"If anything unexpected happened along the way, he might not make it to the arena in time for the magical duel."
Ao Han followed his lead. "Father has decreed that we must reach the Dragon Palace within fifteen days. His fief is so far away that, if he wants to arrive on time, he won't be able to bring many Dragon Guards or dragon soldiers. There's a very good chance... he won't be able to deploy his Dragon Roar Nine Heavens Battle Formation..."
Prince and minister looked into each other's eyes for a long time. Everything went unspoken.
Just then, Cui Jiuyang, who stood behind Ao Dongping, suddenly spoke. "Your Highness, Lord Ao, this humble servant... has a half-formed idea. I'm not sure whether I should mention it..."
Ao Dongping clearly hadn't expected Cui Jiuyang to interrupt at that moment and glanced at him in mild surprise.
Ao Han, however, didn't mind at all. He waved a hand and said, "Speak freely."
Cui Jiuyang stepped forward. "Lord Ao said earlier that five princes had already lost their magical duels in the arena, but two of those defeats remain unexplained.
"Prince Ao Luo died a terrible death in an ocean trench, while Prince Ao Tai shut himself away in his palace. We still haven't established who struck at them from the shadows.
"I've heard that Prince Ao Luo's cultivation nearly matched that of the Second and Third Princes. He was also a prominent contender for the throne.
"Although Prince Ao Tai's cultivation was somewhat weaker, his fief was the wealthiest and most powerful, and his mother's clan was strong enough to support him.
"What Your Highness and Lord Ao said just now about matters inside and outside the arena gave me an idea...
"What happened to those two princes was so