Heroes Contend for Supremacy (Part Two)

"I'll help, but after we win, we go our separate ways—no marriage, nothing like that. Is that acceptable?" Evan Yang suddenly found himself with a wife for no reason, and it felt pretty weird.

Hannah Nangong felt a deep ache inside after hearing this—a feeling she couldn't quite describe. Was she really that unattractive? Still, she forced herself to endure and replied, "Alright, no problem."

"Then tomorrow, I'll do my best," Evan Yang said.

"Not just 'do your best'! You have to go all out. My happiness is in your hands—you can't let me really marry some stranger, or a domineering, thuggish guy," Hannah Nangong said.

"Uh, alright then," Evan Yang replied helplessly.

"Thanks," Hannah Nangong said happily. As long as Evan really had the ability to fight across realms, tomorrow's setup was clearly designed for him. If he won, he'd be the ultimate victor, and afterward they could part ways and leave this mess behind.

Evan Yang couldn't really say why he was helping her—was it because he felt sorry for her, or because he didn't want her to be claimed by someone else?

That strange feeling kept growing inside Evan. As for Hannah Nangong, she and Evan had talked so much that night—it was the classic 'not friends until after a fight.' They chatted until late at night, finished the food and wine, and only then did Hannah arrange for Evan to rest.

Evan Yang, in his own room, noticed many experts patrolling the shadows outside. He grew curious about Hannah Nangong's true status—why were so many powerful cultivators guarding this place?

Meanwhile, Hannah Nangong was sitting alone in her rear garden, a bit tipsy, her cheeks still flushed. Her mind wandered to the time Evan Yang healed her wounds, and to their days together in the water.

"He doesn't seem bad," Hannah Nangong said with a smile. Just then, her maid sneaked up from behind and teased, "Miss, what are you talking about?"

"You—you were eavesdropping?" Hannah Nangong was glad it was dark, or her face would be even redder; she couldn't tell if it was from the wine or from embarrassment.

"Miss, I wasn't eavesdropping—I just brought you some water," the maid laughed.

Hannah Nangong took the water and drank it, feeling a little more clear-headed.

"Miss, why not just force the wine out with your qi? Why keep it in your system?" the maid asked, puzzled.

"It's nice this way. Lets me think about things I usually don't dare to," Hannah Nangong said with a smile.

"Things you usually don't dare to think about? Is it a man?" the maid giggled.

"What are you saying? Watch out or I'll punish you," Hannah Nangong said.

"Miss, I wouldn't dare," the maid laughed.

"Alright, that's all. You can go now," Hannah Nangong said.

The maid took the cup, and before leaving, she laughed, "Miss, do you like that Evan Yang guy?"

"Say that again!" Hannah Nangong snapped.

"Alright, I won't say anything. You just keep admiring the flowers, Miss," the maid chuckled. In the background, Hannah Nangong could still be heard muttering to herself.

"Seriously, talking nonsense like that. Looks like I'll have to teach her a lesson someday," Hannah Nangong muttered, still tipsy and thinking about scenes with Evan Yang.

The more she thought, the longer it went on—before she knew it, she'd fallen asleep. The next morning, as dawn broke, Hannah Nangong woke up to find herself lying in bed, with her maid beside her.

"Miss, you're finally awake? So odd—usually you can cultivate for years without sleeping, but just a bit of wine and you slept like this," the maid said.

"How long did I sleep?" Hannah Nangong felt her mind was fuzzy and had no memory of what happened while she slept.

"From midnight until now. If Young Master Yang hadn’t carried you in, you’d have slept on the floor all night," the maid laughed.

"Evan Yang? He carried me in?" Hannah Nangong exclaimed.

"Yep, I was shocked too. Thought something happened to you, but turns out you really were just asleep," the maid said.

"Where is he now?" Hannah Nangong felt completely awkward—what luck, needing someone to carry her in, and it had to be Evan Yang.

"He's waiting outside for you. I think you’re supposed to go to the palace today," the maid said.

"Right, I need to go. You get busy," Hannah Nangong said, quickly getting up and heading for the door. Just outside, she saw Evan Yang waiting, who teased, "You were really weak last night—just a little wine and you were out?"

"That's none of your business. Let's go," Hannah Nangong replied. Of course, she couldn't admit that last night she wasn't drunk, just dreaming happily thanks to the wine.

Seeing Hannah Nangong back to her usual self, Evan Yang could hardly imagine how she’d been the night before.

Evan remembered feeling bored around midnight, so he went out for some air. He heard someone mumbling nearby, went over out of curiosity, and saw her leaning against a stone pillar, about to fall, so he hurried over to catch her.

Then he heard her talking in her sleep—he still remembered those dream words. If he hadn’t seen her acting normal today, he’d have thought something was wrong with her.

Especially since, in her dream, she kept calling his name. Evan Yang even joked to himself that she couldn’t stop thinking about him, even while asleep—maybe she’d settle accounts with him later.

Thinking of the bold things Hannah Nangong had said to him back in the forest, Evan Yang still got goosebumps. Once this was over, he planned to get out fast—before she chopped him into mincemeat.

Hannah Nangong had no idea what Evan Yang was thinking, nor did she realize she’d talked in her sleep. She led the way up front, bringing Evan to the palace. Soon, they saw a crowd gathered. When everyone saw Evan following Hannah, they all shot suspicious, jealous, and even hostile looks their way.

"Is this really necessary? So many people!" Evan Yang was shocked by the crowd.

"What, scared?" Hannah Nangong teased.

"Yeah, a little. You must be pretty charming to draw such a crowd," Evan Yang laughed.

"Of course. You stay here, I'll go up to the second floor," Hannah Nangong told Evan, then went upstairs. She didn't want the Palace Master to know yet, in case he stopped things halfway through.

Evan walked over and realized that everyone here was a Celestial Immortal, and all from the Junior Sacred Palace. He wondered why the bridegroom selection was limited to the Junior Sacred Palace—wasn't that only for the Palace Master's youngest daughter?

(Irrelevant meta text skipped.)

But Evan quickly understood when a group approached. The leader laughed, "Kid, who are you? Why are you so close to her?"

"Me? I'm from the Misty Sacred Palace," Evan Yang replied with a smile.

"Of course I know you're from the Misty Sacred Palace. Isn't that obvious?" the man sneered, and the crowd burst out laughing.

"You know, so why ask? Isn't that just as pointless?" Evan Yang laughed.

"You! Kid, you've got a big mouth. Believe it or not, I'll cripple you outside!" the man threatened angrily.

"Outside? Who knows, maybe I'll be gone by then," Evan Yang shot back, refusing to back down.

"You! Damn it, if you've got guts, pick me later! I'm a fourth-tier Celestial Immortal!" the man said angrily.

"Fourth-tier Celestial Immortal? Impressive. But who I pick is my own business," Evan Yang replied, which naturally drew envy, jealousy, and hatred from the crowd—all directed at him.

Unfortunately, fighting was forbidden here, so everyone could only glare. But Evan was a bit worried—if he helped Hannah Nangong, he'd have to reveal his strength, since the lowest cultivation here was third-tier.

While everyone glared angrily, a voice came from upstairs—a cheerful man's voice. Hearing it, everyone knew the Palace Master had arrived, and the crowd quieted down.

The Palace Master appeared on the second floor, with Hannah Nangong behind him.

Evan Yang looked up as the Palace Master announced, "Everyone here is a talent from the Junior Sacred Palace. After discussing with my daughter, we've decided to start today. The rules will be handed out soon."

Everyone was delighted and waited eagerly as the guard began distributing the rules. Evan was surprised—the Palace Master said "my daughter," meaning Hannah Nangong was his daughter.

"You're the Palace Master's daughter?" Evan Yang sent a voice transmission.

"That's right." Hannah Nangong knew she couldn't hide it anymore, so she answered.

"You really kept it hidden well," Evan Yang said.

"I didn't mean to hide it. I was afraid if you knew, you wouldn't help me," Hannah Nangong said worriedly.

Evan was stunned for a moment, and realized she was right. If he'd known the Palace Master was picking, he wouldn't have gotten involved—after all, she was the daughter of the Misty Sacred Palace's first generation Palace Master. He really didn't want to die, wasn't here to die, but now there was no choice. Since he was here and had agreed, even if it meant death, he'd have to see it through.

But if dying were really that easy, he would've died countless times already.

Evan Yang, like everyone else, received the competition rules. He saw the rules were tailored for him: no one was qualified to challenge him because his cultivation was the lowest, but he could challenge anyone. The higher the tier, the more points—so if Evan challenged a third-tier, he'd get six points, much more than others. For a third-tier to get six points, they'd have to challenge a ninth-tier. But so far, there was no one as crazy as Evan here.

The rules were detailed—everyone had a number, which was linked to their cultivation tier.

The competition rules included elimination and combat.

Elimination meant if you felt you couldn't continue, you could withdraw—whether injured or just unwilling to risk it, you could drop out and give up the competition.

Combat meant continuing to compete until your battle chances ran out. Each person had twenty opportunities, and once those were gone, you were done—except for those who withdrew early.

To prevent cheating, contestants could only choose the tier, not the person, so bribery was avoided. Once you joined, unless someone was knocked out, you couldn't surrender.

Being knocked out meant being defeated—after that, you couldn't fight anymore, and your points were fixed.

There was a time limit for the whole process—five days.

After five days, any unused battle opportunities would be cleared.