After the first round of preliminaries, the headlines in the news were mostly centered around the theme of the "Phoenix Festa."
In Asterisk City, whether it was residents or students, they opened their Space Screen every day, either to watch their favorite matches or to browse the latest match news. The atmosphere was lively, and even on the streets, you could clearly feel it.
Especially in the Central District, the stages were filled with cheers every day, as if there was a daily concert, making it incredibly lively and beyond imagination.
This is why the Festa is one of the most popular events in the world, without a doubt.
In such a situation, information and news about the participating contestants spread one after another.
Among them, the teams with a higher chance of winning the championship had become well-known entities, occupying the top spots on various browsing web pages, and people talked about them with great enthusiasm.
Fang Li and Cecily's team also fell into this category.
After all, in the subsequent matches, it was Cecily who appeared, using a talisman to activate the Lightning System's Seisenjutsu and effortlessly sending her opponents flying, making it look almost too easy.
Furthermore, Cecily was the runner-up of the previous "Phoenix Festa," so most people believed that Fang Li and Cecily had the potential to win.
Fang Li, on the other hand, had not made a move from start to finish.
This made Fang Li's strength even more mysterious, and the title of "Mystery Participant" was growing, piquing everyone's curiosity.
Not to mention that Fang Li had revealed some information on the first day, indicating his connection with Sylvia, which further fueled their curiosity. These factors combined, and countless people were now actively searching for information and data about Fang Li, all in an effort to unveil the mystery surrounding him.
In light of this, even though Fang Li was relatively unknown before this, his reputation had not waned compared to the popular contestants. He often became the topic of conversation, reaping unexpected rewards from his unintentional actions.
And so, seven days had passed in the blink of an eye.
Today, Fang Li and Cecily welcomed the third round of preliminaries.
After passing this round, Fang Li and Cecily would smoothly advance to the official competition, entering the top thirty-two.
This round of matches didn't last long either.
Less than a minute into the match, Cecily used several talismans to release multiple falling thunder attacks, knocking down her opponent, who ended up charred and lying on the ground.
"The match is over, the winner is Fang Li × Cecily-Wang."
With that mechanical announcement, the entire audience erupted into enthusiastic cheers, making the live broadcast sound ecstatic.
"We're in the third round of matches, and once again, Contestant Cecily Wong effortlessly defeated their opponent single-handedly. Fang Li, on the other hand, remained uninvolved. Whether it's the strength of Contestant Cecily Wong or the mystery surrounding Fang Li, they continue to impress!"
"As a graduate of Jie Long Seventh Institute, I'm truly proud of the splendid performance of these two contestants. They are disciples of 'Banyuu Tenra,' after all."
"Yes, indeed. After this battle, Fang Li and Contestant Cecily Wong successfully advanced to the official competition, entering the top thirty-two. In the next match, will we see Contestant Cecily Wong continue to showcase her formidable strength, or will we finally witness Fang Li's true abilities?"
"Let's watch with bated breath."
And so, amidst the live broadcast and the grand cheers, Fang Li and Cecily left the stage and entered the contestant-exclusive passage.
"These boring preliminaries are finally over," Cecily said with enthusiasm. "Starting from the next round, it should be less dull, right?"
"Personally, I hope I can just watch from the sidelines and easily advance without doing anything, but it probably won't be that easy from now on," Fang Li chuckled and shook his head.
Then, he opened his Space Screen, browsing while saying, "Besides us, the third-round preliminaries for the other stages have also concluded, and many powerful teams have successfully advanced to the official competition."
"Is that so?" Cecily asked immediately. "Which teams made it to the official competition?"
"It's pretty much in line with what we expected, no major dark horses have emerged," Fang Li replied. "There are a few notable teams, though, like the combination of Amagiri Ayato and Sasamiya Saya, Julis and Toudou Kirin, as well as Ardi and Rimsy. They've all smoothly advanced to the official competition."
"I'd really like to compete against them, especially 'Glühen Rose,'" Cecily grinned and said to Fang Li. "How about you? Anyone you want to challenge?"
"Of course," Fang Li smiled suddenly and said, "If possible, I'd like to have a match with Amagiri Ayato."
After all, no matter how strong he was, as the main character from the original work, even if he wasn't the strongest in this "Phoenix Festa," his luck was likely unparalleled.
Just like Tohyama Kinji, who usually didn't seem enthusiastic but still managed to suppress Fang Li during their encounter. When the protagonist's halo descended, even Fang Li would find it difficult to win.
So, regardless of the circumstances, Fang Li hoped to defeat Amagiri Ayato.
"I just don't know if things will go that smoothly."
While speaking, Fang Li and Cecily passed through the contestant corridor and arrived at the press interview area. After dealing with the reporters for a while, they immediately left.
After leaving the venue, Fang Li and Cecily headed straight back to Jie Long Seventh Institute.
Shortly after, Fang Li and Cecily went their separate ways.
Fang Li had just thought of returning to the Stars Room when the surrounding space suddenly distorted. It felt as if Fang Li had fallen into an abyss, causing him to feel dizzy. Eventually, he regained his sense of being on solid ground.
However, at this moment, Fang Li found himself not in the corridor of the Yellow Dragon Temple but in an audience room.
This situation left Fang Li momentarily stunned, and then he couldn't help but sigh helplessly.
"Master, if you need something from me, could you use a more ordinary method to contact me?"
Hearing this, Fan Xinglou, sitting in a spacious chair, chuckled and said, "My apologies, my apologies. I was just a bit eager to ask you about that matter regarding Amagiri Ayato."
"Amagiri Ayato?" Fang Li blinked and asked, "Could it be that Master is interested in him?"
"That's right, that's right," Fan Xinglou said with delight. "That kid is quite interesting; it seems he's hiding something. I'm really curious about it."
In other words, Fan Xinglou had noticed Amagiri Ayato's natural talent.
Just as Fang Li was about to say something, Fan Xinglou suddenly squinted his eyes.
"It seems that someone unexpected is paying us a visit."
With Fan Xinglou's words, the atmosphere around them suddenly changed.
...
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