Murmur!
Murmur!
A sea of whispers filled the air outside the Security Pavilion, a restless tide of voices rising and falling as disciples speculated among themselves.
Reon stood among them, his gaze flickering over the gathered crowd, searching for any key figures from the novel. And sure enough—there they were.
Familiar names. Familiar faces.
Just as he was about to contemplate further—
A figure stepped forward.
A Minor Elder.
"Greetings, Disciples." His voice rang clear and authoritative. "I am Lie Jun, a Minor Elder of the Outer Sect's Security Pavilion. And I will be overseeing today's investigation."
A hush fell over the crowd.
"As you all know, our purpose here is to identify the individual responsible for the Second Phenomenon."
Lie Jun's eyes swept over the gathered disciples.
"If that individual is present here, I urge you to step forward willingly. The sect has decided to grant Special Status to the one who caused such an event.
If you truly possess an extraordinary ability, the sect will bestow upon you Unimaginable Cultivation Resources. That is a direct order from the Higher-Ups."
The moment he finished speaking—
A flood of hands shot into the air.
"Minor Elder, I believe I am that individual!" A stocky disciple declared with conviction.
"I recently awakened something, but I'm unsure of its nature! Perhaps it's me!" Another chimed in.
"Shut up, you frauds! It's definitely Me!" Yet another disciple interjected.
Lie Jun exhaled, shaking his head. "Tch. I should have expected this nonsense... That was my mistake."
At his gesture, an attendant stepped forward, carrying a Shining White Orb the size of a Football.
Without hesitation, the Minor Elder began activating the artifact.
A hush of realization spread through the crowd.
"An Artifact Appraisal?"
"Ehh! So we're actually being tested?"
"Damn! I thought we'd get away with bluffing!"
"Hah! You fools really thought the sect would just take your word for it? This isn't some child's playground!" A disciple sneered. "They'll confirm the truth before handing out resources!"
A figure nearby smirked. "And we all know who it's going to be..."
A collective gaze turned toward a particular individual.
Shou Bing.
A young man with a regal air, standing tall, arms folded, oozing confidence.
His lips curled slightly—as if acknowledging the truth without needing to speak.
"Of course... if the individual responsible is from the Outer Sect, it must be Young Master Shou Bing."
"You're right. We might as well support him from the start."
"Tch. A bunch of bootlickers." Reon scoffed inwardly. "These guys are obviously from his family."
Still—this worked in his favor.
"The more attention they draw to themselves... the less they'll notice me."
Just as Reon was feeling pleased—
The Atmosphere Shifted.
A sudden silence fell over the crowd.
A palpable tension.
All eyes turned toward a single direction.
And then—toward him.
"Eh? Hey, hey, why are you all looking at me?" Reon thought, a flicker of confusion flashing through him.
For a moment, a cold sweat formed on his back.
Had he been discovered? No. No way in hell. That was impossible.
The artifact hadn't even been activated yet.
But then—
His eyes followed theirs.
Not at him.
Behind Him.
Sigh.
A quiet breath of relief escaped his lips.
He turned to see who had arrived.
And there they were.
Nine figures.
Draped in Outer Sect robes, yet exuding a presence that set them apart from the crowd.
Even without using Identify, Reon could tell—they were far from ordinary.
Stronger.
More refined.
At least As PowerfulAs the assassin he had fought before...
No... Perhaps even Stronger.
But two of them stood Far Beyond The Rest.
A Woman, her face hidden beneath a Delicate Jade Veil, an air of Mystique and Danger clinging to her like an invisible shroud.
And beside her, a young man with a Sword at his hip, standing like an Unsheathed Blade—his very presence Exuding Sharpness.
These two...
They were on an Entirely Different Level.
Curiosity burned in Reon's mind.
Just who were they?
Although he had a guess, it was better to confirm it first.
He turned to a nearby disciple, lowering his voice.
"Brother, who are they? Why is everyone reacting like this?"
The disciple gave him a Bewildered Look, as if staring at some Country Bumpkin who had never seen the world.
"Brother... are you really from the Outer Sect? You don't even know them?"
Reon smiled wryly. "Well, I'm new. Please, enlighten me."
The disciple clicked his tongue but relented.
"Listen well, because you'll hear these names a lot. They are Nine of the Ten Top Disciples in the Outer Sect Ranking."
Reon's eyes narrowed.
"Nine... out of ten?"
"That's right. Some of them joined the sect last year, just after the Inner Sect Disciple Selection Ceremony, preventing them from entering the Inner Sect. Yet, they are stronger than many Inner Sect disciples—especially Those Two."
The disciple nodded toward the veiled woman and the swordsman.
"They are Yi Ran and Zi Chen.
Yi Ran, Heiress of the Yi Family, ranked Second among all Outer Sect Disciples.
Zi Chen, Heir of the Zi Family, ranked Third."
Reon's eyes flickered.
So his guess was right.
It was Them.
Two Rising Legends of the novel.
One—a Destined Heroine.
The other—the Brother of the Protagonist.
And now, they had arrived.
Had the Second Phenomenon drawn them here?
Or—
Had they come in search of their Future Rival?