Evan Yang followed Galen Chao to a residence. The place was unusual—consisting of numerous caves, each divided into different zones. Naturally, the facilities inside varied from zone to zone.
Evan didn’t care about any of this, paying it no mind. But some people thought having a good spot meant they were stronger than others.
When people saw Evan assigned to a beginner cave—the kind reserved for newcomers and those who could not advance—they all mocked him.
Galen Chao said to Evan, "Face reality. If you don’t want to be laughed at, you have to get stronger. Your attribute is odd, mixed with impurities, but effort is always better than giving up."
"Thank you, Senior Galen," Evan replied.
"Alright, that’s all I’ll say. This cave is yours now. Remember it, then follow me—I’ll take you to your first class," Galen said.
Evan nodded and quickly followed Galen into a cave. The place was dark, but Galen himself was a source of light—blue light radiated from him, shining beneath the cyan glow. Evan muttered to himself and soon reached the innermost part.
Inside, a group of people were gathered, all with their eyes closed, cultivating. When Evan arrived, everyone opened their eyes and curiously looked at the newcomer.
Galen said, "This is the new arrival. Please look after him. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave you to your cultivation."
With that, Galen left. Evan smiled at the group and said, "Please take care of me."
The group shot Evan cold looks, then shut their eyes again. Evan was puzzled—he hadn’t offended anyone, so why were they looking at him like that?
Just then, a man opened his eyes and said to Evan, "Come here. I’ll give you the first course material. Whether you can leave depends on yourself."
He called Evan over, and after Evan walked up, the man explained what he needed to learn for the first course and the standards for leaving it.
It turned out the standard for leaving the first course was that, each month, two people would be selected. These two were chosen via competition. The more people, the lower the odds of success. Evan finally understood why everyone had looked at him so coldly—they feared he’d steal their spot.
Understanding this, Evan didn’t bother with them. He saw that the first course taught everyone how to gather their own light.
Evan observed the others—everyone’s light was different, but the strongest was white. Evan followed the method, closed his eyes, and began gathering his own light.
Having studied some light techniques before, Evan quickly gathered his light. His light was white tinged with purple, and he was curious—he’d never noticed purple before, so why was it appearing here?
Initially, everyone envied the newcomer for suddenly gathering white light, jealous because it meant one less spot. But when they saw Evan’s light wasn’t pure, they relaxed and sneered at him.
Evan didn’t think having purple in his white light was a big deal, so he kept cultivating. He found that using their method greatly strengthened his light attribute and made gathering it much easier than before.
Though he couldn’t leave this strange place yet, Evan learned a lot here and was quite satisfied. After a month, the selection opportunity arrived.
The man in charge of the first course announced, "Alright, another month has passed. Time to select. As always, whoever condenses their light fastest and illuminates the cave before them can leave."
Everyone quickly lined up, each with a small cave in front of them. The cave wasn’t tiny, but not large either—it took a lot of light to illuminate it. At the instructor’s signal, no one dared slack off.
Evan, needless to say, gathered his light instantly and illuminated his cave the fastest. His brightness was also the strongest.
So Evan was selected, along with a thin, small-built youth. The two could leave, while the rest glared at them with resentment.
Evan knew this was a cruel world. He had no time to care about their hatred—he needed to quickly figure out what this place was, how to leave, and investigate the Saintess’s amnesia.
"What’s your name?" the thin youth asked as Evan stepped out of the cave.
"I’m Evan Yang. And you?" Evan asked.
"I’m Glen Lane. You can call me Xiao Lin," the youth replied with a smile.
"Why aren’t you like the others?" Evan asked curiously.
"Hate you? What’s the point? If I waste time hating someone instead of training, it’s not worth it. Better to focus on cultivation and get out of here. Besides, there’s always another chance. I won, that’s what matters," Glen Lane said, smiling.
"That’s true," Evan said with a smile.
"Let’s go together—to the second course," Glen Lane said.
Evan nodded, and the two set off. On the way, Evan asked curiously, "Were you born here?"
"Is there anyone who wasn’t born here?" Glen Lane replied, puzzled.
"Not really, just asking. So, where are you from?" Evan quickly covered his slip with a smile.
Glen Lane thought Evan’s question was odd but soon answered, "I was originally one of the Children of Light, but I didn’t want to just stay like that. I want to be a Light Guard, so I came to the Guard Hall. As long as I pass all twenty courses, I’ll become a guard."
"Then keep working hard," Evan said with a smile.
"And you? You want to be a guard too, right?" Glen Lane asked, smiling.
"Yeah." Evan nodded, not mentioning he was basically pre-selected.
Feeling a connection, Glen Lane continued chatting, but to Evan’s disappointment, Glen knew nothing about leaving this place. As for the Saintess, he only knew she had suddenly awakened over a thousand years ago, and that many strong Light Guards had tried to become her personal guard, but all were rejected.
Evan was confused about what had happened to the Saintess and what this 'awakening' really meant, but he believed he’d eventually find the answers.
So, the two made their way to the second course. The rules were the same: whoever won first would advance, with the competition held once a month.
Amazingly, Evan and Glen Lane both passed again. They planned to move on to the third course, but Glen said, "Let’s go back to our quarters first."
"Why not go straight to the third course?" Evan asked curiously.
"Didn’t you know? If you pass courses consecutively, you have to rest three days before continuing," Glen Lane explained.
Evan was surprised. "There’s a rule like that?"
"Yeah," Glen Lane replied.
"I didn’t know, but thanks for telling me. Otherwise, if we went and weren’t allowed in, it would’ve been a waste," Evan said with a smile.
"No problem. Let’s go," Glen Lane said with a smile.
Evan and Glen Lane’s residences weren’t far apart. Both were considered newcomers, but Evan had barely returned for fifteen minutes when a voice called out from outside.
"Kid, get out here!" someone shouted.
Evan stepped outside, frowning. "Who are you?" he asked.
"We’re here to challenge you!" the one who'd called Evan out replied.
"Challenge me?" Evan frowned, unsure of their intentions. Glen Lane was drawn over and stood beside Evan, saying, "What are you doing?"
"Kid, this doesn’t concern you. We’re here to challenge him," the man said.
"Trying to gang up on him?" Glen Lane snorted, treating Evan as a friend.
"Ha, you like to stick your neck out? With that skinny body, I could crush you!" one of them sneered.
"Is that so? Try it!" Glen Lane snorted.
"Second, go. Take him out," one of them ordered another.
The one called 'Second' said, "Alright, watch me."
He reached out, unleashing light like a destructive attack at Glen Lane. Glen dodged and counterattacked.
Evan saw that Glen Lane was no weakling—he had Emperor Realm seventh-tier strength, same as 'Second.'
With so many experts around, Evan wondered just how many strong cultivators the Guard Hall had, and how many more there might be in this realm.
Normally, Evan would step in, but seeing Glen Lane was strong enough to handle it, he watched their fighting styles instead.
Once the fight was decided, Glen Lane defeated his opponent and asked, "Anyone else?"
"I’ll go," said the one who called himself 'Boss.'
He had Emperor Realm eighth-tier strength. His attack was pure light, much stronger than Evan’s own. Evan knew Glen Lane would be injured if he didn’t intervene.
So Evan said, "Step back—it’s dangerous."
Evan pushed Glen Lane aside and waved his hand, conjuring an ice block. The ice refracted the incoming light, scattering it to the side. The rocks there shattered from the force, showing how terrifying the attack was.
Everyone was stunned—Evan’s technique was unfamiliar. They all used light, but Evan could create ice. Did he have some kind of artifact? Greed flashed in their eyes.
"Well, well! You’ve got a treasure like that? Today, we’re taking it!" the Boss laughed.
"Is fighting allowed here?" Evan asked, annoyed.
"Ha! Newcomers are always clueless. This isn’t fighting—it’s sparring! In the Guard Hall, it’s totally normal," the Boss laughed.