"Match 3 - End!"
The third round of matches ended with the cheers of the crowd.
While not being able to see much of Princess Sierra, they were able to catch glimpses of her.
Especially, the last technique she used. It was spectacular and possibly one of the best techniques displayed.
The crowd also cheered for the unknown Jaya, who was capable of fending off a group of four.
They weren't blind. They could under that she was restricted in her fight. Yet, she managed to qualify.
Some of them also recognized the beef between Jaya and Ray but was that not what made a fight sweeter. The stakes on ground and the desperation on the combatants' faces!
After a while of chattering on which was the better side, the audience settled down and allowed the next set of participants to come up the stage.
"I will now call upon the next names. Noah Hudges, Brett Ross, Richie Holland, Isabella Hayden, Alex Bell, Nicholas Harvey."
"Match 4 - Start."
The moment the participants came upstage, the match began.
Minutes later, the match ended.
It was quite predictable.
There were some big names added to the list.
One of them was Noah Hudges, an experienced young adult. He is the only one to participate in the competition twice, and that included his current participation.
The eighteen(18) year old man, son of Baron Hudges was one of the better participants.
From the start, while Isabella and Alex engaged in a terrifying battle, he took out the other three opponents easily, showcasing his [Realm 2- Stage-1] cultivation and displaying his [Mountain Fist technique]!
Isabella Hayden was also spectacular. The youngest of the Four Star, who rose to fame due to her young age, met her match against Alex Bell, the younger brother of the previous winner.
It didn't matter that she use her [Light Levitation Tactic] or her [Silence Blade]. Everything was blocked under Alex's [Flying Dagger Tactic].
Their battle were excellent and almost felt choreographed!
It came no surprise that they had qualified.
"Match 4 - End!"
In the spirit of not wasting time, the referee called upon the names of the next participants.
"Next! Jody Gardner, Rose Ellis, Brett Dotson, Melania Aztec, Tanner Sparks, Dane Rivers."
Very Quickly, the match began.
This time the one to steal the spotlight was none other than Melania Aztec, one of the Four Stars.
She managed to defend her title by taking on a gang of five and using her brains to eliminate them. Her opponent clearly lacked in the intelligence sector.
While fighting, she had used her [Sky Warden Series] techniques to dictate the tempo of the fight and drag her opponents to the edge of the stage.
Without further ado, she used little force to make them move back and they were eliminated by brains and not brawns.
The others to qualify, Brett Dotson and Jody Gardner, were certainly lucky as they didn't have to fight or struggle to qualify for the next stage.
Watching the event, the audience found it difficult to measure the better Aztec between Princess Cheyenne, Princess Sierra, and Princess Melania!
They were all giants of the younger generation and unique in their own way.
"Match 5 - End."
It seemed like the competition had taken a speed boost as immediately, the referee called the next set of participants.
"Next. Roan Aztec, Blaine Decker, Gil, Sophia Allen, Gabe Lucas, Leo Wells."
The lineup was definitely simple, even Jake, who was watching knew that.
The most prominent among the lineup was Roan Aztec, the brother of Princess Cheyenne, and one of the Four Stars.
His intimidating saber plus his charming looks had already made him the favorite of the spectators.
It came as no shock that when the match started, Prince Roan did not get a challenge.
The others had perceived his cultivation. It was [Realm-1 Stage-9]! Seeing this, they avoided him due to their lower cultivation base.
The five engaged in a bitter struggle. First, they had grouped themselves into two teams, but the treacherous ones betrayed their supposed teammates and eliminated them.
This action received no backlash as forming teams was not mandatory and there were no rules concerning its formation.
It was purely up to the individual, which would bear the risk of being betrayed.
After bouts of surprises, three remained out of their schemes.
They needed one more, so they engaged in another bitter fight.
Rolling on the floor like carpets as they tried to determine the loser.
In a sudden motion, two of the three joined hands and eliminated the third one.
It was cruel, but it was allowed and Jake liked it.
It was the smell of nature!
Therefore, the referee announced, "Match 6, End!"
This time, he allowed the spectators to have a few minutes of rest as he signaled the last set of participants to be ready.
The referee, Royal Duke Conan, was happy with the fights he witnessed.
They were unlike the previous competitions and filled with surprises. He was sure that the title of the Four Stars will need to be updated after the conclusion of the competition.
He remembered when he had fought on the same stage decades ago.
He had blitz through all obstacles, only losing to his brother, the King, and coming out second.
It was also the time he first met his wife.
Now years later, he is acting as the referee, watching his daughters, nieces, and nephew fight. It was definitely nostalgic to him.
He was sure it was also the same for his younger brother, the King.
Also, one of the reasons he chose to be the referee is to recruit for the army. It was his duty as the Army General to do that.
After six matches, he already had names in mind. He didn't choose the big names, as they would already have something in mind.
He deliberately chose the small names. They will be molded into a perfect form by the time he was done with them, no matter how little their talents were.
Shaking his head, the referee walked back to the stage and announced the next group, "Next. Carrie Anderson, Lola, Danni Richmond, and Nico."
"Match 7, start!"
.........….
The match kicked off to a high start with Lola quickly shooting one of her arrows at Danni.
She displayed her ability to use the ranged weapon brilliantly.
The match was different from the previous ones. There were four participants and only two would qualify, so there were a lot of tensions between the four people.
They quickly divided into two groups; Carrie and Danni and Lola and Nico, much to no one's surprise.
Lola and Nico had displayed astonishing teamwork despite possessing an equal cultivation base with their opponent.
In a single sweep, Nico used his technique [Sunset Fist] to punch away Danni, who stood no chance against his superior strength.
Lola locked down Carrie with her [Fissuring Point] technique. A technique that focused on extreme precision and skill with an arrow.
It required an extraordinary level of bowmanship which Lola possessed due to her father teaching her from a young age.
She had only shot five arrows but by the time she was done with her fifth, her opponents collapsed.
This was no fluke as Lola had targetted Carrie's blood flow and directed her into a state of unconsciousness.
She looked at her brother and realized he had also won.
It was too easy for both of them. Perhaps, they were the luckiest out of all the participants.
However, Lola knew it was due to their skills as their opponents possessed an equal cultivation base as them.
"Match 7, End!"
Following the end of the lower stage. Those that were sad nearly cried blood as they knew they might never get a chance, and those that were happy jumped on their feet.
"I will now announce the qualified participants. Dean Forst
Cheyenne Aztec.
Alexander Grant
Gavin Elliot
Jake
Joshua Vargas
Sierra Aztec
Jaya
Ray
Noah Hudges
Isabella Hayden
Alex Bell
Jody Gardner
Brett Dotson
Melania Aztec
Roan Aztec
Blaine Decker
Gil
Lola
Nico."
"Those that hear that names called must be present two days from now," shouted the referee.
He looked up and nodded at the King to give the closing speech, "Hahaha, marvelous. It is not so easy to impress me, but today, I am impressed. The final stage will be two days from now on Sunday. I want the participants to come healthy and prepared to fight like their lives are on the line."
He continued, "There will be a nearby health team in case our participants will need it. It will be quite different from this stage, as I saw most people were restricted by the rules. That is all. I look forward to your performance two days from now!"
The various young faces became serious at the words of the King. It told them to be ready, ready to fight!
They assessed their performance and thought of ways to improve, and like that, the curtains fell.