Chapter 159 The Ditching Duo
"Wudi, what do you mean by that," Ding Hao said with a hypocritical smile on his face, "where has Brother Ding offended you? If you have any complaints, feel free to speak out."
"Hmph, you haven't offended me, I'm just stating the facts, really," said Chen Wudi with a smirk, "you are indeed not worthy of my sister, and I'm doing this for your own good, to let you give up sooner rather than later."
The people around were all looking on with surprise.
What's going on?
Wasn't Ding Hao hosting this banquet to entertain Chen Wudi?
Why did Chen Wudi seem to have such a disdain for him?
Wasn't this just a blatant slap in Ding Hao's face?
Ding Hao's face was exceptionally awkward, his eyes dark and gloomy.
"Wudi, don't make a fuss," Chen Yao quickly scolded Chen Wudi.
But Chen Wudi just smiled and said, "Sister, I'm not making a fuss, I just want you to see Ding Hao's true colors, and then you'll understand that he is truly not worthy of you."
Chen Yao's brows knitted in hearing Chen Wudi's words, falling into silence.
Seeing Chen Yao become silent, Ding Hao felt an even greater surge of anger within.
Wasn't the purpose of hosting this banquet to win Chen Yao's favor?
But now Chen Yao began to doubt him, which filled him with dissatisfaction.
"So you're Chen Wudi, huh? You say Brother Ding is unworthy of your sister, but I disagree!" At this moment, Lin Rock, the captain of the Mo Lang Team, stood up and spoke.
"I think so too," Sun Zhan chimed in, "Brother Ding reached the Seven-star Martial Sect Realm at the age of twenty-four, making him a significant figure in the Battle Mansion, and he's also the second young master of the Ding Family. If he's not worthy, then who is?"
Ding Hao was their comrade, of course they spoke on his behalf.
The people around them, hearing Lin Rock and Sun Zhan, nodded in agreement.
Ding Hao's talent was indeed extraordinary—reaching Seven-star Martial Sect at twenty-four was extremely rare in the Battle Mansion.
Furthermore, with Ding Hao's illustrious family background, there were many in the Battle Mansion who pursued him.
But the whole of Tianfeng City knew that Ding Hao was deeply devoted to Chen Yao and never flirted with others.
In their eyes, Ding Hao was certainly worthy of Chen Yao.
A hint of pride appeared on Ding Hao's face; it seemed the image he had crafted over the years had not been in vain—at least his positive persona had taken root in the hearts of others.
"You're asking who is worthy of my sister? Fine, I'll tell you who—he is." Chen Wudi pointed at Xu Nian who stood beside him.
Instantly, everyone's gaze fell on Xu Nian, beginning to size him up.
Chen Yao frowned, not understanding what her brother was trying to do.
By saying this, wasn't he deliberately pushing Xu Nian into a confrontation with the Mo Lang Team?
Zhao Yanyun, standing in the crowd, also silently watched this unfold with keen interest.
"Ha ha, I thought you would mention someone impressive, but it turns out it's just this kid," Sun Zhan laughed. "This kid probably hasn't even grown his full set of hair yet!"
His words set off a burst of laughter around them, and everyone's eyes looking toward Xu Nian were filled with scorn.
To tell the truth, Xu Nian was indeed too young.
Though he was not short in stature, he was only sixteen years old and still looked somewhat youthful.
A cold smile also appeared on Ding Hao's face; he didn't take Xu Nian seriously at all.
A sixteen-year-old boy, what threat could he pose to him?
"I am Ding Hao, a member of the Battle Mansion's Mo Lang Team," said Ding Hao with a smile as he looked at Xu Nian, "you seem a bit unfamiliar, probably just joined the Battle Mansion this year, right? May I ask how you're called?"
Xu Nian smiled faintly, it seemed Ding Hao was about to make his move against him.
But having prepared in advance, he was not afraid at all.
"Xu Nian, indeed I have just joined the Battle Mansion this year," Xu Nian answered with a calm smile, maintaining his composure.
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"So that's Xu Nian?" A surprised voice suddenly emerged from the crowd.
"Oh, do you know him?" asked the person next to them, puzzled.
"Of course, I recognize him. This guy's fame is no small matter; he ranked first in this year's Academy competition and was admitted to the Battle Mansion for his Nine-star Warrior ability, breaking protocol. Not long ago, he even completed an impossible mission and was exceptionally promoted to a Two-Star Member. It's said that he also killed Liu Mushan," the person responded.
Everyone around became visibly shocked, not expecting Xu Nian to have such accomplishments.
"What you mentioned isn't even the half of it. Do you know Hu Long? His arms were severed by this youngster. Even Yu Cheng of the Heavenly Dragon Team was defeated by him," another person chimed in.
Instantly, the way everyone looked at Xu Nian changed.
This Yu Cheng is a Three-star Member of the Six-star Martial Sect, and Xu Nian has just entered the Battle Mansion and defeated a Three-star Member. His strength is certainly not to be underestimated.
Even Lin Rock and Sun Zhan exchanged glances, seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes.
To beat Yu Cheng after less than two months in the Battle Mansion is an extraordinary feat!
Lv Cheng, standing aside, had a gleam in his eyes, like a Hunter spotting prey. Clearly, Xu Nian's abilities had caught his attention.
Of course, the most astonished was Ding Hao; he could never have imagined that this youth, eight years his junior, possessed such combat power.
"No, this boy must be eliminated; otherwise, he will pose the greatest threat to me," Ding Hao muttered to himself, a flash of Killing Intent sparkling in the depths of his eyes.
Initially, he thought Xu Nian was too young to take seriously.
But now, after hearing about Xu Nian's exploits, he realized that this young man wasn't simple at all.
"Haha, who would have thought Junior Brother Xu Nian to be so formidable, defeating Yu Cheng. He's really a dark horse. I wonder if Junior Brother Xu Nian would be willing to have a friendly spar with me?" Ding Hao laughed heartily. Enjoy new adventures from empire
"Ding Hao, have you no shame? Xu Nian is only a One-star Battle Sect, and you, a Seven-star Martial Sect, challenge him. Don't you feel ashamed?" Chen Wudi bellowed angrily.
"That's not necessarily true. If Junior Brother Xu Nian could defeat Yu Cheng, it means his combat power must be at least at the peak of Six-star Martial Sect. What's wrong with me, who has just entered the Seven-star Martial Sect Realm, challenging him? Besides, it's a friendly spar, not a fight to the death," Ding Hao shamelessly retorted.
The people around nodded in agreement; they, too, were eager to see if Xu Nian was as formidable as the rumors suggested.
"A friendly spar is fine, but let's add a condition," said Chen Wudi.
"What condition?" Ding Hao asked.
"Both parties must be blindfolded during the match to make it fairer," Chen Wudi declared.
Blindfolded?
The crowd looked on in confusion. What did this requirement mean?
However, once one reaches the Battle Sect Realm, they can generally discern positions by sound, and some can even judge the enemy's location by the changes in the air currents around them.
"Good! The condition is interesting; I agree. What do you say, Junior Brother Xu Nian?" Ding Hao agreed immediately, a cunning smile in his eyes.
He was worried about finding an excuse to deal with Xu Nian, and now that Chen Wudi had made this suggestion, if he went too hard later on, he could simply claim his blindness as an excuse.
Besides, at his level, whether he used his eyes or not really didn't make much difference.
Seeing Ding Hao agree, a smile suddenly appeared on Chen Wudi's face.
Everyone also turned their gaze towards Xu Nian, curious if he would agree to such a contest.
Xu Nian smiled faintly.
Chen Wudi was blatantly setting a trap for Ding Hao!
Others might not know that he had awakened his Spiritual Sense, but Chen Wudi knew very well.
Even if being blindfolded slightly affected Ding Hao, it would still place some limitations on him, whereas for Xu Nian, who possessed Spiritual Sense, being blindfolded wouldn't hinder him at all ─ in fact, it would be like a fish in water.
Furthermore, even with his eyes covered, he could still see, thanks to his Gray Dragon Eye, which could see through all deceptions. So, being blindfolded really didn't matter to him.
Yet, Xu Nian did not say anything. Although the Killing Intent in Ding Hao's eyes might deceive others, it couldn't escape his notice.
Under everyone's scrutiny, Xu Nian slowly stepped forward and chuckled, "Senior Brother Ding, what's the fun in just sparring? Why don't we raise the stakes?"
Everyone was taken aback at his words.
They thought it was good enough that Xu Nian agreed to the spar, but to their surprise, he even wanted to raise the stakes.
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