Next up was Evan Chu. "Go for it, Evan! I believe you'll trigger the yellow light too. I have faith in you," Roxanne Lin said with a smile.
"Yeah! I won't let you down!"
Taking a deep breath, Evan slowly walked up to the Testing Screen—the source of both hope and anxiety—ready for his first attempt.
After circulating stellar force through his body, Evan swiftly unleashed Phantom Shadow Finger. The screen flashed orange, meaning he'd passed.
He'd known this was the likely outcome, but still felt a bit disappointed. With Phantom Shadow Finger, triggering yellow light seemed impossible.
Just as Evan was at a loss, the weak voice of the Sword Spirit Luna echoed in his mind.
"Evan, you can use sword arts. Even without a sword, your finger can serve as the blade. Channel stellar force into your fingertip; if you can command the sword with your heart and unite body and mind, you’ll unleash tremendous power."
"Use my finger as a sword? Command the sword with my heart? Luna, that's way too hard!" Evan said helplessly.
"You have to believe in yourself. Clear your mind of distractions. Imagine yourself as a sword, and use the Windchaser Sword Codex method—before, you used a real sword; now, it’s just your finger. If you can emit sword-qi from your fingertip, the attack won’t be weaker than with a blade."
"I'll give it a try!" Evan seemed to grasp something, and quietly stood before the screen, closing his eyes to ponder as the key points of Windchaser Sword Codex kept flashing through his mind.
The disciples waiting below for their turn had no idea what Evan was doing and couldn't help but start whispering among themselves.
Jenny Sima was just as puzzled—why wasn't Evan attacking the screen? Why just stand there? Her heart was full of questions.
"The essence of the sword is to move forward without retreat—cutting gods or men, every slash or thrust, however simple, holds deadly intent. Each move may seem basic, but every one could take a life; within the changes lurks killing intent."
Body follows the sword, the sword arises from the heart. In Evan's mind, waves of sword insight slowly formed.
The Windchaser Sword Codex may be a Profound-tier technique, but all sword arts are embodiments of the Way of the Sword. Any sword skill can lead a cultivator into the sword's world—everything depends on the practitioner's own comprehension.
The true power of a martial art doesn't lie in the sword itself. The sword is just a weapon—the real key is the cultivator.
One insight after another surged like waves in his mind. Evan suddenly realized he'd stepped into a different world.
It was a world that belonged to him, yet felt unfamiliar—a world not elsewhere, but within his own heart.
"So that's it... whether blade or sword, they're just tools for a cultivator to unleash power."
To truly bring out the greatest power from these weapons, the most important thing is the cultivator's inner heart.
The sword moves with the hand, but the hand moves with the heart. So the truly powerful sword arts aren’t performed with the hand—they’re performed with the heart.
It was as if a thin, transparent membrane in his mind had shattered. Evan suddenly felt that his finger was a sword—a blade that could burst forth and wound at any moment.
"Command the sword with my heart—a Heart-Sword!"
His eyes flashed bright. In that instant, everything became clear. He raised his finger and gently tapped the screen—no fancy moves, no dazzling sword-light, just a simple touch.
After waiting so long, everyone saw Evan make this move and thought he was an idiot—just wasting everyone’s time. With such a weak attack, maybe not even the red light would appear.
But at that moment, a piercing gaze locked onto Evan—it was the Vice-Dean. Seeing Evan’s move, the Vice-Dean’s face showed shock.
He clearly sensed that Evan had just broken through, both in mental state and aura. It was a breakthrough beyond words—calm as still water, yet undeniably real.
To break through right in front of the Testing Screen—almost unbelievable. It took immense confidence and courage, and clearing the mind of all distractions, something few could achieve.
Just as everyone was convinced Evan’s strike would have no effect, the screen lit up—emitting a color none could believe. A dazzling green light appeared.
The result stunned everyone again. No one expected this—the screen actually glowed green, meaning Evan possessed power equivalent to at least fourth-stage Earth Martial Realm.
The Vice-Dean nodded in satisfaction. He hadn't expected this kid to achieve sudden enlightenment in such an environment—it was truly remarkable.
Using his finger as a sword, commanding the blade with his heart—this was a sign of mastery over the Way of the Sword. To grasp such sword principles at his age, Evan was a genius—a talent Heavenly Dragon Academy would devote itself to nurturing.
Evan slowly walked down. He hadn’t expected that a plain, Heart-Sword strike born from sudden enlightenment would unleash such power—his emotions wouldn’t settle for a long time.
Jenny Sima stared at Evan as if he were a monster. "He really is a monster. To have fourth-stage Earth Martial Realm strength... No matter what, I have to finish the task Father gave me."
Lily Tang beamed as Evan stepped down. "Evan Chu, you’re truly amazing! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!" With that, she strode straight onto the platform.
Evan barely registered her words—his mind was still immersed in the insight of the Heart-Sword. Lily’s praise went in one ear and out the other.
"Evan, I’m proud of you!" Roxanne Lin walked up and smiled.
"Roxanne, you have to give it your all too. Show your strongest move—what I did just now was a spur-of-the-moment idea. I believe you can do it too." Evan hoped Roxanne would shine as well; that way, their chances of staying together would only grow.
"I won’t let you down! I’ll give you a surprise soon. It might not be as flashy as yours, but it won’t be far off." Roxanne replied with confidence.
Just then, a voice called out: "Hey, my name’s Gus Bullard. You’re really strong—I hope we can be friends…"
Evan recognized him as the youth who’d triggered the yellow light. He responded quickly, "My name’s Evan Chu. You’re strong too—if we both get into Heavenly Dragon Academy, let’s talk more then!"
"Absolutely! You’re really powerful. At first, when that girl said the green light appeared, I thought it was a joke. Turns out you’re the real deal—I admire you from the bottom of my heart!" Gus Bullard said sincerely.
Evan liked people like Gus Bullard the most—honest, sincere, with no hidden motives. Treat him well, and he’d treat you even better; people like that were rare.
There were far too many schemers and selfish types out there. "Alright, let me check on my friend. Once she’s done, we can talk more."
Lily Tang was now taking the test—Evan was curious to see what this 'mother tyrannosaurus' could really do.