On the high platform, Yvette Locke, dressed in pink, looked radiant and dazzling.
She opened her eyes wide, waving hard toward Evan Lin in the distance, her face beaming with a smile.
Seeing her like this, the elderly man beside her turned his head and also looked in Evan Lin’s direction.
His expression was cold as he regarded Evan Lin, sizing him up.
“That guy ended up on the mountain with Yvette by sheer luck, and he actually managed to stay?”
His name was Hugo Locke, the current head of the Locke Family and their patriarch. His strength had long reached the Pointing-to-Mystery Realm.
The entire Locke Family thrived because of him.
“Just looking at him, there’s not a hint of spiritual qi in his eyes—feels like a piece of lucky dead wood. Can’t imagine why Yvette cares so much about him.”
“Normally, with Yvette’s personality, she barely talks to anyone. Just now she actually stepped in to help that kid out—totally unexpected.”
After a few glances at Evan Lin, Hugo Locke lost interest and shook his head, his wrinkled face full of confusion.
“Yvette has always been naive about the world and barely has any friends. This time, she went down the mountain by accident and the He Family caught her. She managed to slip away with a bit of cleverness, but almost got captured again on the road.”
“Luckily, she ran into that boy—he helped Yvette escape, so she treats him as a friend now.”
The woman sitting nearby quickly chimed in.
“I’ve been with Yvette these past few days. She’s a lot calmer than before she went out.”
Seeing Hugo Locke’s furrowed brow, she hesitated a bit, then spoke softly: “Patriarch, could you let Yvette walk around and play with that boy? Even if it’s just on Locke mountain.”
“After all, Yvette’s grown up now—she’s not a child anymore. If you never let her out, I’m worried…”
She trailed off halfway through her sentence.
Hugo Locke was already shaking his head, voice ice-cold: “Her life, like her parents’, belongs to the Locke Family! The mission her parents failed to complete—today, she must finish!”
“I promised her one trip down the mountain at age twenty. I’ve kept my word these past few days. Now, it’s time for her to fulfill her duty!”
Hugo Locke looked at Yvette Locke beside him, his gaze sharp. “Besides, she’s the purest bloodline in the whole Locke Family. I kept her unstained by the mundane world for twenty years, all for this day!”
At these words, the middle-aged woman seemed to recall something, and her face turned deathly pale.
Yvette Locke seemed completely unconcerned with the conversation happening beside her. She just kept waving her arm at Evan Lin, hoping he would notice her.
"Can I go say a word to him?"
Yvette Locke waved her arm for a long time, then turned her head to look at Hugo Locke, her big eyes blinking with anticipation.
"No."
Hugo Locke slowly shook his head, his tone brooking no argument.
"I just want to ask if he'll be my friend."
She reached out, tugging at Hugo Locke's sleeve, her voice soft and pleading, looking utterly pitiful.
"Not now. But after today is over, I can allow him to come find you."
Hugo Locke hesitated slightly, then continued, "But only if you behave today."
"Okay!"
Hearing this, Yvette Locke instantly lit up like a child given candy. Her previously disappointed face broke into a bright smile. "Yvette will be good!"
To the middle-aged woman, that smiling face was almost painful to look at.
After today, neither she nor he may have a chance to leave alive.
After all, this Dao-Trial Gathering was set up to ensure the successful hunting of the Deep-Frost Iceflame!
She sighed softly, looking at Yvette Locke, her feelings complicated.
Yvette Locke's father was once the Locke Family's next clan head, the outstanding talent of the second generation. Yet he died to the Deep-Frost Iceflame, and her mother followed him in death for love, leaving Yvette all alone in this world.
Evan Lin looked up at the high platform; Yvette Locke was still waving at him.
"Well, looks like we underestimated how much you matter to Yvette Locke." Someone noticed Yvette on the platform and gave Evan Lin a strange look.
"Turns out you're the man standing behind the woman. Impressive, impressive," another person clicked their tongue in amazement.
While those people were talking, Hugo Locke stood up on the high platform.
He stood there, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly: "First of all, welcome everyone to our Locke Family Dao-Trial Gathering. The trial has a long history—once a year, every year. In the past, only Locke Family members could participate, but this year is different."
"This year, the Locke Family has invited fifty strong outsiders to join the Dao-Trial. All of you who have made it this far have already proven your strength!"
Hugo Locke's speech made many around Evan Lin feel honored.
Their eyes burned with excitement as they looked at Hugo Locke.
"The Locke Family head!"
"He's a Pointing-to-Mystery Realm powerhouse! Rumor has it, back in the day, he defeated Barton He, the old patriarch of the He Family!"
"I've heard of the Locke Family head's reputation for years. Today I finally get to see him in person!"
Faces lit up with excitement and genuine respect.
"This time, whoever wins the Dao-Trial—if it's a Locke, they'll become the next family head. If it's an outsider, they'll stay in the Locke Family, enjoy the treatment of the clan head, and can freely choose any Locke woman to marry!"
Hugo Locke's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear to everyone present.
The Locke Family head position!
Freely choose a bride and become one of the Locke Family!
Such terms, whether for outsiders or Locke Family members, were like a depth charge—instantly igniting the atmosphere.
"If the winner gets to stay in the Locke Family, the bride will probably be Yvette Locke, right?"
The 1.65-meter-tall man curled his lips and looked at Evan Lin, full of provocation: "When I win, should I invite you to watch in the bridal chamber on my wedding night?"
"After all, you're the only guy who's ever told me to scram twice!"
He sneered coldly, his eyes toward Evan Lin filled with killing intent.
"You'd better survive today and live to see tomorrow's sun."
Evan Lin kept his back to him, shaking his head slightly, his tone suddenly quiet and lonely.