Pick one.
Evan Lin's voice echoed through the room, reverberating in everyone's heart.
"Damn, he's about to blow the roof off." A bespectacled guy in the crowd stared, dumbfounded, at Evan Lin stepping up again to force the showdown.
"Isn't this what they call pushing your luck?" someone muttered quietly, but the envy in their voice was impossible to hide.
He used to have zero background, but now he's got Allen Ju—Third Young Master Ju—leading the charge, plus a whole squad of heavy-hitters backing him up. Damn, his backing is sky-high!
The whole room erupted into chaos.
Even though Evan Lin's face stayed calm, not a hint of excitement showing, just one sentence from him set the whole room ablaze.
Allen Ju's original intent was to keep the peace and make sure Evan Lin stayed safe.
But seeing Evan Lin step up now, he was surprised—but he didn't back down for a second.
"You really think dragging Allen Ju into this means you can do whatever you want?" Mia Liao sneered coldly. "Too naive!"
Xu Xiaoyuan's expression kept shifting.
If you piss off one Ju family member, you might still have room to maneuver.
But if you piss off the Ju family and all the heirs standing behind Allen Ju...
Even Nightstar would have to think twice.
"That's too much."
Night Cold's face darkened, and Night Edge, who'd been watching from the sidelines, finally frowned, anger flickering across his face.
"This is between you and me; it has nothing to do with anyone backing me."
Evan Lin shook his head, not giving Allen Ju or the others a chance to speak.
He never planned to drag Allen Ju and the others into this, and couldn't be bothered with all those messy, tangled interests.
Evan Lin stretched out his hand, first pointing at Night Cold, then at Night Edge standing nearby.
"Since you're both from Nightstar, if I fight one, the other will definitely jump in too."
"That wastes too much time, so let's do it together."
"Both at once."
"One loses a hand, one loses a leg."
Evan Lin's voice was calm, but as soon as he spoke, the crowd—still basking in his sky-high backing—was instantly stunned.
One by one, they looked at Evan Lin, their feelings especially complicated.
Damn, with so much backing, he could easily settle things today. Why jump out and stir things up again?
He's just making trouble for himself!
Besides, the opponents are two Nightstar operatives!
"You think with Allen and the others backing you, you can make the Nightstar duo show mercy?" Mia Liao sneered. "Too naive!"
"I don't know what trick you used to fool Allen and his crew, but let me tell you: if you dare disrespect the Nightstar duo, you'll have to face their wrath!"
"No matter how this ends, I guarantee none of the families behind Allen will lift a finger for you!"
Mia Liao kept repeating herself, basically just trying to pull Allen Ju out of the mess.
Tyler Tai and the others nodded in agreement.
Allen Ju and his group didn't say anything more. Their word was good, no need to repeat it.
Xu Xiaoyuan's mood was a total mess by now.
She frowned, glancing back and forth between Night Cold, Night Edge, and Evan Lin.
Things were spinning out of her control.
"You little punks! Enough talk—let's teach you a lesson first!"
Night Cold snorted coldly, wasting no more words. He stomped the ground and charged straight at Evan Lin.
He moved like lightning, instantly appearing in front of Evan Lin. With one fist, bone-cracking force surged through him, pouring out like a raging tide, aiming to smash Evan Lin to the floor with a single blow.
Night Edge raised an eyebrow, but didn't plan to make a move yet.
Two-on-one—even if Evan Lin asked for it, Nightstar people really couldn't bring themselves to do that.
Otherwise, if word got out, they'd just become a laughingstock.
"So fast!"
"He's not dodging?"
"Dodge? No way! He's probably stunned—couldn't dodge even if he wanted to!"
A chorus of shocked voices rang out nearby.
Night Cold's punch was about to smash right into Evan Lin's face.
Just as the fist reached him, Evan Lin, who hadn't moved at all, suddenly lifted a leg sideways.
Right leg up—knee strike.
The knee landed right at Night Cold's chest.
It didn't look like there was much power behind it, no visible surge of force, but Night Cold—mid-punch and airborne—suddenly felt a jolt of panic.
A wave of intense danger hit him. Instinctively, he pulled back his fist, turned it into a palm, and shielded his heart.
The next second—
Evan Lin's knee crashed into Night Cold's guarding hand.
Silent. No sound at all.
The impact seemed completely effortless.
But in everyone's eyes, Night Cold—who had been charging at Evan Lin—was sent flying high into the air.
The scene was downright bizarre.
Most people were left dazed and confused.
No sound, but he really did send him flying.
It looked like Evan Lin just flicked a soccer ball with his knee.
That ball was Night Cold, flying up and smashing into the ceiling.
And that's Night Cold—from Nightstar!
Just like that, his attack got neutralized so easily?
Mia Liao and the others were all shocked.
Some of the experts in the crowd caught a few clues, their faces pale as if they'd seen a ghost.
"His protective qi was completely destroyed in that instant?"
Leon Lu coughed, face full of shock, muttering to himself.
When the people nearby stared at him in confusion, he finally explained.
"That guy Night Cold is at least fourth-grade Vajra—he always has a layer of protective qi around him."
"That move from Evan Lin just now was silent not because there was no sound, but because all the noise got swallowed inside Night Cold's body!"
Leon Lu finished, but before anyone could really grasp what he meant—
Standing far away, Night Edge—who had already figured it out and was on high alert—suddenly snapped to attention.
His face darkened, his whole demeanor turned deadly serious. He pulled Xu Xiaoyuan completely behind him and stared grimly at Evan Lin.
"I crippled his hand."
Evan Lin said calmly.
His words made everyone freeze—instinctively, they all looked up at the ceiling.
Night Cold hadn't come down since he got smashed into the ceiling.
He was embedded up there, coughing blood, face pale and miserable.
The hand he'd used to guard his chest dangled limply—clearly broken.
One touch, and his hand was broken.
That knee strike, so ordinary in the moment—
—had broken the hand of Night Cold, a Nightstar member!
Victory and defeat in a single exchange?
With strength like that, how could he fail Nightstar's test?
Just as doubt rose in everyone's hearts—
The next second—
Everyone felt their vision blur for a split second.
Suddenly, Evan Lin was already right in front of Night Edge!
"Next up—your leg."