The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion. Many wore expressions of sudden realization, and the looks they cast at Qin Lang were no longer filled with shock, but rather with subtle, mocking smirks.

Daring to cheat in such an important event as the once-every-five-years Tianfeng Mountain Youth Trial Competition—Qin Lang was simply courting death!

Even the entire Qin family would be implicated and dragged down because of him!

The cheering Qin family members instantly quieted down. Many wore worried expressions, fearing that if Qin Lang really had cheated, their entire clan would surely be dragged into the disaster!

Qin Zhanshan maintained a calm exterior, but ripples of anxiety stirred within his heart.

When carefully analyzed, Qin Lang's score indeed seemed rather unbelievable given his strength!

Could Qin Lang really have faked his results in the trial?

"Hmph, given Qin Lang's strength, how could he possibly attain such a high score? It looks deeply suspicious of cheating!"

Casting an approving glance at Huang Bo, Huang Guang sat back leisurely, looking smugly at the Qin family members. He naturally wouldn't let slip such a prime opportunity to suppress the Qin family!

Regardless of whether the Qin family was involved in Qin Lang's cheating or not, he would strike them down with a single stroke first and figure it out later!

"Bulls***!"

Qin Zhantian slammed his palm onto the table, suddenly springing to his feet and glaring furiously at Huang Guang.

"I'm merely speculating. Why is Brother Zhantian flying into such a rage? Could it be that I guessed right, and you're now so ashamed you're angry?"

Huang Guang offered a sinister, chilly smile.

"Spitting blood and framing others!"

Qin Zhantian was consumed by rage, itching to rush over and beat Huang Guang to a pulp.

"Zhantian! Do not be impulsive! The truth of the matter is not up to Huang Guang alone to decide. I believe the ten esteemed supervisors will give our Qin family and Qin Lang a fair verdict."

Qin Zhanhai motioned for Qin Zhantian to sit back down, speaking calmly.

Though he looked composed on the surface, the corner of Qin Zhanhai's eyes caught sight of several supervisors slightly frowning, casting suspicious glances toward Qin Lang, causing him to instinctively tighten his fists.

"It would be best if Qin Lang's qualification to enter the sect for cultivation is revoked!"

Beside them, Ye Xuan muttered inwardly. He would sooner or later have to find Qin Lang to interrogate him about the whereabouts of his daughter Ye Keqing; Qin Lang failing to enter the sect would save him unnecessary trouble!

Wang Stone took a gentle sip of his fragrant tea, wearing an expression of schadenfreude as he looked on as if watching a good show.

"Impossible! My young master could never cheat!"

Yun'er grew anxious, loudly speaking up in Qin Lang's defense, but her voice was drowned out by the schadenfreude and sneers of the surrounding crowd, appearing utterly feeble and powerless.

"Miss, what do you make of this?"

The grey-robed elder behind Xue Qianyao asked in a low voice. Having learned his lesson from before, he did not dare to jump to conclusions about Qin Lang again.

"Normally speaking, a seventh-level Martial Disciple indeed cannot obtain such a high score,"

Xue Qianyao said, her thin lips parting slightly, though she quickly changed her tune.

"But Qin Lang was able to obtain the Heavenly Ice Flower while only at the seventh-level Martial Disciple realm. How can one measure him by ordinary standards?"

Staring directly at Qin Lang with her beautiful eyes, Xue Qianyao noticed that in the face of the surrounding crowd's ridicule, schadenfreude, and malicious attacks, Qin Lang maintained an utterly calm expression, as if he held absolute mastery over the situation!

"It seems this fellow is completely unfazed and confident!"

Xue Qianyao murmured to herself.

Huang Bo wore a smug look of triumph, regaining his usual arrogant demeanor. He swept a dismissive gaze over Qin Lang and proudly declared, "Now, I officially issue a challenge to you! If you can defeat me, then I will acknowledge you as the true first place of this trial competition! Of course, if you lose, I hope you have some self-awareness and obediently withdraw from this trial competition!"

Huang Bo looked at Qin Lang with supreme confidence.

He was the number one youth of Qingfeng Town, and his strength had already reached the first-level Martial Warrior realm!

How could a mere seventh-level Martial Disciple like Qin Lang possibly be his match!

Huang Bo was entirely certain that Qin Lang would never dare to accept his challenge!

Unless, of course, he was seeking his own death!