Evan Chu never expected that his identity would be exposed by Selena at this moment. For a while, he was at a loss, and after releasing Ethan and Lynn Chu, he helplessly retreated a few steps.
"Sel, I... I just wanted to give you all a surprise!" Evan Chu whispered.
Little did he know, his words were like a bolt from the blue, stunning everyone on the arena—most of all Selena. In this world, the only men who called her 'Sel' were her father and her man, Evan Chu.
For a moment, she was petrified, staring at Evan Chu in shock. She had only guessed, but never expected her guess to be true—her troublesome man had really come back.
Tears instantly welled up in her eyes as she choked out, "You really came back? Is it really you?" Even knowing the man before her was Evan Chu, she still found it hard to believe. Such complicated feelings were something few could understand.
Evan Chu nodded helplessly. He felt a deep sense of guilt toward Selena—back when he ascended, she was still in the Demonic Realm and hadn’t returned to the Azure Tide Ruins. This time, he had to make it up to her.
At this moment, Lynn Chu was also looking at Evan Chu with deep suspicion, sensing something was off. She glanced at Selena and asked, "Mom, what's going on? Is he... is he my dad?"
Lynn Chu’s voice was loud enough for everyone in front of the stands to hear. It was like a storm breaking the calm surface of a lake—no one could accept that the Divine Continent’s number one powerhouse had actually returned.
"He is your dad—surprised? I’m just as shocked as you," Selena said, breaking into a teary smile.
"Lynn, Ethan, I never thought you two would grow so much. You don’t blame your dad for crashing your competition, do you?" Evan Chu said.
As soon as she spoke, Lynn Chu rushed into Evan Chu’s embrace, tears streaming down her face. "Dad, you really came back? You really came back—Lynn missed you so much!"
Lynn Chu threw herself into Evan Chu’s arms. Evan gently stroked her silky hair and said, "Lynn, you’re a big girl now. So many people are watching—you should act like a proper young lady, you know?"
Lynn Chu replied, "You’re my dad. What’s wrong with hugging my dad? If anyone has a problem, I’ll kill them."
Evan Chu gently let her go and said, "Lynn, be good. Dad doesn’t want you to become others’ laughingstock. The competition is still yours to finish—Dad won’t participate."
At this moment, the entire crowd erupted in cheers and shrieks. Sean Xiao was also staring at Evan Chu in excitement. "Frostbane, is that really you? I’m not seeing things, am I?"
"Sean Xiao, you’re only at Seventh-Layer Venerable Martial now? You’ve been slacking off! Hurry up and work on your cultivation so you can ascend to the Immortal Realm soon," Evan Chu joked.
Ethan Chu walked up to Evan Chu and said, "Dad, your sudden appearance is honestly shocking. I said, who else in the Divine Continent could just stand there and let people attack him? Only Dad could do that."
On the viewing platform, Selena Yale, Jenny Sima, and the other women finally couldn’t stay calm. They all flew onto the arena, surrounding Evan Chu with expressions of disbelief.
"Is it really you, Evan Lin? How did you come back?" Selena Yale was the first to ask, her eyes shining with tears.
"Sis Ping, you’ve gotten older! You’ve suffered a lot these years. I came back because I had important matters to handle, so I had to return at least once. If there are any issues, let’s wait until we get back to Frostbane Sect to talk. My appearance today is just a little interlude in the tournament," Evan Chu said.
Hearing Evan Chu say this, the women were finally certain—he really was Evan Chu. Only he ever called Selena Yale 'Sis Ping,' and all their faces broke into smiles of shock and joy.
Sean Xiao turned to the crowd and announced, "Everyone, I have some incredible news! The youth who appeared on the arena just now isn’t anyone else—it’s Evan Chu, Sect Master of Frostbane Sect, the legendary figure of the Divine Continent. The number one powerhouse, Evan Chu, has returned!"
Evan Chu immediately wiped away his disguise and revealed his true appearance. For a moment, all the women froze on the spot. Even though they already knew the youth before them was the man they had yearned for, seeing him restored to his original form was still hard to believe.
After glancing at the crowd’s reactions, Evan Chu laughed, "I just wanted to test their strength after being away for over a hundred years—and give everyone a surprise. But I didn’t expect my identity to be exposed so quickly. What a failure!"
As soon as his words fell, the entire audience erupted. No one had ever dreamed they’d see a powerhouse who’d ascended to the Immortal Realm return in their lifetime. Seeing Evan Chu was more exciting than the tournament itself.
The most stunned of all were Derek Zhou and his two cousins. The young master they’d accompanied to Frostbane Sect turned out to be Evan Chu himself. Derek even pinched his own thigh to make sure he wasn’t dreaming—only the pain convinced him it was real.
Thinking back to when the three of them considered robbing his Starstones, they realized that even dying wouldn’t be enough to atone. Now, they could only be grateful they hadn’t acted rashly.
"Lynn, Ethan, do your best out there. When the tournament ends, Dad will give you a big reward!" Evan Chu laughed.
When Evan Chu mentioned a reward, it was sure to be something good—at least better than any prize from this tournament. Both their faces lit up with excitement, hoping the competition would end quickly.
"Let’s all step down and not disturb their tournament any longer!" Evan Chu said, instantly flashing back to the VIP viewing platform as if he’d vanished, once again shocking everyone with his strength.
The women also flew back to their seats, while Evan Chu sat beside the Palace Lord of Yunxiao. "Sect Master Chu, you really are like a dragon—always appearing for a surprise and then disappearing. Even I can hardly believe this is real," said the Palace Lord.
"Palace Lord Yunxiao, you’re too kind. The surprise was too short-lived—Sel saw right through me, and it wasn’t fun at all. Let’s wait until the tournament ends and talk at Frostbane Sect. I have things to discuss with you," Evan Chu replied.
Palace Lord Yunxiao nodded in agreement. Evan Chu then sent sound transmissions to the Sacred Sword Sect Master, Bloodfiend Hall Master, and Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion Master—plus the Sect Master of Tianxiang Hall, whom he’d personally promoted. Now that he was back, he naturally had to help them, and whether they could ascend would depend on their own efforts.
The tournament continued in full swing, but many lost interest after Evan Chu appeared—even the most dazzling competition couldn’t compare to the spectacle of Frostbane Sect’s legendary master returning.