Chapter 216: The Competition Approaches

At this moment, Aida wished she had wings to fly to Rod’s side! Human emotions are truly strange, especially when separated by distance! Fortunately, Aida remained calm and didn’t act rashly. Wuyou City seemed peaceful on the surface, but beneath it all, turmoil reigned—she couldn’t act impulsively!
More importantly, she knew that Rod would come for her by tomorrow, at the latest. After enduring three years and three months, would she care about just one more day?
She recalled her time in the Swift Wind Mercenaries three years ago, the moment she first learned of his identity, her decision to leave back then, the first time she saw him months ago, and the moment she confirmed his identity. Her face was filled with both sorrow and joy as she thought of the turmoil he had caused within the Source of Darkness.
A faint smile of happiness appeared on her face as Aida felt relieved. She hadn’t misjudged him. For him, she had returned to this place, worked hard over these years, and given so much—now, without regret, it was all worth it.
“Sis, are you thinking about him?” Eileen’s voice behind her pulled Aida out of her thoughts.
“How did you get here?” Aida quickly regained her composure and asked casually.
“Are you still angry?” Eileen asked, wearing a pained expression.
She knew her sister was still angry—her actions during the battle two months ago must have deeply hurt her. But Eileen never regretted what she did, at least not yet.
“If nothing else, go back and rest early. There’s still a lot to do!” With that, Aida stood up and left, leaving Eileen standing alone in the moonlight.
“Rod, what kind of power do you have to make my sister treat you like this? I refuse to accept it! Why must my clan sacrifice so much for you? What right do you have to make her treat you this way? Why do those people still favor her despite her attitude? Why do I work so hard yet get nothing in return?” Watching Aida walk away, Eileen’s face was filled with resentment.

A few years ago, my sister left the Source of Darkness alone, and I naturally became the first heir. I’ve been striving to advance in that role, but everything changed three years ago when she returned. Her return caused my status to plummet; almost all matters within the clan were handed over to her, leaving me to watch helplessly. Why does she get so much while all my efforts seem to count for nothing? Yes, she claims verbally that she doesn’t want to compete with me, but in reality, she’s already taken everything from me!

What about now? Suddenly, this unidentified person appears, and it seems my sister knows him well. The people in the clan also favor this Rod greatly, while I seem to be ignored. Eileen refuses to accept this! She won’t let herself end up with nothing. So, she leaked information to the Nash family and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles, which almost led to Rod’s death. Unexpectedly, even the God-Destroying Thunder Tribulation couldn’t kill him. Two months ago, at the most critical moment, I stopped my sister from saving Rod, yet in the end, he still escaped! She can’t understand why all her plans failed.

Now, she even gave one of the few four competition spots in Dark Moon City to Rod, just an outsider. Yes, it’s true his strength is impressive, but he’s only at the early stage of the divine level. There are many such people in Dark Moon City, even those at the intermediate and advanced stages. The fact that the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles and the Nash family can’t kill him only shows their lack of strength—they’re nothing but good-for-nothing fools! That doesn’t mean Rod is that strong. Then why does the clan favor him so much? Is it because he has good relations with the Dragon clan and the Black Phoenix clan? At most, it’s just luck on his side!

The opposition is in a tough situation now. What’s wrong with my proposal to ally with the pro-war faction? Why am I being severely reprimanded? Am I not acting for the good of the clan? What’s wrong with the pro-war faction’s approach? They’re just expanding to the continent to find a better living environment. What’s wrong with that? Do the opposition members have to stay confined inside the Source of Darkness forever? In this place full of powerful people, their clan can’t show their strength.

Thinking of all this, Eileen clenched her fists tightly. Her face no longer showed innocence but was filled with anger and coldness.

“Rod, I won’t let you get away so easily. I’m the only heir of the opposition—no one else can take my place!” muttering to herself, Eirwen turned and left in anger.
…
“Rod, Knight Rod? How did he end up here? Did he come to compete in the tournament? It seems those guys from the opposition gave him a spot!” At that moment, in another courtyard of Carefree City, a group of people were also discussing Rod.
In the brightly lit hall, there were three or five elders, two or three middle-aged men, and one young man! The one speaking was an elder in his seventies.
“Elder Leader, you must stand up for me. This time, Rod not only defeated us but also slapped my Fells family in front of everyone. We can’t just let this go!” the young man said, his face red with indignation.
If Rod were here, he would surely recognize that this man was Niken, the leader of the group he had taught a lesson to before—Niken from the Fells family!
“That Rod is not easy to deal with. If he were that easy to teach, the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles and the Nash family wouldn’t have suffered such a loss!” a middle-aged man said in a low voice after taking a deep breath.
“It’s just two worthless families. It’s shameful enough, yet they still claim it’s because Rod is strong. He’s just a beginner at the divine level—how strong can he really be? They’re just making excuses for their failure!” Niken seemed to have forgotten his embarrassment at the hotel and continued to complain.
“Go back and reflect properly. You’re always causing trouble. Aren’t you ashamed enough?” Finally, another middle-aged man, who had remained gloomy the whole time, exploded in anger, scolding Niken harshly.
“Father… you…” Niken was left speechless.
“Enough. Go down and reflect. Just take care of Dai Xun! She’s the key to our plan this time!” Waving his hand, he gave Niken no chance to explain before speaking weakly.
At this point, Niken had no choice but to leave the hall in silence, his face dark with resentment as he blamed everything on Rod: “Just some unknown scumbag. Hmph, wait for me! I’ll make sure you can’t live or die in peace!”

The hall fell silent once again at that moment. After a short while, the eldest elder who spoke first took a deep breath and spoke again, “First, send a message to the Nash family and the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagle clan to see their attitude. We shouldn’t act rashly. Give orders that no one should provoke that Rod without permission, or else they will face severe punishment. It’s not too late to settle accounts after this matter is over!”
…
“Hehe, that kid is not bad—he has a bit of my style!” In a luxurious mansion on the edge of Wuyou City, a burly man listened to the news coming from outside, his mouth almost splitting from excitement, his face filled with enthusiasm and admiration.
“Alright, Sognar, stop joining in the excitement. That kid has already caused such a big problem just by arriving here. Now let’s see how he handles it. The Philes family isn’t as easy to bully as the Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles or the Nash family! Really, such a troublesome guy!” Another woman said, rolling her eyes.
“That’s true, Sognar. If I remember correctly, you were quite good at causing trouble back then, but you always needed others to clean up your messes. Otherwise, how could you still be here? That kid is far better than you—even Lilith is much better than you!” At that moment, a man dressed in a pure white robe teased Sognar. With silver hair and his fair clothes, he looked extraordinary and refined.
This group was the delegation sent by the Dragon clan. With the competition about to begin and Rod still not arriving, Sognar and Lilith were worried. But now, the news they heard had relieved everyone, though it also brought new concerns. It was unclear how that guy could keep causing trouble.
However, the others trusted Rod quite a bit, so there was no need to worry too much. They chatted and laughed, waiting for Rod to come to them.
While everyone was discussing various things, Rod was calmly practicing in his room. With the competition approaching, he wanted to get his condition to its best—least of all wanting to lose right from the start! Out of sixteen contestants, only two spots would be available, and this year’s competition was more difficult than any before. The Purple-Winged Thunder Eagles were the biggest obstacle. For the sake of reputation and status, this clan, which had just risen to the sixth rank, would surely go all out! They were the biggest competitors, and it was unknown what kind of formidable opponents they would send.

Fortunately, Rod has now reached the intermediate level of the divine tier, barely capable of fighting against stronger opponents at the higher levels, which gives him much more confidence! Otherwise, coming to this competition would have been in vain. His mental energy was released as he quietly explored the mysteries of the world and sensed his own ethereal existence. A smile appeared on Rod’s face, but moments later, that smile turned into a cold smirk!