Xu Yin smiled, shook his head, and then looked back at his three roommates. “So when there’s nothing going on, it’s all about talking behind my back, and when there is something, it’s suddenly all about being good roommates?”
The silver wolf’s gaze grew even colder.
Xu Yin grinned, his smile almost too sweet to be sincere. “Haha, this is really fun.”
…It was top-tier sarcasm!
The three roommates’ faces instantly changed, but under the predatory gaze of Jun Yuzhou, they didn’t dare to argue back. They couldn’t even let out a peep. They were so embarrassed that their faces turned every shade imaginable, like a spilled palette of colors.
Clearly, Xu Yin and Jun Yuzhou had no intention of waiting for these three to come up with any words of rebuttal.
The silver wolf tugged at Xu Yin’s collar, pulling him back, then took a step forward.
The three roommates jumped back in fright, retreating in panic.
The silver wolf cast one last cold, menacing look at them, its claws raised sharply.
With a loud “bang,” the door slammed shut right in front of them, the force so strong that it made the three roommates tremble. Their faces turned pale.
Once they regained their senses, they swallowed nervously and rushed downstairs as if they were fleeing.
The next day was the final round of the assessment.
In just one night, news about Xu Yin spread across the entire internet.
Everyone learned that this year’s Imperial Court’s Illusionist Qualification Exam had seen the rise of a monster. Using a completely new energy channeling technique on the illusion simulators, Xu Yin had achieved an unprecedented S rank—an incredibly terrifying display of power!
For thousands of years, the energy disturbances in the illusionary beings had never been fully resolved. No one had ever known what true peace felt like—it had seemed like an unsolvable problem.
But now, this young illusionist has appeared.
Illusionary beings began to stir with excitement, filled with curiosity. The illusionists themselves were just as eager. They couldn’t wait to discover what this young man had done.
As a result, the entire internet—no, the entire society—began to focus on the final round of the Examination.
That day, the number of spectators in the exam hall was three times greater than the day before. If not for the guards maintaining order, the scene would have become chaotic.
At the same time, it was noticed that today, the First Prince appeared in human form!
It was the first time the First Prince appeared in front of the public in his human form. He sat at the front with a calm expression, his handsome features once again stirring up a wave of excitement.
Besides the First Prince, several prominent ministers from the palace had also arrived at the exam site today. These ministers had often been in the news before, some motivated by personal reasons for opposing the relationship between Jun Yuzhou and Xu Yin, while others genuinely believed that the two were not suited for each other.
But after a night’s reflection, they all showed up at the exam hall, their complex emotions clearly visible as they watched the young man in the center of attention.
The young man, under the spotlight, took his assigned seat.
He lifted his gaze, and it met the gentle, affectionate eyes of Jun Yuzhou, who sat at the front.
Xu Yin smiled.
The scene was chaotic with noise, and it took quite a bit of effort for Elder Lu to restore order. He shook his head helplessly.
Xu Yin was already causing such a stir; what would happen when the news of his engagement to the First Prince was officially announced? What kind of chaos would the entire Kingdom be in by then?
Thinking about it, Elder Lu couldn’t help but feel a bit amused, as though he were looking forward to the spectacle.
He cleared his throat and quickly composed himself.
The rules for the third round of the assessment had remained unchanged for years.
The exam group would bring in an illusionary being with a rare illness from the outside. After the being’s consent, the remaining ten candidates would treat it.
The candidates could take turns individually or form groups, as long as the exam group could comprehensively evaluate each approach. Ultimately, five candidates would be selected to receive the title of Imperial Court Illusionist.
These rare-illness illusionary beings were usually not the ones suffering from immediate, violent energy surges—those needed emergency treatment and couldn’t be brought to the exam for the candidates to practice on.
The strange illness beings who appeared in previous years had ranged from young individuals with severely depleted energy networks to those with twisted and coiled energy pathways—there was a wide variety of conditions.
And this year’s illness is a rare illusionary being…
Elder Lu signalled to the palace guards to bring the individual in, then stepped back a bit, his expression showing a hint of respect.
Clearly, even Jun Yuzhou and the ministers had no prior knowledge of who this year’s “rare-illness illusionary being” would be. When the person was wheeled in, a wave of surprise rippled through the crowd, and everyone stood in shock as murmurs spread.
The person in the wheelchair was an elderly man.
Though his hair was still black, it was evident that it had been dyed. The wrinkles on his face were deep, and his eyelids drooped slightly, giving him a tired appearance. However, when he heard his name called, he lifted his gaze slightly, and the sharp, penetrating gaze in his eyes revealed traces of the youth he once was.
It was none other than Jun Yuzhou’s grandfather, the former king of the empire—Jun Weiling!
Jun Yuzhou was stunned and asked, “Grandfather, what are you doing here?”
After his “retirement,” Jun Weiling had enjoyed travelling and sightseeing. Though he was aging, he still had an adventurous spirit. Even though he sometimes needed a wheelchair, it didn’t stop him from going out.
His most recent trip had been three months ago, so the ministers who had vehemently opposed the relationship between Jun Yuzhou and Xu Yin had secretly hoped that Jun Weiling would never approve of it.
But no one had expected Jun Weiling to quietly appear in the examination hall—especially as the “rare-illness illusionary being!”
What had happened to the old king’s health?
Jun Weiling waved his hand, signaling Jun Yuzhou to sit down. With a calm and composed demeanor, he nonchalantly said, “There’s no need to be so surprised.”
Jun Yuzhou furrowed his brows, his thoughts racing. He wanted to ask his grandfather why he was appearing as the “rare-illness illusionary being”—what was wrong with his health? How long had he been suffering in silence? And why had he never mentioned it to them before?
But knowing his grandfather’s personality, Jun Yuzhou kept his questions to himself. After a brief moment of silence, he slowly sat down.
In the exam hall, Xu Yin glanced at Jun Yuzhou before turning his attention to Jun Weiling. His gaze sharpened as he studied the old man’s complexion, carefully considering what was happening. There was something about this situation that piqued his curiosity, though he remained outwardly calm.
Meanwhile, the scene outside the exam hall had already gained a reputation for the night’s tension— Xu Yin’s room was no longer a topic of mere gossip among his roommates. They couldn’t help but share their excitement, joking about “calling over Xu Yin’s mysterious friend.” But the air was thick with uncertainty, not realizing the true weight of the presence behind that closed door.
And to everyone’s surprise, as soon as the door was closed, a beastly snarl echoed through the room. The silver wolf, sharp and protective, was clearly not interested in entertaining anyone but Xu Yin himself.
