Hearing the woman's tone, the Mysterious Martial Aunt could only sigh helplessly. One was a good friend, the other owed her a debt of loyalty, so after speaking, she turned to the four guards beside her and said, "Go ahead, but don't hurt him."
Seeing the other party in such an awkward position, Evan Yang decided not to strike first. But after noticing that the four guards were only stepping forward, he felt reassured—at least, when fighting, he wouldn't have to worry about hurting them. He also felt a bit of goodwill toward the girl for asking them not to harm him.
"Brother Yang, are you sure you can handle this?" Tanner Xiao was a little worried about Evan Yang, since the four guards had already stepped forward, and the aura they released was quite formidable.
Evan Yang noticed that all four guards had reached late-stage Spirit-Wandering Realm. However, for Evan, within the same realm, it was impossible for anyone to catch him—even Spirit-Wandering Great Perfection experts couldn't do it. These people were just here for him to play with.
The four guards had no idea how terrifying Evan Yang could be once he unleashed his true strength.
As soon as the fight started, Evan Yang only released late-stage Spirit-Wandering pressure. The four guards, recognizing his strength, began to focus seriously, preparing to capture him in one move.
"Miss Ling, have you ever seen this man before?" The Mysterious Martial Aunt noticed Evan Yang's late-stage Spirit-Wandering cultivation. Logically, on such a small fifth-class planet, someone like him should be well-known, so she curiously asked Miss Ling as she rubbed her fists together.
"No, this is the first time I've seen him," Lexi Lynn replied, her face breaking into a happy smile.
But that happy smile disappeared the instant Evan Yang threw a few punches, leaving Miss Ling dumbfounded.
Not only Miss Ling, but also the Mysterious Martial Aunt and everyone else were shocked as the sound of four bodies slamming onto the floor echoed through the inn.
The four men had already collapsed at Miss Ling's feet, seriously injured.
"Miss Ling," one of them said bitterly.
"You're done here, go back and rest." The Mysterious Martial Aunt said, but inside she was deeply shocked—a late-stage Spirit-Wandering cultivator could unleash such power, wiping out four equals in a single move.
Miss Ling grew anxious. "Martial Aunt, we can't just let this go, right?"
"Miss Ling, we'll talk about it when we get back." The Mysterious Martial Aunt spoke, then led a resentful Miss Ling out of the inn.
Only after that group left did the onlookers snap back to reality, looking at Evan Yang with newfound respect. Tanner Xiao pulled Evan back to their table. "Yang bro, I really can’t see through you. Today you beat those three, and now you’ve beaten these four."
"Wasn't it all for your sake?" Evan Yang replied with a helpless smile. At least for now, things had calmed down and he could finally drink in peace with Tanner. Still, his mind kept replaying the Martial Aunt's words and her calm, decisive departure.
Of course, Tanner Xiao knew Evan Yang had done it for him, so he immediately called for more dishes and started drinking heartily with Evan.
But word of the incident quickly spread throughout Purple Sky City, and secret posts relayed the news even further. Soon, all the major families knew that Tanner Xiao now had a young expert at his side, one who had even fought with people brought by the Lynn heiress.
At another inn, the Mysterious Martial Aunt told the four men to rest while she brought Miss Ling to her own room. "Are you sure you don't know that man?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's the first time I've seen him. He's just too infuriating," Miss Ling said angrily.
"If he hasn't really offended you, just don't provoke him. He's not as simple as he looks," the Mysterious Martial Aunt advised after considering for a moment.
How could Miss Ling not go after Tanner Xiao, or avoid running into Evan Yang? Unwilling, she said, "Martial Aunt, why didn't you help me teach him a lesson?"
"Me? If he hasn't actually harmed you, I won't act. Besides, I don't want anyone to know I'm here—especially since there are so many spies around. If they find out, it'll be a huge hassle," the Mysterious Martial Aunt replied.
"But Martial Aunt, what he did already counts as harming me. I can't even see him now," Miss Ling complained, feeling depressed.
"Miss Ling, let things take their course. If he insists on avoiding you, what's the point of what you're doing?" the Mysterious Martial Aunt tried to comfort her.
Hearing this, Miss Ling felt heartbroken. Her face flushed red, eyes wet, looking as if she was about to cry.
"I was just venting, don't take it too seriously. It's not that you can't like him, it's just your approach is a bit wrong," the Mysterious Martial Aunt said helplessly, seeing Miss Ling like this.
"Thank you, Martial Aunt. I know what I should do now," Miss Ling said, holding back her sadness.
"Good, as long as you understand. Also, if your father asks about today, just say I ordered the four guards to lose on purpose," the Mysterious Martial Aunt instructed.
"Why?" Miss Ling asked in confusion.
"Someone who can defeat four late-stage Spirit-Wandering experts so easily, and without effort, showing up on a fifth-class planet like this—he should be famous on Northridge Star. But you don't know him, so there's only one possibility: he's not as simple as he looks. Don't provoke him if you can help it; I don't want this to affect my business here," the Mysterious Martial Aunt explained helplessly.
After listening to the Martial Aunt's explanation, Miss Ling seemed to understand. She said, "Martial Aunt, I'll head back now. I'll come visit you when I have time. If you need anything or manpower, just let me know and I'll lend you some."
"Alright, go on," the Mysterious Martial Aunt replied with a smile.
Miss Ling then left the inn, leaving the Mysterious Martial Aunt to mutter to herself, "Who could he be? Logically, someone like that should be famous across the whole star system. Could it be that the Genius Pavilion hasn't discovered him yet?"
Evan Yang had no idea that just casually teaching someone a lesson would cause so much trouble—this place was even scarier than his old home.
"Xiao Xiao, come here, I need to ask you something." Lexi Lynn had just returned home, still heartbroken, when her father called her over.
A middle-aged man with a beard nearly reaching his waist fixed his gaze on Lexi Lynn. This was Lance Lynn, the head of the Lynn Family.
"Tell me, did you go to the Xiao Family again today? And did you cause trouble again?" Lance Lynn asked sternly.
"Yeah, I went," Lexi Lynn replied weakly, as if she didn’t even want to talk to him.
"You—never mind. Tell me, what happened at the inn? Who was that young man?" Lance Lynn asked, puzzled.
"How should I know who he is!" Lexi Lynn was already in a bad mood, and being questioned like this made her furious. Her fiery temper erupted as she shouted.
Lance Lynn realized he’d gone too far and quickly softened his tone. "What really happened?" he asked gently.
"How should I know what happened? Go ask the Xiao Family yourself," Lexi Lynn said angrily, then turned and left Lance Lynn standing there, bewildered.
"This child... Looks like I need to make a trip to the Xiao Family," Lance Lynn sighed helplessly, then disappeared in a flash.
After Evan Yang and Tanner Xiao finished drinking, they went out to stroll around. Evan’s divine sense soon detected many people secretly tailing them, and even some powerful senses constantly sweeping over them.
"Is it intentional or not?" Evan Yang wondered to himself.
Tanner Xiao had been chatting with Evan, but when Evan fell silent, he asked curiously, "Yang bro, what’s wrong?"
"I don’t know, but it feels like someone’s always following us—some strong, some weak," Evan Yang said, voicing his doubts.
"Really? Looks like you’ve been targeted," Tanner Xiao said, his eyes widening before returning to normal.
"Targeted? What’s going on?" Evan Yang asked, confused.
Tanner Xiao began explaining a hidden rule of this world: the Three Palaces, though seemingly peaceful on the surface, secretly compete with each other, always seeking to recruit talented individuals for focused cultivation.
How do they identify talent? The most basic way is to see who can fight above their realm. The world is vast, and such people are rare, so there’s an organization between the Three Palaces called the Genius Pavilion.
Anyone listed by the Genius Pavilion becomes a priority target for recruitment by the Three Palaces.
Because every talent the Genius Pavilion provides brings them many benefits, their reach is vast—almost every planet under the Three Palaces’ control has their agents, who collect and organize new talent profiles daily.
Once the profiles are collected, they naturally have to be assessed, which leads to all sorts of complications.
"You’re not saying I’ve been targeted by them, are you?" Evan Yang asked, suddenly regretting how easily he had defeated those people.
"Not necessarily. It could also be other families or sects. They aren’t as powerful as the Three Palaces, but before you’re officially listed as a genius, they might try to recruit you, even offering huge benefits. Once you join them, even if you later become a Pavilion genius, they get the prestige," Tanner Xiao explained, revealing another hidden rule.
Hearing all this, Evan Yang felt the world was complicated and could only sigh, "Looks like having strength means you can’t act recklessly."
"That’s not always true. If nobody’s watching, you can act however you want. But today you really showed off—I admire you," Tanner Xiao said, envious.
"Admire what? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Now I’ve brought so much trouble on myself." Evan Yang felt all those divine senses watching him, helpless—he couldn’t just go around killing everyone.
"You’re just being coy after getting a good deal. Don’t you know that in a hundred years, a planet might only produce one or two geniuses—unless it’s a high-class planet? Everyone wants to join the Genius Pavilion; it’s the place everyone in this world strives for," Tanner Xiao said, not understanding why Evan was so impatient with these people.
"What’s the benefit of joining? Besides being recommended to the Three Palaces?" Evan Yang asked curiously, seeing how Tanner Xiao was hyping it up.
"Of course there are benefits—a lot, actually. First, even the lowest Pavilion-recognized genius gets invited by many families and sects, gaining tons of resources and backing for cultivation or whatever else they want. Second, Pavilion-recognized geniuses are rarely messed with, since they have many friends. If you provoke them, the backlash can wipe out a whole clan or sect," Tanner Xiao said with a laugh.