Third Life Reincarnation: Finally Born Into a Magical World

"Boom!"

Elsewhere within the Holy Land, the sound of battle shook the forest.

A young man with a sharp, blade-like aura was locked in fierce combat with a Level 4 monster. Stones cracked under their blows, and each collision produced thunderous echoes.

Nearby, several candidates stood watching, cheering loudly with flattering smiles.

After exchanging more than a dozen blows with the monster, the youth's eyes flashed with determination. He suddenly gripped his sword tightly and unleashed a streak of dazzling light.

The blade tore through the air like lightning.

The Level 4 monster barely had time to react before the radiant sword energy struck it directly. With a sickening sound, its massive body split cleanly into two halves.

Silence followed.

The youth stood tall, wind tugging at his clothes. The sword in his hand dripped with the fresh crimson blood of the fallen monster. Under the sunlight filtering through the trees, his figure looked heroic and imposing.

This young man was none other than the famous genius of the Western Region, Yu Yunli.

The only candidate besides Ryan who had ever stepped onto the outer government ranking list.

"Clap! Clap!"

The surrounding candidates immediately burst into applause.

"Brother Yunli truly deserves his reputation," one of them exclaimed enthusiastically. "Being able to enter the outer government rankings isn't just for show. We'd struggle to deal with that Level 4 monster together, yet you killed it alone. Amazing!"

Another candidate quickly chimed in.

"With strength like yours, Brother Yunli will definitely take first place in this year's entrance examination! Honestly, aside from you, I can't imagine anyone else capable of it."

However, another person nearby frowned slightly.

"What about the candidate ranked second on the leaderboard? His strength shouldn't be underestimated either."

The moment those words were spoken, the flattering atmosphere stiffened.

The first candidate immediately scoffed.

"You've been fooled by Xifu's tricks. Who knows if that 59416 candidate's score is even real? Maybe Xifu fabricated it just to motivate everyone."

"But I heard someone actually fought that candidate and lost," the other person insisted. "That means his strength should be genuine."

"Or maybe the disciples pretended to lose," the first candidate replied irritably.

The second candidate shook his head.

"That's impossible. Disciples entering the Eight Palace Battle Hall always display their true identities. Temporary numbers only appear for candidates. There's no way disciples would disguise themselves like that."

"You—!"

The first candidate pointed angrily, speechless.

"What? I'm just stating facts," the second candidate said calmly. "Brother Yunli is indeed talented, but compared to that 59416 candidate, there may still be some distance."

At those words, the surrounding atmosphere instantly froze.

Yu Yunli's expression darkened slightly.

If Yu Yunli were the emperor here, Candidate A would be the loyal courtier flattering him constantly. Candidate B, however, was the type who believed himself upright and blunt.

Unfortunately, such people rarely ended well.

Yu Yunli said nothing outwardly, but in his heart, Candidate B had already been silently excluded.

"Regardless of whether that candidate exists or not," Yu Yunli finally said coldly, "if he enters the Holy Land, I will defeat him personally."

His eyes gleamed sharply.

"And I'll make him understand who the true number one of this entrance examination is."

Candidate B suddenly felt the cold gazes from everyone around him. Only then did he realize he had spoken too bluntly.

The small group's attitude toward him had completely changed.

In the end, he could only leave awkwardly, walking away alone.

***

Meanwhile, in another part of the Holy Land.

After killing his first Level 4 monster, Ryan continued moving rapidly through the forest.

The moment candidates entered the Holy Land, they were scattered randomly throughout its vast territory. Ryan had no idea where the others were.

But he knew one thing clearly.

He had to find the North District candidates as quickly as possible.

If they suffered heavy casualties, his system mission would fail.

More importantly, Li Wujie, Li Shu, Li Baijie, and Mu Xianling were all somewhere inside this enormous secret realm.

Ryan absolutely could not allow anything to happen to them.

Activating the Phaseless Shadow Step, he dashed through the dense forest like a phantom.

Whenever he encountered a Level 4 monster, he killed it instantly, took the monster crystal, and continued moving without stopping.

Although Ryan could fly and travel even faster, the forest canopy was so thick that visibility from above was terrible. Searching from the ground was actually more efficient.

Even so, the Holy Land was unbelievably vast.

Nearly ten thousand candidates had entered this place, yet compared to the enormous territory, their numbers were like grains of sand in the ocean.

Finding someone here was no easy task.

After wandering through the forest for a while and killing several more Level 4 monsters, Ryan finally sensed human presence nearby.

But they were not North District candidates.

Ryan silently leapt onto the branch of a towering tree. From that vantage point, he looked down.

Below him, a group of candidates were fiercely fighting a massive monster nearly four meters tall.

From Ryan's vantage point atop the towering tree, the scene below unfolded clearly.

There were roughly thirty to forty candidates gathered around the battlefield. What made the situation unusual was that they came from every district. Some wore the insignia of the East District, others the West and South, and even a handful from the North.

It was an improvised alliance of candidates.

Among the North District group, Ryan spotted a familiar figure almost immediately.

Bai Ye.

Once upon a time, Bai Ye had boldly proclaimed himself the number one genius of the thirty-six cities of the North District. But now that title sounded almost embarrassing.

After witnessing someone like Ryan, who could still dare to claim the title of genius?

Compared to Ryan, Bai Ye felt more ordinary than the most average person.

"No wonder I didn't meet anyone on the way," Ryan murmured quietly while leaning against the branch. "They're all gathered here."

He narrowed his eyes and continued observing.

Despite their overwhelming numbers, the candidates were not dominating the battle. In fact, the situation looked grim.

Dozens of candidates surrounded the monster, attacking from every direction, yet none of them appeared confident. Sweat soaked their clothes, and their movements carried the tension of desperation.

They neither dared retreat nor press forward recklessly.

The monster they faced stood three to four meters tall. At first glance, it resembled a gigantic bird, yet the resemblance ended there.

It possessed four powerful limbs like a beast, a pair of massive wings, and its entire body was covered in shimmering golden feathers. The creature looked bizarre and intimidating.

Whenever the candidates' weapons struck those golden feathers, the sound that followed was not flesh being cut.

It was metal colliding with metal.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The attacks simply bounced off.

The feathers acted like an impenetrable armor. None of the candidates could pierce its defenses.

Meanwhile, the creature's wings swept through the battlefield like enormous blades. Each swing forced the candidates to scatter desperately.

One mistake meant death.

That was why everyone was trapped in hesitation.

If they fled individually, the formation would collapse instantly. The monster would rampage, and more than half of them would likely die before escaping.

But staying meant enduring an enemy they could barely harm.

It was a dilemma with no clear answer.

Ryan calmly activated his inspection skill and read the creature's information.

Name: Gold-Winged Black Wind Beast

Level: 46 (Level 5 Monster)

Description: The Gold-Winged Black Wind Beast is covered in golden feathers that possess extremely strong defensive power. Blades and weapons cannot easily harm it. It can fly at high speeds and also move swiftly across land using its four limbs. When it moves, violent black winds follow in its wake. Its most dangerous ability lies in its wings. When enraged, it can unleash a storm of golden feathers, each sharp enough to pierce enemies instantly.

Judgment: Low threat (relative to the player).

"So it's a Level 5 monster," Ryan muttered.

No wonder the candidates were struggling so badly.

If it were a Level 4 monster, thirty or forty candidates attacking together would have killed it long ago.

But a Level 5 monster was different entirely.

Most candidates possessed the strength of War Masters or War Spirits. A Level 5 monster, however, rivaled a War King.

The difference in quality was enormous.

No amount of numbers could easily compensate for such a gap.

Ryan himself understood this perfectly. With his current War King level strength, even if hundreds of War Spirits surrounded him, he could slaughter them without effort.

When the gap in strength was this large, numbers meant very little.

So the candidates' situation made complete sense.

Even knowing this, Ryan did not move.

He remained seated on the branch, calmly watching the battle below like a spectator.

Of course, his attention occasionally shifted toward the North District candidates. If they encountered real danger, he would intervene.

After all, protecting them was part of his task.

But everyone else?

That had nothing to do with him.

The battle dragged on for another two minutes.