Marcus Blake and Lynne Nie were evenly matched in strength. The sudden appearance of a figure in the sky brought their fight to a halt—because Lynne Nie actually stopped, and Marcus Blake, unwilling to take advantage of her distraction, naturally ceased attacking as well.
Besides, the two of them were friends to begin with—if not for sect rivalry, they never would’ve fought at all. When they saw the figure in the sky, both looked visibly excited.
Everyone present stared up in shock—the way this person appeared was just too bizarre. Most knew he’d been sucked into the spatial black hole, and now he’d somehow returned. That was nothing short of a miracle.
At this moment, Selena Yale’s face finally showed a long-lost smile. She hadn’t smiled once since Evan Chu was swallowed by the spatial black hole; whenever disciples asked her about it, she’d always lose her temper for no reason.
"You troublemaker, you really are alive. I’ve worried about you for so long—can’t you ever stop making people fret?" Selena muttered in her heart.
The Freewind Palace Lord was also stunned—this kid actually survived a whole month inside a spatial black hole? That was seriously impressive, and breaking out on top of that just proved how extraordinary he was.
Ethan Feng’s face, meanwhile, showed a hint of anger. He’d thought his strongest rival was gone for good after being sucked into the spatial black hole, and now that hope was shattered in an instant. It felt like basking in the sun one moment, then being tossed into an ice cellar the next—hard to accept.
"You really didn’t disappoint me. Looks like this tournament would’ve been pointless without you." A black-clothed youth thought silently to himself.
But the happiest of all were Joan He and the other Frostbane Sect disciples. Evan Chu’s reappearance gave them hope again. Even though they believed their Sect Master couldn’t possibly have died so easily, the power of a spatial black hole was enough to make anyone shudder.
Even a Saint Martial Realm expert might die if sucked into a spatial black hole, let alone Evan Chu, who’d only been around Sixth or Seventh Layer Divine Martial at the time. For him to reappear like this—it was nothing short of Heaven favoring Frostbane Sect.
The crowd was abuzz, discussing the matter nonstop, the atmosphere lively and charged. Evan Chu suddenly appeared before everyone with a single teleport, moving so fast that even the ten sect masters were shaken.
Evan Chu’s sudden arrival here might have been a coincidence—breaking open space and emerging right above Frostbane Sect was something even he found hard to believe. But in this world, some things just happen by coincidence, forcing you to accept the unacceptable.
Joan He and the Frostbane Sect disciples rushed over to Evan Chu, saying, “Sect Master, thank heavens you’re safe! You have no idea how worried everyone was when we saw you sucked into that spatial black hole.”
“I’m fine, see? Nothing to worry about. Today, I’ll show the world that this is the day Frostbane Sect rises!” Evan Chu declared.
Especially among the Nine Great Sects’ masters, his words were met with utter disdain. A newcomer without even Saint Martial Realm strength wanted to stand as their equal? What a joke.
Evan Chu saw the contempt in many people’s eyes, but he didn’t care. If he was going to do something, he’d do it with a bang.
He no longer feared anyone. Even if he lost, he wouldn’t be defeated. He walked up to the Freewind Palace Lord and said, “I wonder if I still have a chance to join this tournament?”
Evan Chu threw the tough question to the Freewind Palace Lord. If she said no, he’d be ready to turn hostile—after all, he was now the richest man in the Azure Tide Ruins, and building up a sect wouldn’t be hard.
The Freewind Palace Lord glanced at Evan Chu, then at the other sect masters, hoping for their opinions—this tournament wasn’t hers to decide alone.
At this, Mist Rain Pavilion’s master, Victor Zhang, spoke up: “He’s late—he’s not qualified to participate anymore.”
His words were simple, but Evan Chu knew full well he was making things difficult for him on purpose, all because Evan killed his prized disciple.
Selena Yale immediately countered, “I think he should be allowed to participate. Didn’t Frostbane Sect deliberately leave a slot open—maybe just for him? Now that he’s here, it’s only right he joins. Victor Zhang, are you blocking him just because he killed your beloved disciple last time?”
Evan Chu gave Selena Yale a gentle smile, pouring all his warmth into it, making her heart feel impossibly sweet.
Victor Zhang snapped back, “Don’t think nobody knows about your business, Selena Yale. Cross me and I’ll ruin your reputation.”
Selena Yale flared up instantly. “Victor Zhang, don’t push your luck! Are you looking for an all-out sect war?”
“Enough, enough. It’s not good for minor sects to see this. Great sects should act with dignity. Since this Frostbane Sect disciple survived the spatial black hole, it means he’s fated for this tournament. Let’s settle it here,” said Marcus Blake, Sacred Sword Sect’s master.
It was Evan Chu who struck him out of the spatial black hole, saving his life, and Sacred Sword Sect had always been friendly with Frostbane Sect. This was the perfect moment to return the favor.
Marcus Blake’s words carried weight—after Freewind Palace, Sacred Sword Sect was the strongest in Azure Tide Ruins. Victor Zhang was clearly unhappy, but he didn’t dare contradict Marcus Blake and could only acquiesce.
The Freewind Palace Lord announced, “Since no one objects, you’re allowed to join the tournament. But because you arrived last, you’ve spent the least Stellar Power, so you must accept three challengers to earn your qualification. If you find this too difficult, you’re free to refuse.”
“Of course I accept! This is a favor from the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion’s master and Sacred Sword Sect’s master—I’d be a fool not to treasure it. Palace Lord, send up my challengers! In fact, have all three come at once and save us all some trouble!” Evan Chu said arrogantly.
“How arrogant! He dares to take on three at once? Did that spatial black hole scramble his brains? Even Ethan Feng wouldn’t say something like that,” someone in the crowd muttered.
Most people thought Evan Chu was just boasting, but a handful believed he actually had the strength to back it up: Selena Yale, the Freewind Palace Lord, and that mysterious black-clothed youth.
Victor Zhang seized the moment: “Mist Rain Pavilion will provide all three challengers for this powerful young man…”
PS: Tonight’s midnight update will be delayed. There’s a scheduled power outage at 9PM, and power won’t return until 2:30AM. If Xiaoxiao wakes up then, I’ll update; otherwise, tomorrow’s update will be at 8AM. Thanks for your support, book friends!