Damned Healer-Chapter 716: Authority

Before the test supervisor could even finish his sentence, the inscription suddenly flared. A sphere of golden light split off and slowly descended.

After it touched the ground, the golden light faded, and Darian's silhouette appeared.

The others who had taken the test and been expelled were all ruthlessly thrown out by the inscription. When they appeared, they looked battered and miserable. But…

Darian was gently sent out, landing smoothly, his aura and breathing completely steady. It was like he had just taken a calm stroll through a park.

"…"

The test supervisor and the more experienced onlookers were stunned because they understood why. The others had been ejected after "dying." Darian, on the other hand, had chosen to withdraw while still alive.

He had stayed in there all this time… and only came out after deciding to quit on his own?

The first thing Darian noticed was that the atmosphere around him didn't feel friendly.

Pyreus was still standing some distance in front of him, but his mouth was wide open. The Palace Supervisor beside him had an extremely strange look on her face.

Next to her, the group of young cultivators stood neatly arranged, with Limdiss at the very front. All of them were staring, dumbfounded, as if they'd just seen a ghost in broad daylight.

"What just happened… was there a problem with the trial?"

"There shouldn't have been! Then the only possibility is…"

People finally began murmuring.

*Buzz*

Waves of energy rippled from the inscription as a humming sound echoed in the air. The light of the inscription instantly retracted, and in a brief moment, all the runes completely disappeared.

The final exam of that group… had truly ended at that exact moment.

And the first-place finisher of this final exam… the last person…

Everyone present felt like their brains had short-circuited. Even after staring at Darian for a long time, they still couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Limdiss's result had been extremely extraordinary. If she had taken first place, no one would've found it unexpected. However, Darian's cultivation was clearly at the fifth level of the Celestial Nascent Realm. On top of that… he was supposed to be a special-ability cultivator from the Mortal Plane, far weaker than ordinary cultivators.

When he agreed to take the test early, everyone saw it as a joke. And that very "joke" had actually surpassed Limdiss in the final exam—and everyone else.

The Palace Supervisor clenched her fists tightly. Her mind raced as she replayed everything Darian had done, searching for a clue. How had he deceived her? Not to mention, he had done it without leaving any clear traces.

As for Darian, he merely snorted indifferently, watching them all nearly catatonic in that deadly silence.

He could almost hear his mother and his older sister's voices, surely watching with proud expressions: someone like him was like the sun shining in the night sky. No matter how hard anyone tried, it was impossible to cover up such a blazing light.

Turning impatiently, he faced the crowd and spoke to the test supervisor. "So, I should have the qualifications to become a disciple of the sect now, right?"

"Not just that." Before the supervisor could respond, Pyreus spoke up, extremely excited.

"You were the last person to leave the trial and undoubtedly became the most outstanding new disciple among them. You placed first! You'll also receive the Fire Soul Pill as a reward. With your current cultivation level, if someone helped you refine and fully absorb this pill… your entire being would be reborn, and you'd experience tremendous growth."

"Wait a minute!!"

An anxious voice suddenly rang out. Limdiss stepped out from the group, her face solemn, and shouted loudly, "He can't receive the pill! Anyone can see that the result of this exam is strange! He clearly cheated!"

She had prepared for many years for this test. She had absolutely given everything she had to earn that victory fairly. In her mind—and in everyone else's—there was no way this could be real.

"I cheated? Where's the proof?" Darian said with unnatural calm.

That brat was arrogant to the point of seeming stupid. But Darian could tell she didn't have any real malice. She carried ordinary dark karma. And indeed, she had talent and strength. But unfortunately, no one had ever put her in her place.

"Proof? Heh!" Limdiss let out a cold laugh, walking toward Darian one step at a time.

"Do we even need proof? No one here is blind or stupid. It's obvious you cheated! Every single Purgatory Giant Lion is a beast at the first level of the Celestial Origin Realm and possesses extremely powerful offensive abilities. Even I had to be extremely careful dealing with them. And you? You're barely halfway through the first realm! Your only possible fate would've been instant death—so how could you have lasted that long!?"

"Lady Limdiss is right," the test supervisor said, his eyes locked on Darian. "Darian, you've got a lot of nerve! The sect's trial was created to select only outstanding disciples. Do you know how many people dedicate their entire lives to passing it honestly? Do you know how much effort these young cultivators put in just to stand here? How dare you cheat so brazenly!"

"How pathetic…"

Darian's voice, still calm and completely emotionless, echoed out, cutting through that loud and imposing tone.

Even though it wasn't raised, everyone instantly tensed and stared at him. There was a kind of majesty in that voice—his aura and expression made them swallow hard.

"Earlier, you said it was still possible to pass the first test with tricks, but that it was impossible to cheat in the next exam. Those were your own words. So now, on what basis are you accusing me of cheating?"

"That's right! On what basis?!" Pyreus stepped forward and stopped beside Darian, speaking with a somewhat imposing tone. "Since you're saying Darian cheated, at least show some proof!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

In truth… he was extremely nervous. Very, very nervous. Because even he was absolutely certain that… Darian must have cheated.

But he had been brought here by his Master, so he had no choice but to swallow his pride and stand at his side.

Even though he didn't know what method Darian had used, cheating was a massive scandal. If it were true, he didn't care what consequences fell on Darian—but there was a high chance it would damage Chrysos's reputation.

"It's very easy to determine whether Darian really cheated," Limdiss said confidently. "If he was able to last that long without cheating, then that means his combat strength surpasses mine."

All the young cultivators present were certain of one thing: her power naturally allowed her to defeat opponents several levels above her—something none of them would even dare to dream of. And Darian? Someone from the Mortal Plane? The moment they heard that, the crowd burst into laughter. It was a huge joke.

"So," Limdiss raised her hand toward Darian, her expression a mix of pleasure and disdain, "whether he cheated or not, we'll know as soon as we exchange blows. Darian, since you claim you didn't cheat, then fight me. Oh, you don't need to defeat me completely—if you can withstand just five of my attacks, I, Limdiss, will admit you didn't cheat. However, if you can't even endure five attacks from someone whose results supposedly don't compare to yours… Hehehe…"

"Hahahaha, what a great suggestion, Lady Limdiss!" the test supervisor laughed.

The surrounding cultivators looked at Darian with either pity or contempt. Deep down, they all believed Limdiss was overestimating him by proposing five attacks… or maybe she was just toying with him.

"Darian, you heard her," the test supervisor said in a cold, authoritative tone. "If you want to prove you didn't cheat, then exchange blows with Lady Limdiss to prove your innocence. Since you're such a big shot, handling just five of her attacks should be easy, right?"

"No!" Pyreus roared, his expression stern. "You have no proof and are just making assumptions—so on what grounds are you claiming he cheated?! Besides, the exams are all conducted by the sect's inscriptions. You're just a Supervisor, responsible for recording and explaining things. You don't have the authority to interfere with the process or the results. The results are finalized the moment the inscription's runes disappear. Basically, you don't have the qualification to demand that Darian prove he didn't cheat."

"…" The test supervisor was speechless for a moment, unable to refute him. After all, Pyreus was absolutely right.

At that moment, Palace Master Baynod stepped forward and said solemnly, "The matter of Darian's cheating is no longer just an issue related to exam results, but one that concerns the honor of the entire sect! If—"

"Humph! You're making it sound so grand, but isn't this really just because of your niece?! Do you have no shame?!" Pyreus shot back loudly, tossing aside any trace of courtesy. "Test Supervisor, the exam ended a long time ago—why haven't you announced the results and handed the Fire Soul Pill to Darian yet?! That's what you should be doing!"

Right now, Pyreus just wanted to end this quickly and bring Darian to his Master. After that, they could think about countermeasures. He couldn't let this suspicion of cheating solidify here and now.

"He's right. The test supervisor truly doesn't have the authority to interfere with the exam process or its results. Naturally, he also doesn't have the authority to demand that Darian prove his innocence."

A calm voice echoed from the side. The one speaking was, naturally, the Palace Supervisor. A light filled with malice and killing intent flickered secretly in her eyes.

Darian let out a dry snort. They really thought they could toy with him? It seemed he would have to assert himself brutally within this sect if he wanted even a bit of peace.

The Palace Supervisor roared, "But I do have that authority."