"Why don't you go?" Minion C whispered back, and while the two minions were talking, they both looked at Jack Harper, appearing cautious and wary.

"I'm afraid this isn't a coincidence. If I get knocked out, who's going to clean up your mess?"

"I'll go, you don't have to be afraid!"

"No need, they've already left."

"......"

Jack Harper had no time to bother with who among them wanted to come up and get themselves killed. He had his own things to do and no time to wait for them to decide.

"Let's go, we'll report this to Young Master James!"

After Jack Harper left, the two minions seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, then propped up Minion A and headed toward James York's courtyard.

"What!? You couldn't keep that burden here? And you even got knocked out by that loser?" James York first glanced at the trembling Minions B and C, then looked at Minion A lying on the ground.

"Yes, young master, I suspect that burden was hiding his strength."

"Hiding my ass. If he was hiding his strength, why didn't he show it when he was being bullied before, and only reveal it now? Tell the truth, what really happened?" James York shook his head. He didn't believe that the old Jack Harper was hiding anything. After bullying him for so many years, he was sure Jack Harper was just a loser.

He also didn't believe Jack Harper could suddenly gain so much strength in such a short time. The only possibility left was that these guys were lying to him.

"Did you abandon your posts and fail to block him, and now you're using this ridiculous excuse to shirk responsibility?"

"No, young master, we're not making excuses. That burden really did get stronger. We're no match for him anymore. You'll have to deal with him yourself." Minion C immediately replied.

"Really?" James York looked at his minions, trying to read something from their faces, but there didn't seem to be anything.

"Yes, he did get stronger, but compared to you, young master, he's still far behind. If you make a move, it'll be a piece of cake." Minion C said, adding a flattering remark.

"Do you even need to say that? I just don't have time to mess with him. I need to train, and later I'll go hunt star beasts with Brother William, absorb beast souls to awaken my star spirit, and step into the Star Soldier rank." While enjoying the flattery, James York calmly continued with what he should be doing.

"Yes, yes, once you reach the Star Soldier rank, young master, you could crush that burden with just one finger." Minion C immediately nodded and flattered him.

"That burden? Do I even need to become a Star Soldier? I could do it right now." James York said disdainfully.

"Yes, yes!" Minions B and C nodded at once, then after a few more words with James York, they took Minion A to rest, while James York continued his training.

And actually, James York wasn't exaggerating. For him, dealing with Jack Harper really was a one-finger job. He was a prodigy-level ninth-rank Star Apprentice, much stronger than a standard ninth-rank Star Apprentice, while Jack Harper was currently only a fourth-rank Star Apprentice.

As for why he hadn't gone after Jack Harper before, it wasn't because of his status, but because he didn't dare barge into Jack Harper's family courtyard. It wasn't that the Yue family had any rules that would punish him, but simply because Jack Harper had hung a "Cultivating, Do Not Disturb" sign at the courtyard gate.

Did Jack Harper's sign really have that much power?

That's right, it really did—but not because of him, but because of his "cheap" older sister Claire York. He had casually taken Claire York's "Do Not Disturb" sign, making people think Claire York was cultivating inside. James York wouldn't dare mess with Claire York.

Even though the records showed that Claire York had left, who could be sure? James York didn't dare take that risk.

Because of this, Jack Harper got six days of peaceful seclusion. Otherwise, those six days would have been rough for him.

Interestingly, James York soon found out that during those six days, only Jack Harper was inside, because Jack Harper's parents came back, and when the servants went in to serve, they realized Claire York wasn't there at all.

At that moment, James York felt he'd been played by Jack Harper. With this new and old grudge, he wanted nothing more than to tear Jack Harper apart on the spot. But by then, Jack Harper had already gone to the back mountain, and who knew how many days it would be before he returned.

The back mountain—every city has one. In the country of Shenlong, which is more than half mountainous, the scale of the back mountain is far beyond that of an ordinary city.

And the back mountain is dozens of kilometers from the capital, even farther from the Yue family at the city center. Jack Harper chose to take a public star-powered vehicle to the back mountain, spending ten star points from his star card. He could afford that, and the star power was directly charged into the public vehicle's star system as fuel.

After getting off, Jack Harper stopped by a small plaza at the foot of the mountain, where there was a mission bulletin board with various tasks posted.

Jack Harper glanced at the mission board, memorized all the tasks, and then left.

After scanning the mission information, Jack Harper's mind began calculating routes—which path suited his current strength and could maximize his gains.

These gains were based mainly on his own strength; the mission rewards were just a bonus.