"Hahaha, naturally!"
Upon hearing Yang Jian's request, Old Master Long agreed without hesitation.
After all, Lin Yuelong was Lin Chen's uncle.
To have him act as the referee was an impossible request to refuse.
"Alright, please, Old Master!"
With Old Master Long's permission, Yang Jian became somewhat excited.
He knew very well that Old Master Long, as the head of the Long family, valued face above all else.
If Lin Yuelong truly dared not to enter the ring to compete and simply conceded,
then even if he wanted to settle scores later and seek revenge, Old Master Long would have to intervene to protect his reputation.
Even if his master was no match for that mysterious Nascent Soul cultivator, with Old Master Long's involvement, they might be able to contend, right?
"Esteemed guests, please proceed to the martial arts arena!"
"Let's witness the duel between these two masters today. It should be quite entertaining, don't you think?"
Hearing Yang Jian's words, Old Master Long turned to the guests in the hall and made the suggestion.
Although it was a joyous occasion, most of the attendees were cultivators. Witnessing a battle to the death between two powerful individuals was a rare spectacle.
Especially since Lin Yuelong and Yang Jian were both renowned experts in the capital. Their life-or-death struggle was bound to be incredibly exciting!
"Excellent! Old Master, please lead the way!"
Indeed, upon hearing Old Master Long's words, all the guests became animated.
While fighting and killing were commonplace for these cultivators,
Lin Yuelong and Yang Jian were both at the late Core Formation stage. And based on Yang Jian's performance just now, he had already reached the Half-Step Nascent Soul realm!
It was very rare to see cultivators of such high cultivation personally engage in combat.
Let alone now, when they were about to fight to the death!
Without a doubt, both of them would go all out to survive!
In such a scenario, not only would they witness a thrilling match, but they could also take the opportunity to gauge the opponent's strength.
From this perspective, it was a win-win situation for them. Why would they refuse?
Thus, led by Old Master Long, a crowd of spectators swarmed towards the martial arts stage.
The Long family was indeed a prominent clan. The martial arts stage alone occupied an area as large as a football field, and the surrounding spectator seats were instantly filled.
Yang Jian cupped his hands to the crowd and then voluntarily jumped onto the stage to wait.
Although he knew that Lin Yuelong had likely fled long ago, given his absence, he had to go through the proper procedures.
Otherwise, if he were to be criticized later, he would have no grounds to defend himself.
"Huh? Where did Lin Yuelong go? It's almost one-fifty, why isn't he here?"
"Yeah, yeah, I haven't seen him since the banquet."
"No way, this Lin Yuelong isn't scared and ran away, is he?"
The audience members searched for Lin Yuelong's whereabouts, but after a long time, they found no trace, and began to speculate.
Everyone was aware that Yang Jian was now a Half-Step Nascent Soul realm expert.
Under such circumstances, with Lin Yuelong's cultivation, a fight to the death would undoubtedly lead to his demise.
Therefore, forfeiting and fleeing was a sensible choice to save his life.
"Tsk, this Lin Yuelong, isn't he known for his loyalty?"
"Hahaha, even the most loyal person fears death!"
Upon hearing the surrounding chatter, the audience members sighed.
Cultivators inherently valued their lives. To fight to the death over a woman was certainly not worth it.
Lin Yuelong's escape was, in their eyes, understandable.
"What a pity, we won't get to see a spectacular duel."
"Yeah, yeah, I wanted to see Yang Jian's trump card, but it seems we won't have the chance now."
A group of spectators sighed, disappointment evident in their eyes.
"Esteemed guests, it is now one fifty."
"According to the time I agreed upon with Lin Yuelong, there are still five minutes left."
"If he does not appear on time, he will be considered to have forfeited!"
Yang Jian, with a smile on his face, addressed the audience from the stage.
In his opinion, even if Lin Yuelong had ten thousand guts, he wouldn't dare to step onto the stage for a fight to the death.
"Old Master Long, what do you think?"
Yang Jian then turned to the grim-faced Old Master Long by the side and inquired.
After all, regardless of anything else, Old Master Long was the referee of this match, and everything had to be approved by him first.
"Hehehe, that is naturally the case."
Upon hearing Yang Jian, Old Master Long nodded slightly.
However, anyone could see that Old Master Long's expression was far from pleasant.
In his mind, Lin Chen was already a son-in-law of the Long family. And Lin Yuelong, as Lin Chen's new uncle, was naturally a relative of the Long family.
Under these circumstances, Lin Yuelong had agreed to a duel but then directly forfeited and fled at the critical moment!
He would likely be unable to hold his head up in the capital from now on.
This was undoubtedly a deeply embarrassing situation for Old Master Long.
Furthermore, what was most vexing was Yang Jian's arrogance, which was quite unbearable.
"There are still three minutes left. If Lin Yuelong cannot appear on the stage on time, he will be considered to have forfeited!"
Helpless, Old Master Long could only stand up and announce to all the spectators.
"Two minutes remaining!"
As time ticked by, Old Master Long subconsciously glanced at Lin Chen, who stood calmly by the side of the stage. He couldn't understand how Lin Chen could remain so composed, with not the slightest hint of emotion.
"One minute remaining!"
Old Master Long checked his watch, and his heart sank.
He had initially thought this duel was merely an add-on for the day, but it had turned out to be so disappointing!
"Hahahaha, Old Master, there's no need to wait any longer, is there?"
"This match, the Patriarch Yang, is bound to win!"
Seeing that Old Master Long was reluctant to announce the outcome of the match, the nearby spectators grew impatient.
They proactively suggested to Old Master Long.