All the battles had gone as per Eren's expectations, which made him lower his guard and relax.
All the important characters had chosen the same opponents as in the novel. Unfortunately, there was one outlier.
"I choose Elder Ren," Ye Liang stated, shocking Eren.
Eren couldn't understand how this was possible. He clearly remembered Ye Liang choosing Elder Li in the trial.
Although Ye Liang was basically thrashed in the battle, but he had managed to impress Elder Li. It was also because of this battle that Elder Ren had thought about selecting this boy as a Disciple.
Usually, Elder Ren didn't want a disciple as he had a different mission. But since the Sect Master basically forced him to select one, he had decided on taking Ye Liang.
Ye Liang had rejected the invitation and he selected Zhang Wei as his master. This was the beginning of the tense equation between Ye Liang and Elder Ren who had felt disrespected.
Unlike Elder Ren from the story, Eren had no interest in selecting Ye Liang. If anything, he wanted to stay as far away from the main character as possible.
He didn't want to have anything to do with the main character, not even engaging with a conversation. But here he was... being selected to fight Ye Liang.
The author had spent an entire chapter in the battle between Elder Li and Ye Liang. Ye Liang was the only participant who had lasted more than a minute in the battle before passing out.
It was a given since Elder Li was terrifying when it came to strength. If he hadn't gone easy, Ye Liang would have been turned into an ice sculpture within the first second itself.
Instead, Elder Li had restricted his strength to the same level as Ye Liang. But even with restricted strength, he was more experienced and the outcome was sealed.
Unfortunately, this scene appeared to be changed. Elder Li wasn't selected.
Eren didn't know how to react. Could he really fight this guy? It was one thing to be exposed for his weakness and another to be thrashed by a young boy who wasn't even a Sect Disciple yet.
He knew he had to avoid the battle at any cost, without appearing weak.
He opened his lips, about to give an excuse when he suddenly halted. Four options appeared before him.
Eren felt like slapping his forehead. He just couldn't have a chance to breathe!
[Option One: A young man dared to challenge you. This is against the dignity of an Elder. Maintain the reputation of the Great Demon Sect. Go down and face the young man who dared to challenge you! Beat him until he's begging for mercy!
Reward: Sword of Azure Thunder (High Tier)]
[Option Two: You are too lazy to fight. Facing a young and inexperienced boy is beyond your dignity. Defeat him without fighting him yourself.
Reward: Pendant of Protection (Rare Tier)]
[Option Three: You see that the young boy had changed the story. Tell him to play his part and challenge Elder Li like a good boy.
Reward: Love Potion (High Tier)]
[Option Four: Tell him that he doesn't need to fight. You already saw his skills in the last trial. He has proved his strength. Tell him that you grant him a victory and select him as your disciple.
Reward: Luck +1]
Eren looked at the four options, frowning.
The first option was something he outright rejected. No way in hell was he going to go down to get thrashed by a young boy.
Even though he wasn't actually Elder Ren, he still had his dignity.
"Beat him until he's begging for mercy?" Eren muttered, looking at the last line of the first option.
He rolled his eyes. "More like get beaten until I'm begging for mercy.
He moved over to the second option.
"Defeat him without fighting myself? Is it implying that I should assign a proxy? There are only two other Elders and none would accept to be a proxy. And even if they did, it would only make them suspicious."
He moved into the third option. It was even more absurd than the second option.
He moved over to the fourth option.
"Accept him as a Disciple? No way in hell. Wouldn't that mean that he would be near me all the time? I want to stay as far away from the main character as possible, not bring him to my home!"
"Moreover, even if I did that, it was no different than breaking the rules of the Demon Sect, which would mean meeting the Sect Master. It's also risky."
"As for the reward of luck? No thanks. I saw how effective your luck has been for me!"
Eren looked at the four options, feeling a headache. Once again, he was stuck between the rock and a hard place.
No matter which option he chose, there were risks associated with them.
"Elder Ren, please guide me." Meanwhile Ye Liang pulled out his heavy sword, challenging Elder Ren.
Elder Li and Elder Zhang were also looking forward to this. They were also curious as to what kind of skill Elder Ren was going to use.
Was he going to use a sword? Was he going to defeat this young boy instantly or go easy on him? The other Elders looked forward to it.
The other youngsters were also excited. They had seen the remaining two elders in action. And now, they were going to see the third elder who had remained largely unknown.
Eren felt like going down and slapping the young boy who had changed the story and put his life in even more danger.
"Wait a minute... Proxy!" Eren suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up. A devilish grin spread across his face.
"Since you're so eager to challenge me, I'll make sure you get what you deserve."
Eren felt like laughing out loud as he came up with a plan.
Ye Liang didn't know why, but he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He looked around, wondering what this strange feeling of danger was.