If Heaven hadn't given birth to me, I would be arrogant.

Under the bright sunshine, the stands of the Imperial Capital's Duel Arena were packed. In the main stand, His Majesty the Emperor Lan Qizhan sat in the very center, with the Elder Marshal Zong to his right, and the long-absent Prime Minister Flort to his left!

"Teacher!" His Majesty the Emperor said with a smile to Flot on his left, "Who do you favor in this duel?"

When Lan Qizhan was still a child, he learned the way of governing a country from Flot. The Holy Word Continent is also a place that values ​​respecting teachers and valuing the way of the teacher. So even now that he has become the emperor, Lan Qizhan still calls Flot the teacher!

"Heh!" Flott chuckled. "On the surface, this duel should have been won by the little guy from the Fox family!"

Upon hearing this, Finance Minister Fox, who was sitting in the back row, immediately smiled broadly: "It's just a coincidence. But speaking of which, Fox does have some talent in martial arts. I heard him say that he has already sensed the opportunity to break through to the Martial Master level!"

"What good is it!" Zong Kuang muttered under his breath, "A mere martial arts master can make you this happy? I guess that's all you're good for!"

Although Zong Kuang's voice was low, Fox heard it clearly. He blushed at first, but quickly regained his composure and laughed, "Whether I'm promising or not, I'm not a master and I don't know much about martial arts. But I suppose Marshal Zong is the Martial God of the Empire, so he should know what an eleven-year-old martial arts master represents?"

Old Fox was just asking for trouble. He knew that Zong was arrogant and fiercely protective of his own, yet he still insisted on going out of his way to seek excitement.

Zong Xiaozhang is not Zong Kuang. Although Zong Kuang and Lan Qizhan are childhood friends, they maintain a proper relationship as ruler and subject. In front of Lan Qizhan, he can only mutter under his breath. But who is Zong Xiaozhang? He is the old marshal of the empire, a martial god-level figure. When no one else is around, Lan Qizhan has to call him uncle.

So Lao Zong completely ignored Fox and turned to his son, asking, "Kuang'er, what level were you at when you were 11?"

Zong Kuang naturally understood what the old man meant. He casually flicked his messy bangs and said nonchalantly, "Hehe, of course I can't catch up with Dad. I remember I was a level three martial artist back then!"

Hearing the conversation between the father and son, Fox felt awkward. But he didn't dare say anything and could only remain silent. In his heart, he cursed, "Two shameless bastards, old man and young boy, comparing my son to you? What kind of cultivation are you practicing? That's the legendary slaughter of the world!"

Old Flort seemed not to have heard their conversation at all, and continued with a smile, "However, this little fellow Zongze is not someone to be compared to ordinary people. So I have high hopes for Zongze!"

"What? How is that possible?" Now, not only Fox, but even Lan Qizhan was getting restless. Although the old prime minister wasn't particularly strong in combat, everyone in the empire's upper class knew that the old prime minister had an exceptional ability to judge people. If he said that Zong Ze could win, it was actually quite possible.

The old prime minister's favoritism towards Zong Ze might only be a matter of embarrassment for the Fox family. But for Lan Qizhan, it's a different story. Don't forget, this most prestigious man in the entire empire has bet 1000 million on young Fox!

But no matter what, since the bet had already been placed, it was too late to regret it. His Majesty could only silently curse in his heart: "Damn Fox, if your grandson, a ninth-level martial artist about to break through, really loses to Zong Ze and makes me lose money, see how I deal with you!"

However, no one had time to talk at this moment, because the duel time had arrived. Fox rode a fully armored warhorse, carrying a blue longsword on his back and a two-meter-long silver lance in his hand. He entered the duel arena under the watchful eyes of everyone, wearing a shiny knight's armor without a helmet.

Fox was already handsome, and with his dazzling knight's outfit and long blond hair, he was incredibly flamboyant. The girls in the stands, just beginning to experience love, had stars in their eyes, screamed incessantly, and some even fainted from excitement.

"Damn it!" someone who hadn't even appeared yet muttered angrily, "I didn't expect this guy to be such a show-off. If he really beat me, he could become an idol. But... too bad for him, he messed with me!"

Zong's entrance was met with a complete lack of support. Look at Fox, clad in full knightly attire, while Zong wore only a simple blue robe, carrying no weapons. He simply strolled into the arena with an air of nonchalance.

Especially his robe—it had no style, no design, and it wasn't even a proper magic robe. If a legitimate Taoist disciple on Earth saw him dressed like this, they'd probably give him a piece of their mind: "You're wearing a Taoist robe, fine, but why is there a slit in the back? Do you think you're wearing a tuxedo?"

Even Marshal Zong and General Zong in the stands were blushing with embarrassment. Despite the boos from the stands, Zong remained calm and composed, waving to the audience. His expression and gestures made him look like a victorious general welcoming his people.

He walked straight up to Fox, and Little Fox sat high on his horse, looking down at Zong Ze who was much "shorter" than him, without any intention of dismounting!

According to the rules of the mainland, before such a duel, the two sides should shake hands to show that it is a fair duel. However, seeing that Fox did not dismount, Zong Ze looked a little embarrassed. He pointed to Fox on horseback and then turned around and slowly walked towards the position designated by the referee!

Since Little Fox is a knight, the referee will definitely keep the distance between the two duelists during the duel to allow the knight's horse to have a buffer when running and sprinting.

Seeing Zong Ze stand in the designated position, the referee, a middle-aged man, first turned to look at Lan Qizhan. After Lan Qizhan nodded in acknowledgment, he turned back to Zong Ze and said, "Are you sure you want to duel like this, without any weapons or spirit pets?"

"Oh? We need weapons too!" Zong Ze scratched his head, drawing another boo from the audience. "Since we're bringing weapons, I'll just bring any one I can find!" With that, Zong Ze put his right hand in his mouth and whistled!

Immediately afterwards, right before everyone's eyes, a little black pig grunted and ran into the dueling arena. At that moment, Zong Kuang covered his face and dared not look at anyone else!

This little pig, known throughout the capital as Zong Ze's pet, also carries something on its back, something every household has—a fire poker!