When it came to Evan Chu, the crowd was burning with curiosity. How could anyone survive in a battlefield packed with God-King Realm powerhouses? If you asked them, it was all luck—nothing but luck. But Evan’s reputation for surviving against impossible odds had everyone whispering—was it truly luck, or something more?
Vice Sect Master Shangguan chuckled with a hint of mockery, "Fifty Immortal Tokens is the bare minimum to advance. Who knows how many you’ve got, Evan Chu? No one’s shown their tokens yet. Don’t let all these hopeful eyes down, eh?"
Evan shrugged, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Honestly, I haven’t even counted my tokens. Maybe I made the cut, maybe I didn’t. Anyway, it’s not like I’ll be first up to show mine, right? Wouldn’t want to steal the spotlight so soon."
Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil stepped forward, her gaze lingering on Evan’s legendary figure. She smiled warmly, but her words carried a challenge: "I know you won’t let me down. Let’s do this—anyone with fifty Immortal Tokens, step out first and show your haul. The rest, wait your turn. Let’s see who truly stands out today."
Her suggestion was basically just for show—everyone knew only three people had used the blood-lead method, which meant only three should have fifty tokens. Of course, maybe there was a dark horse like Evan lurking, but that was as rare as phoenix feathers. For Western readers: the blood-lead method was the only way out, so only those three could possibly have the quota.
Sure enough, only three contestants stepped forward. Evan stayed put—he’d already said he hadn’t counted, and if he stood up and came up short, he’d be slapping his own face in front of everyone. No way was he about to risk public humiliation.
The first youth strode up to Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil and Vice Sect Master Shangguan. "In the Origin Worldstone, I managed to snag fifty-three Immortal Tokens. Please, take a look." He tipped his storage ring, and tokens spilled out in a noisy cascade, clattering across the floor.
Vice Sect Master Shangguan nodded, a competitive glint in his eyes. "Not bad—you’ve got fifty-three tokens, you’re through. Let’s see who else can match that."
The second contestant strode up and dumped fifty-seven tokens—an impressive haul that drew a ripple of admiration from the crowd.
The third had exactly fifty—he must’ve stopped there to avoid risking it all for more, choosing survival over greed. Smart move.
Once those three had shown their tokens, Vice Sect Master Shangguan swept his gaze over the crowd: "Three have met the quota so far. Is there anyone else with fifty Immortal Tokens? If so, step forward now—miss this chance, and you’ll regret it for a lifetime!" Instantly, murmurs and heated glances rippled through the arena.
As soon as Shangguan finished, another youth stepped out, his voice ringing with pride: "I’ve got fifty tokens too. I fell into a ravine and was badly injured, so I couldn’t use the blood-lead method." He poured out his tokens—fifty-one in total. The crowd cheered at his perseverance.
Right now, Lena Zhong and Zoe Rainveil were the most anxious. Lena secretly hoped Evan Chu didn’t have fifty tokens—if he failed, he’d lose his shot at becoming Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil’s son-in-law. Zoe, on the other hand, was praying Evan did have enough; if he made it, she could choose him in the next round. Their hopes clashed in the air, both girls glued to Evan’s every move.
The two girls couldn’t have more different mindsets, but both had their eyes glued to Evan. Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil finally spoke, her voice carrying across the crowd: "Evan, what about your tokens? I think everyone’s dying to see how many you’ve got. No matter the number, clear up the suspense for us all."
Evan grinned, confidence radiating from him. "I won’t let anyone down—all my tokens are right here!" He dumped them out of his storage ring, and after a quick count, there were over seventy—more than anyone else. The crowd gasped, excitement surging through the arena.
Zoe, Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil, and even Blue-Shade God-Venerable were thrilled. Evan’s odds of becoming Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil’s son-in-law just skyrocketed—if he cleared the next round, it was practically a done deal. Their eyes sparkled with hope.
Everyone else—including Vice Sect Master Shangguan—was left slack-jawed. Nobody in their wildest dreams expected this: a supposed God-Lord snatching tokens from God-Kings was basically a death sentence, but Evan not only survived—he got the most. Even scarier, he’d broken through two realms. It was nothing short of a miracle, and the crowd couldn’t help but erupt in shocked whispers and awe.
Evan raised his voice above the crowd, "I said I had fifty tokens, right? I get why everyone’s confused. Honestly, I didn’t go around robbing people—most of the tokens were delivered right to me. Turns out, being underestimated has its perks."
The Origin Worldstone’s inner space is massive, and there weren’t that many people inside. Everyone thought I was weak, the easiest target, so they kept coming for me. They fought each other over this ‘soft persimmon,’ and I just sat back and reaped the rewards. Sometimes, being the underdog means you get to play the fisherman.
After a few rounds like that, my token pile just kept growing—way more than I ever expected. Guess I’m just lucky, huh?" Evan announced loudly, his pride unmistakable. The crowd couldn’t help but murmur in admiration and disbelief.
In an instant, the arena erupted into noisy debate. Some shouted that Evan was just Heaven-blessed, while others swore he was hiding monstrous strength. But with him only just breaking into the God-King Realm, nobody could really refute the miracle they’d just witnessed.
Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil nodded, her eyes shining. "Excellent! You managed to survive the brutal competition with the weakest cultivation and ended up with the most tokens. Honestly, I’m shocked and impressed. You’re fully qualified—advance to the next round!" The crowd roared in approval.
The next stage was all about solo duels. First up: the God-Lord Realm contestants who had at least fifty tokens. There were six of them, and the rules were simple—pick your opponent, winner stays on the platform, loser gets eliminated. The tension was electric; every eye was glued to the stage.
The God-Lord bracket split into three groups, so three would advance. The God-King bracket was trickier—only five contestants made the cut, so the winner of the first match had to fight again against the one who got a bye. That meant the top seed had to battle twice—a tough break, but nobody dared complain.
Still, everyone brimmed with confidence. Evan was sure to be picked first, and the last guy standing was obviously the strongest—whoever challenged him was signing up for a beating. The rivalry was palpable.
The God-Lord duels were fierce. Powerful energy waves erupted across the arena, and sometimes energy storms would lash the audience, forcing the crowd to back away from the platform. The air crackled with danger and excitement.
After three intense matches—lasting nearly an hour—three battered but victorious God-Lords remained. They were pumped; surviving this bloodbath meant they had a real shot at becoming Rainbow Court Mistress Rainveil’s son-in-law, with a future full of promise. The crowd cheered wildly for their fighting spirit.
But the real spotlight was on the God-King duels. No surprise—Evan was picked for the very first round, since everyone figured he’d be the easiest to crush. The audience leaned forward, hungry for an upset.
His challenger was a late-stage God-King, brimming with confidence. Evan glanced at him and laughed, voice ringing with disdain: "Man, you really are clueless. Even if you beat me, you’ve got another fight coming up. You sure you can handle the next guy, or are you just hoping for a miracle?"
The youth realized Evan had a point—he’d gone for the ‘weakest’ target and forgotten about the even tougher opponents waiting in the wings. But it was too late to back out, so he just snapped, "You talk too much, punk. Mind your own business!" The crowd jeered and laughed, sensing the tension.
With that, he drew his longsword and lunged at Evan. The stage erupted in a fresh, high-stakes battle—the kind that could flip the whole tournament on its head...