Lin Lei turned to his younger brother and smiled. "Wotton, this Blumer challenged you even though he knows your strength. He seems pretty confident."
Wotton replied with confidence, "Don't worry, brother. Among fighters of the same rank, who do we Dragon Blood Warriors have to fear?"
"That's the right attitude."
Lin Lei glanced at Blumer's retreating figure as it disappeared around a bend. "This Blumer—I noticed the sword on him just now. It seems a bit special."
"That's right. Blumer's sword is fast. During the deacon disciple selection, he was known for his swift blade. But a fast sword naturally lacks striking power. He could beat a normal ninth-level expert, but my defense is solid—even if he stabbed me directly, I doubt he could break through." Wotton's confidence was absolute. "If the selection had been decided through one-on-one duels to pick the final candidate, he probably wouldn't have been the one chosen."
Lin Lei laughed and patted Wotton's shoulder. "Come on, what does being a deacon disciple of the Martial God really matter? Let's head back."
As descendants of an ultimate warrior clan, Lin Lei and Wotton had carried a sense of pride since childhood.
Blumer quickly reported the challenge to Emperor "Joean." His Majesty dispatched someone to verify whether Wotton's story was true. Once confirmed, he immediately ordered preparations for this duel between two great talents.
Once word of the duel spread, the entire capital buzzed with excitement.
One was Blumer, a personal disciple of the Martial God, a ninth-level powerhouse.
The other was Wotton—a descendant of the Dragon Blood Warrior family, the genius of
Most importantly— Both of these talents were pursuing the Seventh Princess of the Empire. Given humanity's natural appetite for gossip, everyone assumed the two were fighting over the Seventh Princess's affections. Rumors about Wotton, Blumer, and Nina began circulating through every street and alley in the capital.
At the eastern district of the capital, behind the Fushi Road Baron's estate, in the training ground.
Lin Lei and Wotton stood at opposite ends of the field. In the distance, the butler Xili,
Wotton was determined to win the duel on February 4th.
Lin Lei looked straight at Wotton. "Wotton, since Blumer is famous for his speed, I'm going to use a fast sword against you right now. Don't hold anything back—give me everything you've got."
"Yes, brother." Bare-chested, Wotton immediately began his transformation.
Emerald-green dragon scales spread across Wotton's entire body, covering his hands and feet as well. His fingernails sharpened into deadly claws. A dragon tail sprouted from his lower back, and a single dragon horn emerged from his forehead.
His eyes turned black, though a glimmer of gold occasionally flashed through them.
"So this is what a true Dragon Blood Warrior of our family looks like when transformed." Lin Lei sighed with admiration at his brother's transformation, then called out, "Wotton, go all out. Fast!"
"Understood."
Wotton's eyes lit up. He pushed off the ground hard with his powerful legs, instantly cracking a hole in the earth. With a flicker of afterimage, he shot toward Lin Lei, the war blade Slaughter clutched in both hands—a weapon stained with countless drops of blood.
"Heavy as a Mountain!" Lin Lei's Purple Blood Divine Sword moved seemingly slowly to intercept the war blade Slaughter, as if carrying the weight of ten thousand pounds, yet it deftly blocked the strike.
BOOM! The two forces collided.
Lin Lei felt as if he'd been struck head-on by a massive meteorite. The tremendous impact traveled straight through the Purple Blood Divine Sword and into his arms.
"The sheer power is outrageous—a normal swing from him matches the force of my 'Heavy as a Mountain' in human form," Lin Lei marveled inwardly. The strength of a Dragon Blood Warrior truly was terrifying.
Lin Lei spun his body like a whirlwind and easily sidestepped Wotton.
Whoosh!
Nine consecutive streaks of purple light flashed—the Purple Blood Divine Sword's ordinary speed. In Lin Lei's estimation, Blumer's fast sword, if it could even match this baseline speed, would be impressive enough.
Wotton tapped his toes against the ground and leaped backward, simultaneously swinging the war blade Slaughter to block Lin Lei's strikes at blinding speed.
But he only managed to deflect six of the nine sword strikes. Lin Lei's remaining three thrusts landed squarely on Wotton's body—this was a standard attack in Lin Lei's human form.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three metallic impacts rang out. The emerald-green scales on Wotton's body were left with nothing but three small white marks.
"Ha ha… Wotton, looks like I'll have to put in real effort if I want to so much as scratch you." Lin Lei laughed, though inwardly he was delighted.
Wotton looked at his elder brother with gravity. "Brother, don't hold back."
In human form, Lin Lei was only at the early stage of the ninth level.
But Wotton, in his transformed state, was a peak ninth-level Dragon Blood Warrior. In terms of strength, battle qi, and defense, he surpassed Lin Lei by a wide margin.
"Sir, if you keep holding back, Wotton's going to steamroll you!" Gates shouted from the sidelines.
Lin Lei shook his head with a faint smile.
"Wotton, watch out."
Lin Lei's expression turned serious. He moved at extreme speed, and the entire training ground was engulfed as though a violent gale had materialized out of thin air. His velocity reached a terrifying degree.
Whoosh! The Purple Blood Divine Sword slashed straight at Wotton, the force of it compressing the very space around him.
Momentum.
Wotton felt pressure like never before, but the challenge only made his warrior's blood boil. With a low growl, the dragon blood battle qi inside him erupted. Savage power surged through the war blade Slaughter— Tssss— It cleaved through the locked space and clashed head-on with Lin Lei's Purple Blood Divine Sword.