Chapter 132: Deceived and Competing Against the Dragon Squad

Seeing Xuanyuan Huangdao standing before that stone slab, Xiao Yu could not help but assume the entrance to the Dragon Group base was right there. As it turned out, his intuition was correct.

Xuanyuan Huangdao flicked his right hand, and the stone slab suddenly shifted aside, revealing a bottomless flight of bluestone stairs to Xiao Yu and his companions.

"I never would have guessed. Not only is the Dragon Group base hidden deep in these mountains, but even the entrance is so discreet. It seems that without someone from the Dragon Group to lead the way, even if one found this location, they would never suspect the base was right beneath their feet," Xiao Yu remarked with a sigh. Qinglong and the others nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Xuanyuan Huangdao glanced back at Xiao Yu, raised an eyebrow, and headed down into the darkness. Xiao Yu and the others followed closely. Once the last person stepped inside, the stone slab at the entrance sealed shut.

The tunnel was illuminated by torches every three meters, suggesting that ventilation was sufficient. After walking for nearly ten minutes behind Xuanyuan Huangdao, a vast underground plaza appeared before them.

A few scattered individuals were training on the plaza, while others lay lazily on the ground, motionless. Upon seeing such slack behavior, Xuanyuan Huangdao’s expression turned icy. An angry roar echoed through the plaza.

"It is training time! What are you all doing?"

The sudden, sharp reprimand startled the lax members. That voice was etched into their minds; it could be none other than their Dragon Lord.

Following the shout, the sound of hurried footsteps filled the plaza, and within ten seconds, the disorganized group had snapped into perfect formation.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu nodded involuntarily. While the initial scene had left a poor impression, he had to admit that their discipline was remarkably high.

Xuanyuan Huangdao’s expression softened slightly. He walked to the front of the formation, scanned the crowd with a cold gaze, and said in a calm tone, "You are the elite force of Yanxia, carrying a glorious mission. Yet, just now, what were you doing?"

"Report, Dragon Lord!"

A middle-aged man, who appeared to be an instructor, stepped forward, chest puffed out, and gave a standard salute.

"Speak!"

"We completed our scheduled training in excess today, so the chief instructor made an exception and allowed us to rest," the man declared firmly.

"Where is your chief instructor?" Xuanyuan Huangdao barked.

Just then, a robust figure approached from the distance. The man had sharp, chiseled features, thick brows, and a sturdy build, marking him as a master of internal martial arts. However, his palms were remarkably fair, which contradicted the typical signs of internal training; the only explanation was that he was a practitioner of both internal and external arts.

The chief instructor looked to be in his early twenties. Upon closer inspection, Xiao Yu noticed a striking resemblance between the youth and Xuanyuan Huangdao. He had heard that Xuanyuan Huangdao had two sons: the eldest, Xuanyuan Jian, was a martial arts prodigy in whom his father placed great hope. The younger son was the complete opposite. It was almost certain that this chief instructor was Xuanyuan Huangdao’s second son, Xuanyuan Chang.

"Father, why are you so angry?" the young man asked with a puzzled expression as he reached them.

"Did you tell them to rest?" Xuanyuan Huangdao asked, his brow furrowed as he stared at his son.

"I ensured they finished their training ahead of schedule, so I thought it reasonable to let them rest. Is there something wrong with that?" Xuanyuan Chang replied, looking confused.

"Rest? With the forces of several empires pressing against our borders, do you not realize the severity of the situation? A moment of negligence leads to danger on the battlefield. Or do you truly believe the Dragon Group members are already invincible?" Xuanyuan Huangdao demanded sternly.

To everyone’s surprise, Xuanyuan Chang looked entirely confident, even thumping his own chest. "They are! Our Dragon Group members have always been invincible warriors on the battlefield!"

Before he could finish, Xuanyuan Huangdao slapped his son across the face. "How could I, Xuanyuan Huangdao, have raised a son like you! Fine, you say these men are invincible? I have brought some people with me today; let us have your 'invincible' warriors test themselves against them!"

With that, Xuanyuan Huangdao’s eyes turned toward Xiao Yu and the others. The entire plaza followed his gaze.

Xiao Yu was stunned, and a few black lines appeared on his forehead. He couldn't help but feel he had been tricked into coming here. He had assumed the urgent summons was due to the worsening war, but it seemed Xuanyuan Huangdao simply wanted him to train the Dragon Group members.

"Kid, don't look at me like that. Let your people teach these arrogant fools a lesson. If you do, I’ll give you two more bottles of Jade Dew Pill when we reach the Xuanyuan family estate," Xuanyuan Huangdao said, glaring at him.

Two more bottles of Jade Dew Pill? Xiao Yu’s heart soared. While the pills might not do much for him, they were incredibly beneficial for his subordinates who hadn't yet reached the God Ranking.

"Deal. Liu He, go out and play with them," Xiao Yu said with a grin.

Unlike Xiao Yu’s joy, Xuanyuan Huangdao twitched his face involuntarily.

At Xiao Yu’s command, Liu He stepped forward, scanned the Dragon Group members, and said calmly, "Liu He, please enlighten me."

Liu He’s calm demeanor was taken as utter disdain by the Dragon Group members, who grew indignant. A burly man stepped forward and said, "Let me test you!"

Xiao Yu noted that the man possessed the strength of a martial arts grandmaster, but compared to Liu He, it was like a moth flying into a flame.

Just as the man prepared to strike, Liu He held up his hands to stop him. The man sneered, "What? Are you afraid?"

The Dragon Group members burst into laughter, failing to notice Xuanyuan Huangdao, who was shaking his head with a bitter, helpless smile.

Liu He shook his head slowly, his gaze sharpening as he looked at the crowd. A single sentence brought the entire plaza to a dead silence:

"You misunderstood me. I meant that you alone are not enough; you should all come at me together."