Chapter 224 223: The Conspiracy of the Palace Master of Qian Palace and the West District Examinees

The night was quiet and still, and a wave of weariness washed over.

Because it was so late, Tang Yi didn't let Mu Xianling leave on her own. Instead, he had her stay in his room.

However, despite a man and a woman being alone in a room together, Tang Yi did nothing improper. He let Mu Xianling have the bed while he slept in a large armchair. And so, each lost in their own thoughts, they drifted off to sleep.

Their first day in the West Mansion had officially come to an end.

However, just as everyone was falling asleep, one group of people was wide awake. They had gathered in a room in Yongbing Courtyard, seemingly plotting something.

Yongbing Courtyard, like Yongling Courtyard, was a place for candidates to rest. The only difference was that Yongling Courtyard housed the candidates from the North District, while Yongbing Courtyard was for those from the West District.

This group was dressed in the attire of candidates from the West District, and that's exactly what they appeared to be.

Normally, there would be nothing unusual about candidates from the West District gathering together. But for them to gather in a room late at night, acting so secretively, was strange.

Besides the West District candidates, an old man in West Mansion attire was also in the room. If anyone who knew him were present, they would realize this old man was none other than Quan Xinyuan, one of the Hall Masters of the Outer Mansion's Qian Palace!

Quan Xinyuan possessed a Battle Emperor Level Cultivation and was one of the more powerful among the ten Hall Masters of Qian Palace.

Yet for such a powerful expert to be mingling with West District candidates who had not even entered the House... this was truly intriguing.

"Well? Is everyone here? None of you were discovered, were you?" Quan Xinyuan asked the West District candidates.

There were twenty-three West District candidates in the room. Each of them had a remarkably plain face—the kind you couldn't pick out of a crowd, the kind you'd forget a moment after seeing.

After hearing Quan Xinyuan's question, one of the twenty-three candidates—a man with a black mole on his neck—stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to the Zone Master, all twenty-three members of the Jade Emperor Department are present. We are all carrying items that conceal our Cultivation, so none of us were discovered by the West Mansion's experts."

"Good."

Hearing this, Quan Xinyuan nodded and added, "The House Entrance Examination is in seven days. For these seven days, don't wander around, to avoid any unnecessary trouble. I assume you were already told about this mission when you left, correct?"

"Yes, Zone Master. When we left the sect, we were informed of our current mission. We are to pose as candidates, participate in the West Mansion's House Entrance Examination, and then find the 'Saint Spirit Blood' in the West Mansion's Little Extreme Sacred Land and bring it back to our sect," the candidate with the mole on his neck replied.

"Mm."

Quan Xinyuan nodded. "The West Mansion's House Entrance Examination is held in the Little Extreme Sacred Land. I only discovered by chance that a Divine Object like the 'Saint Spirit Blood' was located there, which is why I reported it to the sect's higher-ups, and they sent you here. This time, when you go in, you must bring that item out for me. Once you have it, someone will be there to receive you and escort you out of the West Mansion."

"Yes, we will definitely bring back the 'Saint Spirit Blood'."

The group of candidates replied respectfully in unison.

"Remember, before you find the 'Saint Spirit Blood,' you must act with discretion. Don't slip up and get discovered by the West Mansion's leadership. I will do my best to cover for you as much as I can. You just need to hold out until you enter the Little Extreme Sacred Land. And once you're inside, I doubt the other candidates, who only have Battle Spirit Cultivation, will pose much of a problem for you, right? So, if nothing unexpected happens, this mission shouldn't be too difficult," Quan Xinyuan continued.

After hearing Quan Xinyuan's words, the candidate with the mole on his neck suddenly thought of something. "Zone Master, there is a matter I wish to report, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate."

"Oh? Go on," Quan Xinyuan said.

"Today, a candidate shot up to 2nd place on the West Mansion Outer Mansion's ranking board. I was wondering if the Zone Master was aware of this," the mole-necked candidate asked.

"Of course I know about that. Not only do I know, but I also made a special trip to the Dui Palace's Observation Hall to check the rankings. It's true that a candidate shot up the board and achieved the impressive rank of 2nd place. But what does this have to do with our plan?" Quan Xinyuan asked.

"As far as I know, the top 100 disciples of the West Mansion Outer Mansion all possess strength at the Battle King Level or higher. Since this candidate reached 2nd place, he must undoubtedly have Battle King strength, or perhaps even greater. I'm worried his appearance might cause us unnecessary trouble, or even introduce an unforeseen variable into our plan," the mole-necked candidate said with concern.

"Mm. That is indeed something we must guard against. Although all twenty-three of you possess Battle King Level strength, and dealing with a single Battle King shouldn't be an issue, no one knows what might happen. This peerlessly talented candidate is certainly a major variable."

Quan Xinyuan pondered for a moment before saying, "Alright, to be cautious, I have a Mad Demon Pill here. It can temporarily raise your Level to the Battle Emperor Level. Take this with you. No matter how talented that candidate is, he'll be no match for you once you've reached the Battle Emperor Level!"

With that, Quan Xinyuan took a small Jade Bottle from his embroidered robes and handed it to the candidate with the mole on his neck.

Taking the Jade Bottle, the mole-necked candidate was overjoyed. He quickly said, "Yes! I will not disappoint you. I will complete this mission without fail!"

"Mm."

Quan Xinyuan nodded. 'With the Mad Demon Pill, the Jade Emperor Department should be able to complete their mission without any issues,' he thought. 'No matter how gifted that disciple who shot up the Outer Mansion rankings is, he won't be able to stop the Jade Emperor Department's plan.'

The group discussed the details a bit more before Quan Xinyuan and the twenty-three West District candidates dispersed. Quan Xinyuan returned to Qian Palace, while the others went back into hiding.

Given Quan Xinyuan's status, no one would ever suspect him.

As for the twenty-three members of the Jade Emperor Department, their faces were so ordinary that as long as they blended in with the other West District candidates, no one would notice them.

And so, unbeknownst to anyone, a conspiracy began to loom over the candidates about to enter the West Mansion.

...

Seven days passed in a flash. Today was finally the day of the West Mansion's annual House Entrance Examination. All the candidates who had earned a spot had to gather at Shuangyong Square in the center of Dui Palace to prepare for the test that would decide their fate.