Chapter 257 - A Dramatic Semifinal
"So, you're happy about this?" Yu Tianlong said with a playful tone, smiling slyly at Wu Qian.
"Cough, cough..." Wu Qian raised his fist to his lips, trying to suppress his rising grin, "Indeed, compared to the Holy Spirit Cult, I feel that battling the Body Sect gives more bang for the buck."
"Right, I think so too," Yu Tianlong nodded in agreement, which surprised Wu Qian a bit, prompting a puzzled look.
Wu Qian's instincts told him Yu Tianlong had more to say.
Sure enough, Yu Tianlong's next words came with a bright smile, "But compared to the Holy Spirit Cult and the Body Sect, I still think fighting your Proud Sword Sect is even more cost-effective!"
"See you tomorrow!"
Wu Qian's smile froze on his face.
"Body Sect drawing result: Upper half!"
"Upper half match-up: Body Sect vs. Proud Sword Sect!"
"Lower half match-up: Holy Spirit Cult vs. Heavenly Dragon Gate!"
Right after the referee announced the results, Yu Tianlong spoke up, "Referee, the Heavenly Dragon Gate forfeits the semifinals and voluntarily moves to the loser's bracket!" Yu Tianlong declared loudly.
Battling the Holy Spirit Cult was a sure loss, and who knows how many of the Heavenly Dragon Gate's disciples those freaks might kill on the platform? All the participants from the Heavenly Dragon Gate were the cream of the young generation.
Losing even one was painful enough.
For a match they couldn't win, it wasn't worth risking their disciples' lives. Pride could be lost, but they could still claim third place in the tournament by stepping on the Proud Sword Sect's face.
Staying alive was what mattered most.
Right, Shitaike?
As the young leader of the Heavenly Dragon Gate, Yu Tianlong had the duty and responsibility to protect his talented disciples. Ensuring a top-four finish and competing for third place was satisfactory enough for him.
He was quite clear-headed about this.
"Does the Heavenly Dragon Gate confirm the forfeit?" the referee asked.
"Yes, we forfeit the semifinal and voluntarily move to the loser's bracket," Yu Tianlong said nonchalantly, then turned to Wu Qian and smirked, slicing his hand across his throat.
You're dead, buddy! Once the Proud Sword Sect gets thrashed by the Body Sect, it'll be our turn to beat you up!
Wu Qian's face turned green.
Damn, the sixth bastard of the Heavenly Dragon Gate, Yu Tianlong, you're really a dog!
"Lower half semifinal, Holy Spirit Cult vs. Heavenly Dragon Gate, after confirmation by the team leader of the Heavenly Dragon Gate, they forfeit!"
The referee's voice, amplified by soul power, echoed throughout the arena.
Yu Tianlong's move directly put Wu Qian and the Proud Sword Sect on the grill, leaving everyone curious whether Wu Qian planned to face the Body Sect and get thrashed, or just forfeit and fight against the Heavenly Dragon Gate.
Wu Qian wisely chose the latter.
What's the worth of face?
Yu Tianlong openly took the role of the sixth, so why couldn't he, Wu Qian, follow suit?
Compared to some useless pride, Wu Qian, like Yu Tianlong, preferred the financial gains from securing third place. After all, losing to the Body Sect and the Holy Spirit Cult wasn't shameful.
One was the top sect on the continent, and the other a soul master sect that killed without blinking.
Only a fool would fight them!
"Referee, the Proud Sword Sect also forfeits the semifinal and voluntarily moves to the loser's bracket!" Wu Qian decided quickly after his face underwent several changes.
Right, better to fight the Heavenly Dragon Gate for more value!
With that thought, Wu Qian glared fiercely at Yu Tianlong, who returned the stare unabashedly, sparks flying between their gazes.
Well, the surface was about the battle for third place, but who could tell if these two leaders' personal grievances would mix in?
"Upper half semifinal, Body Sect vs. Proud Sword Sect, after confirmation by the team leader of the Proud Sword Sect, they forfeit!"
The audience, unaware of the amplified discussions on the drawing platform, only knew that shortly after the drawing ended, the team leaders of the Proud Sword Sect and the Heavenly Dragon Gate looked quite displeased.
And not long after, the referee announced the forfeits of the Heavenly Dragon Gate and the Proud Sword Sect.
The spectators exchanged bewildered glances.
What, are you guys counting steps on WeChat? Just walked up there and came down?
We were waiting for an exciting semifinal, soulless!
The Body Sect was indifferent; a forfeit was a forfeit—they were confident of a win anyway, and Long Aotian and his team were happy to take it easy.
But the Holy Spirit Cult wasn't so forgiving.
Their members glared menacingly at the people from the Proud Sword Sect, their gazes lingering especially long on Wu Qian's neck, as if they wanted to bite him.
Wu Qian's spine chilled.
Realizing the Holy Spirit Cult's glare, he almost burst into tears.
Great, your opponents aren't even us. Why unleash such murderous looks on me instead of focusing on Yu Tianlong?
The thoughts of the Holy Spirit Cult members were simple.
As soul masters, their eyesight was naturally better than ordinary people's. They saw that it was Wu Qian and Yu Tianlong's argument that led to the forfeit.
If it weren't for Wu Qian, wouldn't they have enjoyed the delicious flesh of the dragon martial soul masters from the Heavenly Dragon Gate?
It's all Wu Qian's fault!
And so, the semifinal ended dramatically.
The audience sat dumbfounded, watching the four teams preparing to leave the resting area, feeling utterly conflicted.
The venue was silent, almost quiet enough to hear a pin drop among tens of thousands of people.
Until the voice of an angry spectator rose.
"I lined up all night, spent days getting tickets, and shelled out a ton of gold soul coins, and you're telling me the semifinal didn't even start?"
His words ignited the simmering frustration of other spectators.
"Yeah, we paid money!"
"Not just money, we stayed up all night in line just to watch, and this is what you show us?"
"Is this how you treat us?"
"Geneva, refund!!"
"Refund!!!"
Emotions flared, and the situation escalated until the entire stadium was chanting two words:
Refund!
The Sun-Moon Empire's higher-ups were overwhelmed.
Especially Xu Tianran, who nearly crushed his wheelchair's armrest, his temples throbbing and his blood pressure skyrocketing.
"Your Highness the Regent, what should we do now?" a minister asked cautiously.
Friends, if you liked the novel, you can buy it on my p*treon
use this code: CORTEZ10 you can save up to 30% off. The promotion ends on December 31st