For Evan Chu, the Fire Dragon King's agreement was naturally the best outcome. He now understood why those others had failed to make the Flame Dragon Sword produce flames—the Stellar Power they poured in had mostly been devoured by that guy.
The reason it was only 'mostly' devoured was that a small portion had to be left behind—just enough for the blade to visibly change. Otherwise, if challengers saw no reaction at all, no one would bother trying the sword again.
If that happened, the Fire Dragon King would lose his supply of Stellar Power—a situation he absolutely wanted to avoid. Now that Evan was communicating with him directly, making the sword erupt with flames was easy. Even with only Heaven Martial Realm strength, Evan could trigger the fire.
"Fire Dragon King, if you want me to rescue you, don't even think about absorbing my Chaos Dragon Force. Otherwise, deal with the consequences yourself—I'm warning you now, so you'd better understand." Evan said at this moment.
"Understood. Who do you think I am, Frostbane? You can rest easy!" replied the Fire Dragon King.
"Glad you get it. Only if I obtain the Flame Dragon Sword can I free you, so I trust you understand how this works. If necessary, you'll need to help out too," Evan said.
"Of course, of course." The Fire Dragon King was utterly powerless at this moment. Trapped inside the Flame Dragon Sword for nearly ten thousand years, the loneliness was almost unbearable.
Now that he had a chance to escape, he wouldn't let it slip away. Even as a mere remnant soul, if he got out, he could seize a powerful human body as a temporary vessel, then return to the Dragon Shrine and search for a way to restore his flesh.
The crowd watched Evan Chu stand motionless for ages, growing suspicious. One person muttered, "Is this kid stalling because he can't do it? He looks barely twenty—no matter how talented, he's probably just Heaven Martial Realm. If you told me he was Divine Martial Realm, I'd never believe it."
"Maybe this young man really will pull off a miracle. Let's not disturb him—he paid his Starstones, so he's entitled to try out the Flame Dragon Sword. Let's just watch and see," said the elderly white-haired woman.
Evan Chu opened his eyes, glanced around, and said with a smile, "Everyone present, please bear witness. If I make the Flame Dragon Sword erupt in flames today, then the sword is mine. The seller can't go back on his word."
The peddler's face changed slightly at Evan's words. He eyed the handsome youth with suspicion—could he really make the Flame Dragon Sword produce flames? After all, that sword was his prized treasure.
But thinking that no matter how strong this youth was, at best he'd be Divine Martial Realm second or third layer, the peddler stopped worrying. He replied, "If you can do it, then the Flame Dragon Sword is yours. A hero deserves a fine sword."
"Good, you said it yourself. I hope you won't regret it. Everyone heard him—I'm not that skilled, so I'll give it a try," Evan said, then flexed his arm and sent a surge of powerful Chaos Dragon Force into the Flame Dragon Sword.
The Fire Dragon King wanted desperately to absorb such powerful energy, but remembering his promise to Evan Chu and the youth's true identity, he held back. Lord Frostbane was once one of the top three powers in the Azure Tide Ruins—even stronger than the Dragon Shrine's master. If he offended Evan, even his remnant soul might be wiped out.
Realizing this, the Fire Dragon King not only refrained from absorbing Evan's Chaos Dragon Force but actively released fire energy instead. Evan could sense the change immediately—clearly, the Fire Dragon King wasn't stupid.
Instantly, the Flame Dragon Sword began to change—the black blade slowly turned dark red. The crowd cheered loudly at the sight.
Evan was unimpressed; he knew the real show was still ahead. He injected a few more threads of Chaos Dragon Force, and within a few breaths, the dark red blade turned bright red, glowing with fiery light.
Everyone was stunned—he was the first challenger to turn the Flame Dragon Sword red. The youth really had skill, and those who doubted or looked down on him were instantly silenced. It was a real face-slap, and it stung.
The most nervous person was the peddler, whose eyes flashed with killing intent—though it was only for a moment, Evan noticed it.
Evan thought to himself, 'Heh, if you hand over the sword honestly, maybe you'll keep your life. If you try anything, I'll make sure you die ugly.'
On the surface, though, Evan appeared to struggle. He wouldn't show off in front of these people—displaying too much strength in a place where only the strong survive would just bring him trouble, especially since he was now wanted by Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion.
Even though he'd disguised himself, there was still a chance someone would see through it. If that happened, he'd have to flee across the world again.
After a moment, the Flame Dragon Sword suddenly erupted in flames—true Flarefire. Everyone saw it clearly, and the temperature soared.
Those standing close quickly backed away, exclaiming in shock. After all this time, someone had finally made the Flame Dragon Sword blaze.
The crowd buzzed with excitement. Many looked on with envy, others with greed, but Evan noticed everything.
The peddler's face turned green—he couldn't believe the youth had done it. It was bizarre, but he'd already promised, so he could only hand over the Flame Dragon Sword for now and hope to take it back later.
Evan slowly stopped channeling Chaos Dragon Force, and the flames on the blade died away. The Flame Dragon Sword returned to its black color.
He said, "I've made the Flame Dragon Sword erupt in flames. Does that mean it's mine now?"
The peddler didn't want to, but with everyone watching, he forced a smile and said, "Since you met the requirement, the Flame Dragon Sword is yours. I never thought you were such a hidden expert."
Evan glanced at the peddler and smiled. "I was just lucky. If I tried again, I might not be able to do it. Thanks—goodbye!"
Evan turned and left, leaving the crowd amazed and envious. News of a mysterious youth winning a top-quality Flame Dragon Sword quickly spread among them.
Evan headed for a nearby restaurant—it was mealtime, and plenty of people would be eating. It was the perfect chance to gather information. A few people quietly followed him...