The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

The next morning.

As dawn broke, the palace villas came alive with activity.

The eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out in the courtyard.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come. Please follow me to the square."

Sixteen servants filed out, following behind the eunuch, and walked through the long corridor toward the square in front of the central palace.

The nobles had all arrived in the square.

On the platform, Emperor Murong Yuan sat on the dragon throne, Crown Prince Murong Hao stood beside him, and civil and military officials lined up on both sides.

Luo Hanyi remained seated slightly to the left of the center, wearing a deep purple dress, her hair styled in a high bun, her face cool and aloof.

Qin Minglan stood behind her, dressed in a light yellow outfit, with the Qing Shuang sword hanging at her waist, looking heroic and dashing.

When she saw Wang Long walking over, her almond-shaped eyes lit up, and she waved to him.

Wang Long smiled and nodded, then walked down to the stands and stood in the ranks of the servants.

Qin Minglan's gaze followed him, looking him up and down. Seeing that he looked well, she felt relieved.

"This old man looks much more energetic now."

She muttered something under her breath, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

A gentle morning breeze rustled across the square.

Emperor Murong Yuan sat upright on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping over the sixteen servants below the platform, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

The eunuch's shrill voice suddenly rang out.

"By imperial decree, the rules for today's final match have been changed!"

The entire room fell silent instantly.

All the nobles looked up at the emperor on the dragon throne, their faces filled with surprise and doubt.

Rule changes?

In previous years, the finals of the competition were all one-on-one elimination matches, going from sixteen to eight, eight to four, four to two, until the champion was finally decided.

Although this year, it was Xun Gui himself who took charge, turning it into a contest between household servants.

Why does it need to be changed?

This is far too sudden.

They really couldn't figure out what the emperor was thinking.

Emperor Murong Yuan smiled and spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching the ears of everyone present.

"While one-on-one duels can reveal the difference in individual martial arts skills, they cannot reveal true combat abilities."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"The real battlefield is never one-on-one."

"It's about fighting against many, a life-or-death struggle, surviving in chaos, and having the last laugh."

The emperor raised his hand and waved it.

"Today's final will be a free-for-all battle between sixteen people!"

"Whoever stands until the end will be this year's champion!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room erupted in uproar!

A sixteen-person free-for-all?

What kind of rule is this?

The nobles looked at each other, their faces filled with shock and unease.

Each family's servants have different areas of expertise.

Some excel at frontal assaults, some at mobile assassinations, and some at defensive counter-attacks.

In one-on-one situations, you can also develop strategies based on your opponent's characteristics.

A chaotic battle ensued among sixteen people, and everything became uncertain.

On the stands, Luo Hanyi's expression changed.

A sixteen-person melee...

Wang Long has just broken through to the early stage of the third rank, and his realm is not yet stable.

Tie Xiong was at the late stage of the third rank, just one step away from the peak.

If it were a one-on-one situation, Wang Long would have a 60% chance of winning.

A sixteen-person melee...

Others may not target Tie Xiong, but they are likely to team up to eliminate the seemingly weakest one first.

Wang Long, being the oldest and least noticeable among all the servants, was the most likely to become the target of everyone's criticism.

"sister in law……"

Qin Minglan's voice was clearly filled with anxiety.

"What should we do? The old man..."

"We have no choice but to believe him."

Luo Hanyi had no other choice, so she gave Wang Long a life-saving magical artifact.

The final outcome depends on Wang Long's own fate.

Luo Hanyi took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing on Wang Long.

The old man was standing in the ranks of his servants, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his back slightly hunched, his cloudy old eyes half-open and half-closed.

Upon hearing the emperor's new rules, his brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed, his expression remaining calm.

Looking at him like this, Luo Hanyi suddenly felt a surge of indescribable emotions.

That old man...

Are they truly confident, or are they just putting on a brave face?

Qin Minglan stood behind Luo Hanyi, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on Wang Long's back.

She bit her lip and prayed silently in her heart.

On the other side of the stands, Zhao Pojun sat upright in his seat, a faint smile on his lips.

A sixteen-person free-for-all?

Just what he wanted.

He turned to look at Luo Hanyi, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

Han Yi, once Tie Xiong kills that old bastard, let's see what hope you have left.

Once I receive the champion's reward and break through to the eighth rank, you will naturally come begging to me.

Zhao Pojun withdrew his gaze, looked at Tie Xiong below the arena, and nodded slightly.

Tie Xiong understood, grinned, and revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth.

He turned his head to look at Wang Long, and raised his hand to his neck as if to slit his throat.

Extremely arrogant.

Wang Long glanced at him and simply ignored him.

The nobles around them whispered among themselves.

"A sixteen-person free-for-all? That's brutal!"

"That old man from the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion is doomed. He looks the weakest, so he'll definitely be the first to be eliminated."

"That's right, it's a miracle if they can last for even an incense stick's time."

Amidst the whispers, Emperor Murong Yuan raised his hand and waved it.

"Now that the rules are clear, let's begin."

The eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out.

"Sixteen servants, please step onto the arena!"

All sixteen people leaped into the air and landed steadily on the arena.

Wang Long slowly walked up the steps, his pace still very slow and calm.

On the arena, sixteen people stood still, each taking up a favorable position.

The arena is ten zhang long and ten zhang wide, enough for sixteen people to perform.

But even with sixteen people crammed together, the space still felt cramped.

Everyone looked warily at those around them, their hands on their weapons, spiritual energy surging within them.

Tie Xiong stood slightly to the right of the center of the ring, arms crossed, surveying the people around him from his elevated position.

His gaze lingered on each person for a moment, finally settling on Wang Long, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Wang Long stood at the edge of the ring, leaning against a flagpole.

He didn't look at anyone, he just stood there silently.

The people around him looked at him with disdain.

"Is this old man trying to be funny?"

"They probably knew they couldn't win, so they simply gave up resisting."

"If a fight breaks out later, he'll probably be the first to die."

Amidst the whispers, the eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out again.

"The final competition begins!"

The moment the words left his mouth, chaos erupted in the arena!

Sixteen people attacked almost simultaneously!

Spiritual energy surged, swords gleamed, and various spiritual techniques and weapons intertwined, producing deafening collision sounds!

"boom!"

"Bang!"

"clang!"

Some people clashed head-on, fist to fist, spirit to spirit, fighting until the sky darkened.

Some assassins roam the streets, their figures like ghosts, weaving through the crowd and targeting those who are alone.

The entire arena instantly transformed into a chaotic battlefield!