The girls vented their complaints to each other. After a while, Ye Zi piped up, "I doubt they know what this match is all about."

"They would if they actually used what's on their shoulder instead of what's in between their legs!"

The girls talked casually with each other while they were not in a formal setting. Xiao Yuyu and Ye Zi's infatuation for Wang Tong had long since been a public secret. The competition, if there were any, didn't distance the two; instead, they became even closer friends than before. Although they both knew that Wang Tong only cared for his first love, Ma Xiaoru, neither of them was willing to let go of their obsession for him. Thinking along the same lines, wasn't Wang Tong the same as them? He, too, was obsessed with a girl whom he would probably never meet again; she might as well be dead to him. But, he held onto his longing for her so tightly that it seemed as silly as Xiao Yuyu and Ye Zi's infatuation for him.

Everyone knew that even if Wang Tong attended the match and won, he wouldn't accept the reward: Princess Brenda.

On the stage, the fight was still going on. Xiao Libie's kopesh skill had given him a significant edge in the fight. Not only was the attack power increased as a result, but the sound wave that came after the attack was difficult to predict and defend against. However, Guan Dongyang didn't waver; instead, he was very interested in General Xiao's technique.

After being pushed back a few times, Guan Dongyang flew himself into the air to gain some distance from his opponent. He cast an energy shield spell to ward off the secondary sound wave attacks. Once the energy shield was up, Guan Dongyang would unleash his full power on his opponent. Xiao Libie's aggressive attack had ignited his desire to overcome him.

General Xiao's power had also caught Wang Tong by surprise. While he marveled at the intensity of the kopesh attacks, Wang Tong was also amazed by the incredibly tricky sound wave attacks.

Xiao Libie was a renowned warrior, not because he was Zambrotta's favorite student, but more so because he was a truly solid and powerful warrior. He never expected to put in so much effort into this event. This was supposed to be another stroll in the park. However, Guan Dongyang's appearance had changed everything. The promise of defeating a legendary high-level warrior elated Xiao Libie as he kept on stepping up the game.

The battle quickly turned into a clash of two lethal warriors. As Guan Dongyang doubled down on his mastery attacks, his damage output was more than tripled. Guan Dongyang had grown his power so fast within the few months; his attacks were very close to being the exemplar of devastating power. Lacking in any form of physical damage, in order to win against a METAL warrior, a caster's only option was to increase the spell levels to break the METAL defense. Many spells at a higher level could outright ignore the effect of the METAL suits.

Meanwhile, Xiao Libie didn't allow his opponent to gain the upper hand as he cranked up his GN force. Guan Dongyang was the most powerful mastery caster he had seen so far. Not only did he find it impossible to get close to the latter, but he also noticed no flaws in his movement. It was as if Guan Dongyang was used to fighting against METAL warriors one on one.

Xiao Libie knew that the longer the battle last, the smaller his winning odds would become. However, since he was mired in the deadlock with his opponent, he could neither give up nor find a breakthrough. There was only one option left for him to break the circle: to raze the entire area to the ground using all of his remaining soul energy.

Suddenly, a relaxing music came out from afar, and the sounds untangled the two's knotted energy and threw them off balance, forcing the two to back away from each other.

"Guan Dongyang, you do worth your salt."

Brenda walked to the stage while wearing a full set of armor. Her hand carried her weapon called Cloud Pierce, a magical flute.

Guan Dongyang needed no introduction as the girl's exquisite beauty had disclosed her identity. Although she was the same age as the Divine Goddess Susu, Brenda projected an image of a strong-willed and steadfast heroine. She had a pair of long and elegant legs, and her eyes were dreamy, with the gleaming desire for a real hero in her life.

"Thank you for the compliment. Since I couldn't best your champion, I guess I will just leave the stage now." Guan Dongyang put in.

"Wait a second." Xiao Libie shouted.

"What is it?"

"This match was held in the name of our lady. Anyone who can gain my approval will be allowed to ask for our lady's hand. You have just passed your test." Xiao Libie said with a smile.

Guan Dongyang was shaken by the announcement. He might as well be dead if Li Xuan knew about it.

"Umm...Thank you, but...I mean...I thought the reward was only food. I only need food. It wasn't me who wanted to join the match either, it was my friend." Guan Dongyang quickly threw Wang Tong under the bus.

"You mean Wang Tong, the devil? Would you please come up here, Wang Tong?" Xiao Libie turned to the audiences and asked loudly.

Wang Tong, the Devil!

It was a popular name on Mars, not because Wang Tong was the heir of the Blade Warrior—Martians never cared about titles—but because of his achievements, which spoke loudly of his power. After all, Martians were suckers for the mighty and powerful. He quickly had become the most popular idol of the Martians. Who would not be impressed by the human teenager after knowing what he had done? He had led a three hundred person army deep into the Zerg territory and was able to deal a blow so devastating to the Zergs that it nearly crippled the Zerg invasion.

Even the combined might of the two most powerful martian heroes, Michaux and Li Jian, paled under comparison. Plus, unlike Michaux and Lei Jian, who had a home advantage, Wang Tong had to start from scratch when he first landed on Mars. Yet, he was capable of accomplishing deeds that neither of the two could even dream of, striking fear into the hearts of his enemies.

Wang Tong's achievement was unprecedented. In the past, the Zergs might have been interested in Wang Tong because he was a powerful human warrior. But since a few weeks ago, the Zergs wanted Wang Tong dead because they were afraid of him.

But, where was Wang Tong now?

Brenda surveyed the crowd and noticed that Wang Tong had already disappeared. She smiled faintly as she wondered what had motivated this mysterious warrior. Didn't he fight for fame and money? She could give him all of those if he showed himself. Or, maybe he simply didn't care about any of those worldly possessions.

Wang Tong was gone, but Guan Dongyang had to stay. The city invited him to stay at a resort hotel, and offered him round the clock food service—just the way he wanted, so said his host. Guan Dongyang knew it was not wise to refuse the "hospitality," so he accepted the invitation unwillingly. He made a mental note to not trust Wang Tong ever again while he waited for rescue.

Brenda waited patiently for Wang Tong; she knew he would come back for his friend who was under house arrest.

The first time she saw Wang Tong was at the audience's seat during the tournament five years ago. She didn't join the tournament as a fighter, because her father's defeat had taken the wind out of her entire family. When the tournament started, she simply was not ready to face another competition yet. That being said, she went to every fight to observe and learn.

At that time, she only considered Michaux and Patroclus the best fighters of her age, due to their exceptional inborn talents. Although Li Shiming and Lie Jian both possessed solid skills, their inferior talent had hindered their advancement. However, when she saw Wang Tong's first match, she knew she was wrong.

Wang Tong's talent was average at best. However, he was able to defeat Patroclus. Wang Tong's victory had completely changed Brenda's view on cultivation. The world didn't give Brenda too many opportunities to study Wang Tong, as he was killed soon after the tournament during the seminal event that had ushered in an age of chaos.

It was obvious why Patroclus killed Wang Tong as soon as he became an immortal. He was the only person who had been a threat to Patroclus.

During the first five years, Brenda was one of the very few people who could feel the life force of Wang Tong. Perhaps their fates were tangled together, and they just didn't know it yet!

When she saw Wang Tong in the audience yesterday, her heart skipped a beat, and without much thinking, she realized that she wanted him.