Requirements

The entire venue fell silent.

A moment later, the crowd erupted, waves of uproar crashing one after another.

"What? Did I hear that right? He wants to challenge Second Senior Brother?" "Leaving aside the Sect Master and Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother has the strongest Martial Arts in our Mad Saber Sect. He truly doesn't know his own limits!" "Hmph, courting death!"...

All sorts of belittling, disdainful remarks drifted into Jiang Shuo's ears like willow catkins in summer.

Everyone thought he had gone mad. Even most of the people from the Hundred Flowers Sect and Dream Red Pavilion were skeptical of Jiang Shuo's words. Sun Daoming sneered outright, "Did fear turn him stupid? He can't even beat me, yet he dreams of challenging Chen Xian. That's the Mad Saber Sect's Second Senior Brother!"

Feng En's brow furrowed tightly. Jiang Shuo's proposal was miles away from the brilliant plan he had envisioned.

He could not help but urge, "Jiang Shuo, do you want to reconsider this carefully?"

"Master, I have my own plans." Jiang Shuo bowed to Feng En once more, apologizing for making the decision on his own. Then he turned to face Chen Xian. "You heard me clearly. So, will you accept or not? Or are you worried you can't beat me and want to keep having Senior Wenren step in for you?"

Chen Xian stared fixedly at Jiang Shuo. To him, Jiang Shuo daring to challenge him was itself an insult.

Though it was an obvious provocation, Chen Xian had no choice but to accept. Just like what Wenren Qiang had said to Feng En and Liu Ruyan earlier, Jiang Shuo had offered terms that could not be refused.

One was a new disciple who had entered his master's school less than a month ago, while the other was the renowned Second Senior Brother of the Mad Saber Sect. Whether in reputation, seniority, or years of training, there was a vast disparity between them. If he refused, Chen Xian—and even the entire Mad Saber Sect—would be utterly humiliated.

Chen Xian narrowed his eyes, a trace of anger flashing within them. Turning toward Wenren Qiang, he bowed slightly and requested, "Martial Uncle Wenren, please allow me to fight him!"

"Go! You know what to do with such an arrogant junior!" Wenren Qiang agreed, his tone carrying more than a hint of instigation.

With the other side already being so outrageous, how could Wenren Qiang possibly stand by and do nothing? In any case, even if they detained Jiang Shuo, he would most likely be killed after questioning. It would be better to cut out those tedious steps and have Chen Xian act directly, thereby defending the Mad Saber Sect's honor.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle!" Killing Intent on his face, Chen Xian turned back to Jiang Shuo, lifted his chin slightly, and asked, "How do you want to compete?"

"Wait. The match is necessary, but there are some matters that must be settled first, lest someone goes back on their word and refuses to acknowledge the result afterward." Jiang Shuo raised a hand, temporarily stopping Chen Xian, then looked to Wenren Qiang. "Senior Wenren, if I lose this duel, I will no longer resist and will submit to your sect's disposal. But if I win..."

"If you win, we'll let you go and guarantee that we will never pursue the Hundred Flowers Sect or Dream Red Pavilion for any responsibility in the future!" Wenren Qiang impatiently waved his hand, then asked the people opposite him, "And you two? What do you say?"

Wenren Qiang was no fool. Jiang Shuo had led this matter from the beginning, while Feng En had yet to state his position. If Jiang Shuo lost later and Feng En went back on his word, there would be nothing he could do. Especially judging from Feng En's earlier behavior, he placed immense importance on Jiang Shuo and was very likely to do exactly that.

Feng En froze, instinctively looking toward Jiang Shuo.

Jiang Shuo nodded at him. Feng En was still worried and hesitated for a long while, but under Jiang Shuo's repeated assurances, he finally agreed.

Liu Ruyan immediately stepped forward. "What Jiang Shuo says represents the will of Dream Red Pavilion. Should Jiang Shuo fail, Dream Red Pavilion will no longer interfere and will leave the Mad Saber Sect at once."

"Good!" Having received their assurances, Wenren Qiang nodded in satisfaction and said to Jiang Shuo, "Can you compete now?"

"Wait, I have one more request." Jiang Shuo spoke again.

Hearing this, Chen Xian, who had already been rubbing his fists in anticipation for quite some time, could not help but shout, "You keep stalling again and again. What trick are you trying to play, or are you simply regretting this?"

"Of course I'm not regretting it." Jiang Shuo replied casually, but knowing that Wenren Qiang was the one who decided major matters in the Mad Saber Sect, he said to him, "Senior Wenren, I have already thought of the moves I will use to face my opponent later, but there are still one or two key points I do not fully understand. Therefore, I hope you can let my Master come over so I can speak with him privately for a few words and seek his guidance."

"You can ask him here." Wenren Qiang answered with a frown.

"The contents of the moves I wish to ask about are secret Martial World teachings of the Hundred Flowers Sect and are never passed outside the sect. Naturally, I cannot ask about them in public." Jiang Shuo shook his head.

The moment these words came out, everyone found them utterly absurd.

They had seen plenty of people sharpening their spears at the last moment, but someone like Jiang Shuo was unheard of. A Martial Artist's combat strength depended chiefly on everyday accumulation. Leaving aside the fact that he could not possibly learn much in such a short time, even if he got the answers he wanted, Jiang Shuo's Martial Arts could not suddenly improve.

"Martial Uncle Wenren, you absolutely cannot agree to this. Feng En is very strong; there is no guarantee he will not take Jiang Shuo and force their way out." Chen Xian had witnessed Jiang Shuo's endless tricks before. Catching a whiff of conspiracy, he immediately warned him.

"If Senior is worried, my Master and I can speak beside you. With Senior's abilities, not to mention my Master taking me with him, I'm afraid even my Master alone would not be able to escape from the palm of your hand. Or could it be..." Jiang Shuo suddenly cast Chen Xian a sidelong glance. "You're afraid?"