The Scum Is A

Intersect Competition, second day, evening.

"Shanliangde Sect, Gong Xian. Xinfaxian Sect, Fei Yin. Cheng Sheng. Feng Mo. Lei Qing. Zunjingde Sect, Jing Cheng, Jing Bai, Jing Hei. Shanliangde Sect, Xi Ming, Xi Xing, Xi Shi…." Zheng Fu Gong announced the result of the martial arts test. "Qianxu Sect, Qian Lin. Lingchu Sect… and Dongcheng Sect, Dong Cheng." He raised his gaze from the scroll and looked at the fifty people before him. "Passed! You will advance to the next stage. Congratulations!" He told them.

"Yes! Many thanks, elder Zheng!" they answered and saluted.

"Yes! Da shixiong, Cheng-shixiong, Feng-shixiong, jiejie… and Chen-shixiong and Sun-shixiong… they all passed!" Lei Ling exclaimed in joy as he pulled in excitement Li Tian who's standing beside him. "Wow… everyone…" he said as he looked at Cheng Sheng and the others standing in attention before Zheng Fu Gong.

"Pill Refining Test…" Qi Ling spoke as he read the scroll containing the names of the cultivators who passed the test. "Suiming Sect…" he started.

"Ah…" You Rou bit her lower lip and she lowered her head. Confidence is absent on her face.

"Shimei…" Lei Ling called and patted her shoulder. "You'll pass. Please have faith in yourself." He told her.

"Lei-shixiong…"

"Ke Le…" Qi Ling continued to read. It's the sixth person who passed the test. "Yufei Sect, Lu Pan." It's the seventh. "Xinfaxian Sect – "

Lei Ling and You Rou gasped in surprise. "Shimei!" Li Tian exclaimed.

" – You Rou." Qi Ling said. he imperceptibly glanced at the Xinfaxian Sect. Li Tian and Lei Ling pushed her to the middle where the other participants who also passed the Pill Refining Test stood. " – and Wuli Sect, He Yan. All ten of you, you pass to the next stage. Congratulations." He told them, but there's no joy in his face. However, the winners nonetheless rejoiced and congratulated each other.

"Thank you, elder Qi!" they said and saluted.

"Spell Casting Test – " Su Yuan said as he read the result. " – Xinfaxian Sect, Li Tian." He said.

"Li-shixiong, congratulations! You made it!" Lei Ling said and hugged Li Tian tight.

Li Tian chuckled and patted Lei Ling's back. "Thank you, shidi!" he said and walked towards the center. He saw You Rou and he winked at her. Then, he saw Cheng Sheng, Fei Yin and the other at the front. He smiled and nodded at them.

"… you all passed and will continue to the next round. Do your best, and congratulations." Su Yuan said with his dry voice and tone.

"Thank you, elder Su!"

"Talisman Making Test…" Jing Xian spoke as he unfurled the scroll.

Lei Ling crossed his fingers as he anxiously stared at Jing Xian on the stage. "Please… please – " he prayed.

"'Please' what?" a voice behind him said.

Lei Ling turned and his eyeballs almost popped out when he saw the arrogant young master he saw. "You… you - !" he said and immediately retracted his hands. "Jing Kang!" he exclaimed.

Jing Kang frowned and glared at him. "It's 'young master Jing', you poor peasant!" he told him.

"Wha… that's double insult!" Lei Ling said.

"Hmph!" Jing Kang scoffed. "You think you can pass? You lost to me." he told him.

"I – " Lei Ling said and heard the sixth person Jing Xian called who passed their test. He lowered his head. It's as Jing Kang said. He lost to Jing Kang when they were paired off on the stage to fight each other.

"Zunjingde Sect, Jing Kang." Jing Xian said.

Lei Ling's breath hitched as he watched Jing Kang left. He's the eight person who passed. The names are not announced in order since the tests were just the preliminary stage.

"Yuxiang Sect…" Jing Xian said as he announced the ninth person. "… and the tenth – " he said as he looked at the scroll.

Lei Ling closed his eyes tight and raised his hands to cover his ears.

" – Xinfaxian Sect, Lei Ling!" Jing Xian said as his gaze scanned the area to find the Xinfaxian Sect's uniform.

Lei Ling's eyes widened in shock. He raised his head and he looked at Jing Xian. "Yes!" Xie Lan can't help but rose in his seat to clap for his underdog disciple.

Wu Yuan and Qian Shan, sitting next to him, smiled. "All your disciples are truly remarkable. They all passed." Qian Shan said and looked at Qian Lin who, together with Cheng Sheng and the others, looked at Lei Ling crying as he walked towards the winners in the Talisman Making Test.

"Lei-shidi, congratulations!" Li Tian who was nearest to him said and smiled.

"Li-shixiong…" Lei Ling sniffed.

"Lei-shixiong, congrats!" You Rou mouthed at him.

"Shimei… wuwuwu…" Lei Ling cried. He wiped his tears and snot with his sleeves.

"Heh." Lei Qing smiled as she withdrew her gaze on her younger brother.

"Lei-shidi is a man!" Feng Mo said.

Cheng Sheng smiled and turned, only to meet Fei Yin's gaze. "Da shixiong is also happy?" he asked.

"Of course." Fei Yin nodded. "Not as happy as founder, though." He said and looked at Xie Lan who was patting the shoulder of the sect leaders near him. He's obviously overjoyed.

"Congratulations." Qian Lin sincerely said.

"Thank you." Cheng Sheng nodded at him. He's grinning from ear to ear.

"Congratulations!" Jing Hei followed-up Qian Lin.

"Congratulations to your sect." Jing Cheng said.

"Congratulations." Jing Bai smiled at them.

"Congratulations." Xi Ming told them.

"Congrats." Gong Xian nodded at them. Xi Xing followed Gong Xian and nodded at them, too.

"Hmph!" Xi Shi frowned.

"Thank you." Fei Yin said and nodded at them. "Congratulations to you, too." He told them.

Cheng Sheng, Feng Mo and Lei Qing looked at him before they looked away and covered their mouth to laugh. "Seems like they're more capable than we thought." Sun Yi said as he looked at the festive atmosphere around them.

"Yeah… I'm happy for them." Chen Han said and smiled. He looked at Chen Jing who's with the Youxiwang Sect disciples and nodded at him. Chen Jing smiled at them, his eyes filled with pride.

"Potion Brewing Test…" Pai Lie spoke. "Shanliangde Sect, Xi Ning." He said.

"Congratulations, Xi-xiong." Jing Cheng told Xi Ming.

"Thank you." Xi Ming said. "Looks like everyone passed." He said and smiled.

"Array Drawing Test…" Pai Lie said. "None passed."

Everyone was stunned and silence replaced the joyous atmosphere in the hall. They looked at each other, then looked at the participants for the Array Drawing Test. "This can't be…?" they exclaimed in shock. Mages are already a few and sword cultivators are large in number. Still, there are many pill refiners, potion brewers, talisman makers and spell casters. However, there's none for array masters.

They stared in horror when they saw some participants for the Array Drawing test were injured. Some were missing their hands and legs. As a cultivator, the most dangerous work isn't a sword cultivator, but array master. One miscalculation of your array and your destination is your grave.