"Strict? Not really. I'm not some freak," Evan Yang said.
Yeah, that's true. I'll check it out myself tomorrow.
Evan nodded. As soon as dawn broke the next day, he and Hannah headed east of the city.
Seeing the crowd in the east of the city, they were both surprised. A big group had gathered—mostly Chase Chu's bodyguards and attendants, all there to hype him up.
Evan didn't like this kind of vibe. When he and Hannah showed up, Chase Chu excitedly broke away from the crowd. "Senior, you're here!"
"What's all this?" Evan asked.
"Me..." Chase glanced at the group, sensing something was off, and quickly spoke up. "You guys, quiet down!"
Evan sensed it instantly and rebounded the attack. The man, who started out cocky, was sent flying backward into the crowd with a loud crash.
Everyone nearby sensed something was off and quickly pulled back their auras, not daring to provoke him further. Chase Chu snapped, "What do you guys think you're doing?"
"Young Master, we just wanted to see if he's really qualified to be your master," said the man who'd been sent flying, awkwardly.
"Is my business yours to meddle in? All of you, get out of my way!" Chase Chu snapped.
The doubters had no choice but to back off, letting Evan, Hannah, and Chase through.
I can barely stand to watch," Hannah sighed.
Chase Chu quickly replied, "Senior, don't worry. I'll definitely do it alone."
"I hope so. In a moment, you'll enter that forest over there. There's a stairway inside. Once you go in, the test officially begins. You have to reach the waterfall on the mountain and find something I left there," Evan explained.
"What did you leave?" Chase asked curiously.
Evan smiled. "You'll see when you get there. Just be careful—one wrong move and you're out."
"Senior, don't worry. I'll definitely make it through," Chase Chu said firmly.
Evan then said, "You have one hour. If you don't make it in time, you lose."
"Alright." Chase Chu nodded, then entered the forest as Evan started timing.
But the people nearby started getting restless, shooting Evan unfriendly looks.
"Kid, who are you? Where are you from? What's your purpose in getting close to our Young Master?" someone demanded.
"Do I really need to answer you?" Evan said, somewhat annoyed by their unfriendly probing right from the start.
"Kid, don't think you're hot stuff just because you have some skills. I'm telling you, the Chu family has plenty of strong experts! Believe it or not, we could crush you right now," the man said angrily after Evan's reply.
"Is that so? I'd like to see you try," Evan replied.
"Arrogant! Watch this!" the man shouted, sending another wave of qi at Evan. Evan rebounded it again, making the man glare at him. "You—you, I'll remember you. Next time we meet, I'll skin you alive!"
Evan ignored him. At that moment, an attendant stepped forward—the same one who'd brought the middle-aged man yesterday. He said to Evan, "Don't mind him, that's just his temper. He always wanted to take Young Master as his disciple, but Young Master never agreed, so he's got some resentment."
"Oh? What's his name?" Evan asked with a smile.
"His name is Mason Mu," the attendant replied.
"And you?" Evan asked, having seen this attendant several times before and feeling curious.
"I'm Finn Yun," the attendant replied.
"Better be prepared. If your Young Master can't make it through, he might get seriously injured. Take good care of him then," Evan said.
Finn Yun hadn't expected Evan to be so direct, so he helplessly activated his divine sense to observe any changes in the forest.
Besides these people, in another corner east of the city, a middle-aged man was also watching the forest. "What kind of assessment is this? I want to see for myself."
This middle-aged man was none other than Victor Chu, who cared deeply about his son and had come to see what was going on today.
Meanwhile, Chase Chu had entered the forest and spotted the stairway. He told himself, "I can do this," and walked in.
Suddenly, a thick mist appeared before his eyes. Not only that, it felt like something was weighing down his body and feet, making him heavier.
To everyone watching, the moment Chase Chu entered, his feet suddenly sank as if he were about to kneel.
"What's this now?" Victor Chu wondered aloud, while those beside Evan also curiously watched the situation.
Everyone watched as Chase Chu crawled uphill like an ordinary person. The higher he climbed, the more his body was pressed downward, almost touching the ground.
"Hey, isn't this too difficult?" Hannah Nangong wondered aloud.
"This isn't really difficult—it's just a test of patience. If he can't even handle this, he might as well go home," Evan said.
Seeing Evan use such a strange method, Hannah didn't say much and kept watching. The people around were nervous; every time Chase Chu crouched down, they shivered, as if he were under some immense pressure.
Victor Chu had never seen his son like this before, and couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. "Usually, finding you a master would be so much easier. Now you have to suffer like this," he muttered.
Chase Chu kept encouraging himself, step by step. The higher he went, the stronger the force, as if it was about to crush him completely, but he held on, mumbling, "I can do this, I can do this. This kind of hardship is nothing."
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Finally, after half an hour, Chase Chu staggered out. The moment he stepped clear, he felt all the weight lift off him and collapsed to the ground, blood still dripping from his feet.
Blood soaked into the ground, and the crowd gasped in shock. Hannah couldn't help but feel distressed, while Evan kept his gaze fixed on the scene, expressionless.
Victor Chu was shocked—he couldn't bear to watch, but every time he wanted to rush forward, he remembered Chase Chu's excited expression from yesterday and sighed, "He made his own choice."
So Victor Chu stopped himself, forcing himself to watch as Chase drew closer to the ground, his body leaking blood.
Chase Chu had completely forgotten his own condition, moving forward as if he'd gotten used to it. No matter how close he was to the ground, he kept going.
"I can barely stand to watch," Hannah Nangong sighed.
"I went through much worse back in the day. The reason he wants to be my disciple is because he sees I'm different from the others. If I can't teach him something unique, what's the point?" Evan sighed.
Hannah hadn't expected Evan to say that, but it made sense—if the test was ordinary, what would make it special?
Chase Chu wasn't thinking about any of that. All he wanted was to keep going and never give up.
"It's too cruel," people around Evan sighed. Some couldn't even watch, but Evan kept his gaze fixed, making others think he was cold-blooded.
Every time Hannah wanted to say something, she held back and kept watching.
Finally, after half an hour, Chase Chu emerged. The moment he stepped out, he felt completely relieved, collapsing to the ground as blood still dripped from his body.
"Young Master made it!" the crowd cheered. Evan gave a satisfied smile, and Hannah finally said, "He actually did it."
"Not yet. If he doesn't find what I'm looking for within the time limit, it won't count," Evan replied.
"What? Even after all that, it doesn't count? Who are you, anyway? That's cold!" someone protested.
"I said before: he has to reach the waterfall and find what I want. Otherwise, it's a failure," Evan repeated.
Evan had indeed said that earlier, but no one had expected such a grueling scene. Now that Chase Chu was exhausted and still had one last task, it seemed almost excessive.
But Evan stuck to his principles, and no one around could change his mind.
In a corner, Victor Chu's eyes filled with tears as he sighed, "I never thought you'd be so tough, kid!"
Evan had already noticed this man. Seeing his expression, Evan thought to himself, "Is this what family means?" He had a hunch the man was related to Chase Chu—only a real family bond could make even an Emperor shed tears.
Chase Chu had no idea what was happening outside. All he saw was the mist gone and the sound of water ahead, and he exclaimed with joy, "I finally made it up. Time is tight, I need to find what Senior mentioned."
So Chase Chu struggled to his feet, moving with difficulty until he stopped in front of the waterfall. He looked around, observing carefully.
"Whether he has the right insight depends on him now," Evan muttered as he saw Chase Chu reach the water's edge.
Everyone else kept their eyes on the waterfall, eager to see what Evan wanted Chase Chu to find.
Chase Chu stood by the water, dazed and anxious. The more anxious he got, the harder it was to calm down. Under everyone's gaze, he dipped his head into the water, washed his face, then sat by the shore to regain his composure.
"The sound of the waterfall, the water, and the shore—all feel a bit off," Chase Chu muttered suspiciously.
The calmer Chase Chu became, the more he sensed something strange around him—until he noticed some water marks on the shore.
"Hmm?" Chase Chu walked over and found a few footprints on the shore. They were Evan's, left the night before—if you didn't look closely, you'd never notice the faint water marks.