Chapter 25

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Chapter 25: Scheme

The dueling location for the three families was at the spiritual crystal mine outside Lingjiang City, and the dueling method was a free-for-all battle.

As the overall strength of the three families was quite similar, for fairness, each had to choose one warrior from the primary-level, mid-level, and high-level magical weapons masters.

That meant three matches, each being a three-way free-for-all with a best-of-three system.

Whichever family won two matches would be the final victor.

If the three families each won one match, the three clan heads themselves would duel.

In the last duel, the three had ended up tied, and it was only thanks to Lou Tianming defeating two opponents single-handedly at the crucial moment that victory was secured.

On the way, Lou Tianzhi briefly explained the duel rules to Lou Yun, saying it was mainly for practice, best to stop at a point and avoid injury.

But if it really couldn\’t be helped and someone got hurt, that was just bad luck, a sign of insufficient skill.

The Lou Family\’s three entrants this year were Lou Tianlei, Lou Heng, and Lou Yun.

Lou Tianlei was currently the strongest high-level magical weapons master in the family, except for Lou Tianzhi himself.

Lou Heng was the strongest mid-level magical weapons master among the Lou ranks.

As for Lou Yun, although his magical weapon level was only beginner one-star, he had grievously injured Lou Fei with just two sword strikes.

That convinced Lou Tianzhi his true strength must be near the peak among primary warriors.

The Lou Family arrived in force, partly to boost morale and partly out of sheer curiosity.

Of course, everyone was most eager to see Lou Yun in action.

By noon, the three families had all gathered.

After exchanging insincere pleasantries, everyone returned to their own camps to discuss tactics.

Shortly after, Lin Yongdu walked over smiling and said to Lou Tianzhi, \"Clan Head Lou, every time we duel, we start with the primary level. How about we change things up this time and begin with the high-level match? What do you say?\"

Traditionally, primary level duels led off, but after the Lin and Wang Families saw Lou Yun actually participating, they impulsively asked to reverse the order from high to low.

Frankly, they were a bit afraid of Lou Yun.

These duels seemed fair, but beyond testing strength, they required some cunning too.

Earlier, Lou Tianzhi had thought things through thoroughly.

Lou Yun\’s impressive display at the changing ceremony, plus Liu Chi and Xu Yangteng courting favor with the Lou Family, had raised their status significantly in Lingjiang City.

That risked pushing the Lin and Wang Families into teaming up against them.

Of the three Lou entrants, only Lou Yun seemed reliable to Lou Tianzhi; the other two were strong solo fighters, but if the opposing sides cooperated, defeat was certain.

Only one winner was permitted—even if the Lou Family lost, either the Lin or Wang would still triumph.

But how they divvied it up behind the scenes was anyone\’s guess.

Faced with Lin Yongdu\’s proposal, Lou Tianzhi hesitated briefly before agreeing, \"Changing the rules is fine, we\’ll start with the high-level duel.\"

Lou Tianzhi yielded mainly to avoid seeming timid or losing face.

He also realized any counter-strategies were too late now. If the Lin and Wang Families joined forces and defeated Lou Tianlei and Lou Heng, at least Lou Yun should win his bout. Then it would fall to himself to outperform both rivals.

Lou Yun, despite his fame now, kept a low profile, standing among the Lou crowd and eyeing his potential opponents carefully.

He felt a bit let down, though: Lin Yuehua was there but hadn\’t entered the duel.

After witnessing Lou Yun\’s power firsthand, Lin Yuehua dared not face him! Yet she still fixed her gaze on him.

When their eyes met, she flashed a smug smirk and drew a finger lightly across her throat.

Normally, this wouldn\’t have bothered him, but in this setting, it made him suddenly uneasy.

Lin Yuehua definitely wanted him dead, but since she wasn\’t competing, only someone from the Lin Family could kill him. Still, was she that confident her clan could manage it?

At that moment, Lin Yongdu thanked Lou Tianzhi and strolled away.

Lou Yun noted that as Lin Yongdu passed Wang Feng, they subtly exchanged nods.

Suddenly, Lou Yun sensed this three-way duel was about more than just the spiritual crystal mine rights.

Lou Yun glanced over at Lou Tianzhi and saw his face tense with worry, eyebrows tightly knotted.

Clearly, Second Uncle must have picked up on something odd too.

Just then, the duel was about to start, and the high-level magical weapons masters from the Lin and Wang Families stepped forward.

Lou Tianzhi patted his brother Lou Tianlei on the shoulder, but with that touch, he felt Lou Tianlei visibly shudder.

Looking closer, Lou Tianlei\’s Adam\’s apple bobbed up and down, and his right hand trembled faintly—all signs of intense nervousness.

It really shouldn\’t be happening. Lou Tianzhi knew his third brother well: a fiery, impulsive troublemaker who feared nothing. Seeing him so on edge was downright strange!

Concerned, Lou Tianzhi asked, \"Third brother, are you alright?\"

Lou Tianlei reacted oddly, pausing blankly before shaking his head hard. \"I\’m fine, just thrilled. Second brother, don\’t worry, I\’ll give it my all. I\’m off!\"

He then strode out to the center.

Watching Lou Tianlei\’s back, Lou Tianzhi\’s doubts deepened.

Lou Tianming stroked his chin and murmured, \"Second brother, Third brother seems off!\"

Lou Tianzhi nodded. \"Mmm, I know. But like he said, it\’s probably just excitement tipping into nerves.\"

\"We\’ll see.\"

Immediately the duel began. Lou Tianzhi and Lou Tianming\’s attention was instantly focused on the duel, so they had no time to think deeply.

Although the duel process was extremely fierce, and Lou Tianlei genuinely exerted all his strength, unfortunately, just as Lou Tianzhi had previously anticipated, the Lin Family and Wang Family indeed formed an alliance. Initially, they pretended to attack each other a few times, but quickly concentrated their forces and launched a joint assault on Lou Tianlei.

Though Lou Tianlei was valiant, he couldn’t withstand the combined efforts of two people. In a careless moment, his arm was cut by a Lin Family member, and he was kicked from behind by a Wang Family member. Staggering, he retreated from the fight circle. With only the Lin and Wang pair left, they again pretended to fight briefly before the Lin Family emerged victorious.

After the battle, Lou Tianlei clearly recovered. Pointing at members of the Lin and Wang Families, he shouted in fury: \"Damn it! You sons of bitches clearly formed an alliance against our Lou Family! Pah! If you\’re so tough, let\’s face off one-on-one! Do you dare?\"

Lou Tianzhi spoke out to stop Lou Tianlei from continuing: \"Third brother, stop talking. Come back now and tend to your wound.\"

Lin Yongdu chuckled and cupped his hands toward Lou Tianzhi and Wang Feng: \"We gratefully accept your concession, we gratefully accept your concession!\"

Lou Tianzhi sneered and said: \"Clan Head Lin, Clan Head Wang, I truly didn\’t know when your two families became so intimate?\"

\"Haha, Clan Head Lou, what are you implying? We merely got lucky and won one.\"

Wang Feng spoke with a scornful expression: \"Clan Head Lou, it\’s plainly because your own brother lacks refined skills. What does that have to do with us two families?\"

Lou Tianzhi sneered and fell silent.

Next, Lou Heng entered the court, and he too was defeated by the joint efforts of the two families. This time, the Wang Family won.

Observing Lin Yongdu and Wang Feng congratulating each other, Lou Tianzhi swiftly analyzed the situation in his mind. Two duels had concluded, with the Lin Family winning one and the Wang Family the other. One duel remained. Even if the two families united, Yun\’er\’s strength could potentially win, and they must have considered this, otherwise they wouldn\’t have demanded the order change to place Yun\’er\’s match last. Clearly, they had abandoned the junior field.

In that case, each family would have secured one win. Then it would be his turn to step up.

He likely couldn’t overcome their joint assault himself, and inevitably, one of them would end up as the final winner.

But if they had predetermined who that winner was, they could have resolved it in the first two duels without the fuss of a third.

Lou Tianzhi nodded to himself in realization. Thus, only one possibility remained: the Lin and Wang families aimed to crush their Lou Family first, then decide the true victor between themselves.

Although he deduced their scheme, Lou Tianzhi was powerless. He couldn’t ask Lou Yun to intentionally lose the third match. Things had reached this point; he had to fight with all his might.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Lou Tianzhi\’s face twisted into a bitter smile. No matter what, the Lou Family\’s chances of victory today seemed incredibly slim.

Lou Tianming consoled him with a pat on the shoulder: \"Don\’t dwell on it. If we lose, we lose. It\’s only three years. We\’ll find a way to reclaim it later.\"

Evidently, Lou Tianming had also inferred the Lin and Wang families\’ strategy, prompting him to comfort Lou Tianzhi.

Losing the spiritual crystal mine\’s mining rights was frustrating, but not catastrophic. Long-term, though, if the Lin and Wang families truly united against the Lou Family, its future would grow difficult. Very soon, they might even merge forces and swallow it whole.

Lou Tianzhi sighed. Being clan head was tough. Upon returning, he must urgently report the day\’s events to the Lou Family\’s leadership and explore possible countermeasures.

Then, finally, it was Lou Yun\’s turn. Despite the Lou Family\’s two losses, and despite most people seeing the Lin and Wang alliance targeting them, the crowd remained intensely curious about Lou Yun. Most had never witnessed him fight and were eager to see if this recently renowned youth lived up to his hype.

Lou Yun, of course, had long recognized the Lin and Wang conspiracy and was seething. So, he strode to the arena\’s center, pointed at Lin Yuehua, and declared: \"Lin Yuehua, didn\’t you vow to show me your might in this duel? I\’m here. Why hide like a coward? Come on, I\’m waiting for you!\"

Called out publicly by name, Lin Yuehua\’s face instantly paled with rage. She longed to kill Lou Yun on the spot but lacked the nerve. Hiding behind her father, she shouted: \"You worthless trash! Stop yelling! Think I fear you? Today, the Lin Family\’s priority is the spiritual crystal mine! I prioritize the big picture—that\’s why I didn\’t join!\"

Her last word still hung in the air when Lou Yun cut in with a sneer: \"Oh, \’prioritize the big picture\’—fine. Since that\’s so, after this duel ends, let\’s spar right here. If you daren\’t fight me, stop calling yourself \’Little Tyrant\’ and rename yourself \’Little Turtle\’!\"