Chapter 880
"Ah...!"
Ryan's expression changed instantly.
"Sorry!"
He snapped back to his senses, quickly restraining his aura.
As his presence withdrew, the crushing pressure vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared, and the temperature returned to normal, as if everything that had just happened had been an illusion.
The candidates collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, their bodies drained of strength.
Bai Ye was in an even worse state, his white robe completely soaked with sweat, as though he had just been pulled out of water.
Ryan had merely released his aura...
And yet the effect had been this terrifying.
"This… I'm sorry," Ryan said again, his voice carrying genuine regret. "I didn't mean to… I lost control."
Bai Ye looked at him deeply, and there was no anger in his eyes, only awe, a deeper understanding of just how terrifying Ryan truly was.
After catching his breath, he said slowly, "Now I finally understand your strength. If you wanted to, you could wipe out all of us here alone, and even if there were hundreds of people, you wouldn't need more than a moment."
Ryan coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed.
"I really didn't control it well… Brother Bai, you suffered because of me."
"I'm fine."
Bai Ye waved his hand, then looked at Ryan seriously once more.
"What matters is...did you hear what I said just now?"
He paused.
"I'm not teaching you. I'm reminding you."
He took a breath and continued, "Look at what you've become. This isn't the Ryan I know. Before, you told me I had changed, that I had lost my confidence, but what about you now? Where is the calm, composed Li Wei from before? All it took was not finding a few people for a few days, and you've already fallen into chaos. Is this really you?"
Ryan fell silent.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"When I left home, I promised my father that I would help the Li Clan enter Western Mansion, and that I would protect them well. Now several days have passed, and I still haven't found them…"
His voice was low.
"How can I not be anxious? And the longer this drags on, the more dangerous their situation becomes."
He shook his head slightly.
"I was too impatient… I lost my composure. Sorry, Brother."
"Today is only the fourth day of the exam," Bai Ye said after thinking for a moment. "There are still several days left, and not finding them does not mean they are in danger."
He looked at Ryan firmly.
"Trust them. They'll be fine. Pull yourself together."
Then he added, "Tomorrow, let's change our approach. Instead of moving together, we split into groups and search separately. Once anyone finds something, they'll report back immediately. That way, the chances of finding them will be much higher."
Ryan knew that Bai Ye was right.
He had indeed lost control these past few days, dragging everyone into his own turmoil.
Hearing Bai Ye speak like this, standing firm yet sincere, Ryan felt a faint stir in his heart.
After a long pause, he said quietly, "Thank you, Bai Ye."
"Thank me for what?" Bai Ye replied lightly without turning back. "Without you, we'd be nothing."
With that, he walked away to find a place to rest, leaving Ryan standing there beneath the night sky, silent.
*
The fifth day of the entrance examination arrived like a blade drawn slowly from its sheath, quiet on the surface, yet carrying an edge that had already tasted blood.
Under Bai Ye's steady guidance, Ryan finally forced himself out of that restless storm he had been trapped in for days, gathering his scattered thoughts and pulling his mind back into clarity, no longer rushing blindly, no longer burning himself dry in desperation, but instead returning to a rhythm that resembled his former self, where calm judgment replaced impulsive action and confidence once again settled into his eyes like something that had never left.
The change did not go unnoticed.
Every candidate in the North District felt it.
And almost everyone, without exception, let out a silent breath of relief.
Because Ryan was no longer just a teammate...
He was the backbone of everything.
If he fell, the entire structure would collapse with him.
So seeing him recover, seeing that familiar composure return, was not merely comforting, it was like watching a dying flame suddenly rise again, steady and unshaken.
On this day, the strategy shifted completely.
The North District team, once moving as a single force under Ryan's protection, was now divided into twenty groups, each group consisting of five candidates, spreading out like threads woven across the vast terrain of the Holy Land.
However, these groups were not meant to fight.
They were not required to clash with candidates from the other three regions, nor were they tasked with hunting dangerous monsters.
Their role was simple...
Observe.
Search.
Report.
The moment they discovered anything, whether it was an enemy group, a valuable target, or a trace of missing companions, they were to relay the information back to Ryan through a special method.
And once Ryan received the message...
He would arrive.
Using his flying technique, he could cross vast distances in a short time, appearing like a shadow where he was needed most, resolving threats, eliminating enemies, and completing tasks with overwhelming efficiency.
Because of this, their operational range expanded dramatically, covering several times the area they had managed before, and the speed at which they hunted monsters or forced opponents to withdraw increased significantly compared to the previous days.
But...
Efficiency came with a price.
When they had moved together, Ryan had always been there, a shield against danger, a force that could erase any threat before it became fatal, allowing the candidates to advance with confidence, knowing that no matter what appeared, it would be dealt with.
Now...
They were alone.
If danger appeared during investigation, there would be no immediate protection, no overwhelming force to rely on, only their own strength, their own judgment, and their own ability to escape.
And if they failed...
There was only one outcome.
Death.
In just a short span of time, although their gains had multiplied and their efficiency had soared, more than a dozen North District candidates had been seriously injured, and five had lost their lives entirely, never returning to the meeting point, their absence marking a silent cost of this new strategy.
Yet despite this...
No one complained.
Because they all understood one thing clearly.
Compared to the days before they met Ryan, when survival itself was uncertain, and every step forward was taken under the shadow of fear...
This was already far better.
And beyond that, they also understood something deeper.
This was an entrance examination.
A test.
Not a sheltered path.
If they relied entirely on Ryan's protection, hiding behind him to complete their tasks, then even if they entered Western Mansion successfully, their growth would stagnate, their future limited by their own weakness.
Facing danger now...
Struggling now…
It would forge them into something stronger.
So under Bai Ye's arrangement, every North District candidate carried out their assigned duties without complaint, spreading across the land like silent scouts, each one doing their part.
And it paid off.
By the afternoon, news arrived.
Someone had found Li Wujie...
And Li Baijie in the eastern region.
The moment Ryan heard this, his entire body reacted instantly, as if a tightly wound spring had been released, and without hesitation, he activated his movement technique and rushed toward the reported location, cutting through the air with urgency that could no longer be hidden.
*
Meanwhile...
In the northeast of the Holy Land...
A battlefield burned.
Hundreds of candidates had gathered, surrounding a massive frog-like monster, their figures flickering amid flames as they attacked relentlessly, their weapons flashing, their voices rising in shouts, while the monster roared and counterattacked with terrifying force.
The entire scene resembled a living nightmare.
Flames spread in all directions, turning the ground into a blazing inferno, while thick black smoke coiled upward, dimming the sky and casting everything in a suffocating gloom, and the air itself shimmered with heat, carrying a scorching intensity that made breathing difficult.
At the center of it all was the monster.
The fire scorpion giant frog.
From time to time, it opened its massive mouth and unleashed torrents of flame, each burst like a blazing serpent sweeping across the battlefield, intensifying the inferno and reducing everything in its path to ash, whether it was trees, earth, or unfortunate candidates who failed to escape in time.
The battle had already reached its peak.
Explosions echoed endlessly, energy streaks collided and scattered, and the cries of candidates rose and fell like a chorus of suffering, forming a grim symphony of destruction.
Had it been night...
The scene would have been enough to drive people mad.
Yet even in the face of such terror...
No one retreated.
"Hold on! It's almost there!"
A voice rang out from within the chaos.
"This monster is reaching its limit! Victory is within reach! The crystal of the fire scorpion giant frog is incredibly valuable! If we obtain it, our results will be outstanding!"
Another voice followed, louder, more forceful.
"That's right! Keep pushing! We've already sacrificed so many people! If we give up now, not only will everything be wasted, but we will have failed those who died before us! No matter what, we must kill this monster!"
These voices belonged to Shao Yushan and Jiao Zhiming.
The very same two who had chased Mu Xianling and the others.
Now standing at the forefront, rallying hundreds of candidates from multiple regions, turning desperation into momentum, driving them forward against this terrifying enemy.