As that disciple swung his longsword at Evan Chu, the other seven didn’t stay idle either. They all drew their weapons, launching attacks at Evan one after another.
“Are you kidding me? You guys really think that highly of me? I’m fighting bare-handed here!” Evan Chu shouted in surprise.
But his footwork never stopped. With so many people attacking, this was no joke—any one of their weapons landing on him would mean getting hurt.
Wave-Skimming Steps was already too slow to dodge, and Shifting Position would burn through too much stellar force. "Let’s try the second footwork—Glimmerflash Steps!"
Since mastering this footwork, Evan Chu had never actually used it in a real fight. But as a mid-grade Profound-tier martial art, it had to be pretty decent.
Right now, eight people ganging up on one instantly drew countless eyes to the platform. In all these years, it was the first time a formal match had turned into a group beatdown.
"Evan Chu’s strong, sure, but two of those eight are pretty tough too—they’re both fifth-level Xuanwu Realm. He might actually get eliminated!" someone in the crowd said worriedly.
"If he can win this, he’s a real genius. But I bet he won’t last five minutes," another spectator chimed in.
"Cut the crap! My second brother lose? You guys have no idea how strong he really is!" Ryan Chu snapped from the crowd, clearly unhappy.
Ryan’s attitude toward Evan had completely changed. Ever since Evan’s fight with Wolf Liu, he’d learned Evan’s true strength and gone back to acting like a loyal sidekick.
When someone badmouthed Evan Chu, Ryan Chu naturally refused to accept it. He was also competing in the tournament, but his match was scheduled for later, so he came to watch Evan’s fight.
“You a Chu Family kid?” one of them asked Ryan Chu suspiciously.
“None of your damn business. Don’t jump to conclusions before it’s over!” Ryan Chu didn’t even look at the guy, keeping his eyes glued to the platform.
Meanwhile, on the VIP dais, Dominic Chu’s face showed a trace of worry.
Although Evan had broken through fast after his recent heartbreak, he was up against eight opponents, all wielding weapons, while he was bare-handed. Dominic Chu couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
“Could it be that Evan’s martial art is all about fists and palms? Otherwise, why isn’t he using a weapon?”
He remembered that when Evan fought Wolf Liu, he’d just tossed his weapon aside.
“Old Chu, are you worried about him?” Jenny Sima spoke up.
“A little. I really didn’t expect him to get surrounded like this.”
“I’m sure he’ll win, and win beautifully!” Jenny Sima’s face gave nothing away, her beautiful eyes locked on Evan’s every move on the platform.
“Miss Sima, you’re that confident?” Dominic Chu was a bit surprised, wondering if this outsider understood his own son better than he did—or maybe it was just because she was Earth Martial Realm, a level above him.
“It’s just my intuition—and you should know, my intuition is always spot on.”
By now, the fight on the platform was reaching its boiling point. Evan kept unleashing Glimmerflash Steps, and his Phantom Shadow Finger struck out again and again.
Glimmerflash Steps was obviously much faster than Wave-Skimming Steps. Evan’s figure left afterimages as he darted through the eight fighters’ blades and swords.
None of the eight even touched his clothes, making everyone present realize just how terrifying Evan was.
Phantom Shadow Finger’s attacks were silent and invisible. Several people were already wounded, and their attack speed dropped noticeably, which was a huge advantage for Evan.
Constantly using Glimmerflash Steps burned through a lot of stellar force. Evan’s face grew cold; after dodging a disciple’s sword strike, he quickly pulled out his Frostbane Sword from his storage belt.
He had to finish this fast and conserve his stellar force, or he might get knocked out in the next round for lack of energy.
“Look, Evan’s finally using a weapon! This has gotta be when he shows his real power!” someone in the crowd shouted.
“Why does his weapon look like a piece of junk, all covered in rust? Did he buy it off a street stall?”
The moment Evan drew the Frostbane Sword, everyone on the platform sensed something was off. The sharp look in his eyes told them his true strength was in swordsmanship.
“Everyone, use your strongest martial arts against him! If we can’t beat him, none of us will advance!” a purple-robed youth shouted on the platform.
Everyone got the message, and immediately all sorts of martial arts erupted from their hands.
This wave of attacks was on a whole different level. Before, everyone had held back, hoping to save strength for later.
But now things were different. Evan’s bizarre footwork had already left them overwhelmed, and now that he’d drawn his weapon, he was even more terrifying.
Evan’s lips curled into a faint smile. He looked at the purple-robed youth and said, “Since you’re so good at rallying everyone, let’s start with you. I’ll make you their nightmare.”
It was clear Evan was ready to kill. Normally, killing was forbidden on the platform, but right now, he couldn’t care less.
If nine people could gang up on him, then killing was just self-defense. As the attacks came flying in, Evan’s Frostbane Sword swept out in an instant.
He used the fourth form of the Windchaser Sword Codex—Gentle Cloud Breeze—together with Glimmerflash Steps to appear right in front of the purple-robed youth.
A mid-grade Profound-tier sword art, driven by Evan’s powerful stellar force and eerie speed—the youth barely had time to react before agony exploded in his chest.
He looked down—there was a rusty longsword stuck in his chest. The next second, the blade was yanked out, and he collapsed to the ground.
His eyes stared wide, already lifeless. Even at the moment of death, he never understood how Evan had shattered his martial art and killed him so easily.
After killing the purple-robed youth, Evan’s Frostbane Sword didn’t stop for a second.
He deftly dodged two disciples’ attacks, then stabbed out twice so fast it was nearly invisible. The two dropped dead, joining the purple-robed youth.
Evan killed those three so quickly that the referee didn’t even have time to react. Meanwhile, two disciples’ weapons were already about to hit Evan.
But Evan’s face showed no panic at all—he was as calm as water. He immediately pulled the Frostbane Sword from one of the bodies.
He triggered Glimmerflash Steps again, shifting sideways two meters like a ghost and dodging both attacks.
As he moved, his rusty Frostbane Sword flashed toward another attacker’s throat, so fast it was almost invisible.
The Frostbane Sword slid through the man’s throat without resistance; Evan withdrew it in one smooth, flowing motion, flawless and uninterrupted.
At that moment, the referee finally shouted, “Stop!” As soon as his voice rang out, he arrived on the scene.
Evan had killed four people in a flash, something he hadn’t expected himself.
“Why did you kill them? You’ve broken the tournament rules. Your qualification is revoked—prepare to face punishment from the City Lord’s Mansion!”
Evan hadn’t expected this guy to pass judgment without asking questions, instantly sentencing him to death. He exploded in anger: “You gotta be kidding me! I refuse to accept this!”
“How dare you disrespect the referee! I could kill you right now!” The referee hadn’t expected Evan to curse him and roared furiously.
“Screw you! You’re not qualified to judge me!” Evan didn’t care about anything else right now; all he wanted was to teach this arrogant guy a lesson.