"Kid, you sure are easy to find. You made it out? How did you get out?" A man in white appeared beside Evan Yang. The others exchanged confused looks—who was this? Only Evan and Xin Jiang knew: this was the man who had accompanied them to the Shadowhand Guild before, repeatedly trying to test Evan, only to be trapped by Evan's array for a while. Later, he witnessed Evan schooling those formation masters firsthand.
"Of course I walked out. Do you have any brilliant ideas?" Evan Yang smiled.
"I want to be friends with you. How about it?" The man in white smiled.
"Friends? You know my name, but I don't know yours." Evan Yang eyed him suspiciously.
"That's easy. Come on, let's talk." The man in white said, then pulled Evan Yang away from the group.
Evan Yang had already planned to teach him a lesson and figure out his identity, so he quickly followed him out of there.
The others followed Evan Yang's instructions, living as usual and doing what needed to be done. After all, this was the Free Alliance. Even the big clans couldn't easily come here to arrest people.
"Kid, tell me—how did you get out, and what's the situation inside the Shadowhand Guild?" The man in white, after taking Evan Yang to a secluded spot, asked excitedly.
"Hey, didn't you pull me out here to introduce yourself? Why are you asking about that instead?" Evan Yang laughed, seeing the man's eagerness to know.
The man in white laughed awkwardly. "Tell me how you got out, and I'll tell you who I am."
"What if I refuse?" Evan Yang wasn't about to trade conditions, especially with someone whose origins were unclear and who kept pestering him. In the past, he'd been helpless against the man, but now, if Evan wanted, he could easily take him down.
"Kid, come on, that's not very fair. Telling me won't hurt you." The man in white said, frustrated.
"Let's hear about you first." Evan Yang was actually quite interested in his identity.
"Me? My identity is special—I can't just tell anyone. So it's risky for me. Unless you tell me how you got out, then I'll tell you." The man in white said mysteriously.
"So there's nothing to talk about then?" Evan Yang shrugged helplessly.
"Why are you so stubborn? Just tell me, I promise I won't tell anyone else." The man in white quickly tried to persuade him when the deal fell through.
"You can choose to tell me, or not." Evan Yang smiled, then turned away.
Seeing Evan Yang refuse to answer, the man in white muttered, "I don't believe you won't talk." Then he considered making a move to force Evan to speak.
But Evan Yang dodged in a flash and smiled, "What are you planning to do?"
"Your cultivation?" The man in white was shocked—the aura Evan Yang released when he dodged startled him.
"You think you can take me down?" Evan Yang said with a smile.
"You brat, after a few years, your strength is even more unfathomable. Today I'll test you and see just how strong you are!" The man in white was actually delighted by Evan Yang's progress, like a battle maniac.
Then the two of them started fighting right there—fiercely, but without causing any real harm.
Their battle attracted the attention of two people hiding in the shadows.
When those two saw the man in white being beaten back by Evan Yang, they looked incredulous. As the fight continued and the man in white lost, the two quickly flew over to intervene. "No fighting here," they said.
Evan Yang snapped back to his senses, realizing this was the Free Alliance, where fighting was forbidden. He wasn't sure if any Spirit-Wandering experts were present, but for everyone's safety, he withdrew his aura. He looked at the two newcomers, who now stood beside the man in white.
The two newcomers started mocking the man in white.
"Third Bro, you're really pathetic—actually lost!" one of them laughed.
The other added with a smirk, "You almost lost completely."
The man in white grumbled, "If you've got the guts, why don't you try fighting him?"
Evan Yang figured it out—these three were a team, and each one was strong. He was curious why they were all here.
Seeing Evan Yang's suspicious look, the three whispered among themselves. Then the man in white said, "You want to know who I am? Come with us, and you'll find out."
"We have to go somewhere?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"What's wrong, scared?" The man in white laughed.
"Not really. Let's go." Evan Yang wasn't afraid of these three at all—even if they teamed up, he could still escape.
The three exchanged glances, impressed by Evan Yang's courage. They led the way, with Evan following behind, and soon arrived at a cave.
The cave was simply furnished, but everything was neat and orderly—not messy at all.
The most striking feature was a table and three chairs set up in the cave.
The man in white glanced around, then found an old chair off to the side and laughed, "Sorry, it's usually just us three, so we only have three chairs."
"No worries. So, what's your identity?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
The three exchanged glances, and finally the man in white spoke. "What do you think of the Free Alliance?"
"It's great," Evan Yang replied. There were no conflicts here, no clans squeezing people for resources. So far, Evan hadn't had any unpleasant experiences with the Free Alliance, and his people were living under its protection.
"You think it's good? That's perfect. Makes things easier." The man in white smiled when he heard Evan Yang's answer.
"The Free Alliance is good, but what does that have to do with you?" Evan Yang asked, not sure what the man in white meant.
"Of course it matters. This base is guarded by the three of us." The man in white said with a smile.
"You three guard it?" Evan Yang was surprised. Instantly, he realized that if these three managed the base, they must be core figures in the Free Alliance.
Seeing Evan Yang's shocked expression, the man in white laughed, "I'm White Wolf, that's Black Bear, and that's Yellow Tiger."
(Irrelevant webnovel navigation notice, skip translation.)
Black Bear and Yellow Tiger nodded politely to Evan Yang. Seeing their courtesy, Evan nodded back, then suspiciously asked White Wolf, "So why are you always following me?"
"Because we wanted to test your strength," White Wolf said with a smile.
"Test me? Now that you've tested enough, what's the point?" Evan Yang didn't believe their "test" was so simple.
"Actually, we've been watching you for a long time. In just a decade or two, you've grown so much—you're truly talented. And you're a master of alchemy, forging, and arrays." White Wolf listed Evan Yang's strengths one by one.
The other two nodded with interest.
"You've been watching me for a while?" Evan Yang asked, suspicious.
"Yeah, that time you fought the Bai clan, we were watching. And your alchemy skills—didn't expect you'd become so strong in just a few years, strong enough that even I have to admit I'm not your equal." White Wolf said with an embarrassed smile.
Evan Yang understood—they'd been watching him for a long time.
"So that's how it is," Evan Yang replied.
"Kid, interested in joining us?" White Wolf asked.
"Join you? What do you mean?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"You should know what the Free Alliance is. There are several Spirit-Wandering experts behind it, guarding its order. We value talent, and we've wanted to nurture you for a while. Today, we're officially inviting you." White Wolf said with a smile.
"Join the Free Alliance?" Evan Yang hadn't expected such a turn, nor that these three had been watching him for so long.
"Yes. If you join, we can provide you with plenty of rare treasures and a place to cultivate, helping you reach the Spirit-Wandering Realm even faster." White Wolf tempted Evan Yang.
Rare treasures? Evan Yang knew he had already reached Soul-Forming Great Perfection, and the next realm was Spirit-Wandering—a realm everyone longed for, but one that was especially hard to cross. Some people stayed at this bottleneck for life.
"Well?" White Wolf smiled, seeing Evan Yang deep in thought.
"I like being on my own. I don't want to join any organization, but thank you for your kindness." Evan Yang smiled, making a decision that left the three helpless. Though Evan was talented, as long as he didn't want to join, no one could force him into the Free Alliance.
"You're really not going to reconsider?" White Wolf said, disappointed.
"Thank you, but my mind is made up," Evan Yang declined politely.
"This..." White Wolf hadn't expected Evan Yang to be so decisive, not even hesitating.
The other two exchanged glances. Finally, Black Bear spoke: "It's fine if you don't join, but I'd still like to invite you to visit our Alliance headquarters. Take a look—after you've seen it, then decide."
Evan Yang was about to refuse, but Old Clam spoke up. "Kid, go take a look. The Free Alliance is a strict place, outsiders rarely get inside. And I've heard they have lots of treasures. Many want to join but never get the chance. You might as well see it—it's not like they're forcing you to join."