Prince Zane Tuoba's cultivation is indeed powerful—Grace admits she couldn't last more than two moves against him.
But Evan Xiao always manages to turn danger into safety, even under Zane's relentless attacks.
During the contest, Evan's robe fluttered and his long hair flowed—calm as a maiden, swift as a rabbit. Every move radiated an intense masculine beauty.
Grace stared at him, completely forgetting he was in a contest—her mind wandered to later tonight, imagining herself pushing him onto the bed for some steamy fun.
It wasn't until another round of screams rang in her ears that Grace snapped back to reality.
She glanced around—the girls present were all screaming Evan Xiao's name.
He really is gorgeous. Sure, Zane Tuoba is handsome too, but compared to Evan, he just can't compete.
The Vermilion Kingdom has always been way more open-minded than the Blue Moon Kingdom.
Here, if a girl likes a guy, she'll just go confess her feelings—happens all the time...
Seeing all these noble girls go wild, Grace felt like she was surrounded by a horde of rivals waving at her...
Just then, Zane Tuoba's sword sliced open Evan Xiao's chest—well, his shirt anyway.
Evan stopped fighting and said to Emperor Henry Tuoba, "Your Majesty, I lost this round."
Henry Tuoba paused for a moment and said, "First round goes to Eighth Brother. Tomorrow morning, both of you report to the army for round two."
"Yes, Your Majesty," both men replied.
Zane Tuoba shot Evan a smug look, grinning from ear to ear.
Evan's face was expressionless as he turned and walked toward Emperor Henry Tuoba.
......
That night, Yan Capital was buzzing—everyone went home talking about it.
Including Minister Zhuo and Lena.
They left the palace first, waiting at the gate for Evan Xiao so they could head home together.
Lena grinned and said, "Prince Zane is a fourth-rank cultivator, while our Evan Xiao is only second-rank—and yet he nearly tied with him. Evan's strength is seriously impressive."
"Yeah," Minister Zhuo kept nodding. "I hope he wins tomorrow's match."
"Don't put too much pressure on him—even if he doesn't win, it's already amazing!" Lena said.
"Alright! When he comes out, let's not say anything about it..."
......
Inside the palace.
Evan Xiao asked Henry Tuoba, "Why do you want me to be Grand Marshal?"
Henry Tuoba gave a sly smile. "If you can be Grand Marshal of the Blue Moon Kingdom, you can definitely be Grand Marshal of the Vermilion Kingdom too!"
"So what do you really want? To overthrow the Eastern Luo Empire and become the ruler of the East Wilds?"
"No, no!" Henry Tuoba quickly waved his hands. "I just want the gods to bless me with a good night's sleep. As long as you're here, I'm not afraid of anything!"
Evan Xiao paused, then said, "I have two conditions."
"Say whatever you want! Not just two—twenty, two hundred! If I can do it, I'll agree to anything," Henry Tuoba replied.
Evan looked at him. "First, no matter how you do it, before the New Year, help me acquire the Frostbound Casket."
"The Frostbound Casket?" Henry Tuoba's eyes widened. "Isn't that the White family's imperial treasure?"
"Exactly!" Evan said. "There are some things I can't handle myself. You step in and get it for me."
"That... won't be easy..."
"Being Grand Marshal won't be easy for me either."
"Heh... Alright then! I'll give it my best shot."
"Second condition: grant me an Imperial Marriage Grant for Grace and me," Evan added.
Henry Tuoba's smile faded. He paused, then asked, "There's something I want to ask, but I'm not sure if I should."
"I know what you want to ask," Evan replied.