Chapter 182: Chapter 0182: The Battle Against Long Zaitian_1
 

Just by sensing that aura, Ye Xiong knew that the opponent’s Inner Strength far exceeded his own; it might even have reached the legendary Qi Transformation Realm.

Inner Strength is classified into three Levels: Entry, Proficiency, and Qi Transformation.

As for the rumored Dust Entering Realm, he had never heard of anyone achieving it.

He dared not take the slightest chance, drawing his Mo Bing from his waist and engaging in combat with the opponent.

Although he had long known of Long Zaitian’s strength, only after engaging in battle did Ye Xiong realize that he was even more formidable than he had imagined, his fierce attacks almost leaving Ye Xiong breathless.

Indeed, he was worthy of being the top military expert, the Huaxia War God.

If it weren’t for Ye Xiong’s substantial Inner Strength and his extensive combat experience, he might have been defeated in a single exchange.

The two men collided swiftly on the field.

A minute passed in the blink of an eye, and they fought to a standstill.

“I hadn’t expected you to be much more formidable than I imagined,” Long Zaitian confessed, as his prolonged attack failed to subdue Ye Xiong and time was running out, causing him to grow impatient.

Although he had heard of Reaper’s great strength, he thought that Reaper, being only twenty-four, couldn’t be that powerful. Now it seemed he had been overly confident.

With this in mind, Long Zaitian’s resolve to recruit Reaper for his own use grew even stronger.

Thinking this, Long Zaitian’s attacks became ever more fierce.

The spectators below were stunned; they could only see two shadows swiftly intertwining on the field.

Long Zaitian, as the Huaxia War God, naturally had immense strength, but for Reaper, who was only in his twenties, to match him equally in combat astounded the new recruits to the Dragon Group.

If ten more years were to pass, with Reaper’s strength, who then could be his opponent?

Under Long Zaitian’s full-force attack, Ye Xiong felt increasingly pressured.

In a critical moment, he swiftly drew out his Cold Ink Dagger.

The appearance of the Peerless Divine Weapon brought a chilling, deadly aura with it that made Long Zaitian hesitate.

Ding!

With a faint sound, Long Zaitian’s dagger was effortlessly sliced in half by the sharp Cold Ink Slash.

If not now, when?

Seizing the moment, Ye Xiong unleashed a barrage of attacks reminiscent of a torrential storm.

Offense is the best defense.

Long Zaitian, wary of the sharp dagger, was momentarily overwhelmed by the assault.

Just as he adjusted and prepared to counterattack, a loud gong sounded; time was up.

“You lost,” Ye Xiong stepped back a few paces and revealed a triumphant smile on his face.

“Is that in your hand an Aloof Divine Weapon?” Long Zaitian stared at the dagger in his hand.

“Want to take it?” Ye Xiong asked.

“It’s just a dagger; I don’t covet it,” Long Zaitian, a man who could accept defeat, reluctantly admitted, “A bet is a bet, I will keep my promise that the Dragon Group will no longer trouble you.”

Ye Xiong sighed in relief; he was the strongest warrior of the Dragon Group and knew too many of its secrets. He had thought Long Zaitian would not let him go so easily, but he agreed surprisingly readily.

Although Long Zaitian was domineering, he seemed a bit better than Ye Xiong had expected.

“That’s all for today’s selection; we will continue at the same time tomorrow. Guard, follow up on the condition of the wounded and instruct the military doctors that they must fully heal them, without leaving any lingering injuries,” Long Zaitian commanded.

“Yes, commander,” the Guard responded and departed to carry out the orders.

“Everyone may leave!”

The group of Dragon Group members gradually dispersed.

“Come to the office with me,” Long Zaitian beckoned to Ye Xiong.

Could this guy really be reneging on his promise?

Ye Xiong’s mouth twitched slightly.

“I won’t regret what I promised you, I called you here because I have something to discuss with you,” Long Zaitian said.

Ye Xiong had no choice but to follow.

“Even if you hadn’t stepped in just now, I would have intervened to save Shadow,” Long Zaitian said as they walked.

Stop with the pretense. That’s what Ye Xiong thought to himself.

“Shadow is a promising talent, with excellent qualities in all aspects. She could have entered Dragon Scale, but because her martial arts skills were far too lacking, she couldn’t get in,” Long Zaitian said.

This must be his way of raising dogs, right?

Praise them before offering a bone—does he think I’ll be grateful to him?

The two talked as they walked and soon reached Long Zaitian’s office.

To Ye Xiong’s surprise, Long Zaitian’s office was on the first floor, a small space of less than twenty square meters, which was a world apart from the luxurious large office Long Tianya had been in on the second floor.

“This is where you work?”

Ye Xiong looked at the modest office, a bit incredulous.

He’s the head of the mighty Dragon Group, wouldn’t this damage his image?

“At first, this was just a temporary command center, but I got used to it and didn’t want to move,” Long Zaitian said.

He took off his hat and stripped off his military uniform, revealing clothes that were completely soaked through, yet he still wore them.

How can he not feel hot in this military uniform on such a warm day?

This simple detail gave Ye Xiong a deeper understanding of him.

This is a leader who pays extreme attention to detail and image.

Long Zaitian turned on the air conditioner and rummaged in the refrigerator, but he couldn’t find what he was looking for.

“Wait here a moment, I’ll go get some tea leaves.”

Why doesn’t he send a subordinate to do such a trivial task? Why does it have to be done by himself?

Ye Xiong gained a whole new understanding of the new chief.

His private life habits seemed to be completely different from the domineering attitude he had shown in the fighting arena.

In the arena, he was strict, rarely smiled, and every move carried an overpowering aura that made people wary of getting too close; but now, he seemed just an ordinary old man.

After a short while, Long Zaitian returned with a packet of tea leaves.

He made some tea on the table, poured two cups, and then said, “Actually, I wanted to see you today because I have two matters to discuss with you. The first is to thank you for dealing with two traitors from the Dragon Group.”

He was probably referring to the two Dragon Group members whom Dong Xuan had paid a great sum to kill him, but who were instead killed by him in the forest.

Initially, Ye Xiong worried that he might be held accountable, but he didn’t expect to be thanked instead.

“I admit, I’ve been lax in managing the character of new Dragon Claw members, but in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. Right now, in Guangnan Province, with over a dozen cities, the number of Dragon Claw members deployed has exceeded fifty. Plus, with additional deployments in other areas, the current number of Dragon Group members is far from sufficient, so we must increase recruitment. Once we’re through with the tough battle against the Beast Organization, I will definitely tighten up on personnel quality,” Long Zaitian said.

Ye Xiong thought it over and felt what he said made sense.

“The situation in Guangnan Province is very critical, and I don’t have anyone I can trust. I was hoping to bring you back to command the entire Guangnan Province protective action, but I did not expect to lose.”

Long Zaitian sighed, clearly regretful.

“Among the Dragon Scale, there are several warriors with good strength, why not consider them?” Ye Xiong asked.

“You’re talking about Wu Wang, Phoenix, and Minister Jiang, right?”

Ye Xiong nodded, realizing he had also noticed these three of the strongest warriors in Dragon Scale.

“Wu Wang is strong, but lacks strategy; Phoenix has enough strategy, but her martial strength is slightly lacking, plus she is a woman, and there are times when that’s inconvenient, like physiological issues. While it might seem trivial, in critical moments, it can be a fatal weakness, which is why I’ve been reluctant to let a woman lead operations,” Long Zaitian explained.

“And what about Minister Jiang?”

He was the second strongest expert in the Dragon Group after Reaper, and naturally, he became the most powerful member following Reaper’s death.

“What do you think of Minister Jiang as a person?” Long Zaitian asked in return.