Chapter 258 - Body Sect vs. Holy Spirit Cult
On the platform, all the ministers' eyes were on Xu Tianran, all carrying the same question:
What should we do?
Indeed, with both matches in the semifinals ending in forfeit without a fight, the audience's mood was fully agitated. They wanted to suggest moving tomorrow's final to today.
But no one dared to speak up.
After all, Xu Tianran hadn't spoken yet, and no minister wanted to experience the harsh methods of the Regent. How did Xu Tianran manage to dominate the Sun-Moon Empire's court with just his crippled body? It wasn't just because of his bloody methods and ruthless nature.
All the ministers remaining were those who had been intimidated by Xu Tianran.
As for those stubborn and tough ministers, they either died unexpectedly or were exiled to the fringes of power, never to return to the capital.
With Xu Tianran yet to speak, none of the ministers dared to say a word. Keeping silent meant making no mistakes; being mediocre wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Although Xu Tianran was furious about the audience's uprising, he understood their reasons and eventually let reason prevail, suppressing his anger.
"Pass my decree, let's move tomorrow's finals to today. The loser's bracket in the morning and the championship match in the afternoon," Xu Tianran said tiredly, rubbing his temples as he spoke to his subordinate.
The subordinate nodded and relayed the message to the referee.
The referee quickly announced the rescheduling of the finals. The top four teams, which had been about to leave, halted their departure and prepared for battle.
The laid-back members of the Body Sect also straightened up. After exchanging glances, their fighting spirit surged.
Moving the finals forward was not a significant loss for any of the four teams. They had already discussed their tactics and had their soul-guiding devices ready. Delaying another day would do no good.
Plus, since the semifinals had not been fought, there was no exhaustion among the teams; all were in complete form. Moving the finals forward was no big deal.
"The first match of the finals, the loser's bracket: Heavenly Dragon Gate vs. Proud Sword Sect. The match sequence will be one-on-one, team battle, and then two-two-three battle. Contestants, please take your positions!"
Hearing the referee's announcement, the previously disgruntled audience suddenly burst into cheers, quickly forgetting their recent anger and looking forward to the matches with great anticipation.
What a win! They realized that they had paid for semifinal tickets but were getting to see the finals—those who had bought final tickets would now have to seek refunds from the Sun-Moon Empire's official channels.
Not only did they make a saving, but they also got to see the finals ahead of time.
The mood in the stadium did a complete one-eighty; earlier grievances turned into praises.
Xu Tianran, a titled Douluo himself, could clearly hear many of the audience's remarks and felt his anger over the ticket losses and the semifinal mishap dissipate significantly.
His subordinate added a comment that nearly made him burst with pride: "Your Highness truly is a wise ruler, deeply loved by the people of the Sun-Moon Empire. It's fortunate for the citrus as well as the citizens that we have you."
Xu Tianran generally disliked flattery, but he couldn't resist when it was his trusted aide who spoke—and it hit just the right note.
"Heh, I'm merely doing what should be done," Xu Tianran responded nonchalantly, but the slight upward curl of his lips betrayed his mood.
His aide smiled silently, standing respectfully behind him, though no one saw the flicker of mockery deep in his eyes.
As the tension-filled teams from the Heavenly Dragon Gate and the Proud Sword Sect stepped out from the resting area and moved to the ready area, their last match bore no signs of restraint, for there was no need to hold back with the tournament concluding after this match.
Both teams fielded almost all members around twenty years old, including some 'secret weapons' previously unseen.
In the one-on-one matches, the Heavenly Dragon Gate first sent a previously unseen member, a Soul Emperor with a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul, powerful despite its impure bloodline.
The Proud Sword Sect also fielded a Soul Emperor, though one that had appeared before.
Clearly, neither team wanted to concede the first match by sending their strongest contestants.
The match was extremely intense. With no significant gap in soul quality or ring configuration, experience was all they could compete on. Ironically, as both were from soul sects, their battle experience was fairly matched.
This resulted in a highly entertaining first match, vigorously applauded by the audience.
In the end, the Heavenly Dragon Gate's Soul Emperor emerged victorious, leveraging the innate physical enhancement from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, even if the bloodline wasn't pure, outlasting even the second Soul King from the Proud Sword Sect.
The one-on-one record stood at four wins to seven, with the Heavenly Dragon Gate fielding four and the Proud Sword Sect failing to secure a single victory.
Just when the audience thought the Heavenly Dragon Gate would win both the one-on-one and the team battles, the Proud Sword Sect staged a dramatic comeback.
In the team battle, Wu Qian wielded a soul-guided sword made from a ten-thousand-year-old thunderstrike wood. Despite its odd shape, the sword's power was formidable.
Yu Tianlong, possessing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon soul, couldn't fully resist the thunder released by the close-range soul-guided device. Wu Qian used a sacrificial tactic to knock both out of the contest.
Yu Tianlong cursed under his breath.
The team battle ended with the Proud Sword Sect's victory.
By the last two-two-three battle, Yu Tianlong played mind games with Wu Qian, deliberately sacrificing his weakest members to waste Wu Qian's stronger ones, which led to an easy victory for his remaining fighters.
The final round of the losers' bracket concluded with the Heavenly Dragon Gate seizing third place, and the Proud Sword Sect stopped at the top four.
The afternoon battle, however, promised even greater drama, eagerly anticipated by countless spectators.
Body Sect vs. Holy Spirit Cult!
This was the battle everyone had been waiting for: the ultimate showdown between the continent's foremost soul master sect and the infamous soul master cult.
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