Evan Chu walked straight to the secret chamber next door. Its construction was just like the one he’d used back at Heavenly Dragon Academy—star-like gleaming nodes glittered all over the ceiling.
Glancing at the chamber’s layout, Evan wasn’t too surprised. Unlike the Heavenly Dragon chamber, there was no altar here—actually, the whole room was empty, with nothing else inside at all.
Evan moved to the center and sat down. “Luna, is tonight the full moon? I want to take the Purple Jade Spirit-King Fruit.”
“Run your Chaos Dragon Force through a few cycles first,” Luna said. “I’ll give you the fruit when you’re ready.”
Evan immediately began circulating his Chaos Dragon Force, ignoring everything outside the chamber. Meanwhile, in one corner, a pair of eyes silently watched his every move.
Warmth spread through Evan’s body—the effect of the Chaos Dragon Force. Just as he was about to speak, the Purple Jade Spirit-King Fruit that had cost him a hundred million Starstones in Golden Ram City appeared in his hand.
The fruit gave off waves of fragrance and medicinal aroma. Evan bit into it without hesitation—instantly, a bitter taste flooded his mouth, making him almost gag.
“What kind of trash fruit is this? It’s disgusting! Aren’t spirit medicines supposed to melt in your mouth? Is this poison or something?” Evan grumbled inwardly.
“You know nothing. Any spirit medicine that can directly boost your realm is extraordinary. Didn’t you ever hear ‘good medicine tastes bitter’? Finish it, then use your Chaos Dragon Force to refine the power—you’ll break through for sure.” Luna snapped.
Frowning, Evan forced himself to finish the Purple Jade Spirit-King Fruit, then quickly circulated his Chaos Dragon Force. The bitter juice hit his stomach and slowly turned cool, the sensation growing stronger as the medicinal effect activated.
Evan guided the medicinal energy to his dantian, then tried to convert it with Chaos Dragon Force. But to his shock, the cool power didn’t even need refining—it instantly transformed into pure Chaos Dragon Force. Evan was thrilled.
He slowly drew the converted power into his Divine Star Core. Inspecting it with inner sight, Evan saw the nine-clawed Primordial Dragon image on the core actually wink at him.
He wanted to communicate, but the image gave no response—leaving Evan speechless. Once all the medicinal power was absorbed, his Chaos Dragon Force was so saturated it nearly burst the Divine Star Core.
After running several more cycles, a crisp crack echoed inside him—the sign of a breakthrough. He’d already reached the peak of Fourth-Layer Divine Martial after fighting Selena Yale at the riverbed, so this breakthrough was perfectly natural.
The first thing after breaking through was consolidating his realm. Evan slowly circulated his Chaos Dragon Force; now it felt much stronger. If he used Tyrant Cleave right now, he could unleash it three times without running dry.
When Evan opened his eyes again, he was grinning. He’d reached late-stage Fifth-Layer Divine Martial. With this strength, he could go toe-to-toe with peak Ninth-Layer Divine Martial experts—and maybe even hold his own against a First-Layer Saint Martial cultivator.
Standing up, Evan paced the chamber. He kept feeling watched, which was seriously annoying. Breaking through was one thing, but if anyone saw him mastering Gold-Shift or Wood-Shift, it’d be a disaster—the fewer who know his secrets, the better.
But after searching for ages, he found nothing out of place and had to give up. Now that he’d reached Fifth-Layer Divine Martial, he was eligible to learn the Frostbane Sword’s second move—a technique so powerful he could imagine even a Saint Martial expert getting one-shot by it.
He was torn. Should he focus on mastering Gold-Shift and Wood-Shift, or ask the Demon Lord for the second sword technique?
While Evan hesitated, Luna said, “Evan, you need to prioritize mastering the Fivefold Element-Shift. Only then can you truly stand firm in the Azure Tide Ruins. Once you’ve fully integrated all five shifts, you’ll see how terrifying their power really is.”
“But this isn’t the place for you to practice. Someone’s monitoring the chamber—I suggest you make up a reason and go back to your room. The Stellar Power here is basically useless for you.” Luna warned.
Evan immediately opened the chamber door and returned to his room. At the same time, a young Freewind Palace disciple left from the other side of the chamber.
“Palace Lord, Evan Chu has completely absorbed the Purple Jade Spirit-King Fruit’s power. Looks like he broke through in realm.”
“Did you see him take out the Gold Spirit Pearl? What’s he doing now?” the Freewind Palace Lord asked.
“He went straight back to his room. I didn’t see him take out the Gold Spirit Pearl,” the disciple replied.
“Alright, keep monitoring him. Report any changes immediately,” the Freewind Palace Lord ordered.
The disciple left. Alone, the Freewind Palace Lord murmured, “Evan Chu, you really are a fascinating man. Selena Yale actually risked leaving Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion for you—your relationship must be anything but simple.”
Back in his room, Evan didn’t rush to cultivate. Instead, he spoke to Luna in his mind: “Luna, should I start with Gold-Shift or Wood-Shift? Can you teach me the formula first?”
“You’re pretty impatient. Start with Gold-Shift—once you master it, move on to Earthshift. I’ll teach you the Gold-Shift method now, but don’t rush it,” Luna said.
Instantly, the Gold-Shift technique appeared in Evan’s mind—a flood of mysterious characters and diagrams, most of them too profound to grasp. Luckily, Luna was there to guide him through it all.
With experience from Water-Shift, Fire-Shift, and Earthshift, comprehending Gold-Shift was almost effortless. The metal element embodied unmatched sharpness and indestructibility—once he mastered it, his attacks would become far more devastating.
Evan slowly opened his eyes, then took out the hard-won Gold Spirit Pearl from his storage ring and began absorbing the metal element inside.
Everything went smoothly—the Gold Spirit Pearl’s metal element flowed entirely into his body. Evan felt as if he’d entered a world of gold; golden radiance stretched everywhere. With a thought, a band of golden light condensed in his palm, sharper than any sword aura. If he released it, the whole room might collapse…
PS: Happy New Year! Two chapters tonight!