Selena knew Evan Chu was just joking around, but hearing him say those things in front of everyone still left her unable to accept it for a moment.
"Alright, I'm just messing around. Don't get mad, Auction Master. Once we head to the Royal Capital, we might never meet again. Don't you have anything good you could give me?" Evan Chu shamelessly asked.
"Nope. And even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you. Lynn isn't going with you either—I'm not letting her escort you just to get chased down by those people." Selena shot Evan a glance as she spoke.
"Seriously?! Doesn't that mean I'm doomed? Auction Master, you really are ruthless! Gavin, let's go! Worst case, we'll fight those people head-on—even if we die, we'll die with dignity!" Evan immediately declared, putting on a very angry face.
Gavin Wei didn't quite get what Evan meant, but since Evan said to go, he didn't hesitate—he immediately got up, ready to head out the door.
"Get back here!" Selena called out right away, then looked at Evan and said, "Don't try to act in front of me. I've seen all your little tricks before. Be careful when you go to the capital. Lynn can only escort you as far as the Royal Capital before she has to return. You know I have to go back myself—Valorcrest Auctions still needs to be run."
"Haha! I knew you were joking. How could you possibly send me to my death? My life is worth a fortune, you know!" Evan laughed instantly.
Gavin Wei was still a bit confused. He asked, "Evan, are we going or not?"
"Of course we're going! But let's find a place to spend the night first. It's chaos outside—if we go out now, we'll definitely get chased down. There are plenty of rooms here, so go pick one to stay in." Evan said.
"Evan, aren't you staying with me?" Gavin asked, puzzled.
"I've got a place for you—just get settled," Evan Chu said with a grin. Then he turned to Selena: "That room with the special fragrance—it's aired out by now, right?"
Selena instantly caught his meaning. "You actually want to spend the night there again?"
"That's right. I liked it—I'm beat today, so I'm heading out early." Evan said, and without waiting for a reply, he slipped away.
"Get back here!" Selena shouted after him, but Evan ignored her completely and headed straight for that unforgettable room.
Once Evan was back in the room, he shut the door behind him. He hadn't even looked over his auction haul yet, and the anticipation was killing him.
He pulled the Cloud-Dream Fruit out of his storage ring and asked Luna, the Sword Spirit, "Sister Luna, how do I eat this Cloud-Dream Fruit?"
The Cloud-Dream Fruit looked a bit like a peach, though much smaller, and its surface pulsed with a clear wave of energy. Evan figured this must be the so-called 'stellar force' the old man from Lyric Hall Auctions had mentioned.
"First, circulate the Chaos Qi in your body for one great cycle, then eat it. After that, run three more cycles. Judging by your current condition, you might even break through to the sixth layer of the Earth Martial Realm," Luna instructed.
"Seriously?" Evan's heart leapt. If he could break through to the sixth layer, he'd have enough strength to go toe-to-toe with ninth-layer Earth Martial experts. That would give him a real shot at survival.
"Don't underestimate the Cloud-Dream Fruit. Its grade is actually two levels higher than Soul Snow Grass. Take out your Soul Snow Grass—I need to replenish my soul power too," Luna said.
After Evan took out the Soul Snow Grass, it vanished instantly. He knew Luna had claimed it, and as for how she did it, he didn’t bother to ask—he was well aware of the Sword Spirit’s mysterious ways.
He immediately followed Luna’s instructions, circulating Chaos Qi through his body for a full cycle without even realizing it.
Evan took the Cloud-Dream Fruit from its box and bit into it. A sweet-and-sour flavor filled his mouth, and within a few breaths, he finished the fruit completely.
He began circulating stellar force again, feeling a faint warmth rise in his dantian and flow through his meridians. The heat gradually grew stronger—clearly the medicinal effect of the Cloud-Dream Fruit.
After three full cycles, Evan felt completely refreshed. The Chaos Qi in his Earth Star Pellet had thickened noticeably, and his whole body brimmed with power.
Evan grinned. “Didn’t expect a breakthrough, but why wasn’t there any dramatic sign?”
“Heh, you’re not like other people, so your breakthroughs show up differently. Sometimes you might break through and not even realize what realm you’re in.” Luna chimed in.
“I know. You think I haven’t noticed? Every time I break through, the dragon shadow on my Earth Star Pellet gets clearer. I’ve tested it several times already,” Evan replied.
“That’s right. It’s the most obvious sign. When you reach the Heaven Martial Realm and absorb the power from the Dragon Scale, your Earth Star Pellet will transform into a brand-new Heaven Star Pellet. That’ll be a whole new experience—just wait and see!” Luna said.
Evan knew that gaining strength wasn’t something that happened overnight. It took both opportunity and hard work—there was no shortcut.
Looking out the window, Evan saw the sky was pitch black. Absorbing the Cloud-Dream Fruit had taken so long that he felt a bit helpless.
He took out the high-grade Earth-tier martial art manual, Demon-Breaking Fist, and slowly opened it, carefully studying the contents. Before he knew it, he was completely absorbed.
Every word and sentence was profound, yet Evan found them strangely familiar. Reading through once, he understood the meaning, and vivid images of practicing the moves began to play out in his mind.
Each move was crystal clear. It was a bizarre feeling, as if he’d known this martial art before and had only forgotten it, now remembering everything upon seeing it again.
He quickly flipped through the Demon-Breaking Fist manual, practicing mentally as he read. When he reached the last two pages, a stabbing pain shot through his mind and the inner demonstration vanished.
The strange feeling disappeared as well. Evan was startled, but calmed himself, and the pain faded from his mind.
What’s going on? Why does it feel like I already know this technique? Am I some kind of genius? Mastering an Earth-tier martial art without a teacher—people would think I’m making it up! Evan thought in shock.
“Maybe it’s got something to do with your reincarnation. Don’t forget, you used to be the Lord of Frostbane. You probably practiced this kind of martial art in your youth, and some fragment of that memory survived in your soul.” Luna explained.
“But since this is only an Earth-tier technique, your old self probably just practiced it casually, so the latter part didn’t stick,” Luna added.
Evan figured that was probably the case. Otherwise, he wouldn’t feel so familiar with it. He had no actual memories of being the Lord of Frostbane—just like Elder Heavenape said, those memories were still sealed. When he finally unlocked them, everything from his past life would become clear.
Maybe this technique was something he’d practiced before, which was why it surfaced in his subconscious now.
Delighted, Evan tried to review the Demon-Breaking Fist again, but found the mental images were gone. Still, he vaguely knew how to perform the moves.
Demon-Breaking Fist had seven forms in total. Evan remembered that after finishing the fifth, the stabbing pain had hit. He’d basically grasped the first five, but the last two would have to be figured out through practice.
What he needed now was to fully internalize those first five forms and get used to them. If people found out he’d learned five forms of a top-grade Earth-tier martial art just by reading it once, they’d think he was lying through his teeth.
The room was too cramped to practice, and Evan wasn’t sure how powerful the technique really was. If he broke anything, Selena would definitely come after him for compensation.
By the time Evan put the Demon-Breaking Fist manual back into his storage ring, dawn had already broken—and just then, Lynn’s voice sounded from outside…