Evan Yang knew that the sword spirits Lora Luo and Hannah Nangong were acquainted with were all ordinary types—not advanced ones. Although he couldn't fully explain it, Evan understood that the harder a sword spirit was to tame, the higher its intelligence. If you could master it, you could unleash the sword's true power.
So Evan smiled and said, "You two should be familiar with swords possessing spiritual awareness, right?"
"That's right," Lora Luo and Hannah Nangong replied.
"Exactly. Those that are easy to tame aren't worth much, but the harder ones are the real treasures. If you work hard, one day you'll be able to control these two swords." Evan smiled.
Lora Luo and Hannah Nangong nodded as they looked at their swords. Evan then smiled and said, "Let's start cultivating." With that, he took out the Limitless Spear. He didn't use his daggers because the ten daggers linked together formed a sword that was extremely powerful but only for short bursts, consuming too much energy. For training, only the Limitless Spear would do.
It looked just like a sword, but had five pointed tips, which made Lora Luo and Hannah Nangong curious. Hannah asked, "What kind of sword is that?"
"This is the Limitless Spear. Strictly speaking, it's not a sword," Evan replied with a smile.
"Limitless Spear? That's a pretty bold name. I wonder how strong it is?" Lora Luo said, surprised.
"It's definitely powerful. But since we're just training, I won't show its full strength—I don't want anyone getting hurt," Evan said with a smile.
Lora Luo and Hannah Nangong exchanged a glance. Seeing Evan demonstrate, they didn't ask further and instead focused on the paintings on the wall, continuing their three-person cultivation.
As they practiced, the three of them seemed bewitched, endlessly moving their swords in the water without pause. They completely forgot about the icy chill rising from below. After a few moves, Evan noticed his body heating up, all from practicing this sword art. But the freezing water quickly cooled him down, making him wonder, "Is that what the water is for?"
Not just Evan—even Lora Luo and Hannah Nangong realized the subtle synergy between the water and this cultivation art.
Once they discovered this, the three were naturally delighted, so they trained with even more enthusiasm, completely losing track of time.
Meanwhile, Mad Elder waited for a long time. When Evan didn’t return, he muttered, "What’s taking that kid so long? I’d better go check what they’re up to." With that, he disappeared in a flash.
He reappeared inside the room where Elder Aurora Qing was staying.
Seeing Mad Elder arrive, Aurora Qing asked curiously, "What brings you here?"
"Of course I came to check on that brat. He hasn’t come back for days—maybe those two girls have him under their spell?" Mad Elder laughed.
"Listen to yourself," Aurora Qing said with a laugh.
"So where did he go? And what about those two girls?" Mad Elder asked curiously. "They went to the Ice Pool," Aurora Qing answered.
"The Ice Pool? So they went to practice that technique?" Mad Elder exclaimed in surprise.
"That's right. Why? Is there a problem?" Aurora Qing asked curiously.
"You really don't mind?" Mad Elder looked at Aurora Qing in surprise.
"Come on, anyone with eyes can see both my disciples have feelings for Evan Yang, right?" Aurora Qing laughed.
"So you let all three of them train together?" Mad Elder said, shocked.
"Exactly. Since there's a bit of ambiguity between the three, why not help them along? Besides, this way their sword arts will reach new heights." Aurora Qing laughed.
"That's a pretty clever move. Do they know about it?" Mad Elder asked curiously.
"They only know this sword art is powerful. As for the final step, of course they don't know." Aurora Qing laughed.
"I bet when the three of them finish, they'll come looking for you," Mad Elder laughed.
"I bet they'll just pretend they don't know," Aurora Qing replied.
"How can you be so generous—giving both disciples to him at once? If he takes advantage and then dumps them, that'll be quite the drama," Mad Elder chuckled.
"Do you really think he's that kind of person?" Aurora Qing retorted.
"Not really, but it's not just these two girls—he's had quite a few before." Mad Elder muttered, thinking of all the women around Evan Yang back in the Blue World.
"A lot more? Just how many does he have?" Aurora Qing asked skeptically.
"That, I don't really know. The ones he really has feelings for probably aren't that many," Mad Elder said after thinking for a moment.
"Can't be helped—he's just too outstanding. Having a few is normal," Aurora Qing sighed after hearing Mad Elder's words.
"True enough. Back in the day, I had plenty of admirers too," Mad Elder chuckled.
"But in the end, didn't you give everything for just one woman? Drove yourself half crazy?" Aurora Qing said bluntly.
Hearing this, a wave of sorrow washed over Mad Elder. Seeing his reaction, Aurora Qing awkwardly said, "Sorry, I brought up something painful."
"No, it's fine. I got used to it long ago. Still, I wonder if I'll ever see her again," Mad Elder sighed.
"You will, someday," Aurora Qing said reassuringly.
"Thanks. If there's nothing else, I'll head out. When he returns, tell him to come find me," Mad Elder said.
Aurora Qing nodded. "Alright, got it. You can go now."
Mad Elder vanished in a flash. Watching him leave, Aurora Qing shook her head helplessly and sighed, "Such a pity—a once-great talent, now just a mad elder."
Evan Yang and the others had no idea what was happening outside. Instead, their cultivation reached the realm where man and sword became one. Sometimes, the three could even combine their attacks, and the effect of the tri-sword technique was much stronger than any single strike.
This sword art drew them ever deeper, completely immersing them and making them forget everything else.
Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang returned to the Yang Clan and found Ming Yang.
When Ming Yang saw Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang return, he asked, "Why are you back? Where is he?"
"He had something to do and didn't want us following," Wine Beggar replied.
"He didn't want you tagging along? Aren't you worried he might get killed? Nearly everyone in the Immortal Realm knows about this, and the other three Heaven-Battling Clans keep asking me to confirm Evan Yang's identity," Ming Yang said.
"He can protect himself." After spending so much time with Evan Yang, Wine Beggar knew he was more than capable—far stronger than they'd imagined, excellent in every way.
Lydia Yang nodded as well. "That's right—there's no way he'll die."
"It's only been a short time and you already believe in him so much? You really think he's invincible?" Ming Yang retorted.
"We're just stating facts. We went to the Devil Realm with him, and he even escaped from a Devil Lord. If he couldn't protect himself, how did he manage to get away from a Devil Lord?" Wine Beggar said.
Ming Yang was shocked. "What exactly happened?"
Seeing Ming Yang so surprised, Wine Beggar explained the whole story. When Ming Yang heard Evan Yang had stumbled into the Devil Realm and escaped from multiple Devil Lords, his face was full of disbelief. He couldn't believe Evan Yang had such skills. "Are you sure this is true?" he asked, still doubting.
"It's true. We were with him—no reason to lie to you," Wine Beggar replied.
"So that's how it is. He really can protect himself. If even Devil Lords can't catch him, then there aren't many in the Immortal Realm who can either," Ming Yang said with relief.
Seeing Ming Yang's smile, Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang were surprised. They'd always thought he was cold-blooded, but today, his smile made them feel maybe things weren't so simple.
"Why are you staring at me? Get back to work," Ming Yang said.
Wine Beggar thought for a moment and asked, "How did you respond to the other Heaven-Battling Clans?"
"How else could I answer? Of course I told them he's my grandson—and Liam Yang's son," Ming Yang replied.
Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang were surprised. They hadn't expected Ming Yang to openly acknowledge Evan Yang, which meant making it public that Evan belonged to the Yang Clan—more important than anything else.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm just waiting for him to come back and win first place for our clan," Ming Yang said.
Wine Beggar and Lydia Yang, hearing mention of the tournament, turned and left helplessly.
Ming Yang was left behind, sighing, "Liam, it's not that I'm strict. If I don't push him, how will he grow, find his mother, or uncover the forces behind all this?"
No one knew how much pain the patriarch felt, but he couldn't say it. Even so, he had to act strong. "Third Brother, why didn't you tell Father about Evan Yang's situation with the Water Clan?" Lydia Yang asked curiously.
"The Water Clan? Years ago, because of Second Brother, Father and the Water Clan became enemies. What's the point of bringing it up now? Better to wait for the Heaven-Battling Tournament. Sooner or later, he'll find out himself," Wine Beggar said.
Lydia Yang nodded. "Alright, understood. I'll go into seclusion. When Evan Yang returns, let me know."
"Go ahead," Wine Beggar said.
After Lydia Yang left, Wine Beggar traveled to the Star Sea, crossed it, and arrived at Blaze Mountain. Looking at the people below, Wine Beggar took out his wine, drank, and said, "Second Brother, don't worry. Your son is outstanding—he can already challenge an Emperor. In a few hundred years, he might win first place, and then Father will release you. I believe Evan Yang will find a way to heal you."
As he spoke, Wine Beggar's eyes filled with tears. He sighed, "If only I'd been stronger, you wouldn't be like this."
Not far from Wine Beggar, another person stood—it was Tian Yang. He was cultivating here and heard someone's voice, so he looked over and saw his Third Uncle. Hearing Wine Beggar's words, Tian Yang thought coldly, "You all think he can win first place. I disagree—I'll show you what Tian Yang can do."
Tian Yang was furious. Ever since he was young, only his parents cared about him; his aunt and uncle never spoke to him. He couldn't understand them, but Evan Yang's appearance made him realize how little he mattered to them.