Nine Nether Dragon Emperor

Upon seeing this, a flicker of joy flashed in Ning Xuan’s eyes.

As long as Jiang Chan and Zhao Guan start fighting, I’ll be free! None of the prodigies from Chi Ming are weak. I can just pick any one of them as an opponent and escape this.

As Jiang Chan stepped toward Zhao Guan, her voice rang out, "Ning Xuan is mine. Anyone who dares to touch him while I’m fighting Zhao Guan will be declaring themselves my enemy!"

Ning Xuan’s face turned green. However, he quickly consoled himself. They’re all prodigies from Chi Ming. Surely they won’t be scared off by her words.

So, just as Jiang Chan and Zhao Guan began to clash, he immediately went to find an opponent. Ning Xuan took a step forward and tossed aside the man who was dueling Zhang Yuan.

Then, he said with a smile, "Zhang Yuan, let’s have a battle!"

Zhang Yuan, who had been slacking off and conserving his strength, snapped back to his senses and refused without a second thought. "No, I can’t beat you."

"Wait, I know where you’re from. You shouldn’t be afraid of Jiang Chan." Seeing Zhang Yuan about to leave, Ning Xuan grew anxious.

"It’s not that I’m afraid of her; I just don’t want to waste my Element Force because of her!" Leaving those words behind, Zhang Yuan immediately put distance between himself and Ning Xuan.

Not one to give up, Ning Xuan continued to search for an opponent. Without exception, all the prodigies from Chi Ming refused to fight him. When he saw that Zang Peng, the one most likely to attack him, had already squared off with Luo Ji, Ning Xuan’s face filled with utter despondence. While other contestants fought for their lives, he couldn’t find a single opponent!

What the hell! What is all this?!

Ning Xuan felt helpless.

「On the high platform」

Tu Yu sent a voice transmission to Wang Teng, who was in a seat below him. "Wang Teng, I don’t want to see that man again!"

Wang Teng was stunned. This was a command. But I’m not even a contestant. Besides, even if he were, he would have to consider the consequences of offending Jiang Chan.

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Teng could only brace himself and say, "My Lord, everyone on that platform is a supreme prodigy. Miss Jiang Chan won’t be able to protect Ning Xuan for long. As soon as she steps away, someone will deal with him!"

"Hmm, but to ensure there are no mistakes, if you have any means at your disposal, you should start preparing now."

Wang Teng thought it over, feeling troubled.

"Don’t tell me your Tian Shu doesn’t have a single decent expert?" Tu Yu hinted subtly.

Realization dawned on Wang Teng. He immediately agreed, "Rest assured, My Lord, I guarantee it will be taken care of!" Then, Wang Teng quietly departed.

Tu Jingcheng glanced at Tu Yu but said nothing, immediately turning his gaze back to the platform.

Wang Dingchen, however, furrowed his brow. For some reason, he felt a vague sense of unease. But he soon exhaled sharply. With the Envoy here, how could anything possibly go wrong?! With that thought, he finally calmed down and turned his gaze back to the dueling platform.

On the stage, one person was particularly conspicuous. While others fought tooth and nail, using every technique at their disposal in a flurry of activity, one corner of the dueling platform was like an isolated paradise, completely detached from the world!

Just as he looked over, that Ning Xuan actually brought out a reclining chair! He not only relaxed and laid back comfortably on it but even had the audacity to start snacking on spirit sunflower seeds!

Wang Dingchen’s face turned green! He shot to his feet, ready to enter the fray himself. This guy was utterly lawless, enjoying himself even more than the Envoy! If he allowed this to continue, he would surely die without even knowing how!

You damn bastard! So you’re the culprit behind my unease!

"Wang Dingchen, what are you doing?"

Wang Dingchen had just risen when Tu Jingcheng called out to him.

THUMP!

Without a second thought, Wang Dingchen dropped to his knees, his face filled with panic. "Envoy, please calm your anger! I will go and finish him off right away!"

Tu Jingcheng, however, just smiled playfully. "No rush, no rush. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so brazen. Why don’t we see what other tricks he has up his sleeve."

Wang Dingchen was stunned. He couldn’t tell if Tu Jingcheng was genuinely not angry or had been driven mad by his fury. But he wasn’t foolish enough to ask. He could only respond with a "Yes" before retreating.

Meanwhile, the audience below went wild.

After witnessing Ning Xuan’s actions, it took them a long time to snap back to reality. When they did, many of them instinctively rubbed their eyes. What they were seeing was simply too mind-blowing! They couldn’t believe it!

"Damn, I’m not seeing things! That guy... he must be insane!"

"Holy shit, what the hell did I just see?! Even in my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined something like this!"

"On the dueling platform of the Star Domain’s assembly for the princess’s hand, there’s a contestant casually cracking spirit sunflower seeds in a reclining chair! Even if I recorded this with a Soul Capture Stone and showed it to people, I doubt anyone would believe it!"

They all muttered to themselves, completely dumbfounded by Ning Xuan’s behavior!

BOOM!

On the other side of the dueling platform, Zhao Guan and Jiang Chan separated.

Catching sight of Ning Xuan out of the corner of his eye, Zhao Guan’s composure threatened to shatter.

"Jiang Chan, look! That’s the man you’re protecting! Look at him! Does he take you seriously at all?!" Pointing at Ning Xuan, Zhao Guan trembled with anger.

Jiang Chan had her back to Ning Xuan. Hearing Zhao Guan’s words, she showed no fear of a sneak attack and turned her head. She was instantly struck dumb, her mouth forming a perfect ’O’ of shock.

"He’s a lost cause! No matter how much you help him, it’s useless!" Zhao Guan said, relieved at her reaction, and immediately tried to persuade her further.

However, she just giggled. "Hehe, this guy really trusts me, doesn’t he? Looks like I’ll have to try even harder not to disappoint him."

Hearing this, Zhao Guan nearly coughed up blood. That damn Ning Xuan! Did he cast some kind of spell on Jiang Chan? Otherwise, how could she have turned into such a blockhead!

Zhao Guan was furious. Just as he was about to warn Jiang Chan, she attacked again with a sharp cry.

"Again!"

He roared in response, and the two clashed fiercely once more.

Luo Ji and Zang Peng were similarly locked in a tense stalemate. One was the strongest spear, his attacks omnipresent and inescapable. The other was the sturdiest shield, his body protected by an airtight Sword Array.

As for the other prodigies, they had it much easier, steadily clearing the stage of their opponents.

When the incense stick finally burned out, marking the end of the first round, fewer than thirty people remained on the entire dueling platform.

During the rest period, Jiang Chan immediately appeared before Ning Xuan, simply looking down at him. Ning Xuan stared back, his face a mask of confusion.

Zhao Guan, his own duel with her still undecided, finally lost his composure and burst out, "Ning Xuan, are you even a man?! She’s risking her life for you, and you won’t even offer her your seat?!"

Ning Xuan hadn’t even responded yet when Jiang Chan’s sharp voice cut through the air. "Shut up! This is none of your business!"