Evan Chu never dreamed that Roxanne Lin would appear on the tournament stage—but here she was, against all odds.
Roxanne Lin walked over slowly. "Evan, surprised? I can stand here too now."
Her voice was still as melodious as ever, and right now Evan wanted nothing more than to pull Roxanne into his arms and shower her with affection.
But he held himself back—if his Pure Yang Qi got out of control again, he’d embarrass himself in front of everyone.
Besides, this wasn’t the right place for that. Steadying his mind, he smiled and said, "I really am surprised. I can hardly believe my eyes—did your Vermilion Bird Mark awaken?"
Evan remembered that when he first met Roxanne, she was at most only second-level Xuanwu Realm.
Yet now she could stand on this stage, which meant she’d made rapid breakthroughs in just a few months—her speed was beyond anything Evan could have imagined.
He thought to himself, "So Luna really meant her surprise was Roxanne… She wasn’t kidding!"
Luna’s voice echoed in Evan’s mind, "See, Evan? Now you know I wasn’t lying. Once a Profound Yin Constitution receives Pure Yang Qi, the benefits are beyond your imagination.
Right now, she’s at least seventh-level Xuanwu Realm. Give her half a year and breaking into the Earth Martial Realm won’t be a problem."
Luna’s voice rang out in Evan’s mind, leaving him speechless with shock. He’d seen prodigies before, but never anyone as heaven-defying as Roxanne.
She’d actually broken through five whole levels—this kind of speed was something even big family disciples couldn’t match, and that’s assuming they had spirit medicine to help.
Roxanne noticed Evan spacing out. "Evan, what are you thinking about? The matches are about to start. I hope we don’t meet too soon—maybe only at the very end."
"Yeah, let’s hope so. But why are you still wearing a veil?" Evan snapped out of his shock and asked.
"I only want you to see my face. I don’t want anyone else to." Roxanne spoke so softly that even she could barely hear herself.
Evan was so moved he didn’t know what to say. Just then, Jenny Sima’s voice rang out, "Evan Chu, you sure are popular—chattering away as soon as you arrive. Hurry up and get ready to draw your lot."
On the stage, the other seven male contestants all glared at him, especially Wolf Liu from the Liu Family—the most dangerous one of the lot.
Evan didn’t even look at Wolf. He walked straight up to Jenny Sima, quickly drew a lot, and turned to leave.
There was no way he’d dare linger in front of Jenny Sima—she was dangerous, and could make him lose control at any moment.
Jenny Sima watched Evan turn and leave, feeling a faint sense of disappointment. That guy hadn’t looked her in the eye once since stepping on stage.
Was it because she’d injured him yesterday, or was it because his fiancée was now on stage?
Many people knew Roxanne Lin was Evan Chu’s fiancée, but very few had actually seen her true face—which was why so many still thought she was ugly.
After Evan drew his lot, the others followed suit. Soon, all ten numbers in Jenny Sima’s box were gone.
"Now that everyone’s drawn, check your numbers! We’re about to enter the most exciting moment of the triennial Family Tournament."
Evan glanced at his lot—number seven. Just as he was about to check Roxanne’s, she walked over and showed him with her fingers: number two.
Luna Chu came over too. "Evan, what number did you get?"—though really, she was asking for Roxanne.
If she had to face Evan in the first round, she honestly didn’t know how she’d handle it. That was her biggest worry.
But Evan wasn’t worried at all—since Roxanne was number two, there was no way they’d face off immediately.
"Number seven! Not bad, right? What about you, Luna? Don’t tell me you’re number three!" Evan joked.
"Heh, I’m not telling you! Suffer!" Luna said, spinning around and leaving.
"Luna’s shrunk again? She keeps changing size—seriously?" Evan called after her.
Luna froze for two seconds after hearing that, then finally walked away.
"Evan Chu, you’re such a jerk. One day, I’ll make you pay!" Luna fumed inwardly, her face dark with anger.
"What do you mean, changing size?" Roxanne asked, not understanding Evan’s joke.
"Uh, I’ll explain later! Roxanne, do your best! I hope we both get into Heavenly Dragon Academy." Evan said gently.
"You too!"
Below the stage, the crowd was growing more and more impatient for the tournament’s most exciting moment. Finally, Jenny Sima spoke up.
"You’ve all stood out from over a thousand clan juniors, proving your strength. Now that you’ve drawn your lots, I’ll announce the final match rules.
Number one fights number ten, number two fights number nine, number three fights number eight, number four fights number seven…
There will inevitably be injuries. If one side concedes, the other must not keep attacking—otherwise, they’ll be disqualified.
The winner moves on to the next round. There are five people left, but only four will actually fight—one lucky contestant advances automatically. Who will get that spot? Let’s wait and see.
Then comes the most crucial moment: the two winners and the direct-advance contestant will battle in a chaotic free-for-all. Whoever lasts the longest takes first place; the first to fall or surrender gets third.
Jenny Sima explained everything in detail—now everyone understood the rules. If you drew the automatic advancement lot, you were guaranteed a top-three finish.
As the crowd’s excitement soared, Jenny Sima smiled and glanced at Evan Chu before announcing, "The matches start now—number one versus number ten!"
(This chapter isn’t finished yet~ Please click next page for more excitement!)
Evan recognized the contestant with number one—Hugo Gongsun from the Gongsun Family, one of the Five Great Families. He rarely appeared in public and spent most of his time training, a true martial arts fanatic.
The contestant with number ten was unfamiliar, probably from a weaker family. But just making it here proved he was no pushover.
The arena was huge. Evan and the other non-fighters stood off to one side, able to watch the whole match unfold.
That way, they could study each move and tactic—an enormous advantage for themselves.
Hugo Gongsun and the unknown contestant started fighting. Hugo wielded a thick, heavy saber—a true brute weapon that matched his burly frame perfectly.
The other contestant used a folding fan, which looked surprisingly elegant when waved about.
It was Evan’s first time seeing someone use a folding fan as a weapon, so he watched even more closely out of curiosity.
Hugo’s heavy saber clashed against the fan again and again, ringing out with crisp metallic crashes and throwing sparks—he was hitting hard.
Neither of them used any real martial arts yet—clearly, they were holding back for the final rounds.
Or maybe they were waiting for a chance to land a decisive blow. Both fought conservatively, with none of the ferocity of a true battle.
"What the hell is this—one hit for one hit, how long are they going to drag this out? Is this a show or what? Damn it, quit wasting my time!"
Someone in the crowd blurted out, echoing what everyone else was thinking. The whole audience started jeering.
"Finish it fast! Use your martial arts, you idiot!"
"Hurry up, Young Master Gongsun—use your finishing move and get it over with!"
"Evan Chu’s matches are way better—these guys are boring as hell!"
All the jeering ramped up the pressure, and the fighters sped up their attacks.
Suddenly, Hugo Gongsun roared, "Blazing Flame Slash!"
Evan watched as Hugo’s saber burst into flames—a fire-red blade-qi thundered toward his opponent…