Just like that, Evan Yang quickly entered the cave. There was a formation at the entrance, so no divine sense from outside could penetrate to see what was happening inside. As soon as Evan entered, he began wildly absorbing the essence of all the herbs within.
Luckily, no one was around at this moment, so Evan's actions went unnoticed. If anyone had seen it, they would have been shocked—right now Evan was surrounded by a green glow, all because the Heaven‑Cold Seed was frantically absorbing the medicinal essence. Third Elder Colin Chu, who was overseeing the area, scowled as he sensed the disturbance.
This went on for more than half a day. Evan drained all the medicinal essence from the herbs inside, and the Heaven‑Cold Seed underwent a dramatic change.
It had originally been a single tree, but now it had fused into Evan's entire body. He felt as if every one of his meridians were like the branches and roots of the Heaven‑Cold Seed, with his dantian as the nourishing core.
"The Heaven‑Cold Seed has fused with my whole body—I wonder what the effects will be." Evan was excited, feeling as if his entire body was enveloped by the seed. If you looked closely at his fingers, you'd see the lines were sharp and resembled wood grain.
Fortunately, Evan's body was still human—it hadn't turned into a tree. He felt full of tempered vitality; given enough time, he would soon break through to the Out‑of‑Body Realm.
So Evan glanced at the now withered herbs around him and muttered awkwardly, "Better fix this up first. If those guys come at midnight and see this, they'll definitely kill me."
After muttering, Evan closed his eyes. Just like before, a faint green mist radiated from his body, drifting over the withered herbs. Soon, the herbs regained their original appearance.
After Evan left, the guardians started murmuring among themselves. Someone even said, "Why has he been inside for a whole day?"
"I don't know. If he didn't have Sect Master Victor Yun's token, I'd want to ask Sect Master Victor Yun myself," another person replied.
"Forget it, maybe it's something special," someone else sighed.
Patrol leader Tanya Warren stood nearby, her expression thoughtful as she watched the situation unfold. Tanya was the leader of the patrol team, responsible for maintaining order in Purple Cloud Sect.
As for Evan, he moved through the darkness and soon found a secluded, quiet mountain peak. It was a hidden area belonging to Purple Cloud Sect, and Evan chose it specifically to avoid being disturbed.
There, Evan found a stream—it was mountain spring water. He looked around, then flashed and dove in, vanishing beneath the surface. In truth, he entered the Sky‑Piercing Tower, which was now shrunken and settled among the stones underwater, making it almost impossible to notice there was a treasure hidden in the stream.
Once inside the Sky‑Piercing Tower, Evan began closed‑door cultivation. His avatar joined him, and following the Strange Fiend's method, Evan started advancing toward the Out‑of‑Body Realm.
It wasn't until night fell outside the tower the next day—that is, more than a full day had passed outside, while nearly two months had gone by inside the tower.
When he woke up, the sky outside was dark, and Evan now had only his true body left. He felt fundamentally changed.
Even the Strange Fiend in the nearby region was stunned when he saw Evan successfully advance. "You're a real prodigy—just two months or so and you did it," he exclaimed, his tone incredulous.
"How long did it take you before?" Evan asked curiously.
"A few years," the Strange Fiend replied awkwardly.
Evan smiled after hearing that, then followed the Strange Fiend's cultivation method. He went outside the tower, put it away, and set up a small formation in a hidden forest. He added extra restrictions to the formation before closing his eyes to sense the spiritual energy around him.
"Focus your mind and let your soul leave with your divine sense!" Evan carefully remembered the method for soul‑out‑of‑body—one of the Out‑of‑Body Realm's essential hallmarks.
At first, Evan wasn't skilled at it. He found it hard to sense the feeling of soul-out-of-body, but after several tries, he realized he'd separated from his body. His divine sense looked back and saw his physical self sitting there with eyes closed.
"So this is soul‑out‑of‑body?" Evan felt light as a feather, as if he could be blown away by the wind.
It was Evan's first time experiencing soul‑out‑of‑body, and he was very excited. Still, he remembered the Strange Fiend's warning—not to go too far the first time, or he might not make it back.
So Evan only floated to the water's edge before drifting back, just like flying normally—but it was faster and lighter than usual.
After returning, Evan tried re‑entering his body. He practiced leaving and coming back several times, then decided to try going farther—he set his sights on the Middle‑Tier Fields.
Evan floated over—his first time going a longer distance, so he was extra careful. When he arrived, he saw Leo Summer sleeping soundly.
After checking, Evan floated back, finding it interesting. Next, he targeted the Purple Cultivation Hall, wanting to see what was happening there at the moment.
But just as he floated to the Purple Cultivation Hall, he suddenly heard a loud shout: "Whose soul is out‑of‑body? Get back!" Evan heard the rough voice outside the hall.
"Colin Chu?" Evan immediately recognized the voice. He also remembered that Out‑of‑Body Realm cultivators can sense the presence of souls nearby.
So Evan quickly retreated, not daring to linger. This was his first time—he had no idea how to control his soul, and if someone destroyed it, he'd be done for.
After a while, Evan returned to his body, opened his eyes, and thought about what just happened. "Whew, this soul‑out‑of‑body stuff is really powerful."
To stabilize his cultivation and control over his soul—so he wouldn't just drift away in the wind—Evan spent the next several days practicing soul‑out‑of‑body every night. He never tried it during the day, since daytime soul travel was dangerous: as soon as he went out, he felt like his whole body was burning up.
So Evan never dared to go out during the day, always choosing nighttime instead. During the day, he stayed inside the tower to cultivate.
In this way, a year passed, and Evan had fully mastered soul‑out‑of‑body with his physical body. His strength was now firmly at the Out‑of‑Body Realm.
One night, he decided to check out the Purple Cultivation Hall where Colin Chu was.
But before he even got there, he noticed several spots where fighting was happening.
"Why are these people fighting?" Evan muttered as he watched the battles.
Curious, Evan returned to his body and activated the Thousand‑Mile Sound to see who those people really were.
"We want to see Evan!" one person shouted while fighting.
Colin Chu scowled, his brows knit tightly. "What do you want with him?"
"We have business with him, so you'd better let him meet us. If something happens later, it's not our responsibility," said the Conical-Hat Envoy.
Evan recognized the voice—it sounded familiar. After listening carefully, he realized the speaker was from Genius Pavilion. At that moment, the sect master arrived, saying to everyone, "Stop!"
Then, the Genius Pavilion people stopped, and so did the Purple Cloud Sect members.
"Who are you?" the sect master asked.
"We're from Genius Pavilion and want to see Evan. Could you let us meet him?" The man spoke respectfully upon seeing the Purple Cloud Sect master.
Everyone was shocked to hear they were from Genius Pavilion. But the sect master knew Evan had already refused Genius Pavilion, so he wasn't surprised. He simply said, "He already refused you. Why keep looking for him?"
"So you know," said the Conical-Hat Envoy.
As for the Purple Cloud Sect members, they looked suspicious. Some even muttered, "Did the sect master take in that beggar because Genius Pavilion values him?"
Third Elder Colin Chu was stunned, muttering under his breath, "This kid's been targeted by the Genius Pavilion—still trying to hide?"
Not far away, Tanya Warren overheard the conversation, her face full of disbelief. Especially the sect master's words—that Evan had refused Genius Pavilion—made everyone doubtful.
The sect master replied, "Of course I know. But it's been over a year—why are you still so persistent?"
"He's an extraordinary genius. And I suspect there are things about him you don't know," said the Conical-Hat Envoy, trying to lure Evan out.
"Whatever he did in the past, whatever happened, it has nothing to do with us now. He's a disciple of Purple Cloud Sect, so Genius Pavilion should just leave," the sect master said firmly. He knew Evan was no ordinary person with a complicated past, but now, he had to protect him.
The Conical-Hat Envoy sneered, "You really won't let him out?"
"No," the sect master said firmly. The Purple Cloud Sect disciples exchanged glances, unsure what to do.
Then the Conical-Hat Envoy laughed, "He dared to kill a Star Lord. If I tell the other Star Lords in the Ninefold Star System, someone will definitely come for him."
"What!" Everyone was shocked—they hadn't expected Evan to have such an impressive achievement.
Colin Chu snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with suspicion. "I said he had a mysterious background. Who would've thought he'd kill a Star Lord and come here to hide!"
The sect master hadn't expected this, but quickly calmed down and said, "As I just mentioned, I won't pursue his past."
"Senior brother, you'll make Purple Cloud Sect bear the wrath of the Star Lords!" Colin Chu exclaimed in shock.
The other Purple Cloud Sect disciples all showed strange expressions, and even the Conical-Hat Envoy hadn't expected the sect master to be so stubborn.
"I'll take responsibility for everything," the sect master sighed.
"No need—I'll answer for my own actions." At that moment, Evan flew back from outside, landing in front of the sect master and the others.
"You! Why did you come out?" the sect master exclaimed. Colin Chu and the others were shocked for a moment, then each showed a different smile.
But remembering these were Genius Pavilion people, not those out for Evan's life, they couldn't help showing helpless expressions.
"Impressive. I thought you'd hide forever!" the Conical-Hat Envoy laughed.
Evan stared at the man in the bamboo hat. "I already refused you last time. Why are you still following me?"
"You were able to kill a Star Lord—and not just one, but two realms higher. We're truly interested in you. We tried many ways, and finally heard about your one‑against‑ten challenge at Purplecloud City," the Conical-Hat Envoy said with a smile.
Evan finally understood why these people had come after him—his deeds had spread to Purplecloud City, where the Genius Pavilion members had discovered him.
The Genius Pavilion is spread across all major planets, so their information network is vast. Compared to Moonpride Star, which only searches locally, the Genius Pavilion finds people much faster.
"What if I still refuse?" Evan asked coldly.
"Then you'll have to wait for other Star Lords to send someone to take your life," the Conical-Hat Envoy threatened with a smile.