When Quentin Wen saw that the newcomers were actually Unrivaled Young Lord and Voidheart Young Lord, two of the Four Young Lords, he immediately laughed and said, "Unrivaled and Voidheart, you two are really on top of things! The auction isn't supposed to start until tomorrow, right? I didn't expect you'd arrive two days early."
"We just wanted to get together early," one of them replied. "Golden Ram City might not be famous for much, but that whole-roast golden ram is unforgettable. How about grabbing a drink together?"
Evan Chu took a closer look at the two. Both were as handsome, suave, and effortlessly charming as Quentin Wen—one wore white robes, the other gray. They were clearly outstanding figures.
"Since Unrivaled's inviting me, how could I refuse? But I do have a friend with me—would you two mind if he joined us?" Quentin Wen said, gesturing toward Evan Chu.
"Evan Chu greets the two Young Lords!" Evan said politely. Staying low-key makes things much easier.
Unrivaled Young Lord and Voidheart Young Lord glanced at Evan Chu, finding him just as handsome and extraordinary as the rest. Judging by his Divine Martial Realm cultivation, he must have some kind of powerful background. But among the Nine Great Sects—aside from Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, which is all women—they knew almost every outstanding youth, and this boy wasn't one of them.
They'd never seen this youth before. He was probably from a second-rate sect or one of the hidden clans—the latter was more likely. And kids like that usually had unfathomable strength.
"So it's Brother Evan! I've heard your name before! Since you're Quentin's friend, you're naturally our friend too. Let's head to Golden Ram Tower in Golden Ram City and have a proper get-together. If I'm not mistaken, Soaring Feather and Serena Dream should already be there." Unrivaled Young Lord said.
Voidheart Young Lord also exchanged a few polite words with Evan Chu, making the acquaintance. To be honest, Evan found these Young Lords a headache—he hardly knew them, so why all the formalities?
The four soon left together and stopped in front of a massive restaurant. Evan glanced at the façade and saw a gigantic ram's head hanging above the entrance, with horns nearly three meters long. The nose and eyes were perfectly intact, as if the head had just been severed.
It had to be some kind of ram-type monster beast. Evan was surprised it could be preserved so well under sun and rain—clearly, the owner of Golden Ram Tower wasn't simple. Evan had a gut feeling the real power behind the place was probably someone from Freewind Palace, and of very high status.
The four walked in, and a middle-aged manager immediately came to greet them. Seeing Quentin Wen, he said, "Young Lord Quentin, you're finally here! Unrivaled Young Lord and the others have been waiting so long, they had to go looking for you. Hurry up—Soaring Feather Young Lord has been waiting upstairs for ages."
But soon the manager noticed Evan Chu beside Quentin Wen. "And this guest is...?" It was obvious that only those with status could enter the private rooms here.
"This is our friend, Young Lord Peak. From now on, treat him exactly as you would treat us—show him the proper respect!" Before Quentin could reply, Unrivaled Young Lord spoke up first.
The manager reacted instantly and bowed to Evan Chu. "Greetings, Young Lord Peak. I failed to recognize greatness—please don't take offense!"
"You're too polite. Let's go," Evan said, though he couldn't help but feel annoyed by the 'Young Lord Peak' title. Peak Young Lord, Mad Young Lord—he wasn't crazy, damn it.
The manager led Evan and the others into a beautifully appointed private room. When the door opened, Evan saw three people already seated at a large table—two women, both veiled, and one man, who was even more strikingly handsome than the other Young Lords.
Evan realized this must be Soaring Feather Young Lord, the leader of the Four Young Lords. As for the veiled women, one was surely Serena Dream, the Saintess of Freewind Palace, while the other was unknown but obviously of extremely high status.
"Soaring Feather, you really know how to enjoy yourself—starting the feast with your sister-in-law before the rest of us even arrived," Unrivaled Young Lord teased.
Soaring Feather Young Lord glanced at the four newcomers, then fixed his gaze on Evan Chu. "And this is...? You look unfamiliar to me."
"This is Young Lord Peak, Quentin Wen's friend—so he's our friend too, right?" Unrivaled Young Lord said.
Soaring Feather Young Lord's eyes flashed like lightning as he looked at Evan Chu, who met his gaze head-on. Their eyes locked for a long moment before either looked away.
That silent stare sent a jolt through both of them. Evan was shocked—Soaring Feather Young Lord actually had a soul technique like mind-reading, able to sense the thoughts behind someone's eyes.
But of course, he couldn't get what he wanted. Evan had Sword Spirit Yvonne Xuan protecting him—no matter how strong Soaring Feather was, he couldn't break through, and instead suffered a faint backlash to his own spirit.
When Soaring Feather Young Lord tried to probe Evan, the Sword Spirit immediately informed Evan of what was happening. That was why Evan met his gaze so calmly.
But Soaring Feather Young Lord was deeply shocked inside. He couldn't break through Evan's defenses at all. This boy felt like an unfathomable expert, fully capable of defeating him—yet he'd never seen him before.
Not even a single rumor about him.
"Young Lord Peak, where are you from? Among the Nine Great Sects of the Azure Tide Ruins, I've never seen you before. If I'm not mistaken, your strength shouldn't be beneath mine, right?" Soaring Feather Young Lord said.
Everyone in the room was stunned. If anyone else had said something like that, they'd think he was just boasting—but coming from the leader of the Four Young Lords, it was a whole different story.
Unrivaled Young Lord and Voidheart Young Lord were especially shocked, glancing at Evan Chu as if they were dreaming. This just shouldn't be possible.
Quentin Wen was just as stunned. But he trusted Soaring Feather Young Lord's judgment—after all, he'd been completely crushed when racing him in the past. Evan Chu's speed was simply unbelievable.
"Are you for real, Ethan?" Unrivaled Young Lord stared in disbelief at Soaring Feather Young Lord Ethan.
Soaring Feather Young Lord Ethan grinned, "Someone here knows even better than I do. Isn't that right, Quentin Wen? He's your friend—don't tell us you know nothing about him."
Just then, the veiled young woman—Serena Dream—suddenly spoke: "Brother Ethan, is he really as strong as you say? Why do I get the feeling he doesn't dare show his real face? Wearing a mask—does it mean he doesn't trust us, or does he just look down on us?"
Ethan turned to her in surprise. "Serena, you really think Young Lord Peak is using a disguise? I couldn't spot any flaws myself."
Serena Dream's voice, as melodious as heavenly music, drifted into Evan Chu's ears: "Young Lord Peak, could you let everyone see your true face?"