Evan Chu listened to Luna's words and could only grimace in disbelief. Such a daunting task seemed impossible.
Never mind her identity—just her strength alone was far beyond anything Evan Chu could touch right now.
To conquer her, he’d have to be even stronger than she was. With Evan’s current power, that was totally out of reach.
Jenny Sima was clearly much older than him, and for all he knew, she might already have a husband. Evan could never bring himself to steal someone else’s wife.
And who even knew if she was still pure? If she’d already been with someone, then even if he succeeded, it’d be pointless. Evan wasn’t too worried about that part, though—anyone the Sword Spirit picked was usually fine.
But the last thing—and the one that bothered Evan the most—was, if Jenny Sima really was willing to be with him, how would he ever explain it to Roxanne Lin?
Both sides were already engaged—Roxanne Lin was his fiancée. There was no way she’d agree to let another woman get close to her man.
The Lin Family would never allow it either. If things turned ugly between the two clans—plus the trouble he’d just stirred up with Harold Liu’s family—the consequences would be unimaginable.
Right now, Evan’s mind was a mess, but he had no choice but to face reality. "Luna, is there any other way?"
"There is a way, but I’m not sure you can handle the pain. If you can’t endure it, you might end up crippled."
"Is it really that serious? What exactly is the method? I think I can probably tough it out!" Evan Chu felt a chill in his heart—the price of becoming a cripple was something he absolutely couldn’t afford.
He still didn’t know what had happened to his mother, and there was no clue about the Iceflame Crystal. If he ended up crippled, all of it would come to nothing.
"My previous master had a heaven-defying martial art. If you can train it to the second revolution, maybe you can temporarily change your condition," the Sword Spirit said helplessly.
"A heaven-defying cultivation method? What grade is it?" Evan didn’t even care if he could train it—he just asked urgently.
"I was planning to tell you about this method after you broke through to the Earth Martial Realm, but things are special now. Maybe your constitution can handle it."
Evan’s excitement instantly faded. If the Sword Spirit was saying this, she must have her reasons. His realm was just too low—he could easily get seriously hurt.
But there was no time to hesitate now. Desperate times called for desperate measures—he couldn’t let himself become a target for everyone’s attacks.
"Just tell me! As long as it doesn’t threaten my life, I can endure any amount of pain!"
"Let’s wait until your matches are over. Maybe things will turn around. Your group’s up next—remember to conserve your strength!" the Sword Spirit warned.
Evan let out a long breath. "Forget it. Since I’m here, I’ll just face whatever comes. What’s meant to happen will happen, so why force myself?"
Soon, the first three groups finished their matches. None of the three winners were people Evan Chu recognized—they all stood smugly in a corner of the arena, waiting for the final showdown.
Evan really wanted to keep a low profile and hide his strength, but fate wouldn’t let him. The moment he stepped onto the platform, the crowd started buzzing.
"See that kid in white? That’s Evan Chu. I heard he used to be a total loser—never thought he’d show up for the tournament." someone in the crowd said.
"Who doesn’t know about that loser? But lately, he’s gotten stronger. I saw him kill one of Liam Liu’s followers on the street and scare Liam so bad he wet his pants!"
"You guys don’t know crap. He beat Wolf Liu not long ago—and Wolf’s a sixth-level Xuanwu Realm expert! You call him trash? I think you’re the real idiots here!"
"Kid, watch your mouth. If you don’t, I’ll kill you myself!"
"What’s your number? If we’re in the same group, dare to sign a Life-or-Death Pact up there?"
"Like I’d be scared of you…"
Standing on the arena, Evan glanced at the other nine contestants, sensing that something was off.
All nine of them were staring at him, eyes full of hostility. Looks like they all saw him as the strongest opponent—and were ready to gang up on him.
A one-against-nine fight—Evan had never imagined it before, but he wasn’t worried about these nine at all.
He knew a bit about the strong figures from the Five Great Families. To win, you had to know both yourself and your enemies.
The referee on the platform saw that everyone had arrived. Under the crowd’s expectant gaze, he announced, "The fourth group’s match officially begins!"
Most people held their breath, eyes wide, staring at the arena. With Evan Chu—once called trash, now a genius—up there, this match was bound to be spectacular.
Several gazes from the VIP viewing stand also focused on Evan. With all the rumors swirling about him lately, everyone wanted to see if he was really as strong as they said.
"Old Chu, is that your son?" Jenny Sima suddenly asked Dominic Chu beside her.
"Yes, that’s my son Evan Chu. Miss Sima, do you know him?" Dominic Chu replied sincerely—he definitely didn’t want to offend the City Lord’s daughter.
"No, but I’ve heard a lot about him lately. I’m just a bit curious, that’s all," Jenny Sima said softly, her gaze still fixed on Evan’s arena.
On the platform, the nine others didn’t attack each other—they quickly formed a circle, surrounding Evan.
It was obvious—they were planning to gang up on Evan, just as he’d expected.
"Damn it! You really think that highly of me? Today, I’ll show you all just how strong I am!" Evan cursed, frustrated.
With those words, Evan unleashed Lingbo Microstep, his body turning into a blur as he charged at one of the contestants.
In a situation like this, he had to strike first and break their encirclement to seize the initiative—otherwise, he’d just be a sitting duck.
Evan moved with incredible speed, unleashing Phantom Shadow Finger. Before the contestant could react, Evan’s attacks landed all over his body.
"Ah!" The contestant cried out in pain and collapsed onto the platform, his body instantly stained with blood. He struggled to get up but was powerless.
With just one exchange, Evan had injured his opponent so badly he couldn’t fight anymore. Evan’s terrifying strength filled the crowd with fear.
"Let’s all attack at once! I don’t believe he can withstand all eight of us!" shouted a youth in black on the platform.
Evan had hoped to defeat them one by one with his speed, but now it seemed impossible. At that moment, the youth who’d spoken was already swinging his longsword at Evan.