"On merit? I think you’re crazy. Who the hell are you!" a disciple from Lii Palace sneered.
"I think he’s been in seclusion for so long his brain’s gone rusty," another disciple chimed in mockingly.
However, at that moment, a sharp-eyed disciple from Lii Palace recognized Bai Jincheng and asked uncertainly, "You... you’re Senior Brother Bai Jincheng?"
"I am," Bai Jincheng said with a nod, radiating an air of arrogance.
’Although I couldn’t beat that masked examinee, my ranking and strength are still quite good.’
"Ah! It really is Senior Brother Bai!" After confirming his identity, the disciple who had recognized Bai Jincheng exclaimed, then asked in confusion, "Weren’t you in seclusion, Senior Brother Bai? Why are you out?"
"I had a minor breakthrough today, so I came to the Eight Palaces Deer Battle Hall to test my skills and see if I could climb a few spots in the rankings," Bai Jincheng explained.
"I see," the disciple who recognized him said, the realization dawning on him.
"Who is this guy?"
The crowd looked at Bai Jincheng in confusion. Since he was often in seclusion, some of the disciples didn’t recognize him.
Seeing their confusion, the disciple who had recognized Bai Jincheng pointed to the leaderboard on the Light Curtain and explained, "This is Senior Brother Bai Jincheng. Everyone, look. Senior Brother Bai is ranked 1,154th (his rank dropped by one because of the masked examinee) with a score of 11,636. He’s one of our Lii Palace’s most promising candidates to break into the top 1,000."
"Ah! So it’s Senior Brother Bai Jincheng. Pardon my disrespect."
"I didn’t realize it was you, Senior Brother Bai. I was out of line. I hope you can forgive me."
After hearing the disciple’s explanation and learning that Bai Jincheng was ranked 1,154th, the crowd swarmed over. Some apologized, some greeted him, all of them acting as if nothing had just happened.
As for the disciple who’d said Bai Jincheng’s brain was rusty, he took advantage of the distraction and bolted.
’Shit, did they expect me not to run?’
’I just bad-mouthed a senior brother ranked 1,154th. If I don’t run, should I just stand here and wait for him to come get revenge?’
However, not everyone was afraid of Bai Jincheng.
"So he’s just ranked 1,154th? And here I was thinking some big shot had graced us with their presence," a disciple with a sharp chin and a serpentine look said disdainfully.
"And you are?" Bai Jincheng asked, his brow furrowed.
"I am Lu Xingzhen, ranked 995th on the leaderboard!" Lu Xingzhen announced proudly.
"So this is Senior Brother Lu! Pardon our disrespect!" The crowd began bowing to Lu Xingzhen as well.
Even Bai Jincheng clasped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute toward Lu Xingzhen as a sign of respect.
Lu Xingzhen wasn’t much to look at, but any disciple ranked within the top 1,000 was a genius among geniuses. They were destined for greatness, with a high chance of entering the Inner Mansion in the future. Such people were not to be trifled with.
"Alright, enough with the useless formalities," Lu Xingzhen said. "Bai Jincheng, tell me. Why did you just say there was no error with the leaderboard? Why did you say that the examinee with the temporary ID 59416 is extremely strong?"
"Uhm..." Bai Jincheng thought for a moment before speaking. "I won’t hide it from you, Senior Brother Lu. I’m not ashamed to admit it... I was the one who just fought against the examinee with temporary ID 59416. I was utterly powerless against him. No matter what Techniques I used, I couldn’t even touch him, yet he defeated me with ease. In my opinion, his strength isn’t just enough for rank 1,153. He could break into the top 1,000 without any problem at all."
"What?!"
"You can’t be serious, Senior Brother Bai?"
"Even Senior Brother Bai, ranked 1,154th, was completely powerless against him?"
"He’s just an examinee. How could he possibly be that strong?"
"If what Senior Brother Bai Jincheng says is true, then this year’s batch of examinees has produced a true monster!"
Hearing this, the surrounding Lii Palace disciples erupted in an uproar.
Although they were skeptical, the words had come directly from Bai Jincheng’s mouth. It had to be true.
Besides, Bai Jincheng was ranked 1,154th, and the examinee with temporary ID 59416 was ranked 1,153rd. The examinee only had one match on their record, which corroborated Bai Jincheng’s story.
Examinee 59416 must have jumped to rank 1,153 precisely by defeating Bai Jincheng.
"Is that really true?"
Hearing this, Lu Xingzhen’s eyes widened in astonishment. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
"Every word is true!"
Bai Jincheng nodded at Lu Xingzhen. "His Speed is incredible. With just a slight blur of movement, all my Sword Techniques were rendered useless. I couldn’t even touch a single hair on his head. But with just two fingers, he was able to catch my Longsword. His strength... it’s in a completely different league from mine."
"How is that possible!"
Lu Xingzhen turned even paler after hearing Bai Jincheng’s Description.
’Catching a Longsword with just two fingers?’
’So fast you can’t even touch him?’
’Even I couldn’t do that to Bai Jincheng!’
’Just who in the world is this person!’
After a moment’s thought, Lu Xingzhen nervously hurried out of the Observation Hall, leaving the Lii Palace disciples behind in a flurry of discussion.
It wasn’t just Lii Palace. The other Seven Palaces were in an uproar as well, astonished that an examinee with only a temporary ID could surge into the top 1,500 on the leaderboard.
Most, however, suspected a problem with the leaderboard itself. After all, unlike in Lii Palace, there was no one in the other Seven Palaces to explain the truth behind the ranking.
As word spread among the disciples of the Outer Mansion’s various palaces, more and more people learned about the situation. A growing crowd flocked to the Observation Hall to see the leaderboard for themselves and confirm the truth.
After confirming that a temporary ID had indeed broken into the top 1,500, these disciples also began to question whether the leaderboard was malfunctioning.
The commotion eventually reached the ears of the various Hall Masters of the Outer Mansion, who were equally astonished by the news.
Finally, after a thorough investigation, a conclusion was reached that stunned the entire Outer Mansion: There was absolutely nothing wrong with the leaderboard!
This result immediately sent another shockwave through the Outer Mansion Eight Palaces, stunning everyone from the Hall Masters to the highest echelons of leadership!
The leaderboard was fine. What did that imply?
It meant that the examinee with temporary ID 59416 truly possessed the strength to rank in the top 1,500!
This news was utterly shocking to everyone, from the disciples of the West Mansion Outer Mansion to the Hall Masters of the various palaces.
Countless disciples began to gather at the Eight Palaces Deer Battle Hall, hoping for a chance to encounter the mysterious examinee.
The leadership of each palace began to monitor the leaderboard closely. They also dispatched disciples to Dui Palace to investigate, desperate to learn the true identity of the examinee.
But aside from the temporary ID 59416, they knew absolutely nothing about this person.

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