"Clap! Clap! Clap!" The brothers all cheered and applauded. The Four Pillars arrived and addressed the second-in-command of Long-Feng Hall: "Second-in-command, if Master Qiao were here, he'd certainly be unhappy!" Gao Liang beamed with a smile: "You guys really appreciate how strong my hall has become! If my hall isn't the number one in the country, how could we possibly face off against the other two major halls—the Ma-Tou Hall and the Hei-Hu Hall?" "Indeed! Indeed! Second-in-command, you're absolutely right!" The Four Pillars echoed in unison. "The Feng-Huo Hall and Long-Feng Hall are closely related, true allies—unity truly makes strength!" Gao Liang's heartfelt words sparked enthusiastic cheers. One person stepped forward, speaking with a strong voice to Gao Liang: "You young man! I must say, I wasn't wrong to pick you! You've got real vision—and working with you has truly been a pleasure!" Gao Liang looked up and saw it was Master Qiao, the head of Long-Feng Hall. The scene immediately became lively and vibrant. Gao Liang knew that Qiao was also deeply committed to protecting his Gaokao, and felt even more touched. He grasped Qiao's hand and said, "Thank you!" Qiao replied, "Don't forget our 50-50 split, okay?" Gao Liang confidently responded, "I'll definitely reclaim the Ma-Tou and Hei-Hu factions! You can rest assured—my Gaokao is now complete, and my official journey into the underworld has officially begun!" "Haha!" Qiao and everyone else smiled heartily. Upon returning home, Gao Liang found his parents looking worn out, worried about his exam performance. Gao Liang chuckled and said, "Dad! Mom! Please don't worry so much! I'm actually quite capable—I've handled everything!" Father Gao Zhongming couldn't believe it. That day, his son had gone to school late due to attending to his own leg injury, and even if he had rushed as much as possible, even by taxi, the heavy traffic during the Gaokao period would surely have caused him to arrive late. How could I believe that my son wouldn't be late, let alone that he could finish all the exam questions on the spot? Not to mention that I've now learned about the fact that he's been on an extended leave from school for tutoring, arranged by the headteacher, Liu He-gou. "Liang! As long as you can finish the exam, that's all I ask. I have full confidence in you! But lately, we've been struggling to pay our electricity and water bills. I'll have to keep working at the restaurant tomorrow—so you should stay at home and take care of your father's leg injury." Mother Shen Hanfu's words moved high Liang deeply. Recently, so busy with the college entrance exams, he had completely overlooked the family's financial difficulties. And who exactly was the wealthy daughter who had paid off his 100,000-yuan debt? He didn't know anymore. Indeed, Liang had been exhausted lately—he should just get some rest now. He'd have to get up early again tomorrow for his morning exercises. As for Zhou Chao, after several consecutive setbacks—especially after depleting his water-based spiritual energy—his mid-level energy had significantly diminished. If he wanted to continue The Gaokao was controlling Zhang Yuping's awareness and body, just a little short of achieving the Yin-to-Yang replenishment technique—yet, she was subdued by an invisible force. Zhou Chao knew for certain that there must be a master more powerful than Gao Liang, secretly aiding Gao Liang. If that were the case, then he himself would have to train relentlessly. As long as he could ultimately defeat Gao Liang, no matter what means he used, he would succeed. For now, the only technique available to him was Yin-to-Yang replenishment. "I will never fall in love with him again! I swear!" Ying'er raised her giant shield as a pledge. "Hah! As long as you don't fall in love with him, I'll allow you to return home. But a new trial has begun! All of this is due to your own sins—don't blame me when the time comes and I don't help you!" Tian Sheng Mother said coldly. "As long as the Holy Mother lets me return to my master, even the greatest trials will be worth it!" Just as Ying'er finished speaking, she felt her body lift into the air—ah! A cry of pain escaped her. It turned out that she had entered the temporal tunnel. This was a passage connecting heaven and earth, a must-traveled route between the immortal realm and the mortal world. Yet, Ying'er suddenly sensed her 3,000 years of spiritual energy vanish. Why was that? Hahaha! Another woman, resembling a fairy, stepped forward, blew a breath into Ying'er and said, "The Heavenly Saint Mother has already infused your spiritual energy into my body. I am the one who truly stands out. If you wish to descend to the mortal realm, you can certainly do so—but right now, you're nothing. You don't even know whether your master still needs you! Haha! If your master needs me, I can take your place. How about that?" "You? With just your fox-fairy status!" Ying'er naturally knew this fox-fairy had always been her fiercest rival, envying her in every way and always striving to push her out of the heavenly court. She'd constantly speak ill of her before the Heavenly Saint Mother. Without a doubt, it was she who had revealed Ying'er's growing affection for her master. Could it be that the fox-fairy had secretly descended to the mortal realm as well? "Hahaha! I'm now more capable than you! Come with me—let's go see your master and find out who he prefers!" The fox-fairy held Ying'er firmly as they passed through the temporal and spatial tunnel, heading steadily toward Hanhai City. It was an early morning when Gao Liang led the brothers from Fenghuo Hall through grueling physical training, each one growing increasingly exhausted. "Boss! Do 1,000 push-ups! Isn't that going to kill us?" Fat Deng said, his face solemn. "And the mountain-running drills—having to run all the way up without stopping! Are we supposed to be iron men?" Shy Yang said, his head bowed. "Hanging on the parallel bars for thirty minutes—just gave me a direct fall, and I was so scared I wet my pants! If this keeps up, I'm going home right now!" Soft Wu wiped cold sweat off his face with a towel. "Boss! We've got absolutely no strength left! Please, please spare us!" The brothers pleaded. "No way! I'll count three seconds—then you all have to get up immediately!" Gao Liang had become increasingly severe in his training, driven by the realization that only by transforming each brother into a top-tier elite would the so-called underworld figures grow truly intimidated. But the brothers were really struggling! "Hey, I've got wedding candies for you all! Wedding candies!" High Light's cheerful voice rang out. "Wow! Wedding candies!" The brothers instantly forgot their fatigue, scrambling up from the ground and shouting at High Light, "Leader, do you have wedding candies?" High Light chuckled, and upon seeing their reaction, realized they had been fooled.