Wang Tong boarded her private jet and arrived at a Villa somewhere in Europe. This villa and the few hundred square kilometers area around it that was the property of House of Ma. Thanks to Li Ruoer, no one stopped them as they landed at the private airport.
When Wang Tong landed, he noticed that the entire place was heavily guarded. Even the guards at the entrance wore METAL suits. Wang Tong didn't overthink about it. After all, he was not here to fight but to see Ma Xiaoru.
"Wang Tong, you can watch her from a distance. Don't worry; I will let you know if her situation gets better or worse in the future." Li Ruoer whispered in Wang Tong's ear.
Wang Tong wasn't sure if Li Ruoer was going to pull any trick on him. But so far, she seemed genuinely helpful. "Thanks anyway." Wang Tong replied.
The two of them walked through the entrance, and Li Ruoer used her identification card for the both of them. Therefore, no one stopped them. "There are three levels of security check ahead of us. If anyone asks who you are, just tell them that you are from House Li. We had sent many of our experts to help Ma Xiaoru. Remember, Ma Xiaoru was still very frail, and cannot withstand any stress or strain on her body and mind."
Ma Xiaoru's words sounded like she genuinely cared about Ma Xiaoru's life, which made Wang Tong change his opinion of her quite a bit.
Right before the two were about to pass through the final gate, two METAL warriors stopped them.
"Lady Li, our Lord has ordered that no one was allowed to disturb our lady."
"This is an expert specializing in soul energy recovery. I brought him here today with me to help Ma Xiaoru. "
"I will send the request through. Would you please wait here for a second?" The METAL warrior requested.
Li Ruoer's brow furrowed and then she said with a cold and sharp voice, "Get out of my way! How dare you question me? Are you going to question House of Li as well?"
The two METAL Warriors were ruffled by Li Ruoer's harsh tone. They looked at each other helplessly and were going to let Li Ruoer and her companion through when a voice came out from inside of the room.
"Ruoer, let him in. I want to see him."
The two soldiers straightened their backs as soon as they heard the voice. Li Ruoer grimaced and heaved a sigh, "Let's go. Remember, don't do anything stupid!"
"This is?"
"Ma Dutian. Ma Xiaoru's father. "
Wang Tong didn't care because he understood Ma Dutian's feelings as a father. Even if Ma Dutian intended to beat him up, Wang Tong reasoned that he would not resist.
"Ruoer, you can take a rest outside. I want to see him alone." Ma Dutian commanded. Li Ruoer didn't protest. Instead, she gave Wang Tong a stern stare, a final reminder to behave himself in that room.
Following a METAL fighter, Wang Tong stepped through the seventh checkpoint, and saw one of the most influential men of the Confederation sitting in front of him.
Rumors had it that Ma Dutian was a mediocre fighter. He had shown limited talents during his youth, so he had chosen to cultivate the tactics of Vayu, which he gave up halfway through. However, Ma Dutian was the best at managing business, just like all of his ancestors.
However, when Wang Tong saw Ma Dutian for the first time, he had sensed that he had the purest form of soul energy within him. It was hard for Wang Tong to believe that Ma Dutian had been a dropout.
Wang Tong was able to sense the quality of other's soul energy because the Tactics of the Blade was the granddaddy of all other tactics. Wang Tong could use his soul energy as a standard measurement to compare with other people's soul energy, and then make an assessment. All the tactics of the world could be in one way or another traced back to the Tactics of the Blade. The fact that Li Feng had chosen to leave the Tactics of the Blade in this world meant that it could be a trump card over other deadly tactics, such as the Tactics of Vayu and the Tactics of the Enchantress.
Wang Tong and Ma Dutian held each other's gaze for a second and Wang Tong didn't find any anger in the latter’s eyes. Instead, his eyes were filled with disappointment. Then suddenly, a light flashed in Ma Dutian's eyes, and he said, "Sit, please."
Wang Tong felt nervous meeting with one of the most influential men in the world, but the tense feeling only lasted a few seconds before it disappeared. He grabbed a seat and sat down calmly.
Ma Dutian didn't speak but stared at Wang Tong for a while. The silence unnerved Wang Tong again.
"Your tactics… Who taught you them?" Ma Dutian asked abruptly.
Wang Tong's heart sank at the question, worried that Ma Dutian had somehow deciphered the origin of his real power.
Wang Tong conceded that the rumor about Ma Dutian were merely rumors. The real Ma Dutian was a very powerful cultivator.
Ma Dutian had seen through Wang Tong's thoughts and was surprised to realize that this young boy could feel his real power. "You can feel my power? Hehe. Interesting. I have eluded that from everyone in the world, but not a 16-year-old boy. Haha."
Ma Dutian's laughter lightened up the mood of the conversation significantly. Wang Tong was convinced that Ma Dutian meant him no harm. He was the father of a caring and friendly girl, a living proof of her father's friendliness and righteousness.
"It was the Tactics of the Blade. My... stepfather taught me that. I can feel a pure energy pulsing inside of you, the kind of energy that only appears within an Einherjar. " Wang Tong said. He decided that there was no point in hiding anything, since Ma Dutian would be able to see through his lies easily.
Ma Dutian smiled the topic away and then asked, "I thought your sea of consciousness was depleted."
"Yes, but luckily I got it back. Not sure how I did it though." Wang Tong had spoken the truth; he had no clue how his sea of consciousness had recovered.
"You are indeed lucky. Well, since you are here, feel free to take a look. She is still in a coma, so she won't be able to speak. "
Wang Tong was surprised how quickly Ma Dutian had accepted his request.
The thought of Ma Xiaoru made his heart ache. An immense guilt rose inside of him as he said, "I am sorry."
Although Wang Tong had nothing to do with Ma Xiaoru's injury, he had failed to protect the girl he liked, and that was a sin to a real man. Ma Dutian was pleased by Wang Tong's sense of accountability, and he nodded approvingly.
"You will leave her alone after seeing her for the last time today." Ma Dutian announced. Wang Tong's body froze. He knew that Ma Dutian had disapproved his affection for Ma Xiaoru.
If it were before he met Ma Xiaoru, Wang Tong would have given up. However, ever since he met Ma Xiaoru, many things had happened, and Wang Tong had learned one valuable lesson: Don't give up on one’s true love.
"Uncle, how can I prove that I am worthy?" Wang Tong asked in a calm voice. The placidity in Wang Tong's voice caught Ma Dutian by surprise.
"I wager that you have heard about the marriage proposal between my family and House of Li. Ma Xiaoru had put her life in danger twice for you. The first time she lost her memory, and the second time she almost lost her life. Without her, you'd be dead for a long time."
"You are right. For the sake of Ma Xiaoru's feelings for me, please give me a chance to prove that I am worthy of her affection." Wang Tong pleaded.
Wang Tong knew that this was his only chance.
Ma Dutian held Wang Tong's gaze and then asked, "So, you think you are worthier than Li Shiming?"
"First, yes, I am. Second, Ma Xiaoru doesn't like him. Third, you don't want to see their marriage happen either."
Wang Tong's list of reasons were like three arrows that each had hit the mark squarely.
Ma Dutian finally smiled, as a newfound interest in this young boy flashed in his eyes. Wang Tong wasn't sure if what he said was appropriate, so he had turned into a bundle of nerves.
"You better walk the talk, young man. There is going to be a pan-solar system tournament coming up, and all of the top fighters of the Great Houses would attend that tournament. If you could become the champion of the tournament, I will deem you worthy of my daughter's hand. How about that?"
Wang Tong tried to control the elation sprouting out from his heart, and nodded his head.
"Leave here as soon as you see her. Don't let her mom catch you here. She will skin you alive, and that's not a joke." Ma Dutian waved his hand.
A door opened, and a robot led Wang Tong to an inner chamber.
Ma Dutian sat down next to a desk and knocked on it twice. A shadowy figure appeared behind Ma Dutian's reclining chair.
"Is that him?"
"Yes, master." The shadow whispered.
"Young and inexperienced. He would be dead in no time should the Li find him first. Luckily, I am a step ahead of the Li. " Ma Dutian cracked a smile.
"Master, what is your plan?"
"I don't care if it is Li Shiming or Wang Tong, as long as Xiaoru is happy. Wang Tong needs to prove himself worthy, and I will give him a chance to do so."
"As you wish, master."
An eerie light flashed in the shadow's eyes that clearly weren’t human.