Evan Chu's punch was fast, but it had no real force behind it—though the posture looked fierce enough to make the guard respond with a quick counter-punch to block the attack.
As the guard’s fist collided with Evan Chu’s, Evan’s other hand swung out with a second punch—this one carrying his true power.
Their fists met, and the guard instantly felt weak and powerless. His punch knocked Evan’s feint aside and struck directly at his body.
But when Evan’s real punch landed, it immediately caused the space around them to tremble, startling Skylar Yule and the other two spectators watching nearby.
To unleash a punch that could make space tremble normally required at least Heaven Martial Realm strength, yet Logan Zhao—who was only at the Earth Martial Realm—had done it. It was simply unbelievable.
Both attacks happened in a flash. The moment Evan was knocked back by the guard’s punch, the impact struck his body and sent both of them retreating at once.
But one person simply stepped back, while the other was sent flying, landing more than ten meters away and struggling to get up for a long time.
Evan also retreated more than ten steps before he could steady himself. His chest throbbed with sharp pain, but it was only soreness—not enough to injure his bones or meridians. The third layer of Starforge Body’s defense was still formidable, and the guard’s punch had been rushed, lacking real force.
If Evan hadn’t thrown that final punch, he would have only needed to step back five times to stabilize himself.
At this moment, Evan’s Chaos Qi was nearly depleted. His face looked a bit pale, and the fine beads of sweat on his forehead showed just how drained he was.
After sending the guard flying, Evan Chu didn’t press the attack. This wasn’t a life-or-death battle—his goal was already achieved.
The guard slowly crawled up from the ground, blood streaming from his mouth. His chest bones were shattered, his organs severely damaged. Even if he survived, he’d be half-crippled and totally unable to fight.
Face twisted in pain, the guard stared at the youth before him—not even twenty years old. He couldn’t believe someone not yet at the Heaven Martial Realm could beat him. He was a peak first-layer Heaven Martial expert, nearly at the second layer!
“Good! Excellent! Logan, you really are a dark horse—it’s impossible not to be amazed! Today’s fight made me very happy. Come, let’s celebrate!” Skylar Yule said, delighted.
“Not bad. For an Earth Martial cultivator to have such attack power is truly rare. The prince’s mansion needs talents like you. General Roland, you have a good eye—finding such a promising seedling is a blessing for the empire!” the old master praised.
Evan felt a bit embarrassed, knowing his victory relied on surprise. But beating the opponent was enough—some people are just destined to be stepping stones.
Evan didn’t act arrogant after his win. He kept calm and humble, saying, “Thank you, Second Prince and elder, for your praise. Logan was just lucky today.”
Roland said, “Logan is a rare seedling, Second Prince. You should cherish him. The Prime Minister’s Manor is blaming him for their son’s death—please keep him safe.”
“Don’t worry, General. Our families don’t stand on ceremony. If Winston Ying had real proof, he’d have wiped out the Prime Minister already. I’ve heard his three worship-level experts have been in close contact with the Sea Dragon Empire—who knows what they’re plotting?” Skylar Yule said bluntly.
“Exactly. Winston Ying only cares about power, not about you or me. His three worship-level experts are arrogant, and reports say they’ve been meeting frequently with Sea Dragon Empire people. Is he planning something?” Roland said, clearly furious.
Evan’s status was too low to speak up, so he just watched the three discuss. But one thing was clear—Winston Ying was colluding with the Sea Dragon Empire.
“The Sea Dragon Empire and our Heavenly Dragon Empire have always been mortal enemies. Thanks to Evan, rumors say war will break out in three months. We barely know their strength, but if Winston Ying is in league with them, they’ll know everything about us.”
‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a hundred battles.’ Right now, we’re at a disadvantage. We have to use this chance to test Winston Ying. If he’s really colluding, we need to strike hard—the Royal Capital Guard will be the main force,” Skylar Yule said.
“The Second Prince’s analysis is spot on. We need a foolproof plan to make that old fox show his true colors,” the old master agreed.
“I’ll head back—the Third Gate trial’s not finished yet. If you need me, just ask. Logan’s in your care now.” Roland said, then lifted off and flew away.
That was a clear display of Divine Martial Realm power, and Evan couldn’t help feeling envious.
“Let’s go. We’ll celebrate having a new champion in my mansion. Let Winston Ying search the whole capital—when he finds out you’re here, we’ll see what he does. If he dares cause trouble, I won’t hesitate to wipe out the Prime Minister’s Manor,” Skylar Yule said calmly, but his imperial aura made people want to kneel.
But Evan wouldn’t submit—his ambition was higher than the heavens. One day, others would bow to him. He might not have power now, but everything would change once he did.
The welcoming banquet was lively. Evan saw several unfathomably strong figures—these must be the backbone of the residence.
Others might feel honored to drink with them, but Evan didn’t. These people were just stepping stones on his road to becoming a top expert.
After the banquet, Skylar Yule personally assigned Evan a private room and even sent two well-trained maidservants to attend him. Evan wanted to refuse, but in the end he endured it.
Back in his room, Evan immediately dismissed the two maids, saying he needed to rest because his alcohol tolerance was poor.
He then took out two top-grade Starstones and started absorbing them. In these turbulent times, treating precious resources as consumables was the only way—rapidly restoring his Chaos Qi was what mattered most.
By the time Evan’s Chaos Qi was fully restored, the moon hung high overhead. He opened the window, gazed up at the night sky, and felt a surge of emotion.
It all came down to being too weak. But strength couldn’t be gained in a few days—impatience was pointless.
Just as Evan was about to close the window, a streak of golden light shot toward him—a tiny golden bird.
“Boss, I’ve been looking everywhere for you—I didn’t expect you to be here,” the golden bird said, speaking human words.
“Goldwing, I left in a hurry and forgot to tell you. Have you finished refining the beast core’s energy?” Evan asked.
“Not yet—it takes time. I need to absorb it quietly and then break through. Boss, I’ll return to your body for now. When I come out, maybe I’ll have changed.” Goldwing flashed with golden light and disappeared into the room.
Evan had nothing else to do. Sleep was optional for him, so he sat on the bed, continued absorbing stellar power, and prepared to break through to the ninth layer of the Earth Martial Realm.
Just then, a maid’s voice sounded outside the door: “Young Master Zhao, Second Prince invites you to the main hall—he has something important to discuss with you…”