A satisfied smile bloomed on Liang Wei's face when his army met Tian Jian's.
Both armies reached the chosen location exactly at noon, each one of them sporting less than two hundred cultivators. Tian Jian had kept his word.
Liang Wei elegantly moved his hand, stopping his army from advancing further.
"We will stop here."
A puzzled look briefly flashed in his soldiers, however, he didn't bother explaining things to them.
Only army commander Lu Bo and elder Jin knew and had approved of his plans. Liang Wei had no reason to explain his actions to these lowly soldiers. Most of them were like ants in his eyes; while the few that couldn't be considered ants were just like tools. They didn't need explanations, they only needed to follow his orders.
He slowly flew in the air, stopping only when he reached a comfortable height where his subordinates could see but not hear him.
In the distance, a sharp-looking man did the same, meeting him in the middle.
"Brother Liang Wei, it's been years since we last saw each other."
Liang Wei opened his fan.
"Yes, Brother Tian Jian, at last. It's a shame our nations can't organize another Phoenix and dragon tournament for those at our level."
Tian Jian shook his head.
"It's true. However, all of the members of the Golden generation are very busy. Even if our nations agreed, I doubt all of us would find the time to participate."
Liang Wei started fanning himself.
"Brother Jian is right. Besides, a lot of our peers are still obsessed with past grudges. It's impossible to have a friendly fight like the ones in the past."
Tian Jian nodded, only offering a polite smile.
He didn't bother pointing out Liang Wei's mistake. Both had experienced these so-called "friendly fights."
Back then, the Phoenix and dragon tournament had been brutal and a lot of talented people had died during these "friendly fights".
Only the survivors were named as the Golden generation. All of them had blood on their hands, and the only reason they referred to the tournament as a friendly event was to maintain their reputations as righteous and honorable individuals.
He sighed.
"I didn't expect our next meeting to be like this."
Liang Wei offered a fake smile before going straight to the point.
"True... Brother Jian, do you agree to my proposal or are you determined to fight to the death?"
Tian Jian opened his arms.
"I naturally agree. There is no need for this much bloodshed, a duel of fate is the best solution."
Even if he said this, the atmosphere instantly became tense. Tian Jian's eyes shined with determination while Liang Wei hid his devious smile behind his open fan.
At their level, coming to an agreement didn't just mean agreeing on the same thing. It also meant that they had prepared some kind of countermeasure or scheme in case something unexpected happened.
Yun Qiang looked at the two figures high up in the sky. For a second, his heart hoped that this mission would just end with a clash of their leaders. However, he knew things wouldn't end that easily.
Liang Wei was a strategist, not a fighter, besides, he had clearly set up this stage to achieve something. There was no way it was all just to have a duel with Tian Jian.
Yun Qiang's attention moved back to the duo as they stopped talking and floated back to their respective sides.
Liang Wei elegantly floated in front of the army. His fan was open, partially covering his expression while giving him a calm and refined appearance.
"After some negotiations, me and Tian Jian have come to an agreement; there is no reason to spill useless blood, we will settle everything with a duel of fate."
He paused.
"If we win the duel, they will return to the south. If we lose the duel, then we will retreat and let them reinforce the Fort."
Everyone stared at Liang Wei with questioning looks, waiting for him to explain more. Most of them came from humble or lowly backgrounds and they didn't know what a duel of fate was.
Liang Wei didn't seem to mind and explained with a clear and righteous voice.
"A duel of fate is something that powerful people and families use to resolve their issues with other families. Each family chooses a champion and has them fight in a duel, then the result of the duel is used to determine how to resolve the issue."
"Unfortunately, resolving our current situation with a normal duel of fate would be an oversight, so Tian Jian and I have decided to take another approach. Each army will choose five captains and send them out one at a time to fight the opposing champion in a duel. The winner must continue fighting until they are defeated. The first side to defeat all five captains of the opposing army will be declared the winner."
Hearing this, a wave of relief started spreading from the cultivators present. Most of them were at the Qi Gathering Realm, and couldn't be chosen to fight in the duel. Effectively saving their lives from a brutal battle. The only ones that didn't have this kind of reaction were the Foundation Realm cultivators.
The duel only required five of them to participate, giving everyone a fifty percent chance of being chosen. However, everyone of them knew that if chosen, they wouldn't face some random nobodies who had just joined the army.
Yun Qiang felt a chill running down his spine, as a bad premonition formed in his mind. He knew he couldn't rely on luck like the others.
Sure enough. After a short pause, Liang Wei announced.
"Luckily, I had prepared for this eventuality and I have already studied your past deeds and experiences. I have already chosen who will fight in the duel of fate."
"Yun Qiang, Su Lei, Shin, Sun and Qing Mo. Take a step forward, you will be the captains that will represent our army."
Yun Qiang took a step forward. His face was grim, it didn't matter how righteous the duel of fate sounded or looked. In essence, Liang Wei was forcing his subordinates to fight without endangering himself. If their side won, then Liang Wei would receive most of the honors, and if their side lost, he could simply deflect the blame on them.
Suddenly, Liang Wei opened his arm in a grandiose motion. His face was filled with righteousness, while his voice sounded merciful, like a god, speaking to his favorite creations.
"I have chosen you because you are the best that this army has. I know it is difficult to fight, while others watch. But it is something you must do. Remember your sacrifice here will save tons of other soldiers' lives, while your victory will elevate you above others."
For a moment, silence fell in their army, and not even the rustling of armor could be heard in the air. The soldiers behind them were looking at Liang Wei with awe, while the chosen captains looked forward with a strange look in their eyes. None of them was eager to fight, however, Liang Wei's words had moved them. The promise of honor and fame was bound to move some of them.
However, Yun Qiang wasn't moved by this. His already dark expression became even more serious, his mind had resigned to fighting, he couldn't back down. However, he could still take a gamble to save Sun from Liang Wei's scheme.
He took a step forward, quickly bowing down before speaking.
"Superior Lord Wei. Sun has only recently reached the Foundation Realm and he hasn't been promoted to captain yet."
"I want to bring this to your attention since I don't know if the rules established by Lord Superior and Tian Jian admit cultivators that aren't captains."
Sweat started forming on Yun Qiang's forehead, everyone was staring at him, and Liang Wei's aura subtly pressed on him, making his heart tremble.
Before this, nobody had dared doubt or even question Liang Wei's decision, however, Yun Qiang had to do it. Sun had reached Foundation Realm the day before, and even if he could definitely fight with others on the same level, Yun Qiang didn't think Liang Wei would let him have a fair fight.
There was a long moment of silence, everyone was wondering how Yun Qiang would be punished.
Then Liang Wei spoke.
His voice wasn't angry, instead, it even sounded eager as if he was waiting for something like this to happen.
"I see, since he is at the third stage of Foundation Realm, I assumed he had more experience. Tell me, who do you think is more suitable to fight."
A surprised expression formed on Yun Qiang's face. He hadn't expected Liang Wei to instantly back off. He bowed even more, he knew that whoever he would choose would hate him.
"Even though my ability to see potential is less than Lord Superior, I think Lee Shang will make for a good candidate. Undeads are deadly in a one-on-one fight."
Since he had to choose someone, Yun Qiang decided on someone who already hated him.
His plan was to kill him after Liang Wei left the army, so it didn't matter much if Lee Shang hated him even more. Right now, he only cared about Sun's safety.
Liang Wei slowly moved his fan to the side, showing his feminine face. He did a small nod.
"I see. But if you yourself admit that your ability in seeing talent is smaller than mine. Why do you think your choice is better than mine?"
Yun Qiang gritted his teeth. He had played right into Liang Wei's hand, by staying humble he had given him the chance to undermine his argument.
His eyes stared at the ground, while his mind raced to find an answer.
If he admitted to being wrong, then Sun would fight. But if he insisted on being right, then Liang Wei could punish him for insubordination.
He opened his mouth multiple times to speak, however, each time he stopped midway, finding flaws in his arguments. He closed his eyes, falling deeper into panic, staying silent was the same as admitting to being wrong!
Liang Wei smiled behind his fan.
" "
However, just as he was about to talk, Yun Qiang responded.
"Lord Superior, even if it's true that your talent in judging others is superior to mine, it's also true that countless talents died during their path to success. Sending Sun to fight is the same as killing a talent early. Lord Superior has definitely seen Sun's potential, however, I believe his potential isn't completely realized and as such he won't be able to meet your expectations."
Liang Wei looked at Yun Qiang with a deep look in his eyes.
Yun Qiang was basically admitting Liang Wei's superiority in judging others, while also saying that Sun lacks the experience to show his real talent.
Naturally, Liang Wei knew it was a lie. At his peak, Sun had reached the middle stages of the Golden Core Realm, and his talent prowess was known throughout the Liang family. However, to all the onlookers, Sun was just an inexperienced man that showed some talent in fighting.
If Liang Wei could reveal Sun's past, then everyone would agree with him on his choice, however, he couldn't do it because it was the same as admitting his plans to kill Sun, effectively, creating a golden opportunity for others to ruin his reputation.
For an instant, Liang Wei's expression became complex before returning to the usual calmness.
It was the first time someone had outmaneuvered him in a debate.
Obviously, his honor hurt a little. Yun Qiang was only a nineteen-year-old with no training in political debates, and it was strange how he could outmaneuver someone as smart as him. However, Liang Wei didn't care too much about it.
He hadn't predicted Sun's breakthrough, and his decision to force him into the duel of fate was something done on a whim and not something that he had carefully planned, so it didn't hurt much when things didn't go his way.
He nodded, acknowledging Yun Qiang's small victory.
"I see, then Lee Shang will take Sun's place."
After saying this, the captains hesitated for a moment before quickly exchanging places. Gratitude filled Sun's eyes while resentment lurked in Lee Shang's.
Yun Qiang stood there petrified.
He didn't know when he thought of these words, he only knew that in the panic he had spoken them.
Slowly, his heart rate went back to normal and the panic in his mind disappeared. However, he knew this wasn't the end of his plight.
Even if he had managed to save Sun, this didn't change the fact that Liang Wei was actively plotting against them.
Besides this, he didn't know what kind of scheme Liang Wei had planned for the duel. He could stand there and wait for Liang Wei's next move.