The man furrowed his brows the instant his gaze landed on Grey’s grey hair. His eyes lingered for a brief moment longer than necessary, as if trying to recall something distant. But before he could voice a single thought, Tyler spoke again, and nearly made him choke on his own breath.

"Uncle," she said lightly, leaning forward with a mischievous smile, "don’t you want to leave this boring office for once? How do you think Aunty would feel if I told her you’ve been using ’being busy’ as an excuse just to hide from her?"

"Cough!"

The middle-aged man nearly coughed out blood.

He clenched his fist and quickly turned his head away, struggling to regain his composure. After a few breaths, he straightened his back, adjusted his robe, and cleared his throat several times before finally speaking again.

"...Let me guess," he said helplessly, massaging his temple. "He’s here to register for the entrance exam, right?"

"En," Tyler replied calmly.

The man sighed deeply, the fatigue in his eyes growing more pronounced. "You do realize he’s registering extremely late. His test difficulty will be twice as hard, if not worse."

"Yes, I know."

Her answer was short and absolute, leaving no room for argument.

The man stared at her for a long moment before giving up. "Fine. Let’s begin."

Several hours later, Grey and Tyler walked out of the office.

Grey held a small token in his palm, turning it over repeatedly as he examined it with intense focus. The registration process itself had been shockingly simple, almost anticlimactic, but the implications of what it represented weighed heavily on his mind.

As they made their way back, Grey pulled his hood over his head once more. Soon after, they took to the skies and returned to the inn.

Upon arriving, Grey went straight to his room and entered cultivation.

As he settled down, his thoughts drifted to the staggering cost of staying at the inn, and the daily expense of living in Sky Mist City itself. Just one more reason this place was only accessible to cultivators with background or wealth.

Fortunately, he thought, the captain’s covering it for now.

The next morning, they arrived early at the registration building.

Despite the early hour, thousands of people had already gathered. The crowd stretched endlessly, filling the area with murmurs, nervous tension, and anticipation.

Several hours later, a middle-aged man dressed in grey robes stepped forward.

"If you are here to participate in the entrance examination," he said coldly, his voice echoing across the crowd, "step into the teleportation array. It will bring you to the testing grounds. Further instructions will be given once you arrive."

The teleportation array lit up instantly.

Hundreds of people, Grey and Ange among them, stepped forward. A blinding white light swallowed them whole, and in the next moment, they vanished.

When Grey opened his eyes, he found himself inside a massive steel chamber.

There were no windows. Even the ceiling was forged entirely from metal. The air felt heavier, denser, pressing faintly against his skin.

Underground, he concluded.

Before anyone could react further, a man dressed in blue robes shot upward, stopping just short of the ceiling. From his position, he overlooked everyone present with cold, authoritative eyes.

Murmurs immediately erupted.

Shock. Awe. Reverence.

Everyone knew that only Foundation Establishment experts could fly.

Only Grey and Ange remained calm.

Not long ago, they had destroyed a sect that possessed a Foundation Establishment expert as its ancestor. Miss Tyler herself was at least at that level. Compared to that, this display didn’t stir much within them.

"First," the man’s voice boomed, clear and overwhelming, "we will assess the amount of corrosive substance within your bodies."

In another location, the captain and Tyler stood before a large screen displaying the scene inside the testing chamber.

Tyler looked uninterested, her arms crossed loosely.

The captain, however, stood straight, his gaze fixed firmly on the screen. A calm yet oppressive aura radiated from him, one that matched the sect elders at the perfected level of Qi Accumulation.

His expression was solemn.

One by one, the examinees stepped forward and placed their hands on a flat altar carved from jade-like material. Warm energy flowed into their bodies, and moments later, a number appeared on a floating screen of light above.

Anyone whose corrosive substance exceeded sixty-five was immediately escorted away.

The lowest number displayed so far was fifteen.

The crowd erupted in shock.

A value that low was almost unheard of.

Grey, however, was tense.

His shadow had absorbed all the corrosive substance in his body, leaving him unnaturally pure. If his body showed zero contamination, it would immediately raise suspicion.

Using the power of the purple crystal, something he had only recently begun to understand, he carefully guided a controlled amount of corrosive substance back into his body.

Soon, it was Ange’s turn.

She stepped forward calmly and placed her hand on the jade surface.

Several seconds passed.

"Remove your hand," the examiner said.

The number appeared.

13.

Even Ange’s eyes widened slightly.

The corrosive substance in her body was even lower than the previous record.

Then it was Grey’s turn.

He placed his hand down and waited.

"Remove your hand."

14.

Grey quietly exhaled in relief as he immediately let the corrosive substance flow back into his shadow.

Ange’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly as she glanced at the number, but her expression quickly returned to calm.

I’ve never seen him consume pills, she thought. Yet his corrosive substance is almost as low as mine...

She felt slightly exasperated but said nothing.

The test progressed swiftly.

Out of the third batch of three hundred and fifty-six participants, thirty-nine were eliminated for exceeding the limit.

"Next," the man announced, "is the combat test. Form groups of five to six participants and prepare for the arena."

Instantly, murmurs broke out across the chamber.

Ange and Grey naturally paired together. That meant they still needed at least three more teammates.

"Let’s find some," Ange said.

Grey nodded. His eyes were already scanning the crowd, evaluating cultivators based on spirit fluctuations and posture.

Most people were already stealing glances at them.

Their scores had drawn attention.

Just then, a young boy with green hair and a shy expression approached them. His spirit fluctuations clearly placed him at the seventh level of Qi Accumulation.

"I... I noticed you guys from the beginning," he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "A-and I was hoping I could join your team..."

His voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

Ange was about to refuse...

"Sure," Grey said suddenly. "You can join us."

He gently patted Ange’s hand, signaling her to stay quiet.

The boy’s eyes lit up. "R-really? Thanks! I tried joining other teams, but they all rejected me."

With his green hair and awkward smile, he looked harmless, almost childish. Yet his features were well-defined, undeniably handsome.

Ange stepped slightly away and leaned close to Grey, whispering sharply into his ear.

"Why did you let him join us? He doesn’t look very strong."

She cast the boy a suspicious glance.

**☺️😉**