When Evan Yang stopped, the trapped disciple was locked inside a formation. Everyone around was stunned—a disciple from a formation sect, trapped by an outsider? If word got out, it’d be a joke. The trapped disciple kept pounding at the barrier, but couldn’t break free from Evan’s array.
"Just stay put," Evan said, then turned to leave with Hannah Nangong.
Seeing Evan and Hannah about to leave, Ian Lian finally snapped out of it. "You’re not leaving!"
"Brother Ian, what now? Are you insisting on a duel, or should I just trap you for a day as well?" Evan said.
"You—" Ian hadn’t expected Evan to be so forceful. Furious and unwilling to let Evan go, he slyly said to the crowd, "Everyone, block him! How can we let an outsider treat our sect’s disciples like this?"
Ian’s words worked. As soon as he shouted, the crowd moved to surround Evan and Hannah, cutting off their path.
With so many people, if Evan punished them all, it’d only cause trouble for Elder Victor Deng. So he smiled and asked, "Are you really coming at me?"
When everyone saw the token in Evan’s hand, they froze, then unwillingly stepped aside. Ian’s face changed drastically when he saw it, cursing inwardly, "What is Elder Victor Deng doing, giving him that thing?"
"It’s fine, I’ll just go," Evan sighed, then walked through the sect with Hannah Nangong.
"Damn it, damn it! I can’t let him leave like this. I have to get help—right, I’ll find Master!" Ian thought, then hurried off.
Inside a cave residence at the Celestial Resonance Sect, an elder was searching for something. When he finally spotted a little creature scurrying around, he burst out laughing, "Found you at last!"
"Master, Master!" Just then, a voice rang out. The little creature heard it and instantly vanished, making the elder curse, "How many times have I told you, stop startling me every time! Look, you scared off my Little Black!"
"Master, I didn’t mean to," Ian Lian replied, frustrated.
"You, you—never learn, you drive me crazy. Fine, what is it?" the elder asked.
"Master, someone arrived at the Celestial Resonance Sect. He’s naturally cunning, and I used your method to spot a high-grade magical treasure in Littlehaven Town. I couldn’t tell its exact rank, but it’s at least sixth-grade, and that guy stole it from me," Ian said.
"Stole it? Who dares take your things? Tell me, what happened? And what exactly did you identify using my method?" The elder paused, curious when he heard about the magical treasure.
Ian told the elder everything that happened that day, including Evan Yang’s actions at the Celestial Resonance Sect.
"You’re saying he beat a peak Xuan-Immortal with just eighth-tier Heavenly-Immortal strength?" the elder asked.
"Yes, Master," Ian replied.
"So he’s a real prodigy—and he knows formations too?" the elder asked again.
Ian nodded.
"Looks like it must be him. I just got word—an outsider wants to take the core disciple assessment tomorrow, so I’ll be there too. Didn’t expect it’d be the one you clashed with. Still, his ability to identify magical treasures is pretty odd," Elder Ethan Xie muttered.
"What? He’s taking the core disciple assessment?" Ian was shocked. If Evan Yang really succeeded, he’d outrank Ian, who’d only be bullied more in the future.
"That’s right, just got the news," the elder replied.
"Master, you have to help me! That guy’s way too arrogant," Ian pleaded.
"Of course. If he dares steal your treasure, he’s crossing Elder Ethan Xie!" the elder declared forcefully. Ethan Xie is a quirky Celestial Resonance Sect elder, eccentric but a formation master, so he’s kept on as an elder.
Elder Ethan Xie also uses the sect’s resources to cultivate his own interests, especially experimental creatures. He’s fiercely protective—only a few disciples, with Ian Lian as his favorite.
Hearing Ian’s plea, Elder Ethan Xie immediately agreed, and Ian was thrilled.
"Alright, go do your thing. Tomorrow I’ll teach him a lesson!" Ethan Xie said.
"Yes, Master!" Ian replied.
Ian slowly withdrew, leaving Elder Ethan Xie muttering, "Such a powerful body—should be able to contain it. Tsk tsk, I’m really looking forward to it. Finally, a body I can use for experiments."
Evan Yang had no idea there was such an eccentric elder in the Celestial Resonance Sect—his disciple’s master.
Right now, Evan Yang and Hannah Nangong were wandering the sect. Thanks to the Pass Token, no one dared bother them; as long as they avoided restricted areas, they could go anywhere.
"Looks like the Pass Token is pretty useful," Evan said with a smile.
"Definitely. If I’d known, you could’ve just shown it instead of trapping that guy. But honestly, if you hadn’t used your array, I wouldn’t be sure you really knew formations," Hannah Nangong said.
Evan smiled, "It’s alright. Mainly, he wasn’t that strong—if he were, my array wouldn’t have worked; he could’ve just broken it by force."
"Still, that’s impressive," Hannah Nangong said.
"Compared to your magical treasure, there’s still a gap. You can trap anyone you want," Evan said.
"That’s because your judgment is sharp. But how did Brother Ian recognize it? I wonder how he was so sure," Hannah Nangong asked curiously.
"I’m just as curious. If we were outside the sect, I’d just catch him and interrogate him," Evan said with a smile.
"That’s true. Too bad he’s so narrow-minded—if you weren’t famous, Elder Victor Deng probably wouldn’t have come looking for you," Hannah Nangong said with a smile.
"Maybe so," Evan Yang replied.
"By the way, what about those three?" Hannah Nangong asked.
"Those three? Right now they’re outside the sect. I really don’t know what they’re thinking—if I wanted, I could just leave in disguise," Evan sighed.
"They’re pretty devoted," Hannah Nangong said.
Thinking of those three, Evan remembered something and asked, "They’re from the Celestial Mechanism Sect, but I have no idea what kind of place that is."
"Celestial Mechanism Sect? I don’t really know either, but they seem sincere—so it can’t be anything ominous, right?" Hannah Nangong said.
"No idea. We’ll see later. Let’s keep walking—I’ve noticed most places here are made with illusion arrays. What you see might not be real," Evan said with a smile.
It was rare for Hannah Nangong to have a chance to wander the Celestial Resonance Sect with Evan Yang.
As for the trapped disciple, his friends brought his master over. Seeing the situation, the master frowned, "What happened to you?"
"Master, let me out," the disciple said, annoyed.
His master glanced at him, then moved a few times to break the array, asking, "What happened?"
"Master, your disciple was taught a lesson by an outsider!" The disciple wanted to teach Evan Yang a lesson, but his strength wasn’t enough.
"Who? An outsider? Are you all idiots—couldn’t you just stop him together?" his master asked hotly.
"Master, you can’t blame us—it’s because that guy had an Elder’s Pass Token," the disciple said, frustrated.
His master was shocked, "What? Which elder’s token?"
"Elder Victor Deng’s," the disciple answered.
"That guy? What’s he doing—handing out tokens like toys? Hmph, fine, you all go back. I’ll find Elder Victor Deng," he said angrily.
Those disciples were secretly pleased—they’d finally get a chance to teach Evan Yang a lesson.
The hot-tempered master went to Elder Victor Deng’s quarters and found him drinking tea.
"Elder Victor Deng, you’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you?" the man said, displeased.
"Elder Charles Chun, what do you mean?" Elder Victor Deng asked curiously.
"You dare ask me? I should be asking you—why did you give a Pass Token to a stranger? My disciple got taught a lesson because of it!" Elder Charles Chun said angrily.
"Oh? What happened?" Elder Victor Deng had given the token to Evan Yang to prevent trouble. Hearing this, he asked curiously.
So Elder Charles Chun explained, and when Elder Victor Deng heard Evan Yang used an array to trap a Xuan-Immortal, he laughed, "So that’s it. Looks like he really knows formations."
"Elder Victor Deng, what’s your problem? Are you happy my disciple got taught a lesson?" Elder Charles Chun said angrily.
"You misunderstand, Elder Charles Chun. He’s the one taking the assessment tomorrow—the famous eighth-tier Heavenly-Immortal who defeated a peak Xuan-Immortal in the Immortal Realm." Elder Victor Deng explained. "Him?" Elder Charles Chun was shocked.
"That’s right. I gave him the token so no one would bother him. With his strength, who besides an Immortal Lord could challenge him? But I didn’t expect him to really know formations," Elder Victor Deng said.
"So you’re saying my disciple bothered him?" Elder Charles Chun said, still unwilling to let it go.
"That’s not what I meant, Elder Charles Chun. You know how it is—an outsider in the sect is bound to run into trouble. Are you really angry over such a small thing?" Elder Victor Deng explained.
"How could I not be angry? He attacked my disciple. If I don’t teach him a lesson, he’ll think I’m a fool," Elder Charles Chun snorted coldly.
"Elder Charles Chun, why bother? He’s taking the assessment tomorrow—he’ll be a sect disciple then," Elder Victor Deng said.
"Sect disciple? That depends on whether he has the strength tomorrow—can he set up and break through formations?" Elder Charles Chun snorted and left.
Elder Victor Deng sighed, "Looks like tomorrow won’t be so simple."
If Elder Victor Deng knew that Evan Yang had caught the attention of two elders, he’d be even more surprised. After all, if the elders are strict, breaking the array will be much harder.