82: Chapter 82, First Major Question:
Leaving the Mountain Protection Grand Array of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, the air seemed to instantly become a bit murkier. Without that reassuring fragrance of ink from the Scripture Pavilion, it was replaced by the scent of decaying leaves in the mountain forest, and... a faint trace of Killing Intent.
Chu Linger tightened her grip on the bundle in her arms. It was her entire net worth now, and the only thing her unreliable Master had given her to rely on. Although that copy of "five-year simulation, Three-Year Cultivation" was as heavy as a brick, pressing it against her chest gave her a strangely bizarre sense of security.
“Come out.” Reaching a withered forest halfway up the mountain, Chu Linger suddenly stopped, her hand resting on the “Flowing Cloud Sword” at her waist. As a former princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty, though her combat experience was negligible, her perception of malice was startlingly sharp—or rather, it was an intuition nurtured by those strange books in the Scripture Pavilion over the past three months.
“Hehe, as expected of the Ninth Princess, your spiritual perception is indeed sharp.” From behind the withered trees, several dark figures slowly emerged. The leader wore a dark purple brocade robe and had a sinister face, playing with a pair of deep blue iron spheres in his hands. The Aura he emitted was clearly the pressure of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, one minor Realm higher than Chu Linger’s current level.
“Great Zhou Secret Guard, Night Owl.” Chu Linger’s pupils shrank slightly. This was the ace henchman under State Preceptor Sima Changfeng, specializing in pursuit and assassination. She hadn't expected to be targeted the moment she stepped out of the Sect.
“Your Highness, the State Preceptor has ordered that you return to the palace... to catch up.” Night Owl approached with a fake smile, while his three subordinates fanned out to surround her, blocking all of Chu Linger’s exits. “Of course, if Your Highness does not cooperate, taking back a corpse is the same. After all, what the State Preceptor wants is only the half-piece of ‘Imperial Dragon Bone’ inside you.”
“You want to touch my bone?” Chu Linger took a deep breath, her mind flashing back to Li Mo’s usual lazy teachings—“When things happen, don't panic. First, see if you can call for backup; if not, see if you have time to run; if you can't run, then fight for your life.”
Calling for backup was definitely too late now, and running... she seemed to be boxed in. So, the only option was to fight for her life? No, Master said that fighting for one's life is the behavior of a brute. A civilized person should rely on knowledge.
“Wait!” Just as Night Owl was about to move, Chu Linger suddenly shouted with great Aura. Night Owl paused and sneered, “What? Does the Princess have last words?”
“Before we start, I have a question I’d like to ask Your Excellency.” Chu Linger’s expression was solemn as she slowly pulled out that grayish-white “brick of a book” from her robes.
Night Owl was stunned. What kind of Magic Treasure was this? It had no Spiritual Qi fluctuations at all; could it be a mundane ledger?
Chu Linger ignored his confusion. She flipped through the pages and lightly tapped a question that Li Mo had circled in red long ago. In an instant, an invisible ripple centered on her, immediately enveloping a radius of ten zhang.
[Inherent Domain Unfolded: Temporary Examination Hall] [Rule 1: Silence in the examination hall; no shouting] [Rule 2: No physical conflict during the examination] [Rule 3: Those who answer incorrectly or fail to answer will receive a 'Physics' correction]
The originally gloomy withered forest was suddenly filled with a pale, blinding light, as if several Shadowless Lamps had appeared overhead. Night Owl discovered to his horror that the Spiritual Qi in his body had instantly solidified, and even his pair of deep blue iron spheres fell to the ground with a “clack.” Not only him, but the other three secret guards were also frozen in place, even forced into a proper sitting posture!
“Wh... what kind of sorcery is this?!” Night Owl cried out in horror, only to find his voice had become extremely quiet, as if suppressed by something.
“This isn’t sorcery; it’s an exam question.” Seeing this, Chu Linger’s admiration for her Master was like a surging river. She cleared her throat and read the text in the book with clear, precise pronunciation:
“Please listen to the question—” “Given: You (Point Mass A) weigh one hundred and fifty catties, your sword-flying speed is three hundred meters per second, you encounter air resistance ‘f’ directly ahead, and the Coriolis force is neglected.” “Question: To come to a sudden stop within three seconds without face-planting and sliding on the ground, what is the Reverse thrust ‘F’ you need to apply? Please list the formula and calculate.” “Time limit: Ten breaths.”
Night Owl: “???” Subordinates A, B, and C: “???”
The air seemed to freeze. Night Owl had killed people, started fires, and even fought against Golden Core Old Ancestors in his life, but he had never encountered such a... suffocating method of attack. What was a Point Mass? And who was this great expert, Coriolis? He even had to list a formula?!
“Ten breaths are up.” Chu Linger closed the book and gave them a look of pity. “Regrettably, you have all turned in blank papers.”
The next moment, the rules descended. The [Error Punishment Mechanism] preset by Li Mo in the book was activated.
Since they couldn't calculate the force needed for a “sudden stop,” they would have to experience the consequences of “being unable to stop.”
Boom! A massive, pure force of inertia acted upon Night Owl out of thin air. His entire body felt as if it had been kicked hard in the rear by an invisible giant foot, and at a speed that defied logic, he went face-down and began to slide wildly across the ground!
“AAAAHHHH—!!!” A scream pierced the air. At this moment, friction seemed to become the sharpest of blades. Night Owl’s face made intimate contact with the rough ground, and sparks flew—actual sparks were being rubbed out! He slid like this, trailing sparks and lightning, for several hundred meters, only stopping after snapping five large trees.
As for the other three subordinates, because their cultivation was lower, they were directly judged as having a “weak foundation” and were launched into the high sky by a massive force, turning into three shooting stars that flew off to some unknown mountain gully.
The scene was deathly silent. Only the copy of "five-year simulation, Three-Year Cultivation" in Chu Linger’s hand still emitted a faint glow, like a strict dean silently mocking the incompetence of the academic dregs.
“Gulp.” Chu Linger swallowed. Looking at the twitching, unrecognizable Night Owl in the distance, she couldn't help but shudder.
“Master... is this really a Righteous Path Magic Treasure?” This was too brutal! Killing someone is one thing, but this was literally rubbing someone's dignity into the ground—in the most literal Physics sense.
Just then, a dusty-looking mouse scurried out from the nearby bushes, carrying a Storage Ring in its mouth that had fallen off Night Owl. It dropped the ring to Chu Linger, then stood on its hind legs, gave a thumbs-up with its front paws, and pointed to the road ahead. The meaning was: Good job, keep going.
Chu Linger picked up the ring. Seeing Squeak’s calm “business as usual” demeanor, she suddenly felt that she was still too young.
“So, this is the true meaning of ‘knowledge is power’...” the young girl murmured to herself, her eyes gradually changing from confusion to determination, even revealing a hint of fanaticism. She carefully wiped the dust off the book cover as if polishing a peerless divine weapon.
“The next question... who should I find to do it?”
At this very moment, thousands of miles away in the Great Zhou Imperial City, State Preceptor Sima Changfeng, who was meditating on the Star Gazing Platform, suddenly sneezed for no reason, and an indescribable chill ran down his spine. It was as if something terrifying was holding a red pen, preparing to mark a giant “X” on his fate.