1532

"Our biggest problem right now is that we don’t have enough ascended players."

Zhang Chun said succinctly, "In the past 2 days, the top players of the Northern Alliance, Cyan Earth City, Elephant City and more had all used their Divine Crystals to ascend almost as if they had agreed on the timing. They have more resources than us, so expect them to have more divine players than us when the Nation War starts."

Warsky nodded and said, "I’ve used up 200 Divine Crystals to ascend to no avail. I’m going to make one more attempt tonight, but if that fails too then I’m just going to rest for the next couple days."

Candlelight Shadow smirked. "I’ve already ascended, so this is none of my business…"

"Hmph!"

Suddenly, Farewell Song let out a snort before exiting his stealth state.

"Fuck, you scared me…" I nearly pulled out my sword there and then.

October Rain hurriedly said, "Stop, hero! Please don’t harm our Farewell Song…"

Farewell Song smirked. "As if he could kill me…"

I shot him a glance and said, "It looks like someone’s nose is getting a little too high after they got the Ghost Lake Mirror. You don’t actually think that it makes you invincible, do you? You know what, I challenge you to a BO3 in front of the eastern gate after this meeting is over. Do you dare to accept it?"

Farewell Song gritted her teeth. "Why wouldn’t I accept? What’s your bet?"

I raised one finger and said, "Let’s keep it small, shall we? The bet will be 1 million gold per round. Uncle Hot and Sour Noodles, please be a referee and hold onto our bets until the winner is decided."

"I don’t know…"

Zhang Chun frowned visibly before saying, "The Nation War is right around the corner. Is this really the time to start fighting among yourselves?"

I planted the Xuanyuan Sword on the ground before saying, "It’s about time someone repaid the debt that was due anyway. Farewell Song currently holds the highest win rate in the champion arena, and he seems to think that he’s also the number one duelist in the China server. I need to remind him that the only reason he’s there is because some of us have more important things to do than grinding the champion arena."

Farewell Song sneered at me while toying with his dagger. "Is that so? I can say the same thing about you. While it is true that Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls have risen to the top of the China server since your return, it looks like your achievements have also given you an inflated ego. I would like nothing more than to be that person to deflate it and remind you that there is always someone who’s better than you…"

Warsky smiled proudly at the declaration and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Defend our reputation well, Farewell Song!"

October Rain stomped her foot angrily. "Warsky, you idiot! Don’t add fuel to the fire!"

Intelligence sparkled in He Yi’s eyes as she chuckled. "Hmm, it looks like Warsky is acting arrogant and even declaring war on Ancient Sword at the outer lands precisely because he thought that Farewell Song has surpassed Lu Chen. Very well. We may as well deal with all these trifles in one go so we may enter the Nation War as a united entity!"

Warsky nodded. "Sure. Also, this is just a friendly match no matter what the outcome of this duel may be!"

I smiled. "Yes, I agree."

……

Finally, Zhang Chun let out a small cough and said, "So, are we continuing the meeting, or…? I haven’t planned for a sudden duel to happen, you know? How am I even going to steer you all back to the conversation…"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes chuckled. "If you ask me, I would postpone it to a later time and just enjoy the show, uncle! This is a classic warrior versus thief BO3 between the Little Heavenly King and the King of Assassins. Do you know how many warriors and assassins have dreamed of watching this duel with their own eyes? In fact, I’m going to post a thread in the forums right now. Help bump it up to the top, okay? By the way, should I set the match time to half an hour later? Okay? Okay!"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes was fanning the flames so hard she was starting a forest fire. It wasn’t a bad idea though. If I left Warsky Alliance be, Warsky would surely try to do something sneaky and butt heads with us during the Nation War. This duel would serve as a great deterrent.

A few minutes later, Stranger of Three Lifetimes waved her hand and sent us all a URL. She said with a wide grin on her face, "And, done! Please bump the thread now, dear CGL Hall of Famers. Unless everyone’s with stuff today, it’s going to get real hot outside the eastern gate very soon."

I entered the thread and found it to be as inflammatory as I had imagined it would be—

[Hot] The King of Assassins has impugned the Little Heavenly King’s honor, so the duo will be having a duel outside the eastern gate in 30 minutes! The bet is 3 million gold!

1st comment (Player "Wind Fantasy"): Do hold out for at least a minute per round, Farewell Song!

2nd comment (Player "Warsky"): Farewell Song will win!

3rd comment (Player "Laughing At The Heavens"): Farewell Song will win!

4th comment (Player "Gui Guzi"): Like hell he will…

5th comment (Player "Cold Wind"): Looking forward to it~

6th comment (Player "Candlelight Shadow"): This is going to be interesting!

7th comment (Player "Beiming Xue"): Do your best, big bro!

……

All of the top comments belonged to CGL Hall of Famers, so it was impossible for the thread to be unpopular. Just a few minutes later, the thread had accumulated over 10,000 replies already.

Zhang Chun asked, "So, do you guys want to discuss plans for the Nation War in the meantime?"

Warsky declared, "Unnecessary! All we need to do is to send more people to Hot Sand City and Dawn City. If the enemy attacks us, then we act. If not, then we don’t act! It’s very simple!"

Zhang Chun tried, "That is way too broad. Can we narrow it down a little?"

While sheathing my sword, I said, "There are five divine players in the China server right now. I suggest that we declare war on our enemies right after that number hits ten. Our first target will be Swallow Ear Canton, and we should aim to annihilate them thoroughly within the first 24 hours!"

"Sounds good. After that?"

"That’s it. The battlefield can change at any moment, so we’ll see how it goes then."

"..."

……

"It’s time."

I shot Farewell Song a glance and asked, "Before we head to the eastern gate, do you have any conditions you would like to add regarding this duel?"

Farewell Song said calmly, "Is it okay if I ask you not to use the Xuanyuan Art?"

I nodded. "No problem. I won’t use it."

While we walked out of the Holy Temple, Lin Yixin whispered beside my ears, "I just got the latest data on Farewell Song’s profile. His main dagger is a Middle Divine Armament called ‘Devil’s Kiss’, and it ignores 24% of the target’s Defense. The effect’s stackable. His secondary dagger is a Lower Divine Armament called ‘Blade of Flowing Light’, and it ignores 17% of the target’s Defense. It is also stackable. His chest armor and helmet are Lower Divine Armaments, his wristguards, cloak and boots are top-tier Ancient Immortal-grade items, his necklace is of course the Ghost Lake Mirror, and finally his ring is called ‘Xuanyuan Blood Ring’, an Upper Divine Armament. He got it from the outer lands just yesterday. The ring increases his HP by 1 million and reduces his damage received by 30%. Therefore, you may not be able to instakill him without buffs."

I sucked in a deep breath. "I see. No wonder Warsky is so confident. It’s crazy how powerful Farewell Song’s equipment has become in just a couple of days. He probably has around 1.8 million base HP right now, and with the right card he can boost that up to almost 5 million. Add 30% damage reduction to the mix and… yeah, it will be difficult to instakill him."

Lin Yixin giggled. "It will be fine. Your equipment is even crazier than his after all. That being said, I’m sure Farewell Song knows the details of your equipment as well, so be careful. Anyway, you cannot lose this duel no matter what, or else…"

I shot her a smirk. "Or else you won’t let me sleep with you?"

"Hmph, shameless…"

"Hmph hmph. Just watch…"

……

By the time we reached the eastern gate, it was jam-packed with people already. Even the floating rocks were full of players. On a related note, the system had spawned a 100x100 yard wooden arena at the nearby forest so that the players could duel each other to their heart’s content. Truly, the system was a generous and caring master…

"Excuse us…"

Lin Yixin said while pulling my hand and opening up a path for me. He Yi was holding my hand as well. I couldn’t say I didn’t enjoy their treatment of me today. On the other side, Warsky pushed his way through the crowd by force while October Rain, Farewell Song and more followed behind me. Stranger of Three Lifetimes, Luo River God of the Capital, Moonkiss, Candlelight Shadow, Li Chengfeng and more had appeared around the arena as well. Gui Guzi and Beiming Xue hovered in the sky both to get a clearer look of the fight and to cheer for me.

Gui Guzi shot me a grin before saying, "Don’t worry, Boss Broken Halberd! I promise to pick up your equipment for you if you drop them!"

Beiming Xue curled her lips unhappily. "Don’t say that!"

I let out a laugh and leaped up the arena. When I landed though, I noticed that the wooden plank had nearly broken under pressure. Like come on, my equipment wasn’t that heavy, was it?

Dagger in both hands, Farewell Song also leaped up the arena but landed far more quietly than I did. It was also obvious that his movement speed was far superior to mine. That was the advantage of being an assassin.

……

Finally, Zhang Chun walked up the stage and said, "This is a friendly duel, right? In that case, I suggest that you guys duel each other in Sparring Mode. You are both the irreplaceable pillars of our server. Any equipment or level you lose is a loss to all of us."

However, Farewell Song said coldly, "Cut the nonsense and just start the match already, uncle. A duel is a duel. I’m prepared to accept all the consequences!"

I noticed that Farewell Song was eyeing my weapon and couldn’t help but laugh at his naivety. I raised the Xuanyuan Sword high and said, "The Xuanyuan Sword is the greatest and most powerful weapon of the Twelve Divine Armaments. Do you want it, Farewell Song? Come take it then. I’m sure Warsky or Lin Bing Dou Zhe will greatly appreciate it. I don’t think you have the ability to do it though!"

Farewell Song smirked. "Just you wait!"

Zhang Chun extended his hand and declared, "You may turn in your bet money now!"

……

Thud…

I tossed a bag of 3 million gold into Zhang Chun’s hand, and Farewell Song did the same thing. Our referee immediately jumped down from the arena before declaring, "Alright. At least 10,000 players are witnessing this duel. Get ready, you two!"

Swhoosh!

Farewell Song gave his dagger a quick swing that cut the air sharply. The next moment, a bloody banner descended on the ground in front of him. Player "Farewell Song" had challenged me to a duel!

I raised my hand, unsheathed the Xuanyuan Sword in one smooth motion, and accepted the challenge!

The system began counting down from three. The air seemed to freeze as everyone unanimously held their breaths—

3!

2!

1!

Begin!

……

To my surprise, Farewell Song didn’t enter stealth. Instead, he activated Swift Dash to increase his movement speed. Is he seriously trying to kill me without stealthing?

"Our biggest problem right now is that we don’t have enough ascended players."

Zhang Chun said succinctly, "In the past 2 days, the top players of the Northern Alliance, Cyan Earth City, Elephant City and more had all used their Divine Crystals to ascend almost as if they had agreed on the timing. They have more resources than us, so expect them to have more divine players than us when the Nation War starts."

Warsky nodded and said, "I’ve used up 200 Divine Crystals to ascend to no avail. I’m going to make one more attempt tonight, but if that fails too then I’m just going to rest for the next couple days."

Candlelight Shadow smirked. "I’ve already ascended, so this is none of my business…"

"Hmph!"

Suddenly, Farewell Song let out a snort before exiting his stealth state.

"Fuck, you scared me…" I nearly pulled out my sword there and then.

October Rain hurriedly said, "Stop, hero! Please don’t harm our Farewell Song…"

Farewell Song smirked. "As if he could kill me…"

I shot him a glance and said, "It looks like someone’s nose is getting a little too high after they got the Ghost Lake Mirror. You don’t actually think that it makes you invincible, do you? You know what, I challenge you to a BO3 in front of the eastern gate after this meeting is over. Do you dare to accept it?"

Farewell Song gritted her teeth. "Why wouldn’t I accept? What’s your bet?"

I raised one finger and said, "Let’s keep it small, shall we? The bet will be 1 million gold per round. Uncle Hot and Sour Noodles, please be a referee and hold onto our bets until the winner is decided."

"I don’t know…"

Zhang Chun frowned visibly before saying, "The Nation War is right around the corner. Is this really the time to start fighting among yourselves?"

I planted the Xuanyuan Sword on the ground before saying, "It’s about time someone repaid the debt that was due anyway. Farewell Song currently holds the highest win rate in the champion arena, and he seems to think that he’s also the number one duelist in the China server. I need to remind him that the only reason he’s there is because some of us have more important things to do than grinding the champion arena."

Farewell Song sneered at me while toying with his dagger. "Is that so? I can say the same thing about you. While it is true that Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls have risen to the top of the China server since your return, it looks like your achievements have also given you an inflated ego. I would like nothing more than to be that person to deflate it and remind you that there is always someone who’s better than you…"

Warsky smiled proudly at the declaration and gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Defend our reputation well, Farewell Song!"

October Rain stomped her foot angrily. "Warsky, you idiot! Don’t add fuel to the fire!"

Intelligence sparkled in He Yi’s eyes as she chuckled. "Hmm, it looks like Warsky is acting arrogant and even declaring war on Ancient Sword at the outer lands precisely because he thought that Farewell Song has surpassed Lu Chen. Very well. We may as well deal with all these trifles in one go so we may enter the Nation War as a united entity!"

Warsky nodded. "Sure. Also, this is just a friendly match no matter what the outcome of this duel may be!"

I smiled. "Yes, I agree."

……

Finally, Zhang Chun let out a small cough and said, "So, are we continuing the meeting, or…? I haven’t planned for a sudden duel to happen, you know? How am I even going to steer you all back to the conversation…"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes chuckled. "If you ask me, I would postpone it to a later time and just enjoy the show, uncle! This is a classic warrior versus thief BO3 between the Little Heavenly King and the King of Assassins. Do you know how many warriors and assassins have dreamed of watching this duel with their own eyes? In fact, I’m going to post a thread in the forums right now. Help bump it up to the top, okay? By the way, should I set the match time to half an hour later? Okay? Okay!"

Stranger of Three Lifetimes was fanning the flames so hard she was starting a forest fire. It wasn’t a bad idea though. If I left Warsky Alliance be, Warsky would surely try to do something sneaky and butt heads with us during the Nation War. This duel would serve as a great deterrent.

A few minutes later, Stranger of Three Lifetimes waved her hand and sent us all a URL. She said with a wide grin on her face, "And, done! Please bump the thread now, dear CGL Hall of Famers. Unless everyone’s with stuff today, it’s going to get real hot outside the eastern gate very soon."

I entered the thread and found it to be as inflammatory as I had imagined it would be—

[Hot] The King of Assassins has impugned the Little Heavenly King’s honor, so the duo will be having a duel outside the eastern gate in 30 minutes! The bet is 3 million gold!

1st comment (Player "Wind Fantasy"): Do hold out for at least a minute per round, Farewell Song!

2nd comment (Player "Warsky"): Farewell Song will win!

3rd comment (Player "Laughing At The Heavens"): Farewell Song will win!

4th comment (Player "Gui Guzi"): Like hell he will…

5th comment (Player "Cold Wind"): Looking forward to it~

6th comment (Player "Candlelight Shadow"): This is going to be interesting!

7th comment (Player "Beiming Xue"): Do your best, big bro!

……

All of the top comments belonged to CGL Hall of Famers, so it was impossible for the thread to be unpopular. Just a few minutes later, the thread had accumulated over 10,000 replies already.

Zhang Chun asked, "So, do you guys want to discuss plans for the Nation War in the meantime?"

Warsky declared, "Unnecessary! All we need to do is to send more people to Hot Sand City and Dawn City. If the enemy attacks us, then we act. If not, then we don’t act! It’s very simple!"

Zhang Chun tried, "That is way too broad. Can we narrow it down a little?"

While sheathing my sword, I said, "There are five divine players in the China server right now. I suggest that we declare war on our enemies right after that number hits ten. Our first target will be Swallow Ear Canton, and we should aim to annihilate them thoroughly within the first 24 hours!"

"Sounds good. After that?"

"That’s it. The battlefield can change at any moment, so we’ll see how it goes then."

"..."

……

"It’s time."

I shot Farewell Song a glance and asked, "Before we head to the eastern gate, do you have any conditions you would like to add regarding this duel?"

Farewell Song said calmly, "Is it okay if I ask you not to use the Xuanyuan Art?"

I nodded. "No problem. I won’t use it."

While we walked out of the Holy Temple, Lin Yixin whispered beside my ears, "I just got the latest data on Farewell Song’s profile. His main dagger is a Middle Divine Armament called ‘Devil’s Kiss’, and it ignores 24% of the target’s Defense. The effect’s stackable. His secondary dagger is a Lower Divine Armament called ‘Blade of Flowing Light’, and it ignores 17% of the target’s Defense. It is also stackable. His chest armor and helmet are Lower Divine Armaments, his wristguards, cloak and boots are top-tier Ancient Immortal-grade items, his necklace is of course the Ghost Lake Mirror, and finally his ring is called ‘Xuanyuan Blood Ring’, an Upper Divine Armament. He got it from the outer lands just yesterday. The ring increases his HP by 1 million and reduces his damage received by 30%. Therefore, you may not be able to instakill him without buffs."

I sucked in a deep breath. "I see. No wonder Warsky is so confident. It’s crazy how powerful Farewell Song’s equipment has become in just a couple of days. He probably has around 1.8 million base HP right now, and with the right card he can boost that up to almost 5 million. Add 30% damage reduction to the mix and… yeah, it will be difficult to instakill him."

Lin Yixin giggled. "It will be fine. Your equipment is even crazier than his after all. That being said, I’m sure Farewell Song knows the details of your equipment as well, so be careful. Anyway, you cannot lose this duel no matter what, or else…"

I shot her a smirk. "Or else you won’t let me sleep with you?"

"Hmph, shameless…"

"Hmph hmph. Just watch…"

……

By the time we reached the eastern gate, it was jam-packed with people already. Even the floating rocks were full of players. On a related note, the system had spawned a 100x100 yard wooden arena at the nearby forest so that the players could duel each other to their heart’s content. Truly, the system was a generous and caring master…

"Excuse us…"

Lin Yixin said while pulling my hand and opening up a path for me. He Yi was holding my hand as well. I couldn’t say I didn’t enjoy their treatment of me today. On the other side, Warsky pushed his way through the crowd by force while October Rain, Farewell Song and more followed behind me. Stranger of Three Lifetimes, Luo River God of the Capital, Moonkiss, Candlelight Shadow, Li Chengfeng and more had appeared around the arena as well. Gui Guzi and Beiming Xue hovered in the sky both to get a clearer look of the fight and to cheer for me.

Gui Guzi shot me a grin before saying, "Don’t worry, Boss Broken Halberd! I promise to pick up your equipment for you if you drop them!"

Beiming Xue curled her lips unhappily. "Don’t say that!"

I let out a laugh and leaped up the arena. When I landed though, I noticed that the wooden plank had nearly broken under pressure. Like come on, my equipment wasn’t that heavy, was it?

Dagger in both hands, Farewell Song also leaped up the arena but landed far more quietly than I did. It was also obvious that his movement speed was far superior to mine. That was the advantage of being an assassin.

……

Finally, Zhang Chun walked up the stage and said, "This is a friendly duel, right? In that case, I suggest that you guys duel each other in Sparring Mode. You are both the irreplaceable pillars of our server. Any equipment or level you lose is a loss to all of us."

However, Farewell Song said coldly, "Cut the nonsense and just start the match already, uncle. A duel is a duel. I’m prepared to accept all the consequences!"

I noticed that Farewell Song was eyeing my weapon and couldn’t help but laugh at his naivety. I raised the Xuanyuan Sword high and said, "The Xuanyuan Sword is the greatest and most powerful weapon of the Twelve Divine Armaments. Do you want it, Farewell Song? Come take it then. I’m sure Warsky or Lin Bing Dou Zhe will greatly appreciate it. I don’t think you have the ability to do it though!"

Farewell Song smirked. "Just you wait!"

Zhang Chun extended his hand and declared, "You may turn in your bet money now!"

……

Thud…

I tossed a bag of 3 million gold into Zhang Chun’s hand, and Farewell Song did the same thing. Our referee immediately jumped down from the arena before declaring, "Alright. At least 10,000 players are witnessing this duel. Get ready, you two!"

Swhoosh!

Farewell Song gave his dagger a quick swing that cut the air sharply. The next moment, a bloody banner descended on the ground in front of him. Player "Farewell Song" had challenged me to a duel!

I raised my hand, unsheathed the Xuanyuan Sword in one smooth motion, and accepted the challenge!

The system began counting down from three. The air seemed to freeze as everyone unanimously held their breaths—

3!

2!

1!

Begin!

……

To my surprise, Farewell Song didn’t enter stealth. Instead, he activated Swift Dash to increase his movement speed. Is he seriously trying to kill me without stealthing?