Three days later.
Wu Lingtian gently shook Fang Xian, waking him up.
"Honey, Cheng Feng is waiting for me outside. Will you come with me?"
Fang Xian opened his eyes groggily, still a little confused.
"Cheng Feng? That young master of the Blue Star Domain Lord?"
"Yes, that's him."
Last time, Cheng Feng stopped Li Tianba from attacking the Dragon Alliance and even tried to invite Fang Xian, Lü Wushuang, and Xiang Tianyu to join their team, but Fang Xian refused.
Now that "Divine Stone Mountain" is about to open, Cheng Feng's return is most likely for this matter.
He felt it necessary to accompany Wu Lingtian to see what Cheng Feng's intentions were.
"Okay, I'll quickly wash up."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
Fang Xian immediately got up, quickly washed up, tidied his appearance, and followed Wu Lingtian.
They wandered around, finally arriving at the main hall.
Seated in the main hall, a handsome young man was enjoying tea—it was none other than Cheng Feng.
Behind him stood a silent old man, and sitting opposite him were Lü Wushuang and Xiang Tianyu.
Upon seeing Wu Lingtian and Fang Xian emerge, Lü Wushuang and Xiang Tianyu immediately rose.
"Alliance Leader."
Wu Lingtian nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"I apologize, Young Master Cheng, for keeping you waiting."
"It's alright."
Cheng Feng smiled as he looked at Fang Xian, who had followed him.
"Brother Fang Xian, long time no see."
"Greetings, Young Master Cheng."
Fang Xian bowed slightly, smiling, and then sat down next to Lü Wushuang.
Wu Lingtian sat on the phoenix chair and inquired softly.
"I wonder what brings Young Master Cheng here so suddenly?"
"I wouldn't presume to give orders, but I heard your alliance is collecting 'god-level equipment' of various grades, so I came out of curiosity to take a look."
Wu Lingtian nodded. This matter was no secret throughout the entire Blue Star Region, so it wasn't surprising that Cheng Feng knew about it.
"Yes, that's true. We purchased them at reasonable prices, and there was no robbery involved. We strictly adhered to the laws and regulations of the Blue Star Region."
"Hehe, Alliance Leader Wu's actions are naturally legal and compliant. My father and I both fully agree with that."
At this point, Cheng Feng's lips curled up, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wu Lingtian.
"However, we do not recommend Alliance Leader Wu to purchase in large quantities to avoid unethical business practices such as hoarding and speculation."
Upon hearing this, Wu Lingtian and the others understood the purpose of Cheng Feng's visit: to warn the Eastern Alliance against hoarding "God-level equipment," causing market shortages, and then using that as an opportunity to raise prices, profit from the chaos, and disrupt market order.
"Young Master Cheng, you overestimate us. Although we have annexed the Western Alliance, our current scale is insufficient to absorb all the 'God-level equipment' in the entire Blue Star Region."
"Hehe, Alliance Leader Long is too modest."
Cheng Feng took a sip of tea, then changed the subject, getting straight to the point.
"What is Alliance Leader Wu's opinion of Li Tianba?"
Wu Lingtian frowned slightly. Everyone in the Blue Star Region knew that Wu Lingtian and Li Tianba were enemies. This was a rhetorical question, clearly indicating an ulterior motive.
"Young Master Cheng, rest assured, our struggle will not disrupt the normal order of the Blue Star Region. It will be a legal and compliant competition."
"I am reassured about that. However, a prolonged struggle is not good for either side. It would be better to settle the matter sooner rather than later. Alliance Leader Wu, what do you think?"
Upon hearing this, everyone frowned.
Fang Xian finally understood Cheng Feng's true purpose behind all that talk.
Was he afraid the Dragon Alliance was buying so much "god-level equipment" to prepare for war against Asia City?
Or was he trying to help Li Tianba find a reason to destroy the Dragon Alliance?
In any case, judging from his words, a decisive battle was inevitable soon.
Wu Lingtian understood Cheng Feng's meaning. In the past, this would have been a crisis, as her strength wouldn't allow it.
But now it was different. With Fang Xian around, she couldn't wait to kill Li Tianba.
"What suggestions does Young Master Cheng have?"
"My idea is simple: why don't you sign a life-or-death agreement and have a duel?"
Wu Lingtian frowned slightly. She glanced at Fang Xian. Following Fang Xian's logic, she absolutely couldn't accept this; if she did, Fang Xian's strength would be exposed.
"Young Master Cheng, we don't have anyone of that level who can fight Li Tianba one-on-one."
Cheng Feng glanced at Fang Xian, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
"I was rash. How about this: you two engage in an alliance war. That way, no one will know what happened inside."
Fang Xian looked at Cheng Feng; the meaning behind his words was clear.
He deliberately used a one-on-one duel as a test. Seeing Wu Lingtian refuse, two conclusions could be drawn:
One possibility was that the Dragon Alliance truly lacked the strength.
The second possibility was that the Dragon Alliance wanted to conceal its true strength.
Then, he would use this as a pretext to propose another strategy: an alliance war.
The emphasis on "unknown" was clearly a calculated move.
If Wu Lingtian agreed, it would mean the Dragon Alliance had the power to kill Li Tianba, but didn't want to reveal their true strength, hence agreeing to the alliance war.
This was a test for Wu Lingtian. Agreeing would allow him to settle scores quickly, but it would reveal the Dragon Alliance's true strength to Cheng Feng, potentially causing a chain reaction.
Then, the Dragon Alliance would not only face Li Tianba, but also the Blue Star Domain Lord, and even the Human Emperor and other high-ranking officials.
If Wu Lingtian refused, she would miss the best opportunity.
But Wu Lingtian was a smart woman; she certainly wouldn't choose to agree to the alliance war.
Thinking about it this way, Cheng Feng's purpose might not be to force Wu Lingtian to choose between two options, but rather…
Wu Lingtian hesitated, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and expectation as she looked at Fang Xian.
Fang Xian felt Wu Lingtian's gaze, and when he saw Cheng Feng looking at him with a meaningful smile, he finally understood Cheng Feng's purpose.
Cheng Feng's trip wasn't to intimidate the Dragon Alliance, nor was it to force Wu Lingtian and Li Tianba to a life-or-death battle.
These things were none of Cheng Feng's concern, nor were they important to him.
What was important was the upcoming opening of—"Divine Stone Mountain."
Breaking through level 500 was what he most urgently wanted.
But to stand out in the genius-filled "Divine Stone Mountain," he needed to find powerful teammates to increase his chances of victory.
Initially, Cheng Feng sensed Fang Xian's extraordinary abilities by observing Lü Wushuang and Xiang Tianyu. Now, he deliberately tested Wu Lingtian, seeking flaws to confirm his suspicions.
All this preparation was to confirm whether Fang Xian could truly help him break through level 500.
Through the test, Cheng Feng could deduce that someone in the Dragon Alliance could kill Li Tianba; otherwise, Wu Lingtian wouldn't have hesitated.
Wu Lingtian's gaze was fixed on Fang Xian, which confirmed Cheng Feng's earlier guess and allowed for complete confirmation.
—Fang Xian could help him break through level 500.
Thinking of this, he shook his head with a wry smile.
When a woman has someone to rely on, she's more likely to reveal a fleeting vulnerability.
This isn't entirely Wu Lingtian's fault; it's because Cheng Feng is a cunning man who skillfully uses Wu Lingtian's hatred for Li Tianba as a breakthrough point. Otherwise, it would be difficult for Cheng Feng to notice any flaws in Wu Lingtian's actions.
Since things have come to this, let's see what Cheng Feng will do.
If he's malicious, then don't blame Fang Xian for eliminating him completely.