Walking toward them was a man and a woman, two people in total.
Both looked to be about the same age as Yvette Ye.
"Yvette, long time no see! You must've been waiting forever, huh?"
The woman spotted Yvette Ye, broke into a big smile, walked right up, and grabbed Yvette's hand.
I expected Moonshade people to have a stronger aura than ordinary folks, but these two honestly just felt totally average.
"I just got here myself. Oh, right, let me introduce you."
Yvette Ye held the woman's hand, then looked at Lin Yi: "This is our new Moonshade member, Lin Yi."
"Hey."
Lin Yi glanced at the pair and tossed out a lukewarm greeting.
The two immediately turned their attention to Lin Yi, sizing him up for a moment.
"I know you. You're the one who helped Nightstar take down that Ancient-Martial Rowe clan guy and completed the mission, so you got fast-tracked into Moonshade, right?"
The woman smiled at Evan Lin, but her smile had a hint of distance. "Not bad. I also heard that at first, Nightstar wanted you to join them, but you didn't. You didn't pass Nightstar's tests."
"Normally, that special mission—the one that lets you get picked for Moonshade out of turn—isn't something just anyone can do. Even if you had the strength, you weren't a Nightstar member. Even beating the Rowe guy shouldn't have been enough to get you into Moonshade."
Her voice sounded casual, but the dissatisfaction in her words was obvious.
"That's Jenna Jiang. She joined Moonshade the same year as me. She's got a sharp tongue but a soft heart—you'll see soon enough."
Yvette Ye cut Jenna off; she knew Evan Lin's personality pretty well.
Someone who dared to go toe-to-toe with Blake Lin from the Upper-Grade Lin clan back in Harborview—Yvette wasn't about to believe he was totally mild-mannered.
She honestly worried Evan Lin and Jenna Jiang might throw down right here, and if that happened, things could get messy.
"Yvette, don't call me soft-hearted. That's not me. I'm just straight-up honest—always have been."
Jenna Jiang shook her head and looked right at Evan Lin. "Let me be clear: I don't think you're strong enough to join Moonshade."
"I don't care what rich family you come from or which big shot pulled strings to get you in. If you just want to pad your resume, fine, but don't drag us down. Otherwise, not even the gods can save you."
Jenna shot Evan a glare—she clearly meant every word.
"You think you're that strong?"
Evan glanced at her, his tone calm. Even after all Jenna's talk, he didn't look the least bit annoyed.
To Evan, Jenna was at best a fourth-grade Pointing-to-Mystery Realm fighter.
A fourth-grade Pointing-to-Mystery might be top-tier somewhere else, but in Evan's eyes, it just didn't measure up.
"I'm just average in Moonshade, but trust me, taking you on would be no problem." Jenna hadn't expected Evan to talk back.
She raised her eyebrows, pride all over her face.
"Jenna's from the Ancient-Martial Jiang family, and she's trained in their secret arts. Her strength's way above the average Pointing-to-Mystery."
The guy standing next to Jenna, who'd been quiet until now, finally spoke up with a playful grin. "Don't say I didn't warn you—your qi isn't showing at all, maybe you're hiding it, but judging by your look, you probably just stepped into Pointing-to-Mystery, right?"
"Barely making it into Moonshade with a fresh Pointing-to-Mystery Realm? You think you're hot stuff? If you'd taken the regular Moonshade test, you wouldn't have gotten past the first round. Still got the guts to ask if Jenna's strong? That's funny."
The man's gaze was full of contempt, making no effort to hide how much he looked down on Evan.
"Both of you, cut it out!"
Yvette, who'd been trying to smooth things over, suddenly raised her voice, frowning as her face turned serious. "He joined Moonshade on his own strength. It had nothing to do with connections!"
Seeing Yvette actually getting angry, Jenna glanced at Evan, her eyes filled with surprise. She hadn't expected Yvette to get worked up over a newcomer.
"Alright, alright, I'll drop it. Can't I just stop talking?"
Jenna grabbed Yvette's arm, grinning. "Pretend I never said anything, okay? I'm sorry, I'm sorry—will that do?"
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made you mad, Yvette. My mouth's out of control—I deserve a smack."
As she spoke, Jenna lightly slapped her own mouth.
Seeing Jenna act like that, Yvette could only sigh and turn to Evan. "Don't mind her."
Evan ignored Jenna and focused on the guy who'd backed her up. "If you have any doubts about me, or anything you want to say, we can set a time and spar. Five minutes, tops."
His tone was even. Evan hadn't planned on saying much, but this guy looked like he was begging for a beating.
"You want to spar with me?"
The man looked shocked, then burst out laughing. "Come on, I've been in Pointing-to-Mystery for over three years. If I fought you, I'd get labeled a bully!"
"Or are you trying to play dirty? Banking on your Moonshade status, thinking I won't dare lay a hand on you?"
As he spoke, Evan caught a flash of jealousy in the guy's eyes.
Sharp words, sharp looks.
Evan was about to reply, but Yvette cut in again. "Enough, everyone. Let's get on the plane—the team is waiting. We can't waste any more time."
Yvette broke up the argument, and Jenna tugged the guy's arm. "Don't bother with him. He's Moonshade now, my junior brother, right?"
"Come on, let's board. If you really want to spar, you'll get your chance later."
Jenna didn't look at Evan, just dragged the guy along and led the way.
"His name's Harvey Li. He's actually pretty talented. He tried to join Moonshade before, but failed the entrance exam. The slot he wanted ended up going to you."
Walking beside Evan, Yvette explained quietly: "He and Jenna are close friends. Jenna's tried all sorts of ways to get him in, hoping to swap your spot for his, but in the end Hidden Dragon made the call, and he got booted out."
"It's normal for him to resent you a little. Don't take it personally."
Yvette paused, then added, "If you really want to vent, you'll have your chance in the Mysterious Ruins."
"Just don't kill anyone."
All lines 11-57 are now translated. Next: review the translation for tone, colloquial language, and proper adaptation of names and terms, making adjustments as needed for consistency and quality.