Zhiwei Arrives, News Leaked!

Ruan Zhiwei placed a Jade Slip on the table and gently pushed it toward Li Bufan.

"Li Brother, this contains the method for breaking the restriction on the Rising Sun Soul Grass."

Li Bufan's heart stirred, and he reached out to take the Jade Slip.

In truth, Lin Zhiyan had already broken the restriction, so this method was neither here nor there for him.

Still, he calmly tucked the Jade Slip into his sleeve. "Many thanks, Miss Ruan. Miss Ruan speaks with admirable frankness. I am impressed."

Ruan Zhiwei shook her head. The smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a serious expression.

"Li Brother, there is something I want to ask you. Please answer me honestly."

Seeing how solemn she was, Li Bufan's expression turned serious as well. "Please, go ahead."

Ruan Zhiwei looked straight into his eyes and said, word by word, "Li Brother, tell me the truth—when you refined that furnace of pills, did you hold back?"

The question was blunt.

So blunt that even Lin Zhiyan glanced sideways at Ruan Zhiwei.

Li Bufan said nothing. He merely looked quietly at Ruan Zhiwei.

In Ruan Zhiwei's eyes shone a yearning for the truth. It was not suspicion, nor was it probing—it was a kind of... unwillingness to accept things as they were.

She wanted to know whether she had won this championship through her own ability, or whether it had been handed to her by someone else.

Li Bufan fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Miss Ruan, I truly did my best at the time. It was just that... I still failed in the end."

His tone was calm and his gaze open, without the slightest flaw to be found.

Ruan Zhiwei stared at him for a long while before finally nodding.

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