"Your speed is impressive, but I refuse to believe your strength matches it!" Marcus Hale snapped.
"Oh? Then come on." Evan Yang replied with a smile.
Marcus gathered all his strength, aiming straight at Evan. Evan extended his hand, his fist already surging with power.
In everyone's eyes, Evan was doomed. If he could block this, then his strength was undeniable.
But a person like this—he'd be seen as a freak even throughout the Immortal Realm.
"Not dodging? Then die." Marcus thought darkly. Hannah Nangong was alarmed; if this kept up, Evan's hand would definitely be crippled.
Boom! Everyone saw two fists collide. The impact sent both men flying backward, nearly the same distance—which meant their punching power was almost equal.
Almost equal, but Evan was only at Heavenly-Immortal eighth tier, while his opponent was peak ninth-tier Xuan-Immortal. This left the crowd with major doubts.
Even the Ethereal Sanctuary Palace Lord couldn't sit still. Beside him, Vice Palace Lord Huang frowned, "Palace Lord, who exactly is this kid?"
"He's from the Lower Sanctuary, and even from the North Sect. Not only that, he's from a tiny smiling world-realm." the Palace Lord replied.
"How is this possible? Is the North Sect really about to rise because of him?" Vice Palace Lord Huang said.
"Rise? Dream on. It's just him alone—unless he reaches Immortal Sovereign, there's no way the North Sect rises. Even if he becomes an Emperor, it won't happen. And do you think I'll just sit here and let him win?" the Palace Lord replied.
"Oh? So you have a backup plan?" Vice Palace Lord Huang grinned.
"Of course. You'll see soon enough," said the Palace Lord.
Vice Palace Lord Huang was genuinely curious what tricks the Palace Lord would use.
"You!" Marcus Hale was in disbelief. When their fists collided, it felt like something bounced back at him—but he couldn't tell if it was Evan's technique or just his raw power.
Evan had indeed used absorption techniques, plus his own strength, to blast his opponent away.
"Any other tricks?" Evan asked.
"Tricks? Damn it—even if I drag you down, I won't let you off easy." Marcus knew losing meant ruin; the Palace Lord had ordered him to win at all costs, so he'd fight Evan to the bitter end.
So everyone saw Marcus's aura begin to shift.
"He's burning his cultivation!" someone exclaimed.
Hannah Nangong was shocked, and Evan Yang muttered after a moment, "No need to throw away your cultivation for a mere competition."
"Either way, losing means a bad ending. Might as well gamble everything," Marcus said.
"Gamble? That's not really my thing," Evan replied, keeping his eyes fixed on Marcus. After all, with Marcus burning his cultivation, his strength had nearly doubled—putting invisible pressure on Evan.
Marcus knew time was limited—the longer he delayed, the faster his burned cultivation would drain. He launched a wild assault, while Evan dodged like crazy, refusing to trade blows. "This kid's speed is ghostly!" the Palace Lord exclaimed. Vice Palace Lord Huang added, "The Palace Lord's backup plan can't just be burning cultivation, right?"
"More or less. I didn't expect him to use this trick, but it'll do." the Palace Lord said, though he secretly worried: if Evan kept dodging, he'd just wait for Marcus to exhaust himself and then strike.
By then, Marcus might not even match a basic Heavenly-Immortal.
Quinn Qing was getting restless—Evan's pressure was overwhelming. Thankfully, he hadn't personally challenged Evan; otherwise, he'd be nothing but bones by now.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Quinn's expression, Quentin Qing asked.
"Dad, how is his strength so freakish?" Quinn Qing asked.
"Him? I wish I knew. But after today, he'll be famous across the Immortal Realm. Some will try to recruit him, others will hunt him down. After all, an eighth-tier Heavenly-Immortal who can challenge a peak Xuan-Immortal—if he ever reaches the Emperor Realm, simply put, no one in that realm will be his match." Quentin Qing said.
"Is it really that serious?" Quinn Qing exclaimed.
"Not an exaggeration at all. It happened before—such talents were besieged and killed. No major power wants to leave a threat like that. Including us: if we don't eliminate him before he grows into an Emperor, the Qing Family will never have anyone who can match him." Quentin Qing said.
"This guy—I thought he was just lucky, but his strength is insane." Quinn Qing said, shocked.
"Keep watching. No matter how this fight ends, once Evan Yang leaves the capital, he'll definitely be hunted. I'll send people after him too." Quentin Qing said.
"Yeah, it has to be an Immortal-Lord. Otherwise, it'll be impossible to kill him." Quinn Qing said.
"Exactly. I was just thinking—if even a peak ninth-tier Xuan-Immortal can't beat him, it has to be an Immortal-Lord. Anyone else would just get wiped out." Quentin Qing said.
"Yeah." At this point, Quinn Qing wasn't even concerned about whether Evan won; he was focused on eliminating him after the competition.
Hannah Nangong kept her eyes fixed on Evan, terrified he'd be attacked. When Marcus Hale started to weaken, Evan asked, "Still want to keep going?"
"You... shameless!" Marcus hadn't expected Evan to drag things out until he was this exhausted.
"Shameless? Your strength is higher than mine. Why would I be dumb enough to trade blows? Save your breath—you're about to collapse. If you surrender, we'll stop. If not, you'll end up crippled. If you don't stop now, your cultivation will be totally ruined." Evan said.
Marcus glared at Evan, knowing most of his cultivation was gone. There was no way to recover to his peak, and since he hadn't beaten Evan, the Palace Lord wouldn't spare him.
"You!" Marcus Hale growled, at a loss for words.
Evan kept draining him until Marcus finally collapsed in front of everyone. Victory was clearly Evan's.
It also meant the Palace Lord's three conditions were fulfilled. Evan smiled, "Palace Lord, I've met all the requirements."
"Impressive—I didn't expect you to be so outstanding. Since you've met the conditions, I'll hold the wedding in three days, right here in the capital. Everyone, please stay a few more days as guests." the Palace Lord said with a smile, though inwardly he sneered, "Three days is more than enough to kill you."
Evan hadn't expected the Palace Lord to push for marriage so quickly. If he ran now, what would happen to Hannah? So Evan smiled and said, "Palace Lord, for the wedding, I want my parents to attend. They're far away—three days probably isn't enough."
"Not enough time? That's not happening. I've already announced it, so the wedding must be in three days. As for your parents, we'll talk to them when they arrive." The Palace Lord had no intention of letting Evan leave, so he smiled, secretly sneering, "Trying to leave? No way!"
Hannah Nangong herself hadn't expected things to move so fast. She wanted to congratulate Evan, but suddenly didn't know what to say. If she objected, the Palace Lord would just find an excuse; if she agreed, she'd really be marrying Evan. "This..." Evan glanced around—everyone was watching him. If he kept arguing with the Palace Lord, it would only end badly, especially with Hannah here. He couldn't just think of himself.
"Alright, don't hesitate. You won—my daughter is yours, so I won't say any more." the Palace Lord said.
Then the Palace Lord smiled at everyone, "Three days from now, come here for the wedding—don't miss it!"
Everyone felt this was a bit dramatic—anyone could guess what was really happening. But they all smiled and said, "Congratulations, Palace Lord, on gaining such an outstanding son-in-law."
The Palace Lord forced a smile. "I didn't expect this either."
A wave of people came to offer congratulations. Evan and Hannah exchanged a glance and tried to leave, but were stopped by a group of guards—all stronger than Immortal-Lord level. Their leader said, "Son-in-law, the Palace Lord says you'll be getting married in three days, so you two are to stay in Beryl Waters Palace."
"Beryl Waters Palace? Isn't that just imprisonment?" Hannah Nangong exclaimed.
"No, miss, you've misunderstood," the leader replied.
"Misunderstood? Move aside—we want to go out for a walk." Hannah Nangong demanded.
Just then, the Palace Lord walked over. "What, you two aren't getting along? Maybe I should just cancel the wedding."
Hannah Nangong knew he was bluffing—if he canceled, he'd just pick a new son-in-law for her.
Evan Yang understood Hannah's predicament, so he smiled and said, "Got it, Palace Lord. We just wanted a walk, but if that's not allowed, we'll go to Beryl Waters Palace."
"You know how to talk. But what I really envy is your strength—how are you so powerful?" the Palace Lord asked, still curious.
"Just training, that's all. Honestly, it was all speed just now," Evan replied modestly.
"Speed? Even having that kind of speed is impressive," the Palace Lord said, still unwilling to accept it. Evan just kept quiet.
Hannah Nangong chimed in, "Alright, we're heading to Beryl Waters Palace now. Let's talk later."
The Palace Lord paused, then smiled, "Alright, go ahead."
Hannah led Evan away, followed by several Immortal-Lords, clearly to prevent Evan from escaping. Hannah was furious—the Palace Lord was obviously keeping close watch.
Evan wasn't afraid at all. He sent Hannah a message, "It'll be fine."
Hannah was surprised by Evan's calmness, but could only go along. Meanwhile, the Palace Lord was talking with a group of people.
Among them were Quentin Qing, Vice Palace Lord Huang, and other family and sect leaders.
"What do you all think?" the Palace Lord asked the group.
"Terrifying. The Immortal Realm is already buzzing about his origins—some are investigating the North Sect." Quentin Qing said.
"Exactly. An eighth-tier Heavenly-Immortal beating a ninth-tier Xuan-Immortal—it's unbelievable anywhere." Vice Palace Lord Huang agreed.
The others nodded—they all agreed.