Chapter 80: Battle of Adjudication

"Your Excellency, the Saint, this is the evidence. Please take a look."

Gu Chengguang offered up the letter with both hands.

The cyan figure took the letter and began to read it.

Gu Chengguang explained from the side, "This is a distress letter from Dr. Liou Wenxin. We’ve already matched the fingerprints and handwriting; it is confirmed to be her work."

"Furthermore, Dr. Liou Wenxin disappeared while passing through Luofan Country on her way back home."

’This Mr. Gu looks so upright with his thick brows and big eyes, but he sure can lie without batting an eye,’ Su Ze thought. ’He just got his hands on this letter and didn’t even glance at it, yet he’s claiming the handwriting and fingerprints have already been matched.’

The three Saint-level powerhouses from Luofan Country hadn’t expected Dongli Kingdom to actually produce evidence. But all three were masters of concealing their thoughts, their expressions remaining unchanged.

After reading the letter, the cyan figure returned it to Gu Chengguang. He then turned back to the three powerhouses from Luofan Country and asked again, "Is this true?"

Just then, Amida stepped forward and said, "Your Excellency, the Saint, I alone was responsible for this."

He knew that with Dongli Kingdom holding evidence, stubbornly denying the accusation was pointless. It would only displease the Saint. It was better to just admit it frankly.

"However..." Amida paused before continuing, "Luofan and Dongli have always had our disputes. Poaching talent from Dongli Kingdom falls within the scope of normal competition. At the very least, we didn’t rashly invade Dongli territory or blockade the gates of Dongli University."

The implication was that since Luofan Country and Dongli Kingdom were already on bad terms, detaining one of their evolutionists was standard practice—nothing out of the ordinary.

He was also reminding the Saint: the Sovereign Country sent Saints to supervise and protect the nations, simply to prevent severe internal conflict. The bottom line was that they were not to launch large-scale wars or initiate battles between Saints.

It never said competition was forbidden!

Li Fayi sneered. "Well said! From now on, I’ll just pop over to Luofan and kidnap people for fun. Let’s see what you have to say then!"

Budi shot back, "How dare you be so insolent in the Saint’s presence? Do you have any respect for His Excellency at all?"

"Enough!" the Saint barked, cutting off their argument. "The competition between your two countries is not my concern. But since this conflict has escalated to the Saint level, we’ll follow the old rules: turn a major war into a minor battle. We will commence the Battle of Judgment!"

"You will negotiate the rules amongst yourselves. I’ll give you five days to prepare. In five days, you will settle the matter at Luofan Academy.

"If Dongli Kingdom is victorious, Luofan Country will release her immediately. If Luofan Country is victorious, the Saints from Dongli Kingdom will immediately withdraw from Luofan territory and are forbidden from entering again!"

Zhou Wenshan, the president of Dongli University who had been silent until now, couldn’t help but speak up. "Your Excellency, the Saint, this is hardly fair..."

"My decision is final. If you disagree, you can appeal to the Sovereign Country." With that, the Saint, who was wreathed in a cyan halo, vanished in an instant.

The moment he disappeared, the intangible aura pressing down on everyone vanished. Mr. Ya found that his phone was working normally again.

Everything that had just transpired, especially the mysterious Saint, immediately sparked a flurry of discussion from the surrounding crowd.

Seeing Zhang Tai’s grim expression, Su Ze asked, "Mr. Zhang, what is a Battle of Judgment?"

Zhang Tai took a deep breath. "The Sovereign Country forbids battles between the Saints of the six nations. If a conflict arises at the Saint level, it’s ’turned from a major war into a minor battle’ by holding a competition. Each country sends evolutionaries below the Saint level to compete, and the winner receives the Sovereign Country’s backing."

’So that’s how it is...’ When a conflict breaks out, reason and law are cast aside. In the end, strength is the only thing that talks.

’It just takes the form of a competition, downgrading a war between Saints to a battle between those of lower rank. It shrinks a potentially massive conflict down to a duel between a few people in an arena.’

’It’s actually a good way to reduce humanity’s internal conflicts and preserve the strength of the six nations. It avoids the destructive power of a war between Saints while also minimizing the impact of the conflict.’

’Still, this method of judgment can sometimes be incredibly unfair.’

’Take this situation, for example. Even if Dongli Kingdom wins the Battle of Judgment, they don’t actually gain anything. Liou Wenxin is a citizen of Dongli Kingdom. Logically, legally, and morally, Luofan Country has no right to detain her.’

’Winning only means reclaiming what was rightfully theirs in the first place. But if they lose, they lose a top-tier evolutionist like Liou Wenxin.’

’And what about Luofan Country?’

’If they lose, they suffer no real loss. If they win, they can detain Liou Wenxin openly and with full justification.’

’Even if Liou Wenxin refuses to contribute anything to Luofan Country for the rest of her life, Amida would still be happy to provide for her. Weakening your enemy is a way of strengthening yourself.’

Zhang Tai sighed. "Although the Sovereign Country requires its Saints to be neutral and impartial, he is, after all, the Saint assigned to Luofan Country. Humans will be humans. No matter how much one evolves, the human heart doesn’t change. A little bias is to be expected."

Su Ze understood. ’It seems each country has its own dedicated Saint, and the one who just appeared is stationed here in Luofan Country.’

’Saints are human, too. After staying in Luofan Country for so long, being fawned over and showered with tribute, it’s only natural he’d be biased in their favor.’

At that moment, Budi, the Speaker of the Luofan Council, asked, "Mr. Gu, what’s your decision? Do you plan to appeal to the Sovereign Country?"

Gu Chengguang shook his head. "We will proceed as His Excellency, the Saint, has decreed."

Budi nodded. "Very well, then. We’ll see you in five days. We in Luofan Country won’t take undue advantage. You can decide the rank of the evolutionaries who will compete; we will match whatever you choose.

"Now, please leave!"

Budi was kicking them out.

Zhang Tai suddenly turned and asked Su Ze, "Do you want to come back to Dongli with us?"

Su Ze froze for a moment, then asked, "Can you bring me back here in five days?"

Zhang Tai chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, take me with you... Mr. Zhang, please wait a moment."

Su Ze walked over to Mr. Ya and whispered a few words in his ear. Mr. Ya nodded repeatedly, promising to complete the task.

Su Ze was never one to do a good deed without taking credit. He immediately turned to Zhang Tai and explained, "I told him to keep an eye on the lab where my sister is being held, to prevent Luofan Country from using this chance to move her."

Zhang Tai nodded, noting that with the Saint’s intervention, Luofan Country wouldn’t dare pull any tricks. Still, he commended Su Ze for his caution and thoroughness.

Then he asked, "That friend of yours is from Luofan. Is he reliable?"

Su Ze smiled. "He may be from Luofan, but the only person who cares about him is me, a man from Dongli. What do you think? Is he reliable?"

Zhang Tai glanced at Mr. Ya again and nodded.

At that moment, the three Dongli Kingdom powerhouses in the sky lingered no longer. Two of them transformed into streaks of light and departed, leaving only Gu Chengguang, who descended to land beside Zhang Tai.

Zhang Tai whispered something to Gu Chengguang. Gu Chengguang glanced sideways at Su Ze, then waved his hand. A current of air enveloped Su Ze and Zhang Tai, carrying them soaring into the sky.