Everyone’s eyes were glued to the stage, hoping that their own country’s first opponent would not be too strong. They would be extremely lucky if Nan Xia Country was their country’s first opponent.
The drawing of lots ended very quickly. The envoy returned to Ling Chuxi and the rest with a dejected look on his face.
“Who did we draw?” Li Shaoqiu came over out of curiosity, and his expression immediately changed.
“No way. That jinx! He was right!” Li Shaoqiu’s eyes were wide in shock. Nan Xia Country’s opponent for the first round was none other than Wan Chuan Country.
Soon after, two wooden signs were hoisted up at the competition arena stating the pairs that would face off in the first round: Wan Chuan Country versus Nan Xia Country, and Feng Ze Country versus Dong Xin Country.
On the watching platform, some people were overjoyed while others were worried. Naturally, the people from Wan Chuan Country were dancing with joy. Facing a soft persimmon like Nan Xia Country in the first round really fired up their hopes of becoming the champion. The faces of the Nan Xia Country citizens, however, were pale and ashen. Such a powerful opponent in the first round! What if Ling Chuxi and the rest injured themselves? They would not even need to compete in the next round, and straightaway carry the title of ‘Number One in Ten Thousand Years’ back home.
Both cheers and sighs rang out from below the stage, but Ling Chuxi and the rest were calm. Their target was to be the champion – it did not matter who their opponent was in the first round.
Twelve battle horns trumpeted at the same time. The melodious but somewhat ominous sound echoed for a long time in the competition arena as Ling Chuxi and the rest walked towards the fighting ring. The first round of the competition was between Wan Chuan Country who had come second last year, and Nan Xia Country who had been in last place.
As they approached the fighting ring, they drew lots to decide the sequence of their appearance on stage. For Nan Xia Country, the order was Baili Han, Ling Chuxi, then Ling Yichen. As for Wan Chuan Country, the first would be Duan Qingchou. Ling Chuxi was not too concerned about the other two since Xiao Tianying said they only had Battle Qi Level-9. Basically, winning or losing against Duan Qingchou would determine whether they won this round or not.
The enormous cowhide war drum made a loud thundering sound, marking the start of the competition. Duan Qingchou walked up to the fighting ring slowly. His bloodthirsty gaze locked on Baili Han, and his expression was ferocious.
Baili Han returned his look indifferently and headed up to the fighting ring as well.
“Baili, be careful. If you can’t do it, just surrender,” Ling Chuxi recalled Xiao Tianying’s reminder and said to Baili Han.
“Yes, his Battle Qi is odd. You guys should look at it carefully,” Baili Han nodded and said slowly.
The beat of the drum shook the skies and the crowd roared below the stage. In the fighting ring, the referee was announcing the competition rules.
“Get lost!” Duan Qingchou suddenly barked at the referee.
“What did you say?!” The referee demanded angrily. He had been a referee for many years and this was the first time that someone dared speak to him in such a tone.
The referee glowered at him, but he paused at the vicious gleam that appeared in Duan Qingchou’s eyes. He looked like a wild animal that was hungry for prey.
“Get lost!” Duan Qingchou growled, drawing his sword. At that moment, the entire arena was engulfed in an intense, murderous Qi. It was almost suffocating.
The referee felt extremely uneasy. He opened his mouth but did not say anything, and eventually just walked down from the fighting ring. He could feel his legs trembling slightly.
‘That was too terrifying!’ This was the only thought in the referee’s mind after seeing Duan Qingchou’s gaze.
Duan Qingchou pointed his sword at Baili Han. His intense Battle Qi was flowing without ceasing. It almost seemed like there was a layer of mist and smoke floating outside the sword, which was practically impossible to see through.