Chapter 868
"I'll agree."
Brother Bin's eyes lit up instantly.
"Good!"
He took a step forward, his entire body tensing.
"Come! Let me see how strong you really are!"
Meanwhile… Ryan didn't rush.
He didn't even prepare a stance.
He simply… walked forward.
Step by step.
Casual.
And Relaxed.
As if he were strolling through his own courtyard.
Brother Bin's brows furrowed deeply.
"You're looking down on me?"
"You?" Ryan said lightly. "You're not worth it."
A flash of anger crossed Brother Bin's face. "Don't underestimate me!"
Suddenly—
His hands moved rapidly, forming a series of complex seals.
"Qinghong Enchantment!"
With a shout, a circular cyan barrier appeared before him, nearly as tall as a person.
Mysterious runes glowed along its edges, ancient and unreadable.
At its center… a rhinoceros-shaped phantom shimmered with dazzling light.
"Om!"
The barrier vibrated.
Then—
It shrank.
Merged.
And sank into Brother Bin's body.
In an instant...
A layer of faint silver light covered him completely.
He stood there like a human-shaped fortress.
"Qinghong Enchantment!"
"That's a defensive martial art that can block attacks even from Upper Exalt-level opponents!"
"With this, Brother Bin can definitely withstand one move!"
Hope reignited among the remaining candidates.
"He planned this from the beginning!"
"He forced the bet just to use this technique!"
"Brother Bin is amazing!"
"We're saved!"
Excited voices rose one after another.
But—
Ryan's expression did not change at all.
He simply continued walking.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Until he stood right in front of Brother Bin.
Then—
He raised his hand.
And threw a punch.
Ryan's punch looked… ordinary.
No aura surged around it, no martial skill was activated, no dazzling light burst forth. It was simply a straightforward punch, as casual as someone brushing dust off their sleeve.
Seeing this, the remaining candidates from Brother Bin's team actually felt a surge of hope.
He's going easy on us…
He doesn't want to kill…
He's letting Brother Bin pass on purpose…
That thought spread quickly among them, like a fragile spark of relief in a battlefield drenched with fear.
After all, if Ryan truly intended to kill—
Why would he use such a plain, effortless punch?
However...
The moment that punch landed on Brother Bin's body—
All those hopeful thoughts were shattered instantly.
Boom!
The sound was not loud, but it carried a terrifying weight.
The silver glow surrounding Brother Bin's body—formed by the Qinghong Enchantment—collapsed instantly.
It didn't crack.
It didn't struggle.
It simply… shattered.
Like fragile glass struck by an overwhelming force.
Countless fragments of silver light burst outward, scattering into the air before fading into nothingness.
At the same time, Brother Bin's body trembled violently.
It was as if an entire mountain had slammed into him.
He couldn't resist.
He couldn't block.
He couldn't even react.
"Pfft—!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips as his body was sent flying backward like a broken kite.
He crashed heavily onto the ground far away, rolling several times before finally coming to a stop.
Then—
Silence.
He fainted on the spot.
The so-called defensive martial skill that could withstand an Upper Exalt's attack…
Didn't even last a single second.
In front of Ryan, it was nothing.
Not even worth being called a fart.
Of course, Ryan had held back.
If he had used even a fraction more strength, Brother Bin wouldn't have fainted—
He would have exploded.
Reduced to nothing.
But Ryan had no intention of killing him.
Not this time.
"He lost," Ryan said calmly.
His tone carried no emotion, as if he were simply stating an obvious fact.
"I didn't kill him."
He looked at the remaining candidates.
"Hand over your monster crystals."
"Then crush your SOS stones."
"And leave."
His voice was soft—
But it carried absolute authority.
No one doubted that if they refused…
They would die.
Immediately.
The remaining candidates moved almost instinctively.
No hesitation.
No resistance.
No pride.
They hurriedly handed over every monster crystal they had obtained, their hands trembling slightly as they placed them before Ryan.
Then—
One by one—
They crushed their SOS stones.
"Buzz."
"Buzz."
"Buzz."
Light flickered continuously as their bodies disappeared from the Xiaoji Holy Land.
Even Brother Bin—
Though unconscious—
Was carried by one of his teammates, his SOS stone crushed as well.
His figure vanished in a flash of light.
In just a few moments—
Only Ryan and the North District candidates remained.
The battlefield, once filled with tension and killing intent, fell into quiet stillness.
Ryan glanced at the pile of monster crystals now in his possession and smiled faintly.
"Not bad."
"These people actually managed to kill five Level 4 monsters in such a short time."
He turned toward Bai Ye and the others.
"Quite a good harvest."
Bai Ye hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Well… they worked hard to get those crystals, but in the end they just made wedding clothes for us."
He scratched his head slightly.
"But Li Wei… was it really necessary to force them all out?"
"Doesn't that feel a bit… harsh?"
Ryan shook his head.
"There's no other way."
"You saw their attitude toward the North District."
"The more people from the three districts remain, the more dangerous it becomes for our people."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"And besides…"
"Do you think I'm doing this just for the monster crystals?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Level 4 monsters?"
"I can kill them whenever I want."
"Getting their crystals is effortless."
"I already collected more than a dozen by myself before."
"So why rob them?"
His eyes turned sharp.
"Because I want to change the environment for the North District."
"I want to give our people a chance."
"Right now, we've only found a few North District candidates."
"The others are still out there."
"And as long as candidates from the three districts remain…"
"They're in danger."
Ryan's voice grew colder.
"So before I find everyone…"
"I won't show mercy."
A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.
Mu Xianling.
Li Shu.
Li Wujie.
Li Baijie.
Their whereabouts were still unknown.
Until he found them, he would not stop.
Bai Ye nodded slowly. "You're right. This is their own doing. If we let them go, it'll only come back to hurt us."
Ryan nodded. "I'll keep it in balance. As long as it doesn't affect the North District's chances, I won't wipe everyone out. But until then…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
The meaning was clear.
"Alright!" Bai Ye suddenly clapped his hands.
"Enough talking!"
"Let's move!"
"Find the next prey!"
"And this time…"
He puffed his chest proudly.
"I'm joining the fight!"
"Me too!"
"Brother Wei, let us fight next time!"
"Yeah, standing there watching you do everything is torture!"
"Give us a chance!"
The North District candidates all spoke eagerly, their eyes shining with excitement.
Ryan looked at them for a moment.
Then nodded.
"Alright."
"Next time, you fight too."
"I'll handle the big ones."
"The small fry are yours."
"Yesss!"
Cheers erupted instantly.
Under Ryan's lead, the group moved forward once more.
Like hunters entering a forest—
Searching for their next target.
*
Meanwhile—
At Western Mansion, near the northern side of the Twin Embrace Plaza.
A designated area outlined by a yellow boundary line stood quietly.
This was the elimination zone.
Every time a candidate crushed their SOS stone, they would be transported here.
Normally—
Only one or two people appeared at a time.
Occasionally three.
At most four or five.
Each arrival marked a failure.
Each light that flickered meant someone had lost their chance to enter Western Mansion.
But this time—
"Buzz…"
"Buzz… buzz… buzz…"
More than a dozen lights lit up simultaneously.
One after another—
Figures appeared within the yellow boundary.
All at once.
It was as if a small army had been expelled from the exam.
The elders stationed nearby froze.
The surrounding crowd turned their heads in shock.
This kind of scene—
Had never happened before.
When more than a dozen beams of light flared up at the same time, the elder responsible for receiving eliminated candidates stood there for a moment, completely stunned, as if someone had quietly pressed pause on his thoughts.
This kind of scene… was extremely rare.
In a normal entrance examination, even if candidates encountered danger, there would always be a sequence to their escape. One person would crush the SOS stone, then another, then another, each separated by moments of hesitation, panic, or resistance. It was almost impossible for so many candidates to give up at the exact same time.
Unless—
They had all chosen to give up together.
The elder's name was Wan Sibo, and he was no stranger to the elimination zone. Over the years, he had presided over many entrance examinations and had witnessed all kinds of desperate situations.
But even for him, collective eliminations were rare.
In fact, before today, he had only seen such a scene twice.
The first time had been when a group of candidates accidentally provoked a Level 5 monster. That beast unleashed a wide-range attack that blanketed the battlefield, forcing everyone to crush their SOS stones at the same moment just to survive.
The second time had been a large-scale conflict between two teams of candidates. One side was completely overwhelmed, and more than thirty candidates had been forced to collectively withdraw after suffering defeat.
And now—
This was the third time.