Chapter 941: Chapter 729: Call Me Duelist Long Fu!
Time rewinds slightly, shifting to the moment when Zi Di’s group confirmed their promotion, just as Cai Jing was walking towards the judge’s table.
The Dragon-man youth had already stood up, leaving the dueling field.
His heart was reflecting on the previous conversation with Cang Xu.
Cang Xu’s gaze was deep: “The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps lacks its own people in the Alchemy Guild, since there are none, then create one.”
“However, just pushing Cai Jing out as the core of the faction is not enough.”
“Jiu Jin and Da Bei’s support is still too small, not truly core high-level members.”
“If I were the Chairman of the Alchemy Guild, there would be many methods to deal with such persons of merit.”
“Therefore, we need to truly root this nascent faction.”
Zi Di asked, “How should we do that?”
Cang Xu looked at the Dragon-man youth.
The Dragon-man youth felt something: “Go ahead, tell me what you need me to do?”
Cang Xu showed a slight smile: “Become a duelist, squad leader.”
The young man and the young woman were both shocked.
Zi Di exclaimed, “How can this be?”
Cang Xu’s smile expanded, he replied, “Why not? Squad leader can even deceive the Earth Element Main God and rescue Xiao Guai. Why can’t he deceive a God of Duels that doesn’t even exist yet?”
He had another sentence, not spoken directly — the Dragon-man youth had repeatedly committed blasphemy prayers, gaining numerous Divine Blessings from Mei Lan’s Godhood. It’s unreasonable for him to falter when facing an incomplete Duel Godhood.
The Dragon-man youth fell into contemplation.
From a technical level, there was no problem with him becoming a duelist.
Currently, he was already skilled at memory forgery. His experience with blasphemy prayers and sacrifices was also quite rich.
“Reflecting on Long Meng and others, to become a duelist, it’s nothing but a few factors.”
“The first is capability.”
“The second is the act of dueling.”
“The third is the deep-seated acceptance of dueling from within.”
“Capability is not the important factor, because any Transcendent can become a duelist. It’s just that low-level Transcendents don’t have the qualification to erect a tombstone at the apex of Anqiu.”
“In fact, the faith of mortals is also something the divine requires. Following this logic, mortals can also become duelists. It’s just that Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s dueling field is almost entirely for Transcendent duels, the stage for mortals is very small.”
“The second factor is the act of dueling. Every duelist has fought numerous duels; this is a common characteristic.”
“However, in fact, the essence of the second factor and the third factor is the same — both are faith!”
“The act of dueling itself is a sacrifice oriented towards the God of Duels. And recognizing the activity of dueling further signifies faith.”
“Hence, I can accomplish a disguise of faith through memory forgery and the use of deceiving Divine Arts.”
“On this basis, it’s highly probable that I’ll receive divine enlightenment and be selected to enter the Duel Divine Country!”
The Dragon-man youth’s speculation hadn’t just come about now.
In fact, since returning to Ice Sculpture Island, he had been pondering this matter.
Theoretically, he could immediately become a duelist!
But he hadn’t done so.
Because it was too dangerous!
Now, facing Cang Xu, the Dragon-man youth expressed his previous concerns: “If I become a duelist, I could very likely enter the Duel Divine Country, ascend Anqiu’s peak, and see those tombstones.”
“As a result, the other duelists may riot, launch a mass attack, and surround me!”
“I am very worried that this move might provoke them excessively. So, before, I chose to pretend not to have discovered Mifang’s true identity and intentionally spared him.”
Cang Xu shook his head: “Squad leader, in this aspect, I hold a different view from yours.”
“Under the current circumstances, if you become a duelist, you won’t end up being attacked by duelists.”
Zi Di was confused: “If I were a duelist, I would definitely worry about my identity, as well as Anqiu, being exposed by the newcomer squad leader. I would definitely take action first!”
Cang Xu shook his head, asking a key question: “Miss Zi Di, do you think duelists would voluntarily expose Anqiu?”
Zi Di felt a jolt in her heart, realizing at that moment that she had fallen into a cognitive trap.
Duelists would never disclose the secrets of the Duel Divine Country and Anqiu!
The main reason is faith.
Faith is an alliance of thoughts.
Since their faith meets the threshold, and the duelists genuinely agree, how could they reveal the hidden secrets?
In other words, it’s precisely because they agree to such an extent that they would never leak secrets that certain individuals are selected to become duelists!
Cang Xu spoke leisurely, “The current Golden Level duelists are composed of diverse elements. The largest faction has a military background. And the others?”
“Mifang is from the Human Race, the son-in-law of the Jingxiang family. He Gaitou was once an Ice Prison convict and currently runs a gambling house. Yun Zhong is carefree and has repeatedly rejected Mian Licang’s recruitment. Zhu Gan enjoys fishing around, and Qing Hongyan is a member of the Rabbit-man tribe…”
“If the Royal Family can restrain the duelists with a military background, we can understand. But what about outsiders like Mifang?”
“Have they ever leaked these secrets?”
“The answer is no.”
“The power of faith is very strong, changing and restricting their thoughts. I think they probably never even considered exposing Anqiu and the Duel Divine Country. It’s like someone with a happy family never thinks of backstabbing their parents.”
“This is proven by the reactions of the empire’s spies.”
“The imperial spies have repeatedly tried to probe Anqiu and have repeatedly failed. It was only with Lan Zao this time that there was significant progress.”
“The intelligence-gathering capability of the Imperial Spy Organization is definitely top-notch on the Main Plane. Their inability to make headway proves that the duelists are all keeping this secret.”
“This is their consensus, and it is their tacit understanding! It is the greatest recognition they have of one another.”
“If our squad leader successfully disguises himself and enters Anqiu, becoming a duelist, everyone else will believe that our squad leader would not leak secrets. This level of trust depends on their own commitment to keeping the secret.”
Zi Di, after listening, her eyes brightened, “So, this stimulus isn’t that significant?”
Cang Xu nodded slightly, “It’s definitely not as significant as the squad leader’s self-revelation of having Holy Domain potential.”
The Dragon-man youth covered his face.
Zi Di blinked and defended her beloved, “The facts have already been established, it’s too late to say anything now. The squad leader has already revealed his Holy Domain potential and will be targeted sooner or later. We might as well directly become duelists and give others a shock! Let these insidious guys always secretly target me!”
Cang Xu continued, “Of course, relying solely on faith is not entirely foolproof. Because faith can change, people in the secular world have different factions as well.”
“So, there’s a high probability that those chosen to become duelists and to enter and exit the Duel Divine Country have likely been bestowed with certain contract divine arts.”
“Therefore, once the squad leader successfully rises to become a duelist and enters the Duel Divine Country, he should be wooed and appeased.”
“Please elaborate,” the Dragon-man youth asked.
Cang Xu explained, “The situation of the duelists in Anqiu is actually quite similar to that of the Alchemy Guild.”
“Though they are a collective, they are internally varied and, besides the military faction, there is no second mature faction.”
“The ones truly opposing us are the duelists with military backgrounds. We slaughtered Teng Donglang, the leader of the Axe Gang, Jia Bing, and Lin, causing them to lose four Golden Level individuals. Such deep-seated hatred is difficult to resolve entirely, but it can be eased. We have three Golden Level corpses in our possession.”
“As for the others…”
“Can we turn enemies into friends with Mifang? From what I see, Mifang is weak. We can totally pressure him and then appeal to him from a benefit standpoint.”
“Zhu Gan and Yun Zhong have never acted against us. Their nature is free and easygoing, and we can coexist peacefully with them.”
“He Gaitou has supported Ice Calamity and played dirty tricks against us. I estimate he is leaning towards the military faction. No matter, his gambling house is so big, that’s his real weakness!”
“The most critical person is Long Meng.”
“Long Meng has actively expressed goodwill, reaching out to provide substantial help to the squad leader. Is he truly just admiring squad leader, or does he, from deep within, yearn for high-quality duels? Does his proud dragon nature make him willing to cultivate strong enemies to add excitement for himself?”
“Is it possible that this is actually Long Meng trying to win over the squad leader? Is he investing in advance, anticipating that the squad leader might become a duelist in the future?”
The Dragon-man youth’s eyes lit up; Cang Xu’s words were like lightning, piercing through the fog in his mind.
Cang Xu said, “Long Meng is a Dragon-man; his racial identity says a lot.”
“I speculate that, besides the Royal Family laying out plans among the duelists, the White Dragon King might also be involved. Long Meng is likely his arrangement.”
Cang Xu said with emotion, “The Ice Sculpture Kingdom has three Holy Domain Level individuals: the King, the Royal Family’s Archmage, and the White Dragon King.”
“What exactly is the relationship among these three, and what kind of interest-based games do they play? Is the alliance between the Royal Family and the White Dragon Clan firm? The Duel Godhood is so precious; would it cause cracks in their alliance?”
“In short, the political atmosphere of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom is very subtle. This is evident from Da Han’s attack. In that naval battle, none of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s three Holy Domains appeared.”
“To this day, pirates are still ravaging the kingdom’s coastal waters.”
Cang Xu’s political talent is simply incomparable!
His understanding of human nature was exceedingly meticulous.
Under his suggestion, the Dragon-man youth forged the corresponding memories and designed the matching prayer.
When Zi Di is promoted, the youth will need to take action.
“God of Duels, my lord, my supreme.”
“Snow Peak and ice glaciers intersect, endless frost veils Thy Divine Country. God of Duels, Thy glory traverses time and space, shining brilliantly.”
“It is Thou who allows brave swords to clash, it is Thou who grants the armor and shield resilience.”
“Under Thy guardianship, warriors discover the source of strength in the dawn light, turning the storm of war into the breeze of combat.”
“It is Thy might that has forged the order of duels, turning every inch of the battlefield into a trial for the brave, allowing former enemies to transform arms into peace beneath Thy majestic gaze.”
“Under Thy sacred observation, each of my duels poeticizes holy doctrines. Here I pray, let Thy devotee bathe in the blessing of Thy glory. Please accept me into the eternal kingdom of duels, let me become Thy Holy Fighter, eternally guarding Thy glory and strength.”
The Dragon-man youth knelt and prayed silently.
After silent prayers two or three times, space fluctuations began to occur.
Divine Country Descent Technique!
This time, it was not Mei Lan’s Divine Power driving it, but the Duel God’s power.
The Descent Technique enveloped the Dragon-man youth, bringing him a familiar yet strange sensation.
When he slowly opened his eyes, the ground tiles had already turned into mountain rocks.
He gradually stood upright, sticking out his chest. The sound of the wind surrounded him, and the cold air could not conceal his dragon scales that were red as fire.
He looked around and was already at the summit of Anqiu.
Two Golden Level auras frantically rushed toward the Dragon-man youth.
Today, it was the turn of He Gaitou and Yijiu to be on duty.
Shuanglian had dispatched a large number of Alchemy Puppets and Golden Level elemental bodies to fiercely attack Anqiu, and Anqiu almost fell.
Since then, under Mei Lin’s arrangement, not only one Golden Level duelist was stationed, but it rose to two.
He Gaitou and Yijiu stopped abruptly several hundred meters away from the Dragon-man youth.
Both had their eyes wide open.
Just sensing a newcomer, they ran over filled with excitement. As they got closer, they felt the transcendent aura of the Dragon-man youth.
“This transcendent aura seems somewhat familiar!” Both had an uneasy feeling.
Finally, when they saw the protagonist, the two felt their hearts sink into a trough.
“Damn! Long Fu?!”
“Really unbelievable, how come it’s him? It actually is him!!”
Gudong was dumbfounded, he is a soldier, straightforward by nature, and he couldn’t process how a Dragon-man sneaked into the duelist ranks.
What’s going on, it seems… the enemy suddenly turned into one of us?
Yijiu squinted his eyes; being a thief, his moral foundation was flexible, and he could accept Long Fu as a duelist.
But he had once made a move against the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, even killing the only “mage” they had at the time.
Long Fu was the victim!
“Before, he didn’t know about us duelists, now he’s chosen, appearing atop Anqiu Mountain… these tombstones are the best evidence!” Yijiu’s heart raced.
Dragon-man youth stared fixedly at the tombstones, constantly examining the names on them.
After a while, he slowly turned around and looked at Gudong and Yijiu.
“Two of you, could you explain to me?” He seemed to understand something, looked cautiously at Gudong and Yijiu, while expressing anger, suspicion, and other intense emotions.
“It’s over, he’s found out!” Gudong and Yijiu both felt darkness before their eyes.
Gudong wasn’t eloquent and stayed silent.
Yijiu dried his mouth, and after a while finally said, “This is my lord’s Divine Country, Duel Divine Country. Anqiu is my lord’s Holy Land, I believe Long Fu you have heard of Anqiu’s legend.”
“Do you know me?” Dragon-man youth asked.
Yijiu forced a smile, a bit flattering, and said, “Of course, you’re the famous dueling star throughout the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”
“Someone like you being chosen by my lord to be a duelist is also reasonable.”
At this point, Yijiu winked at Gudong.
Gudong was dumbfounded and couldn’t grasp Yijiu’s meaning.
Yijiu rolled his eyes involuntarily and said to the Dragon-man youth, “Lord Long Fu, don’t be nervous, the Holy Land is safe.”
He decided to calm the Dragon-man youth first; he didn’t want to fight with him.
The immediate priority was to quickly convey the news externally.
He shouldn’t be the explainer, the greeter.
Thinking of how to explain to Long Fu was too troublesome, so Yijiu decided to pass it on to someone else.
Emergency communication between duelists, by sharing the same faith, only consumes Divine Grace, consistently possible.
Quickly, the explosive news of the Dragon-man youth being a chosen duelist and already at Anqiu Mountain’s summit was transmitted to every duelist. Through the duelists, it was quickly reported to their backing forces’ higher-ups.
The Dragon-man youth focused on the horizon for quite a while, then suddenly moved.
“Hey?! Lord Long Fu, where are you going?” Yijiu asked immediately.
Gudong silently stepped in the direction the Dragon-man youth was advancing.
The Dragon-man youth narrowed his eyes, began emitting a dangerous aura, and pointed to the abrupt mage tower on the horizon: “That Mage Tower, seems like Honey Snow Tower right? Shuanglian and my group’s Bu Quan originally fell here?!”
Yijiu’s eye twitched.
Regarding this event, he was wholly involved.
“Calm down, Lord Long Fu, please calm down, don’t act impulsively,” Yijiu said.
The Dragon-man youth stared at Gudong and coldly shouted, “You want to stop me? Are you sure about this?”
Gudong was already sweating all over.
His pressure was immense.
Although Long Fu’s battle skills exhibited in multiple duels weren’t exceeding standards, adversaries had long agreed Long Fu was exceedingly dangerous. He had mysterious means; initially, he easily executed Jia Bing among others. On-site inspections showed the Golden Level duelists lacked resistance marks entirely!
Thanks to Zong Ge.
His bluffing tactics have long been highly effective.
This made the Dragon-man youth, facing Yijiu and Gudong, abstain from acting, directly intimidating the two.
“Sigh, let me explain instead.” Following space fluctuations, a voice came through.
The Dragon-man youth turns his head, seeing Long Meng.
“Long Meng,” Dragon-man youth mildly pondered, retracting his dangerous aura, “At the tombstone, I also saw your name.”
Long Meng nodded, smiling at the youth: “As you noticed, we share an identity — Holy Fighter of the God of Duels!”
“God of Duels? What’s going on here?” The Dragon-man youth feigned innocence.
Long Meng, evaluating the Dragon-man youth, showed admiration: “Though I was psychologically prepared, assuming Long Fu might become a duelist, the selection timing surpassed my expectations.”
He sighed and continued: “I know you have many doubts, and rightly so. I must explain to another friend; I’d like to save talking, why not join me at Honey Snow Tower.”
Long Meng’s words truly made the youth somewhat astonished.
Immediately, the four set off together toward Honey Snow Tower.
Reaching a certain distance, Gudong and Yijiu quickly stopped, perceptively deciding to abstain. Having besieged Honey Snow Tower before, staying out avoided misunderstandings.
Thus, Dragon-man youth and Long Meng gradually approached Honey Snow Tower.
Honey Snow Tower soon sounded the alarm.
“Enemies detected, all identified as Golden Level Dragon-man fighters!” Tower Spirit reported.
Shuanglian and Bu Quan were resting, upon the alert immediately moved to the main control room atop Honey Snow Tower.
In the next moment, the master and apprentice duo exclaimed collaboratively: “Ah, it’s him!”
“Long Meng (Long Fu)?!”
Shuanglian and Bu Quan were overjoyed.
Then, suddenly, they exchanged glances.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward and strange.