A silence beyond words fell on the other side of the spatial gate. After a long while, Lan Jiufeng's voice finally drifted over. "I'm the one calling you right now..."
Duke Saduran seemed to feel, for the first time, that he had gained the upper hand. He let out a hearty laugh. "Brother Lan, do you still remember fifty years ago? Back then, I was already the first knight-captain of the Starrealm Knights. I was full of ambition, free and unrestrained. I thought the universe might be vast, but there was nowhere I couldn't go. How could someone like me tolerate an unknown country bumpkin from Earth, wantonly challenging the honor of the Knights?"
"Is that so? Back then, we were all young and foolish. Besides, I wasn't challenging you at the time. I was challenging your teacher, the previous Grand Commander, Duke 'Flameheart' Maikaduo."
"No, no. I'm still young and foolish now. But I could never forget that Teacher Maikaduo didn't actually take the bait. If I, that arrogant fool, hadn't become a burden, would you, old friend—Perfected Lan—have been a match for my teacher back then?"
"I cannot say. But judging from our cultivation at the time, my chances of winning weren't high." Lan Jiufeng sounded earnest and patient. He had been singing to Old Sa across the Void Realm for a month, and only now had he finally gotten a response. He couldn't help feeling a little—just the right amount—of emotion.
"But Teacher Maikaduo fell, along with two knight-captains and three senior full knights... Only I survived, the culprit you'd provoked into leading the entire squad into a trap." Saduran sighed. "How unfair!"
"Actually, Brother Saduran, everyone except Duke Mai was riled up by me back then. Duke Mai fell into my formation trying to save you