After he was done dealing with the two elders, Grey flew down from the plateau.

The highest tier of the White Spring was closest to the embryo itself, and he had to descend quite a distance to reach the lowest floor.

Each floor of the plateau was filled with abundant cosmic energy flowing like water, and every level was occupied by large numbers of people.

The Starcrest Continent alone was ten times larger than his old world, so there was no shortage of people in the southern region at all.

Soon, he reached the lowest floor.

This level was extremely difficult to access, but those who had won the Southern Region Genius Tournament could enter freely without issue.

As soon as Grey arrived, the first person he saw was Evan, seated within a spring as spiritual energy continuously revolved around him.

It took Grey only a single glance to confirm that Evan had already stepped into the second rank.

Not far from him stood a blond man with deep blue eyes glaring daggers at Evan. The moment Grey appeared, the man frowned sharply.

"Who are you?" the blond man demanded. "Who let you in here? This place is only for people who possess a royal pass."

A visibly irritated expression appeared on his face. "Is the Three City Council just letting anyone enter the lowest floor now?"

"I'm going to tell my father about this." He sneered. "I clearly booked this place for an entire month of training."

"..." Grey's expression turned strange.

"Eterna, who is this adult acting like a twelve year old who didn't get the toy he asked for?"

Eterna immediately responded from within his mind interface. She had always been present there, merely choosing not to manifest herself so as not to disturb Grey's focus.

"He is the youngest son of the City Lord of Mandate Province."

"Mandate Province?" Grey's eyes lit up with interest.

Of course he knew it. Mandate Province was not officially a ruling province, yet it might as well have been one.

The provinces were independent and self governed, yet many had willingly aligned under the Mandate Alliance. Not through force, but through accumulated credibility, vast resources, and centuries of carefully maintained balance.

The City Lord of Mandate Province was exceptionally skilled with words, and he was one of the rare late stage second rankers who stood just a step away from the peak.

In truth, he might as well have already reached it.

Mandate Province itself possessed an abundant number of late stage second rankers, and this concentration of power was precisely why other provinces flocked to it for alliance.

In the west, east, and central territories of the southern region, Mandate's stance often became the final word. Even provinces outside the alliance rarely ignored its position.

In short, it was the top ruling force of the southern region.

"Hm." Grey laughed softly. "I was planning on visiting Mandate Province anyway. To think I would encounter someone from there, and from the direct line of the City Lord at that."

Why would he visit Mandate Province? Of course, to challenge the City Lord and take control of the province.

If he started there, other provinces would naturally become far easier to handle afterward.

In fact, Eterna had already informed him that several people from Mandate Province had entered Ascension Province days ago.

They were likely there to assess the situation and evaluate how the province was progressing under Grey's rule.

Grey did not interfere with them. Instead, he ordered law enforcers to quietly tail them, and they eventually left with whatever information they had gathered.

By now, the City Lord of Mandate Province had surely heard of Grey's existence.

Grey turned back to the blond man, wearing an innocent smile.

"I'm going to cultivate here." He tilted his head. "So unless you want to get swept away, you should leave."

"What?" The blond man was completely dumbfounded.

He was seriously pissed off.

This was the second time he was being asked to leave.

First, a kid who looked younger than him barged in uninvited and ordered him to leave in a domineering manner, as if he owned the place. They even fought, and he got beaten up, forcing him to swallow his anger and cultivate quietly on the side.

And now another guy who looked the same age as that kid appeared and told him to leave again.

'I paid for this goddamn place. Well, my dad did, but how can you ask me to leave like this?!'

The next moment, his expression froze.

His body was suddenly flung into the air like a kite.

The last thing he saw was Grey's smiling face before being sent flying out of the White Spring.

"Make sure to send my regards to the City Lord of Mandate Province." Grey's voice echoed calmly. "He'll remember my name. It's Grey Lockhart."

"Well, he's gone now." Grey turned toward Evan with a smile. "You can come out."

Light shimmered around Evan as Xia Qingyue manifested.

"What are you doing here?" Xia Qingyue asked, her lips twitching.

Grey's presence was never a good sign. Wherever he appeared, someone from the High Order was usually involved.

"What else?" Grey rolled his eyes. "I'm here to cultivate."

"I need to step into the first level of the second rank." He shrugged. "I can't stay in a pseudo rank forever, can I?"

"..." Xia Qingyue fell silent.

"You are at pseudo level?" She was momentarily speechless.

How was this man ruling a province while only being at pseudo level?

And his province was not even first rate it was second rate!

"Enough chit chat." Grey waved his hand. "You should take Evan away."

"It's far too dangerous here. The White Spring might collapse once I start my transformation."

"It's fine." Xia Qingyue shook her head. "I've recovered quite a bit thanks to the abundant energy here."

"I can set up formations to minimize the impact of your transformation."

"Then please do." Grey nodded.

She was likely a high level formation master, and her involvement would be far more reliable than anything Grey could deploy himself.

Soon, Xia Qingyue finished arranging the formations.

Grey sat cross legged at the center of the pool. Evan had been there originally, but Grey casually sent him aside.

Vital essence surged abundantly around him, and he also possessed the core essence of Brandon obtained from the secret realm.

With that, he did not need to worry about the transformation failing.

The abundant energy of the White Spring would also allow multiple elixir fields to form within his body, just as it had with Lia.

His energy reserves were bound to increase massively.

And once he was done, he would finally be able to summon an army of infernals to handle his workload.

Every infernal summoned would stand at his level!

He could even enhance them further with his halo!

Grey suppressed all stray thoughts.

And then, he began.

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