After Victor Su finished speaking, he looked at Evan Lin in front of him, his eyes a little uneasy: "Ethan Xu has devoted most of his life to the country. All these years, he's been traveling around, just to find more outstanding talents for the nation."
"The older generation of warriors are always thinking about their duty to the nation. That's exactly why, after meeting you that day, he invited you to join Nightstar."
"On this point, I really admire him. It's just that, although you refused him, he still insisted on doing things his way. I wanted to give you a heads-up in advance, in case it catches you off guard later."
Victor Su looked at Evan Lin and gave a bitter smile.
He had actually made a special call to Beijing to dig up this information.
He hadn't expected Ethan Xu to ignore Evan Lin's decision and go ahead and submit Evan's name to Nightstar anyway.
"Got it," Evan Lin raised his eyebrows and nodded.
Ethan Xu didn't leave him with a particularly good or bad impression. If anything, he was just someone who could hold a conversation.
"Most importantly, Nightstar might send people to assess you. I really don't know what could happen then, so if they offend you, please go easy on them—don't... don't take their lives."
Victor Su gave an awkward smile.
The reason he came to find Evan Lin this time was precisely because of this.
If Evan Lin accidentally wiped out Nightstar's people, it could easily create a grudge—and that's the last thing Victor Su wants to see.
"Alright."
Seeing Evan Lin nod so decisively, Victor Su finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Master, about the other matter—the war post from the Southriver Sword Sect I mentioned before—I’ve thought it over. How about you wait a while before heading there?"
"My eldest has already gone to Beijing. Once he’s back, we can decide what to do. How does that sound?"
Victor Su raised the topic again.
Ever since the last time, when Nathan Lin of the Lin family was forced to his knee in public by Evan Lin’s mere presence—without Evan even making a move—and couldn’t summon the courage to draw the Southriver Sword for a fight, the Lin family had kept a much lower profile. They’d never brought up that engagement again, either.
But the war post from the Southriver Sword Sect has always hung over Victor Su’s heart like a shadow he can’t shake.
The Southriver Sword Sect has dominated Jinnan for years, a true powerhouse. Most of their people keep to themselves, but in decades, only a handful have ever made the sect retract a war post.
Those few were all legendary apex fighters who’d made their names long ago. But once they entered the Southriver Sword Sect, none ever appeared again—the world simply lost all trace of them.
Victor Su was worried that Evan Lin, young and proud, might charge into the Sword Sect alone and run into a real master. Even with Evan’s extraordinary talent—as Master Lin from Seacrest Province—if he really clashed with them, the odds wouldn’t be great.
"Once my son’s back, in a few days, we’ll know if he can get into the general track. At that point, he’ll go with you to the Southriver Sword Sect—then, even the sect wouldn’t dare act rashly."
Victor Su saw Evan Lin glance at him and quickly explained.
"You’re afraid they’ll keep me there?" Evan Lin asked with curiosity.
Victor Su’s face turned awkward. "It’s not that I doubt your strength—just that the Southriver Sword Sect has decades of hidden depth. Who knows what tricks they might have?"
"Let them have a thousand tricks—so what?" Evan Lin shook his head. "Honestly, I’d rather they did. Otherwise, it’d be a wasted trip."
"You don’t need to worry about this anymore."
Hearing Evan Lin’s words, Victor Su knew there was no persuading him and could only sigh.
Molly Su, standing nearby, was worried too. But seeing Evan Lin’s confidence, her eyes flashed with a strange light.
Victor Su invited Evan Lin to stay for a meal, but Evan politely declined, so Victor didn’t insist.
Standing at the intersection, Victor Su and Molly Su stopped, watching Evan Lin walk away with his hands in his pockets. Victor let out a long breath.
"Grandpa, do you think he’ll make it out of the Southriver Sword Sect alive?" Molly Su stared at Evan Lin’s distant figure, her voice soft and uncertain.
"I don’t know," Victor Su shook his head, gaze distant. "Honestly, I understand Master Lin less and less."
"Maybe his future is at the very peak of Huaxia."
Victor Su murmured to himself.
Evan Lin returned home. Stella Huang was, as usual, busy typing away at her manuscript. When Evan came in, she handed him a yogurt drink.
These days, Irene Xu was constantly flying missions and rarely at home. Whenever she did come back, she brought Evan Lin little gifts—snacks, drinks, all kinds of treats—showering him with care.
Stella Huang, too, found Evan Lin more and more unfathomable. Thanks to her report on Serena Tong, she’d gained recognition at the station and was now eligible for full-time status. The pressure was high, but so was her motivation—and her future looked bright.
At school, ever since Evan Lin’s grades in two subjects were revealed, his name once again shot to fame, becoming the superstar transfer student leading the trend at Capitalview First High.
Some students even spread all sorts of legendary stories about Evan Lin—so many versions, the list was endless.
Amid all the uproar, Evan Lin actually managed a rare stretch of going to class and leaving on time. Only the Class 12 language teacher, Byron Yang, seemed to think Evan had some issue with him, so he mostly ignored Evan during lessons.
This peaceful, laid-back life lasted seven days.
On Monday of the second week, Evan Lin got up at six, packed his bag, and headed out.
This time, he didn’t go to school. Instead, he caught a cab at the street corner and went straight to Jingwei Peak.
On Monday morning, for the first class, Byron Yang—his mood sunnier than ever thanks to Evan Lin’s incredible grades—walked into the classroom with his lesson materials. Instinctively, he glanced at the last row.
The boy who should’ve been slouched lazily in that seat was nowhere to be found—just an empty desk, looking a little bleak.
Byron Yang paused, his right foot hovering in midair as he stepped into the classroom, a sudden emptiness flickering through his heart.
Whenever Evan Lin was there, even if he didn’t pay attention in class, Byron Yang felt reassured. But now, with Evan suddenly gone, most of his good mood vanished.
He’s probably off somewhere having fun again…
Byron Yang sighed, pulled himself together, and realized there was nothing he could do about a kid like that.