As the Empire's God of War, his word was law. He held immense prestige within the military, and no one in court dared contradict him. His summoning of an aide meant he intended to impart his military knowledge; if this news were to be announced, perhaps eighty thousand, if not a hundred thousand, people would rush forward. Yet, this young man before him had refused.

A pair of sword-like brows instantly furrowed, and the room was immediately enveloped by a formidable aura.

Chen Feng started, turning his gaze to Marshal Elves, his expression finally changing.

"So Marshal Elves is a Dou Zun expert. This afternoon I thought you were just a third-rank Fighter. It seems you let me spirit you away intentionally?" Chen Feng felt the overwhelming pressure emanating from the Marshal. If he didn't react now, he'd truly be an idiot.

"It's good you know. If it weren't for treasuring your talent, I could have killed you right now!" The iron-blooded nature of Marshal Elves, the soldier, manifested fully at that moment.

"Grandpa..." Angelisa saw that her grandfather was truly about to fall out with Iori Yagami and quickly stood up. "The match isn't over yet! Why don't we discuss it after the competition is done!"

Angelisa's voice, like a refreshing spring breeze, immediately dispersed much of the heavy atmosphere between the two men.

"Take good care of my granddaughter. If she suffers any harm, I will never forgive you!" Marshal Elves conceded to his granddaughter’s plea, turning and walking back into the side room.

Chen Feng glanced at Angelisa, then at Marshal Elves retreating into the side room. He wondered why a single sentence from her had made this overwhelmingly dominant soldier walk away. Shaking his head, he also walked out of the room.

Angelisa quickly followed behind. Chen Feng paid her no mind and walked out the way he had come.

Outside the courtyard gate, a carriage was parked before them. It seemed Marshal Elves had anticipated their departure and made arrangements.

"Let's get in!" Angelisa said, climbing into the carriage first.

Chen Feng wasn't so arrogant as to refuse, following her in.

"Clip-clop..." The crisp sound of hooves echoed on the street. Chen Feng and Angelisa sat opposite each other, suddenly finding nothing to say.

"My grandfather was wrong, please don't take offense," Angelisa broke the silence first.

This was the third time this beautiful young woman had apologized. Chen Feng wasn't the type to be utterly humorless, so he replied, "I know."

After those two sentences, silence returned.

If this incident were ever told, no one would likely believe that a perfectly healthy man and one of the Four Great Beauties of the Imperial Capital could sit in a carriage together without exchanging any words. How could that be possible?

Yet, that was precisely the situation. Chen Feng remained cold and silent; Angelisa felt she was in the wrong and didn't know what else to say.

They continued forward in silence. Fortunately, the journey wasn't long; ten minutes passed quickly. After alighting from the carriage, Chen Feng didn't linger and returned to his lodging.

All that remained was a slightly wistful gaze lingering behind him. ………………………………………………………………………………………………

The next morning, Judy arrived at the room looking quite melancholy.

"Iori Yagami, have you seen Danny and Moko?" she asked bluntly upon entering.

Chen Feng knew Judy must have returned to the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group and learned of Danny and Moko's disappearance. However, he had no intention of admitting anything. Having killed their Vice-Captain and two immensely promising youths, if they didn't become enemies now, there would never be a chance.

"No idea," he stated plainly.

"You don't know either? Then where did those two go? How strange!" Judy muttered, apparently realizing that Danny and Moko must have arranged to challenge Griff without telling anyone in the mercenary group, which is why their absence went unnoticed for so long.

Chen Feng offered no reply, left the room, and accompanied her to the competition grounds.

The crowd today was even larger than yesterday, and the atmosphere was more electric.

Chen Feng resumed his seat to wait for the matches to begin.

When the Eight-into-Four round started, the first contest featured the super-popular team comprised of the Seventh Prince and Alex against a composite team made up of a Knight, a Warrior, and a Mage.

As soon as they stepped onto the stage, the composite team's Knight summoned his peak Rank Two Magic Beast and mounted it, waiting for his opponents.

After a lengthy introduction from the host, only one person from the super-popular team walked out—but it wasn't the Seventh Prince; it was Alex.

Alex had been a favorite to win the championship. Chen Feng had personally witnessed his training; without relying on equipment, this young man was arguably more dangerous than the Seventh Prince.

"Just me," Alex stood proudly on one side of the stage, staring at the three members of the composite team.

The composite team members did not feel slighted this time; since the opponent dared to step up alone, it meant he possessed a certain confidence.

The three exchanged glances and immediately formed their battle array. The Knight's magic beast was a Wind Element creature, known for its high speed, so it became the primary attacking force. The Warrior supported from the side, while the Mage attacked from a distance.

The Mage began chanting, unleashing his most powerful offensive magic.

These three were extremely wary of Alex. This young man had managed to single-handedly contract a Rank Four Magic Beast last year, a testament to his formidable strength.

"Charge!" the Knight shouted, clutching his lance while mounted on his beast, charging forward first.

The sheer momentum, combined with the Knight's full-force thrust, sent the qi-infused lance whistling through the air, aiming straight for Alex, who stood on the side.

"Good!" Alex exclaimed upon seeing the power of the thrust, channeling force into his legs. His body shot forward like lightning toward the Knight.

"Such speed!" A collective gasp rose from the stands. Alex’s movement speed was easily double that of the magic beast!

Chen Feng stared intently at the youth on the magic screen, the fighting intent in his eyes growing stronger. "Not bad. At least your speed is sufficient that I won't defeat you in a single move!"

"Roar..." The magic beast beneath the Knight seemed provoked, letting out a furious roar while simultaneously spitting out a gust of wind blades.

Alex clenched both fists tightly, a dusky-gray Fighting Qi beginning to emerge on them. His arm muscles suddenly exerted force, and his fists shot out with a deceptive swiftness, like a viper striking.

"Crack! Crack!" A sonic boom erupted in the air.

As the fists made contact with the wind blades, the blades instantly scattered. Alex had already bypassed the Knight’s lance and leaped into the air, driving a kick towards the Knight's head.

"Bad!" the Knight inwardly cursed, whipping his lance back to intercept the airborne Alex.

At that precise moment, the Mage's spell arrived.

The Knight's lance and the Mage's spell formed a pincer attack. Alex, mid-air and unable to change direction, was at a massive disadvantage.

"If it were me, I would have to use Sky-Dancing Art to dodge, otherwise, there’s no way to escape this dual attack," Chen Feng muttered internally.

The Knight also rejoiced inwardly. A Warrior rank fighter couldn't fly; Alex’s speed must prevent him from maneuvering. Even if he dodged the lance, he certainly couldn't evade the Mage's spell.

"Surrender!" the Knight roared, suddenly accelerating his lance directly towards Alex's shoulder. Not everyone was as crazed as Chen Feng, willing to kill their opponent.

A slight smile played on Alex's lips. While suspended in the air, he suddenly let out a peculiar howl, and the Fighting Qi surrounding his body spread outward in waves with that cry.

"Roar!" Upon hearing this shout, the magic beast beneath the Knight let out a piercing shriek, as if responding, and began shaking violently. With a sudden flip, it threw the Knight off its back!

It seemed Alex had anticipated this. He tucked and rolled in the air, dodging the magical assault, and delivered a kick to the Knight's back, forcefully sending him tumbling off the competition stage.

The Knight likely never understood why his own contracted beast suddenly turned against him to assist Alex.

"That was Dragon's Roar!" Chen Feng frowned. "That shout Alex used was actually the Dragon's Roar!"

"Alex is using the Dragon's Roar Fighting Qi, personally created by Cainhart, the Dragon Rider General and leader of the Winged Dragon Knights. This type of Qi brings immense pressure upon Magic Beasts and Fierce Beasts. That's why his roar instantly weakened the opposing magic beast," Angelisa stated calmly from the side.

Chen Feng had no doubt about Angelisa's profound knowledge; hearing her explanation, he suddenly understood.

"As a Dragon Rider General, Cainhart must have studied the habits of the Dragon race for a long time to create this bizarre Fighting Qi capable of emitting a Dragon's Roar. No wonder these lower-level magic beasts rebelled!"

Having grasped the context, Chen Feng immediately understood why Alex could single-handedly venture into the Icebound Demon Garden and successfully contract a Rank Four Magic Beast—it must have been due to this Dragon's Roar Fighting Qi.

Lost in thought, he missed the most exciting part of the fight. Alex had already gained control of the enemy’s magic beast and successfully defeated the Mage and the Warrior.

"Great!" The crowd in the outer stands erupted in excited cheers, chanting Alex's name in unison, as if he were a hero returning from war.

Alex bowed to the crowd on stage before slowly descending.

"He can use Dragon's Roar Qi; I can use the Dragon Might of my Blazing Dragon Bloodline," Chen Feng watched Alex walk back towards the rest area, a smile suddenly appearing on his lips. "If his Rank Four Magic Beast rebels the same way it did today, the match will be much more interesting!"

With this thought, Chen Feng could no longer contain himself and burst out laughing loudly.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha..."

His laughter was jarring in the quiet rest area, causing everyone to turn and look over, faces filled with confusion.

ps: 245 monthly tickets, one more chapter updating, but it will be very late, so don't wait up, read it tomorrow!

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