FATE: Target of Grand Master

This is the Demon Eye!

Li Zhuang recognized him immediately.

He never expected that Xia Yan had a killer move hidden away.

No, I must get away from him immediately!

Driven by his survival instinct, Li Zhuang immediately tried to turn and run away, but he found that he couldn't move his legs.

Looking down, Li Zhuang discovered that his legs below the knees had turned to stone, and the signs of petrification were continuing to spread upwards.

The Petrifying Demon Eye!

Xia Yan's Demon Eye happens to be the Petrification Demon Eye that most effectively counters his Space Jump Shoes!

Damn!

Why am I so unlucky!

Regret and remorse began to gnaw at Li Zhuang's heart.

He complained about why fate had to let him meet Xia Yan twice.

He was jealous of Xia Yan's ability to always summon powerful Servants.

He resented BB for favoring Xia Yan and giving him all sorts of abilities.

But he never considered what exactly he had done wrong.

As Xia Yan approached him step by step, Li Zhuang forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and stammered, "Xia... Xia Yan, um... I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have called you a 'cheater' in the world chat. I... I... I apologize. I'm so sorry, please, forgive me."

Xia Yan, whose pupils had returned to normal, stood before Li Zhuang, who was frozen in shock up to his waist, and laughed, "How do you want me to spare you?"

Li Zhuang quickly said, "Just give me a teleportation ball. I'll leave immediately, and you'll win without a fight."

"But can't I win even if I do nothing?"

Seeing that Xia Yan was not satisfied, Li Zhuang quickly added, "I'll tell you my ID number, and I'll clarify things for you on the world channel when we get back. Also, I'm a member of the 'Knights of the Round Table,' and I can tell you information about most of the members of the 'Knights of the Round Table.'"

Seeing Xia Yan rubbing his chin, seemingly considering something, a glimmer of hope ignited in Li Zhuang's heart.

"Besides the Knights of the Round Table, I know a lot about Masters, and I can tell you everything. If you don't mind, I can serve you in the future. How about it? This information is definitely enough to make up for the 50 Master Points you spent on the teleportation orb."

Xia Yan nodded and replied, "That's right."

Li Zhuang said happily, "Then..."

Xia Yan reached out and patted Li Zhuang's petrified shoulder, saying, "Unfortunately, before you, I had already promised Chester that I would avenge him. I always believe in the principle of first come, first served. Only after fulfilling my promise to him can we talk about our deal."

Li Zhuang wanted to say something more, but found that he couldn't move his mouth anymore.

Looking at Li Zhuang's eyes, which yearned for communication, Xia Yan said with a smile, "It's alright, don't be afraid. Death is just a matter of a moment, just bear with it and it will pass."

And so, Li Zhuang's gaze finally turned into one of despair and resentment, which was frozen on his face.

"Nero, I'm all set now."

Xia Yan yawned and transmitted the message to Nero through telepathy.

"I'm sorry, player, for making you indulge my whims this once."

Nero, who was still fighting against the God Ancestor, responded telepathically.

"What kind of talk is that? We don't need to be so polite between us. Just focus on the fight. If you lose, I'm finished too."

"Mmm."

The origin of this encrypted call between the two dates back to shortly after the lottery draw.

After learning that her opponent in this round was the God Ancestor, Nero used telepathy to ask Xia Yan to create a fair environment for her to compete with the God Ancestor.

Fairness here means not only that the battle between the two is not affected by their Masters, but also that neither of the two Masters dies prematurely.

Nero believed that with Xia Yan's strength, dealing with Li Zhuang would not be a problem. However, once Li Zhuang died first, the God Ancestor would also disappear immediately, making it difficult for her to challenge and defeat the God Ancestor who possessed full power.

Therefore, Xia Yan not only needs to defeat Li Zhuang, but also needs to find a way to prevent his opponent from dying immediately.

Fortunately, Xia Yan possesses the Petrification Demon Eye. As long as he seizes the opportunity, he can petrify Li Zhuang and fulfill the conditions.

Nero knew that this was clearly a trial for the performers, and that as a follower, he should suppress his own needs and desires. However, this was Romulus! For any subsequent Roman emperor, the opportunity to fight and defeat Romulus, the founding emperor of Rome, was an unattainable dream.

Nero is willful, and he knows it. But it is precisely because his musician is Xia Yan that Nero feels that the musician will tolerate his willfulness. And isn't this a reflection of Nero's trust in Xia Yan?

Time can build trust, but trust doesn't necessarily require a long period of time.

As the two of them reached this fourth round of the duel, Nero was able to appreciate just how precious Xia Yan was as his Master.

Even though any failure would mean death, Xia Yan was still able to understand and tolerate his followers, and was even willing to put himself in danger to fulfill their wishes.

If this isn't trust, what is it?

As for Xia Yan's trust, Nero will definitely give him even greater trust in return, but that's a matter for later. Right now, what Nero needs to do is repay Xia Yan's trust with actions.

Defeat the god Romulus!

While fulfilling his own wish, he also helped Xia Yan successfully advance to the next round.

As Nero's opponent, Romulus noticed from the start of the battle that Nero's actions were biased towards defense and evasion, seemingly intending to stall for time.

This did not surprise Romulus, since the two Masters were also fighting. Even though Romulus had not seen Xia Yan fight, he could still roughly assess that Xia Yan's level was above Li Zhuang's. Therefore, as long as Xia Yan killed Li Zhuang, the Servant battle on this side would naturally end.

As a strategy for the war, this was understandable, but Romulus still felt somewhat disappointed in Nero, who would become the next emperor of Rome.

However, after Xia Yan petrified Li Zhuang, he did not make any further moves. Instead, he sat down on the ground and began to observe his battle with Nero. Romulus sensed something was amiss.

Subsequently, Nero's fighting style also underwent a huge change, from a passive stance that favored defense and dodging to an aggressive and fierce offensive stance. Romulus finally understood the thoughts of the other's master and servant.

Romulus's lips unconsciously curled into a smile. This was Romulus's appreciation for Nero, the fifth emperor of Rome, who dared to challenge him, and also his recognition of Xia Yan, Nero's Master, for being willing to fulfill Nero's wishes.

Nero, my child, you have met a Master of unparalleled talent.

Since that's the case...

Romulus added even more strength to the Founding Spear, which was as thick as a tree trunk.

I must also do my best so as not to spoil the children's fun.