Chapter 165: The Entrance Examination (Part-11)
But the silhouette felt familiar.
And among all the candidates, the only person who could kill a Rank 5 monster so easily…
The only name that came to mind was Li Wei.
The figure slowly turned around.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Why?" he said casually.
"You wanted everything to end without my permission?"
"Ah! Li Wei! It's really you!"
Bai Ye's eyes widened with shock and relief.
"It's Li Wei! Li Wei saved us!"
"I thought we were dead!"
"I almost cried! Li Wei!"
"Li Wei, you've always been my idol! I never even dared to talk to you before, and now you saved our lives!"
The North District candidates burst into excited voices.
The joy of surviving disaster filled the air.
And the fact that the person who saved them was the legendary figure of the North District made their excitement even stronger.
They looked at Li Wei with awe, as if staring at a living myth.
Bai Ye took a deep breath and bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Li Wei. Thank you for saving us."
Li Wei's expression immediately darkened.
"Thank me?"
"I actually didn't want to save a bunch of fools."
Everyone froze.
Ryan crossed his arms and began lecturing them like an annoyed older brother.
"You all had SOS Stones, yet none of you used them."
"You wanted to die fighting a Rank 5 monster?"
"Do you even know your own strength?"
He shook his head with clear irritation.
"What's the point of acting like heroes if you die?"
"Have you never heard the saying: keep the green forest and you'll never lack firewood?"
"If you're alive, you can grow stronger later."
"Entering Western Mansion might make the path easier, sure. But whether you become strong depends on your own effort."
"Dead people don't become strong."
"So save your lives first before dreaming about glory."
He pointed at them bluntly.
"A bunch of idiots."
Bai Ye and the others lowered their heads.
Their faces flushed red with embarrassment.
None of them dared argue.
Li Wei's words were harsh, but they were true.
Bai Ye stepped forward and spoke quietly.
"Li Wei… it's my fault."
"I dragged everyone into this."
Li Wei nodded. "Yes. I know."
"You know?" Bai Ye looked surprised.
"You were nearby?"
Then his expression turned even more uneasy.
Li Wei shrugged. "I saw everything."
Hearing that answer made Bai Ye even more nervous.
Facing Ryan now, he no longer had the confidence he once carried.
Back when they first met, Bai Ye constantly called himself the number one genius of the thirty-six cities.
He had been arrogant and proud.
Even after losing to Ryan on the Void Warship, he still believed himself to be one of the strongest candidates.
But now?
Standing before Ryan, he felt small.
The title of "first genius" felt meaningless.
Ryan suddenly frowned. "Bai Ye."
"I used to think you were someone worth respecting."
"But now I'm disappointed."
Bai Ye froze.
Li Wei looked at him directly.
"Since when did you start acting like this? Just because I'm stronger than you, you suddenly lower your head and talk like you're inferior?"
Li Wei clicked his tongue. "That kind of attitude is pathetic."
He pointed at Bai Ye.
"You were proud before. That was good."
"Strength can be surpassed."
"But losing your backbone?"
"That's worse than losing a fight."
Ryan's voice sharpened slightly.
"I don't need people bowing their heads in front of me. I'd rather see the same Bai Ye who dared to call himself the first genius. Even if he loses."
He paused, then added calmly:
"At least that Bai Ye had guts."
After a pause, he pointed his finger elsewhere and added. "Anyway, it seems we have a company."
Everyone followed the direction of the pointing finger.
The candidates along the riverbank all turned their heads in the direction that had been pointed out.
At first, they only saw movement between the trees. Leaves rustled, branches shifted slightly, and silhouettes slowly emerged from the forest shadows.
Then their eyes widened.
Because those figures… were unmistakable.
They were the North District candidates.
The very same people who had been abandoned earlier as bait for the Gold-Winged Black Wind Beast.
For a moment, the entire riverside fell silent.
"Impossible!"
Several candidates from the three districts shouted almost at the same time.
Their faces were filled with disbelief as they stared at the approaching group.
How could this be?
Just moments ago those people had been trapped with a terrifying Rank 5 monster. Even thirty or forty candidates working together had been helpless against that creature.
The people of the North District should have either died under its claws or crushed their SOS Stones to escape the secret realm.
Yet here they were.
Walking out of the forest.
Alive.
And not a single one of them looked injured.
That alone would have been shocking enough, but what made the situation even stranger was the number of people in the group.
When the three districts had fled earlier, the North District had only six candidates left.
But now…
There were seven.
Not one had died.
Not one had been forced to crush the SOS Stone.
And there was an extra person.
The candidates from the East, South, and West districts exchanged confused glances, their expressions growing increasingly uneasy.
Who was that extra person?
And where was the Gold-Winged Black Wind Beast?
Why hadn't the monster chased them?
Why hadn't it slaughtered them?
As the North District group walked closer, their calm expressions only made the situation feel more unsettling.
Finally, one of the North District candidates smiled faintly and spoke first.
"Well?"
"Surprised to see us?"
His tone was relaxed, almost playful, as if he were watching a show.
The candidates from the three districts felt their throats tighten.
Jiang Kangcheng frowned deeply and stepped forward.
"You… why are you all fine?"
"What about the Rank 5 monster?"
Ryan tilted his head slightly.
"Oh?"
"You mean this one?"
He raised his hand casually and tossed something lightly in the air.
It was a crystal.
A deep, shimmering crystal that radiated a faint and powerful aura.
The moment the object appeared, the expressions of the three-district candidates froze.
"That…!"
"That's…"
"The monster crystal of a Rank 5 monster!"
The air instantly erupted with shocked voices.
"Impossible!"
"You killed the Rank 5 monster?"
"With just the few of you?"
"That's absolutely impossible!"
Their disbelief grew stronger with every passing second.
After all, even dozens of them together hadn't been able to break the monster's defense. How could a mere handful of North District candidates accomplish such a feat?
That would only be possible if someone among them was stronger than the Rank 5 monster itself.
Slowly, suspicious gazes began shifting toward the unfamiliar seventh figure.
Ryan.
But no matter how carefully they looked, Ryan appeared completely ordinary.
There was no powerful aura.
No overwhelming pressure.
He didn't even seem like a warrior.
He looked like a regular young man standing casually by the river.
How could someone like that kill a Rank 5 monster?
Seeing their stunned expressions, the North District candidates immediately burst into mocking laughter.
"What's wrong?"
"Seeing something impossible?"
"Just because you useless frogs at the bottom of a well can't do something doesn't mean others can't."
"Open your dog eyes and look carefully."
"The crystal of the Rank 5 monster is right here."
Their voices carried obvious ridicule.
Yu Mu narrowed his eyes as he stared at the crystal.
"…It's real."