Immediately, Ye Luo bowed slightly to the middle-aged man, "Senior, this junior is inexperienced and not well-learned. I wonder if I could become your apprentice. If not, please observe my aptitude before deciding whether to take me as a disciple!"

The middle-aged man was visibly surprised. Actually, his earlier words were just a casual tease; he didn’t expect the young man to take it seriously. Instantly, he felt that this young man was genuinely naive.

Since it’s quite boring here anyway, having a disciple would be much more convenient. At least, some mundane matters could be delegated to the disciple.

Although he already had his own faction, his strength was such that it wouldn’t allow him to guard the Gold Silk Forest outside, nor would he receive higher-level treatment.

Therefore, having such a disciple was a good thing. More importantly, staying here all day was really too dull. Having such a naive disciple could indeed bring a lot of fun!

Of course, Ye Luo wasn’t being naive; he had given it careful consideration. Moreover, in his heart, calling someone "Master" wasn’t a casual matter, not even for achieving his goals!

Calling someone "Master" was a lifetime commitment! It couldn’t be taken lightly.

Thus, Ye Luo could only follow this middle-aged man for a while. Once he accomplished his goal, he would just leave quietly.

"Alright, not bad. In that case, just follow me. Come and sit here," he waved to Ye Luo.

However, Ye Luo was a bit puzzled. How could the cultivators here be so laid-back? Their realms weren’t low, yet they were content with such laziness?

"Senior, what should I do?" Ye Luo asked as he sat down.

Besides, Ye Luo had never been this idle before. Even sitting for a while felt like a huge waste.

Therefore, after sitting down, he began to meditate. After all, he had just made a breakthrough in his realm and still needed some time to hone it. This was a meticulous task, not something to be rushed.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man sighed directly, "Kid, when you first arrived here, I was just as diligent and hardworking as you. I thought cultivating to a higher realm would let me leave this place. But, look around you. We were all like you once, but now? There’s simply no hope. Those guys are just a bunch of liars. They brought us here just to guard that Gold Silk Forest!"

Speaking up to this point, there was a hint of resentment in the middle-aged man’s voice.

However, once he finished speaking, he cautiously looked into the air, his eyes filled with apprehension.

Suddenly, Ye Luo understood; he was wary of something, which is why he held back from saying certain things.

But after hearing what he said earlier, Ye Luo felt something was amiss.

He mentioned not being able to leave! Did this place have someone guarding it? Was he duped? How did he end up here so confused?

Most importantly, the forbidden place Zi Wei told him about didn’t have these people! Or perhaps, they were only assigned to guard the Gold Silk Forest after that?

What on earth was going on? Thinking of this made him uneasy. If he couldn’t get out of here, it would indeed be a despairing situation.

Not to mention, being trapped in the Five Dao Ridges was much better than being stuck here. At least the resources there were abundant, and the area was vast, offering much more entertainment than here!

"Senior, you must be joking. How could it be impossible to leave here?"

The middle-aged man immediately looked at him in astonishment, "Don’t you know what this place is?"

"The Holy City, of course! I know I’m here to become an apprentice," Ye Luo replied quickly.

In fact, he came here to steal Gold Silk Wood.

The middle-aged man stared at Ye Luo’s face for several seconds before sighing, "Young man, I don’t know who told you that. They must have a grudge against you. This is indeed the Holy City, but it’s more terrifying than hell. Once you’re in, getting out is harder than ascending to heaven. No, you won’t get out at all!"

"No. How did you come here so smoothly? Although it’s hard to get out, getting in isn’t that easy either. Didn’t anyone stop you?" the middle-aged man asked before waiting for Ye Luo’s reply.

After thinking for a moment, Ye Luo raised his head, visibly serious now. "Senior, I did encounter an obstruction, right at that Gold Silk Wood, by those Guard Squad members!"

The middle-aged man shook his head, "When you saw that group, you had already become one of us. Even if you turned back then, you couldn’t have left here at all!"

Now, it was Ye Luo’s turn to be shocked. What on earth was going on? There was no way Zi Wei would harm him, and the situation he encountered was certainly different from what Zi Wei described!

"Senior, surely you’re joking with me!" Ye Luo awkwardly smiled.

"A joke?" The middle-aged man immediately sneered, "Then go ahead and try, see if you can get out of here!"

Ye Luo stood up directly, looked up, and although the space had good visibility and was pleasant, the Spiritual Energy was scarce, and the sky was gray and unclear.

Yet Ye Luo remembered the location of the Transmission Gate. From where he stood, he could faintly see the shimmering light of the Transmission Gate!

Then let’s give it a try!

Suddenly, Ye Luo jumped up, although he didn’t show all his strength, only using the ninth level of the Earth Martial Realm.

Such strength, while not at the bottom here, was certainly at a lower-middle standard and couldn’t escape the fate of guarding the Gold Silk Forest.

After all, the ninth level of the Earth Martial Realm could be considered an expert, and in the blink of an eye, he leaped to the vicinity of this Transmission Array.

Meanwhile, many people’s eyes focused on him.

However, the looks from these people were disdainful, full of ridicule, only a few showed sympathy, yet most were indifferent! Just like the expression the middle-aged man had before, as if foreseeing the outcome, or because such an incident was commonplace.

Rumble!

Just as Ye Luo’s hand was about to touch the Transmission Array, suddenly a thunderclap exploded in the air. A bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl descended, and in an instant, struck him.