Seeing Timothy Qi defeated so easily, the five elders who had just managed to recover and climb up from the ground were all dumbfounded. Two of them were so shocked they collapsed back onto the floor again.
Elder Luo, who had felt uneasy all along, finally understood the source of his anxiety. Now it was clear—Evan Chu was simply too powerful. Timothy Qi, an Order Master at the late Law-Phase Realm, was a top-tier expert, yet he couldn’t even withstand three palm strikes from Evan. Absolute monster.
Just how strong was Evan, really?
He was probably on par with a Saint Sea Realm expert by now!
The other Order Master, Maggie Zhang, nervously gripped Moonblade. Her strength was below Timothy Qi’s, so if Evan kept going, she probably wouldn’t be able to stop him either.
Thinking of this, regret gnawed at her heart. If she’d known Evan was this strong, she would’ve tried to talk her senior brother out of getting greedy.
“Anyone else want to spar with me?”
Evan Chu swept his gaze teasingly over the crowd in Sword-Nurturing Hall.
Everyone fell silent. Some looked indignant, some furious, but there was no denying it—Evan Chu’s strength had surpassed all their expectations. They couldn’t resist him anymore. If they kept fighting, Skysea Sword Sect would face disaster.
“A bunch of bullies who only pick on the weak!” Evan scoffed.
Still, no one dared to argue back.
“Looks like you really are convinced!” Evan Chu spoke again. “So let’s talk compensation. Earlier, I offered three Imperial-Grade Techniques in exchange for your Sun-Moon Heaven Canon, but since you tried to swallow those techniques, the deal’s off. You still have to hand over the Sun-Moon Heaven Canon, plus all your martial techniques and both Sunblade and Moonblade. Of course, I’m not doing this for free—you’ll open your Treasure Vault and let me pick some items.”
When they heard Evan Chu’s demands, the Skysea Sword Sect crowd turned ashen. He was trying to clean them out!
“Evan Chu, you’re asking too much. We can’t agree to that!”
Timothy Qi forced down his anger and spoke.
“That’s not up to you!” Evan Chu sneered. “But I’m not unreasonable. How about we fight again? If you win, the three Imperial-Grade Techniques are yours, free. If I win, my compensation terms double!”
At these words, Timothy Qi and Maggie Zhang exchanged glances, both tempted yet hesitant.
“I know Skysea Sword Sect still has someone hidden away. Why not call them out and team up? Maybe then you’ll have a shot at beating me!” Evan Chu said with a grin.
“How did you know?”
At Evan Chu’s words, Timothy Qi and Maggie Zhang both looked stunned.
“Didn’t expect you’d already sensed where I was, young friend. Such powerful spiritual perception!”
Just then, an aged voice rang out. A hunched, silver-haired elder in gray, his face lined with deep wrinkles, slowly walked into Sword-Nurturing Hall.
A thick aura of decay clung to him, so strong it was as if he’d just climbed out of a coffin.
“Greetings, Senior Patriarch!”
Timothy Qi and Maggie Zhang both bowed deeply, faces full of respect.
“You… you’re the Thirty-Second-Generation Patriarch!”
Elder Luo stared at the old man in disbelief. According to what he knew, the Thirty-Second-Generation Patriarch, Edmund Yu, had died two hundred years ago from qi-deviation while forcing the Moon-Heaven Canon. How could he be here now?
The old man met Elder Luo’s gaze and nodded. “That’s right. I am already half-dead, but I couldn’t let go of the sect, so I never closed my eyes.”
“Heavens! It really is the Thirty-Second-Generation Patriarch!” With the old man’s confirmation, the other elders were ecstatic.
“Patriarch, you must stand up for us! This Evan Chu rascal is just too hateful!” one elder wailed.
According to the sect records, the Thirty-Second-Generation Patriarch, Edmund Yu, was a dazzling prodigy—not only was his strength unmatched, he suppressed all his contemporaries, and he was also a master at managing the sect. It was thanks to the foundation he laid that, in just two hundred years, Skysea Sword Sect rose to become a super-sect second only to Jade Sovereign Sect.
Back then, Patriarch Edmund Yu was only sixty when he reached the peak of the Law-Phase Realm.
Later, he forced the Moon-Heaven Canon and suffered qi-deviation, supposedly dying as a result.
Timothy Qi and Maggie Zhang belong to the thirty-fifth generation of Skysea Sword Sect, one generation after Edmund Yu.
Only as Order Masters did they know the truth from back then.
In reality, Edmund Yu did suffer qi-deviation from forcing the Moon-Heaven Canon, but he didn’t die. Instead, he broke through to the Saint Sea Realm, though the process left him with incurable injuries.
He could only hide away and recuperate, so the sect announced to the world that he’d died of qi-deviation.
Over two hundred years passed, and Edmund Yu’s injuries only worsened, but his strength was still unrivaled in Skysea Sword Sect.
Edmund Yu ignored the elders’ pleas and turned to Evan Chu, showing a dry smile. “Young friend, Skysea Sword Sect truly acted dishonorably this time. Allow me to apologize to you on the sect’s behalf.”
“Ah!”
The elders couldn’t accept that Edmund Yu was actually apologizing.
“You think an apology’s enough?” Evan Chu sneered.
“Evan Chu, how dare you! Our Patriarch apologized to you—that’s already a huge favor. What more do you want?” an elder shouted angrily.
“He’s your Patriarch, not mine!” Evan Chu sneered again, then fixed his gaze on Edmund Yu. “Old man, since you’re so senior, I’ll let you off if you meet my conditions. But if you’re not satisfied, you’re welcome to fight me again!”
“Young friend, must you press us so hard?” Edmund Yu’s face was full of bitterness, his clouded eyes brimming with helplessness.
“Me, forcing you?” Evan Chu scoffed. “What a joke! I came to Skysea Sword Sect with utmost sincerity to trade techniques, and you tried to steal mine. Now I’m the villain? Old man, enough nonsense—either compromise or fight. Hurry up, I don’t have all day!”
“Senior Patriarch, why don’t my junior sister and I join forces with you?” Timothy Qi, unwilling to compromise, spoke up.
Edmund Yu was silent for a while, then finally spoke: “Enough. I should’ve died long ago, but I’ve clung to the mortal world all these years. Before I go, let me fight for the sect one last time. Timothy, Maggie, lend me your swords!”
“Senior Patriarch!” Timothy Qi’s heart ached, a wave of regret washing over him.
“Senior Patriarch, maybe we should just accept his terms,” Maggie Zhang said.
“Patriarch!”
The elders, hearing Edmund Yu’s words, were overcome with a sense of tragic resolve.
Edmund Yu smiled at them, then shook his head. With a wave of his hand, Sunblade and Moonblade flew into his grasp. The moment he held them, both Imperial weapons trembled with joy.
“Old friends, it’s been so many years. At last, we can fight side by side again!” Edmund Yu’s face filled with nostalgia as he murmured to the two swords.
For a moment, the swords trembled even more fiercely, as if responding to him.