"You guys are cheating!"
Seeing Trent Locke and the others arrive like this.
A man got up from the ground, his expression changing as he roared in anger.
His voice was loud and full of fury.
Bang!
But the moment he finished speaking, Trent Locke had already stepped forward, appearing in front of him and swinging a fist backward into his chest.
The sudden force sent the man flying straight out of the stone pavilion.
His body shot toward the other side of the stone pavilion, and the instant he passed out of it and into the blue corridor, everyone saw him dissolve midair into a cloud of pale blue ash that drifted to the ground, turning into a smear of dust.
It all happened so fast that the man didn’t even have time to scream.
"How is that possible? He just vanished!"
Seeing this scene, some people’s expressions changed dramatically.
No matter what, the fact that he made it into the stone pavilion proved his strength—but on this new path, he couldn’t even last a few breaths!
"He didn’t just disappear—he was completely shattered by the Iceflame."
Trent Locke looked disdainful as he stepped into the stone pavilion. "From the pavilion to the entrance, it’s all blazing flame—extreme heat. But beyond the pavilion, it’s Iceflame—extreme cold fire."
"That kind of fire burns below zero degrees—a single spark can freeze an entire lake solid."
Trent spoke casually, glancing at the blue corridor on the other side of the pavilion as he talked.
"Freeze solid?"
The remaining few people were all baffled by the term.
"It’s fire so cold it can kill you. Normal flames burn you to ash, but Iceflame turns you into ice-like shards."
Trent Locke seemed a little impatient.
He had just casually taken someone out and didn’t seem to care at all.
There were twenty Locke Family members in total.
"Besides, our Locke Family never said you outsiders couldn’t team up. If you help each other, this first path is a breeze."
Trent Locke shook his head slightly.
Rena Locke looked at Evan Lin, her gaze full of suspicion. "How did you manage to walk in here without a scratch?"
As soon as she spoke, several Locke Family members also turned to look at Evan.
The Path of Flame is at its hottest right after it opens, in the first few waves.
In past Dao-Trial Gatherings, even when Locke Family members lined up and formed a joint qi barrier, they’d still be under enormous pressure—and casualties were common.
Every time, the group entering was usually twenty people, but at most ten would make it to the stone pavilion.
This time, thanks to the fifty outsiders ahead burning off most of the heat, all the Locke Family members managed to clear the first stage.
"Because I’m very strong."
Evan Lin glanced at her, his tone indifferent.
Now, out of the original fifty outsiders, only Evan, the 1.65-meter man, and two other men remained. Besides Evan and the short man, the other two looked exhausted, obviously drained of qi.
With Evan’s blunt answer, everyone present was visibly shaken.
"You’re strong?"
Trent Locke raised his eyebrows, about to speak.
At the end of the Locke Family line, a figure arrived late.
The figure was dressed in pink, rushing in from outside the cave entrance. She pushed past several Locke Family members blocking her way, then hopped forward, bumping Trent Locke aside and landing right in front of Evan.
"You’re okay!"
Yvette Locke blinked, her pretty face lighting up with joy when she saw Evan Lin unharmed. Then her gaze turned apologetic: "Sorry, I didn’t know Miss Stitch put you in here."
"It’s really dangerous here."
Yvette Locke’s face was full of guilt. As she spoke to Evan, she unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes.
"Yvette..."
As Yvette Locke walked up, Trent Locke and the others’ faces changed slightly.
Evan Lin noticed that the way these Locke Family members looked at Yvette was full of wariness. Even though they were all family, including Rena Locke, they didn’t treat her like one of their own.
"Sorry. I wanted to hang out with you, but Grandpa Hugo wouldn’t let me leave the house."
Yvette Locke was older than Evan, but only came up to his chest, and her personality was more like a child—immature and innocent.
She looked completely aggrieved as she said this.
"It’s fine. This place is pretty fun too. Let’s just treat it like we’re hanging out together."
Evan looked at her and nodded.
"So, can you still be my friend?"
Yvette Locke’s eyes widened, full of expectation as she looked at Evan Lin. She was clearly nervous as she asked.
"Of course."
When Evan agreed, Yvette Locke became especially excited. She reached out her hand to him.
"Friends, shake hands!"
"Shake hands."
Evan Lin reached out and shook Yvette Locke’s hand.
Her small, warm, and soft palm met his.
The scene reminded Evan of when he pinky-swore with Lynn Chen.
This scene made Trent Locke and the others’ faces turn dark.
The 1.65-meter man saw this and seemed lost in thought.
"Just stick with me later—I’m really strong!"
Yvette Locke grinned. "I can protect you!"
Ever since she was born, she’d been kept inside the compound and never had a friend.
Whenever she saw other kids her age playing outside and wanted to join them, Grandpa Hugo would grab her by the collar and drag her back to train.
From a young age until just a few days ago, she finally celebrated her twentieth birthday—transforming from a nineteen-year-old girl into a twenty-year-old young woman. Only then did she get her first chance to leave the mountain.
She was so happy to finally go down the mountain, wanting to see the bustling streets and eat candied hawthorn, but as soon as she got there, she was caught by the Locke Family’s mortal enemies, the He Clan.
Because it was her period and her powers were useless, she could only be pitifully captured by the He Clan.
She barely managed to escape, and by chance ran into Evan Lin. When the He Clan almost caught her again, Evan saved her.
She wanted to hang out with Evan, to eat delicious food together.
She also wanted friends.
Being alone was just too boring.
Yvette Locke smiled sweetly at Evan Lin, giggling like she’d found a treasure.
"Just stick close to me later."
Evan Lin looked at her and finally nodded.
Though really, he probably didn’t need this child to protect him.
"Shameless!"
Not far away, Rena Locke’s eyes burned with anger as she looked at Evan Lin like he was a fraud.