"Master, it's nothing. I was just chatting with Senior Brother." Chase Chu said respectfully to Mad Elder.
"Oh? Then come in, both of you. Keep me company and chat for a bit." Mad Elder laughed.
Evan Yang and Chase Chu walked in and sat down on some stones. Mad Elder smiled at Evan Yang and said, "You're at ninth-tier Heavenly-Immortal now?"
"Yes." Evan Yang replied.
"How strong can you challenge?" Mad Elder asked directly. He knew about Evan Yang's ability to leapfrog realms.
Evan Yang smiled, "Early Immortal-Lord—first or second tier—is still doable."
"Oh? Are you being conservative?" Mad Elder smiled at Evan Yang.
"Mad Elder, it depends. If it's a real fight to the death, my strength goes up. If it's not, then I'm a bit conservative." Evan Yang smiled.
"I knew it, you're definitely holding back a bit." Mad Elder laughed.
"You're flattering me, Mad Elder." Evan Yang smiled.
"Alright, I won't flatter you anymore. Tomorrow, there's news—you're guarding a gate, right? That kid's strength isn't weak, even if he's Immortal-Lord second tier, he's at least comparable to third tier. Be careful." Mad Elder said.
"Oh? Is that so? But I don't quite get what 'guarding a gate' means. Can one person guard multiple gates?" Evan Yang asked.
"Of course you can. If you're strong enough, you could guard all five gates. But as long as you win once, it counts as a win." Mad Elder replied.
"Is that so? Then that's fine. I don't believe I can't win at least once." Evan Yang laughed.
"Oh? So confident? I'll be watching." Mad Elder laughed.
"Mad Elder, what exactly is the Blue Robe Sect's sword technique?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"I'll teach you after this trial is over. Others might need thousands of years to learn it, but maybe you'll only need a few hundred." Mad Elder, knowing Evan Yang's potential, said with a smile.
Evan Yang smiled, "Then I'll look forward to it."
"Alright, come on. Let me show you around our branch. There may only be a few people, but there are still plenty of secrets here." Mad Elder said with a smile.
Evan Yang paused, then smiled, "Alright."
"Master, what about me?" Chase Chu asked curiously.
"You? Go rest. I'm taking your senior brother for a walk." Mad Elder said.
Chase Chu nodded and left. Mad Elder took Evan Yang along, and on the way, Mad Elder said, "This mountain may look rundown, but there are a lot of secrets here."
"Secrets? Why?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Look carefully at the ground." Mad Elder said.
Evan Yang looked at the ground. At first glance, he felt nothing—it was just some yellowish clay, plus some broken stones, like a ruined mountain.
"Mad Elder, this ground is a bit unusual." Evan Yang muttered after a closer look.
"That's right. Look even closer." Mad Elder said.
Evan Yang carefully sensed it. He found his earth attribute stirring restlessly. When he placed his hand down, a surge of dense earth attribute flooded into his arm. He was shocked, "What is this?"
"That's right, I heard you're also earth attribute. I really didn't expect it." Mad Elder laughed.
"You knew about this, Senior?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Yeah, Junior Sister Qingxia just told me. And you're a Three-Attribute Heaven, too—how did I not notice someone like you before?" Mad Elder tutted.
"Senior, you're joking again." Evan Yang said awkwardly.
"The reason I've stayed on this mountain so long is because I'm earth attribute, too. I absorb a lot every day, but my body has limits—the longer I stay, the less I can absorb. As for you, I can't say, but I think you can take in a lot." Mad Elder muttered.
Evan Yang asked curiously, "Senior, is this really natural earth attribute?"
"That's right, it's natural. If you have nothing else to do, just stay here. It'll be good for you." Mad Elder said.
Evan Yang asked, "Senior, what exactly is this place? Why is the earth attribute here so dense?"
"I don't know either, it's just that mysterious. I've been here for years and still haven't figured it out. So I'm handing this task to you—let me know if you discover anything." Mad Elder laughed.
Evan Yang was stunned. "Senior, that's not fair, is it?"
"Why not? I'm giving you the job—good luck." Mad Elder laughed and left, leaving Evan Yang there in a daze.
Once everyone was gone, Evan Yang squatted down and muttered, "Logically, with earth qi this dense, I should have noticed it sooner. Why do I only feel it when I touch the ground?"
Evan Yang reached for the ground again, and a surge of dense earth qi flowed into his body. "Whatever, I'll just absorb it first." He closed his eyes, sat there, one hand on the ground, and began absorbing wildly.
An entire day passed without him realizing it. Evan Yang opened his eyes to find Mad Elder and Chase Chu standing nearby.
"You sat there all night?" Mad Elder asked.
"Yeah." Evan Yang nodded.
"No way, that's crazy! At my cultivation, even sitting here for a day makes me exhausted. But you—" Mad Elder couldn't believe it. He knew how dense the earth attribute was here: absorbing too much in a day leaves you feeling saturated and tired.
But Evan Yang didn't feel that way at all, so he shook his head. "I didn't feel anything like that."
"That's strange. Next time, try and see how long you can keep absorbing." Mad Elder said.
"Alright." Evan Yang replied.
"Let's go." Mad Elder said to Evan Yang, now ready to take him somewhere else.
Evan Yang asked, puzzled, "It's starting?"
"Yeah, the message is out. Someone's challenging a gate today. It's just a normal challenge, but I want to see how strong you really are." Mad Elder said with a smile.
"Uh, Mad Elder, you're overestimating me again." Evan Yang said.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's go." Mad Elder laughed.
Evan Yang nodded and left with Mad Elder and Chase Chu.
They flew for a while, passing many places and small palaces. According to Mad Elder, these all belonged to the Blue Robe Sect. The whole planet had one Blue Robe Sect, split into many branches, each led by an elder, and every elder was at least Emperor-Lord level.
(Irrelevant web fiction navigation prompt; skip translation.)
Evan Yang asked curiously, "Mad Elder, how many branches does the Blue Robe Sect have?"
"More than twenty." Mad Elder replied.
Evan Yang was shocked. That meant just managing the branches required Emperor-Lord cultivators. Who knew how many Emperor-Lords the sect had in total? Their strength was terrifying. Back in the North Branch's basement, Evan Yang had seen plenty of Emperor-Lords, but hearing about the Blue Robe Sect's branches and overall strength, he realized the North Branch was still far too weak. Though he didn't know what they were preparing, Evan Yang knew their strength was nowhere near what it once was.
"Why are you spacing out?" Mad Elder asked, seeing Evan Yang lost in thought.
Evan Yang smiled, "It's nothing, just thinking about some things."
Seeing Evan Yang was fine, Mad Elder continued, "There might be a lot of branches coming later. You're my newcomer, so I'll show off a bit. You need to cooperate with me later."
"Mad Elder, isn't that a bit much?" Evan Yang said helplessly.
"Of course! If you're going to beat your opponent, you'll have to reveal your strength. Since you're showing your power, why shouldn't I brag a little and boost my reputation?" Mad Elder laughed.
Evan Yang hadn't expected Mad Elder to have such a hobby, but to him, Mad Elder was just a senior—and he was the one who saved Evan, throwing him into that place where neither living nor dead souls could enter, which let him survive.
"Alright, I'll cooperate, but don't exaggerate too much. I'm afraid I can't handle endless challenges." Evan Yang said with a helpless shake of his head.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't let you take random challenges. That's beneath us." Mad Elder laughed.
Chase Chu was confused—he couldn't understand what his two masters were talking about, so he asked, "What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing, just watch. See how he performs." Mad Elder said to Chase Chu.
Evan Yang smiled after a moment, "It's nothing. By the way, how's your cultivation technique coming along?"
"It's alright, still working hard. That footwork—I’ve mastered three layers." Chase Chu said.
Now it was Mad Elder's turn to be confused. "What footwork are you talking about?"
"Nothing, I just taught him some techniques from our old world." Evan Yang said.
"When? Weren't you absorbing earth attribute all day?" Mad Elder asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, I taught him before." Evan Yang replied.
"You two knew each other before?" Mad Elder asked curiously.
"Of course. I was the one who brought him to the Blue Robe Sect." Evan Yang said.
"Oh? How did you bring him to the Blue Robe Sect? Did you attend the competition back then? How come I never noticed you?" Mad Elder asked curiously.
"I stirred up a lot of trouble back then, so I always went with a different face—like now." Evan Yang had already changed back to his real face.
Seeing an unfamiliar face, Mad Elder laughed, "You rascal, your tricks are impressive—even I can't tell it's you."
"I’ve learned a lot—combining several techniques to get this effect." Evan Yang laughed.
"Not bad, kid." Mad Elder praised.
"Thanks for the compliment." Evan Yang was a bit embarrassed from all the praise.
"Your fire, water, and earth attributes—they're real, right?" Mad Elder asked curiously. "Would they be fake?" Evan Yang laughed. He actually wanted to mention lightning and wind, but held back.
"Should be real. Otherwise you wouldn't be so freakish." Mad Elder laughed.
"Uh, that's got nothing to do with being freakish, Senior. How can you say that about me?" Evan Yang said helplessly.
Just as Mad Elder was about to speak, a group arrived from behind, led by Elder Qiao from yesterday, along with Shen Lang, Bald Li, and some people Evan Yang didn’t recognize.
"Mad Elder, are you here to watch the challenge? Then cheer for my disciple!" Elder Qiao laughed, not knowing Evan Yang was participating, or that he was Mad Elder's disciple.
"I'm afraid not. I'll only cheer for my own disciple." Mad Elder laughed.