Third Life Reincarnation: Finally Born Into a Magical World-Chapter 66: The Third Trial (Part-1)

That evening, the courtyard was quiet, lanterns swaying softly in the breeze, when Ryan, Li Baijie, and Li Wujie made their way to visit Li Shu.

When the door opened, Li Shu blinked in surprise. Her eyes curved into bright crescents. "Young Master Wei, Sister Baijie, Wushie... why are you all here?"

Li Wujie’s face stiffened. "It’s Wujie. Wujie. And I’m older than you."

She nodded at once, completely serious. "Okay, Brother Wujie."

Her calm, obedient tone made it hard to believe she was the same girl who had stunned the entire square that morning.

Li Baijie stepped forward. "How are you? Any pain?"

Li Shu shook her head. "Just a little tired. Thank you for coming."

Li Baijie reached out and tapped her nose gently. "Such a polite little thing."

Ryan cleared his throat, and the mood shifted at once.

"Sit," he said.

The three of them straightened instantly. Li Shu sat on the edge of the bed while Li Baijie and Li Wujie took seats nearby.

Ryan looked at each of them, his voice calm but firm. "Tomorrow’s third round isn’t about endurance or luck. It’s real combat. If you can’t win, nothing else matters."

The room fell silent.

Li Baijie’s fingers tightened slightly on her knee. She knew the numbers. Only twenty qualification spots. Over fifty competitors. Most were seven-star Elites or higher, which also included his own clansmen. Not to mention the fact that the five people that Examiner Wang has selected almost had a hundred percent chance of success. That means basically, she should compete for 15 spots only against more than forty people.

Winning once was difficult.

Winning again and again? Nearly impossible.

A faint heaviness settled in the room.

Ryan watched their expressions for a moment... then allowed a small smile to surface.

"Good," he said softly.

Li Wujie blinked. "Good? What’s good?"

Ryan leaned back a little. "That you understand the difficulty. Now you’ll listen to what I say next."

Three pairs of eyes lifted at once.

Li Shu leaned forward, curious. Li Baijie’s brows rose. Even Li Wujie looked excited.

Ryan slipped a hand into his sleeve and turned his palm upward.

A tiny pill rested there, no bigger than a bean.

"I prepared something for you," he said quietly.

The pill gleamed under the lantern light.

Li Wujie stared. "What... is that?"

Li Wujie stared at the bean-sized pills Ryan had taken out, his brows knitting together in confusion. The little things looked ordinary, no different from common medicinal pellets, yet Ryan’s expression made them feel anything but normal.

"Eat ten each," Ryan said calmly, a faint smile hiding his anticipation. "You’ll understand once you swallow them."

Though hesitant, Li Wujie, Li Baijie, and Li Shu each took ten of the small pills. Under Ryan’s steady gaze, they exchanged brief looks, then swallowed them in one breath.

The reaction was immediate.

Li Wujie’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning. Li Baijie sucked in a sharp breath, her expression shifting from doubt to shock. Li Shu blinked rapidly, her pale face flushing with color.

"What... is this?" Li Baijie exclaimed, disbelief clear in her voice.

Ryan leaned forward slightly. "Does it work?"

"Work?" Li Baijie laughed in astonishment. "This is insane. I can clearly feel my strength increasing!"

"My speed too," Li Wujie added, clenching his fist. "Everything feels lighter, faster."

Li Shu nodded obediently, her voice soft but excited. "Young Master, I was still very weak just now, but after eating these pills, I feel much better. My strength has recovered a lot."

Their cultivation realms had not changed, yet something fundamental was different. Their bodies felt stronger, reactions sharper, thoughts clearer, as if a layer of fog had been wiped from their minds.

Unable to contain himself, Li Wujie threw a casual punch into the air.

A sharp boom echoed.

The sound alone revealed the truth. Compared to before, the punch was faster, heavier, and far more explosive. All three instantly realized the same thing. These pills did not raise their levels, but they had dramatically enhanced their physical foundations.

Only then did Ryan relax slightly. Until now, he had only tested these pills on himself. Whether they would work on others had been uncertain.

Seeing their reactions, he finally explained, no longer hiding anything. "Your realms can’t be raised in such a short time, so I found another way. These pills strengthen your body itself. They’ll help you face the third round."

In truth, these were all-attribute pills Ryan had accumulated while hunting monsters in the Forest of Death. He had consumed many himself, leaving two to three hundred stored away. At first, he only gave ten to each of them, unwilling to waste too many in case they were ineffective.

Now that the results were undeniable, Ryan took out the rest without hesitation. He distributed them according to their strength and condition. Li Wujie received sixty pills, Li Baijie eighty, and Li Shu a full hundred.

"Medicines that enhance physical fitness..." Li Baijie murmured, eyes shining.

They all understood what this meant. Pills like these were far more valuable than ordinary cultivation medicines.

Unlike level-boosting pills, which lost effectiveness over time, strengthening one’s body provided a permanent edge. Greater stamina, stronger bursts of power, faster speed. Against opponents of the same realm, this advantage was decisive.

Ryan himself was living proof of that truth.

His expression turned serious as he added, "For now, don’t ask where these pills came from. Keep this matter secret. No one else is allowed to know."

Li Shu nodded immediately. "I won’t tell anyone. I promise."

"Relax, Brother," Li Wujie said solemnly, imitating an adult’s tone. "I’m not the type to blabber."

Li Baijie also gave her word. "I’ll keep quiet."

Only then did Ryan feel reassured. His strength was not yet enough to ignore all danger. Staying low-key was still the safest choice.

"Eat the rest and adapt," he instructed. "Get used to your bodies as quickly as possible."

The three did not waste another word. They consumed the remaining pills and focused on adjusting to the surge of newfound strength, excitement barely contained.

*

The next day, the third round of the qualification examination began as scheduled.

Wushuang Square was more crowded than ever. The sea of people stretched endlessly, the atmosphere far more intense than the previous days. Everyone wanted to witness which young warriors would truly stand at the peak of Fengyue City’s younger generation.

Forty-eight candidates from the second round, plus the five exempted participants, made a total of fifty-three. These fifty-three were the absolute focus of attention.

This round was true combat. Strength against strength.

Ryan noticed how the crowd’s enthusiasm had skyrocketed and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This world worshipped power above all else. Those who were strong would always stand under the brightest light.

Li Shu was the perfect example. Because of her performance the day before, her appearance today was met with warm applause and genuine admiration.

The rules of the third round were simple but brutal. Each participant would fight the others in turn, totaling fifty-two matches per person. Rankings would be determined by the number of victories, and from those rankings, the top twenty would earn qualification to head to Western Mansion’s main headquarters.

The battles would last three to four days.

Ryan already had an understanding with Wang Zongyao.

As long as the Li Clan members reached this stage, they would be guaranteed qualification regardless of ranking. However, Ryan deliberately kept this from them. Without pressure, there would be no growth. Flowers raised in a greenhouse would never survive real storms.

The earlier eliminations had proven that clearly.

There was only one chance.

Miss it, and it was gone forever.

This year’s third round was completely different from previous editions. In earlier years, the format had always been brutal and simple. A straight knockout. Lose once, and you are out. The final twenty standing would take the qualification slots, clean and decisive.

But such rules had always left a sour taste for many.