The arena stayed silent for a heartbeat, then erupted in thunderous shouts. “Jared? He meant… That’s Jared?!” “Jared Chance… The man who wrecked the Skyreach Path, slew the Grand Venerable, and turned Sacred Mountain upside down?!”
“The same Jared with a bounty of 50,000 bottles of celestial elixir?!” “Heavens above! He actually dared to walk into Cloudhaven City?!”
The crowd boiled over. Some people shrank back, others leaned in with shining eyes, a few clenched fists, and many exchanged restless glances, a bounty that large could tempt any heart. Yet not a single person stepped forward.
The Four-Pillar Assessment just witnessed had laid Jared’s true strength bare for all to see. So what if he stood only at High Immortal Realm Level One?
A man who could split a testing pillar with one punch and carry the Golden Dragon Bloodline was no ordinary Level One cultivator.
Dominic heard the name and his pupils tightened to pinpoints.
Jared! So it is him after all!
The very fugitive the Celestial Palace wanted, the one with 50,000 bottles of celestial elixir on his head…
His stare narrowed; guarded edges, open hostility, and a thin, sharp chill overlapped in his eyes.
Vivian, by contrast, seemed deaf to the uproar. Her gaze stayed fixed on Jared, bright ripples dancing in her eyes.
“Jared…” She murmured the name, lips lifting. “A fine name…”
She stepped forward, raised a slender hand, and offered a polite invitation. “Master Chance, the Four-Pillar Assessment is complete. By our rules, you may return to Chance Manor with me for the second trial.”
She paused, shifted her eyes to Dominic, and though her voice remained cool, a hint of flirtatiousness crept into it. “Lord Wagner, please join us as well. The second trial requires both of you.”
A faint stiffness tugged at Dominic’s expression. He glanced at Vivian, then at Jared, a dim shadow sliding through his gaze. Yet in the space of a single breath he gathered himself again.
Composure slipped back over his features, and himself gave a small, unhurried nod.
“I am honored…” The curve of his lips stayed in place, but every angle of it looked forced. Vivian offered no reply. She simply turned and headed for the Eight-Treasure Crystal Palanquin.
Just before stepping inside, she glanced over her shoulder at Jared and spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, “Master Chance, please…”
Jared acknowledged with a nod, though he did not mount the palanquin at once. He faced the stands, swept his eyes across the crowd, and quickly located Luther and Grace.
Both of them were staring his way, tension written into their stance.
Jared walked over and said under his breath, “Wait here… I’m paying a visit to the Chance Family.”
Luther blurted out, “Mr. Chance, you really mean to go? What if…”
“No harm.” Jared’s tone stayed level. “I know my limits. Find an inn, settle in, and wait for word.”
Luther still wanted to argue, but Grace tugged his sleeve and murmured, “Since Sir has decided, we’ll wait.”
She looked at Jared, a gentle warning in her gaze. “Be careful, Sir…”
Jared inclined his head and turned toward the palanquin. The curtain lifted, revealing room enough for four or five passengers.
Vivian already sat inside, straight-backed, when Jared climbed in, she greeted him with a slight nod. Dominic stepped in right behind him.
The curtain fell. Eight maidservants in blue lifted the poles and carried the palanquin steadily toward East City.
The cabin was not spacious, the three sat facing one another, an undercurrent running between them.
Vivian claimed the center seat. A fresh veil hid her features once more, allowing only those clear, limpid eyes to show. Her gaze moved between Jared and Dominic, yet she kept her silence.
Dominic sat on one side, spine straight, the measured smile of a noble house scion fixed in place. Even so, his eyes drifted to Jared again and again, weighing and searching.
Jared leaned against the lacquered wall, looking for all the world as though this were a leisurely outing.
After a stretch of quiet, Dominic broke the silence, “Jared… The name sounds familiar…”
He met Jared’s eyes, a faint curve at his lips. “Not long ago the Celestial Palace posted a warrant for a man who shattered the Skyreach Path, slew Grand Venerable at and wrought havoc on the Sacred Mountain. Fifty thousand bottles of celestial elixir on his head. That man, as I recall, was also named Jared, Jared Chance…”
He voiced it lightly, but the point needed no underlining.
Vivian’s eyes flickered, she looked toward Jared. Jared did not so much as lift an eyelid. “Lord Wagner, an admirable memory.”
The remark amounted to open acknowledgment.
Dominic’s smile deepened. “Master Chance, such nerve. With the Palace hunting you, you still appear in Cloudhaven City and even enter marriage tourney. Aren’t you afraid I’ll report you?”
Jared finally raised his eyes and regarded him. That single look stayed smooth as still water, yet it sent a chill sliding through Dominic’s core.
“Lord Wagner… You may try…” Jared’s voice remained calm. “Only, before your report reaches them, I can make sure you’re bedridden for several months.”
Hearing this, Dominic’s face went rigid. Images rushed back-four Trial Pillars, a single punch splitting one apart, the phantom Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. The smile froze, words failed him.
Vivian spoke at that perfect instant, dissolving the awkward lull. “Lord Wagner… Cloudhaven City may fall under the Celestial Palace in name, yet the two great families handle its affairs. Palace envoys hold no sway here.”
She met Jared’s gaze without flinching. “Master Chance, rest easy. Inside Chance Manor, no one can touch you.”
Her certainty rang like iron. Jared raised an eyebrow and studied her a beat longer.
Dominic’s expression darkened still further. He let out a thin, dry laugh and fell silent, though the shadow in his eyes thickened.
The palanquin rolled on, the rattle of the streets fading behind them.
Jared lounged against the wall, his attention settling on Vivian. Through that sheer veil he could make out the refined lines of her face.
He spoke without warning. “Miss Chance, would you remove the veil?”
Vivian’s lashes fluttered, and for the space of a breath her whole posture stalled.
Jared kept talking. “Since the whole point is to find a spouse, I should at least see what she looks like. If she turns out to be a trant I’m getting the short end of the stick, aren’t I?”
The line landed without padding, raw enough to border on crude.
Dominic’s brows jerked together. His words dropped cold. “Master Chance, watch your tongue! Miss Chance is the Chance Family’s direct-born lady, hardly someone you can treat so lightly!”
Jared never spared him a glance. His eyes stayed on Vivian. “Miss Chance, what do you think?”
Vivian held the silence for a moment, then let out a light laugh. The laugh rang bright, half surprised, half teasing, like tiny bells shaken in the air.
