The sealing array was complex, but at the end of the day, it was only a two-star formation.

That alone told Grey enough.

It seemed there had not been a single three-star formation master within the High Order.

Formation masters of that level were rarer than he had initially thought. So far, Werner was the only confirmed one under his observation.

Keeping tabs on such figures was second nature to him. He was well aware of Werner's situation, as well as the state of the others.

And speaking of them, once this matter was settled, he would need to meet them personally and make official announcements.

The Southern Region was now fully under his control.

A sense of accomplishment settled over him.

Yet beneath it lurked a faint, persistent unease.

If his achievements since transmigrating into this world were evaluated under some hypothetical transmigrator assessment, he would undoubtedly rank at the very top.

In just a few short months, while still only seventeen, he had done what others could not accomplish in decades. From discovering the perfect energy source to conquering an entire region, his progress was nothing short of spectacular.

It was undeniably praiseworthy.

And yet, all of it had been done for a single purpose.

To spread his evolutionary path.

Now that the groundwork was complete, he could finally proceed without obstruction.

Of course, he did not need to publicly reveal himself as the creator of the path. He already had plans in place for that. His identity as its originator was not something that should be exposed so easily.

Still, one thing was certain.

Within a few years, the entirety of the Southern Region would be cultivating his path.

Naturally, this could not be accomplished overnight. There were many factors to consider. For example, higher-ranking evolvers switching to an entirely new evolutionary path required evolutionary conversion stones.

And those were extremely difficult to obtain.

So Grey set a limit for himself.

Within five years, he intended to fully convert the Southern Region to the Aether Evolutionary Path.

In the worst-case scenario, he would simply enter seclusion for months on end, fully comprehending the hidden structure and functions of the evolutionary stone before mass-producing it himself.

Speaking of which…

He actually already had one.

Grey's thoughts shifted as he recalled the item stored in his spatial ring.

He had obtained it during his second metamorphosis. A one-star evolutionary stone.

Its emergence marked the moment he had completely broken free from the shackles of a first-level evolutionary being, leaving behind his former state and ascending fully into higher existence.

At the time, he had not paid it much attention and had simply stored it away.

Now, however, it carried far greater significance.

Once everything here was finished, he would examine it carefully.

With that thought out of the way, he heard Lin Fang speak.

"Big Bro Grey, it looks like there's a powerful sealing array on it. It might be hard to br—"

Before Lin Fang could finish, the sealing array in front of them shattered completely.

"Never mind," Lin Fang coughed lightly. "Forget I said anything."

Grey merely smiled as he pushed the vault door open and stepped inside. Lin Fang hurried after him.

The moment they entered, their vision was assaulted by a blinding sight.

A vast sea of glittering gold.

"Gold!"

Grey's eyes lit up instantly.

"We must loot everything!" he shouted. "Lin Fang, go grab a shovel!"

Before Lin Fang could react, Grey had already rushed forward and jumped straight into the pile of gold like a man possessed.

No matter how many times he saw it, gold never lost its charm.

Back on Earth, if there was one regret Grey carried with him, it was not investing in gold earlier. If he had, maybe he would not have been stuck living in a miserable apartment.

And maybe he would not have been electrocuted to death.

Because of that, gold held a special place in his heart.

He would hoard it.

All of it.

Just as Lin Fang took Grey's words seriously and was about to dash out in search of a shovel, Grey suddenly stopped him.

With a wave of his hand, a secret realm portal formed, swallowing the entire mountain of gold in an instant.

Not a single coin remained.

"Hey, Brother Grey," Lin Fang said with twitching lips. "At least leave me a little."

Did he not deserve something?

He had shown the way. He had risked his life. And after being beaten countless times for trying to sneak into the vault, stealing from it had become his lifelong dream.

"No," Grey replied, looking genuinely troubled. "You can take anything here that isn't gold. And anything that doesn't interest me."

"…."

"And what doesn't interest you, Brother Grey?" Lin Fang asked, his eyebrows twitching violently.

Grey thought for a moment, then nodded seriously.

"I don't know. I'm interested in pretty much everything."

"…."

Lin Fang's expression darkened completely.

"Alright, let's move on to the next room," Grey said, nodding as he stepped toward the passage connected to the gold vault.

For some reason, people always liked placing gold at the very front of a vault.

It was the same even inside secret realms.

Tsk.

They really should be more careful with gold. Who knew when its value might skyrocket again?

These Blue Star people truly did not understand the eternal worth of gold.

With a casual push, Grey opened the door leading deeper inside.

The instant it opened, a sharp light flashed into his eyes.

Then something dropped.

A skeleton fell from the upper level and landed directly in front of him.

"…."

Grey stared at it blankly.

What the hell?

Why was there a skeleton here?

Did the High Order seriously think this kind of thing could scare people?

However, his expression shifted a split second later.

Something was wrong.

His thoughts began to blur, his focus slipping unnaturally as a faint pressure invaded his consciousness.

A mental attack.

Grey reacted instantly.

Without hesitation, he shattered the skeleton with a burst of power.

The moment it broke apart, the haze vanished.

At the same time, Lin Fang suddenly lunged forward, killing intent surging as he drew his weapon.

"Big Bro Grey, watch out!" Lin Fang shouted. "It's a High Order member!"

Grey did not even turn around.

Before Lin Fang could get any closer, his body stiffened. His eyes cleared, and he halted mid-stride, lowering his sword slowly as confusion spread across his face.

"…Huh?"

"A mental illusion array," Grey said calmly, glancing at him. "Triggered through the skeleton."

"Oh."

Realization hit Lin Fang immediately.

His face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," he said awkwardly. "I almost attacked you without thinking."

Grey shrugged indifferently.

"Next time, hesitate for half a second longer."

With that, he stepped through the doorway and continued forward.

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