Before Evan Parker could react, Ethan Price pulled out a green jade gourd and stuffed it into Evan Parker's hands, saying, “Inside are a hundred ‘Sanyang Rebirth Pills.’ Take one each day, and after a hundred days, you should be able to reach the ninth stage of Xiantian…”

After saying this, Ethan Price suddenly soared into the sky and left, not even giving Evan Parker a chance to say goodbye.

“Seriously? My master really does things so cleanly and efficiently!”

Evan Parker held the token in one hand and the pills in the other, smiling wryly. Although he still had a bellyful of questions he wanted to ask, it was clear that expecting Ethan Price to answer them was unrealistic.

“I’ll just head up the mountain first…”

※※※

As one of the nine great sects, the Supreme Xuanyang Sect’s base stretched across the Yunlong Mountain Range for eight thousand li. After tens of thousands of years of development, it had achieved its current grandeur, the result of countless generations’ painstaking efforts.

Ascending step by step, what Evan Parker saw was like a fairyland: giant spiritual trees pierced the sky to form forests, rare birds and exotic beasts were everywhere, medicinal fields and seas of flowers stretched as far as the eye could see, and the caves and mountain rocks were ethereal and magnificent.

And all of this was only outside the mountain gate of the Supreme Xuanyang Sect. Who could imagine how grand it must be inside?

Fortunately, Evan Parker now had long and steady breath, his pace more than ten times faster than an ordinary person. Even so, it still took him more than two hours to reach the outer courtyard in front of the mountain gate.

This was a complex of buildings halfway up the mountain, covering several thousand mu. As he approached, two reception boys blocked Evan Parker's way. “This is the restricted area of the Supreme Xuanyang Sect. Who goes there?”

Evan Parker directly produced the Chun Jun Token. The two boys were instantly shocked, but quickly regained their composure and said very politely, “So you are the disciple taken in by Elder Ethan Price outside the sect…”

With one of the reception boys leading the way, Evan Parker was brought into a plaza.

At this moment, the plaza was already crowded with over a thousand people, both male and female, ranging in age from eight or nine to thirty. Some gathered in small groups, others whispered to each other. Judging by their attire, most of them were likely those selected in this round of the “Grand Selection.”

The reception boy led Evan Parker deeper into the plaza. The crowd that had been blocking the way immediately stepped aside respectfully when they saw the boy, some even ingratiatingly greeting him as “Senior Brother.” However, the looks they gave Evan Parker were far from respectful—mostly sizing him up or showing disdain.

Today was the final day of the “Grand Selection.” A total of a thousand lucky ones were gathered here, all entering the sect at the same time. Most were young, so comparisons were inevitable.

After three years of bitter cultivation in the mine, Evan Parker’s temperament had become extremely resilient. Although being scrutinized by so many strange looks was uncomfortable, he quickly put it out of his mind and followed the reception boy forward.

When they reached a spot near the front of the plaza, the reception boy pointed not far ahead and said, “Wait over there. After the initiation ceremony, someone in charge will come for you.”

As soon as the boy spoke these casual words, almost all those who had been looking at Evan Parker with disdain immediately averted their eyes. Some timid ones even lowered their heads, not daring to look at Evan Parker again.

“What’s with them?” Evan Parker asked curiously, seeing that the reception boy was being quite polite to him.

“They also passed this year’s ‘Grand Selection’ and are qualified to become disciples of the Supreme Xuanyang Sect, but how can they compare to you? You were personally accepted by Elder Ethan Price, which means you’re already guaranteed to be an inner disciple. Your status is far above theirs. Anyone who can set foot on the path of cultivation isn’t a fool—now that they know you’re an inner disciple, how could they dare show you any disrespect?”

As the reception boy said this, he showed a look of envy before drifting away. Despite his young age—only twelve or thirteen—his ability to cover ten zhang in a single step with such ease was something only those above the fifth stage of Xiantian could achieve.

When Evan Parker came back to his senses and was about to walk over to where the inner disciples selected in this round were gathered, a familiar voice boomed in his ear like thunder. Then, in a burst of excitement, Iron Bull gave him a bear hug. “Mr. Parker, you’re here too! Haha, I was just worried I’d have no one to talk to!”

Seeing Iron Bull’s dark face, Evan Parker immediately felt the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land. He nodded and said, “Yes, though it’s only been two days, now that we meet again, we’re no longer in the Huayun Mine…”

Together with Iron Bull, Evan Parker went to join the group of inner disciples selected in this “Grand Selection.” Aside from the frail youth who had also been chosen by Dylan Price in the Huayun Mine, the others seemed rather aloof. Naturally, Evan Parker didn’t bother to force conversation. With his knowledge and imaginative thinking as a modern person, he quickly struck up a lively chat with Iron Bull and the frail youth.

The youth’s surname was Spencer, with the given name Emily. He didn’t say much, but every word hit the mark, clearly a person of exceptional intelligence.

“When the initiation ceremony is over and we move to the inner courtyard, the three of us must live near each other. That way, we’ll have company.” Emily Spencer seemed rarely so cheerful and couldn’t wait to suggest it.