The results of the negotiation with Mifang were far greater than before the Dragon-man youth took action.
On the way out of the restaurant, the Dragon-man youth recalled Cang Xu’s words.
Cang Xu analyzed Mifang as follows: "Among all the duelists, Mifang is the most suitable as the first breakthrough point."
"On one hand, his situation is dire, tangled in interests with us. On the other hand, more importantly, his character shows obvious weakness."
When the Dragon-man youth heard this, he couldn’t help but envision himself dueling with Mifang, the latter fully armed.
The Dragon-man youth vaguely understood: "Since Mifang knew he couldn’t defeat me and might even lose his life, being fully armed and adopting an extremely conservative tactic was wise."
Yet Cang Xu shook his head: "To truly understand a person, look at their actions. But not just for a moment or on the surface; you need to see their actions throughout their life’s journey. Especially, certain key choices at crucial life intersections reveal a person’s true nature."
"We still don’t know much about Mifang’s life before coming to the Ice Carved Kingdom. But after entering the Ice Carved Kingdom, what did he do?"
"He showcased his male charm, using the resources of those female Snow Elves to invest in himself."
"He earned fame through duels, and then used his reputation to expand his charm in romantic pursuits, increasing his collection of female resources."
"Ultimately, he chose the Jingxiang family, the most suitable for his development."
"From all this, we can see that Mifang likes taking shortcuts. He makes the most preparations for duels, focusing heavily on the outcome of victory or defeat. He has ambitions and is very concerned about gains and losses."
"He is very sharp about opportunities, which is why he could leap ahead of those Snow Elves in the Jingxiang family to become the person responsible for the mount magic potion."
"Consequently, he rose with the tide but also fell into the abyss after being defeated in duels. According to intelligence, his authority was almost completely stripped by the Jingxiang family, making this the best time to negotiate with him."
After listening to this analysis, the Dragon-man youth felt greatly enlightened and quickly asked Cang Xu about the specifics on how to negotiate.
Cang Xu taught him: For someone with inherent weakness of character but filled with ambition, you should as much as possible display a domineering and forceful attitude to gain the upper hand, then entice with benefits to shake their resolve. By achieving these two steps, you could essentially reach the negotiation goal. If you can achieve a third step—building identification—that would be even better.
Later, Hun Tong discovered the latest intelligence, informing the survivors about the key information on the ’Holy Domain Level Devil Transformation Potion.’
This made the negotiation with Mifang more urgent.
"This negotiation was a great victory."
"The issue of the ’Holy Domain Potion’ was dealt with in advance, and although it cannot bring crisis, it indeed was a huge trouble."
The Dragon-man youth felt quite pleased.
He left the room early, leaving the holy domain magic potion on the dining table, continuing to intimidate Mifang, leaving the other with the impression of being unfathomable and entirely in control.
Hun Tong had been lurking in the room to retrieve this bottle of magic potion for the Dragon-man youth.
After Cang Xu joined and pointed out many decision-making mistakes of the Dragon-man youth, the youth immediately corrected them, recalling Hun Tong, who had been stationed at the Snowbird Port branch, back to his side.
Previously, the reason Mifang heard the mysterious call and saw the suddenly appearing invitation letter was all due to the deceitful Divine Arts cast by Hun Tong.
Back at the temporary stronghold in the Royal Capital, the Dragon-man youth was still reflecting on this action.
"Solving problems isn’t necessarily about fighting and killing!"
"Killing Mifang, compared to turning him, making him work for me, clearly has more benefits."
"We must always be clear about what we need now. It’s to integrate into the Ice Carved Kingdom and take root here."
"Therefore, we need to maintain good relationships with all parties."
"Eliminating Mifang, even if it shows strength, would establish a grudge with the Jingxiang family. Meanwhile, it would also make the other nobles wary and resent us."
"Also, Mifang is one of the duelists but not from a military faction. If I were to kill him, it would further alienate other duelists, making them wary of me."
"There are so many things about Cang Xu worth learning for me."
The Dragon-man youth was deeply moved.
In the past, he often dealt with problems by using force and fighting.
The experience at the Ocean Nest taught the Fishman youth the wonders of deceit. The battle at Snowbird Port was his practical attempt in this area.
And the negotiation with Mifang was his attempt at new ways of handling problems by following Cang Xu’s guidance.
"This method isn’t combat, nor fraud, but on close inspection, it carries elements of both."
"Using the guise of arms dealers, we bluffed and deceived many people. Mifang was no exception. We achieved breakthroughs in the Alchemy Guild, marking a significant victory. In contrast, Mifang was cornered, making it clear the enemy was strong, while we were weak."
"Thus, this is the best negotiation timing."
"The goal of this negotiation is to make the enemy surrender and comply. So, it’s not just about coercion but also about finding common ground. That’s why I said ’we are the same kind of people.’ The practical effect was outstanding."
"And my ability to achieve these results, aside from defeating Mifang earlier, was indebted to Zong Ge’s one-on-three deterrence. More importantly, it was thanks to Cang Xu’s method, which resolved the problem with the Alchemy Guild."
Cang Xu supported the factions of Cai Jing and others, made the Dragon-man youth a duelist, and connected with Shuanglian. A series of actions hit the core of the problem precisely, influencing the highest level of decision-making in the Kingdom.
By leveraging the highest point, he easily suppressed the Alchemy Guild Chairman and the powerful elder Hua Ni and others.
After the news spread, it immediately gained immense prestige, leaving opposing forces dumbfounded.
"How did Cang Xu do it?" The Dragon-man youth pondered this question many times.
The youth answered himself: "He saw through the situation, understood the Ice Sculpture King’s predicament and needs, and then leveraged the situation to pry open new forces, beneficial to our position."
"Truly, Cang Xu is remarkable!"
While admiring him, the Dragon-man youth also grew cautious.
"The racial conflicts lie between the Mifang and Jingxiang families. Although Mifang joined the Jingxiang family as a son-in-law and superficially integrated, he cannot truly feel at home."
"Why?"
"Because Jingxiang’s family, being Snow Elves, cannot provide Mifang with the power and status he desires, cannot satisfy him."
"Essentially, it is racial conflict that prevents both sides from fully trusting each other!"
"If Mifang were a Snow Elf, the situation would be completely different."
"This is the conflict between races. Every sapient being, due to different bloodlines and life forms, will have divergent worldviews, values, and life perspectives."
"These differences are often vast and incomprehensible."
"I have the Blood Core and can transform, so I can personally experience how immense these differences are."
The youth, in his Fishman Form, felt incredibly close to water. If it were his Dragon-man form, he would not have this sensation at all.
The youth recalled what Long Meng had once taught him.
Be wary of Dragon nature, learn to control Dragon nature, then you might advance further in the Martial Arts Realm.
"If you don’t acknowledge the nature of races and manage it to some extent, cooperation between people can hardly reach a deeper level."
"The relationship between Mifang and the Jingxiang family can be seen as a cooperation. But in the end, the outcome of the cooperation is a split!"
"Looking at all the powerful organizations in the world, without exception, their main members are of the same race. The Holy Bright Empire is mainly composed of the Human Race, and the Ice Sculpture Kingdom is mainly composed of Snow Elves."
"So, what about my Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps?"
Mifang’s failure is a living example, making the Dragon-man youth more alert and more focused on the racial conflicts within the Mercenary Group.
Cang Xu assessed the Dragon-man youth, stating that he is an excellent leader. This is not flattery but a factual statement.
The Dragon-man youth keeps changing, also constantly progressing.
He constantly learns.
This time, from Cang Xu, in dealing with Mifang, he has gained and learned a lot.
The Dragon-man youth’s political insight, political awareness, and political ability are all soaring!
After Mifang secretly negotiated with the Dragon-man youth, he returned to the family base.
That afternoon, he publicly announced that he would challenge Long Fu again and redeem himself!
As soon as the news broke, it rapidly spread, drawing widespread attention and discussion.
"Indeed, in the last duel, Mifang didn’t show his full strength. If it were me, I wouldn’t be content either."
"Brother is really something; he conquered himself. Although he lost, he didn’t truly admit defeat. In this battle, he will surely have a significant resolve!"
"Could it be that the Jingxiang family is pressuring him to compete again? Mifang’s loss put the Jingxiang family under severe criticism!"
"Just worried that Long Fu won’t agree. As a Dragon-man, looking down on a defeated opponent is quite normal."
The public doesn’t know the truth.
Mifang’s female supporters are self-satisfied, the public infers from their perspective, or analyzes from the situation, and most of the time, they are wrong.
After receiving Mifang’s challenge letter, the Dragon-man youth responded that evening, accepting the challenge.
The crowd cheered.
"Long Fu is really something; he didn’t refuse!"
"The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps actually no longer needs to cooperate with the Jingxiang family. Now even in the Alchemy Guild, they have their people."
"I’ve always said, Long Fu is a warrior; he has a bold and generous nature. You can tell from all his past battles. Honestly, I’m accurate in judging people. Even if I’m wrong, there’s no way everyone else is also wrong. The public’s eyes are bright as snow!"
Thus, the Dragon-man youth once again garnered a wave of public favor.
The next day, the duel began.
A public duel, the most prominent Long Fu, combined with the story of redemption, made the dueling field packed to capacity.