Harvey Liu felt genuine fear and awe deep in his heart.
He wasn't stupid—up until now, Master Lin from Seacrest had barely used any sword qi, but the tiny sword net condensing before his eyes instantly made Harvey sense a terrifying aura.
That little sword net looked ordinary and unimpressive, with nothing special about its appearance, but the sword qi woven into it was clearly countless times stronger than anything Harvey had wielded before.
"It's nothing, just a minor punishment."
Evan Lin spoke calmly. The sword net descended, completely covering Harvey Liu's face.
That face—so handsome it drew attention everywhere he went, winning cheers from countless women—was instantly slashed with countless wounds.
Disfigured.
The pain made Harvey howl out loud. He tried to block the sword net, but it was useless—the sword qi crisscrossed mercilessly, giving no quarter.
The sword net then melted into Harvey's body. In the next instant, something even more unbearable happened—he realized all the sword qi in his body had vanished!
The sword qi he'd painstakingly acquired from First Cloud Sword Dao was wiped out by the sword net. His insides were empty—without sword qi, he was just an ordinary person.
Now, not only had he lost his stunningly handsome face, but what remained was truly horrifying—no girl would ever throw herself at him for his looks again.
"From now on, try being a decent person."
Evan Lin didn't even spare Harvey Liu a glance.
A small character like him was never worth Evan Lin's attention.
Now that his face was ruined and his sword qi erased, Harvey Liu was nothing but an ordinary person.
He'd spend the rest of his life paying for his past arrogance.
Besides, Evan Lin had always disliked Harvey Liu's foreign-worshipping attitude.
Sword dao originated in China, and sword qi is respected most in China. Yet Harvey Liu shamelessly sided with the Island Nation’s sword dao instead.
As for so-called Sword Saints like First Cloud, Evan Lin didn’t care much about them either.
If First Cloud, the Sword Saint, really showed up for a small character like Harvey Liu, Evan Lin wouldn’t mind giving him a lesson too.
What Evan Lin didn’t know was that the Sword Saint had already been slain by Azure Dragon.
Evan Lin turned and left the alley. Only Harvey Liu remained, clutching his face and rolling on the ground. Whether he was in pain or regret, that was none of Evan’s concern.
"Did you eat something bad?"
Inside the hotpot restaurant, Lynn Chen watched as Evan Lin came out of the restroom—he’d been gone for fifteen minutes.
Most of that time, Evan had just waited for Harvey Liu to wander off to a deserted spot.
Evan wasn’t in any hurry anyway.
Lynn Chen just assumed Evan had eaten something that upset his stomach.
"It’s nothing."
Evan Lin shook his head. "After we finish eating, I’ll probably have to leave Beijing for a while."
"If you ever need anything or run into trouble, call this person."
Evan handed over a number.
It was Night Spring’s number again.
Even though Nightstar had suffered setbacks at the Ju family, their strength and influence were undeniable.
With Nightstar backing Lynn Chen, ordinary trouble wouldn’t even matter—and sometimes, the name Nightstar carried more weight than even 'Master Lin from Seacrest.'
"So when will you come back again?"
Lynn Chen fell silent for a moment. She knew Evan had come this time for the Math Modeling Championship, and now that it was over, the results were already out.
So it made sense that Evan would be leaving soon.
Over this period, Lynn hadn’t seen Evan much, but whenever they were in the same city, she always felt a special sense of calm and security inside.
Now that Evan was leaving, just thinking about the hundreds of kilometers between them made Lynn quietly heartsore.
"I’m not sure yet," Evan shook his head. Right now, he was deeply interested in the mysterious site Yvette Ye had mentioned.
Since that place produced magic artifacts, it might be connected to true cultivators.
That was one reason Evan agreed to join Moonshade at Yvette Ye’s invitation.
But Yvette still hadn’t contacted him, so all Evan could do was wait patiently.
"If I get the chance, I’ll visit you in Harborview City," Lynn said, biting her lip as she spoke.
"I might be really busy then. If I have time, I’ll show you around. If not, I’ll arrange someone to take you sightseeing."
Evan’s voice was calm and unhurried. After he finished, Lynn forced a smile, feeling a bittersweet twinge.
She felt her request was a bit abrupt.
Evan was no longer the ordinary boy he once was; he was getting stronger, and the burdens he carried were heavier too.
"Yeah, if you’re free, accompany me. If not, I’ll still have a good time on my own."
Lynn nodded, "By the way, have you been in touch with Yolanda Fang lately?"
"Yolanda Fang?" Evan blinked when Lynn brought her up.
Ever since the last time in Oceanport, Yolanda hadn’t contacted Evan. Thanks to his influence, though, the Fang family took heavy losses but wasn’t utterly wiped out.
Fang Qiuji’s business only faced greater obstacles and lost a lot of money, but what remained was enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
As for Yolanda, that cheerful, forthright girl who’d always treated Evan with warmth—even before he became Master Lin—hadn’t appeared in his life for a while now.
Who knows if she’s now dominating her university, leading her gang of girlfriends around, bold and carefree just like she was in high school.
She was loyal to everyone, but always hid her own sadness deep inside.
Just like back then, when Ling Xuan took her to Oceanport, Yolanda had tears in her eyes as she looked at Evan and asked if he’d come find her.
"Yeah." Lynn nodded. "For a long time, I couldn’t reach her, but a few days ago she called me."
"She asked a lot about you. She hid it well, but I could tell—she really cares about you."
Lynn spoke with unusual seriousness.
She set down her chopsticks, bit her lip, and looked at Evan’s face with wide, sparkling eyes.
"I know—she likes you."
Yolanda actually knows I like you too, but she probably never expected that on graduation day, I’d finally work up the courage to confess."
At this point, Lynn took a deep breath and met Evan’s gaze with determination.
Her courage was on full display as she looked straight into his eyes.
The tangled feelings between them were sincere, honest, and quietly brave.
Across all of this, Evan Lin stood far above so-called geniuses and elite disciples, treating bullies and arrogant upstarts as trivial stepping stones while fiercely protecting those he cared about.
In this modern world that barely understood cultivation, Evan steadily reclaimed his immortal supremacy, all while navigating loyalty, love, and the tangled relationships his former immortal self rarely faced.