Jared''s brow lifted slightly.


    Matched by bloodline and joined as cultivation partners?


    Wasn''t that just forced pairing?


    A trace of doubt passed through him, but nothing showed on his face.


    He only gave a small nod.


    Vice Preceptor Vale saw how calm Jared looked and took it for interest. He kept going with a smile. "Jared, since you carry a Sovereign Bloodline, I naturally won''t mistreat you.


    "To be honest, there happens to be a female disciple in the Hallowmere Order whose bloodline is also top-tier. She''s only one step away from entering the Sacred Grade. The two of you are a match made by heaven. I''ll make the decision myself and give her to you in marriage. What do you think?"


    Jared only looked at him in silence.


    Vice Preceptor Vale took that silence for hesitation and smiled again. "Jared, there''s no need to worry. Leave this matter to me.


    Come. Go invite Miss Evelyn."


    A disciple acknowledged the order and hurried out.


    A momentter, a slender figure walked in from outside the hall.


    She was a young woman in a in white dress. Her long dark hair fell like a sheet of silk to her waist.


    Her face was strikingly beautiful, her brows distant and fine, her eyes clear like autumn water. But there was a chill in them, and underneath it, something dim and hard to notice.


    She stopped in the middle of the hall, bent slightly, and spoke in a cool voice. "Evelyn greets Vice Preceptor."


    Vice Preceptor Vale smiled and waved a hand. "Evelyn, no need for that. Come, let me introduce you. This is Jared, my young friend. He carries a Sovereign Bloodline, and his talent is exceptional.


    "I''ve already decided to give you to him in marriage. From now on, the two of you will be cultivation partners. You''ll cultivate together and seek the Great Dao together."


    At those words, Evelyn''s face shifted slightly. She raised her head and let her gaze settle on Jared.


    There was scrutiny in that look. Confusion too. And one more thing she couldn''t quite hide-resistance.


    She bit her lip and spoke under her breath. "Vice Preceptor... Evelyn is unwilling." Vice Preceptor Vale''s smile locked in ce.


    The air in the hall froze on the spot.


    A momentter, the smile slowly left Vice Preceptor Vale''s face. In its ce came a trace of coldness.


    He looked at Evelyn. His voice stayed gentle, but there was no room in it to argue. "Evelyn, what exactly do you mean by that?"


    Evelyn kept her head lowered. Her voice was still cool, but it shook at the edges. "Vice Preceptor, Evelyn only wants to focus on cultivation. I don''t want... I don''t want to engage in the sacredmunion with anyone."


    Vice Preceptor Vale fell silent for a moment. Then heughed.


    That smile was nothing like the mild one from before. A thinyer of mockery sat on


    it.


    "Evelyn, you''ve been in the Order for


    three years You''ve enjoyed countless resources here, and your cultivation rose all the way from High Immortal Realm Level Six to High Immortal Realm Level Eight. Do You


    ow how much effort the Order has spent on you in those three years?


    "And now I''ve found you a cultivation partner with a Sovereign Bloodline. This is


    your fortune. This is your blessing. And you''re saying you''re unwilling?"


    Evelyn lifted her head and looked straight at Vice Preceptor Vale. Something in her eyes held firm. "Vice Preceptor, Evelyn is willing to repay the orders resources. To work like an ox or a horse if I had to. But... but this matter of a cultivation partner... Evelyn truly cannot ept it."


    Vice Preceptor Vale''s smile deepened, but none of it reached his eyes. "Repay it? With what?"


    His tone stayed gentle, yet the pressure behind it pressed across the hall. "Evelyn, I''m doing this for your own good. A Sovereign Bloodline is one in ten thousand If you miss this chance it''ll be toote. for regretter."


    Evelyn bit her lip and said nothing. A wet shine had already risen in her eyes.


    Jared watched the whole scene in silence, his brow tightening a little.


    There really was something wrong with the Hallowmere Order.


    All that talk about honoring bloodlines and reaching the Dao through the sacredmunion—stripped down to the truth, it was forced pairing. It was pushing female cultivators intomunion whether they wanted it or not.


    And the ones who refused ended up like Evelyn-pressed, tempted, and maybe


    even worse.


    He said nothing. He only kept watching.


    Vice Preceptor Vale saw that Evelyn still refused to speak, and the smile on his face


    faded little by little. What remained was a faint chill.


    "Evelyn, I''ll ask you onest time. Are you willing or not?"


    Evelyn raised her head. Tears finally slid down, but she still shook her head.


    "I''m not willing."


    Vice Preceptor Vale was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh.


    "Fine. I hadn''t wanted to do this. Since you''re set on refusing, then you can''t me


    me for whates next."


    He lifted a hand and drew out a pill from his sleeve. It was pink, and a strange fragrance drifted off it in faint threads.


    The moment Evelyn saw that pill, all the color drained from her face. She stepped back without thinking.


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