The power packed inside this Star Crystal was beyond monstrous! Evan Chu spent hours absorbing its energy—his Chaos Dragon Force surged to the absolute limit, yet the Star Crystal itself barely shrank by a third. Compared to that green solid Starstone from before, this thing was on a whole other level—ten times more terrifying, ten times more overwhelming!
When Evan Chu finally stopped absorbing, he rose to his feet. Joan He and every Frostbane Sect disciple stood there, staring at him in total silence—their faces etched with awe, respect, and a flicker of fear. In that moment, Evan wasn’t just a cultivator. He was their legend reborn.
He hadn’t formally taken the title of Frostbane Sect Master yet, but for these disciples, it was already decided. Evan’s strength spoke louder than words—in this world, the strong rule, and everyone bows to power!
Just yesterday, everyone—Joan He included—thought the fight for Sect Master would be a brutal, drawn-out struggle. Now? There was no contest. Evan Chu had already crushed all doubt with sheer, unstoppable force.
Evan Chu swept his gaze over the crowd, voice ringing with iron resolve: “Tomorrow, Frostbane Sect rises! We’ll stand tall among the great sects of the Azure Tide Ruins—strongest in talent, richest in resources! Joan He, round up the best craftsmen you can find. I want Frostbane Sect rebuilt from the ground up—ten times bigger, ten times grander!”
The crowd gawked at Evan in disbelief. Was he insane? To expand the sect tenfold would take a mountain of manpower and Starstones. Frostbane Sect was so broke, even a simple renovation was out of reach—let alone building a fortress ten times the size!
Joan He shot Evan a troubled look. “Sect Master, rebuilding is a great idea, but Frostbane Sect’s been in decline for years. There’s no way we can scrape together that many Starstones. I just can’t make it happen!”
Evan Chu caught her meaning instantly and broke into a confident grin. “That’s nothing! Just tell me—how many Starstones do we need to blow this place up tenfold? Give me a number so I know what we’re up against.”
Joan He hesitated, then sighed, “If we really want to expand ten times, we’d need at least five hundred million Starstones. That’s a number so huge it’s almost scary, Sect Master. Maybe we should take it slow…”
Evan Chu just laughed, bold and unshaken. “Five hundred million Starstones? That’s all? Tomorrow you’ll have six hundred million—use the extra for daily expenses. And every Frostbane Sect disciple gets a hundred thousand Starstones for their cultivation! Frostbane Sect is done groveling—we rise now!”
His words crashed down like thunder—Frostbane Sect disciples were left speechless. Six hundred million Starstones, just like that? Even the Sacred Sword Sect or Freewind Palace couldn’t cough up that kind of fortune overnight!
After a stunned silence, Joan He finally blurted out, “Sect Master, you’re not joking, are you? That’s six hundred million Starstones—not sixty thousand!” She just couldn’t believe it.
Evan Chu just flashed a cocky grin. “Of course I know it’s six hundred million. Hell, I could give you a billion if you asked! Frostbane Sect is rising—what’s a few Starstones compared to our future? Just do as I say, and leave tomorrow’s tournament to me. Watch me crush the Mist Rain Pavilion Master and turn him into our stepping stone!”
Only now did the disciples truly grasp the terrifying might of their Sect Master. Some glanced at the Frostbane portrait hanging in the Grand Hall—finally, it clicked: the legendary Lord Frostbane had returned!
Without hesitation, Evan Chu whipped out a storage belt and handed it to Joan He. “Inside you’ll find a hundred supreme-grade Starstones, thousands of high-grade Starstones, and five Star Crystals. Make sure you pull this off—Frostbane Sect’s rise can’t lose face!”
Joan He peeked inside and saw it loaded with high-grade and supreme-grade Starstones. She’d never seen a Star Crystal before, but she’d heard the legends and knew exactly what it meant. Grinning, she nodded, “Don’t worry, Sect Master—I’ll get it done!”
With that, Joan He turned and left. Evan Chu faced the crowd, his voice ringing with pride: “Rest easy, everyone. From now on, no one will ever look down on you again. You’ll be proud to call yourselves Frostbane Sect disciples!”
Frostbane Sect wasn’t a huge place, and this tournament had drawn tens of thousands—there was no way everyone could fit. Evan Chu didn’t go back to the sect, even though he longed to see the home he’d dreamed of for years. For now, he held back.
Wherever there are crowds, there’s gossip and drama. But this time, with all the major sects gathered, there were no scandals—just endless chatter. Nearly every conversation revolved around Evan Chu, the man who’d flipped the whole tournament on its head.
Evan Chu just tuned out the rumors, strolling through the crowd with casual confidence. He quickly caught wind of all the betting—mostly small-time stuff, but one thing was clear: almost nobody thought he’d win. Underdog or not, Evan was ready to prove every last one of them wrong.
Just then, Ye Suping walked over, her eyes full of concern. “Evan, that Mist Rain Pavilion Master Victor Zhang is seriously dangerous. You need to be careful. Honestly, I’m not sure you can win—give me something to hold onto, will you?”
Evan Chu flashed a teasing grin. “Suping, when all this is over, I’ll let the world know you’re my woman. Frostbane Sect and Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion—united! Trust me, if I say I’ll do it, I will. Killing Victor Zhang? I’m seventy percent sure. He’s a Saint Martial powerhouse, but don’t forget who I am. If I couldn’t handle this, how could I be worthy of you?”
Ye Suping rolled her eyes, but her voice was serious. “You always know how to talk big. I mean it—even with my strength, I might not beat him. You haven’t even broken through to Saint Martial yet. I’m worried, Evan.”
Evan Chu answered with a steady gaze, “I’m not joking. Tomorrow, just watch me—see how I take him down. And Frostbane Sect’s rise? I’ll need your support for that too.”
“Count on it! Just promise me you’ll be careful!” Ye Suping said, turning to leave, her worry lingering in the air.
Meanwhile, Mist Rain Pavilion Master Victor Zhang was deep in a secret conversation with Bloodfiend Hall Master Matthew Ma. “Brother Ma, that Frostbane Sect kid is no pushover. How sure are you you’ll kill him?”
Victor Zhang just laughed. “Brother Ma, you’re overestimating him. He hasn’t even reached Saint Martial—he’s no match for me. Unless something crazy happens, I’ll finish him in three moves. Besides, that kid’s loaded—he even has a Star Crystal! Never saw that coming.”
Matthew Ma replied, voice low and serious, “He does have a Star Crystal, but forget it—we’ll never get our hands on it. He’s close with Freewind Palace’s Lord Hua Yurong. Don’t even think about the Star Crystal. Just kill him and avenge your disciple. If you make Freewind Palace your enemy, nobody can save you.”
Victor Zhang nodded, murderous intent flashing in his eyes. “You’re right. Mist Rain Pavilion has taken a beating this tournament. If I don’t kill that kid, I’ll never let this grudge go.”
That night seemed to stretch on forever and vanish in a blink. When dawn finally broke, it brought the promise of an earth-shaking duel atop Frostbane Sect’s rear mountain—a battle for the ages, and the true beginning of a young legend’s rise…