As soon as dawn broke, all the major sects arrived at the arena. Today was set to be the most spectacular battle of the tournament, and nobody wanted to miss it.
Mist Rain Pavilion Master Victor Zhang arrived early as well, a confident smile on his face. The Mist Rain Pavilion disciples all looked energized and proud—today was the day their master would display his might, and they felt it would bring great honor to their sect.
Selena Yale and the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion disciples stood far away—not because they didn’t want to watch, but because they knew both combatants possessed terrifying destructive power. If the duel turned deadly, innocent bystanders could easily be caught in the crossfire. Keeping their distance was simply the wisest choice.
The Sacred Sword Sect Master and his disciples also kept their distance. At that moment, the Sacred Sword Sect Master turned to Selena Yale and asked, “Pavilion Master Selena, you seem quite familiar with the young man from Frostbane Sect. How likely do you think he is to win today?”
Selena Yale hadn’t expected such a direct and difficult question from the Sacred Sword Sect Master. She smiled and replied, “Honestly, I can’t say for sure. But I believe Evan will definitely win. What about you, Sect Master—how do you see it?”
“I haven’t interacted with the young man personally,” the Sacred Sword Sect Master replied, “but he gives me the feeling of a starving wolf—a fierce tiger. If you provoke him, you’re in for serious trouble. I do think he has a real chance to win.”
Selena Yale smiled, “Why do you think that? How can you be so sure he might win? Evan’s only at Eighth-Layer Divine Martial Realm. Do you really believe a Divine Martial Eighth-Layer could defeat a Third-Layer Saint Martial expert?”
“Divine Martial Eighth-Layer—it’s almost unbelievable. He might be the number one genius in the Azure Tide Ruins. To take an attack at that level, one comparable to a Saint Martial First-Layer blow, and emerge unscathed—that’s unheard of. Just for that, and the confidence in his eyes, I’m certain he can win. Maybe he’ll pay a heavy price, but what matters is the result.”
“Evan’s slaying Victor Zhang today is all about Frostbane Sect’s rise. Sect Master, what’s your stance—support or opposition?” Selena Yale pressed.
“If he truly has the strength to kill Victor Zhang, then Frostbane Sect really might rise again. Sacred Sword Sect has always had good relations with Frostbane Sect—if not for Lord Frostbane’s help back then, Sacred Sword Sect wouldn’t be what it is today. So of course I’ll support them, with manpower and resources, no hesitation.” the Sacred Sword Sect Master said firmly.
“He won’t let you down. Let’s just wait and see—Evan will definitely surprise everyone.” Selena Yale’s eyes shone with excitement.
The Sacred Sword Sect Master was momentarily stunned by the look in her eyes—a look only reserved for someone truly beloved. Could they really be lovers? If so, that would be shocking beyond belief!
As the crowd waited anxiously, Evan Chu finally appeared. The Frostbane Sect disciples all stood far away, just as Evan had instructed beforehand—he feared Mist Rain Pavilion disciples might seek revenge after their master’s death.
Even though other sects might intervene, casualties would be hard to avoid. Evan refused to let his own people suffer for his duel.
Victor Zhang saw Evan Chu arrive and immediately sneered, “Boy, any last words? You’d better say them now, or you won’t get another chance.”
“Thanks for your concern, but maybe you should make your own arrangements. Mist Rain Pavilion is about to vanish from the Azure Tide Ruins—though you might not live to see it.” Evan replied coolly.
“Enough nonsense. I gave you a chance and you didn’t take it, so get ready to die!” Victor Zhang snapped, pulling a dark-green longsword from his storage ring.
Evan didn’t dare be careless either. He instantly brought out the Flame Dragon Sword. With the Frostbane Sword still sealed, the Flame Dragon Sword—housing the Fire Dragon King—was currently the stronger weapon.
Evan glanced at the onlookers and chuckled, “You’d all better stand farther back. I can’t guarantee there won’t be collateral damage—don’t blame me if you get caught up in it. Consider yourselves warned!”
Evan’s words spread like wildfire, making the crowd instinctively retreat dozens of meters. Instead of seeing him as arrogant, many actually felt a bit more goodwill toward him.
At that moment, a feral grin flashed across Victor Zhang’s face. His longsword erupted with a blazing red sword-glow, slashing toward Evan Chu at lightning speed.
The moment the sword struck, it seemed as if space itself froze; terrifying sword-qi filled the air. It didn’t quite tear open the void like Evan’s Tyrant Cleave, but it came close.
Evan’s expression shifted slightly—this attack from a Saint Martial expert was no joke. It was at least twice as strong as Ethan Feng’s full-force strike. He couldn’t afford to be careless.
He instantly unleashed Tyrant Cleave, while activating Earthshift to cover himself in a layer of earth-and-stone armor. A dragon’s roar echoed through the arena as a matching fire-red sword-glow burst from the Flame Dragon Sword to meet the attack.
The two powerful fire-element sword-qi blasts collided in an instant. It might have been the most devastating impact Evan had ever faced. "Boom!" The deafening explosion shattered the ground for dozens of meters around them.
A violent energy storm erupted, sweeping countless stones and clods into the air and momentarily darkening the sky. In that instant, Evan used teleportation to flicker back dozens of meters. Even so, the hand gripping the Flame Dragon Sword tingled with numbness from the recoil, and he felt a surge of respect for Victor Zhang’s power.
If Evan was shocked, Victor Zhang was even more so. He’d thought this opening blow would at least heavily wound, if not kill, Evan. Yet Evan’s attack was in no way inferior. A jolt of pain shot through Victor Zhang’s arm—the backlash was immense. Realizing Evan’s strength had reached such heights, he was forced to admit this youth was anything but simple.
Freewind Palace Lord, Sacred Sword Sect Master, and Selena Yale all looked astonished. None could believe Evan had survived that attack unscathed. His strength was simply terrifying.
Evan steeled himself—he’d made up his mind. He would unleash Soul Rend, then Earthsplitter in quick succession. If he survived, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
Victor Zhang was also racking his brain for a way to deal with Evan. This kid’s defense was monstrous, and his speed was frightening. The only way to win was to land a single, overwhelming blow and rob him of the ability to fight back. Victor Zhang prepared his strongest killing move.
PS: Something came up today—will update later tonight!