Jack, Brock, and Starhair stood before a peak A-Grade space monster. It was a Double Devil, just like Jack and Starhair, dressed in black ceremonial robes which fluttered behind it. Its gaze was strict. This was a man who lived and breathed battle.

Grand Elder Sanzuki.

“Welcome to the Great Silver faction,” he finished, having recited a war poem in a language Jack didn’t recognize.

“Thank you, Grand Elder!” the three of them replied at the same time. The crowd surrounding them did not clap, expressing their disapproval—the silence was almost deafening.

Each faction was only allowed to bring nine B-Grade disciples into the Dark Canal. The competition for those spots was heated, and it grew even more so by the fact that most spots were taken by older and stronger disciples who’d visited the Canal before. The ones who’d never come here before—and so would receive the greatest benefits—had to struggle for just a handful of spots.

At present, only five of the Great Silver disciples were first-timers. They’d struggled valiantly to reach this moment, and now three of them were in danger of losing their spot just a day before the delve. It was obvious why the crowd remained silent. Even Jack was feeling a bit like an asshole.

Unfortunately, he carried too much on his shoulders. He couldn’t afford to waste opportunities, even if that meant taking them away from someone else. In the end, this was the cultivation world. The losers could only blame their own weakness.

“Prepare yourselves. We reconvene in two minutes for the end of the tournament,” the Grand Elder announced, much to the dismay of the B-Grades present. They walked away grumpily.

One moved towards Jack’s group. “First you take away my manual, then you steal the spots of my little brothers and sisters,” she said, green eyes shining in the darkness under her straw hat. “You are despicable, Jack Monstrous.”

Jack had been surprised when he ran into this person here. It was the same straw-hatted woman he met during the Empty Star Auction, the one who’d competed with him over the incomplete black hole manual. She wore the same red clothes, and her straw hat still emitted the magical darkness obscuring her face. Only her eyes were visible, and they did not seem happy.

This was the head disciple of the Great Silver faction, Strawpin. An acclaimed genius who hailed from Empty Star City—hence her presence there. She’d left for the Great Silver early in her cultivation journey, though, which explained why people didn’t recognize her.

“Sorry things turned out this way,” Jack said. “I can lend you the manual if you want. I’m done studying it.”

“Hmph. That’s the least you can do,” she replied, holding out a pale, humanoid arm. Jack raised a brow in amusement. He stretched his own hand, summoning the broken manual from his space ring and handing it over. She made it disappear with a flick of her wrist.

“Up!” the Grand Elder’s voice filled the camp. Everyone rose into the sky, where they formed a large circle. The energy ripples of a battle would spread to a far larger radius, even in such Dao density, but the people present could handle them. In fact, they wanted to dissipate the ripples so as not to alert the Fiend King camp on the other side of the canal.

Great Silver had not left his cabin.

“Jack Monstrous and Edithland, you may begin,” the Grand Elder said.

A fierce, wolf humanoid jumped out of the disciple ranks, glaring at Jack. “I fought hard for this spot,” she said. “I won’t let you take it.”

Jack sighed.

Of course, as much as the wolf woman wanted to hold on to her spot, it was impossible. She was only on the level of Saturnstar, whom Jack had easily defeated before his breakthrough. They tussled a bit, Jack pretending it wasn’t too easy, before he finally won through Meteor Punch.

“Sorry,” he said, approaching the fallen wolf woman and offering a hand to raise her up.

She snorted and refused to take his hand. After rising on her own, she limped away. Jack gave her one last glance before flying up.

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The air had changed by now. Most of the Great Silver group, Elders and disciples alike, had originally disdained Jack and the rest. They were outsiders who came to steal the benefits of faction disciples. How could they like them?

Jack’s battle, however, had changed their outlook. He was strong—extremely so. Everyone could tell he hadn’t been going all-out in this battle. While faction camaraderie was important, the Canal Delve was even more so—and a powerful ally could greatly benefit everyone.

As a result, most people now gazed at Jack and co. lukewarmly, waiting to see how the other two would perform. The only ones still with bitter eyes were the two disciples who’d yet to fight.

Brock’s opponent was a rock golem man. His strength and defense were admirable, but his speed was lacking. None of that mattered. Brock was often overshadowed by Jack’s extreme talent, so it was easy to forget he was a great genius in his own right. He’d been the first in multiple million years to reach an inner world of 8,800 miles. If not for Jack, Brock would be a strong contender for the title of the universe’s greatest genius, having a ton of adventures and spearheading the new era.

He tussled with the golem man a bit before driving him into the ground, then calmly returned to his spot beside Jack.

All the Elders’ eyes had changed by now. They’d heard about Jack’s strength, but to see Brock so powerful as well was a surprise. These weren’t random cabbages they were fighting. They were some of the most gifted disciples of an Overlord-level faction. Each was a world-class talent, yet Jack and Brock were dispatching them like random goons—from jumping a small realm to do so, no less.

Everyone looked at Starhair, excited to see his performance. Unfortunately, he was nowhere near as flashy.

Starhair’s opponent was another double devil utilizing the power of flames. He was actually the third least powerful disciple from Great Silver—the Grand Elder had arranged for Jack to fight the weakest disciple, Brock the second weakest, and Starhair the third weakest in an attempt to let at least one of his disciples remain.

Unfortunately, while Starhair wasn’t a super genius like Jack and Brock, he remained a star disciple of the Black Hole Church, a faction much larger than the Great Silver.

The two clashed for a long time. Eventually, Starhair gained the upper hand and secured victory. The battle hadn’t been easy, but not super close either.

Everyone stared at the three of them. Who are these guys? Where did they come from? were the questions plaguing everyone’s mind. Even Strawpin, who disliked Jack, was chewing on her lip thoughtfully.

“On behalf of the faction, I apologize for what happened,” the Grand Elder told the three loser disciples. “However, you know the rules. Power trumps all. Bringing the strongest line-up available into the canal is important for the future of our faction. Your loss here, while surely frustrating, is the only scenario. Elder Owlhead will guide you outside the Donut Sea, at which point you are to head back to the faction. I’ve arranged some compensation for the three of you.”

They didn’t perk up at the mention of compensation. They were clearly extremely frustrated, but what could they do? Starhair’s opponent almost said something before the wolf woman dragged him back. “We understand, Grand Elder.”

“Good. Now go.”

The three flew off without a second glance. Jack allowed himself to experience the emotions. He hadn’t done anything wrong, but he still felt bad.

Strength is all that matters, he told himself, then decisively looked away.

“Hey,” he told Strawpin, who wasn’t standing too far away. “When does the delve begin?”

She glared at him. “My name is not hey,” she said. “I’m Head Disciple Strawpin, and you will refer to me as such, Jack Monstrous.”

“Sure.”

“Sure, what?”

“...I won’t say it.”

“Then I won’t reply.”

“I’ll just ask someone else.”

“And create a rift in our relationship? Pretty bold of you, Jack Monstrous.”

He sighed. “When does the delve begin, Head Disciple Strawpin?” he asked, and she finally smiled.

“There you go! Was it that hard? Nevermind, don’t reply—bad question to ask a double devil. We’re set to begin in two weeks. You really cut it close.”

“Yeah, I do that sometimes. Not a great idea, but it ends to work out.”

“Mhm.” She raised a brow at him. “See you, Jack.” And then she flew away, disappearing into one of the smaller tents. Her straw hat and red robes were the last to go.

Jack shook his head as he returned to his friends. “We got two weeks,” he said. “I’ll probably just meditate. I need to polish my new cultivation a little.”

“I’ll just chill,” Brock said.

“I think I’ll do the same,” Starhair added, throwing Brock a glance. “Though I hate being paired up with you. It always goes the same way.”

“And what way is that?”

“We befriend new people all the time.”

“First, it’s not befriend, it’s bebro,” Brock said, his grin wide. “And second, all good. These are strong people, right? If brohood is fake, they won’t fall for it.”

Starhair grumbled something. Jack left the two alone as he headed for his tent. A smile was on his face the whole time. He’d love to stay out here and have fun, but he really did need to meditate. His cultivation had advanced too quickly. Two weeks of meditation now would bring him noticeable benefits—and, if the Canal Delve was as dangerous as he imagined, he’d need them.