Tempest of the Battlefield

However unpredictable the opponents\' power might be, there were five combatants whose victory was always guaranteed, as long as they were not fighting each other. They were Patroclus Dower, Li Shiming, Michaux Odin, Lie Jian, and Heidi.

Unlike the ancient time when the sons and daughters of the extremely rich and powerful would quickly turn to debauchery, all of the current great houses\' children were forces to be reckoned with. About to inherit their family\'s power, they were in the heat of competition with each other, trying to carve out more influence for their reign in the future. Although Li Zhedao had established some measure of dominance over the other families, without the support of the Ma, the Li\'s influence would shrink significantly. Patroclus\'s father, the current lord of house of Dower, had been out of the game since he could never finish the Tactics of the Deva King. Meanwhile, although Lie Jian\'s father was competent and smart, he was not able to overcome the combined force of Li and the Ma. Therefore, the lords of the great houses hoped their children would carry on the unfinished battle and be able to fulfill their dream of dominance.

Patroclus was the one who was most likely to complete his father\'s unfinished business. It had been a sensational news when the public heard that he had finished the Tactics of the Deva King. Until recently, the Dower family had been the dominating power since General Li had passed away. Although everyone admired General Li Feng\'s power, people knew that there would never be another Li Feng.

Although the Dower family mostly kept things to themselves, they were a powerful and ambitious household. Many Ivantians believed that Patroclus would be able to quickly subdue any opponent across the human world, just like how his ancestor, Rilangalos, had once obliterated the entire armada of the confederate with ease.

Among the five great houses, the Dower was the quietest, but also the most feared.

Some famous mystics had predicted that the world was on the brink of drastic changes. It was indeed hard to turn a blind eye to the sudden outburst of talented individuals. These gifted warriors not only came from the great houses, but they also rise from their grassroot origins. Many of these talents were still hidden among the ordinary people, waiting to be discovered. For those hidden talents, the METAL tournament was the best stage to promote themselves.

The Ivantian host changed the advertisement banner for the Fleet combat hanging at the gate of the arena with a larger one that showcased the five incredible warriors: Patroclus, Li Shiming, Lie Jian, Michaux, and Princess Heidi.

The five represented the pinnacle of power, and they were the idol of the public, destined to carry on the legend of their forefathers.

On the banner, Lie Jian was shown to be covered in flame; his expression was sharp and belligerent.

Michaux was wrapped in a plain gray monk robe. The holy book of the Divine master he held in his hand seemed to have adsorbed the expression from the face as he stared into the distance indifferently.

Li Shiming was shown in a formal military attire with the legendary sword of the Wind God— Vayu, as resolution shone through his eyes.

Patroclus was shown standing beside Li Shiming, wielding the legendary silver lance of Rilangalos.

The four formed a circle, and in the middle of the ring stood a beautiful girl. She was the princess of the Kaedeians, Princess Heidi.

Underneath the five warriors, a line read, "Defeat them, and you will be the legend!"

The words and the picture evoked the sublime enthusiasm of the young warriors and made their blood boil.

The audiences were also excited at the promise of seeing the fight between Li Shiming and Rilangalos. The perfect successor of Rilangalos against the most well-rounded heir of Li Feng, who would prevail?

The unprecedented attendance of Michaux and Heidi had added more fuel the audiences\' enthusiasm.

With the appearance of the "Fantastic Five," this year\'s tournament had the largest cast as compared to any of the previous ones.

In addition to the players from the three major factions, many other warriors who hailed from other planets would also attend this year\'s tournament.

Wang Tong was greeted as a hero upon his return to Ayrlarng. Even the politicians from the city of Shang Jin had attended his welcoming ceremony. As one of Ayrlarng\'s most prominent patron, the governor of the City of Shang Jin was delighted to see that the school was finally brought back on the right track. Ayrlarng\'s successful revitalization would evidently attract more talents to the city, and therefore, help its growth. As the leading figure in ushering in a new era for Ayrlarng, Wang Tong had caught the attention of many city authorities.

Only after the welcoming ceremony did the three students realize that they had become extremely popular on earth. Zhou Sisi had received letters from the navy that expressed their interest in grooming her into a future fleet officer. Due to women\'s inert ability to remain calm under pressure, female graduates made up most of the officers in a fleet. Also, Zhou Sisi was much more well-rounded than Karl and Wang Tong, as her grades in other subjects were much higher. Therefore, the military also included her into the list of future high-ranking officers.

After the celebrations, Wang Tong and Zhou Sisi returned to his dorm. Perhaps it was the sudden quietness in the room, or maybe it was the champagne, Wang Tong felt dizzy as if he was living in a dream. He had never felt so happy before.

Seeing that the dust had started to settle on the desk, Zhou Sisi began to clean the room instinctively.

"There\'s no need to clean it; it\'s going to get dirty anyway." Wang Tong smiled, as an uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

"You are an important person now. I need to make sure your living space is up to the snuff." Zhou Sisi cracked a smile. She knew that when Wang Tong got Karl\'s revenge on KKK, he also did it for her. Zhou Sisi knew that Wang Tong liked to keep things to himself even when he had done others a favor. Even though she wasn\'t bothered by her defeat, as she knew that defeat was part of fighters life, Wang Tong had won her trust by protecting her confidence and self-esteem.

"Haha, looks like the S club would be very helpful to many people! I think I need to work harder as a club leader."

"Well, I\'m glad we are finally on the same page! The club was invaluable to not only Ayrlarng, but also other academies." The growth speed of the S club had even caught Zhou Sisi off guard, and the victory of its three members had pushed the club\'s fame to a new height. In addition to the three that attended the tournament, Cao Yi had also earned a name for himself as the most proficient analyst. His notebook containing information of fighters from all over the galaxy was the holy grail to most cultivation trainers. Cao Yi shared his invaluable study notes with all members of the S club to help them improve their abilities.

"Haha! I would never think that I would be famous and important one day!" Wang Tong blurted as he spread himself on the bed. He was comfortable with Zhou Sisi\'s presence, and felt that he could talk about anything with her.

"Hey! May I remind you that you still have a long way to go? One moment of slacking up would make you fall behind other competitors. Me, for example! "

"That would be nice, being taken care of by a competent female warrior had always been one of my dreams! Haha."

Zhou Sisi laughed with him, knowing that Wang Tong would be the last man on earth who would like to be dependent on others.

"Anyhow, your room is cleaned up. I hope it will last more than three days." Zhou Sisi announced as she surveyed the room, as if admiring her work.

"Thank you! See you tomorrow!"

"Adios!"

After Zhou Sisi was gone, Wang Tong started to marvel his recent good fortune. Not only had he snatched the title of champion of the fleet combat, but he had also met Ma Xiaoru in person. Starting tomorrow, he would devote all of his time on training for the METAL combat. The thought of Old Fart tugged at his heartstrings. Somehow, he was convinced that Old Fart would show up during the METAL tournament, and he would have answers to Wang Tong\'s many questions. Despite the trouble he had caused for Wang Tong, Wang Tong smiled broadly at the thought of reuniting with Old Fart.

Ma Xiaoru and Li Ruoer had also returned to earth. Although Ma Xiaoru didn\'t spend too much time with Wang Tong, she could feel his genuine efforts to prove himself to her parents. Their different social class didn\'t deter Wang Tong. Instead, the challenges only made him more determined in his course. His bravery and conviction had deeply moved Ma Xiaoru, and convinced her that he was a keeper.

Ma Xiaoru knew that to make their relationship work, she needed to be stronger and offload some of Wang Tong\'s burden for him. Therefore, Ma Xiaoru made up her mind to be more active in following up with her doctor to speed up her recovery.

Li Ruoer had quickly picked up the subtle changes in Ma Xiaoru\'s mind. However positive and welcoming the changes might be, Li Ruoer was convinced that Ma Xiaoru\'s new found determination was a product of infatuation, and therefore, it would fade away quickly like a spark on a cold day.

Both Li Ruoer and her brother believed that Ma Xiaoru would eventually lose interest in Wang Tong, and it was this belief that led to their seemingly considerate gesture of allowing Ma Xiaoru and her lover\'s meeting. That being said, they merely loosened the noose but not the rope, as everything was still under the Li\'s control.

Wang Tong\'s victory in the fleet combat was not entirely a bad thing, since the higher the Li allowed him to rise, the more painful would be when he fell.

As for the fact that Wang Tong was able to overcome her Tactics of the Enchantress, Li Ruoer had kept it a secret, fearing that it would make her look weak. Even mentioning of the word "weak" was frowned upon in House Li.

Thanks to Wang Tong, Li Ruoer had breached the critical bottleneck in her cultivation, and therefore, she was confident that she would be able to avenge her defeat with the new power.

She wanted to prove to the world that a woman could be as powerful as a man.