Wu Jinliang glanced at the dumbfounded parties on both sides, chuckled, turned around, and left.

Master Mai subconsciously turned his head to look at Wan Daoyuan, who quickly winked at him, signaling him to probe Shi Chun's real intentions. Therefore, Master Mai hurriedly limped over as well.

The remaining leaders of several routes also hurried to follow, and the group crowded into Shi Chun's cave again, while a horde outside whispered secretly.

There was no need to beat around the bush. Master Mai directly expressed his concerns once inside the cave, "Master, you have to pick your own opponent. You can't let others choose for you."

"Yes, yes, if the other side is full of experts, you will be at a disadvantage."

"Yes, they haven't accepted yet, so it's not reneging to renegotiate now."

Shi Chun glanced at them and asked, "Can they really let me pick any opponent I want?"

"This..." The group was at a loss for words. Obviously, that wouldn't be possible. If you picked the weakest, they would surely not agree.

Master Mai added, "Master, this kind of duel is not in our favor. We need to think it through carefully!"

Shi Chun bluntly asked, "Think what through? Do you really believe they would negotiate a way for you to have the advantage? Dream on, they're just going through the motions with you. Did you actually take them seriously? I'll try, of course, if you think someone else should take the blame, I wouldn't mind."

The others were suddenly struck dumb, realizing the truth in his words. Indeed, the other party was merely putting up a facade to silence them; they couldn't possibly let them have the upper hand.

Naturally, no one wanted to take the blame, so leaving the task to the Master was their only option.

Thus, they went back outside to brief everyone.

After those had left, Wu Jinliang immediately asked Shi Chun, "If they send Mulan Qingqing to duel with you, do you have any confidence?"

Chu Jingtang also looked worried. His sect, having boarded this 'pirate ship,' knew the supposed engagement was a hoax. He wasn't clear about the specific compromises made by the involved parties. If it wasn't for knowing some kind of compromise had been made by Mulan Qingqing's side, they wouldn't have dared follow Wang Sheng and his brother in this endeavor.

Mulan Qingqing's strength was undoubtedly formidable.

Could it be Mulan Qingqing who would duel?

From Shi Chun's personal wish, he both hoped it would be her and hoped it wouldn't.

He hoped it wouldn't be her because of the current practical benefits; facing a weaker opponent would naturally give him a better chance of winning.

He hoped it would be Mulan Qingqing because her strength and reputation were significant. If he defeated Mulan, that person might notice him. Who knows, he might even take the initiative to seek him out.

He didn't want to stand before her appearing incapable, shabby, and mismatched.

The two of them had sat facing the sunset on a cliff, her profile brushed by her hair reappeared in his mind—the soft words finding beauty in adversity had given him endless courage to face torment. He missed her again.

He would think of her occasionally, always unexpectedly.

That scene was somewhat lingering, but he forcibly suppressed it for the moment.

He felt that the likelihood of Mulan Qingqing facing him was high.

From the moment he targeted Su Yuan Sect, he had been steering the situation in this direction until just moments ago, when everything fell into place. He knew the moment he spoke up at the right time, the other party would have no way out but to respond to the challenge.

Shouldn't they send their strongest to fight?

From the moment he captured Chao Zhilin, he had been preparing for a duel with Mulan Qingqing.

The possibility of a change was slim now. After pondering, he said, "A fifty percent chance."

Initially, after fighting Chao Zhilin, his confidence was quite high. However, after he witnessed how Mulan Qingqing executed Hu Yan, he realized her strength far surpassed Chao Zhilin's, which immediately reduced his confidence.

The Silver Radiance Assassin's sudden assassination attack was too formidable. Clearly, they hadn't yet displayed their full strength; at that moment, he hadn't even had a fifty percent chance.

Later, as he absorbed more murderous aura, especially from that bizarre bird, his physical strength improved further.

The most tangible achievement was in the duration he could maintain his superpower through his right eye.

Previously, after three or four consecutive uses, his body couldn't handle it anymore. Now, after testing, it lasted twice as long.

He knew very well how crucial it was to be able to foresee the moves in an unseen attack when exchanging skill maneuvers with someone like Mulan Qingqing.

Only with the enhancement of his physical capabilities did his confidence rise back to fifty percent.

"Ah, fifty percent, isn't that a bit low?" Wu Jinliang looked troubled.

For them, being cautious was necessary and engrained deep in their bones; but when they had to face something that absolutely must be done, they would also be daring and bold. They never waited until they were completely certain before taking action; if they had a 60% chance of winning, they would dive in and give it a try, but a 50% chance was considered too uncertain and too dangerous.

50%? Chu Jingtang, however, felt that was already quite high. Of course, not because he thought the chance of winning was high, but rather he wondered if Wang Sheng was overestimating himself. Could you really be that formidable?

Thinking about how Chao Zhilin was captured, and not knowing exactly how it happened, he remained somewhat skeptical.

Shi Chun's gaze paused on Wu Jinliang's clothes, and he lifted his chin toward him as a signal, "With more preparation, maybe there's a 70% chance."

In front of Chu Jingtang, he could only hint; discussing the Treasure Robe outright was not appropriate.

Wu Jinliang caught on immediately, "Oh right, how could I forget about the Treasure Robe I'm wearing?" His eyes shone as he said, "That could be worth trying."

After receiving the mother-son talisman secretly informing them from Master Mai that Wang Sheng had no other tricks and would personally go through the motions, Wan Daoyuan and his two companions immediately left the scene to discuss with Mulan Qingqing and others. Even if it wasn't about her fiancé, it wasn't their place to make decisions without at least informing others first.

As soon as the three met with Mulan Qingqing, they received a report, "A woman has come claiming to be Wang Sheng and Gao Qiang's junior sister, asking to see them."

Tang Zhen was startled, "Where did another junior sister come from? Wasn't their junior sister already taken by someone named Bai?"

Guann Yingjie responded, "She isn't dead, she managed to escape after being dishonored and had already met with them earlier." He then said to the messenger, "Go and confirm with Wang Sheng's people; if it's her, let her in."

"Alright." The messenger departed.

Since everything was explained here, Wan Daoyuan and his companions exchanged glances and said nothing more, focusing instead on informing the group of the real issue— the challenge issued by Wang Sheng to resolve the matter.

Mulan Qingqing and Guann Yingjie were surprised to hear that Wang Sheng had taken action, intending to decide the outcome with a single battle.

Wan Daoyuan said, "I really didn't expect him to propose such a solution. We had no choice but to accept. We could refuse other suggestions, but how could we refuse this one? If we are too scared to accept a challenge from a Youxia Mountain disciple, wouldn't we become a laughingstock?

Furthermore, we are inherently uneasy as perpetrators, and since we have pushed the other side into a corner, what if they completely gave up after we reject this proposal too? What would we do then about the Insect Extreme Crystal?"

Li Shanshan said, "We definitely have to accept the challenge. It seems from our informants that Wang Sheng is quite capable; he has often bravely led the charge and defeated formidable foes in battle. Therefore, we cannot underestimate him, for if something unexpected happens, it would be quite an issue…"

He looked back towards Wan Daoyuan and Tang Zhen, "How about one of us three takes this on personally to settle the matter?"

Mulan Qingqing, with a thoughtful and calculating look, suddenly spoke, "You guys... might not necessarily be his match."

This statement was rather startling; Wan Daoyuan and the others stared at her in surprise for a moment before turning to look at Guann Yingjie.

But they found Guann Yingjie looking down with a sullen face, showing no surprise at her comment and seemingly accepting Mulan Qingqing's statement as given.

Tang Zhen, puzzled and trying to lighten the mood, said, "Mulan, aren't you underestimating us a bit too much? We admit we are not as strong as your group, but he's just a Youxia Mountain disciple. Unless his cultivation is far beyond ours, surely we can handle him?"

This situation, with Mulan Qingqing and Guann Yingjie not really knowing how to explain, and their own uncertainty of how Chao Zhilin was captured by Wang Sheng—if even Chao Zhilin couldn't handle it, the three of them surely didn't stand a chance.

Now that Wang Sheng had stepped forward to represent his side in the battle, claiming a fight to determine the outcome, it naturally raised some concerns.

Still, they had to give the three men an explanation, so Mulan Qingqing somewhat evasively said, "There are some things you don't know, and I understand him better than you do."

Wan Daoyuan, feeling something stir within himself, tried asking, "The reason you are engaged to him, could it be that he is not just an ordinary Youxia Mountain disciple?"

Mulan Qingqing, unsure how to respond, remained silent, which was as good as an acknowledgment.

This immediately alarmed Wan Daoyuan and the others, causing them to internally exclaim, "Ah, that explains it! It always seemed odd, considering Mulan Qingqing's standing, how could her elders haphazardly arrange such an important lifelong matter... Now it makes sense."

Wan Daoyuan immediately suggested, "If that's the case, how about Mr. Guann takes this matter into his own hands?"

Faced with this request, Guann Yingjie hesitated, his lips pressed together in consideration. He had to weigh his own capabilities against Chao Zhilin's; if it was about the same and Chao Zhilin did not succeed, would he himself be able to?

His apprehension was apparent to the discerning observer, causing shock and doubt to gradually appear on the faces of Wan Daoyuan and the others. What did this mean?

Tang Zhen, somewhat presumptuously, tried asking, "Mr. Guann, is there something troublesome?"

Guann Yingjie took a deep breath, acknowledging the seriousness, which involved everyone's interests, and he could not afford to boast just for pride's sake. He pragmatically added, "I can face him, but let me be clear, I am not absolutely sure of winning either."

"What?"

Despite anticipating the answer, hearing it directly from him still provoked synchronized exclamations of shock from Wan Daoyuan and his companions, all in utter disbelief.

Goodness, even the proud disciples of Su Yuan Sect were not sure of winning; Wang Sheng's strength must be extraordinary to warrant being Mulan Qingqing's fiancé.

It was alarming to think that there was such a formidable presence in Xuan State, one that they might have recklessly collided with.

Wan Daoyuan could not help but ask, "Miss Mulan, who exactly is this Wang Sheng?"

Asking these questions was really difficult for her to answer; Mulan Qingqing avoided the question and responded, "Let me do it, I'll take him on myself."

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