Challenge

While Andre and Derrick were speaking, Robert and Stefan had already arrived close by.

Although the latter had been constantly mocked by people from the Byron Empire, he was still a level nine powerhouse, so the worldly and sophisticated Andre still offered a polite greeting.

At the same time, he introduced both parties to each other.

Aside from the famous Stefan, that Robert was also from the Beni Empire and was likewise a level nine warrior who cultivated earth-style battle qi, though the weapon he used was a greenish-brown saber; he was not young, appearing to be even older than Andre.

"So your name is Leian!"

No sooner had Andre finished speaking than Robert called out.

From the moment he appeared, this guy had been staring fixedly at Leian, and at this moment, his tone was flat, yet his eyes carried a heavy sense of scrutiny.

Leian frowned slightly, easily seeing through Robert's thoughts; it was nothing more than resentment at seeing him receive the Goddess Token.

However, before Leian could speak, Robert suddenly withdrew his gaze and spoke again in a cold, sharp tone:

"Leian, I, Robert, formally challenge you. Do you dare to accept?"

Once these words were spoken, the expressions of Derrick and Andre changed simultaneously, and immediately after, Derrick sneered with a look of mockery:

"People from the Beni Empire are truly as shameless as ever!"

Hearing Derrick's merciless mockery, Robert's face sank instantly, and Stefan also replied coldly:

"Derrick, keep your mouth clean. Don't think that just because you are a member of the Byron royal family, I wouldn't dare to teach you a lesson!"

"What, did I say something wrong?"

Derrick continued to sneer, and after finishing, he turned his head to explain to Leian.

It turned out that as long as one was a citizen of the Youquan Continent, they could actively issue a challenge to a Goddess Token holder, and the latter could choose to accept or refuse.

But if the challenge was accepted and one was defeated, the Goddess Token would belong to the opponent, which meant that one would lose the qualification to compete for the Goddess's Named Disciple.

Of course, such challenges could only be initiated between those of the same level.

Moreover, over so many years, an unwritten rule had formed: the challenger's age could not be too much older than the token holder's, generally not exceeding thirty years.

Derrick had heard of the Robert before him; although he didn't know the exact age of the other party, he was certainly not younger than Andre, and Andre was ninety-eight this year.

By this calculation, Robert was at least sixty years older than Leian.

With such a large age gap, yet still shamelessly issuing a challenge, it was no wonder Derrick couldn't help but mock him loudly.

As Derrick's words fell, Robert gave a cold smile and said unhurriedly:

"As you said, this is an unwritten rule. If I remember correctly, the Goddess has not set any age restrictions on challengers!"

"You!"

Derrick had not expected Robert to be so brazenly shameless, and for a moment he was choked for words, able only to glare at the other party with wide eyes.

One must know that on the Youquan Continent, generally, anyone above level eight, whether a warrior or a mage, was respectfully called a "powerhouse," and powerhouses usually guarded their dignity and face.

The reputation of "the strong bullying the weak" had never sounded good, and it was precisely because of this that the unwritten rule regarding "age" existed.

As a veteran level nine warrior, Robert had completely abandoned the face of a "powerhouse" today for the sake of the Goddess Token, which was truly contemptible.

Stefan, who was accompanying him, was likely also a bit embarrassed; after Derrick exposed the unwritten rule, he stood to the side with a cold face and said nothing more.

As for Leian, the person involved, he couldn't describe his feelings at this moment. To be honest, he didn't value the Goddess Token much; even if a friend asked for it, he would be willing to give it away.

But not valuing the token did not mean he didn't value his dignity. Although he wasn't particularly willing to step on others to rise to fame, he was even less willing to become someone else's stepping stone.

As it happened, the matter of him receiving the Goddess Token today would likely be impossible to hide, and with that challenge rule in place, he would inevitably be disturbed in the future.

If it were before, Leian would have been very happy to accept challenges from various powerhouses, but now he only wanted to go into seclusion to cultivate the Destruction Rule he had comprehended.

To avoid constant trouble in the future, the best way was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, and since Robert had bumped into him at this time, Leian felt that not accepting would be a disservice to him.

Thinking of this, Leian said indifferently:

"January 1st of next year, I will wait for you in Maple Leaf City."

Robert's goal was the Goddess Token, and seeing Leian accept his challenge, he suppressed the wild joy in his heart and smiled lightly:

"You have some guts. Fine, on January 1st of next year, I will go to Maple Leaf City to find you."

After speaking, as if afraid that Leian would go back on his word, Robert turned and left, giving Leian and the others no chance to speak again.

Seeing this, Stefan sighed softly; he gave a quick greeting and also turned to leave, though he avoided the direction Robert had taken.

When the backs of the two had completely disappeared into the jungle, Derrick turned to look at Leian, his expression hesitant.

Although he had said in front of Andre that Leian was his brother, he knew very well that their friendship hadn't reached that point, and he wasn't qualified to dictate Leian's decisions.

But in his eyes, while it was true that Leian was a genius, Robert had been a level nine warrior for decades and had incredibly rich combat experience; it wouldn't be easy for Leian to win.

On the other side, Andre had similar thoughts, though he didn't show too much concern, instead asking half-jokingly:

"Leian, are you confident?"

Leian smiled and didn't answer directly, replying in the same joking tone: "If you two are interested, won't you know when you come to watch the battle that day?"

Seeing this, the two felt embarrassed to press further.

At this point, Andre no longer had the mood to continue his training, and hearing that Leian and Derrick were preparing to return to the imperial capital, he also left the Youquan Mountain Range with them.

The Imperial Capital, Maple Leaf City!

When Leian stepped into this majestic city once again, it was already the cold winter season.

Two years ago, when he left, no one knew who he was; today, two years later, when he returned, there were already people occasionally whispering behind his back.

Leian did not find this strange at all. His feat of slaying a Green-Eyed Horned Tiger with a single sword strike outside the Youquan Mountain Range two years ago had been witnessed by many, and the reputation of a young warrior powerhouse was bound to spread through these people.

Furthermore, he was certain that after January 1st of next year, his reputation would become even more resounding.

So, am I also going to become famous across the continent?

On the main road leading to the West District of the Imperial Capital, Leian thought with a hint of self-mockery.

Having been away from home for two years, he didn't miss it much, but he was somewhat curious about what kind of expressions Barry and his wife would have when they learned how powerful their son had become.

However, just as Leian was speculating about his parents' reactions, he did not know that Barry and his wife had already prepared a big surprise for him.