Harold Liu, seeing the state of his son's injuries, instantly flew into a rage. With a thunderous wave of his hand, he charged at Evan Chu with overwhelming force.
A trace of helplessness flashed across Evan Chu’s face—Harold Liu’s strength was on par with his own father’s.
Both were ninth-level Xuanwu Realm cultivators. If Harold’s attack landed, survival would be unlikely—a sense of powerlessness welled up inside him.
Dominic Chu was still some distance away; even if he wanted to save Evan, he wouldn’t make it in time.
Right now, Evan could only take Harold’s tyrannical strike head-on. As long as he could endure it, Dominic would arrive and he’d be safe.
But with Harold Liu at ninth-level Xuanwu Realm, taking such an attack was easier said than done. Evan’s mind raced, and he quickly came up with an idea.
The final movement form of the Windchaser Sword Codex—Shifting Position—was unparalleled in speed. Right now, the only option was to dodge.
Although this move consumed a tremendous amount of stellar force, Evan couldn’t afford to worry about that right now.
Stellar force could be recovered later, but if he lost his life, it would all be meaningless. Evan’s foot slid, and Shifting Position was unleashed in an instant.
A fading afterimage appeared five meters away, just as Harold Liu’s tyrannical attack landed exactly where Evan had been standing.
Evan Chu moved so fast that most onlookers thought Harold Liu’s attack had already struck him. Faces filled with worry and shock appeared all around.
“Evan!” Dominic Chu was the most anxious of all. Seeing Harold Liu go all out against his son, he rushed over at once.
At that moment, Harold Liu himself was deeply shocked—he had just unleashed Blazing Sun Palm, a lower-grade Profound-tier martial art.
There was no need to use such a technique against a junior like Evan Chu, but seeing his own son’s injuries, Harold had attacked in a fit of rage.
Yet to his shock, he’d struck nothing but an afterimage. That was nothing short of humiliating.
Harold couldn’t help but feel a greedy desire for Evan Chu’s astonishing footwork.
He knew Dominic Chu well—after years of dealings in Flowing Cloud City, he was familiar with every martial art Dominic possessed.
But this footwork Evan Chu had just displayed was something Dominic had never used before. It must be a new technique—and a high-grade one at that. At the very least, it was upper-grade Yellow-tier.
Evan Chu steadied himself, eyes blazing with fury. Blood at the corner of his mouth showed he was already injured.
Though Shifting Position was fast, Harold Liu’s stellar force was simply too powerful—the residual force still left Evan wounded.
Evan’s face was pale, utterly expressionless. "Harold Liu, you call yourself a clan head? Bullying a junior—what kind of skill is that?"
Harold Liu felt deeply disgraced—he, a ninth-level Xuanwu Realm master, couldn’t finish off a so-called ‘waste’ junior.
At that moment, Dominic Chu rushed to Evan’s side. "Evan, how are your injuries?" His eyes were filled with concern.
Evan managed a bitter smile. "Dad, I’m fine. That old dog’s skills aren’t enough to take me down. But he broke the terms of the duel and attacked me—there’s no way I can swallow this humiliation."
"If you can’t swallow it, I can’t either!" Dominic Chu only relaxed after confirming Evan was alright.
"Harold Liu, you really are despicable. Come on, let’s see if you’ve spent all these years eating filth—do you not even know what shame is?" Dominic showed no mercy with his words.
He then turned to Evan: "Evan, step back. Leave this to me. I want to see how the Liu patriarch explains himself!"
The crowd around the training ground began to buzz with discussion. One person looked particularly ashamed, unable to meet Evan Chu’s gaze.
That person was Ryan Chu. He remembered every insult he’d ever thrown at Evan, boasting about his own second-level Xuanwu Realm strength.
He’d called Evan a waste, but now realized the real waste was himself. This invisible slap in the face hurt more than any physical blow—a pain that cut to the heart, far beyond flesh and bone.
Luna Chu’s heart was in turmoil—at that moment, she truly realized how terrifying Evan Chu was.
He’d been hiding his true strength all along. She’d thought it was just luck when he entered the library’s second floor, but now she knew he really had that ability.
Since he reached the second floor, he must have obtained a martial art—and the movement technique he showed today surely came from there. Luna couldn’t help but yearn even more to enter the library’s second floor.
Harold Liu’s face burned with embarrassment at Dominic Chu’s insults, but he forced himself to respond, his expression darkening:
"Do whatever you want—I’m not afraid of you!"
Two ninth-level Xuanwu Realm masters were about to clash—their destructive power would far surpass that of Evan Chu and Liu Lang.
Just then, a middle-aged man from the Liu clan approached Harold Liu and whispered something in his ear.
Evan Chu recognized the man—he was the same strategist who’d spoken with Harold earlier.
Harold Liu’s expression kept shifting—clearly, this advisor was no ordinary figure; he could even sway Harold’s decisions.
"Dominic Chu, your son killed my clansman and injured my son. Even if it was a duel, he went too far. For the sake of the Lin family’s reputation, let’s put this matter to rest. Don’t think I’m afraid of the Chu clan." Harold’s words were full of resignation.
It turned out Harold was worried about the Lin family. With the Lin and Chu clans now joined by marriage, they’d formed a powerful alliance—one the Liu clan couldn’t hope to match.
With today’s events so public, and Lin family scouts present from the start, word would surely reach the Lin clan. If the two families joined forces, the Liu clan could face annihilation.
After much thought, Harold chose to back down—for the sake of his clan, he had no other choice.
Seeing Harold Liu yield, Dominic Chu decided not to press further. After all, the Chu clan was surrounded by enemies, and their alliance with the Lin family was a last resort.
If the Liu clan was truly pushed to desperation, it was uncertain whether the Lin family would actually help.
"I won’t see you out."
Liu Lang’s face had regained some color. He looked at Evan Chu in the distance and declared, "Evan Chu, the clan test is coming soon. On the arena, it’ll be a fight to the death between us!"
"Anytime! But you’d better heal up first—I don’t take advantage of the weak." Evan replied with a faint smile, clearly unconcerned about Liu Lang after their previous match.
The farce ended with clan interests taking priority. Evan Chu’s status in the Chu clan soared to its peak.
Those who once looked down on him had changed their minds. With a talent like his, currying favor was now the wisest choice.
"Evan, come walk with me," Dominic Chu’s voice rang out...