After several hours, it was time for Evan Yang’s second round. He still chose a Heavenly-Immortal third-tier opponent. This time luck was on his side, and he drew someone with only average strength, not a particularly powerful figure.
So as soon as Evan entered the arena, he crushed his opponent with pure qi pressure. The other man didn’t even have time to counter-suppress before it was all over.
Evan’s swift tactics startled the crowd. Many quietly reminded themselves that if they ever faced Evan, they’d have to react fast—otherwise, they’d end up like this second opponent, blasted out of the ring before even making a move, slammed straight into the protective formation.
Evan earned twelve points in one go. The people in the arena were getting uneasy—his two matches were worth several times what others had scored. At this moment, Evan sat firmly in first place, while the second-place contender only had three points.
The gap would only keep widening. The Palace Lord was growing restless and muttered suspiciously, “This kid’s Earth-Immortal qi is so strong—how bizarre.”
“That’s called potential,” Hannah Nangong said with a smile.
The Palace Lord wasn’t stupid. He noticed Hannah Nangong had been watching Evan closely, so he guessed she wanted Evan to win. But his own motivation was different—and since he’d already sworn an oath, he could only look for other ways to block Evan.
But what could he do now? All he could hope for was that Evan would run into a real tough opponent.
The tournament continued—first round, second, third, fourth, fifth. By the end of five rounds, Evan had already scored thirty points and held the top spot on the leaderboard.
That was the end of the first day. At the same time, Evan’s reputation soared—not just for his strength, but for his absurdly high score. The second-place contestant only had fifteen points.
Undoubtedly, Evan Yang was the highlight of the first day. Now, only just over two hundred contestants remained—the five rounds had cut the field in half.
At this moment, Evan Yang was staying in Hannah Nangong's manor.
"Kid, you were incredible—first day and you're already sitting firmly at the top! Looks like you won't have any trouble ahead," Hannah Nangong said excitedly.
"If things keep going like this, I shouldn't have any problems. But I'm worried about running into tough opponents later—you know the ones who make it to the end are always stronger," Evan replied, cautious.
"That's true," Hannah agreed.
"There's another issue—didn't you notice how many people were watching me when I left?" Evan pointed out.
"I didn't really notice; you left first, I left later," Hannah replied.
"Before I left, a lot of people were staring at me—and some didn't look friendly. Who knows, maybe someone will try something tonight," Evan said, worried. His biggest concern was someone using dirty tricks outside the palace, where he couldn't be protected.
Hannah was startled by his words and frowned. She agreed, "Let's head to the palace—it's too dangerous here."
"Forget it, since we're already out, do you have a safe place here?" Evan asked.
"Good thing nothing happened. Take it back," Hannah said, seeing the old man's honest demeanor. She didn't suspect him further and let him leave.
Evan naturally stayed by Hannah's side, but he locked his divine sense onto the old man, sensing that he might be lying.
So he shadowed the man with his divine sense. The old man led the spirit beast away and, at a corner, met another person. "Is it him?" Evan wondered, surprised.
The man was none other than Quinn Qing, the current second-place contender. Quinn asked the old man, "What happened?"
"That woman intervened and knocked it out," the old man replied.
"Damn it. What's their relationship, anyway?" Quinn demanded.
"Young master, what should we do now?" the old man asked anxiously.
"There are a few days left. Think of another way. We can't let him reach the end so smoothly. If he really becomes her husband, it'll be a disaster," Quinn said.
"Yes, young master," the old man replied.
After giving instructions, Quinn had no choice but to return to the palace. Evan had overheard everything and now knew exactly who was plotting against him.
"What's wrong?" Hannah asked curiously, noticing Evan's odd expression.
"It's nothing, just thinking about something," Evan replied.
Seeing Evan was fine, Hannah didn't ask further. Inside the palace, they went their separate ways. Evan returned to the Duel Arena to observe the man ranked second.
Quinn Qing, from the Qing Family, eighth-tier Heavenly-Immortal, Lower Sanctuary.
"Is the Qing Family really that powerful?" Evan wondered. Unfamiliar with the Immortal Realm's clan hierarchy, he was unsure about the Qing Family's true status and so felt suspicious.
Just as Evan was pondering, Quinn Qing walked over. "Brother Yang, your performance yesterday was truly impressive," he said.
Normally, Evan would have thought Quinn was praising him, but now that he knew Quinn's true colors, he wasn't fooled. He smiled and replied, "Brother Qing, you're not bad yourself."
Quinn was momentarily stunned. No Earth-Immortal had ever dared address him so casually. Still, wanting to deceive Evan, Quinn smiled and said, "There's still a gap between us. If things keep going like this, you'll surely be the top candidate."
"Anything could happen. I might get defeated, crippled, or even run into trouble outside the tournament that affects my chances," Evan replied, his words carrying hidden meaning.
Quinn didn't think Evan could see through his schemes, so he didn't catch the subtext. He just smiled, "I believe in your strength, Brother Yang."
"Thanks, then. If I win in the end, I'll throw a grand banquet and invite you as a guest," Evan said with a smile.
Quinn's face twitched. He cursed inwardly, "Shameless! Planning a banquet before the tournament is even over?" But on the surface, he smiled and said, "Then I'll be sure to congratulate you when the time comes."
"Don't be modest. You still have a chance—keep working hard," Evan said, then turned and left to await his next match, leaving Quinn with an ugly expression.
Some people witnessed the exchange between Evan and Quinn, and their faces soured as well. Others quietly pitied Evan for offending someone he shouldn't; even if he entered the Lower Sanctuary, they believed tragedy awaited him under the Qing Family's pressure.
But Evan wasn't afraid at all. He kept his focus on the ongoing changes in the arena.
The second day passed quickly. Evan earned another thirty points, bringing his total to sixty and further solidifying his first-place position. Those he defeated could hardly believe the score difference.
Logically, with sixty points, Evan shouldn't need to compete on the third day. Most of the third-tier contestants had already faced him, so going forward he'd have to fight fourth-tier opponents, which carried much higher risk.
So Hannah suggested, "If you keep going, you'll have to face fourth-tier opponents. Sixty points is enough—the second-place contender only has thirty."
But Evan replied, "No, there are still three days left. If I stop now, he'll catch up in a couple days. Later, as more people withdraw, it'll be harder for me to score points—all that's left are experts."
"I see," Hannah said, now feeling a bit anxious. After all, Quinn Qing was very strong, and every challenger to him had lost, so his score had jumped to thirty points.
Whether intentional or not, Evan noticed a pattern: many fifth-tier contestants kept challenging him.
Everyone knew that fifth-tier challengers would lose, so why did they keep choosing Quinn Qing? Even Evan, not the most cunning, sensed something was off. He scanned the field and saw there were only three eighth-tier Heavenly-Immortals and one ninth-tier.
That meant picking eighth tier gave a one-third chance of facing Quinn Qing, and these challengers always emerged relatively unharmed. To everyone else, it looked like Quinn was showing mercy.
But to Evan, it seemed like a staged performance.
The more he saw, the more worried Evan became. Over the next few days, he feared lower-tier contestants would keep being fed to Quinn Qing, letting him rack up easy wins.
So Evan decided not to stop. Whether his opponents were third-tier or fourth-tier, he intended to keep fighting.
On the third day, Evan finally faced a fourth-tier Heavenly-Immortal. This battle was tough; although Evan had an edge in pure qi, his opponent refused to use qi and instead unleashed fierce earth-attribute attacks. Thick earth walls shielded him, preventing Evan's qi suppression from locking him down.
This was Evan's trouble: once his opponent was much stronger and didn't use qi, Evan's advantage faded. It was a weakness of the Wordless Heavenly Tome.
Only when pressured could the tome trigger its counter-suppression. If the opponent didn't press him, Evan had to rely on other methods—flames and flying needles became his go-to.
But his opponent was a fourth-tier Heavenly-Immortal. The earth walls blocked the flames, but with enough intensity, Evan managed to bake cracks into them.
Seeing the cracks, Evan used his flying needles to assist his attack, aiming to break through his opponent's defenses.
With the needles threading through the fissures, Evan finally managed to land a decisive hit, turning his opponent's own defense into a liability.
The crowd watched in awe as Evan overcame the fourth-tier Heavenly-Immortal's earth defenses, proving his adaptability and skill.
Even the palace staff were impressed, whispering among themselves about Evan's unconventional tactics.
Hannah Nangong breathed a sigh of relief, her hopes for Evan rising once more.
Quinn Qing, watching from the sidelines, frowned. The plan to feed him easy victories might not be enough to stop Evan.
Evan, meanwhile, felt the Wordless Heavenly Tome stir again, hinting at another breakthrough under pressure.
He decided to keep pushing himself, determined not to let Quinn Qing's schemes derail his progress.
The tournament continued, with each round growing more intense as the number of contestants dwindled.
Evan remained focused, ready to face whatever challenges came next, no matter how tough.
The chapter ends with Evan preparing for the next round, his eyes set firmly on the path ahead.