The grueling sessions continued day after day, and in the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. The Royal Tournament had reached its white-hot climax; only the strongest among the strong, the cream of the crop, remained!
Because of this, people like Anjieluoya were drawing increasing attention; they had used their power to display techniques that defied convention for the entire world to see!
The high command of the "Dongyue Empire" viewed these developments with the utmost seriousness. They had already decided to offer substantial rewards to recruit these individuals, and if they could extract the training methods for their techniques from them, that would be even better!
Talent like this absolutely could not be allowed to slip away!
However, what they hadn't anticipated was that every member of the "Ethereal Mercenary Group" politely declined their goodwill, and their stance was firm, leaving no room for negotiation whatsoever!
They found it strange. Why were these students refusing their invitations? Could it be that the conditions offered weren't tempting enough?
But after repeated attempts, they finally understood: it wasn't that at all. These students simply had no interest in royalty!
Later, after communicating with the leadership of the academies these exceptional students belonged to, they learned that all these stellar students had been taught by a teacher named Zhong Shenxiu, and in only about two years' time.
This news was monumental. A person who could teach students to become this formidable in just two years—if they could recruit him to train soldiers specifically for the "Dongyue Empire" within the Royal service, wouldn't they become invincible?
Excitement—the mere thought made the blood of these high-ranking officials boil!
Although the "Dongyue Empire" had maintained an uneasy peace with other empires, everyone knew this was only temporary. The tranquility between the empires existed only because of mutual deterrence. But once that balance was shattered, endless wars between them were inevitable!
Precisely because they understood this, when they learned of a figure like Zhong Shenxiu, even the current Emperor of the "Dongyue Empire," Alexander the Great, wanted to see what kind of person Zhong Shenxiu was, and even more so, what method Zhong Shenxiu had used to train his students to be so formidable that even the students from the Five Great Academies were no match for them!
What Alexander the Great desired most to know, however, was whether Zhong Shenxiu himself was equally powerful!
Yet, these high officials had gotten excited a bit prematurely. What they never expected was that Zhong Shenxiu wouldn't even grant them an audience. And the only two words they received back for all their efforts were:
No time!
To put it bluntly, this was a clear indication that he didn't consider them worth his time!
In that moment, those high-ranking officials were stunned. Even the Emperor of the "Dongyue Empire," Alexander the Great, was shocked!
Someone actually dared to show such blatant disregard for the prestige of the Royal Family, daring to act so arrogantly even within the "Capital City." It seemed this person was either exceptionally haughty or possessed extraordinary abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't put on such airs!
The Emperor of the "Dongyue Empire," Alexander the Great, was merely astonished, not enraged. He became even more curious about this Zhong Shenxiu! To that end, he specially assigned Patrick, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, to once again invite Zhong Shenxiu to the palace, and also instructed him to gauge Zhong Shenxiu's personal strength!
Patrick gladly accepted the order. He, too, was eager to see what abilities this person, held in such high regard by the Emperor, possessed! As the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, and the youngest Sword God in the "Dongyue Empire," his innate pride allowed no one to surpass him!
He now eagerly anticipated how long this so-called Zhong Shenxiu could last under his hands, hoping he wouldn't be finished too quickly, as that would be utterly boring!
However, he didn't know that at the time, he would be lucky if he wasn't the one finished!
At that moment, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin were taking a rare opportunity to watch the matches of Anjiliya and the others. During the midday break, Zhong Shenxiu did not leave. Instead, he stayed with the group in the reception area.
The "Guanyu Martial Arts Academy" provided dedicated reception rooms for every participating academy, spaced far apart so as not to disturb one another!
As they were chatting, a knock suddenly sounded outside the door.
Lis opened it to see many soldiers standing outside the courtyard. The one knocking was a middle-aged man dressed as a general, clearly holding a position of some seniority.
Regarding this middle-aged man, Lis had some vague recollection. He remembered encountering this same person on the day they visited the "Guanyu Martial Arts Academy"!
If this were the Lis from before, he certainly would have been intimidated by such a display, but over two years of rigorous training had tempered him into maturity, and he had witnessed far grander spectacles. Naturally, he was unconcerned!
"May I ask what you require?" Lis inquired. He didn't care about the background of these men; as long as Zhong Shenxiu was nearby, he feared no one!
"Is Mr. Zhong Shenxiu here?" Patrick asked calmly. If he had known who Zhong Shenxiu was, he wouldn't have asked in this manner!
"What do you need?" Lis watched Patrick warily, trying to guess the situation.
"I am Patrick, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard. I am here under the order of His Majesty Alexander the Great to invite Mr. Zhong Shenxiu to the palace!" Patrick’s tone carried a slight flavor of command, as if refusal was not an option!
Lis frowned. He could imagine that if this man dared to use such a tone speaking to their leader, he wouldn't get off lightly!
"Wait a moment." Although Lis did not have a favorable impression of this middle-aged man, he was an official, and he was acting under the Emperor's orders, so he couldn't fail to announce him.
With a thud, the door closed. Patrick felt incredibly frustrated. He thought to himself, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, when had he ever received such treatment? Not only was he not allowed to enter, but they even slammed the door in his face—it was like being treated as a mere salesman!
However, due to Alexander the Great's specific instructions, he temporarily suppressed his anger, otherwise, he would have already kicked the door open! It was fortunate he hadn't, otherwise...
Logically, relaying a message shouldn't take very long, but Patrick stood there for a long time, yet there was no sound from inside. It was as if he had been left out in the cold!
Just as Patrick’s patience was nearing its limit, the door finally opened again, but this time it wasn't Lis who emerged, but Robin!
In truth, Zhong Shenxiu knew everything happening inside and had overheard Lis and Patrick's conversation. He intentionally sent Robin out purely to signal to Patrick that this was Zhong Shenxiu's territory, and he shouldn't come here trying to act superior! Patrick looked down at Robin. He recognized this little girl; he had seen her on this academy grounds before. But he couldn't figure out why this little girl was coming out. The fact that Zhong Shenxiu, after learning his identity, didn't come out to greet him personally, but sent a little girl out—what did that signify?
As he frowned in thought, Robin spoke: "You can go back. My master is busy!"
Huh? Patrick snapped out of his contemplation, staring blankly at Robin. He even wondered if he had misheard!
Did she just say busy?
If she had said he wasn't here, or offered some other excuse, Patrick wouldn't have been so shocked, but the words "no time" were incredibly abrasive. They not only showed a complete disregard for him, the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Guard, but also treated the imperial decree of Emperor Alexander the Great as nothing!
Arrogant—it was utterly arrogant!
Patrick didn't believe he could be arrogant to this extent!
A cold sneer escaped Patrick's lips, as if he had accepted a challenge. His tone became chilling as he spoke: "I'll give you one minute. Hurry up and call that Zhong Shenxiu out to come with us, or don't blame us for arresting him on charges of disobeying an imperial edict!"
His voice was loud, clearly intended for those inside the room!
"Disobeying an imperial edict"—this was a grave charge. Normally, even the most arrogant person would yield and cooperate after hearing this, as no one wished to bear such a crime. However, Zhong Shenxiu often acted contrary to common sense, and even Robin had picked up this habit!
Thus, a flash of cold light sparked from Robin's eyes. As if accepting a challenge, her tone turned icy as she said: "I'll give you thirty seconds. Leave here quickly, or I'll escort you out!"
What??
Patrick stared at Robin with wide, incredulous eyes. He never expected even this girl to be so brazen. Did they think the Imperial Guard was nothing, just ordinary folk?
Patrick was so angry he almost laughed, nearly speechless. Being looked down upon by such a small child—it was a first for him. If he told others, they would surely laugh their heads off!
Very well, truly one arrogant person following another! It seemed the saying holds true: the beam above is crooked, so the rafters below will be crooked too! I want to see what capability you have that warrants such arrogance!
As a Sword God, Patrick would not take Robin's words lightly. Now, he was even more determined to meet this Zhong Shenxiu!
Just as Patrick was about to step forward and force his way in, and just as Robin was gathering power, Zhong Shenxiu emerged.
Patrick perceived a small figure flashing out and instantly halted, scrutinizing the person closely. Upon seeing clearly, he almost cursed out loud. Was this ever going to end? Sending another child out? Did they think he wouldn't dare lay a hand on a child?
That thought had barely surfaced when Zhong Shenxiu’s simple sentence rendered him speechless.
"What do you need me for?" Zhong Shenxiu’s tone was flat, and his expression equally placid.
"Need you?" Patrick's eyes nearly bulged out. "Who said I was looking for you? I am looking for Zhong Shenxiu! Hurry up and have him come out; my patience is limited!"
"I am Zhong Shenxiu!" Zhong Shenxiu interrupted him.
Uh!
It was as if Patrick's throat had suddenly been squeezed. He stared at Zhong Shenxiu for a full minute before finally shouting: "You... you are Zhong Shenxiu?"
[Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the last page of this book]