“Billy, did I embarrass you?” Harleen turned to Billy with a smile.
“Haha, not at all!” Billy smiled back. Then he looked at Caruno and asked, “So, Minister Caruno, do your people still want to continue the fight?”
“Lady Dragon is truly a hidden expert!” Caruno looked at Harleen and then turned to Billy, “Your forces are truly formidable. You have many talented martial artists by your side.”
“We are willing to follow Lord Dragon’s arrangements for this competition!” Caruno declared. In truth, for him, this outcome might not be a bad thing. He was well aware that with the relationship between Aquilandia and Northfortia, the Western countries led by Northfortia would not show any mercy to Aquilandia in the Global Martial Arts Competition. Their only way out was to form an alliance with Glavale. Although it seemed like a disadvantage for his country to follow Billy’s arrangements, he wasn’t confident that Aquilandia would come out on top if they were leading the alliance. And now, he had the perfect excuse to hand this matter over to Billy, which suited him just fine.
“Minister Caruno, it seems like you have great confidence in our Lord Dragon!” Urban Woolery’s voice echoed, followed by him leading several cabinet ministers over.
“Minister Woolery, it’s been a while!” Caruno stood up and bowed slightly to Urban Woolery, “The King asked me to convey his greetings to Emperor Greenleaf and you!”
“Haha, King Fecocci is thoughtful!” Urban Woolery responded with a smile.
“Minister Woolery, Glavale truly has a wealth of talent!” Caruno chuckled, “The championship of this Global Martial Arts Competition undoubtedly belongs to Glavale!”
“I’ll take your kind words as a good omen, Minister Caruno!” Urban Woolery replied with a smile.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Minister Woolery!” After exchanging greetings, Aquilandia’s princess bowed to Urban Woolery.
The rest of Aquilandia’s entourage also bowed in unison.
“No need for formalities, Your Highness!” Urban Woolery laughed and waved his hand.
After chatting for a while, it was time for the banquet, and everyone took their seats. For the next few days, Casey and the others stayed at the SHADOW base to train in martial arts. With the help of Opal Fraley, after three or four days of intense training, supplemented with spiritual fruits and elixirs. Judge, Frostblade, Night Orchid, and Soul Chaser all successfully broke through and officially entered the Sovereign Realm. Rakshasa also broke through to the perfect stage of the War God-Emperor, one step away from the Sovereign Realm. Black Tortoise, White Tiger, and Stout all advanced one level and reached the Second-rank Sovereign Realm. Meanwhile, Bob and Felicia both made a breakthrough to the Third-rank realm. Although Harleen and Ivy hadn’t broken through yet, they were already halfway into the Fourth-rank realm.
During these few days, Billy focused on cultivating his mental strength. He was well aware that the higher the level of the battle, the more important spiritual strength became, and it could even be the deciding factor. At the same time, he taught Heart Sutra of the Azure Void to everyone around him. Except for Rakshasa, everyone else had already reached the Sovereign Realm, so they were fully capable of cultivating this heart sutra.
Two days remained until the World Warrior Championship. Early in the morning, everyone gathered at the capital’s war department to prepare for their departure to Xidengia, where the championship would be held. It was said that initially, the organizing committee wanted to hold the championship in Northfortia, as they had done in the past. But Northfortia suggested changing the location, stating that they couldn’t host it every year and that it was time for a change. Eventually, they all agreed to hold it in Xidengia. Northfortia’s proposal to change the venue clearly had ulterior motives. They wouldn’t miss such an opportunity. After all, this was a world-class championship that only happened once every ten years, and it attracted global attention. Based on previous data, hundreds of thousands, even millions of people would gather at the venue for each championship, providing a significant boost to the local economy.
At 8:30 in the morning, everyone boarded the plane.
According to the rules of this championship, each country could send two hundred elite warriors to compete, along with some other staff members. Glavale would be sending a total of three hundred people to Xidengia. Of course, these were just the visible numbers. It was unknown how many people would secretly accompany them. Most of these two hundred elite martial artists had participated in the Dragon and Phoenix Rankings, while a small portion were selected through temporary applications.
Although everyone understood the dangers of the Global Martial Arts Competition and that they might not return if they weren’t careful, none of the participants showed any fear. To have the opportunity to fight for their country in their lifetime was worth it.
The leader this time was Elder Ernest Shepherd from the cabinet, with Central Sky Office’s High Minister Otis Hum and the war department’s Elder Milo Guzman as deputy leaders. Originally, according to the Prime Minister’s intention, Opal Fraley was supposed to be the nominal leader, but she refused. On one hand, she was unfamiliar with the tournament’s affairs, and on the other hand, her personality dictated that she didn’t want to bother with so many trivial matters.
Around four o’clock in the afternoon, Glavale’s plane landed in Xidengia. After disembarking, they transferred to a vehicle and headed to the town where the tournament was held. About an hour later, they arrived at the tournament venue and were guided by the staff to the hotel where Glavale would be staying. It must be said that the organizing committee’s logistics work was well done. Accommodation and meals were arranged according to the customs of each country.
“Boss, the night view of this town is quite nice. Do you want to go out for a walk?” Azure Dragon asked Billy after dinner.
“Hmm!” Billy nodded in response. “Going out for a walk would be good.”
Agreeing to go out for a walk wasn’t really about shopping; he didn’t have that luxury. He just wanted to see what kind of high-level individuals from other countries were hiding in various corners of the town. With his current level of spiritual strength, he could sense any strong fluctuations in Chi within a few dozen kilometers.
The Global Martial Arts Competition involved not only the duels on the stage but also the competitions behind the scenes. On the stage, there was some semblance of fairness with many eyes watching, but behind the scenes, anything went.
A hundred years ago, in addition to the hundreds of Glavale participants who were killed by others on the stage, nearly two hundred staff members were also not spared. On the day the competition ended, a group of masked individuals stormed the hotel where Glavale was staying, killing anyone they encountered without mercy. Two hundred people, not one survived.
So, this time, Billy’s trip to Xidengia was not just about winning the competition. There was a blood debt that must be repaid.