"Hm?"
Seemingly a little surprised, Long Yulang stopped with great interest. He turned to face him and asked, "Then what do you propose?"
"Long Yulang, the only reason you can humiliate me like this is because you're a disciple of the Thundercloud City Long Family, isn't it?"
"And what if I am?"
A hint of mockery appeared on Long Yulang's face as he berated him. "Long Ao, ten years ago, your talent might have been decent, but trash will always be trash. Even without my family backing me, I could still beat you. Do you believe that?"
"For the humiliation I've suffered today, I will pay you back double in the future."
"How ambitious. But let me make one thing clear: ambition isn't something you can just decide to have, it's determined by strength. Forget now—even if I gave you ten, or even twenty years, you'd never have a chance. It's like I said: trash is trash."
Clenching his fists tightly, Long Ao said with a determined expression, "Long Yulang, one year from now, I will go to Thundercloud City to challenge you. Do you dare to accept?"
'Challenge me?'
"HAHAHA!" Hearing that this guy actually wanted to challenge him, Long Yulang suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter. His laugh was filled with mockery and contempt, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
After laughing wildly for a full minute, Long Yulang abruptly stopped. With a disdainful look, he said, "Fine. Don't say I never give you a chance. One year from now, if you challenge me, I'll accept. But without any stakes, it seems a little..."
Before Long Yulang could finish, Long Ao cut in, "One year from now, we fight to the death. If I lose, I'll kill myself on the spot."
"Good. One year from now, a duel to the death. If I lose to you, I'll also kill myself on the spot."
A one-year pact. A duel to the death. The loser would take their own life on the spot.
Long Yulang and Long Ao stared at each other. Long Ao's eyes were filled with nothing but resolve, while Long Yulang's revealed only contempt and dismissal. In his heart, Long Yulang didn't believe for a second that Long Ao could ever defeat him.
Long Yulang left.
But Long Ao remained standing where he was, staring intently in the direction the other had just departed.
'If I had strength, I wouldn't have been humiliated today.'
This incident thoroughly awakened the fighting spirit within Long Ao, along with his thirst for strength. He knew with perfect clarity that in this dog-eat-dog world where strength was paramount, there was only one way to avoid being humiliated: to possess strength.
'As long as I possess great strength, Long Yulang won't be able to humiliate me. The one-year pact, the duel to the death... No matter what, I have to win.'
To win the duel to the death a year from now, his only option was to train harder and more diligently than ever before.
One year.
This incident made Long Ao understand one principle even more clearly: he had to possess great strength. Because today it was a Long Yulang, but tomorrow, it could be another, even stronger Long Yulang. It all came back to the same thing: to avoid being humiliated, he had to possess great strength.
His dream of reaching the Martial Arts Peak, his resolve to no longer be humiliated—all of it made Long Ao understand one truth: he had to have strength.
'Long Yulang, one year from now, in our duel to the death, I will defeat you! I'll show everyone that I, Long Ao, am not trash!'
'Heavens, one day, I will stand at the Martial Arts Peak, wielding peerless power!'
Clenching his fists tightly, an incredibly resolute look emerged in Long Ao's eyes.
「The next morning, in the main hall of the Long Family estate.」
On this day, the Long Family welcomed its most important guest: Long Yulang of the Sixth Level Long Clan from Thundercloud City. Even Long Haoshi was personally in attendance to show the gravity of the occasion.
The Ninth Level Long Family of Red Fire Town and the Sixth Level Long Family of Thundercloud City were both branches of the Long Clan. However, their different Levels represented different statuses and identities.
Compared to the Thundercloud City Long Family, the Red Fire Town Long Family was merely a small insect. A random talented disciple from the Thundercloud City family would have strength surpassing even Long Haoshi's. One could only imagine how formidable the Sixth Level Long Family of Thundercloud City truly was.
In the Long Family's main hall, Long Yulang and Long Haoshi sat in the seats of honor. Accompanying them were Long Li, as well as the third generation's eldest, Long Ying; the second, Long Chen; the third, Long Shi; and the seventh, Long Ao.
"Nephew Yulang, may I ask the purpose of your visit this time?"
Long Yulang wore a superior air, clearly not holding the Red Fire Town Long Family or Long Haoshi in any regard. With a trace of contempt, he said, "Long Haoshi, I've come this time on behalf of my clan to investigate the Innate Beast Pill that was on Black Ghost."
Long Haoshi? He called him by his full name. Hearing Long Yulang address Long Haoshi so directly, the expressions on Long Ao and the other four's faces turned grim.
"Long Yulang, there's something I'd like to ask. Do the Thundercloud City Long Family and the Red Fire Town Long Family both belong to the Long Clan or not?"
No matter how arrogant Long Yulang was, he wouldn't dare joke about such a matter. The Long Clan was one of the continent's top-tier powers. Even the Thundercloud City branch of the Long Family was insignificant before the entire Long Clan.
Though his expression soured, Long Yulang still nodded and replied, "Whether it's the Red Fire Town Long Family or the Thundercloud City Long Family, both belong to the Long Clan."
"As long as you admit it, things are simple. In that case, I'd like to ask you: since we are both branches of the Long Clan, shouldn't you show my grandfather the respect he is due?"
Before Long Yulang could retort, Long Ao continued, "I had assumed a disciple from a great family would have better manners than us. Now I see that reputations can be deceiving."
Long Ao's counterattack made the others, including even Long Haoshi, feel a sense of satisfaction. However, Long Yulang was, after all, a member of the Thundercloud City Long Family. His status and strength were plain to see.
With a couple of coughs, Long Haoshi immediately stepped in to smooth things over. In a voice that feigned anger, he scolded, "Ao'Er, don't be rude."
Long Yulang didn't fly into a rage as expected. He just gave a cold sneer and said, "Quite the sharp tongue. Quite the champion for others. But don't you worry, Long Ao. I won't do anything to you for the next year. After that, in our duel to the death, I will defeat you in front of everyone in the Long Family. I hope you won't have forgotten our agreement by then."
Seeing the cold sneer on Long Yulang's face, everyone was completely stunned. 'A one-year pact? A duel to the death?'
'What in the world is going on?'
Before Long Haoshi and the others could ask, Long Ao had already stood up and declared in a firm voice, "One year from now, in our duel to the death, I will defeat you."
"Defeat me?"
Long Yulang's face was still filled with disdain and contempt. He shook his head, his meaning simple: 'You're not capable of it.' And he wasn't the only one who thought so; everyone else from the Long Family present, including Long Haoshi, felt the same way.