Chapter 148: Masked Candidate (Part-5)

“Even Nephew Wang doesn’t know?” the elder chuckled softly, shaking his head. “It seems this candidate is even more mysterious than we imagined.”

After a brief pause, the elder spoke again, “Since everyone is curious, Nephew Wang, go to the Outer House on our behalf and take a look. See what kind of person this candidate really is.”

As he spoke, he handed Wang Zongyao a jade square emitting faint spiritual light.

“This is the Western Mansion Secret Key. With it, you can access identity information in the Eight Palace Battle Hall. Even a temporary number is no exception. You should be able to uncover this candidate’s identity.”

Wang Zongyao’s heart skipped a beat.

A secret key that could reveal even temporary identities?

He hadn’t known such an item existed.

If this had been given to anyone else, Ryan’s identity would have been exposed instantly.

That would have ruined everything.

Fortunately… it had been given to him.

Suppressing his inner relief, Wang Zongyao bowed respectfully. “This junior will go and see just how extraordinary this candidate truly is.”

With that, he turned and left Yongshen Temple, a faint, knowing smile lingering on his face.

*

Meanwhile, in the Eight Palace Battle Hall, Ryan finally completed another match.

He hadn’t paid much attention to his opponents in the Outer House so far, but the moment he faced this new opponent, his eyes narrowed slightly.

From the person before him, Ryan clearly sensed the aura of an Upper Exalt.

He activated the Sky Eye Technique.

And the result made even him pause in surprise.

Ryan activated the Sky Eye Technique, and the information about his third opponent unfolded clearly before him.

Name: Zhou Wenbo

Level: 40, Upper Exalt

Cultivation Method: Red Cloud Demon Art

Martial Skills: Evil Shadow Sword Art (Sky-rank peak), Mad Wave Sword Technique (Sky-rank peak), Drunken Dream Thousand Clouds (Sky-rank peak)

Assessment: No threat. The opponent’s strength is far inferior to yours.

Seeing the result, Ryan was genuinely a little surprised.

An Upper Exalt.

He hadn’t expected that, within the Eight Palaces of Western Mansion’s Outer House, he would actually encounter someone at the Upper Exalt realm.

Even though Zhou Wenbo had no stars and his strength was worlds apart from Ryan’s, the mere presence of an Upper Exalt here already spoke volumes about the depth of Western Mansion.

Still, Ryan had no intention of dragging the fight out. Wang Bi’er, Mu Xianling, and the others were waiting outside, and he had no interest in wasting time, even if his opponent stood at the Upper Exalt level.

His figure moved.

This time, Ryan didn’t even use the Phaseless Shadow Step. Yet his speed was still terrifying, like a streak of lightning tearing through space as he closed the distance to Zhou Wenbo in an instant.

“So fast!”

Zhou Wenbo was still trying to identify the masked candidate in front of him, wondering how a mere candidate could be matched against him, when Ryan had already arrived. All he caught was a blur.

Alarmed, Zhou Wenbo immediately raised his sword to defend.

“Mad Wave Sword Technique!”

With a deep shout, Zhou Wenbo swung his weapon. The long sword in his hand wasn’t an ordinary blade but a three-foot soft sword, flexible as silk yet sharp as frost. As he danced it, the sword rippled like surging waves crashing endlessly against a shore.

Layer after layer of sword light bloomed around him, forming a seamless, circular defense that left no blind spots.

Yet when Ryan reached him, he merely raised a finger and flicked it casually.

Clang.

No matter how fast the sword moved, no matter how dense the sword flowers became, Ryan’s finger still found the blade with uncanny precision. The soft sword shuddered violently, and Zhou Wenbo felt a crushing force surge through his arm, instantly dispersing all his sword momentum.

Staggering back two steps, Zhou Wenbo hastily supported his sword hand with the other, barely neutralizing the force. His expression turned grim as he changed tactics at once.

“Evil Shadow Sword Art!”

The soft sword trembled, splitting into countless overlapping shadows before merging back into a single blade. At the same time, a dark, ghostlike figure materialized beside the sword, floating eerily in midair.

Wherever Zhou Wenbo pointed his blade, the ghost followed, baring its fangs and lunging toward Ryan with chilling ferocity.

“Hmph.”

Ryan snorted softly, his eyes cold.

“Cheap tricks.”

He didn’t dodge. He didn’t retreat. He simply stepped forward and slapped the soft sword lightly.

With a sharp crack, the blade shattered into fragments that scattered across the ground. The ghostly shadow let out a faint wail before dissolving into wisps of green smoke.

“What? Impossible!”

Zhou Wenbo stared at the broken sword in disbelief, his mind going blank. He barely had time to react before Ryan’s palm struck his chest.

The impact sent Zhou Wenbo flying backward more than ten meters. Before he could even hit the ground, the familiar hum echoed through the arena, and both figures vanished from the ring.

Victory decided.

Ryan won.

An Upper Exalt had fallen in a matter of breaths, unable to last even a moment against him. Had Ryan not restrained himself, the fight would have ended even faster, and far more brutally.

The gap between them was simply too vast.

Because of Zhou Wenbo’s defeat, Ryan’s score surged once more, pushing his ranking to yet another unprecedented height. Outside, the viewing halls erupted again, shock and disbelief spreading like wildfire as more eyes fixed themselves on that terrifying temporary number.

Yet Ryan paid none of it any mind.

The moment the match ended, he re-entered the white waiting space to queue again. He intended to finish his positioning matches quickly. Wang Bi’er and the others were still waiting.

This time, the match came almost instantly. In just a few seconds, Ryan was pulled into the arena once more.

“I finally get to meet you.”

As soon as he appeared, his new opponent spoke, eyes blazing with intense battle intent, as though he had been waiting for this moment.

Ryan frowned slightly. “Meet me? What do you mean?”

Even as he spoke, he activated the Sky Eye Technique again.

Name: Pei Ziming

Level: 41, One-Star Upper Exalt

Cultivation Method: Heavenly Wolf Snowflight Art (Sky-rank lower)

Martial Skills: Wood Spirit Demon Seal (Sky-rank peak), Azure Wood Demon Fist (Sky-rank peak), Soul-Clearing Seal (Sky-rank lower)

Assessment: No threat. Your strength vastly surpasses your opponent.

Another Upper Exalt.

And this one was even stronger than the last, possessing Sky-rank martial arts as well.

Ryan’s eyes flickered with mild surprise.

Ryan hadn’t expected that, in the Outer House of Western Mansion alone, he would meet two opponents in succession, each stronger than the last.

If things continued this way, then the opponents matched afterward would likely all be at this level. As the number of battles increased, the strength of his adversaries would only grow. Perhaps next time, he might even face a two-star or three-star Upper Exalt.

The thought didn’t frighten him in the slightest. Instead, it made him marvel at Western Mansion’s terrifying foundation.

Even the Outer House produced Upper Exalts. Then how terrifying must the Inner House be?

For the Inner House of Western Mansion, Ryan’s anticipation only deepened.

“You’re the candidate who just rushed into the top one thousand of the ranking list, right?” Pei Ziming said with a grin, his tone brimming with confidence. “Haha, I finally matched you. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Pei Ziming, a disciple of Qiangong. My current ranking is one hundred and twenty-fifth.”

“One hundred and twenty-fifth?” Ryan raised his brows slightly. “So you deliberately came looking for me?”

“Of course.” Pei Ziming nodded without hesitation. “The moment you charged into the top thousand and caused such a huge commotion in the Outer House, I knew we would clash sooner or later. So I entered the Eight Palace Battle Hall on purpose. I didn’t expect that after a few matches, I’d really run into you.”

“Oh?” Ryan understood at once and replied calmly. “Then perhaps you shouldn’t have met me.”

Pei Ziming laughed disdainfully. “What? Afraid you’ll lose to me?”

Ryan shook his head. “No. I’m worried you’ll lose confidence from today onward.”

“Arrogant!” Pei Ziming sneered. “You want me to lose confidence? Do you really have that ability? Beat me first, then we’ll talk.”

He had to admit that this candidate was strong. Before even entering Western Mansion, he had already forced his way into the top thousand of the ranking list. Such strength was undeniable.

But that was precisely the problem.

A mere candidate shouldn’t be this eye-catching. Wasn’t it enough to quietly pass the entrance exam? Why step out and steal the limelight before even joining the sect?

Where did that leave the dignity of the current Western Mansion disciples?

It was an outright slap in the face.

That was why Pei Ziming had actively sought out this match. He wanted to stop Ryan, to suppress him.

And Pei Ziming wasn’t alone in this thought. Many disciples ranked within the top thousand of the Outer House felt the same way. Why should a candidate climb onto their ranking list? Why should he stand above them?

Unfortunately for them, only Pei Ziming had succeeded in matching Ryan.

“If you’re so unconvinced,” Ryan said with a faint smile, “then let’s keep it simple. If you can block one punch from me, I’ll consider this match your victory.”

Hearing that, Pei Ziming curled his finger provocatively. “Oh? Fine. Come on. Forget one punch, I’ll block two.”

As he spoke, Pei Ziming took a defensive stance, his face full of provocation.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep