"I will have to thank Sir Liu for the assistance," President Wu called out politely but Sir Liu only rolled his eyes.
"Did you have to do it in public? You really couldn't wait till you can settle it in private?"
"I'm helping you entertain this fantastic crowd," President Wu replied with a shrug before gazing at the stands and called out, "Am I right?!"
Yeah!!!
The crowd cheered on demand like his little puppets. Who wouldn't? The last segment of today's Tournament was extremely entertaining and it wasn't even over. There wasn't anyone who didn't anticipate what would happen next.
Will there be another battle but this time consisting of top-notch experts? If yes, that day would definitely become history and they would be part of it. There was only one person who seemed dissatisfied.
"Ouch! President Wu is trying to steal my job!" The commentator joked, pretending to be in pain which caused the crowd to laugh.
The person in question ignored it, turning to Nuwa who already approached him.
"Miss Nuwa, please," President Wu invited her as he presented the chain and the Fire Stone to her.
Nuwa didn't hesitate and grabbed the cage but only opened it, taking out the Fire Stone with her. There was a proud look on Nuwa's face as she walked towards Xuefeng but something always had to go wrong.
"Ah!"
Xuefeng grimaced in pain as he dropped on his knees and clutched onto his right arm. The Elemental Bracelet shone brightly through his clothes till his sleeve evaporated and one of the top ten Godly Treasures revealed itself.
"Xuefeng!" Nuwa called out in worry as she rushed to him but that caused the bracelet to shine even brightly, swallowing them both within the golden light. It was even more blinding than the sun causing everyone to cover their eyes.
"What is going on?! Is the Elemental Bracelet exploding?!"
———
"Aaaargh!" Xuefeng finally screamed through his teeth, unable to hold it back anymore.
The pain was unbearable!
'What the fuck did I doooo?!' Xuefeng cursed in his mind, feeling as if his arm was about to explode. It wasn't just his arm. The pain was spreading to every part of his body.
'It's the Elemental Bracelet doing!' Ling informed hurriedly. 'From what I can sense, it's punishing you for stalling and not claiming the Fire Stone in time. Let me try to ease your pain a bit.'
As she said so, a refreshing relief spread around his body but it was quickly overwhelmed by the pain. The two were fighting with each other but it was clear who was winning.
'But why?? The Fire Stone is right in front of us! Why can't it wait for just a little more?' Xuefeng questioned baffled as he tried to move, getting the damn bracelet what it wanted.
Although it was still hard, he slowly got used to the pain, just enough to manipulate his body.
'Stop thinking why! Just hurry and get the Fire Stone!' Ling ordered upset, her mood clearly affected while seeing Xuefeng getting hurt.
"Xuefeng!"
As he lifted his head, searching for Nuwa, her voice reached him. She was crouching right in front of him, not bothered by the blinding light.
"F-fire… Stone!" Xuefeng mustered the power to say two words and extended his arm, exposing the eight empty sockets.
All she needed to do was put the Fire Stone in the right socket.
'Wait, didn't we have to collect the Elemental Stones in order? The second one should be the Water Stone, right?' Xuefeng questioned, realizing the order on the bracelet didn't match.
'Don't worry, the Elemental Bracelet Spirit won't give up on another Elemental Stone this easily,' Ling assured.
Nuwa quickly realized what he wanted and grabbed his hand, tying it with her fingers, and gently put the Fire Stone in the red socket.
Swoosh!
A sudden suction ripped it away from her hand and slammed it in the socket on its own. The gears inside of it shifted and the Fire Stone moved right next to Wind Stone. Both of them shone as if greeting each other before the blinding light got sucked inside.
Everything ended as swiftly as if happened.
"Are you okay?" Nuwa asked just in case and Xuefeng stood up, pulled her up with him. "I'm okay, thank you."
The pain was all gone. He actually felt much better than before.
"That's great! I was so worried~" Nuwa dove into his arms, hugging him tightly like a loving wife.
When their lips met again, the crowd cheered again.
"Those two have no mercy on us. Their love called me single in a hundred languages and I am not even single!" the Commentator remarked, bringing out a smile from Nuwa. She didn't stop through, displaying her affection publicly without care.
Unfortunately, every good thing has to come to an end somewhere. Xuefeng was the first to pull away, pressing her into his chest. The Elemental Bracelet with two Elemental Stones was now in full view, teasing anyone who wished to have it.
"President Wu," Xuefeng called out, getting serious. "I don't know what are your intentions but I will accept this token. I will forgive you for your sins just because you took care of my wives, but I will not accept you as my grandfather-in-law just yet."
"Sigh… What times we are in where it's the grandson-in-law who accepts his grandfather, not the other way around," President Wu lamented but gave in right after. "Fine, fine, I don't mind. As long as the feud between us is settled."
Turning to Sir Liu, he added, "Now, shall we continue with this Tournament? We have disturbed it for long enough."
Sir Liu nodded and announced, "Please, all one hundred and twenty-eight participants who won your third-round matches, come up onto the Main Stage!"
"Go, it's you," Nuwa muttered but Xuefeng only smiled. "You think I will let go of you after you were gone for so long? You are going with me."
He embraced her waist and jumped down from the Flying Ship, landing gently on the dusty ground.
Only when he landed did he realize they forgot about someone who was standing in the Main Stage this whole time.
Just when everyone thought the drama ended and they moved to the boring stuff, another segment began.
"I protest! I didn't lose the final match!"