At this moment, Ace found himself standing at the edge of an active volcano, where rivers of molten lava were flowing like waterfalls. Moreover, for some reason, the other side of the volcano was enshrouded in thick, dark mist, and no one could see what was behind it.

But Ace didn’t care about this strange place. As he looked beside him, he saw a long, dark- haired, handsome man with a scholarly demeanor, adorned in white robes, standing beside him. The temperature didn’t seem to affect him at all.

Although Ace didn’t know who this man was, by how he could bring him here under all those forger masters’ eyes and even bypass his own senses, he knew this man was the most terrifying being he had encountered till now in the Mortal Ascension Heaven.

Ace even wanted to escape, but he didn’t because he still didn’t sense any kind of danger from this man. He knew if he had ill intentions, he might not be able to react before it was too late. Not to mention, Ace knew if this man tried to see through his disguise, he would be able to do it almost instantly, but unlike Clifton, he didn’t.

Furthermore, even since he had come here, he had wondered who could’ve influenced his trial, and now, seeing this man and his means, he knew it was most likely this person.

“Impressive, you become calm quite quickly without me needing to do it myself.” The man suddenly said with a faint smile as he looked towards Ace with a hint of curiosity.

At this moment, Ace felt uncomfortable under this man’s gaze, as if he could see through George’s face, but he still had not escaped and replied with a wry smile, “Freaking out in front of Lord Elder will not do me any good. I will only humiliate myself.”

“You’re pretty interesting for a brat.” The man grinned amusingly as he asked, “Tell me, what do you think of the AIG sect? And you can be honest with me; I won’t mind.”

This was an unexpected question, and Ace knew this man was testing him for some reason. However, since he still didn’t sense any danger, he decided to play along.

“If Lord Elder wants my honest opinion, then please forgive me when I say the sect is drowning under its own glory and power,” Ace replied ambiguously, looking directly into the man’s eyes, his senses fully active.

The moment he senses danger, he will escape. But contrary to his expectation, a thoughtful expression appeared on the man’s face.

The man nodded as he sighed wishfully, “Drowning under its own glory and power? Are you referring to the four clans who use their authority to their own advantage and suppress the sect’s progress?” He asked with a somewhat solemn tone.

Ace was slightly surprised since he didn’t expect this person would admit it so bluntly. If it was an outsider, he wouldn’t be surprised, but this person was clearly someone with power and high status, yet he knew exactly where the fault lies.

As a thief, Ace sees things differently. Since his actions represent his will to steal, he always chooses his target carefully and then observes it, searching for vulnerabilities and cracks to create a chance for perfect thievery.

The AIG sect was his target from the start, so he observed it closely all this time, and that’s how he reached that conclusion.

But this man was different. Despite knowing the sect’s vulnerabilities, he was just sitting on the sidelines like a bystander, which confused Ace.

Still, since this man wants his opinion, it also means that he has a purpose and is waiting for something to concede it. In a sense, this man is just like Ace but with differing goals and beliefs.

After thinking for a moment, Ace replied, “The four clans are just part of it. I think the actual reason for the sect’s situation is fear of losing everything. After all, despite not progressing, the sect hadn’t regressed either. But to progress, one needs to take the risk of regressing, and this requires conviction, not fear.”

The man’s eyes widened ever so slightly as he looked at the young man who hadn’t even lived for a sliver of what he had, yet he could still reach this kind of conclusion.

He couldn’t help but compare himself with him, and he reached the conclusion that he wasn’t like him when he was his age. In fact, he was just like the others in the four clans until an event opened his eyes to reality. But alas, it was already too late.

Still, he knew that if he had held his current sentiments at that time, he might never have reached this position and might have been uprooted like others who shared his ambition.

“It seemed I was truly getting old. Even a brat like you know what needs to be done.” The man chuckled in a self-deprived manner before he suddenly said, “But giving an opinion is simple and easy, while acting on it is an entirely different thing. Tell me, if you have the authority, will you still have the conviction and confidence to bring about the change? Even if the entire world is against you and stops you from doing it?”

Ace was startled when he suddenly sensed a deep aura releasing from this man, sending a shiver down his spine. He didn’t know what this person’s goal was or why he was asking him these questions, but he knew his next answer might be the deciding factor.

So, thinking about his own beliefs and convictions, he replied solemnly, “We cultivate against the rules of heaven; if we don’t even fear Heaven, what’s there to be afraid of the world?”

Even Ace didn’t know that a strange kind of oppression had suddenly been released from him at that moment, which shocked and even made the man in front of him frightened. It was like he was gazing at someone out of this world and terrifying.

But that strange aura instantly vanished, and the man also thought that he was hallucinating from wishful thinking since how could he feel fear from a young man so weak he could obliterate him with a single flick of his finger? Still, Ace’s words and the way he said them were engraved deep in his mind, and he felt his mind suddenly open.

“Hahahaha…” The man suddenly guffawed thunderously, making Ace startled and confused. He was starting to think that this man was not right in his head.

But he felt that this man’s aura had suddenly changed, and he could feel a sense of freedom from it.

The man laughed for a while before he finally calmed down; he looked towards Ace with shining eyes and said, “Well said. If we aren’t afraid of heaven, why are we afraid of others? Well-placed! Alright, I’ve decided you’ll be a Chief Forger Disciple from now on! Show me what you can do, and you’ll have my full support, but if I saw you wavering, I’d be the first one to oppose you!”