Chapter 1020: Chapter 1007: Peaches and Plums All Over the World Chapter 1020: Chapter 1007: Peaches and Plums All Over the World “…” Dizzy Arno, hearing Victor’s reply and looking at the strip in his hand, entered a state of stupor.

Boom!

At this moment, Victor, while answering Arno’s question, also raised his only weapon and smashed it straight onto his face, dark red blood splattered across the arena, looking incredibly tragic.

“Grandson Thief, not giving up yet? I won’t let you have the chance to use Star Armor.”

“Hmph!” Arno, struck by such an odd weapon for the first time, couldn’t help but let out a pained grunt, “It’s just a match, do you have to fight me so desperately? I’m not your sworn enemy.”

“But you are my enemy.” Victor pounced on Arno, gripping his neck, “If you’re not willing to fight in a battle that only determines victory or defeat, not life or death, what courage will you have to fight desperately against enemies on a real battlefield?”

“Heh… cough, let me go.” Arno grabbed Victor’s hands, which were tightly clenched around his neck, gasping with difficulty, and for the first time since he started participating, he felt the approach of death.

“Admit defeat!” Victor strangled Arno, who had been pompous before and now lay gasping like a dead dog, viciously spoke.

“You…” Hearing Victor’s demand, Arno’s mouth twitched violently, equally vicious but also somewhat unwilling as he glared at him.

This battle was supposed to be a sure win for him, just now victory had seemed within reach, but in an instant, the fight was turned around by the young man who fought like a madman, his life now in the hands of his opponent.

He felt extremely unwilling and greatly regretted his earlier choices, but no matter how reluctant, ending up in this situation was his own doing.

Feeling his breathing grow more difficult, and his brain increasingly cloudy, the hands around his neck strengthening, Arno’s will finally wavered, the desire for life outweighing his thirst for victory.

“I… admit defeat!” Under Victor’s pressure, Arno managed to say the three difficult words.

“Hahaha!” Seeing the arrogant fool beneath him submit, a pushed-to-the-limit Victor laughed twice before his taut spirit suddenly relaxed and his body fell limp, collapsing directly onto Arno.

“You…” Feeling the hands on his neck suddenly lose strength, Arno immediately regained normal breathing, taking deep breaths of air, then looked at the young man on top of him with a complex expression.

“Did you have to fight so hard?” Arno still felt a bit stubborn, but seeing Victor’s near-death state, the unwillingness in his heart gradually faded.

Meanwhile, the moment Arno conceded defeat, the referee promptly announced the victor, and the whole arena erupted into cheers, with everyone shouting Victor’s name, even those who had previously cheered for Arno.

If some had despised Victor for forcing Arno into an unseemly position earlier and preventing the use of Star Armor,
they were now thoroughly impressed by this warrior who even used his thigh as a weapon, everyone was won over by his ferocity; such a fierce fighter, you can’t help but admire!

…

“Whimper… Victor, my son!” Contrary to the joyful celebrations in the arena, inside a modestly decorated elegant villa, a woman was crying with tears streaming down her face while watching the broadcast of the match.

“All right, our son has already won, don’t cry anymore, you should be cheering for him now,” a composed-looking man comforted her, embracing her at her side.

“He’s still just a child, why does he have to fight so hard?”

“This is for the honor of the clan.” Bennett hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Is the clan’s honor that important? He is risking his life!” The woman with swollen eyes asked, lifting her head.

“Facing an opponent who is completely superior in every aspect, only by doing this could he win.”

“Why must he insist on victory? It’s okay to admit defeat if he’s beaten, it’s just a match,” the woman remained perplexed, her thoughts differing from those of her son and husband, she did not desire fame or great achievements for her son, she just wished for his safety.

“Our son has grown up, what we should do is silently bless him from behind, cheer and celebrate for him when he wins, and comfort him when he fails.”

“I understand.” Hearing her husband’s words, the woman wiped away her tears.

…

“Who here watched the match of our clan member Victor today?” Within a small room designed for entertainment purposes, the patriarch of the Douglas family lay in a soft and comfortable chair, asking with a smile.

“It so happens I did watch that match.”

“Then, may I ask what your thoughts are on that match?”

“An unbelievable victory,”
“Oh, unbelievable? What’s so special about today’s match?” What had been just a gathering for a casual chat because of some free time suddenly piqued the elders’ interest.

“Instead of asking me, why don’t you take a look for yourselves? Rest assured, it will not be a waste of your time.”

“I do want to see what kind of victory our clan’s youngster achieved today to receive such an evaluation.”

…A moment later, having seen Victor force his opponent to admit defeat by breaking his psychological defenses at a tremendous cost, the elders in the small conference room couldn’t help but reveal a look of surprise and admiration.

“It’s hard to imagine our Douglas family would one day produce such a person!”

“Oh, do you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing then?”

“Is that even a question? Of course, it’s a good thing.”

“Indeed, it’s a good thing. We need people in the clan who are not just wasteful with no contributions and people who are calculative, but we also need brave fighters like young Victor. They give our clan a more formidable deterrence.”

“I propose we increase our investment in cultivating Victor, enhance his resource allocation, what do you think?”

“That’s a given. If we don’t cultivate such talents, our Douglas family might as well disband.”

“However, I think while focusing on Victor, we should also pay attention to the teacher who cultivated him. Without that teacher’s mentorship, our little fellow might not have such an unexpected performance in the arena.”

“Are you suggesting that Victor’s daring and combative qualities were nurtured by young Jelos?”

“Can you deny their connection?”

“Hmm, are you saying that anyone tutored by Jelos turns into this kind of fearless madman?”

“I didn’t say that. I believe Victor’s performance is due to him inherently possessing such qualities, which were then unearthed by Jelos.”

“So, may I understand that Jelos has a talent for nurturing other talents, taking the mediocre and turning them into the exceptional, and making those who are already talented even better!”

“There’s no concrete evidence to prove this; Victor’s match could be an anomaly and doesn’t signify anything!”

“One Victor might not be enough, but what about the other six youngsters? They are only a step away from the top eight now. Reaching this level has far exceeded the original expectations of the family. If it was just one or two, it could be ascribed to luck, but seven in a row can’t be explained by mere fortune.”

“At least we have a hypothesis; why don’t we test it out? Send some more students for him to train and see.”

“He might not be too happy about that; teaching has already impacted his own cultivation progress.”

“For that aspect, the clan can compensate accordingly, provide more resources, and strive not to affect his personal strength.”

“Yes, that could work. We will ask him later, but we must respect his wishes.”

“Oh, and there’s another interesting piece of news. The Star Armor Master tournament is drawing to a close, and we’re soon going to start the quarterfinals. If things continue as they are, the scenario once promised by young Jelos will soon be upon us. The quarterfinals will turn into an internal competition for the Douglas family.”

“Heh, I’ve been aware of this situation for a while. If this really happens, I very much want to see what kind of expression the members of the other families will have when they look at us.”

“It must be very interesting!”

…

“Young Master Jelos, the clan hopes you can cultivate more talents like Victor. As long as you can train such talents, the clan will not be stingy with rewards.”

“Understood,” Muria, who had been cultivating, was momentarily surprised upon hearing the clan’s request but soon agreed after some thought.

Such an arrangement seemed like low investment with a high return; of course, Muria wouldn’t refuse, especially as someone who aspired to be the Douglas family head. It was practically an opportunity handed to him on a silver platter.

Anyone sent to him carried at least 60% talent, according to the clan’s formal member standards. One or two might not seem significant but when the numbers grow, quantity evolves into quality.

Once these individuals reached adulthood and were dispersed throughout various departments of the Douglas family, when he called upon them as their teacher, who wouldn’t support him? Who would dare not respond?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read