Two figures quickly approached Jared and his group, moving with intense speed. Flames seemed to surround them, their faces hidden behind masks.
The moment Jared laid eyes on them, his brows knitted together. Especially the woman, something about stirred a deep sense of familiarity in him, almost like had known for a longtime.
“Mr. Norton…” As the pair arrived, Jared greeted them with a respectful fist-and-palm gesture.
Seeing Jared standing alongside Kishor, Skylar hesitated briefly before asking with respect, “Mr. Chance, have you already completed your challenge?”
Jared gave a nod, then turned his attention to the woman beside Skylar. “And who’s this lady standing next to you, Mr. Norton?”
“Oh, she’s my senior,” Skylar said, sounding almost proud.
“Why does look so familiar?” Jared stared at closely, then extended his hand. “Hi…”
He wanted to stay close to her, to really take in presence and get a feel for aura. But Josephine immediately took a step back, eyes cautious.
“Sorry, my senior’s a bit unusual. She avoids physical contact with men,” Skylar quickly explained.
Jared let out a soft, helpless laugh. Of all the things expected, never imagined that the woman behind the mask was the one who’d been occupying his thoughts, Josephine.
“Mr. Chance, since you’ve passed your challenge, you’re free to move on to the second level. We still have to face ours,” Skylar said, then cast a cold glance toward Kishor, preparing to fight.
Kishor, instead of saying anything, quietly stepped behind Jared, avoiding the confrontation.
“There’s no need for you to continue the challenge, Mr. Norton. Since you’re out here now, you can just go up to the second level. He already belongs to me,” Jared said calmly, referring to Kishor.
“What?” Skylar looked at him, completely baffled. “You convinced to join you? How is that even possible?”
“Why not? They’re living cultivators with thoughts and feelings, not robots.” Jared spoke matter-of-factly, but then let out another small laugh.
He’d used the word “robots”, forgetting that the others probably wouldn’t get the reference. After all, only people from the mundane world knew what a robot was.
What Jared didn’t realize was that Skylar, standing right across from him, also came from the mundane world, knew exactly what a robot was.
“Mr. Chance, you wouldn’t deceive us, would you?”
“Why would I lie? If you don’t believe me, step outside and see for yourself.”
Without waiting, Jared grabbed Kishor. In a flash, the two vanished, reappearing outside the Celestial Stairway.
Skylar stood frozen, stunned by what had just seen.
“F*ck…” muttered under his breath.
How am I supposed to kill Jared now?
As Kishor exited the Celestial Stairway, the entire first level began to glow with white light.
All the Ethereal Realm cultivators inside felt a strange energy swell around them. Moments later, a clearance imprint appeared, and a powerful force began ejecting all cultivators from the level.
“What’s going on? How did I get out here?”
“I didn’t even start my challenge yet, why was I kicked out?”
“A clearance imprint… Wait, you can clear the first level without even fighfing?”
Everyone was stunned. Confusion spread like wildfire.
Catalina looked just as lost as the rest. When spotted Jared in the distance, ran straight toward him.
Corrado, Infinides, and a few others shared the same bewildered expression. None of them could understand what had just happened, why everyone was being pulled out so soon after entering.
Meanwhile, the stone steps at the base of the Celestial Stairway slowly began to fade.
“Mr. Chance, what’s going on?” Corrado and lnflnides asked as they approached.
“Don’t worry,” Jared replied quickly, noticing the worry in their eyes. “It’s all fine…”
