Evan Yang had no idea that the Shadow Soul Sect was so fixated on him. At this moment, he was simply curious as he watched the Blue Robe Sect’s small group sitting there, treated as equals among much stronger powers—it looked oddly out of place.
Meanwhile, the three hosts finally finished their speeches, and the competition officially began.
Evan paid no attention to these trivial early matches, staying put and uninterested.
Chase Chu sat quietly beside him. Evan didn’t disturb him, but secretly thought, "This kid finally managed to calm down."
Chase, unaware that Evan was right beside him, just wanted to master the techniques Evan had taught him—he didn’t want to let Evan lose face.
Though he’d only been Evan’s disciple for a few days, Chase already placed Evan’s status extremely high—even higher than his own father, Victor Chu.
The matches progressed through the daylight hours. Early winners were already decided, and each was added to an ‘excellent’ list.
More importantly, those who performed exceptionally well were immediately approached by sects and clans, asked if they wished to join.
Naturally, many were recruited early, while others who lacked the strength failed and had to withdraw.
But the funniest thing was, when those ancient sects and clans stepped forward to invite winners, the Blue Robe Sect tried as well—only to be completely ignored.
Shen Lang cursed inwardly, "Martial Uncle, oh Martial Uncle, everyone else has high status and tempting rewards—how am I supposed to convince anyone?"
So all the winners ended up joining other sects or clans—not a single one entered the Blue Robe Sect. Even those who didn’t take first place but had near‑top strength were recruited by others.
"Interesting," Evan chuckled, feeling that the Blue Robe Sect’s manager was really screwing over his juniors—leaving disciples to handle recruitment? No wonder nobody wanted to join.
Soon, a day later, the Earth‑Immortal fifth‑tier bracket began. Chase Chu and four others stepped onto the stage.
Each of the five contestants had to fight four matches—one against each opponent. Whoever won the most matches would take first place, and ties were allowed.
So it was normal for a stage to have multiple first places.
After the Shadow Soul Sect learned that Chase Chu was Evan’s disciple, they paid special attention to him. So when Chase stepped onto the stage, both the Li Family and Shadow Soul Sect watched him closely.
Chase relied on Evan’s movement art, naturally drawing a lot of attention.
Even Evan was shocked by the reaction—some people actually recognized the footwork. It was members of those ancient sects and clans, surprised and saying, "How did this movement art end up on that kid?"
"Looks like this is turning into a big deal," Evan thought. He hadn’t expected this outcome, nor that some ancient powers could recognize the movement art.
Sure enough, after that reminder, many people focused their attention on Chase Chu. Because Chase’s speed wasn’t as fast or as polished as Evan’s, it was easy for him to stand out.
Evan hadn’t expected anyone in the Immortal Realm to recognize the movement art. When Chase finished and took first place, Evan was happy—but even bigger trouble was waiting.
At that point, the whole arena became lively. Many people crowded around the Clark Family, hoping to recruit Chase Chu into their sect or clan. It was obvious to everyone—they were after his movement art.
So Evan sighed inwardly, "Looks like none of these sects or clans are worth joining."
The Blue Robe Sect’s group was in trouble—the crowd surrounded Chase, and they couldn’t even get close. Plus, those were all seniors; how could juniors dare to ‘fight’ them for a disciple?
Not only was the Clark Family surprised, the Li Family and Shadow Soul Sect were also taken aback.
"How did it end up like this?" Patriarch Li hadn’t expected things to blow up so much.
"Looks like this is serious—a lot of sects and clans recognize his technique," said the white‑robed envoy, frowning.
"The Clark Family, really!" Patriarch Li realized something alarming: if Chase joined any major force, it would be bad for them, and they could forget about capturing him later.
The Shadow Soul Sect thought the same, but they still shamelessly sent someone over to invite Chase Chu along with the others.
Suddenly faced with so many invitations, Chase Chu didn’t know how to choose. Evan secretly sound-transmitted, "Don’t pick any of them—just refuse."
Chase was stunned, not understanding Evan’s meaning. He asked, "Senior Wood, why is that?"
"Your master told me to let you know—none of these are good choices. Just refuse and say you’ll think it over," Evan transmitted.
Seeing everyone talking at once, Victor Chu was amused, not knowing which to pick. But Chase suddenly spoke up, "Honored seniors, I’d like to think it over and reply after the event."
Hearing Chase’s answer, most people were sensible. Everyone needs time to consider before making such a big decision, so they agreed to wait for his reply after the event.
Still, some refused to leave and kept trying to persuade him, but Chase managed to send them away.
The three hosts saw the chaos and came out again to restore order, temporarily putting a stop to everyone’s plans.
So after the commotion, things quieted down again.
"Which group do you like? Why didn’t you choose earlier?" Victor Chu asked curiously once everyone returned to their seats.
"Dad, Senior Wood told me to do it this way," Chase replied awkwardly.
Victor Chu knew who he meant—it was Evan. Evan also sound-transmitted to Victor, "Those sects and clans from earlier aren’t acting out of goodwill. I think it’s best not to join any of them."
"But if we don’t send him somewhere, Chase will lose his chance, giving the Li Family an opening," Victor Chu said worriedly.
Evan thought for a moment, scanned the crowd, and finally fixed his gaze on the bewildered Blue Robe Sect group.
"Got it. Patriarch Chu, have Chase join the Blue Robe Sect," Evan said.
"Blue Robe Sect? Those guys?" Victor Chu looked at the Blue Robe Sect disciples.
"Yes, that’s right. Their sword arts are good—Chase can learn from them and also get some protection," Evan replied.
"Why choose Blue Robe Sect?" Victor Chu asked, confused.
"No reason. If you trust me, just let Chase go," Evan said. He knew Victor was Chase’s father, so family approval was necessary.
Victor Chu trusted Evan’s character and would never harm Chase, so he nodded and told Chase, "Join the Blue Robe Sect."
"Blue Robe Sect? What kind of sect is that?" Chase asked, puzzled.
"See, it’s that group in blue robes," Victor Chu said.
Chase Chu frowned, "But they..."
"No buts. Go ahead—your master supports you joining them too," Victor Chu said.
"My master? Where is he?" Chase had finished all four matches perfectly, but hadn’t seen Evan anywhere, so he felt a bit disappointed. Even now, when choosing a sect or clan, he hoped Evan would help decide.
"Your master isn’t here, but he told me," Victor Chu replied.
Chase looked at Victor Chu, half believing, half doubting. Evan, standing nearby, also said, "Go ahead."
Seeing Evan speak, Chase looked toward Nangong Yanxia. She knew Evan was present, so she nodded, understanding this was his intention.
With everyone agreeing, Chase stood up.
Because of his outstanding performance earlier, every move Chase made was watched closely by many.
When Chase stood and walked toward the ancient sects and clan representatives, everyone’s hearts surged with excitement.
Everyone stood up, wanting to ask Chase Chu if he’d made his choice.
Chase walked up to the Blue Robe Sect and asked, "Who’s in charge here? Can I join you?"
Shen Lang and the other Blue Robe Sect disciples were stunned. After waiting more than a day, someone finally wanted to join—even if Chase wasn’t so outstanding, they’d accept anyone near the top.
Shen Lang burst out laughing, "Welcome!"
"Alright, from now on, I’ll be part of the Blue Robe Sect," Chase said.
"Great! When the competition ends, I’ll take you to our sect," Shen Lang said happily. At least this trip wasn’t wasted—they finally got a disciple.
For ancient sects like theirs, every disciple is precious, each handpicked from hundreds.
After Shen Lang’s reply, Chase returned to his seat. The other participants were dumbfounded—they thought the Clark Family must be crazy. Everyone tried to recruit him, yet he refused and went to join a sect without a proper manager.
If it weren’t for Evan’s advice, Chase wouldn’t have made this choice.
So the other sects and clans were disappointed by Chase’s decision, and could only hope to see another outstanding candidate later.
Elder Hu of the Shadow Soul Sect frowned, "Strange, why did he choose the Blue Robe Sect?"
"I’m puzzled too," Ming Cong said curiously.
"By the way, who’s leading the Blue Robe Sect this time?" Elder Hu asked.
"They say it’s the Mad Sage, but he suddenly disappeared and just sent the juniors to participate," Ming Cong replied.
"Mad Sage? That old guy is a tough one to deal with," Elder Hu frowned.
"What do you mean, Elder?" Ming Cong asked.
"Just wait and see. This is a big deal—many sects surely want to know what technique that kid uses." Elder Hu had seen the greed in everyone’s eyes; they wouldn’t let Chase join the Blue Robe Sect so easily.
Evan noticed everyone’s expressions, so he began planning how to safely send Chase to the Blue Robe Sect’s teleportation array, then leave by himself.
The Li Family couldn’t understand Chase’s choice either, and started preparing contingency plans—to deal with him before he left.
In short, Chase’s participation stirred up everyone’s nerves. But there was one person who didn’t care at all—Luo Tong. Even if Chase joined their sect, she was still only thinking about Evan.