The Martial Unity

"So be it," the Harbinger remarked with an eerie voice.

Many of the Martial Masters in the hall could not help but wonder if this had been her plan from the very beginning. Perhaps she wanted to measure the Void Prince's capabilities in the Master Realm from the very get-go and didn't want to wait for the opportunity to see him fight.

Nobody objected, even if that was the case.

In truth, they would be lying if they said they weren't curious about what Prince Rui was like after breaking through to the Master realm.

"We still haven't ironed out the details, of course." Master Sera smiled. "We need to choose an appropriate combatant. Someone who isn't too difficult nor too easy, someone who will truly push the Void Prince to his limits before he could even possibly achieve victory…"

Unfortunately, to arrange for such an opponent, one would need to have a precise understanding of how strong the Void Prince really was.

"I volunteer!" Master Herel's voice boomed.

A wave of murmurs spread across the council.

It appeared that Master Herel particularly had a bone to pick with Rui, for some reason.

"That's hardly fair," Master Vericita coldly shot back. "You are a high-grade Martial Master, even if barely. There is absolutely no justification to pit a high-grade Martial Master against a new Martial Master who is merely thirty-five years old."

"Hah!" Master Herel snorted at her words, glaring at her. "Good. He deserves a little beating. I will not be satisfied until I see him pay for his deceit!"

The murmurs from the Master Council rose in volume as the various Martial Masters chimed into the controversy.

"I won't allow such an unfair match-up!" Master Ceeran roared.

"It is indeed a deeply questionable proposition," Master Zentra calmly remarked. "It makes me wonder if you care about justice or simply want to hurt him."

"I propose we estimate the general territory of the Void Prince's power level in the Martial Master and choose one in the same region," Headmaster Aronian's elderly voice stated. "In this manner, there is truly a fair chance for His Highness to be able to grab the fate he desires."

"That does not account for compatibility discrepancies," The Truthseeker objected with a composed tone. "Should he face a battle with poor compatibility, then he will most certainly be unfairly disadvantaged. The same can be said if he faces a battle with unfair compatibility in his favor. He will not have earned his slap on the wrist."

That was a sensible point to bring up.

"Hah!" Master Herel snorted. "So not only do we need to find him an opponent that is of his grade, roughly speaking, but is also of neutral compatibility with him to make the perfect opponent? What do you think this is? The Senior Realm? We don't have so many choices!"

There were only a hundred and fifteen Martial Masters of the Marital Union in total, including that of the Silas Clan.

The selection pool was much smaller.

Despite the Master Realm being much wider, the number of Martial Masters was barely a tenth compared to the number of Martial Seniors.

Martial Masters were truly among the fleeting elite, looming over an overwhelming majority of Martial Artists.

Many wondered if it was even possible to find a perfect match for the Void Prince.

That wasn't the only concern.

"I won't accept the result of the battle if it is with a Martial Master sympathetic to the Void Prince!" Master Herel snarled. "A Martial Master on his side can throw the battle intentionally to ensure that the Void Prince gets off easy!"

A number of Martial Masters voiced their support for the elderly Martial Master's words.

Unfortunately, it only complicated the matter by reducing the pool of available Martial Masters even further.

Their opinions couldn't be dismissed as they were large enough to prevent any motion from being passed by collectively voting.

"It appears that finding a singular opponent will complicate matters to an extreme degree," the Harbinger observed. "In that case, I propose a gauntlet of three different Martial Masters of different grades. Should he win less than he loses, we will go with Master Herel's harsh proposal of the strictest action. Should he win more than he loses, we will go with Master Zentra's balanced proposal, and should he win all battles, we will go with Master Ceeran's gentle proposal. Does that sound fair?"

Many of the Martial Masters gazed at her with skepticism.

She said finding him a singular suitable opponent was too complicated before proposing an even more complicated plan.

Yet, at least as far as comprehensively pushing and letting his Martial power grasp his own fate, there was probably no fairer setup than the one she had proposed. It gave him more than one chance while not dismissing any failure.

"As for ensuring that the chosen combatants for the gauntlet will not hold back or allow the prince to win," she continued. "Let us ensure that all of them are selected from the very group that has objected for this reason and has vocally been against the Void Prince."

She smiled icily at the group of anti-Rui Martial Masters who, in turn, gulped inwardly.

By tossing the matter on them, they no longer had any avenue of complaint. If they complained even after gaining the opportunity to fight and defeat Rui, then that was no different from conceding that they did not believe they could handle the Void Prince.

"Hmph, we are by no means a singular group," Master Herel snorted. "But I accept this proposal. As long as the Martial Masters fighting him are doing their best to defeat him, I do not have any objection. I actually enjoy this proposal because it increases the chances of me getting the battle I seek against the Void Prince."

Several other Martial Masters were also in agreement with this proposal for the same reason. The pro-Rui faction could not object since they could not, in good faith, deny that they were not compromised. No one would believe them even if they tried.

-