Damned Healer-Chapter 717: Meaningless Joke

"Palace Supervisor, you…" Pyreus spat, almost desperate.

The Palace Supervisor stepped forward and said in a solemn tone, "Darian, no one has ever taken the test at your cultivation level before, and your ranking is above everyone else's. Even if cheating in the final test is supposedly impossible, forget the people here—even if the Sect Leader came personally, he would question the results. I'm sure you understand that very well."

Darian looked at her indifferently, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

"Therefore, as the one responsible for overseeing everything, I order you to prove you didn't cheat. You cannot refuse," her brows knit slightly. "Because this is no longer just about the exam results. If you cannot provide proof, not only will you lose your qualification, but you will also be severely punished."

"Palace Supervisor, you, you, you… how could you!" Pyreus's face twisted completely, so red it looked like it might explode.

This was definitely suspicious, but it was absurd to make Darian prove anything right now. After all, every test was conducted by the sect's inscription. The proper course would be to send him into the sect normally and then investigate the inscription afterward. But… she clearly wasn't going to give him that chance.

Limdiss began to laugh triumphantly, her eyes filling with pity as she looked at Darian. Most of the other youths also showed triumphant expressions.

Only the other woman who had passed in this group looked somewhat distressed. Darian turned—then met Emina's somewhat startled gaze.

She had actually passed. That was pretty impressive. Darian had felt her earth power before and thought she wouldn't be capable of it. But he knew the power of the earth was indeed quite unique, capable of adapting to extreme Yang.

Darian felt that Emina could reshape her body and recover all her Yin as if nothing had happened. Maybe that was the key for the women of this sect to perform well without losing their essence; possibly no one had ever studied it deeply enough to discover it.

Meanwhile, the Palace Supervisor was emitting an ancient aura and clearly possessed an extremely advanced age. She must have spent an entire lifetime, with incalculable resources and attempts, just to finally have a child. It was probably considered a miracle that she succeeded at all. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

At that moment, Palace Master Baynod spoke in a harsh tone.

"Every word from the Senior Supervisor carries enormous weight. Our Sect is a sacred, divine place—how can we allow a small fry like you to stain it!? Darian, what do you have to say this time?"

Darian snorted. "Very well. How am I supposed to prove my worth?"

"Naturally, you'll prove your strength against her," the test supervisor said with a faint smile. "If you truly relied on your own power to remain in the test that long, there's no reason you can't face Lady Limdiss head-on. You'll fight for only five rounds, and the result will be clear. Lady Limdiss, you were the first to accuse him of cheating, so I'll trouble you to settle this matter."

Hearing the "approval," Limdiss was instantly flattered and immediately said, "This disciple naturally agrees and will give it her all."

Her expression turned serious as she stared at Darian and spoke mockingly, "Here, Darian—use all your power and show me the strength of the first-place finisher! I won't take back what I said earlier: just five moves. If you don't fall within five moves, you win. If you didn't cheat, this should be the easiest thing in the world."

However, Darian ignored her and said, still looking at the Supervisor, "Your status is special. In this place, I naturally have no power to resist your orders, and I indeed cannot refute what Senior just said. But there's something I'd like to address."

"What would that be?" the Palace Supervisor observed his expression with interest.

"Very simple," Darian said indifferently. "If I face Limdiss and lose within five rounds, not only will I lose my qualification to enter the sect, I'll also be 'severely punished,' as you said earlier. The consequences are severe enough to be frightening to even think about. But… if I win, that proves I truly didn't cheat. Then the accusation against me right now would be baseless and unjust. If the Sect is so strict in pursuing justice, then shouldn't I receive some compensation?"

"…" Pyreus and all the young cultivators were stunned by those bold words. Was this idiot tired of living?

"Hahahaha," the test supervisor laughed carelessly.

"Darian, if you had admitted it on your own, the Palace Supervisor might have shown you some mercy and reduced the severity of your punishment. But now, even with everything already lost, you're still trying to act like a big shot? That's just ridiculous. Suddenly, I'm extremely curious how low-tier your Mortal Plane planet must be to produce such a gigantic joke like you."

"He really is a jumping clown. He's clearly desperate and flailing even after already being caught," Limdiss added with an ironic smile.

The Palace Supervisor chuckled lightly but still nodded. "I've lived for several millennia, yet I've never seen a young one so clueless as to dare ask for 'compensation,' much less someone who hasn't even joined the sect yet. However, your words do have some basis. Very well, then…"

She raised her hand, and a colorful light flashed in front of her. Immediately after, a one-meter-square stone radiating a dreamy starlike brilliance floated casually into the air.

The moment that strange stone appeared, Pyreus almost instantly shouted, "S-Stargazer Stone!!"

Upon hearing the name "Stargazer Stone," Limdiss's whole body trembled. Her mouth fell open in shock, and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

This was the first time Darian had seen or heard of this kind of stone. However, the strange glow it emitted proved it was definitely no ordinary object. Judging by everyone's reactions, this stone was clearly more precious than the Fire Soul Pill.

"That's right, this is precisely a Stargazer Stone," the Supervisor continued with a smile. "This stone is found in extremely unpredictable locations, formed after being bathed in starlight for at least thirty thousand years. It's something that can only be encountered, not sought. Its power and rarity far surpass the Fire Soul Pill. Even a disciple of the Golden Crow Hall would never receive such a reward. Now, if you can emerge victorious within five moves and prove you didn't cheat in the slightest, you'll obtain two grand rewards together. Are you satisfied now?"

Everyone was momentarily thrown into disarray by the shock, but quickly recovered. After all, Darian's victory was simply impossible. In other words, this reward—which even Palace Master Baynod was moved by—was basically just bait meant purely to silence Darian.

Baynod spoke solemnly, "Senior is truly a master of rewards and punishments. Darian, a treasure like that is something even I have only touched once in all my years within the Sect. Do you still have anything to say?"

All eyes focused on Darian, waiting to see what kind of foolish, ridiculous excuse he would try this time.

But…

A mocking smile appeared on his lips. That smile made everyone instinctively feel uneasy. It was like… like they had just fallen for the schemes of a sinister Demon.

"Very well," Darian nodded and turned to Limdiss. "You can start."

Silence.

"Darian, you…"

Pyreus muttered in horror. But… now that he had directly accepted, there was nothing left to be done.

"Hey! I'll say it right now: you two are just exchanging casual blows. You can't… you absolutely can't get hurt!" Pyreus said loudly. Since the situation could no longer be avoided, the only thing he could do was try to keep Darian from getting injured. After all… he was far too weak.

"Since you're exchanging blows, you should be using your full strength. So how could you possibly avoid getting hurt?" the test supervisor said in a serious tone. "However, when the two of you exchange blows, even if you gain the upper hand, you must not lose control and deliver a fatal strike. Otherwise, the consequences will be unforgivable! But unfortunately, injuries are inevitable. No matter the outcome, no matter how severe the injuries either of you suffers, the other party cannot contest it."

Pyreus's face twisted as he stepped forward. But before he could think of anything to argue—

"Very well," the Palace Supervisor raised a hand to stop him. "What he said isn't wrong. It's difficult to avoid injuries in an exchange of blows. If there are no injuries, the exchange is meaningless. Begin now!"

With those words of absolute authority, no one in the hall dared to speak further.

The smile on Limdiss's face grew even more arrogant. She casually stopped in front of Darian.

"Don't be nervous. I'm a woman who knows how to be delicate and adjust to the situation. So, take out your weapon. Ah, it would be better if you revealed the artifact you used to cheat earlier. It must be powerful. Show it—let me try it."

Immediately, the surroundings erupted in booming laughter.

"No need," Darian said, remaining still, showing no sign of nervousness.

"You're not even going to use a weapon? Ah, that's right—the result will be the same anyway." Limdiss laughed. She placed her right hand behind her back and extended her left toward Darian. "Take as long as you want. With your low cultivation, it must be really difficult, so you can gather all your Celestial power at your leisure."

Darian let out a small chuckle and immediately placed both hands behind his back. "Since you're the challenger, you should go first."

Even louder bursts of laughter exploded around them.

"…" Pyreus covered his face with both hands.

However, the Palace Supervisor beside him kept her gaze locked on Darian without the slightest shift.

Darian's celestial cultivation was only at the fifth level of the Celestial Nascent Realm; she had confirmed it repeatedly, so even if he had some special ability, nothing should be wrong.

However… both his expression and his fluctuations revealed an experience that seemed to have passed through countless storms. His confidence and composure also seemed tempered by innumerable life-and-death situations. None of that could be faked.

This young man…

It was anything but normal.

Of that, she was certain.

"Heh… heh heh…" Limdiss burst into laughter instantly. "I'm afraid it's hard to find someone like you. Entertaining boys is fun to keep around, but unfortunately… you don't know your place. Very well, very well—I'll accept your suggestion."

With an amused smile, Limdiss suddenly leapt forward, her left hand casually dropping as if aiming for Darian's chest.

The instant she moved, blazing energy gathered around Darian. It twisted into chains of flame that wrapped around and sealed his body.

That was an advanced technique requiring perfect elemental control. Even a Palace Master would struggle to use something like that. But as an alchemist, she needed to wield such control instinctively.

When she offered "five moves," she originally intended to play with him a bit, but she couldn't tolerate Darian's attitude of "acting strong." With so many people watching, this was the perfect chance to show off her strength.

Darian remained completely motionless as Limdiss approached. He didn't take a defensive stance, nor did it look like he planned to counterattack.

No one found this strange in the slightest, because everyone could feel her power. With Darian's strength, he simply couldn't resist under the fire seal.

The outcome of the match would be decided in an instant.

To everyone present, this exchange was nothing but a meaningless joke.

As she closed in, Limdiss's pure celestial power gathered into her fist, and she threw a casual punch. When everyone saw that strike… their expressions changed.

She clearly intended to inflict serious injury.

Darian snorted. This brat was truly foolish. She attacked in such a sinister way, yet he couldn't sense any true malice from her.

It was like a dog trained every day to bite anyone who came close. It was her upbringing that made her this way. And unfortunately, since she was still very young, she hadn't had time to understand the stupidity she had been taught. Because of that, Darian couldn't feel anger.

"You asked for this!" Limdiss shouted softly as the condensed power in her hand shot viciously toward Darian's chest.

*Bang!*

A deafening explosion echoed through the hall.

The instant Limdiss's hand touched Darian's body, it passed right through, creating a distorted afterimage.

Caught off guard, Limdiss staggered forward, nearly falling. She immediately restrained her power and regained her balance, shock running through her.

"First move."

A lazy voice sounded a few meters behind her.