After a while, Long Xiaoyao waved his hand and said, "Enough talking. Since you're here, let's have a proper fight. That way, I won't have to bully the juniors, and no one can say I broke my promise."
"Perfect!" Mu En smiled upon hearing this. "That's exactly what I wanted too!"
"You old geezer, don't embarrass yourself. Don't go dying on me!" Long Xiaoyao said. His tone was arrogant, but the concern on his face was genuine.
"Haha! I may be old, but I'm not so fragile I'll shatter from a single blow!" Mu En laughed heartily.
"Elder Mu, you—" Elder Lin and the others grew visibly anxious hearing their exchange. Elder Lin tried to speak, but the words wouldn't leave her lips.
Even though she didn't finish, everyone present understood her worry—including Zhu Ziyang. Mu En did too. He gently patted Elder Lin's hand and chuckled, "It's alright. I know my body well. I wouldn't do something I'm not confident in."
"But..." Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er still weren't reassured. Xian Lin'er even said, "Why don't I take your place, Teacher?"
"Nonsense!" Mu En scolded without hesitation. "You just take care of your junior brother."
"Teacher, I have an idea." Though Mu En refused Xian Lin'er's offer, Zhu Ziyang had a sudden inspiration. He turned to Mu En, then looked at Long Xiaoyao. "Uncle Long, you're my teacher's closest friend. You must know about his condition. Surely you wouldn't want to see your friend fall here. So why not resolve this with a wager? That way, you can keep your word and avoid fighting my teacher. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
Both Mu En and Long Xiaoyao were surprised by his suggestion. They hadn't planned on listening to him, but the idea struck a chord.
Mu En fell silent, while Long Xiaoyao smiled with interest. "Oh? Go on."
Zhu Ziyang relaxed a little when neither of the Limit Douluo dismissed his idea outright. That was the first step. The rest would be easier. He quickly said, "It's simple. Uncle Long came here for me, right? So let's resolve this through me. Here's the wager: I'll launch one attack. If you can withstand it, I'll go with you willingly. But if you can't, you'll leave on your own accord. How's that?"
Everyone was stunned—including Mu En and Long Xiaoyao.
Was this kid out of his mind?
Such wildly arrogant words coming from someone like him? Had something rattled his brain?
"Ziyang, what are you talking about?" Cai Mei'er grabbed his arm, clearly worried. "You don't need to do this. Teacher's here."
To her, Zhu Ziyang must have panicked, which led to such nonsense. The others felt the same.
And who could blame them? As powerful as Zhu Ziyang was—even with six 100,000-year spirit rings—he was still just a Spirit Emperor. How could he challenge a Rank 99 Limit Douluo? Telling Long Xiaoyao to "see if he can take a single attack"? Did he think this was some fantasy script?
Mu En and Long Xiaoyao, however, reacted differently. Aside from a flicker of surprise, they were mostly intrigued.
Mu En, as his teacher, trusted that Ziyang wouldn't speak recklessly. He must have something up his sleeve.
Long Xiaoyao simply found it amusing. Usually, he was the one making such proclamations. But today, a mere junior was throwing down the gauntlet. Out of fondness for the boy, he even considered accepting. Of course, the conditions needed a slight change—he had a reputation to uphold as the Dragon Emperor Douluo.
"What an amusing kid," he chuckled. "I'll agree, but I'm going to change the terms. I don't want to be seen as bullying the young. I'll give you three chances. If you can make me take even one step back, I'll leave. If not, then your teacher will have to fight me."
"Mm-hmm!" Even before Zhu Ziyang could reply, the others nodded instinctively. Now it sounded like the right kind of story—a legendary master giving a rookie three chances, only to be amazed by his talent.
That earlier version—where the rookie gave the master a chance—just didn't sit right.
"I…" Zhu Ziyang hesitated, as though making a difficult decision. Elder Lin and the others behind him grew anxious. Mu En, however, realized he must be preparing something unexpected.
So he encouraged him, "Ziyang, your Uncle Long is giving you a chance to prove yourself. Why hesitate? I'll handle the rest."
"Alright, I agree!" Zhu Ziyang replied. Still wearing a reluctant expression, he made everyone behind him feel a bit speechless.
"Heh, do you need to prepare?" Long Xiaoyao asked with a smile. He was genuinely curious to see what kind of strength his dear friend's final disciple could display—what kind of power was worth so many factions mobilizing.
"No need, Uncle Long." Zhu Ziyang smiled faintly. "But you better be careful."
"Ziyang, go get him! Senior Sister believes in you!" Xian Lin'er cheered. "Whether Teacher has to fight or not is up to you!"
"Leave it to me, Senior Sister!" Zhu Ziyang stepped forward to a spot one meter in front of Mu En—close enough that Mu En could protect him instantly, should something go wrong. But honestly, who would dare try anything shady with two Limit Douluo present?
"Uncle Long, I hope you're ready to take this hit," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.
No one took his warning seriously. How could a Spirit Emperor's attack threaten a Limit Douluo? His words were treated as nothing more than a confidence boost.
But what they were about to witness would be burned into their memories forever.
The Reaper's Rest Scythe appeared in his hands. Six spirit rings lit up: yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red—causing a flicker of interest in Long Xiaoyao's eyes.
Zhu Ziyang gripped the scythe tightly as his rings began to flash in a rhythm. Then, before their eyes, the yellow ring merged with the first purple ring.
Everyone noticed the change immediately. Long Xiaoyao's relaxed face turned slightly serious.
"He's mastered Ring Fusion?" he murmured.
"Ring Fusion?" Xian Lin'er and the others were shocked too. None of them had expected Ziyang to master such an advanced technique. Suddenly, his odds didn't seem so hopeless.
Behind him, only three rings remained visible. The fourth ring, which had absorbed the first three, was now merging with the fifth. This unique fusion technique, known as One-Origin Return, was a method created by Zhu Ziyang himself. Though similar to Ring Fusion, it couldn't transfer spirit power to others. But it also consumed less energy than traditional Ring Fusion.
Soon, only one enormous red spirit ring remained behind him—so massive it seemed to fill half the sky. Its sheer size was intimidating.
Most people assumed this was his final strike. But only Ziyang knew: his true trump card hadn't even appeared yet.
The power of the Sacred Law Demiplane surged into his body. In that instant, Ziyang felt like he could cover the sky with one hand. His comprehension of light element laws became clearer than ever before.
Wasting no time, he raised the Reaper's Rest Scythe. His ten-thousand-year ring flared with light. The Sacred Law Demiplane shimmered in the void as he brought the scythe down.
A radiant blade of light, filled with divine brilliance, slashed forward, cutting across the plain toward Long Xiaoyao.
The moment it appeared, everyone felt the tremendous pressure.
Mu En and Long Xiaoyao's expressions changed instantly—eyes wide with disbelief.
Because from that slash, they sensed something they had long dreamed of but could never grasp—
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