Chapter 870
Wan Sibo continued, tone calm yet heavy with fabricated wisdom.
"You all have committed a clash of stars this year. You were destined to encounter a calamity… a figure from the North District who blocks your path and robs your fortune."
He paused, then added with a gentle nod.
"But misfortune and fortune walk hand in hand. Survive this, cultivate well, and next year… your path into Western Mansion will open smoothly."
Silence.
Then—
A wave of awe.
"so powerful."
"As expected of Western Mansion…"
"To think someone can divine the future…"
"Truly… unfathomable."
Their faces filled with reverence, as if they had just witnessed something sacred.
Meanwhile, Wan Sibo flicked his sleeve lightly, lifted his chin, and walked away with the serene air of a wandering immortal who had just casually rearranged destiny itself.
***
High above, on the grand platform.
The masters and elders of Western Mansion were gathered before the central light curtain, observing the ever-shifting scenes within Xiaoji Holy Land.
At that moment, Wan Sibo arrived.
Pan Borong, one of the three great palace lords, turned slightly, brows knitting.
"Elder Wan Sibo, aren't you overseeing the elimination zone? Why have you come here?"
Murong Liu also glanced over, sensing something unusual. "Sibo, has something happened?"
Wan Sibo didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he cast a careful glance around, ensuring that no unnecessary ears were too close, before stepping nearer to Murong Liu and lowering his voice.
After a brief whisper...
Murong Liu's eyes widened instantly. "Are you serious?"
"It's true." Wan Sibo nodded firmly, then retrieved a booklet from within his sleeve and handed it over. "The repatriation record. Please see for yourself."
Murong Liu took the booklet.
Page after page flipped.
Names.
Details.
Districts.
Elimination times.
Batch counts.
His expression shifted with every line.
By the time he reached the final page…
Even he, a palace lord, could not suppress the shock rising within him.
More than a hundred names.
All from the Eastern, Western, and Southern Districts.
Not a single one from the North.
Five separate batches.
One of them…
Over forty candidates were eliminated simultaneously.
Murong Liu slowly closed the booklet.
His gaze lifted toward the distant light curtain, where the unseen storm continued to rage within Xiaoji Holy Land.
"Forty people… eliminated at once."
He murmured softly.
Then, almost unconsciously—
"By one person?"
"What's true and what's false? Sixth, what exactly are you stirring up over there?"
"Why do you look like you've just seen a ghost? What happened?"
Pan Borong and Guo Yangyun, who had been observing from the side, finally couldn't hold back their curiosity any longer, stepping closer with narrowed eyes as they noticed Murong Liu's unusually serious expression after hearing Wan Sibo's report.
Murong Liu didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he cast a cautious glance around, ensuring no stray ears lingered nearby, before leaning in toward the two palace lords with a conspiratorial air, his voice lowered to a near whisper as he relayed everything Wan Sibo had just told him, finishing by handing over the booklet for them to examine with their own eyes.
"This… is real?"
Pan Borong's eyes widened as he flipped through the densely packed list, his usually composed demeanor cracking as disbelief surfaced in his voice.
"No wonder… no wonder the North District's examiner and person in charge dared to act so confidently this year," he muttered, his gaze flickering. "With a figure like this among their candidates, how could the North District not rise? It would be stranger if they didn't."
Guo Yangyun nodded slowly, a thoughtful look settling across his face as if pieces of a puzzle were finally clicking into place.
"I was already wondering," he said, "why the North District, which has always kept a low profile and only placed modest bets in past years, suddenly went all in this time, even staking their accumulated resources without hesitation… turns out, they've been hiding a trump card all along."
Pan Borong closed the booklet with a soft snap, then looked straight at Murong Liu.
"Sixth… do you know who this candidate is?"
Murong Liu opened his mouth instinctively.
"This candidate… I…"
But before the words could fully form, something flickered in his mind.
A face.
A figure.
A name.
Li Wei.
His expression froze for a fraction of a second.
Li Wei… isn't he also from the North District?
If not for Wan Sibo's report, Murong Liu might never have connected the dots, because Ryan had always appeared… too ordinary.
Too calm.
Too unremarkable on the surface.
Not like the kind of dazzling genius who announces their brilliance with every breath.
But now—
Now, with everything laid out before him, those fragments of memory began to rearrange themselves, forming a pattern that grew clearer with every passing thought.
Murong Liu's eyes slowly sharpened.
He began to recall.
***
When he first met Ryan, he had tested his spiritual power.
Fifteen layers.
At the time, it sounded absurd enough to be dismissed as a trick.
Then—
At Wang Bi'er's request, he had opened the Gate of Six Spirits for Ryan.
And Ryan had opened all six.
Fully.
Completely.
An achievement that should not exist.
Others struggled to open even one spirit.
Two spirits would already crown someone a once-in-a-generation genius.
But Ryan?
Six.
At the time, Murong Liu had doubted it, thinking there must be some deception involved.
But now…
That doubt began to crumble.
***
Then came the entrance examination.
The image in the light curtain.
Ryan, facing a fourth-level monster.
A single palm.
A casual strike.
A backhand kill.
At the time, Murong Liu had rationalized it, attributing it to enhanced physical strength after opening the Six Spirit Gates, reasoning that a Exalt-level candidate could perhaps manage such a feat.
But now, revisiting that scene with a clearer mind—
It no longer felt so simple.
Fourth-level monsters were stronger than warriors of the same rank.
To fight them required strength above their level.
To kill them required even more.
And to do so...
Without martial arts… without effort… and while being attacked.
That wasn't just strength.
That was overwhelming dominance.
To achieve that, one would need power far beyond a mere Exalt.
Perhaps even—
An Upper Exalt.
The thought itself was shocking.
A candidate… with the strength of an Upper Exalt?
Unthinkable.
And yet…
Everything pointed in that direction.
***
And then—
There was Wang Zongyao.
The Wang family figure.
The examiner of the North District.
He had openly stated that Ryan was "his person."
He had shown clear favor.
Even confidence.
And most importantly...
He had bet boldly on the North District.
Without hesitation.
And without fear.
***
All the clues.
All the fragments.
Now connected.
Murong Liu's breathing slowed.
His thoughts, once scattered, now aligned into a single, terrifying conclusion.
The one who opened six spirits.
The one with fifteen layers of spiritual power.
The one who casually killed a fourth-level monster.
The one backed by Wang Zongyao.
The one…
Who could very well be—
Second in the Western Mansion Outer Court rankings.
Murong Liu felt a chill run down his spine.
A genius… standing right in front of me… and I didn't see it?
He took a steadying breath, then finally spoke.
"This candidate… I might know who he is."
Pan Borong leaned forward instantly.
"Oh? Who?"
Guo Yangyun's gaze locked onto Murong Liu as well, curiosity blazing.
Murong Liu paused briefly, then said slowly: "Do you remember the North District candidate who appeared in the light curtain at the beginning of the entrance exam?"
Pan Borong frowned, thinking back. "You mean the one who hadn't even steadied himself before encountering a fourth-rank monster… yet killed it with a backhand strike?"
He nodded slightly.
"Yes, I remember him. His strength is indeed good… but if you're saying he's the second in the Outer Court rankings…"
Pan Borong shook his head.
"I'm afraid that's still a stretch."
"To rank second, one must at least possess the strength of an Upper Exalt. And that candidate… didn't have the aura of one."
Murong Liu let out a faint breath, a knowing look appearing in his eyes.
"Old Pan… I thought the same at first. But after thinking it through carefully… I've changed my mind."
He raised his head slightly, voice calm yet firm.
"I believe… he was holding back."
Pan Borong frowned. "Holding back?"
Murong Liu nodded. "Did you notice his expression? When he was attacked… when he struck back… His face didn't change at all."
"No tension."
"No strain."
"No sign of effort at all"
"A normal person, when using more than half their strength, will show it… even if only slightly."
"But he didn't."
"Not even a trace."
Murong Liu's voice lowered.
"That means… he didn't even use half of his strength. And yet, he killed a fourth-level monster effortlessly."
He looked directly at Pan Borong.
"If that's not terrifying… what is?"
Pan Borong fell silent.
Murong Liu continued, each word landing heavier than the last.
"So tell me… If someone can do all that without using even half their power… Is it really impossible for him to be second in the Outer Court rankings?"