Chapter 509 - 491: War Reignites

"Hey, hey, these two are among the youngest and most formidable Great Commanders in Zhenwu Mansion right now. They even obtained the Martial Arts Examination Nomination Orders ahead of time. You can imagine how powerful they are."

"If they fight, it will definitely be a titanic clash!"

"Did I hear that right? Tiemu Xiaoyun challenged Su Yu? Is he stepping up to settle the score on behalf of the Tiemu family?"

"You heard right. Tiemu Xiaoyun is making his move against Su Yu! And he picked this exact moment, clearly intending to stop Su Yu from participating in the Martial Examination!"

The Merit Department was soon surrounded by numerous Commanders and Captains, all watching with intense curiosity.

Su Yu’s expression remained as calm as still water. He stared at Tiemu Xiaoyun, rapidly deducing the man’s intentions in his mind.

"Tiemu Xiaoyun, are you truly prepared for a duel before the Martial Examination?"

Seeing Su Yu completely unfazed, Tiemu Xiaoyun’s gaze grew a fraction heavier. Su Yu had climbed from being a mere commoner in the Outer City to his current status; he was undeniably a genius. It would naturally be best not to make an enemy out of him. However, for his sister’s sake, he had to do this. He thought, "Su Yu, then don’t blame me."

"Su Yu, whatever stakes you want for this bet, just name them. I only care about fighting you."

"Fine. First, put up one hundred thousand taels of silver, ten Dragon Tendon Pills, three Xuan-grade Treasure Medicines, three pieces of Profound Tier divine iron, three Ancient Wonders, and a Xuan-tier Technique as the stakes."

Initially, Tiemu Xiaoyun had intended to wave his hand and agree to whatever Su Yu demanded. After all, the Tiemu family was funding this battle, and if he won, he wouldn’t actually have to hand over any of those items. But Su Yu’s list made his face darken, leaving him instantly speechless.

"Brother Su, you’re asking for too little. You must know that a duel at this time means missing the Martial Examination if you get injured. The stakes should at least include ten Iron Wood Fruits from the Tiemu family, as well as a chance to peruse their top Profound Tier technique, the Iron Wood Golden Body."

Li Jingfeng’s words carried an unmistakable hint of warning.

Su Yu nodded immediately. "Jingfeng is absolutely right. Tiemu Xiaoyun, come find me again once you have all of these prepared!"

With that, Su Yu turned and strode away. He had long seen through Tiemu Xiaoyun’s objective for this battle; it was a blatant attempt to take him out. Why would he ever duel the man for no reason without sufficient profit? As for fighting for so-called pride, that was even more worthless.

Tiemu Xiaoyun did not try to stop Su Yu. He simply watched with calm eyes as Su Yu walked away, before his gaze fell on the distant crowd. Naturally, there were members of the Tiemu family among them who would report the news back to the family.

At the entrance of Zhenwu Mansion, Li Jingfeng looked at Su Yu with a serious expression. "Brother Su, the Tiemu family will definitely refuse to hand over so many items. But if they offer enough bargaining chips, will you accept this fight?"

"As long as the chips are sufficient, I will naturally accept."

"Haha, good! As expected of Brother Su. Seeing you this confident puts my mind at ease. However, I still have to warn you—when it comes to a real sparring match, you won’t be allowed to use your Taibai Power."

Li Jingfeng believed he now had a very clear understanding of Su Yu’s strength. It was enough to rival the elites in the Great Dragon Tendon stage, putting him on par with Tiemu Xiaoyun. However, Su Yu had a multitude of tricks up his sleeve—his terrifying Saber Stance, astonishing Evil Qi, and mysterious Sound Wave Skill. In a real battle, he would be incredibly difficult to guard against. Although Tiemu Xiaoyun was strong, he had not broken through to the True Dragon Tendon stage after all. In a battle against Su Yu, the odds of winning should be roughly four to six in Su Yu’s favor.

Inside Zhenwu Mansion, as the news of Tiemu Xiaoyun challenging Su Yu rapidly spread, it soon became the biggest topic of discussion. Even though Su Yu had laid out many outrageous conditions, anyone with half a brain could see that he was just highballing. The Tiemu family wanted to use Tiemu Xiaoyun to suppress Su Yu, preventing him from participating in the Martial Examination and severing his path of advancement in Martial Arts. Meanwhile, Su Yu just wanted to see if the bait thrown out by the Tiemu family would be enticing enough. If the Tiemu family was truly willing to offer substantial bait, people wondered if Su Yu would actually take the gamble with his future and participate in a duel right before the Martial Examination.

In the Mansion Master’s Office, Pavilion Master Qian set down the documents on his desk, a frown creasing his forehead. "Military intelligence has already arrived from Cangya Pass. The Black Lotus Sect hasn’t given up; their previous retreat was nothing more than a tactical withdrawal to regroup."

Hearing this, the several Grand Masters present all wore grave expressions.

"Mansion Master, does the frontline have any specific intelligence on the Black Lotus Sect’s army this time?"

"No! The Black Lotus Sect’s movements are extremely secretive this time. They are well-prepared and have done an excellent job securing their intelligence. However, the more secretive they are, the more it proves that the scale of their army will not be small."

"Sigh, an era of great chaos. It looks like the Black Lotus Sect is truly determined to conquer our Qing Province," Jin Fugui sighed, rubbing his chubby cheeks. "I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to defend this time. Word has already come from Cangya Pass requesting the Black Stone Army to send reinforcements. When the war grows urgent, I fear all of you will have to head to Cangya Pass to provide support."

"Then we’ll just kill the bastards! I’ve been stuck in Black Stone City for so long that my hands have been itching for a fight!" Liu Longyu slammed her hand on the table and abruptly stood up, her over two-meter-tall figure rising with a vigorous bounce.

"Commander Liu, there’s no need to be so violent. Wouldn’t it be nice to live peacefully for a few more days?" Jiang Wen, dressed entirely in white, spoke with scholarly elegance.

"Madman Jiang, the Jiang family kills more people than anyone else. Stop pretending to be a scholar in front of me."

Jiang Wen simply smiled, making no attempt to argue back.

"Enough. We will discuss this matter further once the specific orders arrive. Next, let’s talk about the Martial Examination. The Zhao Family, Li Family, Wang Family, and the Noble Alliance have already sent over their lists of seeds for the examination, and it’s largely as expected.

"Zhao Qingyue of the Zhao Family, Wang Jifan of the Wang Family, and Li Lishu of the Li Family are the three True Dragon Seeds. Coupled with Changfeng, those four will be the ones competing for first place in this Martial Examination.

"For the remaining top ten spots, our Zhenwu Mansion must squeeze in at least two more people! Let me hear your thoughts."

Mo Guhong pushed up the bamboo hat on his head and said, "Zhao Daoran is outstanding among the Great Dragon Tendons. If we give him a Nomination Order, he can secure a spot in the top ten."

Gudu Zui unhooked the wine gourd from his waist and took a heavy gulp without saying a word. Although he possessed formidable strength, he was a lone wolf with no ties or burdens in Black Stone City, and he rarely ever participated in the discussion of such affairs. Since their strength had not yet reached the Divine Storage Realm, Jiang Wen and Liu Longyu were reluctant to speak up lightly in Gudu Zui’s presence unless there were significant benefits involved.

Jin Fugui said helplessly, "Both Li Jingfeng and Zhao Daoran have impressive strength. Giving the Martial Examination Order to either of them would seem like showing favoritism."

Mo Guhong spoke up again, "Isn’t Tiemu Xiaoyun about to spar with Su Yu? Whoever loses between the two won’t be able to participate in the Martial Examination anyway. Let’s just give the Nomination Orders to Zhao Daoran and Li Jingfeng."

Jin Fugui immediately looked at Pavilion Master Qian. He had no desire to be the one making the final call on such a matter.

Even within Zhenwu Mansion, Qian Zhiyuan wore his signature golden armor. Combined with his hulking, mountain-like physique, he always exerted a tremendous pressure on those around him. His demeanor simply chilled, and as he spoke calmly, everyone felt a wave of killing intent wash over them.

"Although Tiemu Xiaoyun taking the initiative to challenge Su Yu complies with the rules of our Zhenwu Mansion, the Tiemu family is overreaching. Tell the Tiemu family to deliver the required items and set aside half of them as the stakes for their duel.

"The battle will take place tomorrow! Once it concludes, the loser will withdraw from the Martial Examination!"

"Yes, Mansion Master!"

Jin Fugui breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. Now that the Mansion Master had laid down the law, it seemed this battle was inevitable. He couldn’t tell if Su Yu and Tiemu Xiaoyun should be considered lucky or unlucky. The loser would forfeit their chance to participate in the Martial Examination. This was a massive loss that could even impact their future path in Martial Arts. The winner, however, would thoroughly catch the Mansion Master’s eye. From then on, they would likely be second only to Gu Changfeng.