Choosing a Tier and Registration Turmoil

"Emerald Fourth-Tier? Kid, you should at least go for Azure Fifth-Tier!" Reed Kong—the Straw-Hat Envoy—grew anxious as soon as he heard Evan's choice.

"Azure Fifth-Tier means I’d have to challenge two opponents a realm above me. I don’t have that kind of strength." Evan Yang chuckled.

Reed Kong shook his head in disbelief. "You can already challenge across two realms—how could you possibly fail against just one realm higher?"

"I already told you—time and luck, those two factors let me kill that Star Lord." Evan Yang smiled.

Seeing Evan’s expression, Reed Kong sighed helplessly. "You—ah, forget it. It’s your choice anyway. I just wanted to show everyone what you could do. If you could get Emerald Fourth-Tier, I’d look pretty good too."

"So what do I get out of it?" Evan Yang asked, genuinely curious.

"Tiers One to Three don’t really offer much, but from Fourth-Tier up, the benefits are obvious. At least now that you’ve killed a Fifth-Tier Star Lord, the Three Palaces won’t trouble you. As for the Black Hand Syndicate, that’s a different story. Their organization is weird—some geniuses they won’t kill, others they will. In your case, it depends how many of their bottom lines you cross." Reed Kong replied.

"That’s it? That sounds pretty limited." Evan Yang felt it wasn’t much.

"Isn’t that good enough? It already means you won’t be hunted by other Star Lords—how is that not a benefit?" Reed Kong muttered when he saw Evan still wasn’t satisfied.

"Then forget it, I won’t bother. Those Star Lords can’t find me anyway—unless you snitch." Evan Yang laughed.

As soon as Evan Yang refused, Reed Kong frowned and said, “You’re so greedy, kid!”

“Why would I bother if there’s no benefit? If I have a Genius Pavilion title hanging over my head, it’ll just make things harder when I fight, right?” Evan Yang chuckled.

Reed Kong shot back, “If you have that title, who’d be dumb enough to mess with you?”

Evan explained, “I don’t know about that. The world’s big—there are always weirdos out there looking for trouble. If someone comes after me, I’ll have to fight back. And if everyone knows my Genius Pavilion tier, they’ll prepare for me ahead of time—that exposes my biggest advantage.”

Reed Kong admitted, accepting Evan’s logic, “You know, you’ve got a point. Anyone targeting a Genius Pavilion member will match your tier and send out the right strength. If a genius can’t be killed, they become a long-term threat—so sometimes geniuses do fall.”

Evan Yang replied, “See? That title’s just asking for trouble. If there’s no real benefit, I won’t bother with certification. I’ll go with you, but that’s it.”

Reed Kong argued, annoyed at Evan’s dismissal, “That’s not fair. Plenty of families and sects envy talent. With that title, they’ll treat you like an honored guest—give you materials, cultivation treasures, whatever you want. They’ll practically worship you.”

Evan Yang chuckled, “So tell me, what else could tempt me to get certified?”

Reed Kong replied, “Sixth and Seventh Tiers are taken in as elite by the Three Palaces for special training. For Fourth and Fifth Tier, you need our Genius Pavilion recommendation—so if you want to go, you’ll need our backing.”

Evan Yang replied, “The Three Palaces? Not interested. You can skip that.”

Reed Kong was annoyed by Evan, but after thinking about it, realized it wasn’t a big deal. In the past, plenty of Sixth and Seventh-Tier talents refused to enter the Three Palaces, let alone someone just aiming for Fourth-Tier certification.

Evan Yang smiled, “So, what other benefits are there?”

Reed Kong said, his face twitching a bit, “Alright, above Fourth-Tier you can enter special cultivation zones.”

Evan Yang asked, eyeing Reed Kong suspiciously, “Oh? Why didn’t you mention that earlier?”

Reed Kong sighed, “To be honest, special cultivation zones are fast, but the baleful qi inside is too heavy. People who come out often turn into killers or go mad, sometimes even suffer qi-deviation. Entry is strictly limited—unless your mental fortitude is strong, you can’t go in. As for you, you’ll have to pass the mental test first, or you’ll be kept out.”

Hearing this, Evan Yang thought for a moment, then smiled. “Alright, I agree. I’ll go for Emerald Fourth-Tier certification.”

So quick? Reed Kong was confused. He’d listed every benefit earlier, and Evan had hesitated. Now, just mentioning a dangerous training ground convinced him. Reed was baffled.

Evan Yang ignored Reed Kong’s look. He knew he was immune to demonic baleful qi, especially certain demonic arts, thanks to his training in Northsource Region and the mysterious Demon-Ward Eight Arts.

Just like that, Evan Yang gradually became familiar with Reed Kong, learning that he was an internal Genius Pavilion officer in charge of scouting talents across several star systems below third-class stars, including Brightspirit Star and the world above former Northridge Star. He managed many subordinates who scouted for him, and reviewed their findings.

As for Evan Yang, he quickly gained Reed Kong’s approval. After over a year of effort, Reed finally found Evan again and was ready to bring him back.

Soon, Evan Yang was brought by Reed Kong to a planet—a huge planet not governed by the Three Palaces, reserved exclusively for the Genius Pavilion.

Seeing the whole planet belonged to just one Pavilion, Evan Yang was shocked—especially since it was so large. Occasionally, he saw people flying back and forth across the sky.

Some were internal Genius Pavilion staff, others were certified geniuses—so there were plenty of people around.

Reed Kong explained, “There are over a thousand Genius Pavilion staff stationed here, but across the three star systems, there are far more—so many that even I don’t know the exact number.”

“With so many planets in each star system, there must be hundreds of thousands of internal staff.” Evan Yang said, amazed.

That’s right, hundreds of thousands at least. It’s a massive system—and that doesn’t even count the geniuses themselves.' Reed Kong laughed.

Evan Yang’s mind was filled with thoughts. The Genius Pavilion was enormous—and that was just the staff, not even the geniuses.

Come on, let’s get you registered, then start the assessment.' Reed Kong said, seeing Evan’s expression.

Evan Yang nodded and followed Reed Kong.

There were no cities here, but plenty of buildings—especially one area where the architecture was densest. Reed Kong led Evan Yang there.

This was the Genius Pavilion headquarters. The planet itself was called Genius Star.

The staff here were all powerful, and had seen many geniuses. Emerald Fourth-Tier talents like Evan Yang were common—some were new, some were upgrading from Third-Tier.

Reed Kong arrived at a building—the Genius Assessment Center.

Downstairs, they saw many people waiting in line. The First-Tier area was especially crowded, then the Second-Tier, and by the Fourth-Tier only a few people remained. Fifth-Tier had even fewer, and there were none at Sixth or Seventh-Tier.

To the Fourth-Tier.' Reed Kong led Evan Yang inside, where an elderly attendant asked, 'Name? How many years at Third-Tier? Current strength?'

Evan Yang, zero years at Third-Tier, Out-of-Body Realm beginner, first assessment. My recommender is Reed Kong.' Reed reported. Reed had judged Evan’s strength during their flight together.

The old man looked up at Evan Yang, saw he was just a beggar, then lowered his head and muttered as he registered him, "Don’t be overconfident. If you end up crippled, it won’t be pretty."

Reed Kong trusted Evan Yang’s strength, so he wasn’t worried. "Relax, he’ll definitely make it," Reed said with a smile.

The old man looked up at Reed Kong again, “You’re that confident?”

“Of course.” Reed Kong smiled.

“Alright, here—take this and head to the assessment.” The old man handed over a palm-sized wooden token, which stored Evan Yang’s information.

Reed Kong took it with a smile, then led Evan Yang away.

They hadn’t gone far when someone stopped Reed Kong, grinning. “Isn’t this Professor Kong?”

“Professor Kong?” Evan Yang wondered. Since when was Reed Kong called that?

“Gavin Qiao, what are you up to now?” Reed Kong frowned.

Gavin Qiao mocked, “You know, these days we’re recruiting more geniuses, so the assessments are tougher. I’m afraid you’ll fail again—and your candidates will end up crippled.”

“That’s none of your business. Move along!” Reed Kong snorted coldly.

Gavin Qiao continued to mock, “Wow, when did Professor Kong get so ambitious?”

“This is the Genius Pavilion. I don’t want to fight you—so you’d better leave.” Reed Kong said coldly.

“Move along? What if I don’t?” The man grinned shamelessly, then glanced at Evan Yang, his smile growing wider.

Reed Kong frowned. “You—!”

The man sneered, “Don’t forget, your status is still lower than mine. No matter how hard you try, you can’t surpass me.”

“Just wait—I’ll surpass you.” Reed Kong snorted coldly.

The man grinned, then swept his gaze over Evan Yang again—this time with malice, even releasing pressure to intimidate him. “Oh, your attitude’s changed. Is it him? Is he the reason you’re so confident?”

Evan Yang felt a powerful pressure press down on him, as if he would be crushed.

Seeing this, Reed Kong quickly released his own aura. “Gavin Qiao, don’t push your luck!”

The commotion drew attention from people nearby.

Just then, an old man stepped out from a door inside the building, cane in hand. He struck the ground forcefully, and the sound and aura freed Evan Yang from the confrontation. Reed Kong and Gavin Qiao quickly withdrew their auras.

“What are you two doing?” The old man said, displeased, cane in hand.

“Elder Mu.” Both men hurriedly apologized.

The old man pointed his cane at them, “I asked what you were doing!”

Reed Kong explained, “I brought someone for assessment, but he’s blocking us.”

“Gavin Qiao, is that true?” The old man frowned.

(Line skipped: Chapter navigation prompt. Not relevant to the story.)