Chapter 149 - 148: Most Potential Award

Chapter 149: Chapter 148: Most Potential Award

"Ladies and gentlemen, the exciting moment of the awards presentation has arrived!"

The host’s resonant voice rang out, and Situ Zhennan looked as if he were on pins and needles.

It was already 8:00 PM. The competition was remarkably efficient; the results were truly being announced that very evening. What the two of them hadn’t expected, however, was that they needed to buy new tickets to attend the "Awards Night" ceremony. The price—three hundred points, and with a limited release.

Ward Heaven, three hundred points!

Just to watch an awards ceremony!

Shi Tiexin looked at Situ Zhennan again, but this time, Situ Zhennan didn’t offer to pay. The two of them huddled outside the venue, waiting by the entrance and listening to the faint echoes from within.

"If you win an award, we’ll just rush right in!" Situ Zhennan whispered to Shi Tiexin. "No matter how tough the guards are, they can’t possibly stop a winner from collecting their prize, right? You rush onto the stage, find a judge to shake hands with, and remember: back straight, big smile, and hold that pose! Wait for me to rush in and get a picture! Whether or not we can smooth over this mess you’ve made all depends on this photo!"

Shi Tiexin glanced at the brawny security guard and realized he was one of Xiongan’s colleagues.

’Maybe I can ask him for a favor when the time comes?’

’Forget it. He’d get his pay docked for breaking the rules—we’ll probably have to force our way in after all.’

He glanced at the guard’s epaulet. ’Hmm, it’s printed to look intimidating, but he’s probably not a powerful cultivator. It should be fine.’

"Deal."

Shi Tiexin nodded. Inside, the leaders’ speeches had already concluded.

"Next, let us welcome the judge of this competition, Wang Jijiu from the Student Union, Lord Wang!"

WHOOSH! The applause was thunderous.

Shi Tiexin raised an eyebrow. ’Scholar Union Sacrificial Officer? Wasn’t he the one sitting behind me with the Dragon Map Scholar during the preliminary provincial exam?’

"So it’s the Student Union’s bigwig, Old Wang, acting as judge. No wonder this is such a huge event." Situ Zhennan looked thoughtful. "Shen Jianye really spared no expense this time..."

Shi Tiexin glanced at him and asked curiously, "You talk as if you’re old friends with the Scholar Union Sacrificial Officer. Do you actually know him, or is this just your daily posturing?"

Situ Zhennan’s eyes widened. "Me, posturing? I—Don’t change the subject! Listen, the pleasantries are over. They’re about to give out the awards!"

The host’s voice drifted out from the hall: "We will now announce the winners of the third-place prize. They are—"

"Win! Win! Win!" Situ Zhennan chanted, his eyes bloodshot like a gambler’s. "Just a third-place prize is all we need!"

The host’s voice came through clearly: "Old Man Zhang from the park, Old Man Wang from the park, Old Man Li from the park, Old Man Zhao from the park, Old Man Liu from the park..."

’What the hell! Could he be any more casual? At least give their full names!’

’What the hell is with this string of old men from the park?!’

"Oh, oh, a slip of the tongue, my apologies. I’m just so familiar with them that I accidentally used their nicknames," the host immediately corrected. "The first winner is Mr. Zhang Pingsheng, Vice President of Upper City Central Hospital. The second winner is Mr. Wang Hongyuan, Chairman and General Manager of the Nantong Company. The third..."

’Holy shit, again!’

’So these seemingly ordinary old men from the park all have such impressive backgrounds?!’

The announcement of the third-place winners was soon over, and Shi Tiexin’s name was not among them.

Shi Tiexin closed his eyes.

"Haha, keeping their identities quiet for so long only to announce them all at once... it feels like some kind of crass, collective boast. It’s almost making me sweat." The host, who evidently held a high status himself, joked casually, and an air of amusement filled the venue. "Alright, now for the winners of the second-place prize."

Situ Zhennan clenched his fists, his face flushed red. "Win! Win! Win!"

Shi Tiexin, on the other hand, had lost all hope. He knew his own limits; a third-place prize would have been the absolute best he could manage. Second place was out of the question.

Just as he’d expected, the host quickly finished the announcements, and once again, Shi Tiexin’s name was not called.

"Don’t panic, don’t panic! We can’t give up. There’s still the first-place prize, right? This just means we won first place!" Situ Zhennan was practically delirious.

"The most exciting moment has arrived! Now, we will announce the name of the first-place prize winner!"

"Win! Win!! WIN!!!" Situ Zhennan practically roared. "YOU HAVE TO WIN!!!"

"The winner of the first-place prize for hard-pen calligraphy in this ’Wenhua Cup—Tumu Castle’s Century of Mist Calligraphy Competition’ is—" The host dragged out the announcement, his breath seemingly endless, before finally revealing the name: "Principal Peng Hu from Tumu First Orthodox School!"

CLAP CLAP CLAP. Applause erupted. A brilliant golden light appeared in the air above the venue—the glory of the first-place winner, a symbol that the fairness of the competition had been acknowledged by the rules of the Celestial Dao.

"Hooo..."

Shi Tiexin let out a long breath, calming his racing heart. Even though he knew he couldn’t possibly win, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from praying, from fantasizing. ’What if, by some miracle, I’d actually won first place?’

But a fantasy was just a fantasy. In a world where everyone cultivated, there were hidden masters everywhere. He just had to look at the winners—every single one of them came from a prominent family with a fortune to match. They had the resources, the time, and the cultivation level. It wasn’t yet time for a young orphan, one who worked himself to the bone as a security guard just to pay off his debts, to make a name for himself.

He glanced over and saw that Situ Zhennan had completely deflated.

After a moment of silent deflation, he suddenly sprang up, zipped over, and grabbed Shi Tiexin by the collar, shaking him frantically. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing! You little punk, you didn’t win a single prize, and you still managed to stir up so much trouble! You... you—Just quit your damn security job and get your ass back here to prepare for the junior provincial exam!"

Shi Tiexin was surprised. "I thought you didn’t like my chances in the exam?"

"That was then, this is now! How was I supposed to know you’d actually pass the qualifying test? Don’t change the subject!" Situ Zhennan continued to shake him. "Listen up! If you don’t pass this junior provincial exam, kid, your life is over! Do you get me? Over! From now on, He Chong will find a hundred ways to make your life a living hell, understand?"

As Situ Zhennan was ranting, Shi Tiexin suddenly grabbed his shoulder. "Hold on. Listen. Something’s still happening in there."

"Huh?"

Situ Zhennan cocked his ear. Indeed, there was still some commotion at the awards ceremony. This time, an unfamiliar voice was speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as a judge for this calligraphy competition, I am delighted to have seen so many outstanding works. I am even more honored to have witnessed the exceptional talent that Tumu Castle produces, and to have seen the vibrant energy and boundless potential of our younger contestants."

"While these young contestants may still lack the skill to compete on the same stage as the older generation, their potential is something to look forward to. Furthermore, their positive attitude and determined, hardworking spirit are truly admirable."

"Therefore, I have personally proposed to the competition’s organizing committee that we add a ’Greatest Potential’ award."

"After careful deliberation, the winner of this ’Greatest Potential Award’ is the contestant from the Mu Yuan District Orphanage—Shi Tiexin."