Chapter Fifty: A Perfect Ten

Golden fire? When Liu Ru heard this, she was utterly baffled. But soon she recalled the golden flames that the young Su Ziye had ignited to heal her injuries when they first met. Thinking back to the recent turn of events, it seemed that some power within her had suddenly been released, dispelling all the cold and pain. Perhaps it was a force Su Ziye had left within her, unwittingly? Liu Ru wondered.

Yet she quickly realized—for that youth, nothing was truly unintentional. Every so-called accident was a deliberate seed he had sown. At this thought, Liu Ru smiled softly. “I was forced into a desperate situation,” she said simply. It was less an explanation than a perfunctory reply. After all, everyone present was merely a passing acquaintance; there was no reason for anyone to press for details.

Yang Mei nodded, “As long as you’re alright.” She raised her hand, and Liu Ru saw a bouquet of snow-white chrysanthemums in her grasp. “Thanks to your guidance, I was able to pull out a bouquet of chrysanthemums. I was about to head out, so I wanted to thank you.”

Yang Mei’s words were earnest and sincere; Liu Ru was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. “It was nothing, just a small favor.”

“Your small favor may well bring us help that could change our fate,” Yang Mei said softly, then turned towards the main entrance, saying nothing more.

Liu Ru stood there, momentarily lost in thought.

A small favor may well bring us help that could change our fate.

Indeed, when Su Ziye rescued her, it truly was nothing more than a minor act, yet it utterly altered the course of Liu Ru’s destiny.

Liu Ru had never imagined that, in just half a year, she would become someone who could, in passing, change another’s fate.

Eventually, Liu Ru gathered herself. She looked at the blood plum she had just pulled out—judging by the power it contained, it was likely the finest flower in the hall. If she left with this blood plum, she would surely receive a respectable score.

Thinking thus, Liu Ru suddenly raised her hand and called out, “Is there anyone here who isn’t confident they can pull out any flower or plant?”

All eyes turned to Liu Ru.

“So far, I have disabled the magical protections on three plum trees. These plum trees can now be easily pulled out,” she explained to everyone. “If anyone feels they cannot pass this test but wishes to try the next round, I am willing to give you the plum trees I have already disabled, free of charge, with no strings attached.”

At these words, countless gazes intertwined. In that moment, nearly everyone was tempted.

Of course, after Liu Ru revealed the key to the first trial, some had already succeeded and left with their flowers. Yet this first trial was far more difficult than everyone had imagined—not simply a test of strength, but, as with the plum’s biting cold, a test of willpower. Thus, so far, those who passed the plum tree test were the fewest.

Were the other plants easier? Not necessarily. Many tried and sensed the latent powers of each flower, but found themselves thwarted, unable to advance. In just an hour, many had already felt the weight of helplessness and despair.

Now, Liu Ru had offered a chance to pass the first trial.

Of course, such a pass would not yield a high score, but it met the requirements—the first trial simply demanded that a candidate take any flower from the hall to complete the exam.

“I!” Suddenly, a black-haired youth stepped forward. “My name is Zhao Long. I came here carrying the hopes of my classmates and teachers, only to realize how fragile my pride was.” He bowed his head. “I don’t want to give up, but I know I may not make it through the third trial. If you’re willing to give me a chance, even if it’s out of pity or charity, I’ll accept it. Entering Night Leaf Academy is very important to me.”

Liu Ru nodded to the young man and handed him the plum tree. “I don’t know if we’ll meet again in the next round, nor if I can help you again, but I hope you’ll keep striving.”

Zhao Long took the plum tree, bowed deeply, and walked toward the exit. The student council members guarding the doors immediately let him pass.

Everyone felt a jolt of realization.

It was indeed possible to pass the exam through someone else's gift.

In an instant, countless candidates surged toward Liu Ru, nearly two-thirds of the hall. Yet, given that the first trial was meant to eliminate ninety percent, some remained—those proud souls unwilling to seek help, even if they could not pass.

Despite the crowd, none dared approach within a meter of Liu Ru. They stood at a respectful distance, hoping for her mercy and assistance.

“There are too many of you,” Liu Ru sighed, pressing her forehead. “I only have three plum trees—no, now only two left.”

She turned, pulled up the two plum trees she had previously disabled, and handed them to two candidates.

There was no issue of first come, first served; everyone could only watch as Liu Ru chose her lucky recipients.

“As for the rest of you,” Liu Ru paused, “I don’t know how many I can help, nor can I guarantee I’ll succeed. But I’ll keep trying. If you’re willing, you can wait for me; I’ll give you any flowers I pull out, to help you pass.”

“According to the previous instructions, there are seven hours left in the exam. I don’t know how many more I can pull, but I’ll keep going.”

With that, Liu Ru turned and grasped another plum tree, closed her eyes, and began to battle the cold within it.

…

…

In the monitoring hall, everyone was stunned by Liu Ru’s audacious move.

“What is this situation?” Su Ziye looked to Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi had described such possibilities before, but only as extreme examples. Even he had not expected such a scene.

“A red alert scenario,” Zhou Yi sighed, turning to the others. “What should we do?”

What should we do, indeed? It was allowed by the rules, but no one expected anyone to actually use them—writing everyone else’s exam papers and letting them hand them in.

No proper exam would allow such a thing, but the third trial did—though no one had ever tried.

“Considering Miss Liu Ru’s previous sharing of the third trial’s content, this isn’t too surprising,” Lan Ying sighed. “But since the first trial is handled this way, Senior Karotes must have anticipated this possibility.”

“In that case, we can only watch and see.”

“So are we about to witness an entire hall graduating?” Qian Shu groaned.

That prospect was terrifying.

“Liu Ru really is a troublemaker,” Lan Ying murmured, then smiled to herself. “But isn’t it actually quite interesting?”

Everyone present was taken aback, then nodded in agreement. They weren’t the sort who feared chaos; in fact, as students, none were over twenty-five. Youthful, brilliant, they had never intended to just stamp the clock and finish the trials step by step. They didn’t resist trouble—they welcomed it.

The third trial itself was Karotes’s way of stirring things up, yet it yielded the best results.

“It is interesting,” Zhou Yi nodded. “Now, the question is…”

He smiled at everyone.

“What question?” Lan Ying asked.

“How many people can Liu Ru actually help leave the exam hall?” Zhou Yi said calmly.

At that, the room fell silent.

…

…

Liu Ru was unaware of the discussion about her.

She was simply fulfilling her promise.

She continued choosing plum trees, as their power was familiar and the results stable. But she hadn’t expected such stability.

Previously, Liu Ru had relied on the Vermilion Bird Blood-Burning Technique to overcome the plum trees’ icy power, but after the battle with the Blood Plum, her blood-moving force was exhausted. Yet now, she felt no fatigue.

After advancing fully into the so-called Circular Realm, her meridians were smoother, her power more efficient—more than twice as effective as before. The rate at which she dispelled the plum trees’ icy power was four times faster.

Whereas before she needed nearly ten minutes per tree, now she managed each in just three minutes, easily pulling them up, leaving the onlookers speechless.

But Liu Ru paid no mind. She handed each plum tree to a candidate, then turned to the next.

In this repetitive, almost mechanical labor, Liu Ru even felt as if she were operating with military precision.

Her internal power flowed ever more smoothly, like mighty rivers, and the energy from the plum trees began to gather in her meridians. Though the amount was small, over time, Liu Ru felt her strength not diminishing, but growing.

The second tree also took only three minutes. At this point, counting was meaningless. She handed the plum tree to a candidate and moved on.

One after another, she lost count of how many she had pulled. She only knew that the crowd before her had dwindled.

Finally, as Liu Ru pulled up another plum tree and turned to hand it to a candidate, she was surprised to find no one left.

“No one?” Liu Ru murmured, dazed.

Fortunately, the number of flowers in the hall far exceeded the number of students. Even if she focused only on plum trees, their quarter share was enough to help every candidate seeking assistance.

Instinctively, Liu Ru checked the time.

They had entered at nine in the morning. The exam lasted eight hours, ending at five in the afternoon. Although Night Leaf Academy claimed to provide meals, Liu Ru had been so absorbed in pulling trees that she hadn’t eaten.

Now, it was three o’clock. She had been tirelessly pulling trees for over five hours.

Strangely, she didn’t feel hungry.

The hall was nearly empty; with her efforts, she had sent away almost sixty percent of the candidates, including those who passed on their own and those eliminated. Now, nearly only she remained.

The maiden shook her head in self-mockery.

She set down the plum tree and walked toward a stalk of orchid.

She hadn’t managed to pull this orchid on her first attempt, so now she wished to try again with the remaining time.

Of course, she planned to try the bamboo and chrysanthemum as well. Though they might not offer her much benefit, she still wanted to try.

…

…

“Now, I think it’s time for everyone to vote,” Zhou Yi turned to the group, his voice grave.

“Regarding Liu Ru’s final score.”

“Should we discuss it?” Lan Ying asked.

“No need. Everyone write your score on paper, then reveal it together,” Zhou Yi said.

As the person in charge, Zhou Yi’s word was final. Everyone took out paper and pen and wrote their chosen score.

“Everyone ready?” Zhou Yi looked around, then nodded. “On three, we’ll reveal our scores together.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

At Zhou Yi’s final word, everyone simultaneously revealed their score sheets.

Su Ziye glanced over and smiled.

“Nine.”

“Nine.”

“Nine.”

“Nine.”

“Nine.”

…

Without exception, everyone gave Liu Ru a score of nine.

“So, the first perfect score of the Orchid Leaf’s third trial,” Zhou Yi sighed, addressing everyone, “appears here in the Xuan Hall.”

“This exam was fully recorded, including our monitoring room. So, I doubt even the strictest critics will object.”

“No problem,” everyone replied in unison.