Walter

The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and darkness shrouded the land.

The pedestrians on the road gradually thinned out. The evening breeze blew, swaying the branches of the white maples lining the street from side to side. Their leaves rustled, as though mocking something.

One adult and two children walked along the empty street. Yan Jin and Lei Yin held hands, their expressions lost and helpless.

They had just visited Mr. Zuo Jianming, but he had been unable to offer any help either.

"I'm sorry, Amon. I probably caused trouble again and dragged you into it," Yan Jin said dejectedly.

She had thought the Academy Tournament championship was already within reach, but reality had slapped her hard in the face. They could not even manage the most basic matter of enrollment, so how could they possibly compete?

Lei Yin tried to comfort her. "Sister, don't panic. What matters most now is figuring out exactly what happened. Have faith in Mr. Amon."

Amon did not answer, merely staring ahead.

A man in a black robe and brown leather armor stood in their path.

"Glen!" Yan Jin cried with a hint of delight when she saw the familiar figure.

Glen's expression was cold as he spoke in his deep, hoarse voice:

"I heard what happened to you. If you can't even get into the academy, how are you supposed to promote our Ice Thorn Chamber of Commerce at the Soul Master Tournament?"

The delight on Yan Jin's face gradually faded. Without much confidence, she said, "But... it was all that fat man's fault... We clearly..."

"Enough. Any excuse is hollow. Since you failed to fulfill your agreement with Lady Ma Wen, don't blame us for being ruthless. From now on, obediently work for our Chamber of Commerce," Glen said icily.

"Don't worry. Lady Ma Wen will take care of Mo Lei and the others. You only need to focus on your work."

Hearing the threat in his words, Yan Jin's anger flared. "What did you say? Say that again!"

Whoosh... Magma and flames emerged around her fist. Red light illuminated the street as scorching heat began to spread.

Glen showed no fear whatsoever. Even though he was no longer Yan Jin's match, even though he stood alone before three young geniuses already beginning to show their brilliance, he still said calmly:

"You'd best think carefully before making a move. Do you want to tear up your agreement with Lady Ma Wen? In Frostleaf City, if Lady Ma Wen wants someone dead, not even Shi Guantao can protect them.

"I'll remain in Northland City for a while and wait for your answer... I merely came to remind you of the agreement you signed with Lady Ma Wen. Working for the Ice Thorn Chamber of Commerce is not such a terrible outcome... I hope you will not reject That Lord's goodwill."

When Glen mentioned "That Lord," he deliberately emphasized the words before turning and leaving.

Watching his retreating figure, Yan Jin clenched her fists, only to loosen them weakly in the end. The fiery glow faded and the magma died out. She looked anxiously at Amon and asked, "What do we do now?"

For the past five years, everything had gone smoothly for them. They had encountered almost no setbacks. A bright road had stretched before them, only for them to be cast into the abyss at this critical moment.

Returning to Frostleaf City and working for the Ice Thorn Chamber of Commerce did not seem all that bad. At the very least, for Yan Jin and Lei Yin, who had struggled to survive on West Street five years ago, it would have counted as a respectable life.

But after touching the light, who could still endure the darkness?

If they went back like this, they could foresee what awaited them: endless work, day after day doing dirty deeds in the shadows for Ma Wen. They would have little time to cultivate properly, and in the end, their talents would be wasted until they faded into mediocrity.

Amon adjusted his Monocle and said with a smile, "What do we do? Didn't Glen already tell us..."

He slowly walked forward.

Yan Jin was still confused, but Lei Yin seemed deep in thought.

After walking half a street, Amon said softly, "We're here."

"Huh?" Still somewhat dazed, Yan Jin looked up at the towering building before her and realized they had arrived at the Main Martial Soul Hall of Northland City.

"Who goes there?" The guards at the entrance crossed their spears, blocking the way.

"The Lord Soul Masters have already retired for the night. Come back tomorrow if you have business," one guard said.

Amon raised a finger, activating his second Spirit Ring.

The guards' expressions suddenly turned vacant.

Even among Soul Masters of the same rank, Amon's mental power was outstanding, let alone compared to ordinary people.

Under such a massive disparity in mental power, the effect of his second Spirit Ring was particularly pronounced. The two guards could barely think, much less react to anything around them.

Brushing aside the spears blocking his way, Amon pushed open the doors and walked in.

"Huh? We're just barging into Spirit Hall like this?" Yan Jin still held the continent's foremost Soul Master organization in awe.

In Frostleaf City, Spirit Hall had also been the only place where she had never caused trouble.

The hall was brightly lit. A middle-aged man in black robes stood in its center.

He had small eyes, a hooked nose, thin brows, a gaunt face, and bloodless lips. He looked somewhat sinister.

"It's quite late, yet you three have arrived uninvited. What brings you here?"

The oppressive aura of a Soul Saint descended abruptly, making Yan Jin and Lei Yin involuntarily take a step back with muffled groans.

"I'm here to see someone in this hall who can make decisions," Amon said softly.

The sinister Soul Saint replied, "I am the Hall Master of this Main Hall."

The corners of Amon's lips curled slightly upward as he asked meaningfully, "Can you really make the decision?"

"Of course..." The sinister man suddenly smiled. "I can't."

"Let them come up." An aged, gentle voice sounded beside all four of them.

They could not tell where it came from. It was as though the speaker stood right before them.

Yan Jin felt that the voice sounded somewhat familiar.

On the second floor of Spirit Hall, they met an elderly man with graying hair but a vigorous spirit. He was studying Yan Jin with a kindly gaze, a mysterious smile on his face.

"Ah... it's you, Wal... Wal-what-was-it?" Yan Jin cried out, pointing at him.

"It's Walter, child. We meet again," Walter said gently. "I suppose you won't refuse me this time, will you?"

"Refuse what?" Yan Jin tilted her head, not understanding.

"I thought all of you had figured it out." Walter smiled at Amon.

Amon shook his head slightly. "I figured it out. Lei Yin probably guessed some of it as well. As for Yan Jin, whom you had such high hopes for... well, her heart is rather simple.

"You arranged those three groups of bandits on the road, didn't you? Northland Academy refusing to admit us, followed seamlessly by pressure from Ma Wen's people... There's no way that was all a coincidence."

Walter nodded, admitting it openly. "That's right, it was me. I learned from Mi Zonglan that things had gone very smoothly for you over the past few years. But sometimes, being too smooth is not a good thing, so I wanted to give you a little tempering."

Amon shrugged. "Your tempering put Yan Jin through quite a lot. She probably hates you to death."

Sure enough, Yan Jin's furious voice came from beside him. "What? Old man, this was all your doing?"

She did not even pause to think before attacking. Magma erupted from her fist as waves of heat surged upward.

Great Eruption!