Chapter 153: The Wager is Made

Boom!

A formidable aura burst forth from Jiang Hongru's body.

It directly blasted the surrounding students and instructors flying, creating a hundred-meter-wide vacant zone.

"The Prince of Zhennan!"

Upon seeing Jiang Hongru, the entire crowd was shocked.

Jiang Hongru was not only the preeminent prince of Great Qian, but also a powerhouse in the Heavenly King Realm.

His strength surpassed even that of Dongfang Lan and Xu Wuya.

His mere appearance instantly seized control of the situation.

Swish, swish, swish!

Simultaneously, a large detachment of the Imperial Guard appeared, separating the crowd to prevent the conflict from escalating.

"Sir Jun, this old man has arrived late. Please forgive me!"

Jiang Hongru cupped his hands in a salute, taking the initiative to apologize.

Hearing this, everyone was dumbfounded.

Jiang Hongru was the greatest prince of Great Qian, yet he was apologizing to Jun Wushuang and maintaining such a humble attitude.

How was this possible?

Yet, the reality before them was crystal clear.

"You are too kind, Your Highness!"

Jun Wushuang's condition at the moment was somewhat poor.

The effects of the divine-tier forbidden technique had worn off, leaving his face pale and his aura withered.

However, his killing intent had not diminished; the Shura Demonic Blade was stained with blood, and a crimson pool of blood lay beneath his feet.

He was still capable of fighting.

However, completely slaughtering all tens of thousands of people in the Royal Martial Academy was obviously impossible.

"Your Highness, Jun Wushuang provoked this unprovoked, slaughtering over a thousand people from our Royal Martial Academy. Not only has he violated the royal statutes, but he has also broken the laws of Great Qian!"

"Not only that, but he also murdered Vice Dean Dongfang Lan in broad daylight. This is not just a provocation against our Royal Martial Academy, but a contemptuous disrespect toward the Great Qian Dynasty and the Four Great Clans."

"I hope Your Highness will enforce the law impartially and deliver justice to our Royal Martial Academy!"

Xu Wuya, seizing the moral high ground, spoke in an aggressive and overbearing tone.

Boom!

Jiang Hongru suddenly took a heavy step forward, a violent aura erupting fiercely from his side.

The ground within a radius of dozens of meters shattered completely.

At the exact same moment, every single student and instructor from the Royal Martial Academy felt their legs turn to jelly and collapsed heavily to their knees with dull thuds.

It was not that they wanted to kneel, but rather that Jiang Hongru's aura was simply too overwhelming.

It felt like Mount Tai pressing down upon them, far beyond what they could bear.

Jiang Hongru was not only a powerhouse of the Heavenly King Realm, but a peerless elite among Heavenly Kings.

He was an immensely powerful existence who could fight Feather-Slaying King of the Black Demonic Sect to a standstill over eight hundred rounds.

Naturally, these ordinary students and instructors were powerless to resist.

Even Xu Wuya instantly turned pale, cold sweat streaming down his back.

He knew he was no match for Jiang Hongru.

"Today was supposed to be the day of the Azure Cloud Martial Academy's enrollment assessment."

"Azure Cloud Martial Academy has declined for a decade, and this is the first time in ten years that its enrollment assessment has been restarted."

"Dongfang Biyu and Nangong Fei led over a thousand students from the Royal Martial Academy to disrupt it, and they even brazenly assaulted a prodigy with a Divine Body."

"This matter is witnessed by all and undeniable."

Jiang Hongru stared coldly at Xu Wuya. Although he had arrived in a hurry, he had already ascertained the origin and details of the matter.

"As for Sir Jun, he is originally a member of Azure Cloud Martial Academy. Having just returned from abroad and hearing how you bullied them, what is wrong with his blood boiling with rage?"

"As for the death of Dongfang Lan, a Vice Dean in the Heavenly King Realm who proved unable to defeat a junior in the Heavenly Human Realm, she has only herself to blame for her inferior skills. What is there to complain about?"

"Regarding today's events, this Prince does not believe Sir Jun is guilty."

"If anyone is guilty, it is the Royal Martial Academy. Who told you to provoke them first!"

In just a few sentences, Jiang Hongru settled the verdict of the entire affair.

Moreover, everything had indeed been witnessed by many, with countless bystanders present.

Even if they took this lawsuit all the way to the golden throne room, Jun Wushuang still held the upper hand.

"Your Highness, I refuse to accept this! Not a single person from Azure Cloud Martial Academy died, while our Royal Martial Academy has lost over a thousand lives today, and even Vice Dean Dongfang has sacrificed her life."

"Are you going to declare him innocent with a mere dismissal of 'provoking first'?"

Xu Wuya gritted his teeth and pushed back stubbornly.

He had witnessed how monstrously talented Jun Wushuang was and did not dare to let him live any longer.

Otherwise, not only would the Royal Martial Academy be in danger, but he himself would be in mortal peril.

After all, he and Jun Wushuang were already sworn enemies!

Crack!

The moment Xu Wuya finished speaking, Jiang Hongru struck him across the face without the slightest hesitation.

This slap sent Xu Wuya tumbling through the air, leaving his cheek swollen and red in a ghastly sight.

"Did you not hear what this Prince said?"

"If you dare to utter another word of nonsense, it won't just be a slap next time!"

Jiang Hongru spoke with formidable dominance, forcefully suppressing Xu Wuya's grievance and discontent.

In Jiang Hongru's heart, Jun Wushuang was far more important than the Royal Martial Academy.

A master of both alchemy and martial arts!

Monstrous talent!

Astonishing methods!

Such a Jun Wushuang was even more monstrous than Jiang Rulong.

Although he belonged to the royal family and was the preeminent prince of Great Qian, his sons and grandsons were all utterly mediocre.

Even his only competent descendant, Jiang Mingde, could only manage to preserve the status quo rather than expand their horizons.

Therefore, he had to forge a path forward for his own lineage.

And Jun Wushuang was the one he favored most.

Jiang Hongru's dominance and overbearing attitude left Xu Wuya filled with inward resentment, yet too terrified to speak further.

"Today's events end here!"

Jiang Hongru handed down a final verdict, leaving no room for rebuttal.

"Wait!"

A voice suddenly rang out, catching everyone off guard.

The crowd looked in the direction of the voice, gazing at Jun Wushuang in bewilderment.

In this battle, although Jun Wushuang was quite injured, he had suffered no real loss and had instead won a sweeping victory.

Not a single person from Azure Cloud Martial Academy had been killed.

On the contrary, over a thousand members of the Royal Martial Academy had been slain, and even Vice Dean Dongfang Lan had perished beneath Jun Wushuang's blade.

Everyone simply could not understand why Jun Wushuang would speak up at this moment.

Jiang Hongru was also slightly stunned, looking at Jun Wushuang with a puzzled expression.

"Today's matters are not over yet!"

As soon as Jun Wushuang spoke, it caused an uproar among the crowd.

At that moment, Jun Wushuang shifted his gaze, locking his eyes onto Xu Wuya.

Xu Wuya's heart skipped a beat, a deep sense of foreboding rising within him.

"The feud between my Azure Cloud Martial Academy and the Royal Martial Academy is irreconcilable."

"This time, you disrupted our academy's enrollment assessment, and this matter cannot be settled so easily."

"I hereby issue a challenge to you: a life-and-death duel one month from now!"

The entire arena erupted in shock.

No one had anticipated that Jun Wushuang would actually challenge Xu Wuya.

Who was Xu Wuya?

He was neither a member of the royal family nor from the Four Great Clans, nor even a citizen of the Great Qian Dynasty.

He was someone recruited from abroad by Jiang Taixu back in the day, possessing immense strength as a powerhouse at the sixth layer of the Heavenly King Realm.

Within the Royal Martial Academy, his strength was second only to Jiang Taixu and surpassed even Dongfang Lan.

Furthermore, he excelled in close-quarters combat, far surpassing Dongfang Lan in lethal capability.

Even with one severed arm, his battle prowess remained formidable and terrifying.

Although Jun Wushuang had slain Dongfang Lan, dealing with Xu Wuya would prove exceedingly difficult.

"Since you are bent on courting death, I will grant your wish!"

"A life-and-death duel! I accept!"

Xu Wuya's eyes lit up. Not giving Jiang Hongru a chance to speak, he immediately agreed.

In this way, the bet was finalized, and even Jiang Hongru, as the Prince of Zhennan, could no longer intervene.

Hearing the exchange between Jun Wushuang and Xu Wuya, the entire audience was shaken.

A life-and-death duel one month from now.

It was not merely a clash between Jun Wushuang and Xu Wuya.

It was the second major confrontation between Azure Cloud Martial Academy and the Royal Martial Academy.

This time, who would have the last laugh?