Chapter 209: Where There Are Three People, There Must Be an Acquaintance

The grand tournament in Xingyuan City continues to progress in an orderly fashion.

Since the start of the competition a month ago, the original pool of over a million participants has been drastically reduced, with only the true elite remaining, those who are well-equipped with both background and strength. The competitions have become increasingly intense.

Through round after round of elimination, this process not only tests strength but also emphasizes the importance of stamina management and endurance. The spots secured through preliminary rounds have grown more critical as the competition progresses.

After all, if two competitors possess the same strength, but one has fought through numerous matches and is completely exhausted while the other has rested, the difference in their capabilities when they face off is not to be underestimated.

Some might argue that the competition system is unfair and fails to balance out the truly excellent contenders, but the truth is that real fairness does not exist in this world. Those secure spots were earned through the efforts of others; mere empty calls for justice from those unwilling to put in the work only serve to mock their own ignorance.

After numerous eliminations, it finally reaches the much-anticipated national finals.

216 people.

These are the top elites filtered out from the millions of participants across the Dongyuanzhi Kingdom, who will represent the kingdom in the truly significant “Four Saints Selection Tournament” held in a certain location of the Xiyuan Spirit Nation, competing with fewer than a thousand strong individuals from around the world for the honor of stepping foot on Lingyin Fairy Island.

Of course, before that… they still need to determine the champions within the Dongyuanzhi Kingdom’s tournament, which may seem somewhat redundant for the overall competition system but is incredibly important for Dongyuanzhi itself.

As Miss Vilyric walked into the contestants’ resting area inside the main venue, she coincidentally spotted three familiar yet somewhat unexpected figures.

“Oh! It’s the boss, long time no see!”

“Miss Vilyric, it’s been… huh?”

“…?”

Le Qiao Qiao, Fish Dan’er, and the gray-haired swordswoman Hong Yan, who carried a sword at her waist, all saw the Priestess walking directly towards them and intended to greet her simultaneously. However, as soon as the words left their mouths, they froze, staring at each other in confusion.

“Huh? What’s going on? You both know the boss too?”

“Wait, I’m the one who should be asking that… So Miss Vilyric is really participating in both the literary and martial competitions?! I thought it was just a coincidence with the name; by the way, what does ‘boss’ mean?”

“Oh, I see… Senior Vilyric, thank you for taking care of them earlier. I’m Hong Yan, sorry for my rudeness last time.”

Watching the three chatter away like a flock of sparrows, Miss Vilyric couldn’t help but facepalm at being referred to with three different titles.

“I think the most confused one here is me. How did you three from all over end up together? Are you plotting to prank me?”

The three girls exchanged glances again, seemingly unsure how to explain. After a brief awkward silence, it was Fish Dan’er, being the most eloquent, who began to explain.

“It’s like this, Miss Vilyric. Remember I mentioned that little group that came to Kyoto Xingyuan City together?”

“We three might not come from the same place, but we’ve all coincidentally joined that travel group. Since arriving here, we’ve been staying in the same inn, and as we’re all girls, we gradually got familiar with each other.”

“See, boss, that’s fate!”

“Is that true? That’s pushing coincidence a bit too far…”

But honestly, Fish Dan’er had no need to deceive her about such matters, and Hong Yan’s attire indeed didn’t look wealthy, making it almost seem like other than her sword, she didn’t possess anything valuable.

And Le Qiao Qiao was a bona fide penny pincher, with her ludicrous appetite always making her complain to the Priestess about not being able to fill her stomach or how harsh some merchants were for not giving discounts despite her excessive consumption…

Looking at it this way, it did seem quite reasonable that they teamed up to save on travel expenses.

Forget it… If it’s truly a coincidence, one must say it’s a gift of fate.

It appeared that Hong Yan was getting ready to head to the arena, with her two companions accompanying her to cheer from the stands.

This final tournament may only be an internal ranking competition for Dongyuanzhi, and even if one loses, there’s still the chance to try again in the four-nation finals. However, the Sacred Clan Alliance has offered very generous rewards to boost contestants’ enthusiasm, not only high cash prizes but also special additional prizes for the top ten.

For some individuals with empty pockets, money is undoubtedly very important. Moreover, ranking at a national level holds significant meaning, just like when Bai’er earned third place in the Spirit Nation competition, instantly becoming Ling Feng’s dedicated protector.

By the way, even though Fish Dan’er isn’t a martial competitor, she did advance to the finals via the literary side, granting her access to the final arena, a privilege earned by her own strength, which conforms to the rules.

After chatting for a while, Miss Vilyric didn’t delay them for too long and bid farewell to the three girls, looking for the other three who had arrived earlier and were waiting in the contestant’s lounge, watching the competition through a projection screen set up in the room.

By the way, this device looks extremely advanced and starkly contrasts with the Ancient Spirit Realm’s style, seemingly using some technology called “Sky Eye,” but the specific details remain very mysterious, known only to a select few in high-ranking positions.

With that constantly changing perspective as if peering down from the sky, the situation in the arena was clearly visible.

When it came to the finals, the competition had rather stripped away all the fancy elements and returned to the simplest one-on-one match. The 216 contestants battled it out in elimination format, and not only were tickets to the spectators’ area highly sought after, but it was also rumored that the Eastern Yuan Holy Monarch and various high-ranking officials from other nations would personally attend the VIP section to observe, creating an intensely heated atmosphere.

At this moment, the gray-haired swordswoman Hong Yan, who previously crossed paths with Miss Vilyric and appeared somewhat familiar to her from their initial meeting, was fighting against a middle-aged woman using a long whip who looked to be in her forties.

This was quite normal; one could say that the “Four Saints Selection Tournament,” which does not limit participant age or background, is a stage for those experienced individuals with deep backgrounds. Young geniuses like Hong Yan making it to the finals is an exceptional rarity.

According to the commentator’s pre-match introduction, while the whip-wielding woman wasn’t on the “Top 100 of the Ancient Spirit Realm,” she was nonetheless a core elder of a significant sect in Dongyuanzhi, with considerable strength and said to be just a step away from the Seeking Immortal realm, clearly stronger than Hong Yan in raw power.

But Miss Vilyric saw it at a glance: this person was absolutely no match for the swordswoman.

Not that she wasn’t capable, but rather that Hong Yan was too strong. If this were a novel, she would probably be the kind of genius who often overwhelms opponents of higher levels.

The sword, being the king of all weapons, is incredibly stylish, and this weapon’s user ratio is high both on this continent and in the Ancient Spirit Realm. However, in stark contrast to the basic number of swordsmen, very few truly know how to wield it effectively.

True powerful sword users do not cultivate the sword itself but rather the heart; merely understanding the form of the sword will never allow one to merge with the sword path, let alone reach the peak.

Thus, truly strong swordsmen eventually become less constrained by the physical sword and embark on a deeper, more profound path.

Well… the above content is something someone who also enjoys swordplay and always carries seven swords said. To put it in simpler terms, it’s akin to saying that playing with swords equates to “dual cultivation of magic and martial arts,” possessing a very high ceiling but also a very low threshold.

And as for Hong Yan, there’s no doubt she’s a swordsmanship prodigy capable of touching that ceiling, so her true strength cannot simply be judged by level.

Miss Vilyric can personally attest to that.

Wait… speaking of which, don’t these two share similarities in looks, temperament, and hair color?

…Huh?

   

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