Shane Shen strode forward, arriving at the front of Evan Lin's wooden cabin.
Without a word, he lifted his foot and kicked straight at the wooden door.
All around, the crowd was waiting to watch the show.
Most of their eyes were filled with playful amusement.
The Locke Family's Dao-Trial Gathering was, at its core, a game of survival of the fittest and absolute power.
Someone like Evan, who only got in thanks to Yvette Locke, naturally wasn't welcome here.
Quite a few people present were too wary of Yvette Locke's reputation to lay a hand on Evan, but they were more than happy to see someone else teach him a lesson.
Bang!
Shane's kick slammed hard against the wooden door.
"The door didn't open?"
Some people were slightly stunned.
None of these cabin doors were locked, and no matter how weak Shane Shen might be, he was still a genuine pseudo-Vajra.
Yet even after that kick, the wooden door didn't budge an inch?
Many people showed looks of shock and doubt, but from their angle, they could see Evan standing by the cabin window, a bit away from the door, not making any move at all.
"That kick was a bit weak, wasn't it?"
Evan glanced at Shane from beside the window.
Shane's face twisted with humiliation and anger. To him, that flimsy-looking wooden door suddenly felt sturdier than steel.
"Screw you!"
Shane shouted angrily.
He stepped back half a pace, gathered his strength, and then stomped hard at the door again.
Bang!
His foot landed.
The door still didn't open. Instead, Shane was sent flying backward, rolling a good distance before finally stopping.
"Are you kidding me? He can't even open a door?"
"Bro, this is rough. You just got your cabin snatched, now you want to steal someone else's, but you can't even open the door!"
Seeing Shane's miserable state, people started laughing.
"Does that kid have some kind of magic artifact? Maybe Yvette Locke gave it to him!"
"I think it's possible. Otherwise, how could he act so fearless?"
Others, seeing the unmoving door with not even a hint of opening, looked thoughtful.
Magic artifact.
Artifacts like that are rare and precious—most people here have never even seen a real magic artifact in their lives.
Seeing Evan's calm and confident demeanor, they figured their guess was probably spot on.
"You little punk, you're asking for it! Today I'm sending you straight to hell!"
Shane climbed up from the ground.
He already looked pathetic—now he was like a stray dog that had lost its home.
He glared at Evan's face, which hadn't changed at all from start to finish, while the jeers from the crowd made his expression grow even colder.
"I've gotten this far by grinding through hard cultivation!" Shane shouted.
He stood his ground, took a deep breath, then stepped forward half a pace with his left foot, clenched his right hand into a fist, and let his energy surge wildly throughout his body.
A dense barrier of inner strength formed in front of him.
"I've never relied on a woman to get where I am! Now I'm going to show you that when it comes to real power, all your backers and connections mean nothing!"
He roared, his muscles bulging, and shot toward Evan's cabin, pouring all his strength into a punch aimed at the door.
Just as his fist was about to land—
Creak.
The door, which had stayed shut the whole time, was pushed open from inside by Evan.
Bang!
In a flash—
Everyone saw a figure shoot into the sky.
Shane soared upward, growing smaller and smaller in everyone's eyes until he vanished completely.
"What just happened?"
"I couldn't see clearly."
"That was way too fast—what just happened?"
Everyone frowned, totally baffled.
They looked over at Evan, who was standing calmly at the doorway, looking as relaxed as if nothing had happened.
"It must be some kind of defensive magic artifact—he's got it on him!"
Warren Hu's eyes flashed as he sized Evan up from head to toe.
No one here had sensed any inner strength from Evan, so of course they refused to believe he was the one responsible for all that just now.
In reality, Evan had only gathered a trace of spiritual qi on the door.
Spiritual qi was different from inner strength—it was a far deeper force, and ordinary people couldn't sense it at all.
"He just got sent flying like that?"
Evan shook his head.
He'd actually planned to step out and give Shane a punch himself.
Everyone's gaze toward Evan changed yet again.
Most of those who'd been mocking Evan just now had already shut their mouths.
"Anyone else want to give it a try?"
Evan glanced at the few who were about to step up and said calmly, "I don't mind settling all of you at once right now."
"If you want, you can all come at me together—including those hiding in the cabins. Everyone's welcome."
Everyone's welcome.
The moment he said that, quite a few people's faces changed.
"Arrogant as hell! I swear, you've got shit for brains!"
Someone in the crowd stepped out, and without another word, rushed up to Evan and aimed a kick at him.
That guy's inner strength was fierce—he was clearly a pseudo-Vajra too.
But as he kicked, Evan simply raised his left arm.
The kick landed squarely on Evan's left forearm.
Inside that left arm, a dragon lay dormant.
Evan didn't even need to gather spiritual qi to defend himself.
In the next instant—
A powerful backlash sent the guy, his terrified face and all, flying into the air and deep into the forest, vanishing from sight.
All that was left were his airborne silhouette and his terrified screams echoing through the sky.
"Another one's been sent flying?"
"This kid is way too freaky!"
"There's not even a hint of inner strength coming from him!"
"If he's really using some kind of magic artifact, then that thing is just ridiculously powerful!"
For a moment, the atmosphere became downright bizarre.
"Anyone else?"
Evan swept his gaze around, meeting everyone's eyes one by one.
That calm, understated face—normally reserved—now looked downright bullying to the others.
"What a bunch of trash."
Evan let out a sigh.
"Those two just now really were trash."
Warren Hu, his expression a bit odd, instinctively chimed in when he heard Evan's words.
He'd looked down on Evan before, but now he couldn't help but see him in a new light.
But to his surprise, Evan glanced over at him.
"I wasn't just talking about those two."
"I mean all of you here—you're all trash."