After Duan Hanshan's words fell, the entire arena went silent for a moment. No one had expected Duan Hanshan to pull a move like this.
"Brutal! Absolutely brutal! That Miao Wuyin is probably going to have a hard time backing out of this now."
"Who asked that Miao Wuyin to brag sky-high in the first place? Otherwise, how would Ice Old Devil have gotten the chance?"
"The real question is whether Miao Wuyin even dares to go through with it. He was talking big earlier, but now Zero Wing is probably panicking."
Members of the various families within the Azure Commerce Association looked at Miao Wuyin and couldn't help but smile.
They acknowledged Miao Wuyin's strength, but his excessive boasting had rubbed people the wrong way—especially the younger generation of powerhouses from the major families, who had once held a fair amount of goodwill toward Miao Wuyin. Now, most of them were eager to watch him make a fool of himself.
The spectator stands were similarly abuzz, with everyone watching to see how Miao Wuyin would choose to respond.
"Now this is interesting. That Zero Wing guild should be the one that arrived on the airship, right? I wonder how strong they actually are. If Miao Wuyin's claims are even half true, a fight between the two sides would definitely be worth watching."
"That's obviously all hot air. Now it's going to be hard for him to climb down gracefully."
"Not necessarily. Who is Zui Yan, exactly? He's a legendary figure of the Azure Commerce Association. The fact that he's even willing to fight one of his own guild's newcomers is already giving them enormous face. Now he'd also have to fight an outsider? Zui Yan probably won't be too keen on that."
Speaking of which, the representatives of the various major factions in the stands couldn't help but glance worriedly at Zui Yan on the arena platform.
Zui Yan's reputation in the virtual gaming world was enormous, and he rarely engaged in combat with ordinary players. When he did fight, it was always against monstrous powerhouses on his own level. The fact that he had proactively offered to spar with Miao Wuyin earlier was already a rare occurrence. Getting Zui Yan to fight an unknown outsider? That would be nearly impossible.
Yet just as everyone assumed Zui Yan would refuse, his gaze suddenly turned toward Miao Wuyin.
"Are you serious about this?" Zui Yan asked, looking at Miao Wuyin with genuine gravity.
As Zui Yan directed his question at Miao Wuyin, every eye in the arena swung toward him. This was essentially Miao Wuyin's last chance to back down—if he played it off as a joke now, he could still avoid the embarrassment to come. But if he stubbornly held his ground, the inevitable result would be the complete destruction of his credibility.
"Yes, I'm serious. If Elder Zui Yan doesn't mind," Miao Wuyin replied with a nod.
After Miao Wuyin's answer, the crowd couldn't help but shake their heads.
This was Zui Yan giving Miao Wuyin one final opportunity to save face, and he still didn't know how to appreciate it. He was dead set on protecting his own pride—or perhaps his guild's reputation.
"Ha ha ha! Xiao Qian, this Miao Wuyin has truly lost his mind. He really thinks that Zero Wing guild is some kind of deity? That they can just randomly pull out any rookie and have them fight Elder Zui Yan!" The Tier 3 female assassin burst out laughing.
On the opposite arena platform, Yuan Xiaoqian remained silent in response to the Tier 3 assassin's mocking, offering no reaction whatsoever.
Because she knew perfectly well that Zero Wing did, in fact, have one monster who could go toe-to-toe with Elder Zui Yan.
That was Zero Wing's Guild Master, Black Flame—a figure whom even the Holy Light Elder Adolf of the Divine Tribulation Tribe had treated with utmost caution. If Black Flame chose to step forward to protect Zero Wing's honor, it was entirely within the realm of possibility.
Yet just as everyone was stunned by Miao Wuyin's decisive reply, Zui Yan's eyes lit up, and his gaze shifted toward the spectator stands where Zero Wing was seated.
"I'd like to know—which among the Zero Wing members is willing to come up and fight in Wuyin's place?"
Zui Yan's voice was not loud, but the firmness and commanding presence behind his words made it unmistakably clear that he was dead serious. There was even a hint of anticipation in his tone.
"No way! They're actually going to fight?!"
"Now this is really getting interesting! I wonder who Zero Wing will send up?"