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墨書 Inktalez
If Ginger Guest knew that Ji Min had secretly chosen Wei Chen, he would probably explode in rage and resort to violence.
Ginger Guest was ruthless and had no interest in women.
However, because of the entire Dragon Clan, he had to marry Ji Min and win her favor.
This was the order given to him by Jiang Lingjian.
Jiang Lingjian's intentions were clear: win Ji Min's heart, form an alliance with the Dark Demon Clan, and the position of the future Demon Emperor would be yours. If you couldn't achieve this, then there was nothing to discuss.
This was Jiang Lingjian, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.
Within the Jiang Family, there was little warmth or humanity.
Ginger Guest always knew that his position was not as secure as it appeared on the surface.
Before him, Jiang Lingjian had already chosen many Young Mistresses.
Each one ended in tragedy; none had a good outcome.
Ginger Guest did not want to become one of them.
Even though Jiang Lingjian brought him to meet the high-ranking officials of the Demon Realm, he understood that it was merely a façade.
Jiang Lingjian could turn hostile faster than a change in temperature.
One misstep could lead to being ousted and losing the position of Young Mistress. The Young Mistress role was akin to that of a prince, but within the Dragon Clan, princes changed far too quickly. While Jiang Lingjian could hold onto the position of Demon Emperor for a long time, his harshness towards princes was notorious.
The two stared at each other, neither speaking.
Ginger Guest waited for Wei Chen to speak first, while Wei Chen also waited for Ginger Guest to say something. It was Ginger Guest who had called him out; out of courtesy and reason, it should be Ginger Guest who spoke first.
Both were skilled in manipulation and understood that whoever spoke first would lose the upper hand in terms of momentum.
Silence lingered for a long time.
Ginger Guest finally lost his patience.
He fixed his gaze on Wei Chen and said, "Dark Demon Clan Young Master Wei Chen, seeing is believing, but it seems it's not much different."
"Heh, if it's not much different, why did you seek me out?" Wei Chen replied lightly.
"I sought you out with no particular purpose and not for any woman. I simply wanted to tell you to cherish your life in these final moments. Once you're in the Arena, swords have no eyes; dying would be in vain," Ginger Guest said coldly.
Wei Chen smiled and replied, "I want to give you the same advice: cherish your final moments as the Dragon Clan Young Master. Enjoy what you should enjoy; otherwise, when you die, you might regret not having done the things you love. It would be a waste of your time in this world."
"You are quite confident... However, I admire that; confidence is a good thing," Ginger Guest said indifferently.
"Thank you for your admiration, but I don't admire you at all. This challenge you've set up is nothing short of seeking death. You didn't bring me out here just for a simple chat, did you? Testing my strength is your true purpose. Deep down, you're already feeling insecure, aren't you?"
"Whether I'm insecure or not is not for you to decide."
"Heh, just by showing a bit of my strength, I've scared you quite a bit, haven't I? My Mental Strength must be clear to Jiang Lingjian; he knows you're no match for me. He probably ordered you to take me out first in the Arena—kill me instantly. The more you act like that, the more insecure you become. Don't you understand? Jiang Lingjian is the one who's feeling insecure; that's why he commanded you to strike first against me. Otherwise, with your Dragon Clan's temperament, you'd surely want to humiliate me before slowly killing me, right?"
Upon hearing Wei Chen's words, Ginger Guest's expression changed slightly. In truth, from the moment he received Jiang Lingjian's orders, he had thought of this. Every word from Wei Chen rang true.
Ginger Guest narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Wei Chen, using Mental Strength against an enemy—what kind of man does that make you?"
"Using one's strengths to exploit an enemy's weaknesses is the most basic principle; surely you understand that?"
"But within the Demon Realm, it's all about real blades and real bloodshed; you're falling into a lowly tactic."
"Whether it's lowly or noble will be judged after we fight. Besides, do you really think I care about those empty titles?"
Wei Chen wore a broad smile while Ginger Guest's momentum completely dissipated, leaving him feeling severely lacking in confidence. He had invited Wei Chen out only to seek humiliation for himself with no benefits at all.
To be afraid before the battle is a great taboo.
Ginger Guest remained silent, a long silence.
He wanted nothing more than to strike Wei Chen down with a single sword, taking advantage of Wei Chen's moment of inattention, confident that he would have a high chance of success.
But he hesitated. On one hand, he feared provoking a full-scale attack from the Black Magic Clan; on the other hand, it was true cowardice.
He felt a powerful Mental Strength pressing down on his Sea of Consciousness, making him too afraid to act recklessly.
Ginger Guest lowered his head, lost in thought.
Wei Chen quietly observed Ginger Guest. The moment Ginger Guest showed even a hint of murderous intent, he would strike first and control him.
Wei Chen was not reckless; no matter what, killing Ginger Guest at this moment would be extremely unwise. He would not do such a thing.
After a long while, Ginger Guest lifted his head and looked back at Wei Chen.
In his eyes shone a struggle and conflict.
"Wei Chen, we have no enmity between us. Why must we go to such extremes? This duel was proposed by my family's elders; it has nothing to do with me," Ginger Guest said calmly.
Wei Chen frowned. "What do you mean? Be clear."
"What I mean is that we could play a game of mutual understanding instead—just a simple sword duel. If we end in a draw, I can explain it away to my family, and your Warrior Realm is low enough that the one gaining reputation will be you in the end."
Wei Chen was somewhat confused; it seemed that Ginger Guest was not the type to easily back down!
"Wei Chen, you may have some doubts, and I cannot prove anything to you. But I swear I do not wish to fight you. A draw might cost me my Young Mistress position within my family, but at least I am still part of the Dragon Royal Family with countless cultivation resources. When my strength is sufficient, I won’t have to worry about anything. If I fight you, regardless of winning or losing, I will be in great danger. If I lose, I will lose everything in my family; if I win, your grandfather will not let me off easily."
"I understand clearly that it would be a battle where no matter the outcome, I would be doomed. But it cannot be avoided; I can only brace myself for it. That’s what I mean; think it over."
Listening to Ginger Guest's words, Wei Chen remained expressionless. Consider? Consider what? Was he waiting for the moment to unfold and become his greatest rival?
Wildfires cannot be extinguished, and spring winds cannot revive them; problems would arise sooner or later.
Wei Chen had no room for consideration, especially with Ji Min involved; he was even less inclined to think it over.
However, he pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "A tacit agreement isn't out of the question. But I have one condition."
"What condition?" Ginger Guest asked eagerly, sensing hope.
Wei Chen replied, "Ji Min is mine. Don't try to take her; you won't succeed."
Upon hearing this, Ginger Guest chuckled bitterly. "I'm not interested in women at all. No matter how beautiful they are, in my eyes, they are just skeletons painted in rouge. I'm only afraid that my family will force an arrangement upon me that I can't refuse."
Hidden in the shadows, Ji Min gritted her teeth in anger, cursing Ginger Guest for not being a real man.
"Fortunately, I ran into Wei Chen... Thankfully, I came out and overheard their conversation. Otherwise, marrying someone like Ginger Guest would mean living as a widow for the rest of my life," Ji Min thought to herself.
After a moment of contemplation, Wei Chen nodded. "Alright then. We'll simply compete with swords; if we end up at a stalemate, both the Black Magic Clan and the Dragon Clan will accept it and avoid conflict between our families."
"Thank you, Brother Wei," Ginger Guest said as he clasped his fist in salute before turning to enter the main hall.
"Wei Chen, you don't really believe his words, do you?" Ji Min suddenly stepped forward.
Wei Chen feigned ignorance of her presence and frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Hmph! I heard everything you said just now. I never expected Ginger Guest to be such a person."
"Person?"
"Yes, knowing I can't beat you, I just want to play some mind games. I can guarantee that he will definitely find a chance to strike when you least expect it," Ji Min said.
Wei Chen laughed, "We'll see about that. I'm not that easy to fool."
Ji Min looked at Wei Chen with disdain and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. The one who will strike first is probably you, right?"
"Why do you say that?"
"The best way for you to use Mental Attack is to strike first. Although we haven't interacted much, I can still guess a bit about your personality. You're a scheming person, extremely scheming."
It seemed that Ji Min had a very clear impression of Wei Chen and was quite accurate in her guess...
Wei Chen helplessly replied, "How am I scheming?"
"I have a feeling; a woman's sixth sense is never wrong," Ji Min said.
Wei Chen shrugged, "Think what you want. If he doesn't use magic, I won't use Mental Strength either. If it's just a sword fight, I've never been afraid of anyone."
"Is your swordsmanship really that good?"
"It's decent."
"Alright then, good luck."
Ji Min pouted and turned to leave.
Wei Chen watched the fiery Ji Min sway her long legs as she walked into the hall, feeling somewhat strange.
"It really is the allure of Demon Lotus to Lotus Heart Physique; this woman has fallen for me so quickly."
Ji Min's concern for Wei Chen's performance—wasn't that a sign of affection? If she didn't care about him, would she have followed him out? Would she have eavesdropped on his conversation with Ginger Guest? Would she have given him advice?
The woman had already set her sights on Wei Chen, and as time went on, her focus would only deepen, ultimately becoming entirely devoted to him.
Wei Chen had this confidence and knew he had to act accordingly.
"Ginger Guest is likely trying to fool me, but thankfully I'm not foolish. Just because he tries to deceive me doesn't mean I will take it to heart. In a straightforward duel, I have no fear of him. If he intends to use his magic with lethal intent, as soon as a hint of malice is revealed, I can strike first and eliminate him with my Mental Strength."
"No matter how you look at it, I'm safe. Why should I worry?"
With that thought in mind, Wei Chen made his way toward the grand hall.
The banquet was still in full swing. Jiang Lingjian, as the host, was performing on the stage, essentially stating that those from the Demon Realm were all part of one family, emphasizing friendship over competition in the Demon Arena.
In terms of participants, each of the Three Great Clans—Dragon Clan, Dark Demon Clan, and Black Magic Clan—had four hundred members. The medium-sized families contributed around seventy to eighty people combined, while smaller families brought in about twenty to thirty. In total, there were approximately one thousand three hundred participants, perfectly suited for the first round of group matches.
After Jiang Lingjian's performance, the grouping officially began. The highest-ranked warriors from the Warrior Realm were placed at the front, while those with the lowest ranks were positioned at the back to avoid strong contenders being eliminated in the first round.
The first round relied solely on strength rankings; those ranked lower would face off against each other without drawing lots. However, if there was an imbalance in numbers during the second round, drawing lots would be necessary. Until then, there was no need for lots until the final twelve warriors faced off against each other since their Warrior Realm levels were quite similar; pairing them based on rank would seem unreasonable.
Once the rankings were established, there would be a night of rest before the battles commenced. The next morning would mark the official start of the Demon Arena contest.
Many eagerly anticipated that moment's arrival, but Wei Chen felt indifferent. With no supporters and no need to compete himself, he could only wait calmly for the final showdown.
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