“Very well!” Ruachi exclaimed, his gaze shifting towards Harleen and Ivy. Clearly, he had already ruled out Azure Fang as his first choice.
Casey and the others couldn’t help but silently mourn for him, knowing that if all three of them were to reveal their true strengths, Azure Fang would be the weakest. Having spent so much time with Ivy, they had never seen her go all out. And not only was Ivy a formidable martial artist, but her knowledge of poison was terrifying. If she unleashed her toxic skills, even opponents one or two levels higher wouldn’t stand a chance. As for Harleen, she was even more enigmatic. Even Casey felt an intangible pressure emanating from her from time to time, but couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was. Although he had a higher cultivation level than Harleen, he knew that in a life-and-death battle between the two, the one who survived might not necessarily be him.
“I choose her!” Ruachi declared, pointing at Harleen. For him, selecting Harleen as his opponent was a simple decision. Compared to Ivy and Azure Fang, Harleen didn’t have as many accolades and only carried the title of Lord Dragon’s wife. Before today, he hadn’t even heard of Harleen’s name. So, for him, choosing Harleen was definitely a wise move.
“Courting death!” Casey and the others murmured to themselves upon hearing his words.
“Harleen, good luck!” Billy said to her with a faint smile. He didn’t seem worried about Harleen’s safety at all, which was based on his understanding of her.
“It’s nothing!” Harleen replied with a faint smile, then leaned towards Billy and asked softly, “Darling, should I slice him?”
Stout and Judge, who were nearby, were once again caught off guard by her words.
“Uh…” Billy’s mouth twitched slightly. “Not for now. Let him gain some insight!”
The opponent was a Third-rank cultivator, and having him at the Global Martial Arts Competition might be somewhat useful. Keeping him alive would be more valuable than killing him outright.
“Alright!” Harleen nodded slightly and stood up.
“Ruachi, when you fight her, it’s just for sparring purposes. Stop when you’ve made your point, and don’t hurt her!” Caruno reminded. Although he didn’t know where Billy’s confidence came from, believing that he could overpower Ruachi in a single round, no matter what, they were in the capital city of Glavale. If Ruachi ended up injuring Lord Dragon’s wife, how would he explain himself?
“Understood, Minister Caruno. Please rest assured!” Ruachi replied with a nod.
Two minutes later, Harleen and Ruachi stood facing each other on an open space, without any weapons in hand.
“Madam, accidents happen in a fight. If I accidentally hurt you, please forgive me.” Ruachi said, bowing slightly to Harleen.
“Don’t worry!” Harleen replied calmly. “You don’t have to hold back. If I’m injured because I’m not as skilled as you, you won’t be held responsible!”
“In that case, I won’t hold back!”
In the next moment, Ruachi’s aura erupted like a raging torrent, revealing his strength as a Third-rank Sovereign. From his stance, it seemed like he had no intention of holding back. If he ended up hurting her, he could always apologize later.
Immediately, he took a few big steps forward, his wrists spinning rapidly, creating several afterimages in the air. A Pair of Hands Surrounded by a Faint Red Gas, and the Volume Expanded Visible to the Naked Eye at an Astonishing Speed.
“Take this palm strike!” Soon, Ruachi’s voice resounded, and his hands thrust forward forcefully. The red gas formed a massive fireball that quickly hurtled towards Harleen. As the fireball passed, it created a burst of explosive sound, raising the temperature in the surrounding air by several degrees, displaying its terrifying power.
“Not bad!” Sensing the energy of the fireball, Harleen calmly spoke, “But still a little weak!” As she spoke, her eyes squinted, and her aura instantly surged. Her whole being transformed, exuding a serious expression and sharp gaze, surrounded by swirling Chi energy. At this moment, she no longer resembled the gentle and virtuous wife, but a fierce deity capable of taking her opponent’s life at any moment.
Whoosh!
In the next second, a figure flashed like a white horse passing through a gap, darting towards Ruachi. Both hands simultaneously traced a mysterious pattern in the air.
“Break!” Just as the fireball was about twenty meters away from her, Harleen let out a sweet cry. The mysterious pattern, carrying an astonishing amount of energy, shot out and directly collided with the fireball.
Boom!
A loud noise erupted as the fireball instantly exploded and dissipated into nothingness. The mysterious pattern, undeterred, crashed into Ruachi’s chest. He spewed out a mouthful of blood as he flew back a hundred meters, somersaulting in the air before finally coming to a stop.
With just one move, the outcome was clear. Although both of them were at the same cultivation level, their combat prowess was clearly not the same.
“How… how is this possible?” Ruachi collapsed on the ground, his aura in disarray. His face was pale as wax, filled with an expression of disbelief. He couldn’t believe that he couldn’t even withstand a single move from his opponent! Moreover, he was well aware that the reason he wasn’t severely injured was because Harleen had shown him mercy. Otherwise, just this one move would have been enough to take his life.
A gasp of cold air sounded throughout the surroundings. Including the princess, the people from Aquilandia wore dumbfounded expressions, clearly not expecting such an outcome.
“Are you alright?” Harleen walked up to Ruachi and spoke calmly.
“Thank you for sparing me, Madam!” Ruachi climbed up from the ground, a trace of fear flashing across his face.
“Don’t see Glavale through your skewed lens anymore!” Harleen continued. “Glavale today is no longer the country riddled with wounds from a hundred years ago! Glavale has risen, defying the heavens. No country or person can stop the prosperity of Glavale!” As she finished speaking, she turned and walked back to Billy’s side.
“Harleen, are you okay?” Ivy and Night Orchid approached at the same time.
“Thank you for your concern. I’m fine.” Harleen smiled and shook her head.
“Tsk tsk, Ms Knight you’re too strong. I feel like you become stronger when you face strong opponents!” Stout smacked his lips.
“I’m not as powerful as you think. It’s just that he was too weak!” Harleen smiled sweetly.
“Uh… alright then!” Stout’s mouth twitched slightly.