Chapter 171: The Entrance Examination (Part-17)
Miao Yuan finally spoke. "In that North District candidate's hand… he also holds a Rank 5 monster crystal. That's the reason we tried to deal with them earlier. We wanted to seize that crystal. But for now… we simply can't handle him."
The moment he revealed this information, it meant that the monster crystal could no longer be monopolized by them alone.
Of course, even if he didn't say it, they still couldn't defeat Ryan. Without help, they would never obtain the crystal anyway.
By revealing the truth now, at least they might gain some advantage later if Ma Long managed to seize it.
"What did you say?"
Ma Long froze for a moment, then his eyes widened.
"A Rank 5 monster crystal? Are you serious? How could a North District candidate obtain something like that?"
"Brother Ma Long, I swear I'm not lying," Miao Yuan said quickly. "I don't know what method he used, but he really did kill a Rank 5 monster and obtain its crystal."
He raised his hand and pointed toward Ryan.
"The crystal is right there in his hand."
Ma Long turned his head and looked carefully.
Sure enough, he saw it immediately.
In Ryan's hand rested a silver crystal that glowed brightly under the sunlight.
Normally, monsters did not contain such crystals in their bodies. These crystals only existed because the Western Mansion had used special magical methods before the exam began, causing monsters within the Holy Land to produce them. This allowed candidates to compete for results.
Rank 4 monster crystals were red.
Rank 5 monster crystals were silver.
They were extremely easy to recognize.
Besides being proof of a candidate's achievements during the exam, monster crystals also had another extremely valuable function.
They could accelerate cultivation.
When a warrior held a monster crystal while cultivating, their training speed would increase significantly. The higher the Rank of the crystal, the stronger the effect.
It was said that after the entrance examination ended, any candidate who passed would be allowed to keep all the monster crystals they had obtained during the trial as rewards.
Because of this, candidates hunted monsters desperately during the seven days of the exam.
Not only for scores.
But also for cultivation resources.
The more crystals they gathered, the faster they could grow after entering the Western Mansion.
This was exactly why Yu Mu, Miao Yuan, Jiang Kangcheng, and the others had been so eager to obtain the Rank 5 monster crystal.
And now, Ma Long felt the same desire.
This wasn't just about completing the mission.
It was about securing powerful cultivation resources.
Ma Long stared at the silver crystal for a moment, silently considering.
Then he finally turned around and issued an order. "Shanhua."
The candidate stepped forward immediately.
"Yes."
Ma Long pointed toward Ryan.
"Go test him."
"And while you're at it… take that Rank 5 monster crystal for me."
"Yes!"
Shanhua responded without hesitation. He stepped out from the group and began walking straight toward Ryan.
"No!"
"Don't!"
"Stop!"
The moment Ma Long ordered Shanhua to test Ryan, Yu Mu, Miao Yuan, and Jiang Kangcheng all shouted almost at the same time, their expressions changing drastically.
Unfortunately for them, the warning came too late.
Shanhua had already stepped out from the crowd.
In the blink of an eye, he was sprinting straight toward Ryan.
"Another one seeking death?"
Ryan let out a faint, cold laugh. His gaze fell on the rushing Shanhua as if he were already looking at a corpse.
At this moment, Ryan truly had no desire to waste time here. Every moment that passed meant greater danger for the Li clan, for Mu Xianling, and for the scattered North District candidates. The longer he delayed, the more uncertain their safety became.
Because of that, he had already decided.
This conflict needed to end quickly.
He raised his right hand and extended both his index finger and middle finger forward. The instant the gesture formed, a dazzling golden radiance appeared beside the two fingers.
Within that brilliance were six small clusters of light.
Each cluster burned like a miniature sun.
The six golden spheres rotated slowly around Ryan's fingers, spinning in smooth circles as if obeying an invisible orbit.
When Ryan flicked his fingers forward, a sharp sound cut through the air.
"Whoosh!"
One of the six miniature suns suddenly released a streak of light that shot forward at terrifying speed, flying straight toward Shanhua.
This martial skill was a long-range attack technique that Ryan had only recently obtained. Although he had experimented with it privately before, this was the first time he had actually used it against an enemy.
Even Ryan himself was not entirely certain how powerful it would be.
But in his mind, a top-grade Heaven-rank martial skill should not disappoint.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shanhua had never taken this fight seriously from the beginning.
To him, the North District candidate standing ahead looked completely ordinary. Ryan gave off no intimidating aura and seemed calm to the point of being unimpressive.
Why would such an opponent require caution?
Who was Shanhua?
Even if he was not a top genius like Ma Long, he was still ranked within the top hundred in the region. His strength had already reached the Rank of an Exalt, a Rank that many candidates could only dream of achieving.
Among the examinees, that strength was already considered formidable.
Could a random North District candidate possibly match him?
Because of that belief, when Shanhua rushed toward Ryan, his face carried nothing but contempt.
But…
Everything changed the moment Ryan released that golden light.
The dazzling beam carried an overwhelming and terrifying aura, a power that instantly crushed Shanhua's earlier confidence.
In that instant, Shanhua realized something was terribly wrong.
He wanted to regret rushing forward.
Unfortunately—
He no longer had time.
The speed of the golden beam was far too fast. The moment Shanhua saw it leave Ryan's fingers and felt the frightening power within it, the attack had already crossed the distance between them.
Before he could even blink—
It arrived.
"BOOM!"
The beam struck Shanhua directly.
The instant it touched his body, a violent explosion erupted.
A deafening roar echoed through the forest as the blast sent shockwaves rippling outward in every direction. Dust, gravel, and broken branches were flung into the air.
Mixed among the flying debris were fragments of flesh and blood.
Shanhua's body was shattered the moment the explosion occurred. His torso burst apart into countless fragments, scattering across the ground like torn pieces of cloth.
Blood splashed across the surrounding stones.
His broken remains were thrown several meters into the air before falling back down like a mangled lump of meat.
When the body finally hit the ground, almost nothing remained intact.
Only half an arm and a portion of his chest could still be recognized.
Everything else had already been blasted into fragments during the explosion.
"…"
"Hiss!"
The candidates from the three districts who had arrived with Ma Long instantly sucked in cold air.
Every single one of them stared at Ryan with wide eyes.
A moment ago, they had not taken this North District candidate seriously at all.
But now their expressions were completely different.
No one dared to underestimate him anymore.
Who was Shanhua?
He was a genuine one-star Exalt expert.
Among the candidates, such a strength was already considered quite powerful.
Yet this person…
…had been killed by a single finger.
Even more terrifying was the speed of the attack and the power of the explosion. Many of the candidates present silently asked themselves the same question.
If they had been the ones facing that beam…
Could they have survived?
The answer that appeared in their minds was chilling.
No.
Anyone who stepped forward would have only one ending.
Death.
Facing an opponent who could casually kill people like this, how could anyone not feel fear?
As the crowd stared at Ryan, a question naturally formed in their hearts.
Who exactly was this North District candidate?
Why was he so terrifyingly strong?
And why would someone like this appear among the North District candidates?
Yu Mu, Miao Yuan, and Jiang Kangcheng had already seen Ryan fight earlier.
But witnessing it again still left them shocked.
Especially Jiang Kangcheng.
Earlier, when Ma Long said Shanhua's strength was roughly comparable to Jiang Kangcheng's, Jiang Kangcheng had not thought much about it.
But now…
If Ryan could kill Shanhua with one finger—
Didn't that mean he could also kill Jiang Kangcheng with one finger?
When that thought crossed his mind, Jiang Kangcheng felt a cold chill run down his spine.
Previously, when Ryan dealt with the ten candidates, he had not even used martial skills. His movements had been simple, almost casual, and his eyes had remained closed the entire time.
Because of that, Jiang Kangcheng and the others only knew that Ryan was strong.
But now they understood something far more terrifying.
This wasn't merely a strength.
It was monstrous.
An Exalt Rank expert couldn't even reach him before being blown to pieces by a single finger.
Was this really the power a candidate should possess?