You call this the way of the sword?

The Pingchuan battlefield is far from Tiannan Prefecture. The farther the teleportation distance, the longer it takes, and there will be a two to three-second stun upon landing.

Sha Yinzhen returned early, taking advantage of those few seconds to make his move.

When Yang Qingfeng appeared in the open square, Sha Yinzhen immediately used his skill to teleport behind him through Yang Qingfeng's shadow and thrust out his dagger without hesitation.

His strike had no pre- or post-attack animation; it was launched suddenly and arrived instantly, leaving those around him no time to react.

With the added hard crowd control of teleportation and stun, no newcomer can defend against it, and Yang Qingfeng is no exception.

However, Sha Yinzhen never expected that the sword soul could teleport with Yang Qingfeng and was immune to teleportation stun.

With a crisp clang.

The dagger, thrust out with all its might, was knocked away.

An unimaginable force rebounded, tearing open the tiger's mouth and causing excruciating pain.

Sha Yinzhen groaned in pain, clutching his wrist and staggering back several steps before he saw two female sword spirits floating beside Yang Qingfeng, protecting him with their swords.

In addition, Yang Qingfeng had a layer of red light flashing on his body, which was Qiao Lie's Crimson Flame Armor!

"I didn't expect them to actually dare to make a move."

Qiao Lie turned around, and the crimson flames flowed back to his fist.

He looked at Sha Yinzhen with icy eyes, "You little brat, you're an ungrateful dog."

Previously, Yang Qingfeng had slaughtered all the alien demons in the city, and the experience points he gained were quite substantial. Sha Yinzhen leveled up to level 17 in that instant.

"None of your business! If you piss me off, I'll kill you too!"

Sha Yinzhen stared intently at Yang Qingfeng like a venomous snake, and said in a sinister tone, "You stole my talent, ruined my future, and dared to treat me like a fool... Yang Qingfeng, you'd better be on your guard against me at all times, or I'll take your life sooner or later!"

"Shut up!!" A deafening shout rang out from the air.

Several prefectural lords and chief officials rushed out from the inner hall and arrived on the field in the blink of an eye. They blocked Qiao Lie and blocked Yang Qingfeng, while also fiercely subduing Sha Yinzhen.

Sha Yinzhen did not resist; on the contrary, he used it as a form of protection, and a sinister smile rose up at Yang Qingfeng.

It wasn't until then that the other candidates realized what was happening.

Looking at Sha Yinzhen, who was acting like a mad dog, everyone felt a chill in their hearts and avoided him at all costs.

The prefects acted swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, they were about to take Sha Yinzhen away.

Qiao Lie said in a deep voice, "This kid is disgusting. You need to be extra careful in the future."

Yang Qingfeng said calmly, "Then wouldn't that give him what he wanted?"

With a flash of light, five small spirit swords whistled out from his sleeve, instantly transforming into four feint attacks to break through from the front. As expected, the manor lords noticed them and were drawn to their attention.

The fifth one moved slowly close to the ground, bypassing many examinees to catch up with Sha Yinzhen and burrow into his clothes.

At the same time, the other four spirit swords disappeared.

Yang Qingfeng turned his head without making a sound. Before he knew it, Qiao Wanyi and Xiao Bingning had come to his side. The latter looked at him with concern, while the former stared at Sha Yinzhen with an unfriendly expression.

Besides this, there was another person, Liu Changge.

Thanks to Liu Changge's presence, neither the prefect nor the officials took any further action.

Yang Qingfeng bowed and said, "The assessment is over. I apologize for keeping you waiting, senior."

Liu Changge nodded and casually waved his hand, leading Yang Qingfeng and the others out of the academy.

Stepping onto the street, a wave of heat hit me, and the noise was deafening.

Looking out, the street scene is far-reaching, magnificent and beautiful. Various buildings and palaces rise and fall like mountains, and countless cultivators ride flying magical artifacts to shuttle between them, showing the prosperity of the city and the flourishing of the human race.

In comparison, Youlong Town is like a remote, impoverished village deep in the mountains, eerily quiet.

Seeing Yang Qingfeng looking around curiously, Liu Changge said with a playful tone, "You're quite composed. Why don't you just kill him?"

Yang Qingfeng withdrew his gaze and said truthfully, "I want to become the top scholar and enter the academy, so naturally I can't make a move in the prefectural capital. It's not too late to wait until next time."

Yang Qingfeng had tested this long ago. Like sword spirits, spirit swords have a maximum range. If the range is exceeded, the connection will be lost, but the sword will not disappear.

The clothes Sha Yinzhen was wearing were the equipment called the "Green Ghost Robe," which was unlikely to be changed before entering the academy. The spirit sword was hidden inside, which was like a mark.

The next time I sense it, I can kill it with a thought, without even having to face it.

Before it became a divine skill for the leader, Yang Qingfeng defined the spirit sword as a hidden weapon, a method of stealthy assassination that he had thought of long ago.

Liu Changge saw through Yang Qingfeng's thoughts and said meaningfully, "Only I know where that sword came from. As for the shadow in the prefecture, the Sha family will find a way to erase it themselves."

Sha Yinzhen committed the crime in public, which was extremely heinous. To mitigate the damage, the first thing the Sha family did was to destroy the evidence before the results were announced, namely the photographs displayed in the state square.

The fact that they were able to accomplish this demonstrates that the Sha family possessed considerable power and that their influence extended to the entire state capital.

Yang Qingfeng understood Liu Changge's implied meaning and immediately sensed it. Sure enough, the spirit sword had exceeded its maximum distance.

"Senior, why didn't you say so sooner?"

Seeing Yang Qingfeng complaining about himself, Liu Changge chuckled and asked, "Which aspect are you referring to?"

Yang Qingfeng sighed softly, "I used the spirit sword in the third round, and I thought the seniors in the prefecture knew about it. If you had said earlier that they were unaware, I would have just killed them."

Liu Changge raised an eyebrow slightly: "What about Zhao Ying?"

Yang Qingfeng, without changing his expression, shamelessly said, "Senior previously said that he wanted me to help with some things. Now that the things haven't been done yet, I naturally ask Senior for help."

They just said they couldn't take action in the state capital, but then they changed their minds and even used him.

Liu Changge laughed and scolded, "You're shameless. How about this, the scenery in Ganzhou is wonderful, I'll take you to see it, and maybe we'll pass by the Sha family on the way, what do you say?"

Yang Qingfeng asked in surprise, "Do you have a grudge against the Sha family?"

Liu Changge shook his head with a deep smile, "It's not that we have any grudges, it's just that we're bored."

Qiao Lie, who was listening intently, trembled involuntarily upon hearing Liu Changge's words.

He also realized that the Sha family was probably a local tyrant in Ganzhou, with such power that even the prefecture was affected by them, but Liu Changge didn't take them seriously at all.

The senior mountain guardian who came to guide them on behalf of the gentleman is also quite influential.

As Qiao Lie was thinking, he suddenly realized that he was all alone.

Before anyone knew it, Qiao Wanyi and Xiao Bingning were already holding hands, chatting animatedly like sisters.

"What are you doing following us?"

"My sister was taken from both sides," Qiao Lie asked, somewhat annoyed.

Xiao Bingning turned her head and glanced at Yang Qingfeng. "I'm going home too. My family has a place in the city, just up ahead."

Qiao Wanyi sneered, "That's an excellent question. Qiao Lie, what are you doing here with us?"

Qiao Lie's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "What do you mean? You want me to get lost? I'm your brother!"

Qiao Wanyi turned her head, revealing two extremely empty eyes. "Yes, dear brother, the assessment has been over for so long, and you haven't even asked about it once. Only Bingning cares about me. Now she's my best friend. You don't deserve her."

Qiao Lie felt a chill run down his spine under her gaze, but he still forced a smile and said, "Oh... well, something came up... How did your exam go? Did it go smoothly?"

Qiao Wanyi slowly uttered four words: "None of your business."

Xiao Bingning chuckled and pointed to the Desheng Building ahead, saying, "I'm home!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Tong shot out from the building: "Damn it, you guys are finally back!"