The atmosphere had barely settled into a tense silence when the questions of the three Masters were cut short.

  Before anyone could utter another word, the library doors burst open with a thunderous, deafening crash. One of the heavy doors nearly flew off its hinges. In the doorway, framed by the blinding light from outside, stood a silhouette dark, towering, and terrifying. Then, a deep, booming voice, saturated with rage, echoed through the vast hall.

  "Who dared to begin this competition without my permission?"

  The three Masters spun around, their eyes wide with disbelief. As the figure stepped into the flickering candlelight, the ground seemed to vanish beneath their feet. A cold, visceral dread took hold.

  Clad in midnight robes with a long black cloak billowing behind him like a funeral shroud, his eyes burned like ancient, dying coals. It was none other than Lin Chaoyuan.

  The moment he recognized the intruder, Master Fung Shu-Ri’s fists clenched white. He bellowed,

  "Lin Chaoyuan!"

  The three Masters stepped forward in unison, barring his path. Master Kin Lishuan was livid, his voice ringing out like cold steel.

  "You traitor! How dare you set foot here? You lost the right to call this land your own long ago. This kingdom belongs to the new generation now. It is no longer bound by your poison!"

  Master Chui Yong added fiercely,

  "You are nothing more than a name burned into ash on a ruined page. Get out of here!"

  Lin Chaoyuan’s expression remained unmoving. He stood tall, calm, and lethally composed. Finally, he took a slow step forward.

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  "Why are you in such a hurry? I will leave, but first, I will take what I came for what is rightfully mine,"

  he said with chilling detachment.

  "And whoever stands in my path, I shall annihilate. And what was that you said? The 'new generation'? Huh!"

  The room turned ice-cold. Then, a laugh escaped Lin Chaoyuan not a normal laugh, but a wild, echoing, manic cackle. The sound struck the ancient library walls like a physical curse.

  He threw his head back, laughing until tears pricked his eyes, though there was no joy in them.

  "Yu Sui!"

  he wheezed through his laughter.

  "You actually included him in the competition?"

  He gestured toward the doors, toward the open courtyard behind them.

  "That boy... he isn't even worthy of being called a clan member. And you... you thought to make him a future King? That boy... that Yu Sui...! He is worse than even I am."

  The room shivered in the following silence. Then, Lin Chaoyuan’s voice became low, deep, sharp, and unforgettable.

  "Years ago... the child for whom the forbidden mantra was altered... the one who triggered the curse that decimated half the kingdom... it was none other than your precious Yu Sui."

  The air shattered like glass. The three Masters stood paralyzed, frozen to the spot.

  Master Kin Lishuan stammered,

  "No, Lin Chaoyuan... no. Did you think we would fall for your pathetic lies? Don't even dream of it. You are a traitor. Hearing the truth from your mouth is like trying to separate poison from water. It is impossible."

  At this, Lin Chaoyuan burst into laughter once more, sounding utterly deranged. Finally, he stopped.

  "Oh? A lie? So you think this is a lie, do you?"

  He stepped closer, his voice rising with the thrill of impending victory.

  "Then do you have the courage to test it? What if I show you the mirror of truth?"

  They were all stunned when Lin Chaoyuan suddenly dragged a woman from behind him into the room.

  Upon seeing her, Master Kin Lishuan’s knees gave out. He collapsed to the floor, clutching his chest in agony. He recognized this woman all too well.

  "No... no... it can't be true... it's all a lie... it has to be a lie..."

  Lin Chaoyuan loomed over them, his voice triumphant.

  "Then why don't you hear the truth for yourselves?"

  He spread his arms wide.

  "If I show you the proof, and it is proven that I am right... then Yu Sui must die by my hands. But if I am lying... then I will take my own life, right here, right now."

  The three Masters looked at one another, their faces ashen, their eyes filled with a mixture of bloodshot fury and unshed tears.