Chapter 328 - The Center of Attention

Chapter 328: Chapter 83: The Center of AttentionWalking into the arena, the manor’s owner inserted the Crystal Stone and activated the protective shield, signaling that the duel could commence at any time.

Zhuang Pao pointed his sword at Lu Hong, "Draw your weapon, or kneel and beg for my forgiveness. This is your last chance."

Lu Hong shook his head, "Where do you get your confidence?"

"Confidence? I think it’s you who are full of undue pride. Today, I’ll teach you that there’s always someone better," Zhuang Pao said and, with that, he dashed forward, his blade casting a skyful of sword shadows.

This presence... Lu Hong was all too familiar with it. It seemed... It seemed like the Sword Dao of the Lily Legacy.

In a daze, Zhuang Ze had already closed the distance to within half a step.

Xiao Hui cried out from outside the arena, "What are you doing, idiot? Dodge already!"

Lu Hong snapped back to reality, the cold light of the blade now at his nose.

"Die!" Zhuang Pao bellowed, thinking his opponent couldn’t even dodge, let alone fight back.

Lu Hong stepped back calmly, dodging the blade’s edge, then with a flick of his finger, struck the side of the sword.

A brute force spread along the sword, disrupting Zhuang Pao’s momentum and sending him flying.

Zhuang Pao summoned his Magic Power to steady himself, his brow furrowed as he pondered the recent turn of events. Was that flick a Skill? Was there a profession that specialized in finger techniques? How else could such an irresistible force have emerged?

"Let me ask you a question," Lu Hong said, narrowing his eyes, "Where did your family’s Swordsman profession inherit from?"

"You think I’m going to tell you?" Although the protective shield blocked Magic Power, it didn’t block sound. He certainly couldn’t disclose family secrets to everyone, right? Even if he were willing to tell a dying man, it wouldn’t be now.

"Then I’ll just have to beat it out of you," Lu Hong’s interest in this Swordsman profession suddenly piqued. Could it be that, in ancient times, the Swordsman profession had spread across both the lands of the gods’ grace and the Eagle Alliance? But why had it declined? From Zhuang Pao’s initial stance, it was indeed 90 percent similar to the Lily’s sword techniques. The remaining 10 percent was likely the difference in their comprehensions, of course, with Zhuang Pao on the lacking end.

"Earlier you couldn’t even dodge a casual strike from me, and you still dare to act tough?" Zhuang Pao got up, three flashes of sword blooms bursting in the air, pressing down towards Lu Hong.

Lu Hong didn’t even bother to draw his weapon, and why would he? The opponent was too weak. For someone like Lu Hong, an ordinary Second Transition Level 8 was hardly worth considering.

In an instant, Pure Steel Battle Energy shot from his body, wildly unleashed, instantly dissipating Zhuang Pao’s consolidated sword blooms.

Eh? What?! Zhuang Pao’s eyes bulged. Was he seeing things? Since when did his Skill become so flimsy? It made no sense. Just yesterday, he had easily defeated an opponent of the same level with that move. Why did it seem ineffective against this masked man?

Zhuang Pao tried to psych himself up, "Don’t be smug. I haven’t even used my full strength yet!" But the words carried no weight, not even convincing himself.

However, the audience outside the arena showed expressions of sudden realization.

"I knew it, Zhuang Pao is so fierce. How could his Skill be undone so easily? He must not have been using his full strength."

"Exactly, you had me worried for nothing."

And Xiao Hui also secretly broke a sweat. She knew too little about Lu Hong. She wasn’t aware of the incident where he killed Katula, but Earl Bacon knew, and that’s why he was so confident in Lu Hong.

"Then show your full strength. I’m giving you another chance. If it’s the same, then it’s my turn."

"This... This... How... How..." Zhuang Pao panicked. He was proud, but not foolish. Seeing his full-strength moves so easily countered twice, he knew he was no match for such prowess.

What to do? Standing there in the arena, what else could he do? He just had to grit his teeth and press on.

Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Pao said, "You’re forcing me!"

"Right, I’m forcing you. Hurry up, it’s okay. Like I said, I’m getting a bit hungry, I want to eat something," Lu Hong gestured impatiently, "Don’t make me angry."

"Good!" Zhuang Pao went all in, driving his entire body’s Magic Power, brandishing his sword, myriad sword shadows flickered layer by layer, then continuously overlapped, converging into one place, upon launching this, Zhuang Pao’s expression became extremely weak: "Phantom—Sword Shadow Kill!"

A thousand swords becoming one, the might was extremely great, at least against an opponent of the same level, this one strike was equivalent to launching more than a thousand attacks at once, and it would hit the same spot, considered one of the strongest defense-breaking Skills in the Swordsman profession, with both lethality and might extremely strong.

"Now that’s more like it." With a light flick, the bronze greatsword landed in Lu Hong’s palm, hands gripping the sword, Pure Steel Battle Energy surged into the blade.

"To the death! Strike!" Activating Divine Sight, Lu Hong sharply detected the weak point in these thousand layers of sword shadows and slashed across.

As a dazzling light flashed by, when everyone’s vision restored, they covered their mouths in surprise, "How is that possible? Zhuang Pao was defeated just like that?"

Yes, after Lu Hong shattered the sword shadows, he rushed forward to his opponent, his hand gripped the opponent’s throat and hoisted him up.

"I heard from Xiao Hui that you like to kill the innocent?" While saying that, he smacked Zhuang Pao’s face twice, several teeth shattering against the protective barrier and then bouncing back.

"Quick! Take down the protective barrier!" The Zhuang family guards urgently shouted at the master of the estate, and without a second word after the barrier was taken down, they drew their long blades, viciously slashing at Lu Hong.

"Relying on others’ power, are we?" The sudden attack made Lu Hong very uncomfortable, Pure Steel Battle Energy burst forth again, forming into a fierce punch, and he struck out hard, the collision sending the guard flying backward, crashing into the crowd behind, likely having passed out.

The unexpected turn in the arena was also swiftly reported to Earl Zhuang Ze, who exclaimed in disbelief, "How is this possible? Don’t delay, send someone to save the young master!" Saying this, he got up and prepared to go.

"Ah, Earl Zhuang, don’t rush." Earl Katula held back Zhuang Ze with a smile, "Didn’t we agree earlier that the younger generation should resolve their own issues? Why worry so much, your children and grandchildren will have their own fortunes."

"Katula!" Zhuang Ze coldly looked at the other, "Are you intentionally antagonizing me?"

"Heh, those are your words, aren’t they? You insisted on upholding the Zhuang family’s dignity, and my nephew just accepted the challenge," Katula revealed the relationship between the two.

Only then did Zhuang Ze realize he had walked into the other’s trap. At that moment, a Zhuang family servant rushed in to report, "The young master has been slapped four more times, he’s already passed out!"

"What!" Zhuang Ze roared in fury, "This is an outrage! Old fool Katula, you’ve gone too far!"

"An outrage?" Earl Katula coldly laughed and said, "You’ve indulged Zhuang Pao to flout the law on the Katula family’s territory, relying on our two families’ connections. If not for considering your face, I would have chopped him up by now. Over these years, he’s repeatedly crossed my Katula family’s bottom lines. Tell me, who is really being outrageous here?"

So Katula had been waiting for him, Zhuang Ze’s face was filled with rage, "So you’ve been plotting all along!"

"I plotted your son starting trouble out of his own accord?" Katula raised an eyebrow, "Are you joking with me? If you hadn’t indulged Zhuang Pao, he wouldn’t have had to be taught a lesson by my nephew today."

"Speak then, what do you really want!" Having decided it was Katula’s machinations, but with a father’s concern for his son, Zhuang Ze could only choose to compromise. If Katula was indeed stalling him, then who knew how Zhuang Pao would be tormented; being killed was definitely off the table, but suffering beatings would pain him to his core!

"Very simple." Katula didn’t mince words, since explanations were pointless, it was time to talk terms, "I know that this session, you’ve been aiming to contest my family for influence."

"Alright," Zhuang Ze took a deep breath, "For this session of the Eastern Thirteen Alliance, I will withdraw from the election, and the Zhuang family will fully support the Katula family in retaining their dominant position." Sёarᴄh the Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Good." Seeing his goal achieved, Katula instructed his aide, "Go tell Lu Hong, our Katula family and the Zhuang family have been friends for generations, a lesson is enough."

"At your command!"

Hearing the message brought to him, Lu Hong couldn’t help but purse his lips, "These nobles, pfft," saying that, he casually tossed Zhuang Pao onto the ground, "Remember, be a good person from now on."

Xiao Hui excitedly jumped to Lu Hong’s side, wrapping around his arm, "You’re so amazing!"

"Hey, hey, keep your distance, I’m hungry, going to get something to eat."

"I’ll come with you, don’t run!" Seeing Lu Hong pulling away, Xiao Hui stamped her feet in frustration, "Don’t run away!" and then she chased after him.

And the crowd of nobles made way for them.

My goodness, which family’s young master is this, easily defeating Zhuang Pao, is he advancing to the top thousand in the Eagle Alliance’s campaign?