After everyone else had dispersed, Fang Tao gave Zhao Xuan and the remaining ten candidates a few final reminders.
There wasn't much to it, really.
He simply advised them not to leave the Imperial Capital over the next few days. The Dragon God Ruins were about to open, and if they were too far away at that time, it would be easy to miss the rewards reserved for the top ten of the national examination.
After returning to the Imperial Capital, Zhao Xuan went back to his hotel.
The moment he entered his room—
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone was knocking on the door.
Zhao Xuan opened it and found the visitor to be Ruan Zhe—the national exam candidate who had previously been parasitized by the Puppet Insect ability user.
Speaking of the Puppet Insect Fruit user—
During the siege of the Demon Cult's main base, that person had not been found.
Naturally, he had not been killed.
This left Fang Tao feeling deeply regretful.
After all, the reason Fang Tao, the Deputy Governor of the Imperial Capital, had made such a massive move and personally led the operation against the Demon Cult's headquarters—whose details he had already largely uncovered years ago—was precisely to see whether he could take the opportunity to kill that eighth-rank Puppet Insect Fruit user.
Unexpectedly, after planting the Puppet Insect inside Ruan Zhe, that eighth-rank Puppet Insect Fruit user had never returned to the Demon Cult's base in Jiuzhou.
It wasn't just Fang Tao who felt regret.
Zhao Xuan felt the same.
Because that Puppet Insect Fruit user had come within inches of killing him—twice.
If Zhao Xuan had not been sufficiently cautious—
If he had not been sufficiently vigilant—
If he had not awakened the rare Observation Haki capable of foreseeing danger—
Then he would already be dead.
Although Zhao Xuan was now extremely powerful and could easily kill sixth-rank Grandmasters—
That Puppet Insect Fruit user was an eighth-rank King.
No matter how high Zhao Xuan's physique was, even if it reached thirty thousand points, it would still be impossible for him to directly withstand an eighth-rank's attack.
…
Back to the present.
Inside the hotel room—
"What do you need?" Zhao Xuan narrowed his eyes and looked at Ruan Zhe outside the door.
"Brother Zhao Xuan, I came specifically to apologize," Ruan Zhe said with a face full of remorse. "If it weren't for my greed that caused me to be implanted with a Puppet Insect by those Demon Cult scum, you wouldn't have been frightened or put in danger…"
"That matter is already in the past," Zhao Xuan replied, shaking his head casually. "I didn't take it to heart."
"No, no, no!" Ruan Zhe said urgently. "Brother Zhao Xuan, you must accept my apology gift, otherwise I'll never be able to forgive myself."
As he spoke, Ruan Zhe waved his hand and took out a spiritual herb radiating dense spiritual energy from his spatial relic. He presented it to Zhao Xuan with both hands.
"Zhao Xuan, this is a small token of our Ruan family's sincerity. Please accept it."
"This is…?" Zhao Xuan squinted as he felt the rich spiritual aura emanating from the herb.
"It's an eighth-rank spiritual herb," Ruan Zhe said seriously, "and a rare one that promotes the growth of Observation Haki. Its value is roughly three hundred million—and it's priceless on the market."
"Please accept it, Brother Zhao Xuan."
Tempted as he was, Zhao Xuan did not immediately take it.
After all, it was far too valuable.
"Brother Zhao, I'll be frank with you," Ruan Zhe said. "This herb isn't just an apology. It's also an investment from our Ruan family."
"We don't ask for much. In the future, if you become a ninth-rank Emperor and happen to obtain surplus relic resources, we hope you might consider letting our Ruan family develop some of them."
"Of course, there's no obligation. We only wish to form a good relationship with you."
"And you're so sure I'll become a ninth-rank Emperor?" Zhao Xuan asked calmly.
"I've seen your talent, your learning ability, and that mysterious yet powerful Fruit ability with my own eyes," Ruan Zhe replied firmly. "I believe you will definitely reach the ninth rank one day."
Zhao Xuan smiled.
"Since you've put it that way, I'll accept your family's gift—and this goodwill."
He took the eighth-rank spiritual herb from Ruan Zhe's hands.
Ruan Zhe immediately looked as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"By the way, Brother Zhao," he continued, "are you free tomorrow or the day after?"
"Do you need something?" Zhao Xuan asked.
"My father heard about you and wants to host a banquet to properly entertain you and get to know you," Ruan Zhe said. "When would you be available?"
"Tomorrow night," Zhao Xuan replied after a moment's thought.
"Excellent! I'll be waiting for you at our home then. The address is XX Villa District, Erxian Bridge, Third Ring Road, Imperial Capital!"
"Understood."
"Then I won't disturb your rest any further."
"Alright."
Zhao Xuan nodded.
Ruan Zhe turned and left.
The moment the door closed—
The smile on Zhao Xuan's face vanished instantly.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Zhao Xuan's gaze turned sharp.
Why was he so certain that something was wrong with Ruan Zhe?
Because—
When Ruan Zhe mentioned Zhao Xuan's Fruit ability—
The Observation Haki within Zhao Xuan erupted and issued a warning.
When Ruan Zhe mentioned his father and the invitation to the banquet—
Another warning.
When Zhao Xuan accepted the invitation—
A third warning.
And when Zhao Xuan took the so-called eighth-rank spiritual herb—
Yet another warning.
His eyes flickered as memories from earlier that day surfaced.
When Fang Tao crushed the Puppet Insect, the system notification did not appear.
It only appeared later—after Ruan Zhe was taken away by medical personnel.
What did it mean when the system didn't notify him?
It meant the battle was not over.
"Logically speaking, the fight should've ended when the Puppet Insect was crushed," Zhao Xuan muttered. "The system should've responded then."
"But it didn't."
"It only triggered after Ruan Zhe left."
"That means—even after the incident—Ruan Zhe still harbored hostility toward me."
On its own, that wasn't definitive proof.
But combined with the warnings from Observation Haki—
A bold and shocking conclusion emerged.
"Could it be… Ruan Zhe is connected to that eighth-rank Puppet Insect Fruit user?"
"No—there's no 'could be' about it."
"Ruan Zhe, and the so-called father he mentioned, absolutely have a problem."
"They're definitely connected to the Demon Cult."
"The system proves it. Observation Haki proves it."
Zhao Xuan began pacing rapidly across the room.
But no matter how much he thought, half an hour passed without him finding a good solution.
If his guess was correct—
Then attending the banquet tomorrow could very well mean encountering that eighth-rank Puppet Insect Fruit user.
An eighth rank.
Zhao Xuan was confident—but not delusional.
There was no way he could escape an eighth-rank King on his own.
"Wait—!"
Suddenly, he slapped his thigh.
"Am I an idiot?! Why am I trying to handle this alone?"
"I can just go tell Governor Fang!"
"He's already upset that he missed that Puppet Insect user earlier—this is perfect!"
"Damn it, I really am stupid!"
Annoyed at himself, Zhao Xuan immediately took action.
He went to the window, released his Observation Haki, and after confirming there was no one below, quietly climbed out.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the night.
Sneaking out like a thief served one purpose—
To avoid alerting Ruan Zhe.
Soon, Zhao Xuan arrived at the Governor's Residence.
Since the main Governor was currently in the Endless Sea, Fang Tao, as Deputy Governor, was stationed there permanently.
Inside the study—
Zhao Xuan finally saw Fang Tao.
"I heard you have something important to report?" Fang Tao asked while reviewing documents.
"Yes, Governor Fang," Zhao Xuan said.
Fang Tao smiled. "No need for formalities. I'm only a deputy governor. Speak."
"I suspect that Ruan Zhe is colluding with the eighth-rank Puppet Insect Fruit user from the Demon Cult."
The smile on Fang Tao's face froze instantly.
His expression turned grave as he stared at Zhao Xuan.
"On what basis?"
Zhao Xuan explained everything in detail.
When he finished—
Fang Tao's eyes flickered.
"Your Observation Haki… is a precognitive type?"
"Yes."
"So that's how you avoided the Puppet Insect's attacks earlier," Fang Tao said slowly. "And you already noticed that hidden seventh-rank Demon Cult elder during the battle."
"Yes."
"And Ruan Zhe triggered your warning multiple times tonight?"
"Yes."
Zhao Xuan then produced the eighth-rank spiritual herb.
Fang Tao released a powerful wave of spiritual force.
Moments later—
A tiny milky-white insect egg was extracted from the herb.
"This," Fang Tao said calmly, "is a Puppet Insect egg."
He chuckled. "Producing two eggs in such a short time—even for an eighth-rank King, that's pushing it."
He explained further:
"Each egg costs them a massive amount of vitality. Recovery takes at least half a month, and that weakness is at the life-force level."
"Producing two consecutively would leave him in an extremely weakened state."
"He's probably not even at seventy percent of his peak right now."
Fang Tao looked at Zhao Xuan.
"Did Ruan Zhe tell you where the banquet is?"
Zhao Xuan gave the address.
Fang Tao laughed coldly.
"He didn't flee the Imperial Capital—instead, he moved closer to the center. Bold."
"Why not go even further? The Guardian's Residence is just a bit deeper in."
Then he looked at Zhao Xuan.
"Interested in doing something big tonight?"
"I'll handle the eighth-rank old monster."
"You take care of Ruan Zhe."
Zhao Xuan's eyes lit up instantly.
"Of course!"
Fang Tao burst out laughing.
"Good! No time to waste—let's move!"
--------------------------------------------------
Read 30 Chapters ahead: [email protected] / KaiOynx