Uncle Liu was the first one to widen his eyes at Liu Xinyu's words. He knew very well who she was talking about yet he remained silent, not exposing her. Knowing he was on her side, she had a green light to proceed further.
She was about to continue when the Dragon Race member cut in, questioning, "Is House of Dragons going to side with him?"
His face turned more stern as his middle-aged features wrinkled. It was a question everyone was interested in as Liu Xinyu scanned the experts' gazes. It was easier to deal with Sect Master Liu alone compared to facing the whole Sect after all.
"City Lord Liu, didn't you assure us that House of Dragons would not interfere in this matter?" the beast-man spoke up for the first time, causing Uncle Liu to give his eyes a rub.
"That was indeed what I said. Sect Master Liu confirmed that on the call with me. House of Dragons won't protect anyone," Uncle Liu confirmed his words, making everyone look at Liu Xinyu, including him.
"Oh, did I say anything about protection?" Liu Xinyu asked, taken aback. "I was just shedding light on some facts. Who said anything about protection?"
"Didn't you say he was Sect Master Liu's Personal Disciple?" the Dragon Race member questioned with his brows knitted.
"I also mentioned that I came here to recruit him. I never said I did," Liu Xinyu corrected before lifting her glass up.
Mia swiftly pulled out a bottle of wine and poured a dark red liquid till half the glass was full. Liu Xinyu wasn't in a hurry, slowly savoring it. Even if it annoyed them, she had the cards in her hands so they could only wait.
"Anyway, I know a good way we can solve this issue. You all want to kill him but you can't do that without fighting each other. That leaves you with only one option." Liu Xinyu paused before revealing, "How about using the incoming Tournament to kill him in the open?"
"Tournament?" Everyone asked in wonder while Uncle Liu looked like he just figured it out.
"Yes. There is a tournament in the Capital which starts tomorrow. This is the only place someone can die. As you can't join it, I suggest we all attend it tomorrow as viewers. After the Elimination Round, you will have an opportunity to pick a contestant from the Final Round and teach them an Art that will help them win. You can even tell them to target the Elemental Bracelet Owner. The team that kills the target will get to keep the Elemental Bracelet with no interference from others," Liu Xinyu proposed.
The Experts' eyes lit up at that suggestion.
"I like the idea. Are there any rules to follow?" Uncle Liu asked curiously, pushing the proposal forward.
"Yes. You can't contact any participants before the end of the Elimination Round but once it concluded, you can pick anyone on a first-come-first-served basis. You can't give any Artefacts to them as well and can't teach them Forbidden Arts," Liu Xinyu replied with the first thing on her mind.
She didn't stop as she began adding, "Also, anyone who wants to participate has to contribute Upgrade Fragments to the Tournament reward. With the bigger reward, the participants will try to win even harder. I'm sure there will be more who come with the same goal as you. Once everyone pays, the reward should look quite decent. On the other hand, those who don't pay will not participate."
"But why should we pay for the chance of getting the Elemental Bracelet when we can just wait and kill the new owner after they leave the Water Land Capital?" The Dragon Race member pointed out. He seemed the most interested in looking for a fight.
"Well, unless you want to fight the whole House of Dragons, I'm sure you want to participate. We will provide the necessary protection for the winner and escort them outside the Heaven Realm," Liu Xinyu explained and added before anyone asked, "I represent my father, Sect Master Liu, in this matter, so my word is his word."
"What do you think? I think my niece proposed a great idea," Uncle Liu approved. "We can not only avoid unnecessary bloodshed if we go this route but you might also find a potential talent if you are lucky."
"I like it," the Elf lady was the first to agree. "I prefer a peaceful way to solve this issue."
The rest nodded as well. It seemed to be the fairest.
"Alright. I don't mind the rewards and all other rules, but what about the Elemental Bracelet Owner? Who is he? Tell us more about him," the Dragon Race member demanded but Liu Xinyu shook her head, gulping down her cup of wine.
"No. It is only fair that everyone meets him at the same time. I will reveal it tomorrow at the tournament."
She didn't wait for other words of disapproval and stood up from her chair.
"Then it's settled. I will leave the other things like the reward collection to my Uncle. If you have any questions, just direct them to him. We will see each other tomorrow. Farewell," Liu Xinyu announced and walked out of the room without looking back.
'I don't really know you yet, so treat this challenge as a little test…' Liu Xinyu thought while imagining Xuefeng's face she remembered from the video. 'That's the most I can do to slow them down. Win this and maybe there will be some use of you.'
———
"Huh? You met her?"
While Liu Xinyu thought of Xuefeng, her own person was also discussed at Xuefeng's place.
"Yes, she came over when you were cultivating but left after we had a little chat," Ming admitted.
"What did she want? Did she come with good intentions?" Xuefeng asked curiously as he let Ming sit on his lap.
"She came to check you out with the plan to recruit you if you were good enough but the situation changed. I told her that you possess the Elemental Bracelet and forced her to choose between joining us or being against us," Ming informed casually, causing his eyes to widen.
"Huh?"
"Don't worry," Ming assured immediately, embracing him tightly. "You would be discovered by tomorrow anyway. Sect Master Liu and all high-class experts are coming to the Capital to hunt you down. Pulling Sect Master Liu's daughter on our side was the best thing we could do."
"Did she agree to join us then?" Xuefeng questioned, already knowing about the dangers creeping from the shadows.
"No, she didn't, but that doesn't matter. Whatever happens tomorrow, you need to prepare a trump card to face those experts. Let me teach you a Forbidden Art I prepared for you."
Just the two words Forbidden Art was enough to gather his attention.
"Let's do it!"