Frostbane Sect has changed so much that it almost feels unfamiliar to Evan Chu now. Even from a distance, he could hear the sounds of combat and the cheers rising from the crowd inside.
"Young Master, we're about to see the martial tournament! I'm so excited!" said Zhou Dalong.
"What's there to be excited about? The real excitement is still ahead," Evan said calmly. If people found out the Frostbane Sect Master had returned in person, that would probably be the most shocking thing of all.
Soon, the four of them followed the crowd to the tournament venue. This time, the martial tournament was being held on Frostbane Sect's massive training field, which was packed with over ten thousand people—a true sea of humanity.
Viewing platforms had been constructed around the arena, tiered like steps so spectators could see the matches clearly. There was even a VIP dais, where the Divine Continent's most influential figures were seated.
Right at the center of the viewing platforms was the tournament stage, a ring several hundred meters across. Clearly, Frostbane Sect had put a lot of effort into this martial tournament.
Evan and his group ended up at the very back of the stands, since the front seats were already taken. Even though they were far away, they could still see everything clearly.
At that moment, a young man and a young woman were fighting on the stage, both at roughly Third-Layer Saint Martial Realm. Their intense battle drew bursts of applause from the crowd.
Evan frowned slightly. When did so many Saint Martial Realm experts appear? Back when he obtained the Netherghost Violet Orchid, it had been insanely difficult. This puzzled him.
Glancing at the VIP dais, Evan recognized quite a few people—some of them extremely familiar: Claire Ouyang, Serena Dream, Selena Yale, Rina Dream, Jenny Sima, Lynne Nie, Rhea Yang, Lily Tang, Joan He, as well as the Sacred Sword Sect Master, the Bloodfiend Hall Master, and the Freewind Palace Lord—all were present.
Evan's biggest worry was that the women he'd left behind would look different after all these years—over a century had passed, after all. But seeing them now, he was deeply relieved. They had changed, yes, but not in the way that age dulls beauty.
They had all become more mature. Selena Yale and Serena Dream now had the grace of beautiful married women—which made Evan feel a bit bittersweet. Still, with Gavin Wei's pills, they could regain their youthful looks, and that balanced things out in his heart.
The matches raged on, but Evan's gaze stayed fixed on the women. He knew that being apart from them for so long must have been hard, and they had surely suffered through loneliness and longing.
This time, the referee was Sean Xiao. Evan glanced at him and saw that his cultivation had broken through to Seventh-Layer Venerable Martial Realm—a rapid improvement.
"This time, the Divine Continent's martial tournament has already selected the top twenty outstanding disciples: five from Frostbane Sect, three from Sacred Sword Sect, two from Bloodfiend Hall, two from Highborne Palace, two from Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, one from the Hidden-World Wang Family, one from the Hidden-World Sun Family..." Sean Xiao announced the results.
Instantly, the entire tournament venue erupted in enthusiastic cheers. Everyone stared at Sean Xiao on the stage, because next would be the battle for the top ten.
The rewards for this tournament were incredibly rich. Disciples who placed tenth through seventh would receive one Netherghost Violet Orchid and twenty supreme-grade Starstones each; those who placed sixth through fourth would get two Netherghost Violet Orchids and fifty supreme-grade Starstones.
Third place would get three Netherghost Violet Orchids and one hundred supreme-grade Starstones; second place would receive five Netherghost Violet Orchids and one Immortal Crystal. As for first place, the rewards were the most lavish: ten Netherghost Violet Orchids, three Star Crystals, and a heaven-rank martial technique.
Just these prizes alone made countless people drool with envy. Every martial artist knew how precious Netherghost Violet Orchids were. The ones being given out now were all originally brought back from the Netherworld by Evan Chu, and there weren’t many left.
To break through to the Saint Martial Realm, you had to have a Netherghost Violet Orchid. Once you got one, your sect's top talents could advance a whole realm.
"Now, all twenty outstanding disciples of the Divine Continent, please come up to the stage. This is the final elimination round—show your strongest attacks, or you'll miss your chance to advance!"
"Here are twenty jade tokens, each with a name on it. Whoever's name you draw is your opponent—beat them and you advance. The order doesn't matter; whoever steps up first, fights first," Sean Xiao explained.
Evan stared intently at the twenty competitors on stage. Soon, he spotted his own son Ethan Chu and his daughter Lynn Chu. Right now, Ethan Chu looked even more handsome than Evan had back in the day, and his strength had reached Eighth-Layer Saint Martial Realm.
Seeing that level of strength, Evan felt gratified. As for Lynn Chu, she looked exactly like her mother Selena—an absolute beauty, now fully grown and devastatingly alluring. Her figure and features were flawless, making her the heartbreaker of countless young men. But her cultivation shocked Evan even more.
She had actually reached Ninth-Layer Saint Martial Realm. Clearly, she'd endured plenty over the years. Right now, her face was lit up with a confident smile.
Soon, all twenty had drawn their jade tokens and checked the names of their opponents. Their expressions ranged from happy to disappointed to indifferent.
"Now that you all have your tokens, Frostbane Sect—as host of this tournament—will go first!" Sean Xiao announced.
Ten people stepped forward—five from Frostbane Sect and others from various sects and Hidden-World clans. "First match: Ethan Chu. Next up: Lynn Chu. Frostbane's disciples were lucky not to draw fellow sect members, so the final battles will be even more intense," Sean Xiao said.
Ethan Chu's opponent was a Bloodfiend Hall disciple at around Fourth-Layer Saint Martial Realm. Seeing he'd drawn the monstrously strong Ethan Chu, the disciple immediately forfeited—there was no point in getting beaten up. A Fourth-Layer against an Eighth-Layer was just asking for humiliation.
Ethan Chu advanced without a fight. Selena Yale, watching from the stands, was all smiles—her son's easy advancement made her proud.
Next up was Lynn Chu, facing a disciple from a reclusive sect. This opponent didn't surrender, but fought Lynn head-on. After less than three minutes of fierce combat, Lynn blasted him off the stage—against Ninth-Layer Saint Martial Realm, he never stood a chance.
Selena watched her daughter's victory with deep happiness. She raised her head, gazed softly at the sky, and murmured, "Lin Feng, our daughter is now one of the Divine Continent's strongest. Do you know?"
Her voice was so quiet that even Rina Dream beside her didn't hear, but Evan caught every word. Helplessly, he thought to himself, "I've seen it all. For the sake of surprising you, I still can't reveal that I've already returned."