Chapter 93: Chapter 88: So Frighteningly Powerful! Is Lu Mingyuan Deeply Hidden?

That was why she didn’t want to marry the Sixth Prince.

If this were her from two days ago, she could have confidently declared that she would rather die than marry Lu Mingyuan.

But now, under her father’s command, the entire future of the Huo Family rested on her shoulders.

She had no choice!

For her father to return to the battlefield, for the morale of the troops to be stabilized, and for her family to be preserved, she had to do this.

She could only sacrifice her own happiness in exchange for the Huo Family’s future!

No matter how unwilling she was, it was useless. She, Huo Hongling, had to lose to Lu Mingyuan. Otherwise, the Huo Family would be like a sailboat adrift on the open sea, in constant danger of capsizing!

She could not disappoint her father.

「…」

“The time is almost up. Nephew, you may begin the duel with my daughter.”

The Champion Marquis glanced at the sun, spoke, and walked toward the dueling platform to personally light a stick of incense.

The burning of the incense stick would serve as a timer.

Lu Mingyuan took a deep breath, preparing to enter the ring.

This was his first time in such a formal setting, and he was surprisingly nervous.

Beside him, Wang Zhaoyan reminded him again, “Since you’ve agreed to this, at least trade a few blows. Don’t just surrender immediately, or you’ll offend the Champion Marquis.”

“I know, Mother. How hard can it be to lose? I’ll just fight casually. Besides, it’s not like she likes me either. She’ll definitely give it her all.”

With that said, Lu Mingyuan stepped into the dueling arena, his eyes meeting Huo Hongling’s for the second time.

He couldn’t help but size her up. ’Not bad-looking at all. Youth is a wonderful thing. She looks to be about eighteen, spirited and exquisitely beautiful, with an air of cold elegance.’

At the same time, Huo Hongling was also sizing up this Sixth Prince she had never met before.

Her first reaction: ’He’s handsome.’

’If I stare any longer, I might get lost in his looks.’

’So incredibly handsome. How can a man this handsome exist in the world?’

’Pah! Pah! Pah!’

But she quickly scoffed inwardly.

’So what if he’s handsome? He’s still a man of rotten character.’

’Alright, now I just need to throw the match. I’ll let him make the first move.’

’I can’t make it too obvious. I’ll parry a few of his attacks at first, then gradually show that I’m outmatched.’

’And in the end, under a full-power strike from the Sixth Prince, I’ll spit up some blood and end this with a miserable defeat.’

’That should satisfy Father.’

She shook her head, her high ponytail swinging back and forth, and cast aside her distracting thoughts. In a loud, cold voice, she declared:

“Your Highness must defeat me before you can marry me!”

Lu Mingyuan replied with a serious expression, “Alright! I will certainly give it my all!”

“Your Highness may make the first move. We are both at the Fourth Realm of Cultivation, but my experience is greater than yours, so please, attack without holding back.”

“Alright!”

The two of them drew the weapons at their waists.

Lu Mingyuan wielded a saber, while Huo Hongling used a sword. She hadn’t brought her family’s Pear Blossom Spear.

“Here I come.”

Lu Mingyuan wasn’t being arrogant; he executed the most basic Fiery Fire Saber Technique to gauge Huo Hongling’s skill level.

Stamping his foot, he shot forward, keeping low to the ground. In an instant, his saber came slashing down.

Huo Hongling’s reflexes were sharp. She casually swung her sword, believing she could easily block the wastrel’s attack. To her shock, she found the force behind the blow was astonishing!

Her arm shuddered, and the sword was nearly knocked from her grasp. It was a close call!

This scene played out clearly before the eyes of the many guards and onlookers.

“Am I seeing things? When did the Sixth Prince become so powerful?”

“To think his first slash would be so shocking!”

“The man is terrifying! You have to remember, when Huo Hongling was at the Fourth Realm, even some Fifth Realm Martial Artists were no match for her!”

Wang Zhaoyan also looked surprised. “My son’s Saber Technique can actually overpower Huo Hongling when they’re at the same realm?”

“Very good, the acting is perfect.”

The Champion Marquis, meanwhile, was nodding to himself in approval.

After the exchange, the two combatants quickly separated.

Lu Mingyuan had hastily pulled his punch.

’That was still too much force!’

He had almost forgotten. His current Flesh Body had been cultivated to Perfection, opening 761 apertures. Even without using any Primordial Qi, his raw strength was comparable to someone in the Grandmaster Realm.

’I need to use less strength. Er, more strength.’

Huo Hongling was thinking the exact same thing. The two had arrived at the same conclusion simultaneously.

CLANG!

Once again, the two gathered their energy, held their breath, adopted their stances, and charged forward.

This time, their strength seemed evenly matched.

In the blink of an eye, they had already exchanged more than ten blows.

To the onlookers, the fight was spectacular.

“My son has truly been hiding his talents! To have such potential at the Fourth Realm!”

“To fight the incredibly powerful Huo Hongling to a standstill, the Sixth Prince has indeed been hiding his true strength.”

Everyone present was utterly astonished.

Only Qi Muxue and the Champion Marquis did not look pleased.

Qi Muxue was thinking, ’Lu Mingyuan absolutely cannot win. If the Holy Emperor decrees the marriage, what will happen to our Celestial Dao Oath?’

The Champion Marquis, for his part, was secretly praying for his daughter to lose. Otherwise, the Huo Family would have to align with another Prince, which would drag them into the war of succession. That would be like walking on thin ice—an outcome he did not desire.

But only the two combatants knew what was really going on.

Huo Hongling frowned. As she brushed past Lu Mingyuan, she stared at his slightly flustered face.

’Is it that hard to just launch a direct counterattack?’

’Maybe my offense is too aggressive.’

’I really don’t get it. What is this Sixth Prince so afraid of? Just fight me head-on! I’m going to let him win anyway!’

She dashed forward twenty zhang, flipped in mid-air, and sent a blast of Sword Qi stabbing toward him.

But Lu Mingyuan didn’t even try to block it!

He just brought his saber down, aiming straight for her chest.

Seeing this, Huo Hongling hastily turned her thrust into a block.

’I almost won that exchange.’

’There’s definitely something wrong with this Sixth Prince. He doesn’t even try to block any of my attacks! I’ve given him so many openings, practically served them to him on a silver platter, but he won’t take a single one!’

’I can’t tell if he’s deliberately avoiding my vital points or if he’s just too weak to capitalize on these obvious opportunities.’

She wasn’t the only one; Lu Mingyuan was baffled too.

’I’m practically letting him stab me, so how haven’t I lost yet?!’

’Is this Huo Hongling really the top prodigy of the Capital City’s younger generation?’

’She’s so weak! I’m already face-tanking all her abilities, what more can I do?’

’Is she going easy on me?’

’Bullshit! This isn’t just going easy, she’s throwing the entire ocean at me!’

’What happened to not wanting to marry me? At this rate, the wedding is a sure thing!’

’No, no, no. If this keeps up, the incense will burn out.’

’I have to lose!’

She slashed at him with her sword.

Lu Mingyuan pretended the blow knocked his saber from his hand, then threw a punch.

Huo Hongling copied his example, blocking the punch with her sword and letting it get “knocked” away as well.

The two began to fight hand-to-hand.

The fight had reached a fever pitch!

Lu Mingyuan leaned back, applying a deft technique as he threw another punch.

Huo Hongling inwardly cheered. ’A perfect chance!’ She met the punch head-on, intending to take the full force of the blow and fake being beaten so badly she’d spit blood.

But when the punch connected, her expression changed.

’Why was there no force behind that punch at all?!’

Lu Mingyuan had completely dissipated his power at the last second, letting himself fall backward.

It was at this very moment that Huo Hongling was finally certain.

’Lu Mingyuan hadn’t been using his full strength this entire time.’

’That was why he never took any of the openings she gave him.’

’Could it be that this Sixth Prince wants to avoid marrying me that badly?!’

’But why?!’

She couldn’t understand.

’Is it because of Qi Muxue?’

After “taking” the punch, Lu Mingyuan threw himself out of the dueling ring. He lowered his head and coughed, wiping his mouth. A smear of blood, which had appeared on his fingertip from somewhere, was now on his lips. He let out a long sigh of defeat. “Miss Huo’s Fist Technique is as terrifying as they say! My skills are inferior.”

Huo Hongling, however, simply pointed with a deadpan expression at the incense stick, which had just burned out.

Lu Mingyuan’s expression froze.

…

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