Hearing Ling Yun’s sharp question, Alex did not lose his composure. He glanced briefly at Zhao Kang before answering in a deliberately weakened voice, characteristic of Wei Zhong. "We only met a few days ago, Sister Ling. Brother Zhao accidentally helped me while I was looking for some medicinal herbs in the forest behind the sect," Alex lied smoothly, covering up the fact that Zhao Kang was actually trapped by him. Zhao Kang, feeling the intimidating gaze from the Rank 10 Core Disciple, immediately swallowed hard. To him, this matter had already gone too far and was far too dangerous. Just facing Gao Feng’s provocation had made him tremble, let alone getting entangled in the vortex of conflict among the elite disciples. "Ah... tha-that's right, Senior Sister Ling! I just happened to help Brother Wei," Zhao Kang interrupted stammeringly, bowing respectfully. "If that's the case, I-I will excuse myself to find a queue on the west side. Good luck, Brother Wei!" Without waiting for

Alex, hiding behind his disguise as Wei Zhong, subtly raised an eyebrow. A playful smirk played on his lips as he witnessed the girl's protectiveness. "Oh? Sleeping in your bed, Sister Ling?" Alex teased, his voice dropping to a low, deliberate murmur as he took a step closer. "I had no idea your protection extended to such... intimate services. Are you sure you won't regret inviting a man into your room?" Hearing his sudden flirtation, Ling Yun's ice-cold defense crumbled instantly. A crimson blush rapidly spread across her cheeks. Caught completely off guard, her eyes blinked in panic as she instinctively took a step back. "W-What are you talking about?!" Ling Yun stammered, raising her voice in a desperate attempt to mask her embarrassment. "Don't get any stray ideas! I meant that for the next three days, I will be going down to the underground meditation room for intensive training before the tournament! Therefore, you are free to use my residence and this bed." She averted

The explosion of spiritual energy that marked Ling Yun’s success gradually subsided, leaving behind ripples of turquoise Qi that spun steadily around her body.*Up on the wooden floor, Alex, who was observing using the Eyes of God, smiled faintly upon seeing that the gateway to the Earth Deity Realm within the girl had been opened with an exceptionally solid foundation."Good job," Alex murmured softly, then disconnected his Soul Consciousness, letting his eye color return to normal.In the underground chamber, Ling Yun briefly cast her gaze around the silent room. She tried to search for any trace of the majestic voice that had just guided her soul, but it was in vain. There was no sign of anyone else’s presence. That mysterious consciousness had evaporated without a trace, leaving her body brimming with an abundant new power.‘Whichever senior it was that helped me... I will never forget this favor,’ Ling Yun thought with deep reverence.Feeling the pure earth deity energy flowing

Hearing the super casual response that came from behind the hood of Alex’s black robe, Han Zo’s jaw instantly clenched so hard that it made a faint grinding sound. His eyes widened, filled with utter disbelief mixed with immense fury. "W-Where did this Wei Zhong get such courage?!" "Damn, isn't this a direct provocation?!" Hearing those whispers, Han Zo's face turned even redder with rage! "You... you impudent rogue!" Han Zo hissed, his voice trembling as he held back an anger that was on the verge of exploding. Wuuuuush! The deep blue Qi around his body swirled wildly like a small hurricane, forcing the surrounding disciples to take a few steps back under the suffocating pressure. "Beat me up? Dream on all you want, Wei Zhong! Let's see if that big mouth of yours can save you later!" Kraaack! With an emotional stomp of his foot that triggered hairline cracks on the plaza floor, Han Zo turned around and strode wide through the crowd toward the Detection Altar. He needed to v