"Using water? You think that's enough to beat me?" Evan Yang smiled.
"Kid, you'll know once you try." The man grinned, then immediately unleashed a torrent of water, even surrounding himself with layers of water as protection.
Now the man was completely wrapped in water, as if Evan's flames couldn't touch him. From inside came his cheerful laughter: "Well? Admit defeat yet? With your crippled limbs and my water restraining your flames, what tricks do you have left?"
Seeing that water could restrain Evan Yang, the other cultivators skilled in water grew restless, eager to show off and earn some points.
Just then, everyone witnessed something shocking. As the flames surged over, it wasn't long before the air around them boiled. The man inside sensed something was wrong—it was getting hotter and hotter. Soon, all the water was boiling. He scrambled to escape, and as expected, his screams echoed out.
When Evan withdrew his flames, the man lay motionless on the ground, his body covered in blisters—scalded by boiling water and burned by fire.
"Don't bother trying methods you think might work against me," Evan said to the crowd. After that, he walked away.
The crowd exchanged glances.
"All this hassle for just one point." When they learned Evan was only sixth-tier, some first-tier Heavenly-Immortals muttered.
That comment hit home for many. A single point wasn't worth the trouble; if it were ten, maybe it'd be different.
So a lot of people immediately gave up on the idea. As for the higher-level ones—the second and third-tiers—they saw Evan was only sixth-tier Earth-Immortal and didn't bother making a move. There were no points to gain, and they had no grudges with Evan, so they couldn't be bothered.
With that, most people felt the points weren't worth it, and Evan's performance today taught them a lesson.
Evan returned to his room, muttering, "The high-tier ones probably won't be bored enough to come mess with me."
Actually, Evan was worried that if a truly powerful person showed up, he'd have to reveal his real strength to resist.
After a while, Wayne Wu returned, but he was alone. When Evan asked, he learned that Wayne's friend from that day had already left and no one knew when he'd be back.
"Guess we'll just have to wait," Evan sighed.
"Don't worry, once my friend comes back, we'll know," Wayne said.
Evan nodded.
"By the way, I overheard some people talking about you earlier. What happened?" Wayne asked curiously.
So Evan told Wayne what had happened. After listening, Wayne looked shocked. "You really did all that?"
"Yeah," Evan replied.
"Good thing the high-tier ones weren't around today—they're out on business. If they'd seen you acting so bold, they'd definitely challenge you," Wayne exclaimed.
"Oh? They're busy? I was wondering why there were only first and second-tiers, barely any third-tiers," Evan realized.
"You're lucky. I think you should lay low for a bit—you're way too conspicuous today," Wayne said.
"Seriously? I just got here and already need to hide?" Evan didn't think it was necessary.
"You don't understand. Some people have weird tempers—they just like to bully newcomers. I forgot to warn you earlier, but I never expected you'd stir up so much trouble right away," Wayne said.
"So, when do you think your friend will be back?" Evan asked, curious.
"No idea, depends. If things go well, a few days; if not, it could be years," Wayne said.
"I see. So where did all the high-tiers go?" Evan wondered aloud.
"Where else? I heard the Ethereal Sanctuary's Palace Lord is picking a son-in-law for his youngest daughter," Wayne said.
"Son-in-law selection? What does that have to do with these people?" Evan Yang asked, puzzled.
"The requirements are: you must be from Ethereal Sanctuary, and you need a strong background—that means a powerful sect or family behind you," Wayne Wu explained.
"That strict? But not everyone here has connections, right?" Evan noticed there weren't many high-level cultivators.
"Most of them do. Otherwise, how could they become so powerful and mix so well here?" Wayne laughed.
"That's true. People with backing usually have a pretty arrogant attitude," Evan chuckled.
"You're right. And the weird thing is, the higher-ups announced you have to be at the Heavenly-Immortal realm. That basically means they're picking from the Lower Sanctuary," Wayne said with a smile.
"Why the Lower Sanctuary? Aren't the other palaces stronger?" Evan asked suspiciously.
"I heard it was the girl's idea—she insisted on candidates from the Lower Sanctuary, otherwise she wouldn't join the selection," Wayne laughed.
"Seriously? That's wild. How strong is she?" Evan asked, curious.
"I heard she's followed an Immortal Lord for a long time. Her cultivation's already reached Profound-Immortal, maybe even Immortal Lord. But I'm not sure," Wayne shook his head.
"I'd say she's probably a Profound-Immortal, but Immortal Lord is possible," Evan said.
"Yeah, lots of people think she'll give everyone a hard time. So if you want to join the son-in-law selection, it's not so easy. You have to pass both the Palace Lord's test and the girl's final challenge, or it doesn't count as a real win," Wayne laughed.
"So that's how it is," Evan replied.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Evan and Wayne exchanged curious looks—who would come looking for Evan now?
The door opened. A stranger stepped in and said to Evan, "You're the one who made a move today—crippled limbs? Sixth-tier, beat a first-tier Heavenly-Immortal?"
"That's me. And you are?" Evan assumed he was here to cause trouble. Wayne thought so too and quickly said, "Brother, who are you?"
"You don't need to know who I am. Just come with me," the stranger said to Evan.
Evan was about to ask why, when he suddenly found himself whisked away, unable to resist. Wayne's vision went black, and Evan was gone.
"Who was that just now?" Wayne was shocked and hurried to search.
But there was no one around.
"You... alright, I'll tell you. I want to see if your flame is the one I recognize. If I'm not mistaken, your flame should be Sacred Flame," the man said.
Evan was shocked. He didn't expect the other to know about his flame—after all, Sacred Flame was something few knew about. How did he know?
Seeing Evan's expression, the man was sure Evan used Sacred Flame, so he said, "Let me see how strong it really is."
Evan saw the man meant no harm, so he conjured a ball of flame. When the man saw it, he did something that stunned Evan.
He knelt down, saying, "So it really is Sacred Flame. Wonderful!"
"What's this?" Evan asked, confused.
"It's nothing. Since you possess Sacred Flame, you're the master of our Sacred Flame. If you need anything, contact me directly. Here's my contact info. I'm leaving now," the man said.
"Hey, you still haven't told me who you are or what your connection to Sacred Flame is!" Evan stopped him as he was about to leave.
"My name is Fire Ruthless. As for who I am and my connection to Sacred Flame, you'll understand once you reach above the Emperor realm," Fire Ruthless said.
"Above Emperor realm? What's going on?" Evan was confused. Today he'd been dragged here, then the man looked at his Sacred Flame, knelt down like he'd seen something, then told him vague things.
"Don't think too much yet. The most important thing is to persevere—don't die early. We'll keep watching you and help when needed," Fire Ruthless said.
"What?" Evan felt like he was being monitored. He wanted to ask more, but the man suddenly vanished at incredible speed.
"No way, he just left like that?" Evan was confused. He'd been dragged here, just exchanged a few words, and the other left.
Evan felt very frustrated. He hadn't figured out what was going on, only knew the guy was called Fire Ruthless. What bothered him more was where he was now—his divine sense only saw trees, mountains, and water, no people.
"How do I get back?" Evan muttered, so he summoned Phantom Spirit Birds to help find a way out.
After releasing Phantom Spirit Birds, Evan sighed, "Fire Ruthless, who are you really? Why did you leave me here?"
For the first time, Evan found himself dumped in a place so remote even birds wouldn't come—he had no idea where he was.
If not for Phantom Spirit Birds, he wouldn't know how to find a way out.
Evan waited until the next day, finally a Phantom Spirit Bird returned and led him through the forest. He followed, using his divine sense to watch his surroundings.
The Phantom Spirit Bird stopped at a mountain range with messy caves. Evan wondered, "You want me to enter the cave?"
The Phantom Spirit Bird seemed intelligent—it was Evan's creation, after all—so it conveyed its intent to Evan, prompting him to enter.
Evan figured his Phantom Spirit Bird wouldn't trick him, so he confidently entered. As he walked, it got darker and darker inside.