Evan Chu was a little shocked to see that the newcomers actually numbered fifty strong. Sea Dragon Academy really did gather their forces fast—way faster than his own side, that was for sure.
As they drew closer, Evan just closed his eyes, curious how these guys planned to deal with him. Meanwhile, the last traces of Chaos Qi kept circulating inside his Earth Star Pellet, ready to unleash Shifting Position at a moment's notice if things got dicey.
"Hey, check it out! Some idiot's actually sleeping out here—let me go kill him!" A Sea Dragon Academy student’s voice rang in Evan’s ears.
"Hold up! There’s no way this guy just happens to be here for no reason. Don’t be reckless. Let’s all go check it out together." Another voice cut in, more cautious.
Evan Chu squinted through a crack in his eyelids to size up the speaker. The guy looked pretty ordinary, but there was a sharp, deep glint in his eyes—definitely not your average grunt. At least a cut above the fodder they’d run into before.
Evan’s attitude shifted—he couldn’t afford to underestimate these guys anymore. If he still had a full tank of Chaos Qi, he wouldn’t even bother with them, but now? Different story. He had to stay sharp.
The group stopped just two meters from Evan, staring him up and down for a good half a minute before finally looking away.
"Hey, you done staring yet?" Evan couldn’t stand being ogled like some circus act. He’d meant to keep up the act, but he couldn’t help himself—he jumped up with a grin, breaking the silence.
His sudden move startled the whole group—several of them even whipped out their weapons, ready to throw down at any second.
The leader recovered from his shock fast and sneered, "You’ve got guts, kid. Most people run for their lives when they see Sea Dragon Academy. You? First one I’ve seen just stand there."
"Oh really? Well, thanks for the compliment. But tell me, what exactly is so scary about you guys? Are you actually strong, or just think numbers make you tough? Sorry, but I was born to stir up trouble. What’s the plan—gonna gang up on the few with the many?" Evan Chu grinned, all sarcasm and swagger.
"Third Brother, let me take care of him! I’ll show him that Sea Dragon Academy students aren’t trash like those losers from Heavenly Dragon Academy!" the hot-headed student barked.
"Come on, bring it! Afraid of you? Not a chance. Or hey, why don’t you all come at me together? Saves me the trouble of knocking you down one by one!" Evan stood with his hands on his hips, looking totally at ease, like he didn’t see any of them as a threat.
Evan really knew how to play it up—and sure enough, his words sent the student into a rage. The guy raised his longsword and roared, "You piece of trash! I’ll make sure you die so thoroughly you won’t even leave a corpse behind!"
He charged straight at Evan. "Careful!" called the one they’d called Third Brother, trying to rein him in.
"Come on, I’m waiting!" Evan laughed, but his hand had already slipped Frostbane Sword from his storage ring, gripping it tight.
Two meters wasn’t much—he closed the gap in an instant. The student was no pushover; his longsword surged with star power. Evan sized him up: about on par with Sterling Yates.
No room for carelessness. Evan watched for the angle of attack and dodged just as the sword was a foot away—no Shifting Position, though. If he used that, he’d give away his trump card. Where’s the fun in that?
He wanted to buy some time—maybe Goldwing the golden carrion-roc would show up. He could’ve just slashed back with Frostbane Sword and left the guy half-dead, but Evan held back.
If he killed the guy instantly, all the Sea Dragon Academy students would swarm him. Then Rhea Yang, Gus Bullard, and the others would have to jump in, and things would get ugly fast.
But Evan couldn’t afford to look too weak, or they’d lose interest. As he dodged, he flicked out two fingers—Phantom Shadow Finger, laced with sharp Chaos Qi, shot straight at his attacker.
Phantom Shadow Finger wasn’t as fierce as sword qi, but it was no joke—especially with Chaos Qi behind it. That made it even deadlier.
The student’s sword came down but hit nothing but air. He was just about to curse Evan as a coward when a stabbing pain shot through him—several bloody holes opened up, pouring blood.
"Heh! How’s my Phantom Shadow Finger taste?" Evan laughed, provoking him even more.
This kid was tough—he didn’t even glance at his wounds, not a flicker of pain on his face. But he still snarled, "You brat, you’ve pissed off your grandpa now!"
"Grandpa my ass! You dare run your mouth in front of me? Come on, show me what you’ve got!" Evan waved him over, pure contempt in his eyes.
"Warren, don’t lose your head—fall back!" Third Brother barked, face growing dark as he started to sense something was off.
But Warren was too pissed to listen. He gripped his sword tighter and roared, "Eat my Profound-tier technique! Flowing Cloud Slash!"
Evan saw pale blue light flare along Warren’s blade as water molecules in the air swarmed around it. So, he’d actually grasped the water element. Interesting.
His Earth Star Pellet still had plenty of star power left—not as strong as Chaos Qi, but enough to cast Windchaser Sword Codex’s eighth form, Wind Over the World, twice.
Now wasn’t the time to keep hiding his strength. Evan decided to go head-to-head—see if he could fight Warren to a draw without Chaos Qi. That way, even if he ran dry later, he’d still have a shot in future battles.
In a flash, both unleashed their moves. Warren’s sword qi bristled with water droplets—Evan could tell those beads would pack a punch if they landed, about as nasty as his own wind blades.
Wind blades and water-bead sword qi collided in midair, crackling and popping. The blast ripped up grass and soil, leaving a five-meter patch of bare earth.
After nearly twenty seconds, both attacks faded away. Neither had the edge—they’d fought to a standstill. The Sea Dragon Academy crowd was stunned.
Warren was no joke—usually impulsive, but one of the top three in Sea Dragon Academy’s ordinary class.
Now even Warren could only fight this Heavenly Dragon Academy kid to a draw. That meant Evan was no pushover. The crowd started thinking: maybe they should just gang up and kill him.
"Kid, you’re pretty strong. What’s your status at Heavenly Dragon Academy?"
"Heh, why should I tell you? Who do you think you are? Want another round?" Evan laughed.
"You think I’m scared?" Warren shot back, about to attack again—when suddenly, someone stepped in front of him.