CHAPTER 34: MAKING HIS NAME KNOWN

For a moment, the arena was quiet.

Everyone was trying to let the result sink in. Ma Long looked at Elder Feng with shock etched on his face as he could not believe his ears.

He had been careful not to make any mistake and that was the reason it took him a longer time to complete setting up the array formation.

Inside the VIP Section, Elder Kai froze and his face slowly contorted in disbelief. Slowly, it shifted into disappointment.

He had poured a lot of resources into nurturing Ma Long, hoping he would make him proud. Yet... he was nothing but a bag of disappointment.

Before anyone could realize what was happening to him, he rose and left the room in annoyance.

Everyone looked at his departing back but did not utter any comment. One of the Mystic Academy elders shook his head.

Pride leads to downfall.

In the arena, the audience were discussing Ma Long’s result. Many were disappointed; they expected him to be much better but his result was lackluster.

Although his result was the same as Yuan Lan’s, when they compared it with the second-round result, he was subpar.

Even though everyone was disappointed at Ma Long’s result, the competition still had to continue.

However, the result was nothing extraordinary. The remaining had errors above 10 while some even had 20 errors.

With the last person’s score announced, the final round came to a stop.

Standing on the podium, Elder Feng addressed the crowd.

"We have now come to the end of the competition. Now, I’ll announce the top ten winners."

The chatter among the audience reduced as they moved to the edge of their seats for the top ten winners.

"For the Tenth Spot: Luo Jian."

A middle-aged man stepped forward among the apprentices, his face etched with pride.

"Ninth spot: Gao Nuo."

"..."

Slowly, the names were called and when Elder Feng reached the fifth spot, he paused for a moment and knitted his brow.

"For the fifth spot: Ma Long."

What!

Various gasps echoed inside the arena. Even inside the VIP room, many were stunned.

Fifth Spot!

What happened?!

This was the question on everyone’s mind. The Yuan clan elders’ subtle glances and slow bright smiles tugged at the corners of their lips.

With this, they could prove to the world they were more superior to the Array Formation Association.

How could a mere fifth-spot ranker compare to their young miss, who ranked second?

As for the first spot, that was out of reach.

Back on the field, Ma Long had a lifeless expression on his face. He could not believe everything that was happening.

Fifth Spot!

How was that possible?

He looked at the elders and wanted to question them, but when his eyes locked on Elder Feng’s cold, piercing gaze, he swallowed whatever he wanted to say and dragged his body to join the top ten winners.

Clicking his tongue in disdain, Elder Feng averted his gaze and continued calling the names.

"Second Spot: Yuan Lan."

Yuan Lan stepped forward elegantly and took her position with grace. Her beauty captivated everyone, and with her score, she won everyone’s mind.

For the last spot, everyone held their breath and subconsciously rose to their feet.

Such a monster deserved such respect.

Mao Yun and Zhang Wei were also on their feet, their faces filled with pride and joy.

"Ha! The young master did it!"

"The young master did it!" Zhang Wei mumbled continuously, unable to hide his joy.

They’d seen how the Jun clan treated Jun Wu unfairly.

For 18 years, he was nothing but a plaything for the other young master.

Even when he knew nothing that was going on around him, he did not escape the clan’s ridicule.

He had been subjected to poisoning and countless assassinations. Many had written him off, and yet— here he was, proving everyone wrong.

Elder Feng looked hatefully at Jun Wu and wished he would not call his name, but he knew it was impossible.

"For the first spot belongs to none other than Jun Wu."

Cheers!

The audience erupted in cheers and jubilation.

Although many did not know him, his talent was something that had never appeared in the Soaring Cloud Region.

An eighteen-year Grade 1 Array Formation Master. This was history in the making, and they were part of it.

If nothing happened to him, they all knew it was only a matter of time before his name resounded throughout the Soaring Cloud Region and beyond.

No one knew who started it, but everyone in the stadium began to chant his name.

"JUN WU!"

"JUN WU!"

Watching this, even the elders and those in the VIP section were stunned.

One of the Mystic Academy elders blurted:

"Is that not THE Jun clan aristocrat?"

In the whole Soaring Cloud Region, there was one Jun, and they are the Jun aristocrat clan—the uncrowned king of the region.

Instantly, everyone woke up from the crowd’s chants and widened their eyes in disbelief.

"How is that possible?!" one of the Yuan clan elders shouted.

"When did the Jun clan produce such a monster?"

Fear, shock, and disbelief etched on their faces. Everything the Jun clan did concerned everyone in the region.

Every time they breathed, every inhabitant of the region felt their breath.

And now, everyone inside the VIP room could feel their cold breath, and they couldn’t help but shiver.

...

...

On the field, Jun Wu walked gracefully, exuding the nobility born of the Jun’s.

Feeling his sudden change in aura, the apprentices and elders were stupefied.

Elder Feng’s cold expression faltered for a moment before it returned.

He cleared his voice and continued, pretending he was not affected by Jun Wu’s aura.

"For the top seven, you will be rewarded to enter the Association repository to learn for a day."

When the top seven heard this, their faces turned to joy, unable to hide their bright smiles.

This was a golden opportunity that fell into their laps.

"For the third position, you can enter the Association Repository for a day, and you will also be given a complete diagram of a Grade 1 Array Formation."

"For the second position, you will be given all the rewards of the third position with an additional array diagram."

Although only a single diagram separated the third and second spot, that was enough to prove how important an array diagram was.

Every array diagram was precious to every clan or association.

A complete array diagram was very rare, and it could only be found in ruins, depending on luck.

People could enter a hundred ruins and might not encounter a complete array formation diagram.

Thus, every complete array diagram was a treasure that everyone safeguarded with their lives.

As for buying with gold or silver, that was nearly impossible.

No chamber or hall was selling it. Most of those on the market were incomplete ones, and those claimed to be complete were full of flaws.

Only the Array Formation Association could reward people with such a rare diagram.

With the second-spot reward announced, everyone was waiting for Jun Wu’s reward.

"For the first spot, he will receive all the rewards of the second spot and get one more additional array diagram with one thousand gold coins."

"JUN WU!"

"JUN WU!"

The crowd shouted, chanting his name in excitement.

The atmosphere inside the stadium was electrifying and today, a name would spread throughout the Soaring Cloud Region.

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