CLARA

A beautiful girl, around 15, stepped out from the bushes in a long, pure white dress. Suddenly, everything around her seemed to lose its color.

Her eyes looked like they were painted, and her face had perfect lines. Her nose was exquisite, and her lips were rosy and tempting.

Her pale skin resembled sheep-fat jade, delicate as if it might break at a touch. Her long, ink-black hair contrasted alluringly with her white dress, giving her an unreal, clean beauty surrounded by a pure white glow.

Alex could not help but secretly sigh.

Based purely on appearance, this woman was indeed startling.

However, her cold and arrogant expression looked like an unmelting ice glacier. Even her profile felt as if she held herself several thousand miles aloof from others. This made Alex feel rather uncomfortable.

There were two more young girls wearing light armor standing beside her. Their expressions were just as cold and stern. Looking at her it was evident that she was from a extraordinary background.

Alex, unwilling to get into more trouble, quickly distanced himself and headed to the side of a nearby lake, avoiding any further interaction with such individuals.

Observing Alex's retreat, the two young girls laughed in amusement, not expecting him to react that way.

"Young Miss, looks like that guy is at least self-aware enough not to disturb you," remarked one of them.

"Well, if he had tried something, I would have definitely taught him a lesson which he wouldn't be able to forget for his lifetime," added another, exuding a fierce aura as if she had dealt with similar situations before.

"Okay, you two, stop now. It was our fault to disturb him while he was training," Clara interjected, looking at the two friends she had known since childhood who were too overprotective of her.

Upon hearing Clara's words, they immediately nodded and refrained from discussing the unknown guy.

"Young Miss, I heard that people from the Obsidian clan have already arrived," mentioned one of them.

"And I also heard that two of them were directly admitted to the academy, just like Young Miss was admitted," said another which was already spread and they got to know when they arrived at the academy.

Clara's face reflected bitterness as she recalled her father's words while she was heading to the academy.

Seeing Clara's sadness, the two girls also fell silent, understanding what was on their Young Miss's mind.

"I don't know why the Emperor wants to marry off Young Miss to one of them when she is already as talented as them," expressed one of them in dissatisfaction, aware of Clara's hard work to reach extreme level in her body refining to gain recognition from her family and escape being used as a marriage tool by the Emperor.

"Let's not talk about it, since even father agreed to grandfather's decision and no one can change it," said Clara, moving towards their houses.

Meanwhile, Alex continued his routine undisturbed this time.

After six hours, Alex noticed that within a hundred meters around him, wisp after wisp of sparse profound energy was flowing towards him, fusing into his body—silent, nourishing, like a spring breeze and gentle rain. His blood and energy mellowed, yet felt full and vibrant, as if rejoicing in abundance.

Casting aside his scattered thoughts, Alex immersed himself in cultivation, forgetting everything else. Before long, the sun was high in the sky, marking noon.

Pop! A crisp sound emanated from Alex's bones and tendons, as if he were chiseling out barriers within his physical form. His blood and the profound energy absorbed surged through his entire body like a river, brimming with profound and indescribable charm.

Finally, Alex descended from the tree and started descending the mountain as he was feeling hungry.

Upon reaching home, he found Lucas sitting in front of his gate, patiently waiting.

"Brother Alex, you finally came!" Lucas shouted, having waited for an hour.

"I just went for training in the mountains," Alex replied, asking, "So, did you pass all the tests?"

"Of course, I did. After going through training with you and Grandpa Wishton, I should at least pass all of them," Lucas said proudly, joy unconcealed.

They talked for a while, and Lucas shared his experiences during the test and encounters with various people.

"Brother Alex, shall we go and eat something first?" Lucas asked, feeling very hungry.

"Yes, let's go. I was also feeling the same," said Alex, and both of them headed outside the academy to eat at a good restaurant.

Walking around the city for half an hour, they finally arrived at the restaurant. On their way, they didn't attract much attention, as there were many disciples wearing green robes like them, easily blending into the crowd.

Alex glanced at the sign before the restaurant, named Heavenly Star Pavilion. According to information from one of the city guards, it was one of the grandest restaurants in the city and food served by them was the best.

Entering through the main doors, a young lady came to greet them.

" Welcome to the Heavenly Star restaurant" greeted the young lady politely, noticing the green robes symbolizing outer disciples of the academy.

Alex and Lucas were guided directly to the second floor, which could accommodate thousands of people, mostly outer disciples of the academy.

"Looks like we came to the right restaurant," said Lucas, grinning, as he observed the bustling crowd.