The entire process went incredibly smoothly as well.

Once the rankings were finalized, the second stage of the exam came to an end.

The third stage was scheduled for tomorrow, so they would rest for another night.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. ’Where exactly did the problem arise?’

The whole competition went off without a hitch, leaving no clues or traces.

’What nasty trick is Wang Tianxing cooking up now?’

The more Shen Bai thought about it, the more he felt that today’s competition had been unsettlingly normal.

Just then, Ouyang Sword and Xu Qian walked over to greet Shen Bai.

"Thankfully, I didn’t disappoint. Brother Shen, I’ve made it to the final stage," Ouyang Sword said.

He had studied under a master and was considered one of the top talents among the younger generation at his local Observatory, so it was only natural that he would shine here.

After all, he was one of the most highly anticipated participants in the exam.

Xu Qian gave a bitter smile. "My luck ran out. I didn’t make it past the second stage."

In terms of raw power, Xu Qian was rather unremarkable among the participants.

He specialized in defense, but his offensive capabilities were limited. During his match, his opponent wore him down with a series of attacks until he was ultimately defeated.

Shen Bai nodded. "It’s great news that you’ve made it to the third stage, Brother Ouyang. And Brother Xu, don’t be too disheartened about not reaching the final round. After all, just making it to the second stage means you’re already one of the best here."

After offering a word of comfort, Shen Bai changed the subject.

"Did either of you notice anything unusual about your opponents during your matches?"

Unable to figure it out on his own, Shen Bai decided to try a different approach and asked the question offhandedly.

Ouyang Sword and Xu Qian exchanged a look and shook their heads in unison.

"Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Our opponents were normal, and the matches were all fought by the book. We can’t speak for the other matches, though."

Shen Bai stroked his chin. ’Finding the mole among so many matches is going to be incredibly difficult,’ he thought.

Not far away, Feng Zheng was also questioning many of the participants in detail, but he was receiving the same answers.

After questioning a few more people, he realized this line of inquiry was fruitless and walked over to Shen Bai’s side.

"We still have close to nothing in terms of clues."

Shen Bai looked to the Daoist Sect elder beside them. "Senior, if you would be so kind as to shield the area."

Shen Bai was determined to resolve the day’s issues before it ended. Since the enemy had laid a trap during the second stage, he intended to deal with it as best he could.

Now that all the exam participants were out and about, there were certain things that couldn’t be said openly.

The Daoist Sect elder nodded. He drew a piece of Talisman Paper from his sleeve and ignited it. An invisible barrier instantly enveloped the area.

Inside the barrier were only Shen Bai, Feng Zheng, the two judges, and the Third Prince.

Shen Bai asked, "Lord Feng, you knew there was a mole beforehand. Did you have any countermeasures in place?"

Feng Zheng nodded. "I did, but it was more like casting a wide net."

"According to my intelligence, the mole is hiding among the exam participants. With so few clues, my only option was to maintain the exam’s order while simultaneously investigating the background of every single participant to find the mole."

"I’ve already vetted half of them, but screening the other half will take more time."

Feng Zheng looked troubled as he spoke.

The Observatory wasn’t omnipotent. There were times when even they hit a dead end.

Shen Bai stroked his chin and began to pace back and forth in the empty space. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Feng Zheng was a sharp man. He could see that Shen Bai seemed to be onto something, so he remained silent, not wanting to disturb him.

Nearby, the Third Prince had recovered somewhat after a period of rest, and some color had returned to his face.

All four of them fixed their gazes on Shen Bai, waiting for his response.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shen Bai finally stopped pacing. He turned to Feng Zheng and spoke.

"Lord Feng, the member of the Observatory who came to get me today—was he one of your trusted men?"

Just a moment ago, a question had suddenly occurred to Shen Bai.

Wang Tianxing’s methods were watertight. His cunning, in particular, was far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Take today’s brilliant misdirection, for example—even Shen Bai had been fooled by it.

A man like that wouldn’t make a careless mistake over a minor detail.

So then, why would a clue about the mole have been discovered by the Observatory in the first place?

Back then, when Wang Tianxing was posturing, he had even directly stated he had a plan in motion—a plan targeting the internal exam.

But Wang Tianxing never once used the word "mole."

This proved one thing: it was very likely that Wang Tianxing had *intentionally* let Feng Zheng and the others find out about the mole.

If Wang Tianxing had just said it, some might not have believed him. But for it to be "discovered" through an investigation erased any possibility of doubt.

Shen Bai noticed something else, too: the Observatory’s intelligence indicated the mole was among the exam participants.

’Perhaps there’s a middle ground. A mole exists, but they aren’t necessarily one of the exam participants.’

Once he expanded the scope of his thinking, Shen Bai immediately sensed something was off.

This morning, he hadn’t been late. In fact, he had woken up right on time.

’So why was I rushed by a member of the Observatory?’

Feng Zheng looked puzzled. "I didn’t send anyone to get you. What’s going on? All my attention has been focused on monitoring the exam participants. How could something like this have happened?"