Jiang Wang had not expected Jiang Mengxiong to appear, but before deciding to challenge Ji Shaoqing, he had already carefully considered his chances of success.
To kill a prodigy like Ji Shaoqing, an ambush was definitely out of the question.
Never mind the Sea Fishing Tower's protection of its prodigies, or the countless eyes watching Huai Island. Even if he really did kill Ji Shaoqing by ambushing him, it would undoubtedly invite the Sea Fishing Tower's unrelenting retaliation.
This was nothing like killing Hai Zongming in self-defense. It struck directly at the Sea Fishing Tower's bottom line. The Sea Fishing Tower would undoubtedly pursue him with the utmost resolve, while Qi State might not protect him with anywhere near the same determination.
He couldn't withstand that.
So he had chosen to challenge Ji Shaoqing in person, in a Life and Death Duel, and make as big a scene as possible.
The creation of the Sea Merit Ranking List, his first-place rank on the Secondary Ranking List... and his brazen challenge, issued by blocking the entrance to the Sea Fishing Tower's headquarters and calling Ji Shaoqing out by name. Without a doubt, all of it had pushed this duel to its peak. Across the entire Near-Sea Archipelago, almost no one was unaware of it.
Under these circumstances, Qi State would no longer remain silent.
The Sea Suppression Alliance had been established, and the Sea Fishing Tower's many maneuvers had paid off. Under Wei Xun's leadership, the Sea Fishing Tower was expanding at an astonishing pace.
Qi State had tolerated it time and again. Now, with one of its own prodigies locked in a duel to the death, if it couldn't even guarantee that the contest was fair, who would still fear Qi State? It would be tantamount to announcing to the