Chapter 164
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Tournament Draw
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An audience member watching the preliminaries muttered.
“Phew, the finalists aren’t coming out as quickly as I thought.”
The man next to him heard those words and looked over at him.
“Hey, is this your first time watching the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament?”
“That’s right. I just arrived today, so this is my first time seeing it.”
“Haha, that explains the nonsense. This year, the finalists are actually advancing faster than in previous years. More than ten have already made it through.”
“Oh, really?”
Defeating five opponents in a row.
At first glance, that condition doesn’t seem all that difficult.
But it’s not as simple a task as one might imagine.
“Listen up. Say, for example, you easily beat your first opponent because they were weak.”
“Hmm.”
“After watching that match, no one weaker than them would ever step onto the arena, right?”
“That makes sense.”
“So only those who feel confident they can win after observing will step up to challenge you. Even if they’re hiding their true strength, two times would be the limit.”
“…….”
“Those around your skill level would sense something off by then and hold back, while someone far stronger would come up instead.”
“Ah!”
“And in truth, facing five opponents in succession isn’t easy in itself. The physical toll is immense.”
The audience member asked out of curiosity.
“What if someone cheats? Like bribing opponents to throw the match on purpose?”
The man grinned.
“It actually happened once in the past. A young expert bribed weak opponents to win in a row and pass the preliminaries. But…….”
Suspicious circumstances were reported by the judges, and the Martial Alliance launched an immediate investigation.
“Afterward, that young expert was expelled from the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament on the spot, and his sect was permanently banned from participating. No one’s dared attempt foul play since.”
“Wow, there was an incident like that.”
“That’s the kind of preliminaries these are. Fakes can never pass.”
As everyone had anticipated, the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament’s first-round preliminaries grew even fiercer.
One expert after another emerged, raising the overall level, and close-fought matches continued one after the other.
‘Wow.’
Even Jin Pyo, who had come to observe after securing his own advancement, shook his head.
‘There really are a ton of formidable entrants.’
The key had been ignoring the intense game of chicken and issuing challenges right away.
‘Glad I made it through on the first day.’
Of course, he didn’t think he would have lost, but it was clear it would have been far tougher if he’d tried today than yesterday.
At that moment, someone tapped Jin Pyo on the shoulder.
“Vice Sect Leader.”
Turning around, he saw Yu Gong-seon standing there.
“Ah, Advisor Yu!”
“How does it feel to watch the preliminaries now that you’ve already locked in your main tournament spot? Far more relaxed, isn’t it?”
“Haha, yes, but…… I’m really glad I advanced quickly. The matches are way more vicious than yesterday.”
“That’s to be expected. With more people advancing to the main tournament than anticipated yesterday, the young experts must be feeling the pressure.”
“Yes, that seems to be the case.”
“…….”
Yu Gong-seon silently stared at Jin Pyo for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Were you a little upset last night?”
“Pardon?”
“About the Hall Leader.”
“Ah…….”
Yesterday, Jin Pyo had waited excitedly for Seol Hwa-un, inwardly hoping for some praise.
But the Hall Leader, who arrived late in the evening, had merely said, “Good work,” before heading straight to his room.
It was no wonder he felt disappointed.
Jin Pyo gave an awkward smile.
“No, it’s nothing. To the Hall Leader, advancing to the main tournament might not seem like much.”
Yu Gong-seon let out a smirk.
“Hahaha, if you truly think that, then I’m a little disappointed.”
“Pardon?”
“There are over thousands of young experts gathered at the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament. Proudly placing in the top sixteen is no small feat—how could it not be impressive?”
“I see.”
“How did it feel when the Hall Leader brushed past it yesterday?”
“……?”
“Didn’t the excitement from advancing calm down a bit?”
Come to think of it, that might have been the case.
“That’s why the Hall Leader did it on purpose. When it was just the two of us, he was extremely proud of your main tournament advancement.”
At those words, Jin Pyo’s face visibly brightened. Though the part about being “proud” was something Yu Gong-seon had made up.
“Ah, really?”
“Yes. The reason I came to find you is actually because the Hall Leader sent me.”
Seol Hwa-un was tied up with the other judges, so he’d had no choice but to send Yu Gong-seon in his place.
“Pardon?”
“He said observing others’ matches is fine, but you don’t have time for that now—you need to prepare to face the Mount Hua Sword Prodigy in the main tournament.”
Those words snapped Jin Pyo to attention.
“Ah! Thank you!”
He immediately dashed off toward the Vermilion Bird Squad’s training grounds.
Watching him go, Yu Gong-seon smiled.
‘The real challenge starts now, Vice Sect Leader. Give it your all.’
In the meantime, a new main tournament qualifier emerged from the arena.
“Huangbo Family’s Huangbo Young advances to the main tournament!”
As expected, Huangbo Young had advanced.
He had crushed a powerhouse who’d already claimed overwhelming victories over three prior opponents in a mere three exchanges, shocking the crowd.
Thanks to that, with no further challengers appearing, Huangbo Young automatically advanced to the main tournament.
Seol Hwa-un couldn’t hold back his admiration.
‘As expected of the Huangbo Family. They’ve properly forged a true warrior.’
It made him newly appreciate the depth of the Eight Great Families.
‘The Nine Sects are the same.’
Indeed, the overwhelming young experts were mostly from the Nine Sects and Eight Great Families.
The experience of raising countless masters.
Over the past two hundred years, that foundation had deepened to the point where mid- and small sects couldn’t even dream of catching up.
‘So this is the power of the orthodox sects.’
Afterward, more powerhouses emerged one after another to secure their main tournament spots, and astonishingly, the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament preliminaries wrapped up in just two days.
* * *
The next day, the list of main tournament qualifiers was announced.
[Mount Hua Sect Ma Seong-gyun
Huangbo Family Huangbo Young
Wudang Sect Yu Jeong
Hebei Peng Family Peng So-yeon
Murong Family Murong Je
Shaolin Sect Won Myeong
Emei Sect Jeong Hye
……
……
Lion Gate Bang Mu-jin
Shanxi Sword Sect Jin Pyo
Weaponless Sect Mun I-cheon]
Those who saw the announcement were stunned.
“The preliminaries ended this quickly?”
“Look at this list. Three from mid- and small sects!”
Considering how past main tournaments had been dominated by the Nine Sects and Eight Great Families, it was certainly unexpected.
“Is the main tournament going to be different this time?”
“Pfft, they just got lucky. They’ll drop in the first round.”
“We’ll see when the lid’s opened!”
“I’ve watched two Dragon-Phoenix Tournaments already. In the end, the winners are always from the Nine Sects and Eight Great Families.”
“Let’s find out for sure. What’re you waiting for? Let’s go buy main tournament tickets.”
Anyone could attend the preliminaries for free, but the main tournament was different. It required a hefty fee.
Even so, the black market tickets in circulation showed just how immense the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament’s popularity was.
The main tournament was scheduled to begin two days later at noon.
In the Martial Alliance’s grand conference hall.
All sixteen young experts who had secured main tournament spots were gathered.
Sima Yuan, in charge of running the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament, addressed them.
“Welcome, everyone. I am the Martial Alliance’s Scribe, Sima Yuan.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
“Pleased to meet you, Scribe.”
The young experts hurriedly cupped their fists in greeting.
“Hahaha, some familiar faces and some new ones. Congratulations on all advancing to the main tournament.”
They replied in unison.
“Thank you!”
“You all look so spirited—it’s a joy to see. First, allow me to introduce the judges for the main tournament matches.”
At Sima Yuan’s signal, three people entered the conference hall.
It was Feng Zhen-ja, Mo Yong-yang, and Seol Hwa-un.
“The Great Elder of Kunlun, Immortal Feng Zhen, and the elder of the Righteous Heaven Alliance, Great Hero Mo Yong.”
He then introduced Seol Hwa-un, who drew the most attention.
“And the Hall Leader of North Heaven Hall, Young Hero Seol. Better known as the North Heaven Dragon?”
“North Heaven Dragon!”
The young experts’ eyes sparkled. Some knew him, but most were meeting him for the first time.
‘A young guy as a judge? It’s the North Heaven Dragon?’
‘He’s really handsome!’
‘Even if the rumors are only half true, he’s an incredible master.’
‘To already be a judge at an age when he should be competing like us.’
Eyes filled with admiration, jealousy, and wariness poured toward him. Seol Hwa-un gave a wry smile.
‘This is sneakily burdensome.’
He slowly scanned the young experts.
‘As I saw in the preliminaries, they’re definitely impressive.’
Compared to those he’d seen in his previous life, there was a clear difference.
‘The overall level has risen, just as I thought.’
Standing at the back, Mun I-cheon stared at him with eyes round as saucers.
‘T-The North Heaven Dragon is a judge?!”
Recalling their past encounter, Mun I-cheon froze in place.
‘Was I too rude back then? No, I just requested a spar.’
Suddenly, the image of Seol Hwa-un’s reluctant face at his repeated sparring requests came to mind.
‘Ugh! What if he gives me trouble for it?’
While he fretted alone, Feng Zhen-ja stepped forward as representative to greet them.
“Hohoho, it’s a pleasure to meet the pillars of the future. I am Feng Zhen.”
“Pleased to meet you, Immortal!”
The judges and young experts exchanged cupped-fist greetings.
Feng Zhen-ja continued.
“As judges, we will prioritize fairness above all. You all just give your very best—that will be enough.”
“Yes!”
Sima Yuan stepped forward again.
“Very well, that concludes the greetings. We’ll now proceed directly to the main tournament draw.”
“……!”
Soon, a large bracket board and a wooden box were brought in.
“The judges will oversee a fair draw here. When your name is called, step forward and draw one paper from the box.”
Tension rippled through the young experts.
“…….”
The main tournament used a bracket system where winners advanced through matches to determine the ultimate victor.
Depending on who you were matched against, even skilled fighters could fail to claim a Dragon-Phoenix spot due to bad luck.
“Mount Hua Sect Ma Seong-gyun.”
“Yes.”
Ma Seong-gyun stepped forward with a calm reply.
All eyes naturally focused on him. After all, he was one of the top favorites for the championship.
Ma Seong-gyun drew a neatly folded paper from the box. Then, he unfolded it in front of the judges.
Written on it was the number ‘Four’.
“Mount Hua Sect Ma Seong-gyun will compete in the fourth match!”
His name was written in the fourth slot at the bottom of the bracket.
“Next, Murong Family Murong Je!”
He drew ‘Two’—the second match.
In this way, the bracket filled up one entrant at a time. Some wore joyful expressions, while others hung their heads in despair.
“Shanxi Sword Sect Jin Pyo!”
“Yes.”
Jin Pyo carefully drew a paper from the box and unfolded it.
“……!”
His eyes widened involuntarily. Written on the paper was ‘Four’.
“Shanxi Sword Sect Jin Pyo will face Ma Seong-gyun in the fourth match!”
“Ah!”
Several young experts let out sighs of relief.
‘Whew! The Mount Hua Sword Prodigy isn’t my first opponent!’
Some even shot Jin Pyo sympathetic looks.
‘Tough break. First round against the Sword Prodigy of all people.’
‘No luck at all.’
Seol Hwa-un unconsciously furrowed his brow.
‘Of all things. First round against the Mount Hua Sword Prodigy.’
Jin Pyo had the skill to deserve a Dragon-Phoenix spot, but his first opponent was simply too strong.
Of course, Jin Pyo had trained relentlessly to defeat him specifically, but the odds of victory remained low.
As Seol Hwa-un watched Jin Pyo, a glint appeared in his eyes.
“……!”
There was no trace of disappointment on Jin Pyo’s face. Instead, he wore a faint smile as he turned toward Ma Seong-gyun.
‘He truly wanted a chance to face the Mount Hua Sword Prodigy!’
Sensing Jin Pyo’s fighting spirit, Ma Seong-gyun also gazed back at him with an intrigued expression.
‘He looks relieved to face me in the first round, at perfect fighting condition.’
Seol Hwa-un was pleased to see Jin Pyo’s further growth. There was nothing more he could teach him now.
‘All that’s left is for you to prove yourself, Vice Sect Leader. Make it a match with no regrets.’