Evan Yang was puzzled after hearing this, so he voiced his question, "Senior, doesn't the Genius Pavilion have many powerful cultivators? Couldn't they just send someone to settle it easily?"
Reed Kong smiled and explained, "It's not that simple. After all, it's a new planet. Not only does the Genius Pavilion know about it, but so do the Three Palaces. So, to compete for this planet, the Pavilion and the Three Palaces have already agreed to certain terms: no cultivators above the Out-of-Body Realm may participate, because those too powerful could easily damage the planet."
"What are those terms exactly?" Evan asked suspiciously, surprised that this planet was somehow tied to the Three Palaces.
"It's simple: within one month, whichever side kills the most beasts wins. Their points system is the same as ours, so this time, there are four sides participating in the beast hunt: the Genius Pavilion, the Three Palaces, and two others." Reed replied.
"Is there something special about that planet? Why are the Three Palaces so eager to claim it?" Evan asked, curiosity piqued.
Reed's expression changed slightly, and he sent Evan a sound transmission: "I've only heard that the spiritual energy there is different and highly suitable for cultivation. As for the real reason, I don't know. You can go check it out, but be careful—this time, people from the Three Palaces are involved. You should keep a low profile. After all, you killed one of their people—a Star Lord of a fifth-class planet. Given your identity, normally they wouldn't do anything to you, but with four sides competing, they might pull some tricks and use your Star Lord-killing incident as an excuse to provoke you."
After hearing this, Evan finally understood: when your interests threaten the other side, your genius status won't protect you anymore. If they want to kill you, they'll find a reason to cover themselves.
If it were anyone else, they wouldn't dare act openly. But Evan had killed a Star Lord of the Ninefold Palace's fifth-class planet—if they found out, they'd definitely come after him.
Reed's warning made Evan wary of those around him. He could have just skipped the whole thing, but Evan wanted to temper himself—after all, training is the fastest way to improve, and there's the points reward too.
So Evan agreed. But before signing up, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior, what exactly is Flower Valley?"
"What? You actually went there?" Reed Kong exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, I went and saw the stone stele," Evan replied.
"I should've warned you... Good thing you're alright," Reed said, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"What kind of place is that, anyway? Why are you so nervous about it?" Evan asked, still suspicious.
Reed sent a sound transmission, "That place is a forbidden zone on Genius Star. They say a terrifying woman lives there. No one dares approach, not even the top figures of the Genius Pavilion—they all treat her with three points of caution."
"Seriously?" Evan was startled, now even more convinced that the woman was extraordinary—especially if even the Pavilion's top figures feared her.
At this moment, he felt lucky he hadn't angered that woman—otherwise, he'd have lost his body long ago.
"Don't go near there again, and definitely don't think about entering. If she happens to be in a bad mood, she could just—" Reed made a killing gesture as he spoke.
After hearing Reed's words, Evan had no intention of provoking someone whose strength was so far beyond his own.
But deep down, he was even more determined to cultivate and raise his power. He didn't want to end up, a thousand years from now, exactly as that woman threatened—"dealt with" for failing to qualify as an immortal.
He hated being threatened, so his only option was to become stronger—only then could he escape the other's threat.
Seeing Evan's troubled expression, Reed asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. I'll go sign up." Evan smiled, then followed Reed to the registration area.
Reed registered himself as well.
"You're joining too?" Evan asked curiously.
"Yeah, it's a rare opportunity. As a squad leader, I also earn points. Normally, it's about recruiting talents—different talents earn different points. Good years, you might meet several talents across different planets; bad years, maybe only one in several years, so points accumulate slowly. This time, as long as I lead the team and keep you safe, your points will stack onto mine." Reed explained, a bit embarrassed.
"How do the talent points work?" Evan asked, curious.
"Green Fourth-Tier, ten points; Azure Fifth-Tier, one hundred points; Blue Sixth-Tier, one thousand points; Violet Seventh-Tier, ten thousand points. I need ten thousand points to get my old position back. If you all kill enough beasts, I can earn more points this time." Reed smiled.
Evan nodded in understanding and registered with Reed.
After registering, both received a route to the planet.