God-Level Special Forces Soldier

Chapter 1000: Chapter 996: An Unexpected Condition

The middle-aged man looked at Xiao Tian’s expression of ”I really don’t know what happened,” revealing a smile of indiscernible meaning. Instead of answering his question, he asked, ”Do you know how long you stayed in the moment of awakening just now?”

Xiao Tian raised an eyebrow, aware that the problem was likely here. He looked at the sun overhead and then at the watch on his wrist but found himself awkwardly unable to remember the exact time.

However, this couldn’t be blamed on Xiao Tian. Ever since entering the moment of awakening, he first underwent a painful baptism and then became somewhat confused. In such an extreme situation, how could he possibly remember the time clearly?

”Thirty minutes?”

Not knowing the exact time, Xiao Tian could only try to guess and inquire.

Generally speaking, the moment of awakening lasts about ten minutes, fifteen minutes if you’re very lucky. Judging from the astonishment on everyone’s faces just now, it was clear he had exceeded expectations, so thirty minutes seemed reasonable.

The middle-aged man shook his head and did not continue to let Xiao Tian remain puzzled. He directly removed the watchband from his wrist, casually tossing it to draw a not-so-graceful parabola.

Xiao Tian reached out to catch the watch thrown by the middle-aged man, looking at the display screen with some confusion, only to see a timer screen showing the numbers 61:33.05.

This string of numbers left Xiao Tian stunned: sixty-one minutes, thirty-three seconds, and five one-hundredths, an hour?!

He recalled that the last time, Lin Bingxuan stayed in the moment of awakening for half an hour, causing both Xiao Tian and Melinda a long period of envy and amazement.

But now, it appeared that half an hour was nothing; he had exceeded Lin Bingxuan’s time by more than double. Was this the saying, ”Good people get their rewards”?

Xiao Tian, who was still shocked, could only casually find a reason to justify it to himself, not caring whether it was reasonable or not.

However, despite the shock, Xiao Tian also felt a bit serious. His recent performance would definitely draw attention from these people. His every move would surely be under scrutiny, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

While contemplating this, he heard the middle-aged man beside him let out a long breath and then laugh, ”Congratulations, to be honest, I’m quite envious. You’re the first person I’ve seen who can stay in the moment of awakening for so long!”

Xiao Tian didn’t doubt the sincerity of this compliment. As a master of the art, he deeply understood the craving for the moment of awakening. If enduring pain was the only requirement to extend the time there, one hundred percent of masters would absolutely choose to endure the pain!

Seeing Xiao Tian’s reaction was not as joyful as expected, the middle-aged man didn’t press further despite not understanding. He casually said, ”As I said before, as long as you can save my daughter, I am willing to meet any condition. You can propose it now so I can prepare.”

Xiao Tian’s gaze changed, but he didn’t immediately make a request. At that time, he only thought about saving Ozawa Miwa and hadn’t given much deep thought to what conditions he might ask for, which made it hard to answer now.

If the conditions were too high, it could seem intentionally difficult; but if they were too low, it would also be wrongly interpreted by others, so he had to think it over carefully.

...

As Xiao Tian seriously weighed and considered what conditions would be more reasonable, the Mizuno Clan, the royal family, and the various forces present anxiously awaited his answer, ready to determine what he needed and prepare for it based on his answer.

However, a moment later, Xiao Tian shifted his gaze to Ozawa Miwa...

In that instant, everyone with the intention of recruiting him, including the middle-aged man with the same intent, held their breath. Could it be that this young man had that sort of preference?

Ozawa Miwa instantly froze all over. Although she wasn’t skilled at understanding the intricacies of human relationships or observing others, she could vaguely guess what was coming next. In that moment, her lips parted slightly, trying to preemptively block what Xiao Tian was about to say.

Yet, in the end, she was still a step too late...

”To be honest, I haven’t thought it through too much, but if I must say now, then... give her the freedom to choose her own destiny!”

Ozawa Miwa, with her eyes closed, forcefully said, ”Impossible! Except for Brother Xiao Tian, I wouldn’t... eh? What did you just say?”

Upon seeing Ozawa Miwa’s adorable appearance and hearing her words, Xiao Tian felt a warmth in his heart and showed a sincere smile: ”I said, my condition is to give you the freedom to choose your own destiny!”

”Ha...” Ozawa Miwa felt overwhelmed by sudden happiness, to the point where she didn’t know what to say, her mind blank, feeling as if she were in a dream!

However, Mizuno clan couldn’t just sit still. Afraid that the middle-aged man might agree, the high-level figures rose sharply, a fierce aura rushing directly toward Xiao Tian.

The middle-aged man detected the anomaly and had to temporarily set aside his confusion over Xiao Tian’s condition. With a cold snort, he intercepted the fierce aura that was jointly directed at Xiao Tian.

”He’s currently the only one who can save my daughter. If anyone tries to harm him, don’t blame me for fighting to the death!” The middle-aged man stated boldly, his aura spreading out to oppress the Mizuno Clan’s elders, making them unable to lift their heads.

At this point, even Sugai Yasuaki felt embarrassed, unable to stop himself from stepping forward to question, ”Mr. Xiao, may I ask what you mean by this?”

Toward Sugai Yasuaki, Xiao Tian didn’t have any hostility, but he certainly couldn’t say he had any fondness either, somewhere between a stranger and a familiar face, stronger than a passerby but less than a friend.

After a moment’s contemplation, Xiao Tian spoke, ”I understand this is very difficult for you, but marriage is about mutual consent—forcing it is never sweet. I’m actually doing this for your own good!”

With these words, everyone present was taken aback. Is there really someone this shameless in the world?!

Clearly, it was interfering with someone’s marriage, yet he shamelessly said it was for their own good. Could he be any more shameless?!

The experts present particularly thought so, ignoring Xiao Tian’s argument about mutual consent and an unforced union not being sweet.

The larger the power, the less freedom the younger generation had regarding marriage. This was almost taken for granted.

Those from noble families were often predestined in their plans since birth, existing as reasons for alliances with certain forces.

So before marriage, no matter how unruly those noble offspring were, their families mostly turned a blind eye, considering it as enjoyment and revelry before losing their freedom.

Based on this, Xiao Tian’s seemingly reasonable argument was dismissed and misunderstood, with everyone assuming he had another agenda. What exactly that was, however, remained a mystery for the time being...

”Mr. Xiao, surely you jest. I’d like to know your real reason for doing this.”