Only half an hour had passed.
People were constantly starting to exert themselves.
The first-place contender soared from 120,000 to 140,000 points, surpassing the second-place by a full 30,000 points, firmly securing the top spot.
The second-place contender's points also rose to 110,000.
The third-place contender currently had just 100,000.
The top ten not only wanted to challenge for the top three but also had to guard against those behind them suddenly surging forward.
In this half an hour, the entire top thirty on the Dragon-Tiger Rankings became a chaotic mess.
And this was also the most crucial juncture of the mid-term test; everyone in the top thirty was like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique abilities.
The entire Dragon-Tiger Rankings was in utter disarray.
Fang Xin, however, leisurely grilled meat, much like a master of score control, adding a little to his points ring every so often.
Each time he added god and demon marrow, if the minute hand on his watch pointed to an odd number, he would add a few less god and demon marrow than the current ninth place; if it was an even number, he would add a few more god and demon marrow than the current eleventh place.
Occasionally, he would also randomly fluctuate between eighth and twelfth place.
Currently, ahead of Fang Xin was the person named Fu Jin who had previously surpassed Fang Xin.
This person had added 12,000 god and demon marrow in total and was now ranked ninth.
Fang Xin had thirty-seven less than Fu Jin.
There were still two and a half hours left; that's when the real free-for-all would begin.
Outside the God and Demon Ruins.
A vast crowd of people surged.
Everyone gazed eagerly at the Dragon-Tiger Rankings above.
The top thirty rankings on the Dragon-Tiger Rankings changed dazzlingly, especially the section from third to thirtieth place, where the names and rankings fluctuated so quickly they almost blurred into a mosaic.
A palace floated in the sky.
It was a gigantic treasure artifact.
Inside the treasure artifact palace sat several figures, including men, women, old, and young.
Bai Mao Zai from the Ninth Division was also among them.
He held a teacup, his chair rocking back and forth.
An old man peeling and eating chestnuts looked at the Dragon-Tiger Rankings and laughed, "They're finally fighting! I remember back in the day, we also fought tooth and nail for this fame and fortune. Now, we don't have to, and we can comfortably sit here watching these youngsters fight for fame and gain. It's truly satisfying, hehe!"
An elegant and noble woman sat to the side, cradling a Persian cat in her arms. Her ring-adorned hand gently stroked the cat as she heard this and sneered, "Look at your lack of ambition!"
The old man ate a chestnut, gave the woman a thumbs-up, and chuckled, "Palace Master Long, you are pure, you are remarkable!"
He only received a cold snort from the woman.
The old man stopped bickering with the woman and turned his gaze to Zhuge Heng, "Bai Mao Zai, I heard your Ninth Division recruited a genius, the one named Fang Xin, right? How does he look, not much, it seems. I've been watching for a long time, and his highest was only eighth place! Just now, he even dropped to twelfth! There are still two and a half hours left; it feels like it'll be difficult for him to squeeze into the top ten!"
The elegant and noble woman gave the old man a faint glance, "Why are you staring at the Ninth Division's little kid for no reason?"
The old man took a bite of chestnut and then swept his gaze over the woman, "I say, Palace Master Long, I've long heard you wanted to keep this little Bai Mao as a kept man, but he disagreed. Why are you still rushing to offer yourself to him?"
The woman retorted without a hint of politeness, "Are you envious or jealous?"
"It would be a lie to say I'm not envious, after all, with Palace Master Long's curvaceous figure, any man would want to charge into battle."
The vulgar joke drew sidelong glances from the others.
The woman sneered, "You're old, an unrespectable old geezer. Can you even get it up anymore?"
The old man chuckled, "Don't worry, Palace Master Long, as long as you're willing, I'll even tie a chopstick to it!"
The woman frowned tightly and slowly turned her head to look at the old man.
The old man showed no fear, eating his chestnuts and smiling broadly at the woman.
Zhuge Heng slowly tilted his head towards the old man, and the teacup in his hand tipped, spilling hot tea. But in the next second, the scalding tea was directly splashed onto the old man's crotch.
The old man quickly stood up, shook his crotch, and gave a forced smile, not daring to get angry with this Bai Mao Zai.
Zhuge Heng raised the teacup in his hand; the tea that had just been poured out inexplicably refilled. Visibly, the water in the transparent teapot on the other side decreased a little. He turned his head, baring his small white teeth, and gave the old man his characteristic smile.
"That kid has Strength Talent. Strength Talent, those who know, know!"
The old man patted his crotch, as if nothing unpleasant had happened.
"No wonder. A Strength-based Mangfu, it's already not easy for him to stay in the top ten."
An old man wearing a Tang suit chuckled upon hearing this, "Ever since talent awakening, everyone looks down on Strength Talent!"
The old man eating chestnuts looked at the Dragon-Tiger Rankings and laughed, "That's just how reality is. There are so many people with Strength Talent in the world, but only a few make it big. At the very top of the pyramid, the only Strength-based person is that old monk guarding the Number One Temple Under Heaven.
This little kid from the Ninth Division named Fang Xin, he can still barely cling to the top ten now, but by the final exam, the gap will widen even more. It'll be hard for him to even squeeze into the top thirty!"
As he was speaking, the rankings changed again. The eleventh-place on the Dragon-Tiger Rankings directly surged to ninth place.
Fang Xin, who was in tenth place, was pushed down to eleventh.
"Heh! What did I tell you!" The old man eating chestnuts chuckled strangely, "He got pushed out of the top ten again!"
Inside the cave.
Fu Jin saw his ranking on the points ring drop to tenth and immediately stood up, "Damn it, we're in tenth place. How much god and demon marrow do we still have?"
"We still have over 40,000! Are we still pushing, Brother Fu?"
"No hurry. It's not just us who have a team; others definitely have teams too. Haven't you noticed that the kid from the Ninth Division, who we just pushed down, his score has been hovering around tenth place? According to my speculation, if we have a team, they definitely have one too. He's currently in eleventh place; let's see if he makes any moves! No matter what, we must hold onto tenth place!"
As he was speaking, Fang Xin's points slowly rose, just two more than Fu Jin's.
Seeing this, Fu Jin immediately added five hundred god and demon marrow, but unexpectedly, Fang Xin slowly caught up again. This time he had over four hundred more than Fu Jin, so Fu Jin added another two thousand.
Unexpectedly, Fang Xin directly surged to ninth, pushing down the previous ninth-place holder and leaving him and Fu Jin to compete.
Li Bao'er and the others also came to rendezvous with Fang Xin.
At this moment, Li Bao'er had stabilized in sixth place and still held a good amount of god and demon marrow, intending to challenge for the top three.
Moreover, Shi Tailang and the others, while ensuring their own positions within the top thirty, had allocated their surplus god and demon marrow to Li Bao'er, allowing her to push forward. This was not only about personal honor but also concerned the reputation of the Sky Shield Bureau. Good student performance would correspondingly raise the academy's ranking.
Jiang Xiaocha pulled Fang Xin aside and handed him a spatial ring.
"Brother, this has 10,000 god and demon marrow; you take it first. I know my own strength, and I don't want to be a trailblazer. I know you want to secure a top ten ranking, but I've been watching for a long time, and your position is fiercely contested! Take this 10,000 for a rainy day!"
"No need!"
Jiang Xiaocha enunciated each word, "Brother! Take it! If it's still not enough, I'll only keep 5,000 god and demon marrow to ensure my score is passing, and I'll give you the rest to secure your ranking!"
Fang Xin looked at Jiang Xiaocha, his heart slightly warmed, and he raised his hand to gently flick Jiang Xiaocha's smooth forehead.
Fang Xin accidentally dropped his spatial ring containing eight million god and demon marrow on the ground.
"Oh dear! My ring fell on the ground! Xiao Cha, could you pick it up for me?"