Watching Goldwing take off, Evan Chu finally felt a weight lift off his chest. "With Old Gold's strength, Roxanne should be safe. But I have no idea how Jenny Sima's doing right now. The Sea Dragon Academy Honors Class guys are seriously tough—it's impossible not to worry."
Man, having all these women around is a real pain in the ass. Gotta watch out for that. But for now, dealing with what's right in front of me is way more important.
Evan Chu muttered to himself, just about to head back when Luna’s voice rang out: "Evan, at least you know your limits. Let me tell you something—your Pure Yang Constitution, that Pure Yang Qi you’re suppressing now? It’s only temporary. Once your bloodline awakens, you’ll see. Without eight or ten women, at least half of them with Pure Yin bodies, you won’t solve your problem."
Evan’s head instantly started to ache. He already felt overwhelmed, and now Luna was saying it’d only get worse. What was he, some kind of stud horse? He really didn’t get how she thought about these things.
He knew a little about suppressing Pure Yang Qi. Ever since his Earth Star Pellet appeared, that annoying energy had pretty much vanished, and with Chaos Qi refining it, he barely noticed it now. But he hadn’t expected this was just a temporary fix before his bloodline exploded.
"Luna, what if I just don’t awaken my bloodline? I’ll be fine, right?" Evan asked cautiously. He couldn’t help but feel a weird mix of fear and respect toward the Sword Spirit.
"Don’t awaken your bloodline? Sure, you’ll be fine—if you don’t care about Roxanne’s mark, the Frostbane Sword’s seal, Shadow’s growth, your mother’s predicament, or my situation. You can just ignore all that. Doesn’t that sound easy?" Luna’s voice was calm, not even a hint of anger.
Sweat broke out on Evan’s forehead. Every single thing Luna listed was something he had to fix. Her meaning was clear: only awakening his bloodline could solve them. But awakening a bloodline was no joke—without Heaven Martial Realm strength, it was impossible.
"That’s not what I meant, Luna. Don’t worry, I’ll get it done. Even if I need twenty women, I’ll handle it! There’s just so much going on right now—let’s deal with the rest later." Evan hurried off. If he kept talking to Luna, she’d probably torture him with her crazy methods. He knew all too well how fierce she could be.
Seeing Evan Chu return, Sterling Yates rushed over. "Boss, you’re back! I’ve already picked the team. There’ll be eight of us going into the cave: me, Ximen Piaoxue, and six others with solid speed and strength. Don’t worry, Boss!"
Evan Chu glanced at the group behind Sterling Yates. He’d already seen Ximen Piaoxue’s speed in action—besides himself, Ximen was definitely the fastest here. Even Rhea Yang couldn’t match him. With Ximen joining, this operation would be much safer.
"Nice work. Have everyone get ready—we’ll go in and check it out soon. Who knows, maybe there’s a surprise waiting for us." Evan Chu grinned.
Sure, these guys are pretty weak right now, but who can say what the future holds? As long as they have enough Starstones to train with, Evan Chu believed they’d soon become his best helpers.
Gabe Goldstone walked over. "Evan, I want to go in too. When it comes to caves, tombs, places like that, I’m way more experienced than you guys. I’ve gone into plenty of them hunting for sword-forging ore, and I’ve broken quite a few barriers inside."
Looking at this big brother who’d helped him so much, Evan Chu felt a rush of emotion. The Frostbane Sword in his hand was something Gabe had risked his life to get. "If you’re interested, big bro, come along. But be careful—stick close to me so I can protect you if anything happens!"
Gabe Goldstone laughed. "You’re underestimating me! Don’t worry, I won’t be your burden."
"Evan, we’re coming too. Otherwise we’ll just worry!" Rhea Yang spoke up.
Both Rhea Yang and Lily Tang were really worried about Evan Chu heading into this unknown cave. They wanted to stay by his side, willing to face any danger together.
Evan Chu understood how they felt, but he didn’t know if the cave was dangerous. He couldn’t just agree recklessly. Just as he was hesitating, Luna’s voice echoed in his mind:
"Evan, this cave isn’t that dangerous. As long as you handle things properly, there shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, there might be a pleasant surprise inside. You can let her come, just tell her to be careful."
Luna’s words made Evan Chu instantly happy. A pleasant surprise? That had to mean something good. As long as it wasn’t another "surprise" like running into Owen Ouyang, he’d be fine.
"Rhea, Lily—you two can come in with us. But don’t go off on your own. You have to follow my instructions." Evan Chu smiled.
The two girls lit up with joy and agreed, which put Evan Chu at ease.
The cave wasn’t far from camp. Evan Chu told the rest of the brothers to wait quietly here, but of course he assigned a few to patrol the area. If Sea Dragon Academy showed up while they were inside, it’d be a real mess.
It’s not that he thought these guys were useless—Sea Dragon Academy’s Honors Class was on a whole other level, way beyond what they could handle right now. Better safe than sorry.
Gus Bullard wanted to go in too, but Evan Chu stopped him. Gus was a one-track-minded guy—if something unexpected happened, he’d charge in without thinking and probably make a mess of things.
Watching Evan Chu, Rhea Yang, Gabe Goldstone, and the others enter the cave, Gus Bullard felt stifled. He didn’t dare talk back though—when the boss gave an order, he had to obey, even if the rest of the students kept teasing him.
Evan Chu was the first to squeeze into the cave. The entrance was just tall enough for one person; inside, it was damp, with water dripping from the ceiling and moss everywhere.
Once the boss was inside, Sterling Yates and the others followed one after another. The cave was dark, so everyone moved slowly.
"Everyone, stay sharp. Keep your weapons ready. If anything happens, hit it with your strongest attack and get out fast!" Evan Chu warned from up front.
He noticed the farther they went, the more spacious it got. The entrance was only one person high, but now it was nearly twice that, and much wider too. But there was also more water dripping from above.
"Boss, want me to scout ahead?" Ximen Piaoxue volunteered eagerly.
Evan Chu thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, but be careful. If you find anything, come back immediately—don’t go rushing ahead just to show off."
With Evan Chu’s approval, Ximen Piaoxue shot forward. About a minute later, his voice echoed back: "Boss, come quick—there’s something huge up ahead!"