Chapter 1732: A One-Man Trial
Three days flew by in an instant. When Henry Lin returned, it was already the day the Purgatory Threefold Trial was set to begin. On this day, everyone was tense—the outcome of the trial would decide their future achievements!
Even if you somehow survived the trial, if your results were poor, your prospects would be bleak. Maybe you'd end up as a star miner, or just a regular soldier stuck guarding supply lines. If you landed in those roles, it meant your talent was just too weak—and your long years ahead would be spent doing grunt work, with almost no hope of ever rising up.
"Senior brother, three days have passed. So, have you made up your mind?" Violet Thunder stood next to Evan Chu, looking at him as he spoke.
"No, honestly, it's a tough call. You know I have too many secrets—if I stand out too much, I might attract unnecessary disaster."
"Huh? Senior brother! Is this really you? Are you saying you're scared now? You're backing down? That's not the Evan Chu I know!"
Lord Thunder clearly hadn't expected this to be the answer Evan Chu came up with after three days of thinking.
Violet Thunder sighed and continued, "Senior brother! I get it, I know what kind of burdens and secrets you carry. You've just arrived in the dangerous, cutthroat Star-River Dominion, so it's normal to feel out of place. Wanting to keep a low profile isn't wrong—but your mindset is!
On the path of the strong, if you let fear take root, can you really keep going? If you don't dare to soar, then what's the point of hiding for ten thousand years? Because deep down, you're already afraid, you've lost your confidence in your own strength. Like this, how can you keep an unyielding will and undefeated spirit through the millions of bloody battles ahead?
Lord Thunder's words might seem useless, maybe not even inspiring to most people. Where does confidence come from without strength? How do you "soar" without power?
But Evan Chu understood Lord Thunder’s words. From Lord Frostbane’s fall and reincarnation, all the way from the mortal world to the top of the Three Realms, wasn’t it his fearless spirit—daring to fight and charge ahead—that let him finally stand at the summit?
Thinking back on every battle, was there ever a time Evan Chu was afraid? He was always the one making others fear him! Evan never knew how to be low-key or reserved; all he knew was that if a man wants to rule, he has to keep charging forward!
As long as your head is hard enough, you can break open a bigger world.
Yes, Evan Chu does carry many secrets, and exposing them could mean total ruin—but that can’t be allowed to shackle him. Otherwise, all the foundations and legacies the Ninefold Sacred Emperor left for him would be wasted!
Lord Thunder’s words snapped him awake like a dreamer. Sometimes the bystander sees things more clearly, and this helped Evan Chu firm up his direction again.
"Since that's settled, then let's charge ahead together, Little Lei!"
"Of course! As your Destiny Guardian, I'll always stand firm by your side—no matter what comes our way."
"Little Lei, I hope you'll always stay by my side. If I ever lose my way, you've got to wake me up again—just like you did today."
Violet Thunder was quietly moved by Evan Chu's words. He knew that right now, Evan had finally completed his transformation after stepping into the Star-River Dominion. All the confusion before was just a transitional phase—once this moment passed, Evan's future in the Dominion would blaze with starlight, sharp and dazzling, shocking everyone in the Star-River Dominion.
"If—just maybe—if someday I really do become master of this Star-River Dominion and stand at its peak, I hope I won't be up there alone. When that day comes, you'll be right there with me, won't you?"
"Of course! Senior brother, that's not just possible—it's a certainty! I believe in you!"
Evan Chu's heart as a strongman was solid once again.
After stepping into the Star-River Dominion, seeing wider worlds and meeting stronger people like Henry Lin, Lord Jun Yang, and the Frostbane Dynasty itself, Evan was really shaken. He'd charged up from the mortal world all the way to the Immortal Realm, the God Realm, and now here; suddenly he wondered, does the martial path have a true peak? Is there really an end? He started to doubt whether he could keep fighting all the way.
But now, he's sure—no matter the future, no matter the present, wherever Evan Chu stands, even if the martial path really has no end, he'll always be the peak for everyone around him!
That's how it was in the Mortal and Immortal Realms, that's how it was in the Three Realms trial, and that's how it'll be in the Star-River Dominion!
Boom! A massive starship war vessel appeared above the city. Unlike the starship that brought Evan and the others to the Frostbane Dynasty, this one was a standalone spatial artifact—a true mobile war fortress.
Whoosh! A streak of brilliant light shot out, and the star-swirl light gate appeared at the entrance of the starship. Lord Jun Yang and Henry Lin hovered overhead, leading a squad of thirty Saint Lord Realm experts, looking down at the recruits below.
"Everyone, life and death are up to fate, and fortune is in Heaven's hands. The Purgatory Threefold Trial is about to begin—this is the entrance. If you enter here and come out the other side, you'll be heaven's favored geniuses.
If you go in and come out the way you entered, you're just failed trialists, eliminated. And if you go in and never come out, you're just a pitiful sacrifice. Your fate is in your own hands.
Now, the Purgatory Threefold Trial begins. Prepare yourselves—go!
Henry Lin shouted, and the star-swirl light gate flared to life once more. The hundred-plus recruits waiting below only needed to take a single step to enter.
Black Haze, restless as ever, leaned over to Evan Chu's ear just before setting off and said,
"Big bro, I'm heading in first! I'll be waiting for you at the exit on the other side!"
"Oh? Are you really that confident?"
"Of course! Fear is the real defeat! I'm definitely charging through!"
Without another glance, Black Haze strode boldly forward into the light. Lord Jun Yang saw this and nodded approvingly.
One after another, the other figures stepped in—including a pair of beautiful twin sisters who went through hand in hand. Evan Chu and Violet Thunder traded a glance.
"Let's go too."
"Alright!"
Evan Chu stepped forward as well. But he didn't notice that just as he moved, Lord Jun Yang let out a quiet, mischievous laugh and made a subtle hand sign. The star-swirl light gate's spatial node suddenly shifted. Even though he and Violet Thunder entered together, they were actually sent into two completely different spaces!
"Are you really going to do this? Isn't this against the rules?" Henry Lin asked quietly.
"Old Lin, what do you know about breaking rules? This kid is fundamentally different from the rest, and anyone I set my sights on, I take care of! Besides, this is just a One-Man Trial for him alone—who knows if he can clear it and seize the opportunity? It's too early to talk about rules now." Lord Jun Yang replied.
Henry Lin just chuckled, "Heh, I believe in him."
Henry Lin watched as Evan Chu's silhouette finally vanished, recalling the matter of the Crimson Demon Star...