Chapter 2782: Chapter 2782: Marco's Strategy
The Ripple Pavilion looked ordinary, but it was regarded as the faith in the large clans around the Clear Lake.
“Yes. That is the Ripple Pavilion,” Gant replied with a smile. “Don't be fooled by its ordinary appearance. It's a very special and mysterious pavilion.”
“Really? Why so?” Zen asked curiously.
Gant was silent, keeping Zen in suspense. “Help us defeat them,” he finally said. “You'll know what's inside.”
The giant drums were hurled straight into the lake to form a massive platform.
Dozens of people from various clans jumped on the platform. As they stepped on the drums, the lake water would burst out from the cracks in between, forming water curtains. For an onlooker, the scene looked quite magnificent.
Soon, hundreds of thousands of people were gathered by the Clear Lake, applauding the water curtains.
Other performers followed the drummers.
Singing and dancing filled the air and entertained the audience.
Zen was starting to feel impatient, but he knew he was invited by the Su Clan and so he tried to relax.
As he watched the performance, Zen suddenly felt like someone was staring at him from afar.
He looked around, but didn't find anyone among the thick crowd.
On the other side, an exquisite room stood on the large flying carriage of the Xu Clan.
Inside it, Marco was standing by the window staring at Zen. “He really did come,” he snorted.
“Since he's here now, I assume he'll also attend the competition. It might be a bad idea to kill him in front of such a big crowd,” Lazlo advised.
They had spied on Zen and made sure he was in the Su Clan's residence, and then they proceeded to discuss the plan to kill him.
The simplest way was to follow Zen. As soon as he was alone, they could sneak up on him and let Marco slay him.
Marco didn't like this plan.
The Oneness Sky Palace was full of curious and smart onlookers. Even if they sneaked up on him, someone could still easily uncover the truth.
“The younger generations of the clans fight against each other at the rally. The members of the Su Clan are just weak weapon refiners. If we suppress the Su Clan, the Su Clan will have no choice but to seek help from Zen. As long as he makes his first move, it will be easy,” Marco said calmly.
Marco did not see a real threat in Zen.
As long as they were in battle, Zen's death would only be considered as fate. They could kill him in the battle ring and the Flow Sword Sect could do nothing to Marco. 𝐫άŊòＢΕᶊ
Drystan and Grayson exchanged a meaningful look. There was a hint of worry in their eyes. They recalled the night Zen had tried to slash them. Even if he failed, they could still tell he had remarkable strength.
Moreover, Zen knew that they had spied on him. It was obvious that Zen had sharp senses.
However, they decided to keep their thought to themselves. They did not want to risk offending Marco's ego.
He was, after all, one of the best among his peers. He was nearly at the fourteenth stage of the Other Shore Realm and so he was confident that he could easily kill Zen.
Four hours had passed and the performance had finally come to a close. The master of the Xu Clan took the platform.
The main highlight of the gathering was the competition of the younger generation at the Ripple Pavilion.
Whoever won would rule the pavilion.
The previous year, the Xu Clan placed first. As part of the tradition, they had the right to come to the stage and select their opponent the following year.
Each clan could only send two members, which meant they only had two chances. They had to cautiously choose their opponents.
“This year, the Xu Clan's opponent is...” The master of the Xu Clan looked towards the Su Clan and continued, “The Su Clan!”
Cailen was stunned, and the members of the Su Clan exchanged confused looks.
The Su Clan's disciples might not be as strong as the other clans, but they were good at weapon refining. Very few clans took them as the first target. Cailen thought the Xu Clan would choose the Li Clan or the Jia Clan instead.
Mumbled discussions filled the air as everyone exchanged speculations.
The Xu Clan master's face flushed in helplessness. He didn't want to choose the Su Clan, but he was merely following Marco's orders.
Marco had promised that he would personally fight in the competition, after all.
He was a direct descendant of the Xu Clan. He was also among the most outstanding disciples of the Oneness Sky Palace. He could easily defeat his opponents at the gathering of the Ripple Pavilion.
It was rare that a clan would win the battle for two consecutive years, but with Marco's participation, the Xu Clan was feeling confident they could win again.
The master of the Xu Clan announced, “Morgan Xu! Fight for our Xu Clan!”
“What?”
“Why would he send Morgan to fight at the first round?”
Even the other clans found the arrangement absurd.
Morgan was the most powerful warrior in the younger generation of the Xu Clan, and an elite disciple on the Vastness Mountain of the Oneness Sky Palace. The year before, Morgan's outstanding performance led to their victory. Why was he suddenly selected to fight the first round?
Each clan could only send two people and the Xu Clan was the first to fight. Putting Morgan at the earliest stage of the battle risked using up all his strength because he would have to fight again and again till the end.
If he failed, the Xu Clan might not have anyone stronger to fight in his place.
Whoosh!
From the direction of the Xu Clan, a young man in white floated out. He slid on the lake and set off thick waves. The giant drums rose and fell.
Dong!
Morgan stood on a huge drum with an arrogant look on his face.
'What's so amazing about Marco? He's just from the direct line of the clan. I'll make sure to knock down each and every single opponent I encounter from start to finish to make sure he fights no one!' Morgan thought.
The Su Clan that was selected as the Xu Clan's opponent for the first round was in deep thought as to who to fight. After all, they were going to compete with the most powerful person in the Xu Clan.
“Uncle! Please allow me to fight!”
“Uncle! Please allow me to fight!”
“Uncle! Please allow me to fight!”
Irving, Osrid and Nevyn, the most powerful warriors in the younger generation of the Su Clan, approached Cailen.
Cailen gave it a thought. He looked at Osrid and decided, “Osrid, go fight with Morgan.”
Osrid was a strong disciple of the Oneness Sky Palace. Among the three, he was the strongest.
Osrid shook his head and said, “Uncle, let me be the second combatant.”
He wanted to fight, but not as the first combatant. He felt that he should be the second one to fight.
“Go,” insisted Cailen.
Many years had passed since the Su Clan last won the gathering. In recent years, the Su Clan only acted as a foil.
This time, they had invited Zen and had sought his help. They had to make good use of him.
Osrid couldn't disobey Cailen's order. With sinking shoulders, he walked towards the platform.
Morgan laughed at the sight of Osrid. For him, he looked pathetic. “I don't know why my father chose the Su Clan as our first opponent, but I can tell your clan is very weak. Why else would they send you to fight with me?”