My Wife is a Hidden Big Shot

Chapter 437 - 401: Membership Selection (Part 1)

The other four shared a knowing smile.

During the award ceremony, Vincent Lawson walked out, a joyful expression on his face.

He looked like he had just found a priceless treasure.

Aurora Sinclair stared at the familiar black invitation in front of her, then looked up at the unfamiliar older man.

Vincent Lawson smiled kindly. "Young lady, this should look familiar, right? Care to come this year?"

Aurora Sinclair glanced at Alvin Morgan beside her. "Does he get one?"

Vincent Lawson was about to shake his head when he suddenly remembered Hector Lennox’s previous failed invitation. Realizing it was most likely because of the man in front of him, he quickly changed his tune.

"He gets one too."

He pulled another black invitation from his pocket and handed it to her.

Aurora Sinclair thanked him and took the two invitations.

The invitation was still solid black, stamped with gold-foil lettering.

[You are invited to the foot of the Ertolier Snow Peaks on the Continent of Boreas on December 8th.]

***

The Continent of Boreas had always been a place seldom visited by humans.

The climate was frigid, and the land was covered in uninhabitable permafrost.

Aurora Sinclair and Alvin Morgan arrived at the foot of the Ertolier Snow Peaks on December 7th.

Surprisingly, there was a small village here, with a bonfire already lit.

Five people were gathered around the bonfire—four men and one woman.

Judging by their appearances and gear, they were likely the chosen candidates from the other four continents.

On the far left was a tall, fully armed man. Although he wore protective sunglasses, his exposed skin revealed he was an Amerian.

Next to him sat a man dressed in an exotic style. Aurora Sinclair recognized him as a Westerner at a glance; the numerous rings on his hands couldn’t hide the fabulously wealthy air of the Western Continent.

Beside the Westerner sat an unfamiliar woman with black hair and black eyes. Dressed in sleek, black combat attire, she looked incredibly cold. She was probably from the Continent of Esteros, where many of the Ancient Martial Families were said to live in seclusion.

Next to her were two Southelanders. Though they were dressed in thin clothing, they exuded a very dangerous aura. They were likely from the underground fighting pits of Southeland.

They were sizing each other up.

The typically hospitable Westerner suddenly spoke up, "Are you two also here for the Alliance’s selection trial?"

Alvin Morgan was the first to answer. "Yes."

"Which continent?"

"Arcadia."

The five of them weren’t surprised. Every year, people from the Five Continents were invited to the Alliance’s selection trial.

The five of them already represented four continents, so the remaining two had to be from Arcadia.

"Come warm yourselves by the fire! It’s pretty cold out here."

Alvin Morgan led Aurora Sinclair over slowly.

They were also fully geared up. Although Aurora Sinclair didn’t feel cold, Alvin Morgan still had her put on a protective suit.

Under the watchful eyes of the others, he took off the enormous mountaineering pack on his back and pulled out folding stools, a thermos, a blanket, and a small hand-cranked generator.

Aurora Sinclair was also carrying a pack, but hers contained Ditto.

After placing Ditto on the ground, she said softly, "Ditto, transform into a table."

To the astonishment of the five onlookers, it rapidly transformed from a small travel case into a small table.

Aurora Sinclair and Alvin Morgan continued to pull things out of their packs, this time placing them on top of it.

A pot, an induction cooktop, instant noodles, mineral water, sausages, chicken, corn...

The five people opposite them felt their mouths twitch. ’Are these two here on vacation?’

But soon, a fragrant aroma wafted from the pot.

The stomachs of the five onlookers couldn’t help but growl.

"Would you like some?" Aurora Sinclair politely asked the five across from them.

The Southelanders and the Westerner were the first to get up and accept.

"Did you bring bowls?"

The three of them immediately headed for their cabins, quickly returning with their own bowls and utensils.

Seeing this, the Eastern girl and the Amerian man also quickly got up to go get their bowls.

Unlike the four men, the Eastern girl also brought a bag of hard-boiled eggs.

The seven of them gathered around the small table in the freezing cold, happily eating hot noodle soup together.

When the five judges from the International Martial Alliance arrived, they were surprised to find that this year’s contestants seemed quite different.

The usually desolate Ghost Village was now filled with the aroma of cooking, and there was even the faint scent of grilled meat.

"Looks like we’ll be accepting a few more people this year," Vincent Lawson said with a chuckle.

But the person next to him disagreed. "When there’s no conflict of interest, there’s no need to make enemies."

Then, just as the seven of them at the base of the mountain were eating grilled meat and drinking hot spirits, a strange voice suddenly echoed from the summit of Mount Ertolier behind them:

"Welcome, elites from every continent, to the entrance examination for the International Martial Alliance. Your first test is to reach the summit and find me."

The voice was filled with Power, and the expressions on the faces of the seven contestants changed instantly.

Everyone quickly got up, packed their things, and prepared to ascend the mountain.

Aurora Sinclair and Alvin Morgan were already in their climbing gear and packed up the fastest, but they didn’t leave first. Instead, they waited at the village entrance for the other five.

Because of their actions, the rest also gathered at the village entrance, waiting until all seven were assembled before setting off together.

"Ditto, scout ahead!"

"Yes, Master."

Ditto transformed again, one of its mechanical arms turning into a drone.

Alvin Morgan operated Ditto’s other mechanical arm, using its screen to survey the road conditions ahead.

The two Southelanders, who had never seen anything like it, crowded around to watch in amazement.

With the help of the intelligent robot, the group chose a relatively safe path to the foot of the mountain.

Mount Ertolier was a massive mountain of permafrost. Its rock faces were covered in ice, making them extremely steep and slick. Without climbing equipment, an ordinary person would find it nearly impossible to ascend.

After seeing Ditto’s analysis, Alvin Morgan planned to use climbing equipment to ascend the mountain with Aurora Sinclair.

With Aurora Sinclair’s strength as a Martial Lord, she could have easily ascended with her bare hands using the Power of Heaven and Earth, but Alvin Morgan told her to conserve her energy and hide her true strength.

Upon seeing the mountain path, the other five eagerly began their ascent. The two Southelanders, whose strength had reached the level of Intermediate Martial King, were the first to start climbing.

But Aurora Sinclair and Alvin Morgan were in no hurry. They took out their Rope Guns and fired two lines toward a spot on the mountainside that Ditto had analyzed.

Then, they began to climb slowly, pulling themselves up by the ropes.

Their pace was steady, and they occasionally stopped to drink some water and eat a compressed biscuit to replenish their energy.

Gradually, the figures of the other five ahead of them grew smaller, eventually becoming tiny black dots.

Just as the two of them climbed onto a seemingly safe stone ledge, a massive explosion suddenly went off above their heads.

Aurora Sinclair’s expression changed drastically as she shot toward Alvin Morgan.

Boulders and rocks RUMBLED down the mountain in an avalanche-like cascade.

Aurora Sinclair raised a hand, creating an invisible wall above them that blocked most of the falling rocks.

Then, a massive boulder plummeted from above, heading straight for them.

"Watch out—!"

Aurora Sinclair quickly pulled Alvin Morgan onto the stone ledge, but it wasn’t solid. The moment they landed, it shattered.

They instantly lost their footing and plunged downward.

At that critical moment, the ropes attached to them caught on a chunk of permafrost, halting their fall. They were left dangling against the cliff face, swinging back and forth like pendulums.

The sounds from above gradually faded, and the falling rocks slowly subsided.

The two of them, huddled beneath a large overhang of permafrost, had narrowly escaped disaster.

They were surrounded by sheer cliffs with nothing to use as a foothold. If they didn’t find a new anchor point soon, the hooks above were likely to come loose.

Aurora Sinclair’s fingers splayed open. Her gaze sharpened as she focused her power downward, toward the base of the mountain.

The color of her pupils gradually lightened, and her body temperature began to drop.

Soon, a powerful mountain wind suddenly gusted up from below.

Alvin Morgan felt his body being forcefully blown upward.

"Morgan, this way..."