"That's none of your business. He's my friend, so let him go." Bella said.
Evan Yang was speechless. He didn't want to become friends with her, but she stepped out at this moment—wasn't she just forcing him to be her friend in front of everyone? Still, Evan was curious: how did a newcomer like her have such guts?
The five-stripe black-robed officer laughed. "Why are all the newcomers so arrogant these days?"
"You can leave now. Let's pretend this never happened," Bella said again. She was about to turn and show off to Evan, but the five-stripe officer got angry, "Do you take me for a fool? Watch me teach you two a lesson."
Just as the five-stripe officer was about to make a move on Bella, someone shouted, "Stop!"
It was an old woman. Everyone saw at a glance that she was from the Li Tribe. She stepped forward, glared at Bella, then turned to the five-stripe officer and said, "Let's talk this over. Let them go."
"And who do you think you are?" the five-stripe officer snapped. He was the highest-ranking person here, yet even someone from a tribe dared to give him orders—he was furious.
"You only get one chance. Will you listen or not?" the old woman said.
The five-stripe officer was livid and had no intention of listening—he just wanted to act. But suddenly, a white-robed steward appeared out of nowhere. Everyone saw him and immediately showed respect.
Because the white-robed steward was a symbol of authority here. The steward said, "Let them go."
“Thanks for helping me out today, but the way you force people to be friends feels weird. I don’t know your background, but I hope you don’t do this again in the future. You could get yourself in trouble.” Evan kindly warned her, offering his advice, then left with Little Kai.
“You—you’re so ungrateful! Next time, see if I bother saving you!” Bella thought Evan was just an ungrateful guy. In truth, Evan simply disliked being saved that way—especially since her real motive was to force him into friendship.
Besides, Evan was very curious about Bella’s identity. For a white-robed steward to appear and protect her at any moment—that alone made Evan suspicious.
It wasn’t just Evan. Many people had their suspicions, so Bella’s behavior over the past year made everyone realize she was untouchable. The boys who once admired her didn’t dare approach anymore, afraid they might get dealt with if they weren’t careful.
But Evan had spent nearly a year cultivating and hadn’t paid attention to outside matters, so he didn’t know Bella was special—until today, when he finally understood.
Evan brought Little Kai to the Newcomer Palace. The supervisor frowned and asked, “What’s this about?”
“Senior, this is my friend. Is it okay to let him stay here for a while?” Evan asked.
“No. Soul‑Heaven Palace rules say only Soul‑Heaven members or newcomers can stay here. No outsiders allowed. That’s the rule—I can’t break it,” the supervisor replied.
Evan thought for a moment. “Then can I go down below?” he asked.
“You can, but you have to register. And you only get one hour—if your strength isn’t enough, I suggest you don’t go. Just going up and down takes more than an hour.” The supervisor knew Evan was just a newcomer, so an hour wouldn’t be enough.
"Thanks for today, but the way you force people to be friends feels weird. I don’t know your background, but I hope you don’t do this again in the future. You could get yourself in trouble." Evan kindly warned her, offering his advice, then left with Little Kai.
"You... you don't appreciate kindness! Next time, see if I bother saving you!" At this moment, Bella considered Evan Yang an ungrateful person, but in truth, Evan just disliked being rescued in such a manner—especially when the real intent was to force him to be her friend.
Besides, Evan Yang was very curious about Bella's identity. To have a white-robed steward appear to protect her at any moment—just this alone made Evan suspicious.
Aside from Evan, many others had their own suspicions. Bella's behavior over the past year made it clear she was not someone to mess with—even those who once admired her kept their distance, afraid that one wrong move might get them dealt with.
Evan had spent nearly a year cultivating, paying no attention to outside affairs, so he naturally didn't know about Bella's special status—until today, when he finally understood.
Evan brought Little Kai to the Newcomer Palace. The official frowned and asked, "What's this about?"
"Senior, this is my friend. Can I leave him here for now?" Evan asked.
"No. Soul-Heaven Palace rules state that only members or newcomers can stay here—others are not allowed. That's the rule, and I can't break it," the official said.
Evan thought for a moment, then asked, "Can I go down instead?"
"You can, but you'll need to register. And you only have one hour—if your strength isn't enough, I'd advise against it. Just going down and coming back takes more than an hour," the official said, knowing Evan was a newcomer and wouldn't normally have enough time.
But Evan knew that with his current strength, he could handle it easily, so he didn't worry at all. He brought Little Kai to the place where he'd entered, and the gatekeeper asked, "What are you doing?"
"He's my friend, but he's not from here, so I'm taking him down. Do I need to register with you?" Evan asked.
"Yes, but you must return within one hour—otherwise, you'll be breaking the rules," the gatekeeper said.
"No problem," Evan replied with a nod.
"Your number?" the gatekeeper asked.
"Ten ones," Evan replied.
"Alright, you can go down now." After registering, the gatekeeper let Evan leave, and Evan brought Little Kai to the passage leading below.
"Big Bro Mira, I don't want to go—I want to see my mom," Little Kai said sadly when Evan tried to take him away.
"Don't worry, Little Kai. Tell me what your mother looks like—if I see her, I'll definitely bring her to see you," Evan said.
"Really?" Little Kai looked at Evan with curiosity.