1184 Sparring With the Dragon Empress

Once they were seated, Yuan immediately began stuffing his face with food.

"Wow… It's almost like you never ate before coming back…" Xi Meili mumbled in a dazed voice as she watched Yuan eat like he was starving.

Unbeknownst to Xi Meili, Yuan wasn't full even at the end of their food tour and could've easily eaten more without sparring with Xi Murong.

As they ate, Xi Meili, who was sitting next to Yuan, said to him, "You know, my mother used to be called the Uncontrollable Beast because she would pick fights with everyone."

"H-Hey!" Xi Mingze blushed when Xi Meili brought up her embarrassing past.

"What? You already mentioned it. Might as well tell him about the rest." Xi Meili shrugged.

"Boss, how do you usually train?" Xi Murong asked him.

"Do you have to call me boss? I know you said you'd do it, but I really don't care."

"I am not going back on my words, regardless of your feelings." Xi Murong said in a stern voice.

Yuan sighed inwardly, then he said, "I don't really have a training routine."

"Impossible! Are you telling me that you got to where you currently are without training?!"

"I'm not saying I don't train. I just don't have a set routine. I get my experience through actual combat." Yuan said.

"The Young Master is a prodigy that makes other geniuses look like ordinary humans. He can learn anything with a glance and soaks up experiences like a dry sponge." Feng Yuxiang said in a prideful manner, almost as though she was bragging about her own son.

"Well, since we are here, why don't we decide the rules for our match now?" Xi Mingze suddenly said.

Yuan pondered for a moment before speaking, "How about no rules? I'd like to fight Madam without any advantages, just like a real fight."

A delighted smile appeared on Xi Mingze's face after hearing his words, "You are a true warrior. Then I shall fulfill your desires and fight you without holding back."

Yuan nodded.

"Why don't we make the match a little more exciting?" Xi Meili suddenly said, and she continued, "Let's have a bet."

"What do you have in mind?" Xi Mingze asked.

Xi Meili pondered for a moment before speaking, "I will bet on Yuan's victory. If he wins, you will let me bring him with me to the Azure Dragon City without complaining."

"You're betting on my defeat? How daring. Then what will happen if I win?" Xi Mingze narrowed her eyes.

"If your mother wins, you will seriously consider the arrangement with the Azure Dragon Family." Xi Shengmo interrupted.

"Sure." Xi Meili responded without hesitation since Xi Shengmo didn't say anything about agreeing to the arrangements.

As for Xi Shengmo, he had absolute confidence in his wife's victory, so he didn't make any unreasonable demands.

After a long feast, Xi Mingze said to Yuan, "Get some good rest tonight. The arena should be ready by noon."

"Okay."

Sometime later, Yuan entered his room and asked the others through divine sense, "Do you think I will be able to defeat a Spirit Sovereign?"

"Well… She's not just a Spirit Sovereign but a peak Spirit Sovereign. And she's a Divine Beast. It'll be a hard battle even for someone like you, Young master." Feng Yuxiang gave her opinion.

"No comment from me." Lan Yingying said, as she lacked the experience.

"Brother Yuan will defeat her. Definitely." Xiao Hua said in a confident voice.

"I think the best chance you'll have at defeating her is to go all-out from the beginning. The longer the fight, the lower your chance at victory." Feng Yuxiang then said.

"That makes sense, but I am not fighting her just for the sake of winning. I am fighting her for the experience. Of course, I still want to win, but I'm just not desperate for it."

The following day, after breakfast, Xi Mingze said, "The arena is prepared. When do you wish to fight?"

"I can do it right now." Yuan said.

"Very well. Follow me."

They all left the city shortly after.

Sometime later, they stopped about several hundred miles away from the city. At their location, there was nothing but clouds below their feet.

"We will be able to let loose here without needing to worry about damaging our surroundings." Xi Mingze said to him.

Yuan looked around and asked, "Is this place protected by the same formation that protects the stage?"

She nodded, "That's correct, but it's much larger than the ones back in the city. The formation is about 100 miles in diameter with our current location as the center. We should have plenty of room to move around."

Xi Shengmo then said with a bittersweet smile on his face, "You should also know that it requires a tremendous amount of resources to put up such a massive formation. This fight wasn't cheap— several billion spirit stones."

"Billions…?" Yuan was speechless.

"Don't worry about it, since I was the one who requested this fight." Xi Mingze chuckled.

"Are you two ready to fight?" Xi Shengmo then asked.

"I am." Yuan nodded.

Xi Mingze also nodded.

Xi Shengmo looked at the others and said to them, "Let's get out of their way."

Once everyone besides Yuan and Xi Mingze was out of the formation, Yuan retrieved his Empyrean Overlord.

Xi Mingze also retrieved her weapon. It was a golden spear that had a realistic dragon coiled around the whole handle.

"Do you know what this is?" Xi Mingze asked him.

Yuan narrowed his eyes on the spear. It seemed like an ordinary treasure, as it did not emit any unique aura, yet it had this familiar feeling to it.

"Is that a Soul Weapon?" Yuan asked.

She nodded, "That's right. It's our family's heirloom, the Dragon's Soul. Unfortunately, I am not its master, so I won't be able to use its abilities. And if you are worried that I am trying to handicap myself, I will let you know that even though I cannot use it to its full potential, it is still an excellent weapon that surpasses even Ancient-grade treasures."