Chapter 80: Entering Upper Exalt realm

The Mu Clan’s patriarch did not voice this thought. He merely narrowed his eyes and continued watching, intent on seeing the truth for himself.

The Li Clan elders, meanwhile, whispered among themselves, their expressions filled with pride. To them, Su Sidao’s so-called Earth rank mid-grade martial art was nothing worth mentioning. They had already witnessed Ryan casually break Li Mingtian’s Sky rank technique.

A mere Upper Elite disciple like Su Sidao was never worthy of comparison.

Li Gengxin listened silently, smiling from ear to ear. Ever since he learned that Ryan could even challenge an Upper Exalt, his heart had been completely at ease. Watching his son stand calmly in the ring, an ambitious thought quietly took root in his mind. Perhaps… Ryan really could help him fulfill that long-buried dream.

On the ring, Su Sidao’s punch arrived with terrifying force.

Golden light wrapped around his fist, air exploding as the Earth rank martial art surged forward. In Su Sidao’s mind, this single blow would shatter Ryan’s arrogance and smash him back into his original disgrace.

Yet Ryan did not dodge.

Instead, he raised one hand to simply catch it.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Was he insane?

This was not some ordinary opponent. This was Su Sidao, a seed candidate, using a Earth rank mid-grade martial art. Blocking it barehanded was pure suicide.

Then came the sound.

Bang!

Su Sidao’s fist struck squarely into Ryan’s palm.

And stopped.

The golden light dimmed, snuffed out like a candle in the wind. Not a ripple, not a tremor passed through Ryan’s body.

He stood there, unshaken.

“He… caught it?”

“That was the Su Clan’s strongest martial art!”

“How is this possible?”

“Is Su Sidao holding back?”

“No! I felt that punch clearly!”

“This has to be a dream…”

Shock exploded across the stands. Even the Su Clan patriarch stood rigid, eyes wide, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Ryan smiled faintly. His fingers tightened.

A terrifying force surged out.

Su Sidao felt his arm go numb, his body yanked forward uncontrollably. Before he could react, his feet left the ground.

Boom!

He was thrown clean off the ring.

Su Sidao hit the ground hard, rolled, then scrambled to his feet, staring back at Ryan as if he had seen a ghost.

He had no serious injuries. But the shock in his heart was far worse.

“You… you’re also an Upper Elite?” Su Sidao blurted out.

At the moment of contact, he had clearly felt it. A powerful aura, deeper and heavier than his own.

Ryan was not a waste.

He was an Upper Elite. And one stronger than him.

That single sentence detonated the audience.

“An Upper Elite? Li Wei?”

“No wonder everything makes sense now!”

“Those people weren’t acting. They were overpowered!”

“If he caught that punch so easily, his level must be higher than Su Sidao’s!”

“Then… who can still stop him?”

The crowd erupted, their disbelief turning into awe. On the ring, Ryan stood quietly, his expression unchanged, while the image of a “big waste” shattered completely, piece by piece, under the weight of undeniable truth.

“Li Wei is really the biggest dark horse this year. We were all fooled by him.”

“Who said Li Wei was trash? Stand up. I promise I won’t beat you to death.”

“No wonder so many family disciples kept flying off the ring by themselves. I thought it was acting. Turns out Li Wei was simply too strong!”

“Now I’m really curious. Li Wei versus Fan Wei… who would win?”

Voices like these rippled through the stands one after another.

The Holy Mystic Continent worshiped strength. When Ryan was believed to be useless, he was mocked without mercy. But now that his power had been revealed, everyone’s attitude flipped instantly. Scorn turned into admiration, doubt into excitement, and ridicule into praise.

The Li Clan disciples were practically glowing.

“I told you, Brother Wei was strong! You just wouldn’t believe me!”

“What’s Su Sidao? Brother Li could crush him with one finger.”

“Hahaha, this feels amazing. We’ve finally held our heads high!”

“Brother Wei didn’t even want to fight. Su Sidao forced him to.”

“Anyway, our Ryan is terrifyingly strong. If you can’t accept it, swallow it!”

After enduring ridicule for so long, the Li Clan youths finally got their chance to vent. Every sentence came out loud and proud, as if they were afraid the whole world wouldn’t hear them.

Ryan, meanwhile, returned calmly to the waiting area.

Mu Xianling watched him sit down, her expression complicated and conflicted.

“You look like you have something to say,” Ryan said casually.

Mu Xianling looked at him for a long moment before speaking seriously. “Li Wei, I admit it. You really do have the strength to compete with us. But don’t get too happy too soon. I won’t lose to you. I will defeat you and take Xiao Hei.”

Ryan smiled. “Or maybe you’ll end up being my servant.”

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on her eyes, and he suddenly noticed something strange. Mu Xianling wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but her temperament was otherworldly, like a fairy untouched by dust. And that temperament seemed to gather most intensely in her eyes, deep and mesmerizing, as if they carried a subtle, bewitching pull.

It was an odd feeling, one that made Ryan genuinely curious.

“What are you staring at?” Mu Xianling snapped, her face darkening.

“Nothing,” Ryan said awkwardly, rubbing his nose and quickly looking away.

She snorted coldly, misunderstanding his look entirely. “Pervert. Keep dreaming. You’ll never beat me.”

With that, she turned aside, deliberately putting distance between them, her resolve hardening. No matter what, she would never become Ryan’s servant. Even death was preferable.

Ryan was left speechless. He could only smile helplessly, deciding not to provoke her further.

As he listened to the surrounding discussions, Ryan felt quietly satisfied. Everyone now believed he was at the Upper Elite level, which was exactly what he wanted.

Earlier, he had deliberately released just enough aura to mislead Su Sidao. It was time to reveal some strength, but not all of it. As Wang Zongyao had advised, true shock should be saved for the entrance examination at Western Mansion.

In reality, after Xiao Hei slaughtered the men in black, Ryan had already broken through from Nine-Star Exalt to Upper Exalt.

A genuine Upper Exalt.

He hadn’t even had time to properly check his gains, but he could feel it clearly. Power surged through his body like a raging tide.

Compared to before, the difference was like heaven and earth. Someone like Shen Yu, who once required effort to deal with, could now be crushed effortlessly. Even facing several such opponents at once, Ryan felt no pressure at all.

This wasn’t arrogance. It was instinctive certainty.

So, ignoring the stares and whispers around him, Ryan calmed his mind and opened his character panel.

It was time to see just how much stronger he had become. And more importantly, to take a good look at the newly opened system store.

Ryan opened his attribute panel.

Player: Ryan

Title: Master of Slaughter

Level: 40 (Upper Exalt)

Experience: 12,498 / 10,000,000

God of War Value: 120

Techniques:

Desolate Landslice

Wind Blade

Heavenly Palm

Heaven’s Guidance

Blazing Dance of Flames

Skills:

Intermediate Boxing

Intermediate Saber

Intermediate Sword

Movement Technique: Phantom Step

Ultimate Skill: Mountain Splitting (Level 1)

Secondary Professions:

Intermediate Alchemy (Alchemy Master)

Intermediate Forging (Forge Master)

Intermediate Puppetry (Puppet Master)

*

Special Attribute:

Three Thousand Flames (Extreme Fire)

Backpack:

Frost Sword, Remnant Sword, God’s Boots, All-Attribute Pills ×107

***

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep