Roxanne Lin's sudden departure left Evan Chu aching with longing. Staring up at the ceiling, he muttered, "Roxy, don't worry. I swear I'll come for you—no one can stop me. If gods block my way, I'll kill gods. If demons block me, I'll slaughter demons!"
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, circulated his Chaos Qi, and found that his internal injuries weren't actually that serious. But the pain in his heart—that was something no healing could erase.
"Phoenix Guardian, the pain you gave me today—I’ll pay it back double. You think the Divine Martial Realm is so almighty? Just watch me reach it!" Evan Chu flung open the door and glanced outside. To his surprise, dawn was already breaking.
He hadn’t expected that the time spent entwined with Roxanne, along with her bloodline awakening, would take so long.
"Evan, now you see how weak you still are, right? Breaking through is the only way forward. You heard what Roxanne said—Phoenix, Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Divine Dragon all have huge missions, and you’re the most important of them all." Luna spoke up at that moment.
Evan Chu gazed up at the starry sky, remembering all those nights spent absorbing Starforce beneath the stars. His heart surged with emotion—there were so many things he still had to do, and the only way to accomplish any of them was to become stronger.
"Luna, I know all that. My identity is way too complicated—reincarnation of the Lord of Frostbane, descendant of the Dragon Clan… Sometimes it feels like I can't even breathe. I'm exhausted. My heart is just... worn out." Evan said softly.
"The harder things get, the more you need to fight back. This isn’t the Evan Chu I know. The world looks peaceful now, but it’s just the calm before the storm. Once it erupts, it could mean the end of humanity—and you might be the only savior left." Luna said.
"You mean the Demon Race? Luna, can you tell me who you really are? I know you’re not just a Sword Spirit—no Sword Spirit could know all this, or teach me something like Ninefold Stellar Transformation." Evan said slowly.
"You’re not ready for those answers yet. When you can shatter space, or restore my body, I’ll tell you everything. For now, knowing more would only weigh you down."
Evan Chu didn’t reply. From Luna’s words, it was clear her status was far above that of a simple Sword Spirit—she was no ordinary artifact soul. But reaching the seventh transformation she mentioned? Who knew how long that would take. He hadn’t even obtained a single Spirit Pearl yet.
"Evan, pull yourself together. Heavenly Dragon Academy is way too small—the outside world is a thousand times, ten thousand times bigger. What you need isn’t here. The Five Supreme Spirit Pearls aren’t that hard to get. What you really need are stronger martial techniques. The Frostbane Sword holds peerless arts, but you can’t break its seal yet."
"You need more friends, more brothers—build your own force. In this world where the strong devour the weak, you’ll never accomplish anything big alone." Luna’s tone was serious; she was giving Evan Chu her all.
Throughout history, every true overlord had help from many people. Personal strength comes first, but without brothers and friends, it’s almost impossible to build anything lasting. Evan Chu understood this well.
Evan Chu spoke without pause, his words igniting everyone's blood. To be a man is to carve your name into the world—those who hide in the shadows are doomed to be weak. In that moment, everyone felt a burning urge to become true powerhouses, just like Evan Chu said...
"Go to the Royal Capital. It’s packed with experts. If you can make a name for yourself there, maybe you’ll reach other continents, or the seas, or even the Azure Tide Ruins..."
"I get it now. Thanks, Luna. You’ve helped me let go of a lot of the pain from Roxy leaving. Maybe I really am the savior you say I am. I have to pull myself together." Suddenly, a powerful aura surged from Evan Chu—so fierce and kingly it made people want to kneel.
Evan Chu returned to the room, gazing around Roxanne’s dorm with a sense of helplessness. Then his eyes landed on the white veil lying on the bed. He snatched it up, laughing bitterly. "So this is all she left me—a veil as a keepsake."
"You should heal up first—you’ve still got a lot to face. Don’t overthink it." Luna understood Evan Chu’s feelings. Even if he said he’d let go, deep down he hadn’t.
Evan Chu tucked Roxanne’s veil into his storage ring, then began circulating his Chaos Qi to slowly heal himself.
He didn’t stop circulating Chaos Qi until nearly noon. "My injuries are all healed now, but the damage to my mind and spirit still lingers. I’ll need some rare soul-healing medicine to fix that."
Just then, Evan Chu suddenly remembered that Gabe Goldstone and the others were still waiting for him at the Martial Testing Ground. He rushed out the door and hurried over.
Right now, Jenny Sima, Rhea Yang, Lily Tang, Gabe Goldstone, Zack Zhao, Niu Tian, and dozens of others were all waiting for Evan Chu at the Testing Ground. When they saw him arrive, they came over at once.
"Evan, where’s Roxy? Why didn’t she come with you?" Rhea Yang was the first to ask.
"How is she? Did you remove the mark?" Jenny Sima asked too.
Evan Chu looked at everyone, unsure how to answer. After a moment’s thought, he said, "After a whole night’s effort, Jenny’s mark is gone. She broke through to the Heaven Martial Realm. But she had to leave for personal reasons."
Everyone believed the first part, but the last bit about her leaving made them suspicious. It was clear from Evan Chu’s expression that something had happened. Jenny Sima was about to ask, but Evan interrupted her.
"It’s better if you don’t know what happened with Roxy. Just remember she’s left Heavenly Dragon Academy for now. I called you all here to discuss something important, so please don’t interrupt." Evan Chu said.
Everyone fell silent. If Evan Chu didn’t want to talk, he must have his reasons.
"You all know what’s at stake in this tournament. The Sea Dragon Academy crowd definitely won’t let me off easy. I’ve decided to go to the Royal Capital. After all, Sea Dragon Academy exists to train top students for the capital. Once I’m there, I’ll be safe."
"You’re all my brothers. I hope you’ll join me in conquering the world. But right now, our strength is still too low. Work hard and come find me in the Royal Capital as soon as you can."
"Old bro, you need to improve your sword-forging skills too. If I build my own force, I’ll need plenty of weapons. That’s your job."
"Zack, you’re the strongest right now. I hope you can help me form a loyal life-and-death squad. We might need it someday."
"Jenny, Lily—you two need to level up fast as well. The Heavenly Dragon Kingdom is tiny; we need to go somewhere bigger, to fight and grow. Only then can we become true powerhouses and reach the peak of the world."
Evan Chu spoke without pause, his words making everyone’s blood boil. A man should make his mark—those who stay in the shadows are weak. Everyone felt a burning desire to become true powerhouses, just like Evan Chu said...