Chapter 1133 – Testing Margaret

A light sigh was heard, making the VIP room quiet. Everyone who heard it couldn't help but lightly cough. It was the Patriarch, it was clear that he wasn't amused at what happened.

Thunder looked at those present and said, "What is going on with all of you? This is a place to fight for the family's honor. Naturally, you need to use whatever means you could. Alright, we'll postpone today's battle. All of you have one day to prepare. Today's first battle will not be counted. Now, go." After he said that, he stood up and left.

Desbarres and the others stood up and gave him a bow. They all knew that Thunder was dissatisfied with the squabble. However, they were also dissatisfied with the situation. Therefore, they agreed to the postponing of the compet.i.tion.

After Thunder left, Desbares turned to Dia and said, "You fool. Then next time you want to die, don't pull us over."

The others were also looking at Dia in contempt. Dia knew that he was in the wrong, but he still snorted and said, "Fatty, if it weren't for your bet, I wouldn't have done this. Don't you want to flaunt that you are a rich old man?"

Desbarres smiled bitterly, then he looked at Dia and said, "Alright, I'll let you off this time. However, everyone needs to go all out now. Let's also dissolve the bet. If you weren't willing to show-off that time, then I wouldn't have proposed it. But whatever you do, Little Hai's strength would still flatten you. Lister properly, make sure to tell your people to rein in their murderous intent. Or else, Little Hai might not show mercy." After he said that, Desbarres turned and left.

Dia looked at the departing Desbarres and said, "Bah, what dogs.h.i.+t luck did this fatty have to find an expert like that."

The other Camp Lords were also giving dark sighs. Not to mention being the External Hall manager, the fatty also had a good position in the family. On the other hand, even if they lorded over the camps, the family's main strength lied on the battles.h.i.+p fleet. Desbarres grew up together with the Patriarch. Therefore, he had the Patriarch's deep trust. Desbarres's privilege of going out with ten s.h.i.+ps without authorization was something that they didn't have.

Because of this, the Camp Lord attached great importance to the Camps they were a.s.signed to. They weren't like Desbarres who grew up with the Patriarch. Desbarres took care of the Bone Symbol Camp because he held sentiment to the camp. Because of this, he protected the camp, not allowing any danger befall it. And because of his unique situation, Desbarres could afford to not care about the camp's standing. Even if the Bone Symbol Camp did badly, the family won't care about it.

But as for the other camps, the Patriarch always monitored the way they operate. If they cannot come up with results that can satisfy the family, then the Patriarch would not let them off easily.

It was also for this reason that the other camps employed brutal selection methods. It was only through this way that they could provide good results.

Although the other Camp Lords were in a dark mood, they quickly calmed themselves down. Then all of them left the stage in order to switch the equipment of their partic.i.p.ants.

When the others heard that the compet.i.tion was postponed, they obediently left, even those who were feeling vengeful.

Zhao Hai returned to the Bone Symbol Camp with Desbarres. Then the group went to Zhao Hai's villa. After they sat down, Zhao Hai asked, "Camp Lord, why was the compet.i.tion postponed?"

Desbarres smiled bitterly and explained the situation. Zhao Hai began to understand what was wrong. But then he smiled and said, "So all of them want to make more preparations. Hehe. In any case, the end result would still be the same."

When he saw Zhao Hai's reaction, Desbarres couldn't help but remind him, "Little Hai, you can't be negligent. Now that those fellows were given time to prepare, they would certainly arrange powerful items to support their partic.i.p.ants. You can't be so relaxed in your next battles.'

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Camp Lord, you can rest a.s.sured. Even if I don't use Liquid SIlver and my Undead, they are still not a match against me."

Desbarres's two eyes shone as he said, "You're really that confident?"

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Camp Lord, don't underestimate my fighting strength. If I use Liquid Silver, even you are not my match."

Desbarres nodded and said, "Alright, but things have changed. Make sure to have killing be the least priority. The Camp Lords have made an agreement. As long as their partic.i.p.ants aren't murderous, then don't kill them. After all, n.o.body will benefit if people die. Also, the ten million bet has been cancelled."

"What? How can this be? That 10 million is enough for me to eat in Little Hai's until I die!" Without even waiting for Zhao Hai to comment, Tao w.a.n.g interjected.

Desbarres slapped Tao w.a.n.g before he turned to Zhao Hai and said, "The External Hall's eight camps might be in a compet.i.tive relations.h.i.+p, but we are also interdependent on each other. The eight camps aren't treated as very important by the family. So if we always fight, then we would be finished. The Patriarch also knows this, so he allowed us to compete with each other. This way, the External Hall wouldn't unite and become a threat to the family. Naturally, the Camp Lords also understand this. So even if there was fighting, n.o.body would go all out. At the same time, we make sure that we don't show any sign of unity. This way, the Patriarch wouldn't feel pressured. Everybody is in agreement with this aspect. Of course, if someone dared to resort to extreme methods, there's no need to be polite."

Zhao Hai nodded. He didn't expect this compet.i.tion to have this much strings connected to it. However, he decided to place it in the back of his mind. Then he ordered his two robots to prepare meals before asking Desbarres and the others to share a meal with him.

While everyone was happily eating, Margaret unexpectedly came. Everyone in the villa stared. Then Desbarres and the others gave a strange smile before quickly leaving the area. This caused Margaret's face to turn red.

Seeing Margaret arrive, Zhao Hai couldn't help but sigh. Even blind people could see that Margaret was interested in him. Zhao Hai asked Margaret to sit down and then poured her some tea before saying, "Instructor, is there anything I can do for you?"

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and said, "I heard that the compet.i.tion was cancelled so that the other camps could return and exchange their equipment. I expected Uncle to give you some equipment, but I think that all of you would be drinking here. Sigh, Zhao Hai, don't treat this compet.i.tion lightly. It's possible for you to die here."

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Instructor, you can rest a.s.sured. I have this matter completely in control. Moreover, the Camp Lords have already reached an agreement. As long as n.o.body goes to extreme methods to deal with me, then I cannot kill them. I'm not in any danger."

Margaret frowned, then she said, "That's no good. It's too dangerous. This, take this. I'll tell Uncle Des to prepare you a set of defensive equipment." After she said that, Margaret took out a Mage Staff from her spatial equipment.

Zhao Hai looked at the staff and couldn't help but gawk. This staff was very high-level. It was unexpectedly engraved with a 100-layer formation set. It was suited for level 4 Mages to use. He didn't expect Margaret to lend him this staff.

Zhao Hai didn't take the staff, instead he shook his head and said, "I can't use that. And the Camp Lord has already given me something. It's the best weapon in the Machine Field."

Margaret couldn't help but be curious, "Strongest weapon in the Machine Field?"

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "You don’t know? It's the failed item Leng Wuyeng left behind. It's now mine, I call him Liquid Silver." Then he waved his hand, making Liquid Silver appear.

After thinking about it, Zhao Hai decided to tell Margaret about Liquid Silver. Margaret had been good to him, so he couldn't be indifferent to her. He also wanted to see her reaction upon seeing it.

Zhao Hai had too many secrets. Therefore, he would need to choose a woman who was virtuous. Laura and the others were also accepted by Zhao Hai with this method. Now, it was Margaret's turn to be tested.

To be honest, if Margaret didn't come and remind him today, then it might be hard for Zhao Hai to accept her. Now, Margaret's worry touched Zhao Hai. Because of this, he decided to give her a chance.

Margaret knew about Leng Wuyeng's failed weapon. Seeing Zhao Hai wave Leng Wuyeng's weapon caused her to be shocked. She stared at the staff in Zhao Hai's hand for a long time. She didn't know what to say.

Zhao Hai looked at Margaret's expression and couldn't help but smile. Then waved his hand, causing the staff to turn into liquid and then bind into his body, turning itself into a full body armor.

Margaret finally believed Zhao Hai's words. She excitedly stood up and said, "This is fantastic. I didn't expect you to complete the item left behind by Grandmaster Leng Wuyeng. Right, you cannot tell anyone about this matter or else you'll suffer bad luck. Zhao Hai, does anyone else know about this?"

Zhao Hai smiled, then the armor reformed back into a staff. After that, he said, "Rest a.s.sured, not a lot of people know about this matter. Only you, the Camp Lord, Tie Sheng, Tao w.a.n.g, and the Patriarch."

Margaret's complexion changed, then she said, "You told him?"

Zhao Hai knew that she was referring to the Patriarch. He nodded and said, "Right. The Camp Lord was the one who informed the Patriarch."

Margaret's expression turned difficult. Then she said, "Why did you tell him? Fat Uncle, sigh. Now that he knows, he will certainly find ways to s.n.a.t.c.h Liquid Silver away from you. Not good, Zhao Hai, you're in danger. You need to leave the Ashley Family as soon as possible."

Chapter 1134 – Challenge Tournament

Seeing Margaret being anxious, Zhao Hai couldn't help but smile. Margaret's performance made Zhao Hai glad. However, he didn't say anything about it. Instead he smiled and said, "Alright, there's no need to worry about it. The Camp Lord has reached an agreement with the Patriarch. And the Patriarch already agreed for me to use Liquid Silver."

When Margaret saw Zhao Hai's confidence, she calmed down. But then her face turned red. She knew clearly that she had been naive. Since that person now knew that Zhao Hai had Liquid Silver, then it was already too late for Zhao Hai to walk away.

Moreover, her words looked like she cared for Zhao Hai. This caused her to blush. Zhao Hai looked at Margaret and said, "Margaret, thank you. Can I call you Margaret?"

Margaret discovered that she couldn't bear to look at Zhao Hai in the eye. She lowered her head and gently nodded her head. Then she turned and ran out of the villa, not even saying goodbye.

Zhao Hai looked at Margaret's appearance and smiled. Then his body flashed and entered the s.p.a.ce. Upon entering the s.p.a.ce, Laura and the others immediately walked over, grinning. Laura looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Brother Hai is truly fierce. You actually managed to make Margaret flee with a few words."

Zhao Hai looked at them and said, "I think its been a long time since I've dealt with all of you. And I'm feeling quite evil today." Then Zhao Hai waved his hand, releasing metallic ropes from Liquid Silver to tie up Laura and the others. The women screamed and seem to resist. However, they had smiles on their faces.

…………….

The next day, the stage was filled with people once more. Zhao Hai was also in his seat. With Cadjo's command, the computer began to roll for the partic.i.p.ants in the first battle.

Zhao Hai just glanced at the battle and was quickly disinterested. On the other hand, the two contestants began to turn hectic. Their weapons and protective gear were swapped for better ones, causing the battle to be more dazzling.

The audience cheered for the battle. At this time, Zhao Hai also discovered that even if the battle had gone hectic, the two partic.i.p.ants were holding back. The Camp Lords seem to have already told their members about not going extreme. The crowd's excitement was great, but the battle was measured.

Zhao Hai saw this situation and began to feel relieved. In fact, even he didn't want to kill people. If Luo Zhi didn't want to take his life, then Zhao Hai might have spared him.

Battle after battle quickly went by. Zhao Hai was chosen to fight in the ninth battle. His opponent was someone from the Ghost symbol Camp. But it seems like this person had already been talked to. His gaze towards Zhao Hai didn't have any killing intent, only a bit of provocation. Even if Dia told them to hold back, it seems like they were still not convinced.

Zhao Hai didn't care, he looked at his opponent and then gave him a short bow as he said, "Please."

Zhao Hai's opponent couldn't help but stare. He didn't expect Zhao Hai to be this polite. He returned the gesture and then quickly took his magic staff out.

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and then waved his hand to release a formation. Then Zhao Hai said, "Concealing Fog!" The formation proceeded to blow up, covering the entire life and death stage with a dark mist.

Right after the dark mist covered the life and death stage, explosions began to be heard. However, those outside the stage were unable to see what was going on. The audience began to drink and scold. Naturally, the target of their scolding was Zhao Hai and his opponent.

After some time, the fog on the stage dispersed, revealing the stage. The two partic.i.p.ants were still standing. However, the person from the Ghost Symbol Camp was now wearing his protective armor. Then he looked at Zhao Hai and said, "I admit defeat!" After declaring his surrender, he turned around and faced Cadjo, "I surrender." Cadjo nodded, then he opened the barrier and let the two exit the stage.

The others were very dissatisfied. However, they knew that it was useless to complain right now. They only grumbled for a few moments before proceeding to watch the next fight. Fortunately, this time, there was no such thing like Zhao Hai's dark mist.

After this day's battles, there would only be 18 people left. Then tomorrow, these 18 partic.i.p.ants will be reduced to nine. The day after that, the position for tenth place would be decided. Then after the tenth position was decided, the first place would be decided by a challenge tournament!

A challenge tournament was different from a normal tournament. Normal tournaments would have its combatants decided by a computer. On the other hand, in a challenge tournament, the computer would randomly select one person. Then that person would then accept challenges from the other nine. If n.o.body challenges this person, then he would be crowned first place and would claim the reward for being the champion. If people challenge him and he was defeated, then the winner would replace him on the stage. This cycle would continue until 9 people are defeated and one was left.

In such a compet.i.tion, only the first place would be decided. The second, third, fourth place and so on weren't chosen. In other words, besides the first place, the other nine would have equal placement.

Desbarres and the others have also briefed the partic.i.p.ants of this arrangement beforehand. However, Zhao Hai didn't care much about it. He was already settled on becoming first in this compet.i.tion so that the Bone Symbol Camp would rise.

The next days, the 18 partic.i.p.ants were reduced to 9. Naturally, Zhao Hai smoothly progressed. Although the others had their equipment changed, their strength still couldn't match up to Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai didn't use too powerful formations. At most, he would use ten-layer formation sets. However, Zhao Hai's formation sets were very powerful. Moreover, they were interchangeable. Up until this point, Zhao Hai had already used dozens of unique formation sets. This caused everyone to be startled.

One must know that the oldest ascender in this compet.i.tion had ascended three years ago. At most, they could cast one or two formation sets. But now, there was Zhao Hai who showed dozens of formation sets. It was terrifying to think about.

Moreover, Zhao Hai just ascended four months ago. How was he able to get dozens of formation sets in that short time? Even those who ascended for a year would find it hard to do so!

Although the challenge tournament had yet to happen, everyone present knew that the first place holder could only be Zhao Hai. It would be impossible for the others to s.n.a.t.c.h this position.

In the past few days of battles, Zhao Hai didn't use any weapon. He didn't even show his magic staff nor his protective gear. He defeated everyone with his own strength. Not to say about the Ashley Family, even in the entire Machine Field, Zhao Hai should be the most powerful beginner present.

The days quickly flew past and it was finally the last day. It was the last day for the family qualifiers and the most exciting one, it was the challenge tournament!

Zhao Hai and the others arrived at the life and death stage. Besides Zhao Hai, there were two from the Ghost Symbol Camp, two from Wicked Character Camp, then the other camps had one partic.i.p.ant each. One could see from this point how close the strength of the Ashley Family's External Hall's camps was.

The day of the challenge tournament was also the day where the stage had the most people. Not only did Desbarres and the others came, Margaret also went to watch. However, Margaret didn't sit in the VIP room. Instead, she sat behind Zhao Hai's seat where she could speak directly to Zhao Hai.

Zhao Hai didn't expect Margaret to come. When he saw here arrive, he couldn't help but stare. Then he asked, "Why are you here?"

Margaret looked at Zhao Hai and smiled, "I want to see you compete. You need to get first place."

Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Don’t worry."

Those who knew Margaret couldn't help but be shocked upon seeing her interaction with Zhao Hai. Margaret's relations.h.i.+p with Thunder wasn't a secret matter in the Ashley Family. Because of this, people were clear about Margaret's situation.

Due to how Thunder acted, Margaret had a certain resentment towards other men. She barely spoke to the opposite s.e.x other than her elders. But now, she approached Zhao Hai. Who knew how many men threw their gla.s.ses down in sadness.

Zhao Hai also felt people's gazes on him, but he didn't care. He already expected this to happen.

Naturally, being in the VIP seats, Thunder was able to see everything. His eyes couldn't help but shake as he turned to Desbarres and said, "It seems like what you said was true. Margaret indeed has a favorable impression towards Zhao Hai. Have you checked his background in the lower realms?"

It was clear that Thunder cared about Margaret. Therefore, he needed to investigate Zhao Hai's status in the lower realm. Desbarres hastily nodded and said, "I have checked it. But Patriarch, you should know that these things aren't necessarily accurate. What I know is that Zhao Hai is a Patriarch back in the lower realms. His clan is also a Dark Mage family. He's also known to specialize in Dark Magic. However, he is also an all-element Mage as well as a Warrior. He's both vicious and merciless. He uses his refining technique on people he killed. I'm afraid he had killed over a million people. Also, he has multiple wives in the lower realms. And it seems like he had a good relations.h.i.+p with his wives. The last time him and Margaret met, he still called her instructor. As for how it developed into this, I really don't know."

Desbarres didn't boast too much about Zhao Hai and just told what he found. He knew that Thunder hated being deceived. And if Desbarres lied, then Zhao Hai and Margaret's development would be cut short. Zhao Hai's merciless and vicious manner as well as his multiple wives might be a weak point to others, but this wasn't the case for Thunder.

This was especially true for Zhao Hai's vicious attribute. In Thunder's eyes, this wasn't a negative, instead it was a strong point. As for Zhao Hai's wives, Thunder didn't say anything. Instead, in the eyes of Thunder and Desbarres, Zhao Hai left his wives behind in the lower realms. Him getting another wife in the Machine Field wouldn't be an issue.

Thunder nodded and said, "I didn't expect this kid to be that kind of person. More than a million people? Hehe, great. This is the kind of person the Ashley Family needs."

Desbarres smiled and didn't say anything. Thunder turned to Desbarres and said, "Take him to me later, I want to see him personally." Desbarres nodded.

At this time, Cadjo arrived at the stage. He looked at everyone present before he smiled and said, "After several rounds of fighting, the Ashley Family's ten brave combatants have finally been elected. And today will be their most decisive battle, the challenge tournament! Select the first person receiving the challenge!"

The computer rolled through the partic.i.p.ants before settling on one. Upon seeing the person chosen, Cadjo couldn't help but stare. His smile seemed to turn wider as he announced, "The first person on stage today shall be Bone Symbol Camp's Zhao Hai! I ask Zhao Hai to come to the stage!"

Zhao Hai didn't expect himself to be the first person on the stage as well. However, he just nodded towards Margaret before heading to the stage.

Seeing Zhao Hai arrive on the stage, Cadjo immediately said, "Good. Now, the challenge tournament begins!" Then he proceeded to leave the stage.

Zhao Hai calmly stood on the stage. Meanwhile, the other partic.i.p.ants couldn't help but look at each other in dismay. They were clear about Zhao Hai's strength, and they already knew that they cannot win against him. Because of this, the one who went first on the stage would only consume Zhao Hai's spiritual force, making it easier for those following him.

Because the others knew about this, n.o.body wanted to be the first to issue the challenge. Cadjo didn't care about this as he looked at the other partic.i.p.ants and said, "According to the family's rules, once a person stands on the stage for 1000 breaths then they would win. If n.o.body challenges Zhao Hai in 1000 breaths of time, then he will immediately claim victory. The timer starts now." After he said that, a timer appeared on the computer screen. It started from 1000 and slowly counted down.

The other nine knew that this wasn't Cadjo pus.h.i.+ng them to fight. This was a well known rule of the Ashley Family. 1000 breaths of time was neither long nor short for these people to decide. The nine had ugly expressions after seeing the number on the screen counting down. They wanted to challenge Zhao Hai, after all their equipment has been upgraded. And these people were talents in their respective camps. They weren't afraid of Zhao Hai, they just want to fight him.

When the number on the screen reached 300. One person could no longer keep calm. He stood up and said, "I'll go." Then he stood up and went towards the stage.

Zhao Hai looked at the man and identified him as a Warrior from the Wicked Symbol Camp. His strength was at level 3 and his fighting prowess was very good. His weapon wasn't a sword and instead it was a spear. This spear was long at three meters in length. If others used this kind of spear, then they might find it hard to fight. However, this person was clearly talented judging by the fact that he was able to place in the top ten.