As soon as those words were uttered on the NBN broadcast, the audience in the stadium and the millions watching at home were frozen in shock.
Wang Ye was also a sorcerer?
Under Silas's (Zhuge Qing) intense interrogation, the young Daoist played by Leo Vance realized he could no longer maintain his "lazy student" facade. He let out a long, weary sigh. "Man, I really can't be friends with someone like you. There are no secrets in your house, are there?"
Silas's eyes narrowed, his gaze sharpening. "Am I right, then? You've been holding back."
The audience held their breath. Wang Ye finally looked up, his sleepy eyes gaining a terrifyingly clear, focused glint. "I was holding onto a sliver of hope, wishing I could defeat you before you felt the need to use your Occult Matrix. It seems I was being a bit naive."
He took a slow step forward, his voice dropping into a calm, chilling register. "Silas... have you ever been defeated? In your entire life?"
Silas replied, his posture stiffening, "If you don't count practice matches with my elders... no. Never."
Wang Ye took another step, the gravel crunching under his boots. "Then... can you accept your own defeat? Can your heart handle it?"
He continued with a frightening serenity, "Since we are both sorcerers, there's no need to struggle as hard as the normal people. I'll give you time. Your so-called 'seeking good fortune and avoiding disaster'... how will you choose, Silas? Which path will your hexagrams show you now?"
The words hit the viewers like a physical wave. The live chat was a storm of "!!!" and fire emojis. This wasn't just a threat; it was a declaration of absolute superiority. It was Wang Ye essentially saying: "Use your best moves. Use the art you've spent twenty years perfecting. I will defeat you on your own ground."
"I knew Teacher Leo couldn't be that simple!"
Inside the Mountain Retreat cabin, Dakota Fanning stared at the screen, her face flushed with excitement. As a loyal fan of JJK and Gojo Satoru, she had been waiting for this moment. She even had a secret collection of Gojo figurines at home and had once bought a high-end cosplay set just to wear in private. Seeing Leo "wake up" on screen felt like the return of the King.
"Look at his eyes," Gordon Ramsey noted, leaning forward with a look of genuine professional respect. "His acting... he's a completely different person than he was in the first episode. I'm calling it now: with the dual performances of Gojo and Wang Ye, this kid is going to sweep the award season. He's got 'Film Emperor' potential written all over him."
Gordon, influenced by his own children, had become a regular viewer of Leo's work. He could see that while Leo was young, his ability to inhabit a character was reaching a level of veteran mastery.
Ryan, the host, was also surprised by Gordon's high evaluation. Before this, Leo Vance was a "blacklisted" brat that most of the industry wanted to ignore. Now, the heavyweights were beginning to treat him as a peer.
Upper East Side, Manhattan. The Vance Estate.
"Heh, I'd like to see what this kid is pretending to be this time," Arthur Vance said casually, his tone dismissive. But his eyes were gleaming, fixed on the 80-inch 4K screen.
He had just been complaining that Leo wasn't "Vance material" ten minutes ago, but now the situation had reversed. Deep down, he was incredibly proud. He was already planning which of his old-money friends he would call tomorrow just to "casually" mention that his son was the #1 trending topic in the country.
"Handsome son! Your mom loves you!" Catherine Vance cheered as Wang Ye delivered his lines with that calm, "Alpha" energy. Even though he looked like a sleepy monk, his presence was suddenly maximizing the screen.
Lauren Vance shook her head, watching her father's "tsundere" (stubborn but proud) behavior. She knew her dad cared more than he let on; otherwise, the Vance legal team wouldn't have been "available" to help Leo with his recent contracts.
On the screen, Wang Ye began to advise Silas one last time.
"A sorcerer must go with the flow, Silas. I don't mean to insult you, and I'll only say this once... Walk away. Forfeit. This is the best outcome the universe is offering you."
Silas stood stunned, his hands clenching into fists, his expression grim. "Daoist Wang... I just divined a hexagram for myself. And the result... surprisingly, only has four words: A moth to the flame."
Saying this, Silas suddenly roared, "Kun Position: Earth River Cart!"
"Kun Position: Earth River Cart," Wang Ye softly echoed.
As his voice fell, the ground beneath Silas erupted. A gargantuan, high-definition stone dragon made of earth and rock surged upward, rushing toward Silas with a roar. Its size and speed far surpassed the version Silas had just cast!
"He's stepping on the Xun position but using a Kun technique? And it's that much stronger?!" Silas dodged frantically, his face pale with amazement. He retaliated: "Li Position: Crimson Serpent!"
A massive pillar of fire shot toward Wang Ye, who was standing atop the stone dragon.
"Xun Position: Sandalwood Merit!" Wang Ye shouted.
More than a dozen massive wooden pillars erupted from the dragon's head, forming a shield that instantly snuffed out the flames. As Silas unleashed a barrage of fire and earth, Wang Ye dodged with a fluid, effortless grace that made the "Budget-Breaking" VFX look like a million-dollar movie sequence.
The national audience was ecstatic. This wasn't a TV fight; it was a cinematic war.
"Impossible!" Silas shouted, his mind racing. "Even the strongest master... cannot disregard the principles of the Elements! What kind of spell are you using?!"
"Silas, what do you think?" Wang Ye dispelled the dragon and walked toward him. "Let's stop. Didn't you see your own hexagram?"
Silas's eyes narrowed into slits. "It's a bad omen. Perhaps I will lose miserably. But... there are things more important to an Outcast than dignity. And that is The Truth!"
Silas's eyes suddenly flared with a brilliant, emerald light. A pillar of green energy shot into the sky.
"Occult Matrix: Manifestation Mind Method!"
In the stands, Silas's younger brother began to cry. "Brother, don't! Your mind can't handle it! Stop!"
But Silas continued. His vision shifted, the world becoming abstract as he tried to peer into the "Source" of Wang Ye's power. "Let me see... what you've really done!"
Silas attacked, his figure a blur of green energy. Wang Ye dodged, his movements like lightning.
"Dui Position: Black Glaze!"
Wang Ye's figure passed Silas in a flash. Silas stopped mid-stride, his entire presence seeming to deflate like a piece of paper.
"What... did you do?" Silas asked, looking at Wang Ye's back.
A single drop of blood fell from Wang Ye's finger. "The Danzhong acupoint is restrained. That's enough, isn't it?"
Silas stood frozen for a long moment. His head finally drooped, his pride shattered. "I... concede."
"Whew!" Wang Ye let out a breath of relief. "That's more like it."
But then, Wang Ye's expression changed. A dark, chaotic green light began to spread through Silas's body, the feedback from peering too deeply into the forbidden.
"STOP!"
Wang Ye's face was no longer calm; he was genuinely panicked. He sprinted toward the collapsing Silas. "I TOLD YOU TO STOP!"
The screen faded to black, leaving the nation on the edge of its seat for the next episode.