His old face flushed, and Mark Carter immediately tucked his bird and made a hasty escape, as the red dot in the sky reappeared.

In the instant that Mark Carter was stunned, he felt as if an overwhelming mass of something enveloped him, and then his body floated lightly away...

“Mark, Mark, wake up, wake up.”

Mark Carter opened his eyes again to see a round face—it was the reliable Sam Bolton.

Seeing Mark Carter open his eyes, Jason Bolton finally let out a sigh of relief. “I was wondering what happened to you, Mark. As soon as I got back, I found you lying naked in the yard. You scared my Grace Brooks half to death.”

Grace Brooks was the one Sam Bolton had always secretly liked. Her parents were prominent nobles in Thunderlight City, but Grace Brooks herself was straightforward and bold, and got along well with the two of them.

“Sam Bolton, who are you calling yours? Watch it or I’ll beat you up!” Grace Brooks glared fiercely at the fat guy.

She then looked at Mark Carter. “I heard you’ve already joined the Sword Sect. You really are the type to have pies fall from the sky for you. What could you possibly be upset about? Also, your body isn’t much to look at, so stop showing it off everywhere.”

Mark Carter closed his eyes, feeling that his lifelong reputation had just been ruined. He couldn’t help but grit his teeth a little. “You two better keep this to yourselves. If anyone dares to spill, I’ll silence you!”

“Huh, where’s the discount?”

At the thought of this, Mark Carter twitched a little. “It ran off while I was bathing. Otherwise, how do you think I ended up naked outside?”

“Mark, you didn’t get so upset you fell out of the sky, did you?”

Sam Bolton exaggeratedly opened his mouth wide.

Bang...

A knock landed on Sam Bolton’s head, but it wasn’t from Mark Carter—it was Grace Brooks who hit him.

“Stupid fatty, watch your mouth. So it ran away, big deal. Mark Carter, congrats on joining the Sword Sect. I’ll give you a messenger.”

Grace Brooks said with a smile.

Mark Carter shook his head and got up. Today was just too strange. First, he’d been scolded by a weird old man, then his own messenger had run off. Looking at the broken chain on the table, Mark Carter muttered, “What crappy quality. You get what you pay for.”

“That’s to teach you: next time you buy a messenger, lock it in a demon-taming talisman first.”

Mark Carter shrugged, resigned to his bad luck. Who would waste a demon-taming talisman on a sparrow demon?

“No matter what, we’re all Saint Hall disciples now. That’s something worth celebrating!” Sam Bolton was the happiest of all—nothing could get him down.

Mark Carter nodded. “Grace Brooks, congrats on joining the Talisman Sect. But with your talent, it’s only natural.”

Grace Brooks was born with five layers of life marks, the most gifted among the three, and her calm personality meant there seemed to be nothing she couldn’t do in Mark Carter’s eyes.

Actually, many people found the trio’s little circle odd. Grace Brooks was a noble, truly a classic beauty with brains, and a great personality—none of the usual arrogance of noble girls. After her five life marks appeared, she became a celebrity in Thunderlight City. Yet she hung out with the lazy Sam Bolton and the obscure Mark Carter. Sam Bolton’s family had some money, but weren’t high status; his only asset was four layers of life marks—decent talent, but with his build and personality, even the best talent would be wasted.

As for Mark Carter, he wasn’t completely unknown, but his reputation was mostly for fighting. The three should have been parallel lines, yet somehow became friends.

“In cultivation, talent alone isn’t enough. There are plenty of talented people. Mark Carter, I think you still have a great chance. The Sword Sect elder has a good eye.”

Grace Brooks said, genuinely happy for Mark Carter, but mostly to encourage him—two layers of life marks wasn’t much of a talent.

“Grace Brooks, what about me? Do you think I have a bright future too?” Sam Bolton asked with a grin.

“You? If you’d just be a bit more diligent, there’s still hope.”

“Haha, see, I told you I’m a genius! Just wait and watch me sweep through the Arrow Sect and make a name for myself!”

Chapter 8: The Small World

Grace Brooks and Mark Carter couldn’t help but sigh—Sam Bolton was the kind of person you absolutely couldn’t praise. His ears had a special ability: they’d automatically filter out anything unpleasant and amplify anything nice.

It was already late. The three young people encouraged each other and parted ways. Whether they cared or not, they were all full of anticipation for the Saint Hall. There, they would begin a new life—a world completely different from before.

Three days later, 125 new disciples waited at the gates of the Saint Hall. They were this year’s new recruits, a record for Thunderlight City—usually, sixty or seventy was considered a lot.

Everyone was excited, standing tall and proud, looking at those around them. Youthful pride and confidence radiated from every face. Among the crowd, Mark Carter and his friends were no exception. At this moment, Sam Bolton stood out especially, his eyes gleaming as they darted around like flying swords. Anyone caught in his gaze would feel it.

After a while, the fat guy sighed. Mark Carter knew him too well. “What, nothing good?”

“Sigh, with my discerning eye, not a single one here is even half as good as our Little Grace. Looks like our Little Grace is going to be the belle of the Saint Hall!”

Sam Bolton didn’t forget to flatter her, and in fact, Grace Brooks really was the center of attention. Five natural life marks were rare outside of cultivation families, showing just how talented Grace Brooks was. It was said that even some cultivation clans had tried to recruit her.