Chapter 67: The Third Trial (Part-2)

What if someone had real strength, yet drew a seed player in the very first match? Losing wasn’t because of weakness, but because of terrible luck? Strength alone could not fight fate, and that kind of elimination made even the spectators feel uncomfortable.

Because of this, the rules were temporarily changed this year.

Instead of knockouts, the third trial became a round-robin battle.

This information was only announced today.

That was why Fan Wei and the others had said earlier that they hoped Ryan wouldn’t be eliminated before meeting them. They had assumed the old knockout format was still in place. Under those rules, Ryan might have been removed early and quietly.

But once they learned it was a round-robin, their moods instantly lifted.

Round-robin meant everyone would fight everyone.

Which meant Ryan could not hide.

Fan Wei threw Ryan a cold glance filled with smug confidence, his expression practically screaming, Just wait until you meet me. The same murderous looks came from many other candidates as well, as if Ryan had already been placed on their personal execution lists.

Ryan simply smiled.

He didn’t respond, didn’t argue, and didn’t even care. But that calm indifference only made the resentment burn hotter.

Amid the sneers and mockery, the third trial officially began.

At the center of Wushuang Square, ten smaller rings had been constructed atop the main arena. Ten battles would be conducted simultaneously, each overseen by Western Mansion officials who recorded wins and losses the moment a match ended.

Ryan was placed in the very first batch.

This was his first time stepping onto the stage since the examinations began.

His opponent was a burly man with thick brows, a broad chest, and a face covered in rough stubble. At first glance, he looked like a middle-aged mercenary rather than a teenager. Yet his age had already been verified in the earlier rounds. He was indeed under twenty, just built like a walking mountain.

When the man realized his opponent was Ryan, his initial tension vanished. A grin crept across his face, relaxed and confident, as if the outcome had already been decided.

“So you’re Li Wei?” he said lazily. “The famous waste of the Li Clan. I’ve heard plenty about you.”

Around them, the audience murmured.

“That’s him? The one who can’t cultivate?”

“How did someone like him even make it here?”

“Test exemption, too. What a joke.”

“Even if he got dragged into the third trial, there’s no way he’ll qualify.”

“Still, I heard even ranking top twenty isn’t enough this year. It depends on the examiner’s mood.”

“Keep your voice down. Questioning Western Mansion is courting death.”

Mockery rippled through the stands, but it faded just as quickly. Most spectators didn’t even bother watching Ryan’s ring. Their attention had already shifted to a far more dazzling matchup.

Mu Xianling versus Yuan Qiong.

One was the Mu family’s proud phoenix, graceful and radiant. The other was a powerhouse from the Yuan family, known for brute strength. That clash alone stole the spotlight from nearly everything else.

On Ryan’s ring, the referee announced the start.

The burly man rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck, still smiling. “My name’s Wu Xiao. You should remember it. Even if you lose, at least you’ll know who beat you.”

Ryan frowned slightly. “If you’re going to fight, fight. Stop barking.”

Wu Xiao laughed. “Straightforward. I like that. Makes crushing you more satisfying.”

He paused, then added with mock sincerity, “Don’t worry. I won’t bully you. I’ll only use fifty percent of my strength. That’s more than enough for you.”

That finally touched Ryan’s nerves.

He exhaled sharply and said coldly, “If you’re going to hit me, then use your full strength. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

Wu Xiao’s grin widened. “Oh? Got some backbone?”

He raised his fist casually and began walking toward Ryan.

Walking.

Not rushing. Not charging.

Just strolling, as if he were taking an evening walk through his courtyard.

To Wu Xiao, this match wasn’t a battle. It was a formality. A single punch, a quick end, and done. His only regret was that no one seemed interested in watching him beat Ryan. There would be no applause, no cheers, no acknowledgment of his strength.

That, more than anything, irritated him.

Ryan watched him approach, eyes calm and unreadable.

If not for Wang Zongyao’s reminder to Ryan to keep a low profile, Wu Xiao wouldn’t even have had the chance to finish his first step.

Because of Wu Xiao’s casual, almost mocking manner, only a handful of scattered spectators bothered to glance at Ryan’s ring.

Walking toward an opponent instead of charging? In the third trial of the qualification exam, no less? To most people, this didn’t even look like a match. It looked like a farce.

Even if Ryan was known as a waste, this was still the most important round of the entire examination. It wasn’t a child’s game. With Wu Xiao acting so carelessly, the crowd quickly lost interest and shifted their attention elsewhere. In their eyes, this “match” had no suspense at all.

At this moment, Wu Xiao finally stopped in front of Ryan.

He stood less than an arm’s length away and shot Ryan a provocative glance, as if saying, I’m right here. Hit me if you dare.

Ryan only smiled faintly and remained still.

Seeing this, Wu Xiao sneered inwardly.

As expected. A waste is still a waste. In his eyes, Ryan was too scared to even lift a hand. Someone like this actually dared to come and take the qualification exam? If there hadn’t been shady arrangements, he probably wouldn’t have passed the first round.

With a cold snort, Wu Xiao clenched his fist and threw a punch straight at Ryan’s face.

He deliberately used only half of his strength. To him, that was already overkill. Any stronger, and Ryan might be seriously injured or even killed, which would only cause trouble later.

Yet even as the punch closed in, Ryan didn’t move. He stood there smiling, calm to the point of looking foolish.

Wu Xiao’s disdain deepened. Scared stiff already? If that was the case, then this punch would be the end.

But at the instant his fist was about to land, a sharp sound rang out.

Slap.

It wasn’t the sound of a fist striking flesh.

It was the sound of a slap.

In the next heartbeat, a figure flew through the air, spinning violently, before being hurled straight out of the ring.

That figure was not Ryan.

It was Wu Xiao.

At the very last moment, Ryan had finally moved. With a casual backhand, light enough to look almost lazy, he slapped Wu Xiao across the face and sent him flying.

Wu Xiao, a mere nine-star Elite, had no ability to resist a strike from a 9-star Exalt expert like Ryan. Even a restrained slap, delivered casually, carried terrifying force.

Wu Xiao flew more than twenty meters, crashed out of the ring, and skidded along the ground.

“What… what just happened?”

Wu Xiao’s eyes rolled back as he struggled not to faint. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and several teeth were clearly missing. His face was swollen and twisted, the mark of a slap painfully obvious.

He couldn’t understand it.

One moment, he had been punching. The next, there was a crisp sound, unbearable pain exploded across his face, and he was airborne.

He never saw Ryan move.

From beginning to end, Ryan had only stood there smiling.

Wu Xiao wasn’t the only one stunned.

Even the Western Mansion referee, a two-star Exalt, stared blankly. He had seen Wu Xiao raise his fist, and then suddenly, Wu Xiao flew out of the ring. He hadn’t seen Ryan attack at all.

To his eyes, it almost looked like Wu Xiao had been blown away by nothing.

Was this some kind of trick? Had Wu Xiao thrown himself out?

Given Ryan’s exemption qualification and the strange scene just now, the referee unconsciously began to suspect that Wu Xiao was acting.

In an instant, Wu Xiao was labeled a “drama king” in the referee’s mind.

Ryan pointed calmly at Wu Xiao outside the ring and asked, “Does this count as my win? He fell out.”

The referee snapped back to his senses, about to announce the result, when Wu Xiao suddenly scrambled up and charged back toward the ring.

“I refuse to accept this!” Wu Xiao roared. “Li Wei, what demon technique did you use? I couldn’t even see it! You didn’t beat me fairly! I’ll kill you!”

His eyes were bloodshot, his expression crazed. Being defeated by Ryan, someone he viewed as a waste, was something he simply couldn’t accept.

In his mind, this loss wasn’t real. Ryan must have used some underhanded method to force him out of the ring. This match didn’t count.

He had to kill Ryan to wash away the humiliation.

Normally, once a contestant fell out of the ring, the referee should immediately stop everything. But the referee, shocked and inexperienced, hesitated for a moment too long.

By the time he reacted, Wu Xiao was already rushing back onto the ring.

“Li Wei! I’ll kill you!”

Wu Xiao pulled out a short blade from somewhere and lunged forward.

Weapons were strictly forbidden in the third trial.

This was no longer a match. This was attempted murder.

The referee’s heart sank. He tried to stop it, but it was already too late. He could only hope Ryan could hold on for a moment until help arrived.

Yet Ryan stood there calmly, as if completely unaware of the danger.

Just as Wu Xiao reached him and thrust the blade forward, another crisp sound echoed.

Slap.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep