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Time passed in an agonizing fashion.

The sweltering sun that loomed overhead gradually passed over the apex and began to set.

At the same time, the activities entered their second phase. There would be a competition between pavilion masters. In previous years, the final victor would be rewarded immensely by the House Lords.

However, this very same competition would also ignite the atmosphere and allow everyone to let loose.

But things would be a little different this year.

Once friends, they would now face each other as mortal enemies. This was no sparring contest, it was a battle to the death.

Thus, the pavilion master competition would inevitably have an element of bloodshed.

Dong! Dong!

The drums boomed endlessly within the House Luolan Headquarters, gradually increasing in intensity.

Amidst the bluestone paved square, waves of forceful resonant power were emitted as two silhouettes began to exchange blows. Each strike was infused with the intent to kill, any previous semblance of courtesy replaced with sheer bloodlust.

In past years, such a fight would be accompanied by cheers, but the field was completely silent today. Everyone only watched silently, tightly clutching their weapons.

Once the pavilion masters concluded their battles, the Housemeet would reach its climax and most important phase.

The incense lighting ceremony.

Why? Only the rightful House Lord had the right to light it.

House Luolan currently lacked an official House Lord. Whoever wanted to possess the title would have to go through a series of procedures. One had to be confirmed by the watching members of the entire house.

Li Luo and Pei Hao were thus awaiting this pivotal moment.

Amidst the depressed atmosphere, Li Luo remained calm and serene, silently biding his time.

By the end of the competition, the sun had almost set. The entire sky was blanketed by a gloomy darkness, almost reflective of everyone\'s moods.

At this point, under the watchful eyes of the audience, Li Luo began to rise from his seat.

"Young Lord, there\'s no need to hurry. We have to discuss the issue with the incense lighting ceremony." Pei Hao piped up with a smirk.

"Although the Young Lord is the House Lords’ flesh and blood and possesses the right to inherit the position of House Lord, as per the House Lords’ rules, one also possesses the right to struggle for the position if he is able to obtain the recognition of two ancestors."

"Pei Hao is an elder of House Luolan. He has served House Luolan faithfully over the years and I believe that everyone knows this deep down. As the namesake disciple of the House Lords, I believe he has the right to attain the position of House Lord. Mo Cheng and I, as ancestors of the house, have contemplated this issue for a long time. We plan to nominate Pei Hao, and thus, Young lord, we would invite you to take a step back for the incense lighting ceremony," Xu Tianling coolly spoke.

Mo Cheng expressed his assent with a nod. "We invite the Young Lord to obey the rules set by the House Lords, to engage Pei Hao in a bout. The winner will become the House Lord."

Li Luo, Yuan Qing, Lei Zhang, and the rest were fuming at this declaration. These animals had finally made their malicious intent apparent.

Pei Hao similarly stood up and glanced at Li Luo. "Fighting the Young Lord is no different from bullying the weak. If the Young Lord is willing to let Disciple Jiang fight on his behalf, that is also acceptable."

This concession took Li Luo by surprise, and he sized Pei Hao up. This fool wanted to challenge Jiang Qing\'e directly? He was even taking the initiative to do so?

It was clear that he had made targeted preparations.

"I don\'t want to hear the words ‘Disciple Jiang’ from your filthy mouth. You and I are different. You\'re merely a namesake disciple who became one through pity. You have to kneel and plead for three days before the Master and Mistress finally relented. Otherwise, why would you be chosen? You were a stray they picked off the street and given a new identity due to their mercy. Nothing else. Nothing more." Jiang Qing\'e\'s golden eyes glared at Pei Hao as her sharp words cut like knives.

The vicious tirade caused the smile on Pei Hao\'s face to recede, and his gaze turned cold. "You look down upon me? Based on what!? What right do you have?!"

Li Luo waved his hand, seemingly trying to defuse the situation as he attentively spoke up. "No, no, you got it all wrong. She has never looked down upon you. You\'ve overestimated yourself. She has never put you in her eyes."

The looks of the audience turned a little strange. These two were just taking turns to insult him. Was their plan to infuriate him to the point that he might die of a burst vessel?

"Pei Hao. Relax. Words alone cannot change the situation," Xu Tianling reminded him.

Pei Hao sucked in a deep breath, and a hint of wintry frost could be seen in his eyes. He did not continue to bicker, directly jumping into the middle of the bluestone paved square, challenging Li Luo with a scowl.

"Young Lord, please. Since you want to inherit the Master and Mistress\' businesses, you have to show strength that is befitting of it. Otherwise... don\'t blame your senior for taking away what you cherish."

A chilling smile surfaced on Pei Hao\'s face. "I\'m just doing this for the good of the house after all..."

……

Royal palace.

The First Princess raised her charming face as she admired the crescent moon hanging in the sky. After estimating that it was time, she fell into deep contemplation before eventually waving her hand.

The void behind her rippled, and a figure dressed in red appeared. It was an elder with a benevolent expression and a slightly feminine temperament. He bowed deeply before the princess.

"Your Highness." The red-robed elder smiled.

"Chief Steward Qin, I\'m afraid I have to trouble you with a little excursion. Remember, no one is to enter House Luolan. All you need to do is to stay outside and deter any Dukes from taking a step further," the First Princess ordered.

Any Dukes that wanted to enter House Luolan at this point in time was undoubtedly an enemy that craved for the secrets it held within. One could only imagine the rivers of blood that would run through the lanes outside House Luolan tonight.

Chief Steward Qin smiled and nodded before he disappeared like a puff of smoke, completely vanishing.

Sensing the empty air behind her, the First Princess arced one hand behind her shoulder, the other lightly tapping the icy, hard stone block before her.

The winds of change would descend upon the entire city tonight. None could avoid it.

……

In the district outside the royal palace.

A smoke-like shadow passed through the spacious corridors, ethereal and almost invisible.

All of a sudden, an ice resonance activated and caused the surrounding temperatures to plummet, creating crystals of ice.

A red-robed elder\'s silhouette was slowed by the sudden onset of frost, phasing into existence in the middle of the corridor.

The elder was naturally Chief Steward Qin.

He was no longer smiling at this point, his eyebrows knitted into a frown as he glanced around. "What tyrannical ice resonant power. Governor Zhong, you seem to have taken a step forward after all these years. "

The cold air started to condense before his very eyes, and a slightly thin middle-aged man eventually took shape.

He was dressed in blue, his long hair tied into a whip that rested against his back. He held an expression of indifference, laced with arrogance developed from holding a position of importance for numerous years.

This was Zhong Jie. He controlled three counties within the Xia Kingdom, a governor who possessed absolute power and influence. His son, Zhong Taiqiu, was the one that Jiang Qing\'e had previously bested.

"The night is long, and so there will be suffering. If I may ask, why have you left the royal palace, Chief Steward Qin? Where are you planning to go?" the governor asked with a face full of smiles and a polite tone.

"Alas, I have been ordered to carry out a quick errand. I wonder, why did you stop this old man, Governor Zhong?" Chief Steward Qin replied with a smile.

Governor Zhong sighed. "I too am restrained by the orders from above."

Chief Steward Qin\'s eyes shrunk as he slowly enunciated, "Does the Regent plan to interfere with House Luolan\'s internal affairs?"

Governor Zhong was one that wielded considerable might. In fact, he would not even obey the Young Emperor\'s orders at times. The only individual that he was willing to obey was the one that had elevated him to the position he had today, the Regent himself.

Governor Zhong smiled and did not reply. "I don\'t want to exchange blows with you, Chief Steward Qin, so I would like to invite you to remain here till everything is resolved tonight. Would that be acceptable to you?"

"Unfortunately, I will have to have a taste of Governor Zhong\'s tyrannical Demonic Whale and Ice resonances," Chief Steward Qin glumly replied.

As soon as he finished speaking, a gargantuan column of resonant power rose from the body of Chief Steward Qin, causing even the ground beneath him to tremble. At the same time, an endlessly growing world of nature seemed to have come to life in the void behind Governor Zhong. Countless blades of black grass stretched out like pythons towards him, in all of their fanged glory.

Governor Zhong helplessly smirked.

"So be it. I have always wanted to cross blows with your Earth and Ten Thousand Toothed Spirit Grass resonances. At the same time, a frigid and icy world took form in the space behind him. A massive creature could be seen swimming slowly beneath the layer of ice, releasing a low wail.

The two Dukes began to clash right beside the royal palace.