Seeing Li Yuanqing agree, a sinister smile formed on Lu Shang’s lips beneath his black robe. He licked them and said, "Good. You’re the one who proposed this bet. If I lose, I’ll get on my knees and apologize. But if *you* lose, what price are you willing to pay?"
Li Yuanqing sized him up and down before asking coldly, "What do you want?"
Lu Shang stared at Li Yuanqing and chuckled. "I’d love for your head to roll, but you’re still a Prince, after all. I don’t feel like causing trouble for myself right now, so we’ll forget about that condition..."
He closed his eyes, pondering for a long moment, then suddenly spoke. "How about this? If you lose, you will become my slave. In return, I will support you in taking the throne as the Emperor of the Great Zhou. As for that so-called Crown Prince, I can help you eliminate him as well..."
Li Yuanqing’s expression changed at his words.
He never imagined the man would be so ambitious, or his words so audacious.
It was unclear what method Lu Shang used, but as he spoke, no one else in the arena could hear his words. They could only see Li Yuanqing’s expression shift repeatedly.
Evidently, confusion was written on everyone’s faces.
Lu Shang said with unhurried confidence, "So? This condition shouldn’t be too hard for you to accept, should it? After all, you’re just the bastard son of a maidservant. Barring any miracles, you have no chance of becoming the Crown Prince, let alone the Emperor."
"But if you pledge your loyalty to me, none of that will be a problem. You might not believe in my Energy right now, but that’s fine. I’m about to prove it to you!"
Lu Shang was brimming with confidence as he spoke; he knew Li Yuanqing would agree.
And in truth, he wasn’t wrong.
After his expression shifted several more times, Li Yuanqing finally nodded. "Bring it on. Let’s see if my fists are harder than your neck!"
When Li Yuanqing agreed, the surrounding Martial Artists, though furious, couldn’t help but worry. For this black-robed young man to be so audacious, he likely had some real skill.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing something that was practically a death wish.
Many Martial Artists and Great Zhou Officials even ran over to dissuade him. "Second Prince, you’re already the champion of this Martial Dao tournament! There’s no need to fight this unknown character. Wouldn’t it be better to just give us the order? We’ll seize him for a harsh interrogation!"
Li Yuanqing waved his hand, dismissing all who came to reason with him. "There’s no need to persuade me," he said earnestly. "I am going to beat this man until he kneels and apologizes to every Martial Artist who participated in this tournament!"
Hearing this, the others, though still concerned, knew they could no longer change his mind.
Lu Shang’s sudden appearance on the stage was an insult not just to Li Yuanqing, but to the entire younger generation participating in the Martial Dao tournament.
If Li Yuanqing could truly defeat him, he would become the undisputed leader among his peers.
The uproar in the arena died down, and all eyes watched with nervous anticipation. With a thunderous beat of the drum, the unexpected battle... began!
Li Yuanqing struck first.
His movements were incredibly fast. In just a few flickering motions, he appeared before Lu Shang, his fist—forged by Bone Tempering—slamming toward Lu Shang’s chest like a steel hammer.
But Lu Shang was faster.
The moment Li Yuanqing attacked, Lu Shang vanished. By the time the Prince lunged forward, Lu Shang had already reappeared behind him.
Li Yuanqing’s punch struck nothing but an afterimage.
Now, it was Lu Shang’s turn. His movement was swift, but his action was simple: he merely reached out to pat Li Yuanqing on the shoulder.
In that critical instant, Li Yuanqing managed to halt his forward momentum, turning to block the powerful blow he expected to follow.
But to his surprise, Lu Shang wasn’t attacking at all; he was simply reaching out to pat his shoulder.
This utterly unconventional move caught Li Yuanqing completely by surprise.
Realizing Lu Shang was only trying to pat his shoulder, Li Yuanqing didn’t even bother to block. Instead, he reached out to grab him, intending to pull him into a close-quarters struggle.
It was a good plan.
Their brief exchange had already proven that Lu Shang was faster than him. If he could just grab onto his opponent and force a close-quarters fight, he might still have a chance to win.
But the moment Lu Shang’s hand made contact with his shoulder, Li Yuanqing realized he was wrong.
Horribly wrong.
Lu Shang’s pat seemed to hold no force.
But the moment it landed, Li Yuanqing’s entire body froze. Excruciating pain shot through every muscle he possessed!
When he finally managed to process what had happened, Li Yuanqing coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed, completely unable to move.
Lu Shang dusted off his hands, a cold smile returning to his lips. "Thirty seconds," he said nonchalantly. "Perfect timing."
Everything had happened so quickly that many of the less perceptive Martial Artists in the crowd couldn’t even make out what had transpired. All they saw was Lu Shang pat the Prince on the shoulder, and then Li Yuanqing simply collapsed, losing all strength to fight.
After a moment of dead silence, the surrounding Martial Artists erupted in fury. "What did you do to the Second Prince? Did you use some kind of dirty trick?"
Lu Shang shrugged. "You should all take a good look in the mirror before you speak. Who do you think you are, daring to talk to me like that?"
Unconvinced, a few Martial Artists stood up to demand an explanation.
They were all adults.