"Evan, his stellar power is almost depleted. Just hang in there a little longer—this guy is dead for sure!" Sword Spirit Luna suddenly said.
Evan’s heart leapt with joy. "Luna, you can actually see how much stellar power he has left? That’s incredible!"
"I don’t have that kind of ability," Luna scoffed. "But I can sense that the energy fluctuations in his stellar power have obviously weakened a lot. What do you think I am, a god?"
At this moment, the Sea Dragon Academy students were all staring in shock at the two of them and their spectacular duel. Most of them had never seen attacks like these before and found it fascinating.
So much so that their so-called Third Brother was already at death’s door, and they still didn’t realize it—thinking he could quickly finish off that arrogant Heavenly Dragon Academy guy.
Warren Wang was also staring intently at the two, but since he was closest, he could see most clearly—his Third Brother was drenched in sweat and clearly struggling.
"Third Brother, do you want me to help you?" Warren asked cautiously. He knew Third Brother’s temper well—normally, he never allowed help during a duel.
If he accidentally made Third Brother angry, there’d be hell to pay. But this time, it really seemed like he was in trouble, so Warren spoke up.
"Why are you just standing there? Get moving! I can barely hold out!" Third Brother roared.
That shout instantly distracted him, and Evan’s Frostbane Sword pressed in several inches deeper, reaching Third Brother’s chest. The sword qi at the tip had already torn through his clothes, leaving a nasty wound.
As soon as Warren heard Third Brother say that, he leapt up and charged at Evan, once again unleashing his Flowing Cloud Slash infused with water element!
Evan was secretly frustrated—at such a critical moment, this guy finally decided to help. He hurriedly flashed aside several meters, dodging Warren’s fierce, domineering sword strike.
But his mind was still locked on maintaining Heart-Sword—he had to finish this guy off fast. If his Chaos Qi wasn’t so depleted, he wouldn’t be forced into this mess. A few more casts of Wind Over the World and who knows how many Sea Dragon Academy students would already be dead.
Missing his strike, Warren grew furious. "Kid, you really are slippery! Try this one on for size!"
Evan steeled himself, a bold thought flashing through his mind: could he split his focus with Heart-Sword—controlling Frostbane with one strand, and at the same time, use his finger as a sword to deliver a killing blow with powerful sword qi?
Back during the Heavenly Dragon Academy entrance test, Evan had used finger-as-sword, and his attack power actually reached the fourth layer of the Earth Martial Realm.
There was no time to think it over. As soon as that idea hit, he immediately tried to split his focus: one part controlling Frostbane, the other channeling sword qi into his finger, flicking out a strike in an instant.
It was a good idea, but reality was harsh. Evan’s finger strike failed to shoot out any sword qi—just an awkward, half-formed gesture.
"Evan, calm down and clear your mind. That kid’s attacks are fierce, but your Second-Layer Starforge Body’s defense isn’t weak. And don’t forget, you’ve got your big sister here—if real danger shows up, I’ll help you!" Luna said.
"This is the most dangerous moment, Luna! Hurry and help me kill that guy so I can go all out against the other one!" Evan pleaded.
"No rush. Just focus on using your Heart-Sword. Splitting your mind in two isn’t something just anyone can do—especially at a moment like this. Think of it as tempering your will." Luna still refused to intervene.
Evan took a deep breath. "If I die, I die! Let’s see what happens!"
His mind stayed locked on controlling Frostbane. Chaos Qi poured steadily into his right fingertip. Evan simply closed his eyes and threw himself completely into the Heart-Sword technique.
Luna thought to herself, "Evan, you really are a genius. Almost no one can grasp Heart-Sword, and if you master splitting your mind for full dual use, your strength will at least double. I hope you succeed."
Right now, Evan’s mind was completely clear, all stray thoughts discarded—like a meditating monk, he stood motionless where he was.
At that moment, Warren’s attack reached him. Seeing Evan not even dodging, Warren was delighted. "You’re dead for sure this time!"
Just as he finished speaking, a faint white light flashed at Evan’s brow. Suddenly, Warren’s sword was stopped by an invisible force, unable to get close to Evan’s body. Warren couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
It was actually Luna’s doing. If she wanted to kill Warren, she could do it in an instant—but she held back. Since Evan was trying for a dual-focus breakthrough, she had to let him face the challenge himself.
She let Warren keep up the pressure. Sometimes, only in the most dangerous, desperate moments can a person unleash their true potential. Right now, Evan was facing exactly that kind of peril—he just didn’t know Luna had already neutralized the real threat.
Warren stared in shock at Evan, now just inches away, and muttered in frustration, "What the hell? How does this guy have some invisible force blocking my attack? My sword could smash a boulder to dust, but he’s not even scratched!"
Even if Warren racked his brains, he couldn’t figure out it was Luna playing tricks. Unwilling to give up, he raised his sword and slashed down at Evan again.
From a distance, Rhea Yang, Lily Tang, and the others watched, hearts in their throats. At that range, rescue was impossible—they could only stare, faces pale with fear.
"Why isn’t Evan dodging? Is he hurt?" Lily asked nervously, not knowing Evan’s unique situation.
"Probably not. I don’t get why he’s doing this either, but he must have his reasons. Let’s wait and see—don’t forget, his defense is insanely tough." Rhea replied, though she was deeply anxious inside.
Rhea was anxious, though—this damned idiot always had some crazy stunt up his sleeve, scaring everyone half to death every single time. She really wondered if sticking with him would someday get her killed from fright.
Evan followed his old method for Heart-Sword, splitting his mind: half to control the Chaos Qi at his fingertip. At first, he couldn’t fully manage it—some Chaos Qi would naturally flow back to his dantian.
As time passed, he began to get the hang of it. The part of his mind controlling Frostbane felt like it had become an independent consciousness, no longer distracted, while the other half focused entirely on channeling Chaos Qi into his finger.
"So that’s how it works!" Evan’s eyes snapped open as he suddenly understood.
Frostbane flew straight back into his hand. He flicked his finger out, the gesture casual and effortless—totally different from Phantom Finger, more like that plain, unremarkable sword strike, natural and unforced.
Then, two screams rang out...