"Elder Mu, it's a misunderstanding. I saw Reed Kong bringing a new candidate for assessment, so I just wanted to take a look." Gavin Qiao said with an awkward smile.
The one called Elder Mu glanced at the two, then at Evan Yang in his distinctive attire, and said, "If you want to watch, go to the assessment arena. What's the point of fighting here? Move along."
Reed Kong bid farewell to the elder, then led Evan Yang away from the crowd. Gavin Qiao, behind them, grumbled inwardly, "Just a Fourth-Tier, and he's making such a fuss with me!"
After walking for a while, Evan Yang asked curiously, "Do you two have some history?"
"Yeah, it's been a long time," Reed Kong replied, his expression looking rather grim.
Seeing Reed Kong like this, Evan Yang knew he must have taken quite a blow.
Noticing Evan Yang didn't press further, Reed Kong's face relaxed and he smiled, "Are you really curious about what happened between us?"
"I am curious, but seeing your mood, I don't really want to ask anymore."
"There's still a bit of distance to the assessment arena. Since we've got time, I'll tell you about it." Reed Kong seemed to have a lot weighing on his mind, and Evan Yang's question gave him an opening.
Evan Yang knew this planet was huge, and getting to the assessment arena would take some time, so he was happy to hear Reed Kong's story.
Reed Kong had joined the Genius Pavilion thousands of years ago, eventually taking up a position there, but he made plenty of enemies. A few hundred years ago, he offended one family in particular—the Qiao Family.
The Qiao Family is a major clan on a first-class planet. Naturally, they wanted their children to be recognized as geniuses, but the Genius Pavilion has its own rules. They approached Reed Kong, who was then in charge of that first-class planet and its subordinate worlds.
They tried to push their children through special channels, but Reed Kong refused. In the end, the Qiao Family framed him, causing him to lose nearly all his relatives. If not for the Genius Pavilion's strength, Reed Kong would have been forced off the planet long ago.
When Reed Kong mentioned his family, his expression changed—he looked as if he wanted to kill those people.
"That Gavin Qiao—is he from the Qiao Family? And how did you end up only managing third-class planets?" Evan Yang was moved by Reed Kong’s story—not only for his refusal to bow to power, but also because Evan hated nothing more than threats against his own family.
Reed Kong continued his bitter tale. The Qiao Family’s influence was vast, since they were from a first-class planet and had many friends. They negotiated with the Genius Pavilion, and if not for a strong leader who backed Reed Kong, he would have been handed over.
That leader insisted the Genius Pavilion would not bow to powerful clans and protected Reed Kong. To appease the higher-ups, Reed Kong was demoted two grades in one go, now only managing third-class planets and below.
As an internal staff member of the Genius Pavilion, Reed Kong was eligible for promotion. After being demoted, he naturally wanted to climb back up. The benefits of reinstatement were obvious—he’d meet more geniuses, and more geniuses meant more friends.
With more friends, he’d have a better chance to stand up to those in power. So for hundreds of years, Reed Kong kept striving toward that goal. But there were limits: if he could discover one Violet Seventh-Tier genius, he could immediately regain his position; ten Blue Sixth-Tier, the same; a hundred Azure Fifth-Tier, or a thousand Green Fourth-Tier.
And so on.
If Reed Kong could meet any of those requirements, he’d have the right to apply for reinstatement. That’s why Gavin Qiao always tried every trick to block his promotion.
Gavin Qiao called him “Professor Kong” in the Genius Pavilion, meaning “coward Kong.” Reed Kong still had one relative held hostage by the Qiao Family, left as leverage to keep him from risking everything to attack their weaker members.
Evan Yang finally understood why Reed Kong, once so powerful, had fallen so far.
The root cause was the Qiao Family. Reed Kong hadn’t retaliated against them because he worried for his relative. He needed powerful allies and authority to even hope for a rescue. Though the odds were slim, Evan admired Reed Kong for enduring the mockery and still striving toward that daunting goal.
If Evan Yang knew where his own family was, he’d do the same—family comes first, himself second.
He’d thought Reed Kong was just a vain man, but now Evan realized his own Green Fourth-Tier status was just a tiny fraction of Reed Kong’s goal. After all, it would take a thousand Green Fourth-Tier candidates like him to help Reed Kong advance.
“Do you think I’m useless?” Reed Kong asked with an awkward smile. In that moment, Evan Yang saw Reed Kong without his hat.
There was determination in his eyes—a drive to keep pushing forward, no matter what.
"Have you considered that even if you regain your post on a first-class planet, the Qiao Family could still use the same tricks to force you down again?" Evan Yang said helplessly.
"I was foolish before, which is how they set me up. But if I get back to managing a first-class planet, I'll meet even more geniuses and allies. As long as there's a sliver of hope, I'll keep going until I'm strong enough to rescue my relative." Reed Kong said firmly.
Evan Yang nodded and said no more, and soon they arrived at the assessment arena.
A crowd had gathered, mostly Genius Pavilion staff preparing for the next candidate.
Reed Kong led Evan Yang through the crowd to the Fourth-Tier room, which had fewer people—after all, assessments for Fourth-Tier and above were rare.
Inside, Reed Kong found the presiding elder, handed over Evan’s registration plaque, and the elder sighed, “Reed Kong, it’s been hundreds of years. Even if you keep working so hard, it’ll take thousands more years to finish. You’d be better off focusing on your cultivation and maybe reaching a higher realm.”
“As long as there’s a shred of hope, I’ll keep trying,” Reed Kong replied with an awkward smile, though inside, he was deeply shaken.
Evan Yang glanced at Reed Kong, then stepped forward. “Can we start the assessment?”
The elder looked at Evan Yang, checked his information, and said, “Early-stage Out-of-Body Realm, Green Fourth-Tier. You’ll face a mid-stage Out-of-Body opponent. If you defeat them within a quarter hour, you pass.”
“When does it start?” Evan Yang asked.
“Right now,” the elder said. He signaled to the staff, and a mid-stage Out-of-Body cultivator entered the arena.
Evan Yang stepped onto the stage, facing his opponent. Reed Kong watched anxiously from the sidelines.
The opponent was a mid-stage Out-of-Body cultivator, but Evan Yang had already reached the peak of the early stage. He activated the Phantom Step Art, moving so fast that only afterimages remained.
In an instant, Evan Yang appeared behind his opponent and struck with a palm. The opponent tried to defend, but Evan’s attack landed squarely, sending him flying out of the arena.
The crowd was stunned. Even the elder was surprised—he hadn’t expected Evan Yang to win so quickly.
Evan Yang’s performance was far beyond what a Green Fourth-Tier should have been capable of.
The elder nodded. “You pass. Next, you’ll face a late-stage Out-of-Body opponent. Defeat them within a quarter hour, and you pass again.”
A late-stage Out-of-Body cultivator entered the arena, looking confident.
Evan Yang activated the Phantom Step Art again, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared behind his opponent and struck.
The opponent was stronger and managed to block Evan’s attack. However, Evan Yang unleashed a series of palm strikes, overwhelming his opponent and sending him out of the arena.
The elder was even more surprised. Evan Yang had defeated a late-stage Out-of-Body cultivator with ease.
If this wasn’t the Genius Pavilion’s assessment hall, Gavin Qiao would have already taught Evan Yang a lesson.
“Much quieter now. Let’s get started,” Evan Yang said.
His words rang out, and the other four all reacted differently.
“Aren’t you going to make a move?” Evan Yang asked, noticing his opponent’s odd expression.
The opponent snapped out of it. “Let’s begin.”
The two began their match. After a few exchanges, the opponent realized Evan Yang was no ordinary candidate—his speed and strength were both above average.
Evan Yang was holding back. He used only Phantom Six Steps, not his Fly-Fire Boots. But with his early-stage Out-of-Body strength, the Six Steps let him match his opponent.
He could control his attack power from double up to twenty times, and even fifty times, though he couldn’t always unleash his full fiftyfold strength. Before, his odds of doing so were one percent; now, at least five percent.
So now, Evan Yang was only using tenfold power—not twenty.
Even so, the opponent was certain Evan Yang could pass. But as he thought this, a voice sounded in his mind.
“Defeat him within a quarter hour. If you let him pass, you’ll answer for it.”
It wasn’t Gavin Qiao’s voice, but the opponent was terrified. He knew Gavin Qiao wasn’t someone you could offend, so he went all out, unleashing his full power to try and subdue Evan Yang.
The proctor and Reed Kong noticed the opponent’s sudden surge in strength and found it odd, but Evan Yang’s performance convinced them he would pass without suspense.
Evan Yang felt no pressure—even as his opponent grew stronger, it barely affected him.
His opponent was sweating buckets. To outsiders, it looked as if Evan Yang was exerting immense pressure, but it was really the opponent’s own anxiety. Each time Evan Yang broke his attacks, the opponent grew more worried about failing to defeat him within the quarter hour.
As the match wore on, sweat streaks appeared on the floor—left by the anxious opponent.
“I knew this kid wasn’t ordinary. He’s making the test candidate sweat this much!” Reed Kong watched with secret delight.