novelzi Chapter 186 Are You Scared?
Chapter 186 Are You Scared?
Zhou Minghao paused, his voice steady as he addressed the hall. "From the map, you can see that the Eastern Defense Zone directly borders Lotus Island and will serve as the front line in our coalition forces' battle against the zombie tide.
As such, the leader of this defense zone must possess extraordinary strength. I recommend Zhou Mubai, the genius of my Zhou family, to take on this role."
After speaking, Zhou Minghao's gaze swept across the room, gauging the reactions of those present.
The crowd nodded in agreement. A man's reputation casts a long shadow, and Zhou Mubai's name carried immense weight. No one voiced any objection to his appointment as commander of the Eastern Defense Zone.
In truth, even if Zhou Mubai had been nominated as the coalition's overall commander, there would likely have been no dissent. His inclusion on the prestigious Prodigy List before the age of a hundred was proof of his strength, and his accomplishments with the flying sword were renowned.
Seeing no signs of opposition, Zhou Minghao continued.
"The Central Defense Zone will be based on Lingbei Island and will be under my direct command. The Southern Defense Zone will be led by Zhou Mingyue, the third elder of the Zhou family.
The Northern Defense Zone will be commanded by Yang Linyuan. As for the Western Defense Zone..." Zhou Minghao paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"...Fellow Daoist Luis will be the leader!"
"Boom!"
The hall erupted into uproar. The earlier announcements had been met with silent approval, but the mention of Luis as the commander of the Western Defense Zone sparked immediate controversy.
A monk stood abruptly, his voice tinged with protest. "Grandmaster Zhou, we have no objections to your choices for the first four defense zones, but the appointment of the Western Defense Zone's leader needs further discussion!"
"That's right!" another chimed in. "Elder Zhou, Fellow Daoist Luis is only at the Foundation Building stage. Why not appoint a Late Stage cultivator from the Zhou family to take on this responsibility?"
"Ancestor Zhou," another added, "Fellow Daoist Luis, forgive my bluntness, but this decision is preposterous, is it not?"
"Exactly!"
"Let's have a senior member of the Zhou family lead the Western Defense Zone instead!"
Luis frowned as he listened to the indignant scolding of the monks from Guang'an Prefecture.
He, too, was puzzled as to why he had been appointed as the commander of the Western Defense Zone.
While the Western Defense Zone was in the rear and unlikely to face any direct conflict, appointing an early Foundation Building cultivator as its commander made it difficult to earn the respect of the crowd.
Fortunately, Luis's strength far exceeded that of cultivators at his level. Otherwise, it was almost certain that someone in the Foundation Establishment stage would have challenged him on the spot. A single defeat, and not even Patriarch Zhou would be able to insist on his appointment.
Zhou Minghao, watching the growing opposition to Luis's role, could only sigh internally. The decision had not been made lightly.
Unlike the other four defense zones, the Western Defense Zone was the least likely to encounter combat. Moreover, the western region of Lingbei Island lacked prominent families or powerful monks.
If the Zhou family wanted to reinforce the Western Defense Zone, they would have to reassign their own cultivators.
But now was hardly the time for such a move.
"Daoist Lei Zhen, is it?"
Hearing this, Lei Zhen cupped his hands, a grin spreading across his face. "That's right!"
Luis's gaze remained steady as he asked, "And what level of strength do you believe is required to qualify as the commander of the Western Defense Zone?"
"This..."
Lei Zhen was momentarily at a loss for words.
He had only objected because Luis's cultivation level was lower than his own. Naturally, he felt reluctant to see someone with less cultivation leading him. But deep down, Lei Zhen knew that Luis was likely stronger than him.
This much was evident.
Zhou Mubai alone served as proof. At the first level of Foundation Building, Zhou Mubai had severely injured and killed someone in the late Foundation Building stage. By the third level, he had fought four cultivators simultaneously—two of whom were at the mid-Foundation Building stage—and not only held his ground but suppressed them outright.
Sword cultivators were undeniably terrifying.
In a one-on-one duel, Lei Zhen knew he couldn't match Luis. Still, he refused to concede easily. With a defiant smile, he said, "It doesn't matter. As long as your strength can convince me!"
His words were deliberate. He didn't say Luis had to defeat him—just convince him.
The difference was significant.
Even if Luis thoroughly thrashed him, Lei Zhen could still stubbornly refuse to yield. However, if it came to that, the other cultivators wouldn't tolerate Lei Zhen's antics any further.
After all, the other casual cultivators' dissatisfaction with Luis's appointment stemmed from their uncertainty about his strength.
If Luis's power proved undeniable, their objections would naturally fade.
In this world, the commander of a defense zone was determined by strength above all else. Family background mattered far less.
Even among the Wu family, no one had been appointed to lead a defense zone. Their strongest cultivator was merely at the peak of Foundation Building, which meant little in the presence of a Golden Core cultivator.
Luis gave a slight nod. "If that's the case, why don't we have a sparring match?"
"Great!" Lei Zhen shouted eagerly. "Let's go! This place is too cramped for us to use our full strength. Follow me!"
Luis, however, simply shook his head.
Seeing this, Lei Zhen sneered. "What's the matter? Are you afraid?"
"No!"
Luis said calmly, "I think it's nice here, there's no need to go out and make trouble."
"Is this place nice?"