Hearing Logan's voice, Evan Yang knew that trouble was coming for him again. He was long used to it, but that didn’t mean he was numb—if he had any strength at all, the first person he’d deal with would be this Demon in front of him. For now, he obediently took the medicinal herb assignment Logan handed him. Glancing at it, he saw it was still the same cliff he’d been sent to two years ago, a place he was now thoroughly familiar with from countless visits.
When he returned to the cliff once again, Evan couldn’t help but think back on the past two years of his life. Just then, a young man stepped out from behind him.
This youth was Joel Qiao, who had entered the sect at the same time as Evan. Now, Joel had already mastered the second layer of the Rising Sun Scripture and reached the second stage of Qi-Refining, making him the most promising among their intake. However, he and Evan didn’t get along. Joel walked up behind Evan and said, "Evan the waste!"
Evan turned around and, upon seeing Joel, felt a sense of danger. He became wary and asked, "What are you planning?"
"Planning? Don’t you know how much everyone hates you? Someone who can’t do anything, who doesn’t even have spiritual roots, has managed to survive in the sect for two years—what a waste of resources. So today, I’m doing something for the sect." Joel revealed his true colors, grinning as he spoke.
"You—!" Evan had barely uttered a word before Joel shoved him off the cliff. If Evan’s strength hadn’t been so far below Joel’s, he wouldn’t have been pushed so easily.
As he fell, Evan managed to let out a scream: "Ah!"
Right after pushing Evan, Joel leaned out over the edge and caught a glimpse of Evan’s terrified expression as he fell. But Joel felt no pity—instead, he scoffed, "Kid, I never really had a grudge with you, but I’m just doing someone else’s bidding. Now that you’re gone, I’ll finally get what I want." A greedy look flashed in his eyes as he thought about his reward, and excitement surged inside him. Afterward, remembering the need for caution, he made a mess of the area to make it look like Evan was chased by a wild beast and accidentally fell. Once everything was set up, he quickly disappeared from the scene.
If Joel could see through the fog, he’d notice a figure clinging desperately to a tree branch jutting out from the cliff about ten meters below. That figure was Evan, furious yet deeply worried—he was now stranded, unable to climb up or down.
"Damn it, Joel! If I had your strength, I wouldn’t have been pushed off so easily. Now how am I supposed to get back up? There’s nothing to grab onto here." Evan surveyed his surroundings, feeling frustrated. Just as he was about to lose his grip, he spotted a vine not far below—a vine he knew well from years of climbing around this cliff. It was naturally formed, and besides trying to find a way out, he had no other options. Carefully, he edged along the branch toward the rock wall, stretched out his right hand to grab the vine while keeping his left hand on the branch, silently praying that the vine would hold his weight.