Chapter 256 - Duel of the Masters

Chapter 256: Chapter 15: Duel of the MastersNo words were spoken overnight, and the selection battle of Cang Country finally reached its final round, with Leng Yue and Magic Wind as seeded players, nailing down their roles as representatives of Cang Country. Besides them, there were four others who had already been ranked according to their performances in the previous rounds.

"As long as Fik’s opponent isn’t Xia Fusi, Leng Yue, or Magic Wind, he will definitely qualify," whispered the nobles of Cang Country who had come to watch in the stands.

The previous rounds might have been ignorable, but the final round was bound to be exceptionally exciting and not to be missed.

Excluding the third round where Lu Hong and Magic Wind were absent, there were still ten people qualifying for the final battle.

Wu An walked to the center of the arena, putting the bamboo slips with twelve names into a wooden box.

As Wu An’s right hand reached into the wooden box, Magic Wind prayed to the Heavenly God once again. After consulting his father last night, Yinmo had pondered but said little, leaving Magic Wind to handle things on his own. Thus, Magic Wind still held the belief from the previous round that the first and second slips drawn, featuring Lu Hong and himself, would not allow Wu An to protect Lu Hong under the watchful eyes of the public without incurring their wrath.

First slip: Lu Hong!

Second slip: Magic Wind!

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Magic Wind stood in the seating area of Yinmo City, laughing uncontrollably. "Lu Hong, I see no place for you to hide now!"

The drawn Lu Hong also looked interestedly at Wu An in the center. Could this drawing also have been arranged by Wu An?

Wu An then spoke indifferently, "These two will directly qualify and be granted the title of Flame Arms of Cang Country, ranked as third-class nobility of Cang Country."

Cang Country’s nobility was divided into five levels, corresponding to the imperial titles of duke, marquis, count, viscount, and baron. Although the conferred titles had no real power, they at least came with a stipend, and more than that, the title carried honor, representing the pinnacle of Second Transition professions within the country.

"Wu An?!" Magic Wind was infuriated. "Such decisions in the finals, how can you be so hasty?!"

With that, Magic Wind turned to the King of Cang, dropped to his knees with a crash that also cracked the floor, demonstrating the force of his frustration.

"Your Majesty, Wu An is acting recklessly, manipulating the results of the selection battle. I beg Your Majesty to judge this matter!"

With Magic Wind’s gesture, the entire group from Yinmo City also knelt down, putting pressure on the King of Cang.

Still, the King echoed faintly, "Wu An, what is your explanation?"

"Your Majesty," Wu An knelt and said, "With twelve people in this final round, relying solely on the outcomes would mean only six could advance, which doesn’t meet the quota of seven for the Martial Meet. Therefore, I deemed it reasonable for the first and second names drawn to automatically qualify, and then the remaining ten to compete for five spots, thus filling the numbers appropriately."

"You’re lying!" Magic Wind shouted angrily. "Why should a weakling in the early stages of his Second Transition like Lu Hong qualify? His participation in the Martial Meet of the Seven Nations would disgrace our Cang Country. Your eloquent excuses, deceiving the sacred ear, reveal your malicious intentions!"

Magic Wind lay all blame on Wu An, and his words seemed plausible, causing the influential nobles gathered to discuss, with some courtiers echoing Magic Wind’s sentiments.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this lad clearly lacks strength; how can he shoulder the heavy responsibility of representing our Cang Country in the Martial Meet?"

"Your Majesty, Magic Wind is right. I believe Wu An is an enemy spy, aiming for Cang Country to fail in the Martial Meet for his ulterior motives!"

"Your Majesty..."

"Your Majesty..."

A chorus of denunciations sounded in the arena.

King Cang’s brow slightly furrowed, and he shouted, "Enough!"

Under his rebuke, the arena fell silent.

King Cang stood up, eying Wu An below, "Do you have an explaination?"

Wu An quickly responded, "I believe that luck is also part of strength. Lu Hong has been drawn as the first slip multiple times, and while his skills might not suffice, his luck is unmatched. The Martial Meet of the Seven Nations in Amblar is not solely a test of brute strength; finding Amblar’s Heart Stones is crucial. Although Lu Hong appears weak, if he is extraordinarily fortunate, couldn’t he locate more Heart Stones for Cang Country? Even without slaying a single opponent, he could still place in the top three." Wu An had prepared his counter-argument well in advance.

The influential nobles and courtiers heard Wu An’s explanation and thought, "Huh, that actually makes sense."

The Martial Meet of the Seven Nations was held at the Solar Coliseum, but the coliseum actually led to Amblar’s subterranean world. Rankings in the competition were based on points, with each non-combatant killed earning ten points and each Heart Stone of Amblar brought out earning five points. Therefore, as long as sufficient Heart Stones could be found, and one could survive till the end of the competition time, a very high score, and thus a rank in the top three places, could be achieved.

A hint of approval flashed in King Cang’s eyes, and a small smile appeared, "Wu An speaks truly. Lu Hong has been the first slip several times; his luck is profound, a fact I can attest to."

With the King’s divine support, an awkward silence enveloped the arena.

Luck, such a mystical matter, who could be certain? But no one reaches a high station in Cang Country, becoming a powerful minister, without being astute—the silence stemmed not from Wu An’s explanation, but from King Cang’s attitude. It was so obvious a fool could see that His Majesty was protecting this masked man known as Lu Hong.

"Your Majesty!" Magic Wind was still not satisfied. "How can such a thing as luck be determined just by a few drawings? Unless everyone present takes a turn and Lu Hong consistently draws the first slip, only then will I accept Wu An’s explanation." Resentment fueled Magic Wind’s daring challenge, as he recklessly confronted the King’s chamber.

"Magic Wind, you should know that the Seven Kingdoms Martial Tournament is imminent; let this matter rest," the King declared furiously, rejecting the proposal outright and resuming his place on the throne. "Wu An, begin the duel."

"Your Majesty~!" Magic Wind attempted to interject, but several courtiers allied with Yinmo City leaped out, silencing him, warning him to refrain from further comments as it might endanger his life.

Twelve bamboo slips were drawn, and the ten competitors, including Leng Yue, heaved a sigh of relief with Magic Wind directly qualifying, for his strength was formidable, and facing him meant certain defeat, losing the prestigious honor of the Yanwu title.

The first match saw Leng Yue facing Simolo, the top expert from Qishen City.

Leng Yue flipped down into the arena with Simolo closely following, standing in front of her.

As the defensive barrier opened and Wu An signaled the start, Leng Yue initiated the attack, her hands her best weapon, functioning like knives, adept in offense and retreat.

Simolo was a grand mage, his specific profession still unclear to Lu Hong, his murky magic power completely unidentifiable, not belonging to any normal elemental attribute.

Umbra is truly amazing!

Leng Yue’s hand-blades were exceedingly sharp, the pale white light swirling around them aggressive, relentlessly attempting to break through the opponent’s robust magical shield.

For mages in close combat, the biggest fear is having an opponent right in their face; once in close quarters, it becomes very difficult to organize magic power to release major skills.

Simolo unleashed his full magic power, transforming into a grayish halo, pushing Leng Yue away to catch his breath and concentrate on casting, "Instant Shadow Thousand Prajnas!"

Suddenly, thousands of Simolo’s phantasms appeared throughout the arena.

Leng Yue slowly scanned the surroundings, watching her continuously chanting opponent and smiling, "Simolo, can you really hide?"

Simolo ignored her, focusing only on releasing his major skill, which would certainly give his opponent a tough time.

"Hundred Arms Burial Kill!" Leng Yue took a deep breath, leaped high into the air, then using the momentum of her fall, her magic power transformed into a thousand-bladed weapons, overwhelming the entire platform as they fell, covering the entire ring.

Each conjured blade pierced through a Simolo phantasm. No matter where his real body was, none could escape Leng Yue’s attack.

"Not right!" the pierced phantasms silently chanted, causing Leng Yue to notice something odd: "There is no real body among these!"

"Shadow Burst!" All the phantasms, in unison, yelled out loudly, then swelled and exploded, instantly filling the stadium with countless booms.

Before the impact of this attack subsided, Simolo’s real body flew up above the ring, his hands emitting a gray light that faintly revealed ominous fluctuations.

"Absolute Shadow Kill!"

Six ripples unfolded layer upon layer, a colossal pillar of magic power fiercely plunging down, the skill generating a massive magic storm, constantly sweeping across the ring, the turmoil rendering it nearly impossible to discern Leng Yue’s situation.

The King slightly lifted his hand, and a Royal Guard approached, presenting a bamboo scroll with both hands.

Xixi also inquired from the side, "Did that sister named Leng Yue lose? Simolo is so powerful!"

Rubbing Xixi’s little head, the King explained, "You see, although Simolo’s skills look impressive, he actually missed Leng Yue with every single one of them. But well..."

Unfurling the bamboo scroll revealed all of Simolo’s identity information.

"So, he’s from the Shadow Sect." The King threw the bamboo scroll aside and continued, "This Simolo does have some skill, dual abilities. In the hands of an ordinary person, they might have fallen into his trap."

As expected by the King. With continuous release of skills, Simolo gradually broke out in a fine cold sweat.

Ten minutes later, no longer able to endure, he raised both hands, "I concede, I concede!"

The moment his words ended, Leng Yue’s figure swiftly moved, as fast as lightning, directly aiming for his heart.

"Lord save me!" Alarmed, Simolo hastily cried for help.

Wu An stepped forward and reached Simolo, striking with a palm, his magic forming a huge wave, pressing Leng Yue harshly onto the ground, immobilizing her.

"Lord Wu An, I realize my mistake!" Although Leng Yue was reluctant, facing Wu An directly certainly would not end well.

"Next time your opponent concedes, you must control yourself better," Wu An said before retreating to the edge of the area and loudly announcing, "This battle is won by Leng Yue, who is awarded the Yanwu title, ranked as a third-class Duke. Both parties, please leave the arena."

Simolo breathed a slight sigh of relief, landing on the ground, as Leng Yue appeared before him in a whoosh, her gaze icy, "I really didn’t expect, the number one expert from Qishen City, to have so little backbone."

Simolo, undeterred by the prospect of further confrontation, responded, "Miss Leng Yue, living is better than dying, isn’t it?" he said with a slight smile.

"Heh, then you better hide well in Qishen City, don’t give me a chance," said a vexed Leng Yue as she turned and left.