Evan Yang smiled and said, "Ready to admit defeat yet?"
"Admit defeat? You're dreaming, kid! How could I possibly lose?" Sean Shen stood up again, then waved his hand. The Gentleman Sword suddenly dropped from midair.
"When did it get up in the air?" Evan Yang exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone saw the Gentleman Sword appear over Evan Yang's head, spreading out a barrier that expanded around him.
The barrier enclosed Evan Yang inside, and it was slowly shrinking.
"What kind of move is this now?" Evan Yang asked curiously.
"Haha, this is the greatest secret of my Gentleman Sword—the sword barrier!" Sean Shen laughed.
"Sword barrier?" Evan Yang frowned.
Those supporting Evan Yang smiled, while Sean Shen laughed and said, "Kid, just admit defeat. Once this sword barrier shrinks enough to trap you inside, it'll immobilize you just like before with the Gentleman Sword. Then I can attack you at will."
Lora Luo, Hannah Nangong, and Chase Chu were all shocked. This clearly meant Evan Yang was already indirectly immobilized—it was just a matter of time.
Elder Joe Qiao chuckled, "Mad Elder, your disciple isn't all that impressive after all."
"Not so fast. I'm sure he's still hiding some tricks. Just wait and see," Mad Elder replied with a grin.
Evan Yang looked around—the space above his head was sealed. He tried to break out, but couldn't, so he smiled and said, "Your Gentleman Sword really is impressive. But does it work on everyone, regardless of their attribute?"
"Of course it does, except for earth attribute. But you're fire attribute, so it's useless for you," Sean Shen sneered.
Evan Yang smiled, "That's exactly it. If earth attribute works, then I can break free too."
Lora Luo and the others knew Evan Yang had several attributes, and earth was one of them. If earth could break the barrier, then Evan could too, so everyone started smiling with relief.
"Elder Joe Qiao, looks like my disciple's about to shine," Mad Elder laughed.
"Didn't you hear? It's earth attribute, but he's fire attribute. Don't get your hopes up," Elder Joe Qiao laughed.
"Hey, don't forget, I'm earth attribute myself," Mad Elder said.
"Just because you're earth attribute doesn't mean he is. Stop messing around," Elder Joe Qiao laughed, finding Mad Elder's reasoning ridiculous.
On the stage, Evan Yang had just finished speaking when Sean Shen sneered, "Stop deceiving yourself."
"Deceiving myself? Why not try it and see. Goodbye." Evan Yang smiled, then flashed away, earth-escaping and vanishing. When he reappeared, he was outside the Gentleman Sword's barrier.
Seeing Evan Yang appear outside the Gentleman Sword, everyone realized he had used earth attribute to escape. That meant Evan possessed two attributes.
Elder Joe Qiao and the other elders were stunned, while Mad Elder and Aurora Qing remained calm.
Sean Shen was dumbfounded. "Impossible! You're clearly fire attribute!"
"Who says just because I have fire attribute, I can't have earth attribute? What kind of joke is that?" Evan Yang smiled.
Sean Shen was shocked. "So you're dual attribute."
"You're too kind," Evan Yang smiled.
Seeing the Gentleman Sword was useless, Sean Shen put it away and snorted, "In that case, let's see if you can withstand this."
Suddenly, a bell dropped over Evan Yang's head with a boom. The surprise caught him off guard, and he was trapped inside before he could dodge.
"Don't think I'm stupid! You have dual attributes, so of course I can use other artifacts." Sean Shen laughed.
Everyone around fell silent—no one expected Sean Shen to use the Imprisoning Bell. Lora Luo exclaimed, "Now we're doomed."
"Don't worry, Evan Yang definitely has other ways," Hannah Nangong said confidently.
Lora Luo looked at Evan Yang's determined gaze and nodded, "Got it."
Hannah Nangong also watched the situation unfold, hoping Evan Yang could pull off another miracle. Mad Elder, however, frowned—this time he wasn't so relaxed. If Evan had a way out before, the Imprisoning Bell was different; even Mad Elder wouldn't fare well if trapped. Evan was not on Mad Elder's level, so what could he do?
"Mad Elder, looks like he's out of tricks this time," Elder Joe Qiao laughed after seeing Evan Yang trapped by the Imprisoning Bell.
"Without that artifact, he'd be nothing," Mad Elder said.
"Artifacts are a form of strength, aren't they? You just can't accept it," Elder Joe Qiao laughed.
Mad Elder shook his head, "Not necessarily. As long as it's not over, anything's possible."
"Stubborn old man, I don't buy it," Elder Joe Qiao sneered.
"Don't believe me? Just watch," Mad Elder said, refusing to back down.
The elders on the platform all assumed Evan Yang had lost. Even with earth attribute, he couldn't escape—the Imprisoning Bell was completely isolated from the ground.
Right now, Evan Yang was inside, seeing that the floor was like a void. Meanwhile, his Immortal Source was draining away.
"If this keeps up, my Immortal Source will be gone soon—I won't be able to fight." Evan Yang activated his Night-Eye Technique to study the darkness inside, trying to figure something out.
Inside was just a small space, covered in runic patterns, like things printed all over the walls. Those runes were the reason his Immortal Source was draining away.
"Runes, these runes... Let me take a closer look." Evan Yang walked over and touched the bell. As soon as he touched it, the drain sped up.
Evan Yang muttered, "Looks like touching it makes things worse."
He examined the area again. It looked like a formation, but also not quite. Evan Yang tried to find the source of the Immortal Source drain.
Evan Yang understood both artifact refinement and formations. Using both skills, he searched the small space for the cause of the drain.
Finally, at the top of the bell, he found a small gray stone—the key to all the runes.
"My Immortal Source is still being drained. It all comes down to this gray stone—if I can remove it, I'll be free," Evan Yang muttered, then started using his artifact-refining and formation skills to detach the stone.
Since the Imprisoning Bell had no spirit or divine sense, it was just an artifact. Sean Shen had no idea what Evan Yang was doing inside; he only knew that after a while, he could remove the artifact and Evan would collapse in front of everyone.
"What should we do? If this keeps up, he'll be too weak to fight," Lora Luo said worriedly.
"Don't worry. As long as it's not over, there's hope," Hannah Nangong said.
"Mm." Lora Luo nodded and could only keep waiting.
At that moment, many people at the scene were watching closely, wondering if Evan Yang would end up exhausted and at Sean Shen's mercy, just like before.
Sean Shen secretly laughed, "Kid, just wait till you get out. I'll make sure you never dare to face me again."
Sean Shen was already planning how to deal with Evan Yang, even thinking about breezing through the last two gates so he could claim Lora Luo. By then, Lora wouldn't have any chance to resist.
Thinking of all this, Sean Shen grew more smug, eagerly waiting to open the Imprisoning Bell. But since time wasn't up yet, he didn't dare open it and kept waiting.