Evan Yang kept Elder Du's advice firmly in mind. Soon, Evan met Gavin White again. Smiling at her, Evan said, "It's been so long—did you miss me?"
"Don't flatter yourself," Gavin White replied with a smile.
At that moment, Evan sensed a few discordant gazes and curiously asked, "What's up with those people?"
"If I tell you, don't get scared," Gavin White smiled.
"Oh? Now I'm curious—go on, tell me," Evan said with a grin. Gavin White explained, "Those people are from my hometown. They've been chasing after me for ages. I've told them I'm married, but they're still like this."
"Really? So you're in high demand. And it looks like they're pretty hostile toward me," Evan said, smiling.
"Maybe so. You'd better be careful," Gavin White replied with a smile.
"Don't worry. I've learned a lot lately—I'll definitely surprise you," Evan said with a grin.
Just then, Leah walked over and asked, "Who is this?"
"This is my wife, Gavin White," Evan replied with a smile.
Gavin White grew curious. "And who is she?"
"Battle Goddess Leah. Not sure if you've heard of her," Evan said with a smile. Leah glared and snapped, "Don't make me chop you up."
"So you're the Battle Goddess. I'm Gavin White—nice to meet you," Gavin said with a smile. Leah smiled back, "Pleasure to meet you."
Just then, Gavin's fan club came over. They all wore big smiles, but many were itching to challenge Evan.
"Earwood," one man stepped forward and introduced himself to Evan. Another followed, "Darren Ling." The earlier hostile aura had come from these two. Evan smiled, "Evan Yang."
"So you're her husband? But your strength doesn't really measure up. Too bad. Hope you don't get killed in there, or she'll be a widow," Earwood said with a laugh. Darren Ling chimed in, "If you die, even better—more chances for us to get close to Miss White."
"What's with that?" Earwood laughed. Darren Ling grinned but said nothing. Everyone could tell these two had their eyes on Evan.
Leah smiled, "If you want to die, go ahead and provoke him."
Leah had firsthand experience with Evan's strength—even she couldn't defeat him, so these guys didn't stand a chance.
"And who are you?" Earwood sneered at Leah.
"Me? People call me Leah. Seems I've got a nickname too—Battle Goddess," Leah replied with a smile.
Earwood and Darren Ling were both shocked by Leah's words, but quickly regained their composure. Darren Ling sneered, "Didn't expect you, Evan, to only rely on women to stand out."
"Oh? Is that so? No problem—if you want a match, we'll do it inside the Exquisite Realm," Evan said with a smile.
Earwood and Darren Ling mocked Evan's fearlessness. Behind them stood another silent man—Dustin Iron. Evan had already noticed him, though he didn't know his name yet. The man felt dangerous.
"Everyone, follow me," Tony Tong said, leading the group out of Heavenly Dao Academy. On the road, Evan and Gavin walked hand in hand, drawing envious looks. Leah joked, "You two don't need to be so close—look at those people behind you, they're about to kill someone."
"Whatever they do is their business. I'm fine either way," Evan replied with a smile.
Leah was curious to see how Evan would handle all this trouble.
Tony Tong led everyone to the entrance of the Exquisite Realm. It hadn't opened yet—there was still a little time—but crowds had already gathered all around.
The Hell Palace and Heavenly Dao Academy factions faced off. Yue Gui led the Hell Palace group and sneered at Evan, "Kid, entering the Academy will be the end of your life."
"Is that so? I'd like to see it. But you'd better watch out for your people—your Night Squad. I won't forget that grudge. If I get the chance, I won't spare a single Hell Palace member," Evan said bluntly.
His words were a powerful provocation. Instantly, the Hell Palace members glared at Evan.
Young Master Moon stepped out and said with a smile, "Who's going to die? That remains to be seen."
Among the Hell Palace crowd was a woman—Miss Gu from Immortal Peak Villa. Seeing Evan's group, she felt a mix of anticipation and disappointment. After all, she was forced to come and had no idea when she could escape Hell Palace's control.
"You're going too? Be careful," Evan said to Young Master Moon with a smile.
Young Master Moon sneered, "Just wait—you'll die a miserable death."
Tony Tong laughed, "Yue Gui, looks like there are a lot more people entering the Exquisite Realm this time. Be careful—not all your elites might make it out."
"Worry about your own Academy. Maybe none of you will make it out," Yue Gui retorted with a cold laugh.
"That won't happen," Tony Tong replied with a smile.
The atmosphere was charged with tension. The surrounding crowd sensed something was off. Many believed the Exquisite Realm would become a grand duel between the Academy and Hell Palace.
But this time, Hell Palace only cared about Evan—either kill him or avoid the Academy people altogether.
After a brief wait, the mountain range ahead began to tremble.
Tony Tong turned to the Academy members. "Go on in—but remember, you have to come out within a year."
Evan and the others nodded, then dashed through the gap in the mountain range and vanished. The Hell Palace group and other factions charged in after them.
Inside, everything felt disorienting—no sense of direction, no spatial barriers, as if the surroundings were expanding infinitely.
The Academy and Hell Palace people automatically split up to search for Heavenly Dao treasures. Evan said to Gavin, "Come on, let's look for some too."
Gavin nodded, "Mm."
Leah smiled, "I'll go my own way—hope we meet again." With that, she vanished.
Soon, the Academy members drifted apart, but three people kept following Evan and Gavin.
"Those three behind us—they're from your hometown, right?" Evan asked, glancing at the followers.
"Yeah. The first two are Earwood and Darren Ling—you know them. The last one is Dustin Iron," Gavin explained. When Evan heard the name Dustin Iron, he remarked, "This guy is dangerous."
"Him? He's always quiet. I've never heard him say a single word," Gavin said, curious.
"That's what makes him dangerous. No matter what happens, don't stray too far from me," Evan said. Gavin nodded.
After a while, they entered a deserted forest. The three followers finally made their move.
Earwood, Darren Ling, and Dustin Iron burst out from behind.
Gavin frowned, "Why have you been following us?"
"Miss White, there's no point keeping such a useless man around. Let us help you—pick one of us instead," Earwood said with a smile.
"Aren't you afraid the Academy will come after you for attacking your own side?" Gavin said angrily.
"This is the Exquisite Realm—the Academy doesn't care how anyone dies here," Earwood said smugly.
"You should at least see if I agree!" Gavin retorted, furious.
"Easy. Darren Ling and I will keep you busy, and Dustin Iron will handle your husband. Just sit back and enjoy the show," Earwood said with a smile.
Dustin Iron was the real threat in Evan's eyes. The other two only acted this way because of Gavin, so Evan wasn't worried. He told Gavin, "Just play with those two—I'll deal with him and come back."
"Okay, be careful," Gavin said.
Evan stepped forward, smiling at Dustin Iron. "You've been watching me for a long time, haven't you?"
"That's right. Your perception is impressive," Dustin Iron finally spoke. Meanwhile, Gavin was being held back by Earwood and Darren Ling. But Gavin wasn't easy to deal with—they couldn't do much except keep her from approaching Evan.
"Miss White, why are you so stubborn? There are so many talented guys in the Academy, yet you picked him," Darren Ling sighed.
"He's the best," Gavin said with a smile.
"The best? Come on, don't joke with us," Earwood laughed.
"If you don't believe me, just watch," Gavin smiled.
Evan smiled at Dustin Iron. "Why are you so hostile toward me?"
"Because I'm here to kill you," Dustin Iron replied. Evan smiled, "Why? Is it for my wife?"
"No. Someone hired me to kill you," Dustin Iron answered. Evan was curious, "Who? Someone from the Academy?"
"You don't need to know," Dustin Iron said. Evan wondered who wanted him dead, but figured he'd find out after dealing with Dustin Iron. Without hesitation, Evan launched into battle.
At first, everyone thought Evan would lose. But as the fight went on, his hands and feet changed color and became even more terrifying. Only then did everyone realize Evan wasn't just an ordinary guy.
Darren Ling raised his eyebrows, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Is this for real?" he asked.
Earwood nodded slightly. "Looks like it's real."
"Looks like we'll have to team up," Darren Ling said. Earwood wondered, "What about her? Someone needs to keep her pinned down."
"Let's hurry and finish up, then come back. We should have time," Darren Ling said.
Earwood wasn't sure. Gavin was trapped in a temporary formation made by the two of them. The formation needed constant energy—if it faded, Gavin could break out in no time.
Gavin wasn't worried. She knew Evan would be fine, so she waited for him to return.
Earwood and Darren Ling couldn't wait any longer. As for Dustin Iron, he was quickly knocked out, crashing down beside Gavin and the others. Dustin Iron hadn't expected Evan to be so terrifying. He got up, glanced at Gavin, and shouted, "Finish her off!"
"What?" Earwood and Darren Ling thought they'd misheard and exclaimed in shock. Dustin Iron shouted again, "Didn't you hear me? Finish her off!"