Ray and the others thought that they would get to know more things before they were dismissed, but it seemed Sister Aries didn't want to give up on her top ten students so easily. Ray had a few questions lingering in his mind, yet it looked like either he would have to read them straight from the rule book or learn them during the house meeting scheduled for the next morning.
Ray found this amusing. He knew very well that no one could shift those five students out of Venus House anymore. Since they had already been told to check their houses, Ray decided to head toward his. As he walked down the quiet path, the soft glow of formation lights reflecting on the stone ground, he noticed that Alice and Arisa were following him.
Ray chuckled lightly and said, "Let's see each other's homes then. What did they give the top students, and what did I miss out on?"
Arisa puffed up her chest, her pride obvious on her face. "Hehe! I'm the top student. I'm awesome, aren't I?"
Alice crossed her arms, frustration flickering across her expression. "I lost to you by a few minutes. So frustrating!"
Before Ray could respond, Ryan came running over, his voice echoing down the path. "Hey! Let us join too!"
Grace followed closely behind him, slightly out of breath but smiling. Ray glanced at Ryan and then nodded. "Let's go!"
…
On the other side, where the four leaders were standing, the atmosphere was far less lively. Before Adrian could say anything, everyone had already started to leave, heading toward their new houses according to their rankings. Adrian opened his mouth to say 'wait,' but it was too late. He stood there, stunned.
Turning to Aries, he asked, "What was that? We haven't told them all the rules yet."
Aries smiled calmly, her expression unbothered. "Most of the rules are written in the book. The rest can be explained at the house meeting tomorrow. I have to go now and arrange all the Venus House matters."
She bid them farewell and left without another word.
The three men watched her disappear. Only after Aries had gone did Wesley of Mercury House speak, his tone sharp and mocking as he looked at Darius. "You made a big mistake this time. You know they're still watching. You're probably losing your leader position tomorrow. Good luck meeting that guy."
With a faint scoff, Wesley turned and walked away.
Adrian sighed and looked at Darius. "Even if we're friends, I can't help you this time. You'll have to face it yourself."
Darius nodded silently. He knew he had messed up badly. Still, instead of blaming his sister, his anger settled on Ray. He knew how afraid Alice was of him—if he had pushed just a little more, she would have listened.
With a heavy sigh, Darius turned and left.
…..
Ray and the others followed him to the seventh house. It was a small, simple structure—one modest room, a bathroom, and a combined kitchen and dining area. The only impressive parts were a formation carved neatly into the ground and a small cultivation room alongside a basic training room.
Next, they followed Grace to her house. There was no difference at all from Ray's. It seemed that houses ranked from fourth to tenth were identical.
Then they went to the third house, which belonged to Ryan.
The moment they entered, the difference was obvious. The rooms were noticeably larger, and the cultivation room had a much higher-grade setup. The formation there allowed Ryan to cultivate much faster. A small plate filled with spiritual fruits sat on a table, faint energy radiating from them. The training room was similar to the others, but Ryan also had several practice dummies arranged neatly.
After that, they moved on to the second house, belonging to Alice. As expected, it was even better. The rooms were larger still, and the cultivation room's formation was stronger than Ryan's. Not only were there fruits, but there was also a living plant that continuously produced them. Her training room was fully equipped.
Finally, they followed Arisa to the first house.
The moment they stepped inside, everyone fell silent.
It was clearly the best house. The entire building was wrapped in a powerful formation that constantly nourished cultivation. Even without actively cultivating, Arisa's strength would slowly increase. Inside the cultivation room was a small water fountain—its spiritual energy was so dense it could almost be felt on the skin. If she drank that spiritual water, her cultivation speed would increase tenfold compared to Alice's. Like the others, she also had a training room.
Ray nodded thoughtfully. "Good. Alice and Arisa, use these resources well. I have to go—I need to call my mother and let her know what's going on. You should call your parents too. Also, read the rule book and rest well. Call me if you need any help. We're neighbors now, so we can meet often."
Alice and Arisa wanted to say more, but they knew Ray was right. They needed to inform their families. Besides, being neighbors meant they could meet again anytime.
Ray returned to his house and called his mother, explaining everything.
He made a normal call and allowed Crystal Vision access, but he hadn't made the wristwatch's video call function public yet.
After ending the call, just as he was about to read the rule book, he heard a knock at the door.
Ray opened it and froze.
Aries stood there.
For a moment, Ray simply stared, surprised by the beautiful woman standing calmly in front of him.
"Will you keep staring, or invite me in?" Aries teased, an amused smile playing on her lips.
Ray snapped out of it and laughed. "Yes! Come in, come in, beautiful lady. How could I let someone so beautiful stand outside for so long?"
Aries rolled her eyes but stepped inside. Ray took out tea from his bag and began brewing it, the faint aroma filling the room.
As the tea brewed, Ray asked, "So… how can I help you, big sis?"
Aries smiled softly, her eyes sharp and knowing. "Well," she said, "I came here for business."