Just like the first level, the less time it took you to defeat your inner demon, the better the rewards. Lucy was the third to finish. The ghost was the first and the silver-haired woman was the second. Shu Ru was the fourth, Emily and the Princess were 5th and 6th respectively. By the way, all sixteen contestants successfully completed the third level.

Arthur was the last since he didn't fight anyone and had to wait till everyone is done.It's kind of a shame as he'll get a trashy reward or none at all. 

He glanced at the fairy, who stared back at him and giggled before turning her head away.

The rewards weren't handed by the fairy but chosen by the contestants. There was a list of sixteen artifact/items and the first place one will choose first followed by the second and so on…

The item they were looking for was a bead called the Calming Soul Bead, it was a 1st Grade Godly-ranked artifact. It was one of the top items in this list. Fortunately, the ghost also had an item in mind so he didn't take the bead, instead, he chose a unique spirit ranked item with the name of 'Solidified Black Matter'.

The problem was the silver-haired woman, who took her sweet time browsing the list and reading the description of all the fifteen remaining items.

Luckily, she picked a potion filled with transparent liquid, it was a 3rd grade heavenly consumable. Although many were curious about the potion effects, they weren't courageous enough to ask her.

Jace was the 10th, a decent place, which satisfied him greatly. He chose a weird green stone which didn't have a rank or grade. He threw it in his storage while smiling to himself.

Arthur was left with no choice but to pick the remaining item, which was a decent armor, something he doesn't need.

"The rewards have been distributed fairly! Let us proceed to the fourth level!"

The fairy clapped her hand as usual then resumed

"The fourth level isn't life-threatening. Plus, you can't leave unless you fail so please try your best!"

She clenched her little fist and cheered them while spinning in the air.

Arthur was planning to immediately leave with Lucy only for the fairy to utter those words. She would glance at him and Lucy then giggles, which was a very suspicious behavior.

'Damn! Fairies are infamous for being pranksters! She's up to something.'

Claud clicked his tongue while inwardly cursing the cute fairy, who was lovely and energetic. 

The sixteen people were teleported yet again. After a few seconds, they found themselves in a similar room with a large ring in the middle. This wasn't what startled Arthur, it was actually the fact that he felt much taller.

He glanced to the side only to see a silver-haired Lucy equally astonished.

Amongst the present cultivators, only their two appearances reverted back, which means all the other people weren't 'fakes' like them.

Angry, Arthur glared at the smiling fairy but didn't try anything. To attack a fairy in its domain is plain stupid no matter how strong he was. The fairy was like a host, there's another entity that rules over this garden.

Obviously, everyone but the couple was speechless when they saw the siblings' appearance change, especially Jace and the silver-haired woman.

As if she couldn't believe her eyes, she stared at Lucy with constricted pupils and half-open mouth. Jace was confused and flabbergasted too as he glanced back between Lucy and her sister.

"In the Paradise Garden, trickery and identity theft are prohibited!"

The Fairy proudly declared while patting her chest.

'What identity theft! You stupid bitch!'

Arthur couldn't control herself as he inwardly cursed at her. She ruined everything as everyone now knows their true appearance.

The problem was Angelina, Lucy's sister, who'll be able to piece everything in no time. Angelina wasn't a fool, she knew that the butler's main mission was to locate her missing sister.

Unlike her mother, she didn't know much about her little sister but she could vaguely remember her. She was eight years old when Lucy went missing and back then, she was a reliable big sister who frequently took care of her sister.

Once Lucy disappeared, Angelina's attitude dramatically changed for the worse, speaking every now and then and rarely interacting with others, except for her mother and father.

In addition to Lucy, Angelina had a younger brother, who was born three years after Lucy's disappearance.

"E-eva?"

Expressionless, Lucy retorted

"I'm called Lucy."

Angelina walked to Lucy, who retreated while dragging the silent Arthur with her. The others kept their silence, simply watching the unfolding events.

Unfortunately, the fairy wasn't going to stay there and let this touching reunion continue.

"Hai hai! The fourth level is simple. Eight will pass and eight will fail. Easy."

An illusory table with names on it appeared above the ring. All eyes were drawn to the table, each praying their opponent isn't strong.

It was a simple and quick tournament. The fairy spent half a minute explaining the rules. If one of the two parties is sent out of the ring, he'll lose. Forfeiting is possible, and losing consciousness is considered a defeat.

Arthur wasn't interested in the table nor the fourth level, he kept staring at Angelina, who walked up to them. Her indifferent expression was nowhere to be seen.

"Why?"

She totally ignored Arthur and asked the annoyed Lucy, who furrowed her brows and talked back

"Why what?"

"Why did you hide? Your mother has been looking for you ever since you disappeared."

"Hmpf! Such things are meaningless now. All I want is to be left alone, so go away… while I'm still asking politely."

Lucy was indeed a bit curious about her origins, however, she never wanted to go back there and enjoy the easy life. For her, a life without Saly and Arthur is not a life.

It's practically impossible for her family to accept Arthur and Saly, in fact, they'll try to separate them, which is something she won't tolerate.

Whether it's her sister or mother, she'll resort to everything to keep her family safe, even if it means killing them. For her, the only family she has is the one on Astria.

"I understand your resentment towards us but mother didn't purposely abandon yo-"

Lucy cut her off by coldly saying

"I don't care and I don't want to listen. I have a family and have no intention of being a good and obedient daughter."

Angelina wanted to talk again but found no trace of the couple. They vanished and appeared at the end of the room and when Angelina wanted to head there, a weird black cube enveloped them, rendering anyone unable to hear, see, or even sense them.

"We've got the bead, I say we force our way before she tells the butler."

Arthur voiced his opinion as he wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulder. She wasn't perturbed or sad, just annoyed that they were discovered. She glared at the fairy from within the black cube and snorted.

"Forcefully leaving the garden will be difficult and may even attract the nearby cultivators. We'll finish the fourth level and leave, quietly, if possible."-Lucy

The fourth level won't last long, it's just eight fasts, two of which will end in seconds. Just like what she did to Lucy and Arthur, the fairy pranked two close friends and pitted them against each other.

The first fight was Emily against the princess. Neither backed away, they exchanged a few words before they went all out. 

It lasted five minutes before Emily emerged victorious, sending her friend out of the ring. The battles smoothly continued until it was Jace's turn, whose opponent is the calm Shu Ru.

Surprisingly, Shu Ru lost to Jace, who drank his consumable, which tripled his Strength. Although she was quite powerful, the girl was no match for the monstrous strength of a body cultivator.

The fifth battle was between Arthur and Angelina, who glared at him. She didn't say anything and jumped at him the moment the battle started, however, it's quite a shame that Arthur backed away, leaving the ring and immediately ending the match.

He lost but he didn't care, their goal has been achieved and they need to leave. Lucy did the same and gave up on her match, which shortened the length of this small tournament.

From beginning to end, the fourth level lasted for forty-two minutes, the four winners were teleported to the usual room. As for Arthur, Lucy, and the six others, they found themselves in the platform in front of the garden's gates.

Despite being discovered, the couple changed to their fake appearances and immediately left that area.

…

A distance away from the platform, the old butler smiled as his eyes landed on Lucy's figure. He immediately recognized from her specter smell, which was carefully hidden only to start emanating when the fairy canceled their altered appearances.

"Madam, I've finally found her. I'll safely deliver her to you."

Just as he was about to chase after the couple, he was stopped by a middle-aged man with long black hair and a small beard.

The scarred old man frowned as he gazed at the person barring his way.

"Why are you in such a hurry, old man."

Wrath snickered as he saw the ugly expression hanging on the butler's face. The old man didn't waste words and tried to force his way through only to be pushed back a dozen meters. Although he was an Overgod, he was still overwhelmed by one of the seven deadly sins.

"Oi oi did you really think I'll let you pass?"

Wrath crossed his arms and shook his head. The butler, angry and impatient, said

"Does his Highness really want to go against the White Specter Clan?"

The man shrugged his shoulders, unfazed.

"I'm only following orders. Plus, the stakes are high this time… so are the dangers."