After the semi-finals ended, the finals were going to begin in the afternoon. Any contestant who entered the finals was already guaranteed a spot at the top of the institution recommendation list.
Langya Nation was located in a corner of Southeast China. It was not a big area, with only three states and one capital under its rule, namely First State, Emblem State, Hu State, and Ye City.
Among them, Nero City was under First State's rule. There were dozens of institutions under First State, with First Soul Institution being one of the best among them. It was ranked as one of Langya Nation's Four Best Institutions.
The highest institution here referred to First Soul Institution. As for the highest institutions in other states, those were not ones that the Li Clan could get involved with.
If one wanted to get into First Soul Institution's recommendation list, not only did they need a way in, they also needed to pay a great price, which was a great blow to the Li Clan.
The recommendation list was not equivalent to the enrolment quota. A mighty institution like First Soul institution was naturally extremely exclusive and they only chose the best of the best. Hopeful youngsters had to pass an exam in order to enroll in First Soul Institution.
This year, the Li Clan managed to scramble up two entries. Based on rules of the past, as long as they could enter the finals, they could enter First Soul Institution's recommendation list.
That was why the finals were considered a top priority.
In the lottery round, Li Changsheng drew Li Tianyu. Their final match was arranged to go second, with Li Jingyi and Li Runfeng's match coming before his.
When the sun rose to the middle of the sky, the final competition would officially begin.
The rules of the competition were the same as that of the semi-finals, so it was still in the style of a 3-on-3 showdown!
"In the first match, we welcome Li Jingyi and Li Runfeng to the stage!"
Following the end of the internal affairs clan elder's sentence, the two people stood up slowly and unhurriedly walked to their respective stone platforms.
Li Runfeng's gaze was heavy. His lips were pinched and his entire body was trembling slightly, giving off an extremely nervous feeling like he was a newbie soldier going into battle for the first time.
However, upon inspection of his eyes, one would realize that his gaze appeared to be as calm as a silent lake. It even gave the impression that he possessed the vast wisdom to overcome anything.
Alright, this guy was still acting!
Li Runfeng's goal was very simple. It was nothing more than hoping Li Jingyi would underestimate him and increase his odds of winning.
On the other side, after drawing Li Runfeng, Li Jingyi's feelings could be described as being as happy as a lark. This let her mental state relax greatly. In her eyes, Li Runfeng was just here to make up the numbers. Not only did he not qualify through the initial tests, but he had also nearly been overpowered by his opponent in the last match. Naturally, there was no way he was on par with Li Changsheng and Li Tianyu.
No matter how one looked at it, Li Runfeng was completely out of place. This was the main reason Li Jingyi felt so relaxed.
Seeing Li Jingyi's expression, how could the old and experienced internal affairs clan elder not recognize it? Leaving him aside, many clan elders also observed it, including Li Jingyi's grandfather—the Clan Elder of Demon Garden.
In the morning's semifinals, because the clan head had arranged Li Runfeng as a strong player, the Clan Elder of Demon Garden had taken an interest in him.
Although Li Runfeng's acting was in play and some secret art of suppression had been given to the Ice Sparrow, under the sheer difference in strength, the Clan Elder of Demon Garden had still noticed an abnormality, but unexpectedly, he did not alert his precious granddaughter of his observation.
Jade could not be useful without being sharpened, and people could not become great without learning. In the Clan Elder of Demon Garden's opinion, his granddaughter Li Jingyi was no different than a flower in a greenhouse—filled with naivety and unaware of the darkness in others' hearts.
Hence, the Clan Elder of Demon Garden was willing to see Li Jingyi suffer today. At the very least, there was no danger to her life in the clan competition, which was always better than her becoming careless due to underestimating an opponent later on and having to pay a heavy price—maybe even her life!
Humans were sinister. As long as there were people, it would be filled with lies. For resources, for demon pets, or for practices, as long as there was profit to be had or a chance to increase one's strength, some demon tamers would often employ underhanded tactics.
Only after going through setbacks could one learn their lesson. Only after learning from their mistakes could one go further on their journey in life.
As for whether or not she would lose her spot on First Soul Institution's recommendation list, the Clan Elder of Demon Garden did not take that to heart. With his position in the clan, as long as he forked out some funds, it would not be hard to get into First Soul Institution's recommendation list.
It was also at this time that the internal affairs clan elder shouted, "The competition starts now!"
At the start, the two people prioritized testing the waters. Li Runfeng summoned his Razor Praying Mantis, and Li Jingyi chose her Warm Bunny.
Like the Purple-striped Chipmunk, the Warm Bunny had an adorable external appearance. Its body was crimson red, and it had large dewy eyes, a pink little nose, and a short tail.
Warm Bunnies were Fire Type demons. Its movements were agile, and its greatest advantages were its speed and bounce. It and the Razor Praying Mantis were both High-class Servants, and both of them were at the Lower 9th Order level.
When the competition started, Li Jingyi was the first to command her Warm Bunny to use Fire Ball. Unfortunately, the Razor Praying Mantis dodged it easily and speedily dashed toward the Warm Bunny.
Speed-wise, the Razor Praying Mantis was not inferior, and its aggressive attacks were far from what the Warm Bunny could match. As long as it got close to the Warm Bunny, its odds of winning would increase greatly.
In the blink of an eye, the Razor Praying Mantis appeared before the Warm Bunny. It waved its razor-sharp, sickle-like forelegs and slashed them multiple times consecutively, using a large explosive force. Many flashes of semi-material gleams of the blades appeared, covering the Warm Bunny's body.
This was Serial Slash. With the force of ten thousand thunderbolts, it slashed multiple times in an instant, its blade like a force that could end nations. It was also the specialty of the Razor Praying Mantis.
Facing the Razor Praying Mantis's fierce attacks, the Warm Bunny hurriedly hopped up. It jumped up very high, successfully evading the Razor Praying Mantis's attacks.
Only, before the Warm Bunny landed back on the ground, the Razor Praying Mantis seized this fleeting opportunity and revealed a shocking cold beam. Moving closer, it launched an even fiercer attack.
When the Warm Bunny landed, its body had numerous wounds so deep that the bone was visible. The Razor Praying Mantis was not faring much better—it had been shot in vital areas by the Warm Bunny's blazing fire.
However, judging by the situation, the Razor Praying Mantis had taken advantage.
Not giving the Warm Bunny a chance to recover, the Razor Praying Mantis pulled close in an instant. Under the Warm Bunny's unusually frightened gaze, the Razor Praying Mantis crossed its forelegs and stabbed them toward its body.
Under this final onslaught, the Warm Bunny lost its ability to fight.
"Oh my, never thought I'd win!" Li Runfeng continued his act. He released a breath lightly and patted his chest with force as if he was shocked by the Razor Praying Mantis's victory.
"Lucky bastard!" Li Jingyi muttered. With her signal, the Purple-striped Chipmunk in her arms hopped out and landed instantly in the arena.
"It's over, it's over for me!" Seeing the Purple-striped Chipmunk, Li Runfeng purposely groaned in despair.
However, under his direction, the Razor Praying Mantis started quickly nearing the Purple-striped Chipmunk.
"Purple, Lightning Strike!"
Without waiting for the Razor Praying Mantis to get close, electric sparks wound around the Purple-striped Chipmunk's body. Countless electric sparks gathered together to become a current as thick as the rim of a bowl was wide and shot toward the Razor Praying Mantis.
"Hold on, Razor Praying Mantis!"
The Razor Praying Mantis could not dodge it and was struck instantly by the electric current.
Squeak~
After being hit by the current, the Razor Praying Mantis let out a wail. It had been heavily injured immediately. However, its nature was persistent. Suppressing the great pain, it launched its attack.
"Razor Praying Mantis, Backhanded Blade Attack!"
Under Li Runfeng's order, the Razor Praying Mantis's right foreleg waved the back of its razor blade. This move was extremely fast. The Purple-striped Chipmunk did not completely avoid it, and the back of the blade smashed its tail.
The Razor Praying Mantis did not retract its foreleg. Its right foreleg forcefully pressed the back of its blade onto the Purple-striped Chipmunk's tail, not giving it the chance to get free.
The Purple-striped Chipmunk struggled with its might. Although it was a Middle Order demon pet, due to its small size, it was at a disadvantage in terms of strength. Its strength could not compare to the Razor Praying Mantis'.
"Now, Blade Dance!" Seeing that everything was going according to plan, Li Runfeng flashed an imperceptible smile.