After Evan Chu left, the crowd was left in shock. To level Tang Inn with a single move—what kind of strength was that? Most people here had never even heard of such power.
The shopkeeper lying in the ruins was now dead beyond saving; under Evan Chu’s tyrannical Tyrant Cleave, there was no way he could have survived. Everyone grew even more curious about the identity and background of this youth.
Of course, the two middle-aged men who knew Evan Chu’s true identity wouldn’t breathe a word. If Evan found out, their lives would be miserable. As soon as he left, they hurried off toward Tang Sect as well.
The news that Tang Inn had been destroyed in a single move by an ugly youth spread rapidly. Soon, nearly everyone in the town knew about it. Of course, Tang Sect had other properties in town, which meant even more Tang Sect members were present.
The news quickly reached Tang Sect. When Tang Sect’s family head Tang Guantian heard, he blew his top. “Who’s got the guts to destroy my Tang Inn? Someone, go and bring back the two who wrecked it—I’ll make them pay for their stupidity!”
Immediately, Tang Sect dispatched dozens of family members, including two elders whose strength was not to be underestimated. They rushed toward the small town where Tang Inn had stood.
Meanwhile, Evan Chu and Rhea Yang were sitting atop a mountain hundreds of miles away. "Lin Feng, did we go too far this time? After all, those people belonged to Lily Tang’s family. If she finds out, she might actually get angry," Rhea said.
"Anyone who dares insult my people must be punished. Even if Lily Tang herself were present, I’d do the same. Don’t overthink it. The air on this mountaintop is fresh—let’s rest a bit, then head straight to Tang Sect!" Evan Chu replied.
"I think we should just drop the disguises and go as ourselves. Tang Sect is even stronger than my Yang Gate, and people there already know what we look like. If you keep this up, you won’t be able to join the trial at all. Every family has its own rules—even if you kill everyone in Tang Sect, you still might not win Lily Tang’s hand.
Besides, if you really did that, you’d only make things harder for Lily, or maybe she’d resent you for life. You need to think this through," Rhea Yang said.
Evan Chu thought over Rhea’s words and found them reasonable. After settling Lily Tang’s situation, he would head straight to the Phoenix Temple and bring Roxanne Lin back. Then, he’d return to the Azure Tide Ruins to find someone with the Obsidian Tortoise Bloodline—at that point, he could finally enter the Netherworld.
"Let’s do it your way, then. Tang Sect must be in chaos by now—I wonder if it’ll affect the trial," Evan Chu said. He cleaned off his disguise and changed into fresh clothes.
Rhea Yang also returned to her true self. With no one else on the mountaintop, and since she was already Evan Chu’s woman, she didn’t mind changing clothes in front of him.
Once they’d both resumed their original appearances, Evan Chu said, "Let’s go. Let’s see what kind of chaos Tang Sect is in—maybe it’ll be just as we imagined."
Evan Chu and Rhea Yang left the mountaintop, landed a few miles from Tang Sect, and walked slowly along the main road without attracting any attention.
Before long, they arrived at Tang Sect. The place was packed with people. Many found it strange to see Evan Chu and Rhea Yang together: if this youth already had a woman, why was he here to compete for Tang Sect’s young miss?
"Rhea, find a spot to watch. I’ll go sign up. If anyone asks, just say you’re my younger sister and came here to keep me company," Evan Chu said to Rhea Yang.
Rhea Yang nodded, and Evan Chu went to the registration area. He wrote his name on a white sheet and received a copper plate with a number.
There were several hundred participants this time. Some had failed at Rhea Yang’s marriage tournament, while others came specifically for this event. Quite a few recognized Evan Chu as Yang Gate’s son-in-law, but tactfully kept quiet—this secretly pleased Evan.
Soon, the trial began. Everyone moved to Tang Sect’s training yard, which was several thousand square meters—quite spacious. Tang Sect’s estate was just as large as the Great General’s Manor in the Royal Capital, showing that Tang Sect was truly a local powerhouse.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in a purple robe stepped onto the training yard. "Today is my daughter’s son-in-law selection trial. I trust everyone knows the rules. Now, all registered youths, please come up in order and strike this meteorite. Whoever makes it ring the longest will become my son-in-law," Tang Guantian announced.
"We’re not doing a martial tournament like Yang Gate did—those can seriously injure people. This method was actually Lily Tang’s idea. Let’s see who will become my son-in-law today!"
After the Tang Family head finished speaking, someone asked, "What if the meteorite gets shattered? Do the rest of us still get to compete?"
"Good question. This meteorite is extremely tough—even a ninth-layer Heaven Martial Realm expert couldn’t break it. I doubt any of you have reached that level yet, so feel free to compete. If someone does manage to shatter it, that person will become my son-in-law right away, and the trial will end," Tang Guantian replied.
Evan Chu glanced at the so-called meteorite and couldn’t help but laugh to himself. It was really just a chunk of stone from a spatial black hole—definitely hard, but these people had no chance of breaking it. For Evan, though, it would be a piece of cake.
Soon, participants began stepping up. Evan Chu checked his copper plate—it was number seventy-two, fairly early in the order. He wondered if smashing the meteorite right away would make the others want to cry.
Each person got three chances to attack, similar to the Royal Capital Guard recruitment, though these competitors were clearly weaker. Evan Chu wasn’t interested in their attacks at all.
He felt like an adult standing among children, competing with them—it wasn’t even a contest.
As each participant finished, some looked pleased, others disappointed. So far, fewer than three had managed to make the meteorite ring for more than ten seconds.
Two hours later, it was Evan Chu’s turn. He glanced at Tang Guantian, then turned to the crowd and said, "The rest of you can skip the trial—just enjoy the wedding feast, because I’m going to smash this stone."
His words immediately drew complaints. One youth couldn’t help but shout, "Are you crazy? How can you say something so stupid? Maybe you should take a good look at yourself in the mirror!"
"Isn’t that the guy from Yang Gate’s marriage tournament? What’s he doing here—does he really want to marry Tang Sect’s young miss too?" someone else said.
The crowd erupted in chatter. Tang Guantian heard it too, furrowing his brow. "They say you’re Yang Gate’s son-in-law. Why have you come to Tang Sect? Are you here just to cause trouble?" he asked.
Evan Chu grinned. "I’m here to marry Lily Tang. If you don’t believe me, ask her yourself. If she saw me now, she’d agree to marry me on the spot—no trial needed."