Jiang Liu, Murong Yin, Cuier returned to Ascension Tower together.
Just as he entered the backyard and before he could even sit down, a steward from the Ascension Tower came to report, "Young Master Jiang, the Pavilion Master requests your presence!"
Upon hearing this, Murong Yin asked the steward, "What does Grandpa Aotian want with Jiang Liu?"
"Steward Murong, I don't know either. If there's nothing else, Young Master Jiang, I'll head out now!"
Seeing that Jiang Liu nodded, the manager went out first.
Murong Yin turned to look at Jiang Liu, Jiang Liu smiled and said, "It should be fine. If you're worried about anything, just come with me."
Murong Yin led Jiang Liu to the top floor of the Ascension Tower, and once there they went straight to the last secret room.
Upon arriving at the door of the secret chamber, Murong Yin hadn't even knocked when the door opened, Murong Aotian sitting alone inside, drinking tea.
Murong Yin and Jiang Liu went inside. Murong Aotian looked up and said to the two of them, "Sit down! Girl, don't be nervous. I'm just looking for Jiang Liu to chat."
"Young Jiang, I heard you were engaged before?"
"This," before Jiang Liu could finish speaking, Murong Aotian interrupted, "The Feng Family's doesn't count!"
Jiang Liu could only say helplessly, "Actually, no. I only said that to appease Feng Yi, but it got out of hand as the story spread."
Upon hearing this, Murong Yin turned and stared at Jiang Liu with wide eyes.
Upon hearing this, Murong Aotian smiled with satisfaction. "Do you know why I insisted on confirming this with you?"
Jiang Liu shook his head, indicating that he did not know.
"Because the Great Qian Dynasty is becoming increasingly chaotic, and several families in our Ascension Tower have already gotten involved, it is difficult for us to remain unscathed. For other families, if they fail, they can simply cut off an arm to survive, but not for our Murong Family."
"I believe you've heard some of what's going on with the Murong Family right now from Yin'er."
Jiang Liu nodded.
"So today, on behalf of the Murong Family, I hereby declare that we will fully support you. I have only one request: to ensure that the Bloodline of our Murong Family continues."
Murong Yin was taken aback upon hearing this, and Jiang Liu was also greatly surprised.
"Grandpa Aotian, what's wrong?" Murong Yin asked Murong Aotian, but was stopped by Murong Aotian before he could finish speaking.
Murong Aotian looked at Jiang Liu, waiting for his answer.
Jiang Liu glanced at Murong Aotian, then at Murong Yin. Seeing her looking at him with eager eyes, he pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Putting everything else aside, just for now, the Ascension Tower can be of great help in advancing my cultivation technique. The reason I didn't seek out the Ascension Tower before was because I had reservations.
This Martial Arts Tournament exposed the shortcomings of my skills, so my most urgent task now is to upgrade them, which can only be done after the Martial Arts Tournament ends.
Now that Murong Yin is his woman, and with the full support of the Murong Family, advancing his cultivation technique and obtaining cultivation resources will be much easier.
As for what was promised, it's generally not even considered a request.
Upon seeing Jiang Liu agree, Murong Yin happily hugged Jiang Liu, her face beaming with joy as she freely expressed her happiness.
Murong Aotian looked at Jiang Liu with satisfaction and nodded. Although this request was almost as good as not mentioning it at all, he knew that in the end, the reward would definitely be much greater than the request itself.
Next, the three of them sat together in the secret room and chatted amicably for a long time. Murong Aotian even told Jiang Liu many secret stories that were passed down among the Grandmaster.
This truly broadened Jiang Liu's horizons, making him more curious about the exchanges between Grandmaster and less awestruck.
The three of them finished their dinner together before Jiang Liu returned to the backyard with Murong Yin. Before leaving, Murong Aotian gave Jiang Liu a new identity token and took back the old one.
Jiang Liu and Murong Yin returned to the backyard, washed up, and began to meditate and rest. After all, they had to participate in a duel tomorrow.
The next morning, Jiang Liu woke up from his meditation and turned his head to see that Murong Yin was already up.
Afterwards, Jiang Liu and Murong Yin had breakfast in the side hall and then walked together towards the East District gate. Cuier, on the other hand, looked around and talked about this and that.
Before long, the three arrived at the East District Gate. There were even more people today than yesterday, and the place was already full. Fortunately, the ten small arenas had been set up as stands, reserved for the ten forces that had won the spots.
The Sun Moon Sect, the Moonfall Sect, the Wang Family, the He Family, the Ji Family, the Zheng Family, the Lotus Sect, the Exotic Weapon Valley, the Li Family, and the Murong Family of the Ascension Tower —these ten families have all been assigned their respective positions.
Jiang Liu led Murong Yin and Cuier directly to the stands belonging to the Murong Family, where they sat and waited for the game to begin.
At this moment, in a large tent directly in front of the arena, the betting on the rankings of this duel had already begun, and betting would stop when all the Grandmaster arrived.
Cuier went to inquire and returned saying, "Young Master, your odds are so low! But there are still a lot of people betting on you to win!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liu immediately found it amusing. "What? You bought some? How much did you buy?"
Upon hearing this, Cuier exclaimed, "I'll definitely bet! And I'll only bet on my son-in-law to win. I'm betting my entire fortune! My son-in-law must win! Otherwise, I won't have any money to buy delicious food."
Jiang Liu then ignored Cuier, while Murong Yin pulled Cuier over and the two chatted away, while he observed the situation of the other forces.
After waiting for about half an hour, the figures of ten Grandmaster finally appeared in the direction of the East District gate, perhaps to allow enough time for betting.
Upon seeing the arrival of the ten Grandmaster, the area around the arena gradually quieted down. The ten Grandmaster remained seated in their original seats from yesterday, but today the event was presided over by Liu Xing, an elder of the Flowing Cloud Sect.
Meteor stood up, leaped onto the grand arena, and then a Grandmaster's aura emanated from him, enveloping the entire arena, instantly silencing everyone.
Meteor announced in a clear voice, "Now, please invite the ten winners to come up on stage to draw lots, and then we will face off one by one."
As soon as Meteor finished speaking, Xiahou Yi, Han Kesong, Wang Yisheng, He Wentian, Ji Feng, Zheng Hanwei, Duo Yi, Blade Fiend, Li Wenyuan, and Jiang Liu flew onto the main arena one by one.
Seeing that all ten people had arrived, Meteor made a grasping motion with his right hand, forming a sealed energy box, and then threw ten bamboo tokens into it. He said, "Who wants to go first?"
Upon seeing this, Blade Fiend immediately stepped forward and reached inside. He then took out a bamboo plaque with the character "Three" written on it.
Wang Yisheng was the second to put his hand in. His bamboo sign was the character "".
Then everyone took turns going up to draw lots.
The results of the draw are as follows:
One character: Jiang Liu, Xiahou Yi.
The second character: Duo Yi, He Wentian.
Three characters: Blade Fiend, Li Wenyuan.
Four characters: Han Kesong, Wang Yisheng.
Five characters: Jifeng, Zheng Hanwei.
Meteor confirmed all the contestants' numbers, then led the way out of the arena. The other eight people also left one after another, leaving only Jiang Liu and Xiahou Yi on the stage.
Seeing that everyone had left, Xiahou Yi stepped forward and, standing not far from the Jiang Liu, said with a seductive look, "Young Master Jiang, I've heard you have a flying dragon mount. When may I ride it with you?"
Jiang Liu ignored her completely, and quickly drew his broadsword, slashing at Xiahou Yi.
Seeing that only Jiang Liu and Xiahou Yi remained on the stage, Cuier, who was watching from the stands, hurriedly said to Murong Yin with a nervous expression, "Miss, do you think the young master will be unable to resist Xiahou Yi's temptation?"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Liu drew his sword and slashed at Xiahou Yi. He immediately became happy, "It seems that the son-in-law has not been tempted by Xiahou Yi."
Murong Yin looked at Jiang Liu with a smile on his face, his eyes shining brightly.