Chapter 256

Three days later, the Martial Arts Tournament was held as scheduled at the training ground, and the citizens of Elephant City had already taken their seats.

The training ground was bustling with noise, and the sound of drums and music was like a surging ocean.

Dressed in white and adorned with a sacred floral wreath, Drona entered the training ground accompanied by the neighing of Ashvasena.

At the center of the Martial Arts Tournament, a sacrificial fire was lit.

This is a routine sacrificial ceremony performed to honor the Vedas gods and the two supreme deities.

As the sacrificial fire dissipated, a huge wooden wheel appeared, with the names of the princes engraved on its edge.

The Kauravas are on the edge, the Pandavas are on the inside, and in the center of the circular wheel, there is an unfamiliar name engraved— Karna.

Both the Kauravas and the Pandavas remained silent, contrary to their usual behavior.

At this moment, even the Duryodhana and the Yudhishthira couldn't help but pray in their hearts that they would not become Karna's opponent.

Meanwhile, Master Drona had already announced the rules: he would personally turn the wooden wheel, and his son Ashvasena, would shoot an arrow to select the first contestant to appear.

Once the archer enters the arena, they can choose their opponent by shooting an arrow. The winner remains and the loser is eliminated, continuing until sunset.

In addition, the Tianshi added a new rule: no bloodshed.

Duryodhana but feel uneasy.

Following his uncle Shakuni's instructions, he secretly visited Ashvasena the day before yesterday and invited him to let him be the first to appear.

Strictly speaking, this cannot be considered cheating. After all, no matter how difficult it is to defeat Duryodhana, one still has to play. It's just a matter of getting on the field sooner.

But then the wheel began to spin rapidly, the Ashvasena neighed, drew its bow and nocked an arrow, which flew as fast as a whirlwind and struck the Duryodhana directly.

"Ha ha!"

Duryodhana to contain his laughter, he leaped off the back of the war elephant, raising his precious pestle in his hand.

After bowing, Duryodhana also drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

This arrow was aimed at none other than the Pandavas of the Pandavas, the one Anapasrita.

Everyone knows the principle of picking the softest persimmons.

Of the Pandavas, the three sons born to Kunti were exceptionally skilled in martial arts, while the twins born to the former queen, Anapasrita Sahasra, were relatively weaker in martial arts compared to their brothers.

This Martial Arts Tournament is essentially an exhibition match. Not only do we need to win, but we need to win beautifully.

Too strong as Arjuna, Duryodhana; too weak as his own brothers, he was a potential target for blitzkrieg.

Rising to power by stepping on the Anapasrita is exactly Duryodhana Di wants.

The arrow struck its target swiftly, and the wooden wheel came to a stop.

Ashvasena looked at it and burst into laughter in surprise. "Well, Duryodhana my friend! I really underestimated you. I didn't expect you to challenge Arjuna first!"

"?"

Even Drona stood up and patted his belly in confusion.

No, Duryodhana so brave?

In the center of the training ground, Duryodhana hands and feet were icy cold, and he felt dizzy and disoriented.

How could it be Arjuna... How could it be Arjuna?!

That's impossible!

In the shadows of the training ground, Arjuna uttered incredulously, "How could this be? I clearly saw him aim his arrow at..."

"Your brother? So what, Partha (Arjuna's nickname)?"

Another figure standing in the shadows stepped out.

He had a handsome face, still bearing a touch of childishness, and wore a golden crown with peacock feathers tucked into it. A shepherd's flute hung from his waist.

This man still looked like a teenager. He patted Arjuna on the shoulder and said, "Do you really want your brother to go up there and be defeated by Duryodhana's schemes?"

"But that's cheating, Madhava."

Arjuna muttered to himself.

"No, this is the Dharma."

The boy straightened his chest. "Ashvasena has long been bribed by Duryodhana, and he has an even more vicious plan in mind... Do you really want to get entangled with him until sunset?"

Seeing the determination on Arjuna's face, the boy's smile deepened.

From deep within the surrounding grass and leaves, the chirping of insects suddenly became louder.

"You're absolutely right, Madhava, you're truly my dear friend."

Arjuna a long sigh of relief.

He strode toward the training ground, his steps as swift and agile as an eagle's.

"Of course I am your friend, and I am also your advisor."

The boy reached out and stroked the shepherd's flute at his waist. "I understand your heart, for I am Krishna, I am E..."

He stared at Arjuna's retreating figure, trying several times to utter his name, but seemed to be restrained by some powerful force, unable to open his mouth and speak.

The chirping of insects all around suddenly subsided and disappeared.

Duryodhana was already panicking at this point.

Knowing he was no match for Arjuna, he made arrangements in advance at the gate of the training ground, as instructed by Shakuni.

When Arjuna passes underneath, the entire building will collapse and bury him underneath.

However, these measures take time to take effect.

Arjuna 'Duryodhana previous schemes have been rendered useless.

As the figure drew closer, Duryodhana took several deep breaths.

He knew Arjuna incredibly powerful, but if he seized the opportunity, he might be able to put on a great show.

Duryodhana to rush forward, but his legs wouldn't move, and he stumbled and knelt on the ground.

"What happened?!"

Duryodhana himself was unaware of it, Drona and Tianshi clearly understood it.

Just now, Arjuna was shooting as he walked, and one arrow turned into ice and froze the Duryodhana in place.

"Croak!"

Duryodhana withstand his fury.

He kicked the ice, shattering it, but before he could make a move, Arjuna shot another arrow at him.

Even though the arrow didn't hit his body, Duryodhana still felt a chill run down his spine.

"It's so cold—"

Despite the sweltering heat, he exhaled a pale, chilling breath from his mouth and nose, his teeth chattering as if he might freeze to death at any moment.

This profound chill not only lingered within his internal organs but also extended to the surrounding ground. Thick white frost covered the surface of the weapon, and even time seemed to slow down.

This is an effect related to the Winter's Tenets, and a very high one at that.

It was inevitable that Duryodhana, given their inability to defeat them.

Although he firmly believed that Arjuna would not actually kill him, both Tianshi and Drona understood.

Duryodhana reluctantly handed over the bow, Arjuna seized it and took it from him.

Immediately afterwards, he drew his bow and shot an arrow, accurately hitting the name in the center of the turntable.

—Karna.

The nobles were astonished and began to discuss among themselves: Who is Karna?

Chapter 313 Wang Xuance.

The nobles had wanted to ask this question for a long time—who is Karna?

This name is written in the very center of the wooden wheel. Could this person be compared with the Pandavas and the Kauravas?

Tianshi looked at Drona and saw that the latter had a furrowed brow, and seemed equally surprised by the scene.

It's quite obvious that this wasn't Drona's arrangement.

"Master Drona, what's going on?"

Tianshi asked him.

"Karna is not of the Kuru King, but is the child of my benefactor."

"Drona said calmly."

"Since Karna is my disciple, there is no reason for him not to be listed."

Drona hesitated, but he ultimately wrote Karna's name down.

"Oh? Then your benefactor must be a nobleman of a high caste."

Tianshi said subconsciously.

This was entirely a primal reaction of the Tianshi; he seemed convinced that anyone who could help Drona must also be of a high caste.

"I have no idea."

Drona countered, "Does that matter?"

Tianshi disagreed with Drona's opinion, but the training ground was already in an uproar.

Arjuna shot the challenger's name, but Karna did not appear.

"Step forward, Karna!"

"Step forward, Karna!"

The bloodthirsty audience stood up, clapping and stomping their feet, urging Karna to hurry up and go on stage.

Arjuna stood in the center of the training ground, full of vigor and confidence.

Let's turn back time a little.

Elephant City West Street.

Karna, who is usually quiet and reserved in the eyes of his classmates, is now talking non-stop about his experiences at school.

Hebe offered his comments casually, but Karna could tell that Hebe seemed quite interested in Arjuna as well.

"Mother, do you know him?"

"I know, Arjuna is also Kunti's son."

Hebe said, "So by all accounts, he should be your brother."

"Oh."

Karna didn't know what to say, so he shoveled some rice into his mouth.

At this point, talking about blood relations would be a bit laughable. Karna didn't have much affection for Kunti, let alone Arjuna, who was always looking to fight him.

After finishing their meal, the three of them went for a walk.

At this time, the Elephant City was teeming with people—the princes had returned from their studies and were going to compete and perform in the training grounds, which naturally boosted the economy of the area surrounding Elephant City.

Leaving aside the small vendors, even prostitutes who traded their flesh flocked to the area. On the streets near the city gate, human traffickers dragged bound slaves around, loudly hawking their wares. Barefoot children ran back and forth, using hand-woven bracelets to attract customers.

Karna fell silent; she had almost thought that such a sight did not exist in Elephant City.

"This is Bharata."

Hebe fiddled with the two balls. "Elephant City isn't much better than other places."