The arena stayed silent for a heartbeat, then erupted in thunderous shouts.


    "Jared? That''s Jared?!"


    "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 nces; a bounty thatrge could tempt any heart.


    Yet not a single person stepped forward.


    The Four-Pir Assessment just witnessed hadid 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 pir 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 was him after all.


    The very fugitive the Celestial Pce 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 ovepped


    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-Pir Assessment isplete. 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 shade of esy slipped in.


    "Lord Wagner, please join us as well. The second trial requires both of you."


    A faint stiffness tugged at Dominic''s expression.


    He nced 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 he gave a small, unhurried nod.


    "I am honored."


    The curve of his lips stayed in ce, but every angle of it looked forced.


    Vivian offered no reply. She simply turned and headed for the Eight-Treasure Crystal Pnquin.


    Just before stepping inside, she nced 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 pnquin 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 pnquin.


    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 pnquin steadily toward East City.


    The cabin was not spacious; the three sat facing one another, an undercurrent running between them.


    Vivian imed 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 ce.


    Even so, his eyes drifted to Jared again and again, weighing and searching.


    Jared leaned against thecquered 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 Pce 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."


    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 Pce


    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 may try."


    Jared''s voice remained calm. "Only, before your report reaches them, I can make sure you''re bedridden for several months."


    Dominic''s face went rigid.


    Images rushed back-four Trial Pirs, a single punch splitting one apart, the phantom Five-wed Golden Dragon. The smile froze; words failed him. Vivian spoke at that perfect instant, dissolving the awkward lull.


    "Lord Wagner kids. Cloudhaven City may fall under the Celestial Pce in name,


    yet the two great families handle its affairs. Pce 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, dryugh and fell silent, though the shadow in his eyes thickened.


    The pnquin 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''sshes 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 traff I''m getting the short end of the stick, aren''t I?"


    The linended 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-borndy-hardly someone you can treat so lightly."


    Jared never spared him a nce. His eyes stayed on Vivian. "Miss Chance, what do you think?"


    Vivian held the silence for a moment, then let out a lightugh.


    Theugh rang bright, half surprised, half teasing, like tiny bells shaken in the air.