Hearing a woman praise him—something every man dreams of—Evan Chu just grinned and said, "Hurry up and get dressed. I’ve still got to head over to Freewind Palace."
Selena Yale quickly pulled out clothes from her storage ring and dressed. Evan noticed that, at this moment, she seemed even more alluring than ever before.
By absorbing the Nine Yin energy and residual medicinal power in Selena’s body, Evan’s Chaos Dragon Force in his Divine Star Core was restored to normal. Though he hadn’t broken through a realm as Luna the sword spirit had predicted, he was now closer than ever.
Evan wrapped his arm around Selena’s waist and, with a burst of speed, shot out of the water. Only after reaching the riverbank did he finally let her go.
Selena stared in shock at her perfectly dry clothes, moved and puzzled. “Evan, how did you do that? And just now, I could breathe underwater, and even the fish couldn’t see me!”
Evan smiled and said, “Sister Selena, there are some things I can’t really explain. If you stick with me, you’ll see lots of strange things—so don’t be too surprised.”
As Evan finished speaking, a ball of flame flared up in his palm. The heat stunned Selena. “You can actually produce Flarefire by hand? That’s incredible!”
Evan extended his other hand, conjuring a chunk of Mystic Ice. The temperature around them dropped sharply.
Selena’s face changed again. “That… that’s Mystic Ice! Evan, you can wield both Flarefire and Mystic Ice at the same time? How is that possible?”
Evan laughed. “Impossible things happen all the time!” He pressed his palms together, fusing Mystic Ice and Flarefire into one.
Evan Chu was already a master of ice-fire fusion. In no time, an ice-fire orb formed in his palm, and Selena stared at him as if he were a monster.
As the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion Master, Selena had seen countless strange things, but today’s display was the most bizarre. Evan’s fusion of two elements left her utterly astonished.
Evan tossed the ice-fire orb into the river, triggering a huge explosion. Water shot dozens of meters into the air, killing countless fish. When the river settled, the surface was blanketed with floating corpses.
“Evan, you really are extraordinary. I won’t go with you to Freewind Palace this time—unless it’s something major, it’s best for sects to keep their distance. Be careful.” Selena said.
“I’ll be careful. All this commotion will attract attention, so you’d better leave first, Sister Selena. When I have time, I’ll visit Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion—take care of our child.” Evan said.
“Don’t worry about the child. Men aren’t allowed in Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion—I’ll send someone to contact you.” Selena replied, then quickly flew away.
Evan found a rock, sat down, and quietly circulated Chaos Dragon Force.
After several cycles, Evan felt he’d reached the peak of Fourth‑Layer Divine Martial Realm. He just needed an opportunity to break through to the Fifth Layer. Glancing at the sky, he saw it was dusk, so he flew back to Golden Ram City, preparing to visit Freewind Palace the next day.
Evan returned to Golden Ram Tower. Because of his feats earlier that day, everyone there was terrified of him. He rented an upper room and went inside.
After asking the waiter, Evan learned that the Four Young Lords and Two Saintesses had already left—no doubt heading to Freewind Palace.
After eating and drinking a little, Evan closed the door and took out the treasures he’d won at the auction. “Luna, this Soul-Mending Herb should be really useful for you, right?”
“You’re not completely heartless, kid. Even though I’m a soul-body now, I’m still linked to you. When your strength goes up, mine does too. With this Soul-Mending Herb, I’ll be able to fight Saint Martial Realm opponents on my own.” Luna said.
“Fight Saint Martial Realm? You’ve got to be kidding. What was your strength before? You can go up against them as just a soul-body?” Evan asked, shocked.
“You don’t need to know that for now. It’d just stress you out. Don’t bother me unless it’s important—I need to absorb the herb’s power.” Luna said. The Soul-Mending Herb vanished from Evan’s hand.
Next, Evan took out several other soul-type medicines and the Flame Dragon Sword. “Fire Dragon King, can you absorb these soul medicines?”
“Evan, you really didn’t let me down! These soul medicines are top-notch. Once I absorb them, the Flame Dragon Sword’s power will be even greater. Try to get more high-grade ones in the future—they help me a lot.” Fire Dragon King said eagerly.
Evan was speechless. Did the Fire Dragon King think soul medicines were as easy to find as vegetables? He thought so, but just said, “I’ll do my best. Hope our partnership goes well!”
As soon as Evan finished speaking, the soul-repairing medicines vanished, leaving him wondering how the Fire Dragon King absorbed them.
Finally, Evan examined the Purple Jade Spirit-King Fruit. If eaten, it could raise his cultivation by a full realm—exactly what he needed. But it had to be consumed under a full moon, which left him a bit disappointed.
He knew all too well that 'treasure invites disaster.' The longer he kept the fruit, the more danger he faced. But there was no other choice—he could only be extra careful.
At dawn the next day, Evan left Golden Ram Tower and flew toward Freewind Palace. It wasn’t far from Golden Ram City, and soon a majestic complex appeared before him.
Freewind Palace was built on a mountain. To enter, you had to pass through the palace gate at the foot; flying straight in was considered hostile, no matter your status.
Evan didn’t know all the rules, but he understood basic etiquette. He landed at the mountain’s foot, looked up at the gate, and smiled. “The number one sect really is something else.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than dozens of young Freewind Palace disciples surrounded him. One shouted, “How dare you trespass on Freewind Palace territory! Capture him!”
“Hey, you’ve got it wrong! I’m a VIP guest invited by Young Lord Ethan. Is this how you treat your guests?” Evan protested.
The lead disciple paused, stared at Evan, and demanded, “Who are you, really?”