Dr. Wen Jr. had a Miracle Hand Sect token hanging from his belt—a wooden badge carved in an old-school style, with the character 'Wen' at the top and a tiny pill symbol underneath.
Evan Lin caught sight of it and instantly remembered he had a similar-looking token himself.
Miracle Hand Sect—yeah, that Dr. Donald Dong I killed at White Dragon Mountain Resort was one of their people.
Evan paused, thinking it over for a second.
After I took out Dr. Donald Dong that day, I grabbed his token—a badge with 'Dong' on top and a cauldron symbol below. Compared to the pill-carved token, the cauldron one was clearly higher-level.
"Dr. Wen Jr.! Finally seeing you again—it's been ages!"
The woman next to Richard Si shot Evan Lin a look full of disdain. But when she turned to the short Dr. Wen Jr., her face flipped to a sugary sweet smile.
"Oceanport Chen family, Chen Junying, right? Yeah, it's been a while."
Dr. Wen Jr. glanced at her, nodded, and looked pretty smug about it.
Even so, just hearing her name remembered made Chen Junying light up with obvious delight.
All around, the crowd looked at him with total respect—nobody dared show even a hint of disrespect just because Dr. Wen Jr. was short.
"This is the Miracle Hand Sect's Alchemy Conference. The fact that you all get to come in and watch the fun is already the luck of three lifetimes. Now, you still remember the rules, right?"
Dr. Wen Jr. swept his gaze around the group, radiating pure swagger.
"Of course, of course! All ready to go!" Richard Si grinned, jumping to the front with a bank card in hand. "I'm paying for two—four hundred thousand on this card, password is six zeroes. Please handle it, Dr. Wen Jr.!"
Seeing Richard Si hand over his card, Dr. Wen Jr. actually cracked a rare smile.
One by one, the rest hurried up, shoving their own bank cards forward as fast as they could.
"Two hundred grand just for a ticket?" Evan Lin thought, a little amused. These people really know how to squeeze cash.
Evan Lin raised an eyebrow, a little curious.
Back on the Immortal Martial Continent, even the usual alchemist gatherings were open to anyone—no ticket required. Who would've thought a low-level conference like this would charge just to get in?
The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Junying shot him a look of pure contempt. "If it were up to you, even five hundred grand might not get you in. What, two hundred is too much for you? Who do you think Dr. Wen Jr. is, huh?"
"Yeah, and if you want Dr. Wen Jr. to personally lead you in, that's a lot of work for him! Making him walk all that way—two hundred grand's a bargain! Where'd you crawl out from, the boonies? If you can't pay, just get lost!" someone jeered from the side.
In an instant, everyone turned to stare at Evan Lin.
Several people looked worried—what if this kid made Dr. Wen Jr. angry and they all got kicked out before even getting in?
"Who'd you come with, huh? Trying to mess with my rules?"
Dr. Wen Jr. shot Evan Lin a cold glare, looking ready to start something.
"Dr. Wen Jr., my friend here just isn't used to this kind of thing. Please don't take it to heart!" Leo Liu's face paled and he rushed forward to shield Evan, whipping out a bank card. "One million, for three people—please, Dr. Wen Jr., be generous."
Leo Liu put on his best smile, while Byron Liu looked annoyed but kept quiet for now.
Hearing Leo's words, Dr. Wen Jr. finally relaxed a bit and took the card, then nodded. "I won't stoop to the level of some yellow-haired brat. But if he mouths off inside and offends the Miracle Hand Sect, don't blame me for what happens next!"
"He won't, he won't!" Leo Liu promised, practically bowing.
Dr. Wen Jr. snorted, pocketed the card, and acted like Evan Lin didn't even exist.
"Master Lin, Dr. Wen Jr. isn't exactly known for his patience. Just go easy on him—this is his turf, after all," Leo Liu whispered to Evan.
Up ahead, Dr. Wen Jr. started walking, casually collecting bank cards from everyone and doing a quick headcount.
"Why don't we just go in ourselves?"
Watching the little doctor strut off, Evan Lin frowned, not quite getting it.
"Go in yourself? You'd have to know the way! Once you hit the mountain, it's all winding trails—without Dr. Wen Jr. leading, you'd be totally lost."
Richard Si snorted. "Plus, without Dr. Wen Jr.'s Miracle Hand Sect token, even if you somehow find the right path, there's no way you're getting inside!"
"Total bumpkin," Chen Junying sighed.
The looks Evan Lin got from the crowd were pure mockery, like they were watching a clown show.
Byron Liu just watched Evan Lin with amusement, saying nothing.
He'd figured this kid would either get embarrassed and hang his head, or lose his temper and start throwing punches after all that trash talk.
But to Byron Liu's surprise, this kid didn't even blink—Evan Lin acted like all their trash talk didn't matter at all.
Once Dr. Wen Jr. had a whole bag stuffed with bank cards, he turned and called out, "We're heading up the mountain now. Don't fall behind—if you get lost, that's your problem!"
"And remember why you're here. Don't make me remind you again! Figure out for yourself what's okay and what's not. Once you're inside, stick to the rules—got it?"
He barked it out, voice booming.
Instantly, the bosses all froze, scared stiff, and started shouting, "Got it!"
"Good. Stay close!" Dr. Wen Jr. nodded, then strode off onto a winding mountain path.
Nobody dared hang back—they all hustled after him, terrified of getting left behind.
Leo Liu and Evan Lin brought up the rear, while Byron Liu chatted with Richard Si and Chen Junying along the way, all of them giving Evan the cold shoulder.
They kept moving, deeper into the mountains—dense woods everywhere, birds and bugs calling, the breeze brushing past.
The trail was rough, the sun blazing overhead. Most people were soaked in sweat and totally wiped out.
Even Byron Liu was struggling, his feet aching with every step. Richard Si and Chen Junying looked pale, breathing hard as they walked.
Only Evan Lin looked completely unfazed, not a drop of sweat on him—like the whole climb was nothing.
Leo Liu was about to collapse, his legs wobbling, but Evan casually tapped his back, sending a thread of spiritual qi into him. Instantly, Leo felt refreshed, all his fatigue swept away, eyes lighting up.
He turned to Evan, face full of wonder, and whispered his thanks.
Evan just nodded, saying nothing. His gaze swept past the crowd and into the distance, sensing something unusual.
"So this place is actually... a Fire-Vein Ground?"
Evan Lin's eyes glinted with interest, thoughts swirling in his mind. This was getting interesting.