The negotiation between Mifang and He Gaitou was concluded on the same day.
Long Fu will challenge Shi Liu, secretly providing funds, and have He Gaitou manage them to obtain more funds.
Mifang, carrying the significant resources of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, bet in the name of an individual, wagering that Long Fu would dispatch Shi Liu within the first three rounds, securing victory.
This brought immense intimidation to He Gaitou!
"Long Fu indeed has hidden strength; he is confident that he can deal with Shi Liu in just three rounds!"
"Long Fu also has a strong sense of revenge. Last time, Ice Prison represented Ice Calamity to trouble him, and now it’s his turn to target Ice Prison."
"He’s giving me a warning."
"What a domineering guy..."
He Gaitou knew clearly: the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps intentionally sent Mifang over for negotiations, which was another level of deterrence.
He Gaitou was not like Mifang; he was almost alone, without any backing.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent bribe money to the warden of Ice Prison every year under the guise of gambling.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have supported Ice Calamity previously, considering it for Mei Lin and others.
He Gaitou’s biggest support, or rather background, was the duelist.
"As it turns out, damn Long Fu became a duelist too!" He Gaitou cursed the first time he heard the news.
He Gaitou was chosen by Cang Xu as the second breakthrough point.
If Mifang was of weak character, then He Gaitou was weak in power.
Exactly a good target to strike.
Long Fu’s challenge against Shi Liu didn’t attract as much attention as before.
Even though He Gaitou and the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps were working in secret, spreading news and rumors, trying their best to increase the attention.
This was because the National Ceremony’s Grand Duel had reached its late stage, and it wasn’t just the duel between the Dragon-man youth and Shi Liu at the Golden Level, there were other duels of the same level.
Another significant reason was that after a period of elimination and selection, many excellent duelists emerged, and many of these were fresh faces.
The National Ceremony’s Grand Duel didn’t occur every year; it was a grand event in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, attracting many outsiders. Many local Transcendents also actively trained and prepared for this event for years.
The Dragon-man youth had a big name, but his style was established, and his fighting techniques were not flashy, losing novelty in the eyes of many audiences.
The Dragon-man youth also noticed this point.
"The bigger the reputation, the more helpful it is for me to seize the Duel Godhood."
"I must continue to increase my fame, but if I only repeat the past, the rise in reputation has reached its limit."
The Dragon-man youth was already a nationwide sensation; everyone who should know about him already did, and even those who shouldn’t had heard of him.
Next, it was time to let the fame settle.
Make those who don’t like him like him, make those who like him like him more, and make more people acknowledge the Dragon-man youth’s strength... from the perspective of faith, it’s deepening the level of faith!
It was based on this purpose that the Dragon-man youth challenged Shi Liu.
Ice Prison was hesitant, but Shi Liu was already eager.
With the help of Deception Divine Arts, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps, in the name of Elder Jiu Jin, had secretly negotiated with Shi Liu, gaining his trust, and eventually reached a consensus.
The duel began.
The first time, there were empty seats in the dueling field.
On this day, there were three Golden Level duels, and the Dragon-man youth versus Shi Liu was just one of them.
There were countless bets on the duels, not only could the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and He Gaitou guide the public opinion, but other gambling houses and forces were also skilled in this way.
The battle commenced.
The Dragon-man youth directly charged towards Shi Liu.
Shi Liu sensed something amiss and immediately retreated.
Combat Skill - Dragon Ball: Explosive Flame!
In the midst of the charge, the Dragon-man youth accumulated three Dragon Balls, which floated around his body.
Boom.
A muffled sound, and the Dragon-man youth and Shi Liu engaged in close combat.
Then, boom boom boom!
A series of Dragon explosions caused huge clouds of dust to rise.
This was the first round.
In the second round, Shi Liu emitted a shout, his inner Demon Crystal surged with magic power, performing Earth Element Combat Skill.
A massive high wall burst through the dust, standing in the dueling field.
However, the Dragon-man youth did not retreat.
Combat Skill - Blast Fist.
Combat Skill Technique - Shock Wave!
The power of Blast Fist was as explosive as a bomb, when independently unleashed, it could blast a hemispherical pit in the earth wall. But with the reinforcement of Shock Wave, the explosion’s power formed oscillations.
Waves of force radiated everywhere, quickly covering the entire earthen wall.
The surface of the wall rapidly cracked, then peeled, and wall fragments flew everywhere, the fissures expanded, finally turning into chunks of yellow earth of varying sizes.
The second round ended.
The Dragon-man youth punched down the wall’s defense and rushed to Shi Liu again, swinging his fist.
Being too close, Shi Liu couldn’t move away. He let out a low roar and charged forward, attack against attack.
The powerful strike landed on the Dragon-man youth’s body, but it was perfectly defended by the combination of Dragon Scale, Defensive Fighting Skills, and Horizontal Training Force.
On the other hand, after Shi Liu took a Heavy Punch, his entire body suddenly stiffened, frozen in place.
The Dragon-man youth then inserted his Dragon Claw into Shi Liu’s body, pulled out the Demon Crystal, and crushed it in public.
Without the Demon Crystal, Shi Liu, the Earth Element Body, crumbled with a roar, turning into countless fragments, as the intense Earth Element spread all around.
In the third round, Long Fu wins!
The whole arena was dumbfounded.
No one had anticipated that this duel would end so quickly.
Before this, countless experts had considered the strong defensive power of both Shi Liu and Long Fu, predicting this would be a battle of attrition, a protracted war.
Yet, in just a few seconds, not only was the outcome decided, but life and death were determined!
"What happened?"
"It’s over like this?!"
"Shi Liu is dead? How is this possible? I just sat down."
The audience engaged in heated discussions, trying to analyze the situation.
"Was this a fixed match?"
"Fool! Who would gamble with their life in a fixed match?!"
"Long Fu isn’t that kind of person! Don’t slander my brother!! You’re courting death!"
"Could Shi Liu be such a weak duelist?"
"No, that’s not it. Being chosen by the Ice Prison means he’s at the Golden Level, how could he be so inadequate?"
"Yes, I’ve seen some of Shi Liu’s previous duels; he showed strong combat power."
After heated discussions and analyses, everyone concluded — Long Fu has gotten stronger!
"He has mastered the Shock Wave. My god, how did he improve so much?"
"In the last duel, he displayed several techniques but focused on defense. Now mastering the Shock Wave, he has a counter to the Element Body."
"It was just Shi Liu’s bad luck to encounter my brother Long Fu!"
"Is Long Meng’s guidance really so strong? Long Fu’s progress is simply inconceivable."
"I’m starting to get interested in his future duels. I really wonder what progress he will show in the next duel!!"
He won.
He Gaitou won; he ran the betting and made a solid fortune. Before the fight, who could have imagined Long Fu could "kill" Shi Liu in just three rounds?
Shi Liu also won. Under the guise of multiple Deception Divine Arts, he successfully faked his death to escape, indirectly breaking out of prison.
The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps also won. First, they established a profit alliance with He Gaitou, greatly strengthening their relationship. Second, the Dragon-man youth slew Shi Liu, displaying dominance and delighting the audience, generating widespread discussion, boosting their reputation. Third, with Shi Liu’s allegiance, the Purple Vine Secret Cache was within reach.
In short, the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps won thrice.
"The longer the night, the more dreams arise. It’s time to take the Purple Vine Secret Cache!" The Dragon-man youth, Zi Di, and Cang Xu set out together.
Zi Di in the open, with the guise of Ghost Vine, led Jiu Jin, Cong Mang, and Shi Liu.
The Dragon-man youth and Cang Xu covertly supported.
"This day has finally come," Elder Yuan Ci said with emotion upon seeing Zi Di and the others.
"Lead the way quickly. If we delay any longer, the more parts of the Array activate, the stronger its power, and we won’t have such a chance again." Elder Jiu Jin urged.
As an elder of the Alchemy Guild, though not part of the core, he had heard of the Ten-thousand-year-old Dragon Formation.
Elder Yuan Ci nodded, hiding in the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake all year and noticing many changes in the Ice Lake in recent days.
Previously, Yuan Ci did not deceive Zi Di; the Purple Vine Secret Cache was hidden on the second ice layer.
Five Level 0 Purple Vine Secret Tokens gathered together (Zi Di used Fat Tongue’s as a substitute; her own can replace three, which was a flaw), successfully opening the portal to the hidden cache.
The secret chamber was not large, surrounded by high cabinets built around the walls.
Each drawer was a carrying case, Alchemy Items, containing greater space.
These were all Silver Level carrying cases, each packed with Gold Coins, gems, or precious alchemy materials, etc.
There were so many items, extremely valuable, needing to be inventoried.
In the center of the secret chamber, there was a half-person tall podium with only five items placed on it.
A golden magic storage bag, a white bone ring, an Ice Crystal Crown, a scarlet cloak, and a wooden box.
Everyone’s attention quickly focused on these five treasures.
The carrying cases were regular resources, big in quantity. The central podium was an alchemy component, playing a role in sealing and concealing, guarding the five treasures on the stage.
Elder Yuan Ci, seeing these five treasures, a gleam of light flashed quickly across his eyes.
He pretended to be unconcerned and said with a smile, "Very well, there are five of us, and these five treasures are just right for distribution, one per person."
"This time, Jiu Jin and I have contributed the most, so the two of us will choose first."
Yuan Ci was a Silver Level mage, but Cong Mang and Shi Liu were both Golden Level.
To prevent opposition, he strengthened his voice by including Jiu Jin.
Jiu Jin was a Golden Level mage, an elder of the Alchemy Guild, and a local tyrant in the Ice Sculpture Royal Capital.
But unexpectedly, Elder Jiu Jin shook his head, "This distribution is very inappropriate, I do not agree."
Elder Yuan Ci’s expression changed.
Shi Liu and Cong Mang also said in unison, "We don’t agree either."
Elder Yuan Ci’s face was grave, the situation he feared still happened, making him laugh coldly and test, "Then how do you want to distribute them?"
The result of testing was that Shi Liu, Jiu Jin, and Cong Mang all looked towards Ghost Vine (Zi Di), ready to take orders from her appearance.
Elder Yuan Ci broke into a cold sweat on the spot.
He swallowed, subconsciously taking a few steps back.
Zi Di chuckled softly, "Don’t be nervous, Elder Yuan Ci, we have use for you."
"It seems you have some understanding of these treasures, could you explain them to us?"