Chapter 11

"Wasn't today the day of Miss Xiangfei's coming-of-age ceremony? Why isn't Miss Xiangfei here?" Chen Xifeng looked around left and right. The vast square was filled with fully armed barons.

The muscular man said irritably, "Are you stupid? This is just the place for the tournament. The coming-of-age ceremony is in the evening, and it's held elsewhere. Besides, do you think just anyone can attend the ceremony? Ordinary barons don't have the qualifications; only viscounts or the winner of this tournament have the chance to attend."

"Quiet down, the teams participating in the competition, please send one person to the stage for the draw." On a temporary platform, a tall man in full silver armor stood up and addressed the barons below.

"The tournament is actually presided over by the Silver-Armored Knight!" The muscular man looked up at the silver-armored man on the platform with admiration. "I'll go for the draw; I want to see the Silver-Armored Knight up close."

Without waiting for Chen Xifeng and the others to respond, the muscular man ran up to the platform excitedly.

"Rog, that guy, just likes those who are as strong as bulls. I wonder if he has a problem with his brain," Chen Xifeng muttered under his breath.

"Who is the Silver-Armored Knight?" Bai Cangdong asked from the side.

"Are you serious? You don't even know the Silver-Armored Knight, one of the ten knights under the Earl?" Chen Xifeng and the other two looked at Bai Cangdong in surprise.

"What's so strange about that?"

Chen Xifeng said, "Of course it's strange. The Silver-Armored Knight once killed a Count-level undead. If he weren't the Earl's knight, he would already be a true Count. Such a powerful man, and you, as a resident of Daolun City, don't know him. Isn't that strange?"

"Why would such a powerful person be content to be someone else's knight?" Bai Cangdong asked, puzzled.

"How would I know? There must be some reason. However, being a knight isn't bad. Although the title and the three major privileges disappear, there are many benefits. For example, the life span will match that of the master. An ordinary person's life span is two hundred years. Even if you have more life points, you will still die after two hundred years. A baron's life span is three hundred years, and a viscount's is four hundred years. If an ordinary person becomes a viscount's knight, their life span will become four hundred years. The benefits are huge."

The frail man added, "Not only that, but knights also gain the same rank as their master. For example, if a knight is a baron and becomes a viscount's knight, they lose the three major privileges that suppress ordinary people, but the three major privileges of other viscounts will no longer affect them. Only those with a higher rank than the knight's master can use the three major privileges on the knight."

Bai Cangdong only knew that a knight's fate would be controlled by their master, but he didn't know there were so many benefits. However, he still had no interest in becoming a knight.

Rog had already returned from the draw, looking blissful. "The Silver-Armored Knight is so powerful. Just standing next to him, I felt overwhelmed by his无形的气势."

"Rog, what did you draw? Who are our opponents?" Chen Xifeng called out.

"I haven't looked yet, you can check it yourself." Rog handed the draw slip to Chen Xifeng.

Chen Xifeng and the others looked at the slip and then at the published schedule. Their faces turned grim.

"Finished. This time, we can't even make it to the top ten, let alone the first round," Chen Xifeng said with a bitter face.

"Our first-round opponent is Du Changlong's team. If the Sword-Shield Baron were still here, we would have a good chance of winning. Now, we only have a thirty percent chance, even if we perform at our best. Even if we win by luck, the next two rounds will face teams with top-five strength. Winning these three rounds will only get us into the top ten. This time, we're really in trouble."

Chen Xifeng, the frail man, and the muscular man glared at Rog. "It's all because this guy was staring at the Silver-Armored Knight during the draw that we got such a bad draw."

"Hey, the draw is random. How can you blame me? It's just bad luck," Rog waved his hands and backed away.

"Forget it, blaming Rog won't help now. Let's discuss how to get past Du Changlong," the frail man said.

Chen Xifeng thought for a moment and said, "Du Changlong's team, all five members are strong. Du Changlong himself is not to be underestimated. In our team, only Feng Lie is slightly better than him. The other four are almost on par with us. If the Sword-Shield Baron were still here, we wouldn't be afraid. Now, it's really difficult."

"Fortunately, this tournament is a round-robin format. After a one-on-one duel, the winner can continue to fight the next opponent. The team loses when all five members are defeated. As long as we arrange the order properly, we still have a chance to win," the frail man, Li Yan, analyzed.

Feng Lie was very calm. After Li Yan finished speaking, he said, "Du Changlong is very cunning and cowardly. I bet he will place himself last."

"That's right. Since he is last, Feng Lie can't be first. If Feng Lie is defeated early, we won't have anyone to counter Du Changlong. Let's also place Feng Lie last," Chen Xifeng said.

"That's not a good idea. We are at a disadvantage in strength. Even if we place Feng Lie last, he might have to fight someone else before facing Du Changlong. It's better to place him last. No matter who he faces, he will be defeated. Placing him first won't help much. If Feng Lie and Du Changlong both end up injured, maybe he can get lucky," Li Yan pointed at Bai Cangdong.

"That's a good idea. Let's do it that way," Rog agreed.

Bai Cangdong didn't say anything and followed their arrangement. He was just there to observe the strength of other barons, so the order didn't matter to him.

Curiously, he looked at all the barons and the Silver-Armored Knight who was presiding over the tournament. His gaze paused when it passed over the VIP seats.

In the VIP seats, a few viscounts were watching the competition. One of them was the mysterious woman in black gauze he had encountered in the armory.

"Who is that woman?" Bai Cangdong nudged Chen Xifeng, who was resting and preparing for battle, and pointed to the woman's seat.

"You seem to be a lecher, but I advise you not to have any ideas about her. Don't even look at her. She may be beautiful and alluring, but she is a real beauty snake, a famous poison widow in Daolun City. She is the Earl's own sister, married three times, and each time, her husband died. All men love and hate her. They love her beauty and want to possess her, but they are afraid of being killed by her," Chen Xifeng whispered.

"Is she the Earl's sister? Is she also a Count?" Bai Cangdong was surprised.

"Do you think it's that easy to become a Count? I heard she is a viscount. After marriage, a wife can gain her husband's rank and privileges. However, she married three viscounts, so she is only a viscount. Everyone calls her Viscountess. Her real name is Honglian, and some call her Lady Honglian."

Li Yan looked at Chen Xifeng with a smile. "Red Hair, you know so much about Lady Honglian. Do you have any ideas about her?"

Chen Xifeng shrank his neck. "I just heard from others. I wouldn't dare to have any ideas. I haven't lived long enough, and she wouldn't even look at me. With her status, if she wants a lover, she would at least choose a viscount, not someone like me."

The tournament progressed quickly. The first-place team had to be decided by the end of the day, and they would attend Miss Xiangfei's coming-of-age ceremony in the evening.

It was Bai Cangdong's team's turn to compete. According to the pre-arranged order, Chen Xifeng went first.

Chen Xifeng summoned his armors, with no less than seven pieces, including three baron-level armors, one of which was a fiery red longsword in his hand.

His opponent was also strong, with seven pieces of armor, including three baron-level armors, and a baron-level longsword.

The battle was intense. Bai Cangdong watched with great interest. Both fighters on the stage had three to four different martial techniques. Although their skill levels were not high, they relied on their armors to fight, and the martial techniques themselves were very powerful.

After a series of fierce battles, Chen Xifeng barely won, but he was too exhausted to continue. The second opponent, a baron, easily kicked him off the stage.

The second to fight was the muscular man, Rog, who was much more violent. He charged in, smashing and bashing like a bull. The opponent was also stubborn and fought head-on with Rog, exchanging blows. In the end, both were injured, but Rog was tougher and kicked the opponent off the stage, winning the match.

Rog was also badly injured and was knocked down by the new opponent in a few moves. Feng Lie and Bai Cangdong carried him off the stage.

The third to fight was Li Yan, who was fully equipped with baron-level armors, including a crossbow, a longsword, and a dagger, all of which were baron-level. He completely dominated the opponent, sweeping him off the stage without any injury.

"Great, Lady's Man, take out one more, and we can win," Chen Xifeng cheered from below.

"Damn it, we have to make it to the top ten," Rog, who was badly injured and receiving treatment, also shouted.

The fourth opponent from the other team came on. Because Li Yan's armors were so luxurious, the opponent was also dominated, seemingly unable to counter.

Just as everyone thought the victory was certain, Li Yan suddenly fell to the ground for no reason and was kicked off the stage by the opponent.