Rows of colored arrangements moved once again. This time, the red and white names were mixed and formed a new arrangement. Every red name was matched up against a white name.
When everything was confirmed, Lan Xuanyu realized they were up against three unfamiliar names. Evidently, they were opponents he did not recognize.
He sighed to himself inwardly; the situation he was hoping wouldn’t happen happened. Without a doubt, the majority of participants in the semi-finals were participants from the mother planet. Unrecognizable names had a high probability of coming from the mother planet. Dong Qianqiu had warned him earlier that the opponents from the mother planet were the strongest.
Since it had already happened, they could only do their best against their opponents.
Lan Xuanyu closed his eyes and the expression on his face became completely cool. He gradually focused his attention on calming himself down, while adjusting everything within him. He adjusted his state of mind.
Figuring out his abilities after the mutation with Ji Hongbin was extremely important for this day. He was no longer the Lan Xuanyu from before! There was a chance, there would definitely be a chance.
Liu Feng and Qian Lei had their eyes on him. Seeing him close his eyes, they unknowingly felt reassured. But it was their first time seeing Lan Xuanyu be so serious.
“The lot drawing is completed, let us prepare for the test. The test will have 10 elevated stages. For the names that are called up, please head to the stages,” Xiao Qi announced.
Stages started to float up from the ground from Sea God Square. Very quickly, 10 stages were neatly arranged above the square. Including Ling Yiyi and the youths, a pair was designated to a stage—one stood at the edge while the other entered the stage, evidently to act as judges.
“Stage 1, Lan Xuanyu, Liu Feng, and Qian Lei against Li Han, Li Bin, and Jia Yu.”
The former three were stunned to hear their names right at the get-go. There were a total of 100 teams, but they were actually the first to be chosen to go up the stage.
Lan Xuanyu immediately opened his eyes as a faint radiance flashed past the depths of his eyes. His mouth formed a smile as he whispered to Liu Feng and Qian Lei, “It’s a good thing to be first on stage. Let’s go!”
While saying that, he took the lead and walked towards Stage 1. It did not matter to him who he was up against. The only thing he could do now was to lead his teammates and win the fight. Win and stay, that was the only way to continue!
Lan Mengqin turned to an anxious Dong Qianqiu. “Their strengths aren’t that great, are they? That Lan Xuanyu’s aura isn’t that strong either. Qianqiu, you’re being too nervous. Why would you like him? Elimination might not be a bad thing.”
“Who likes him?” Dong Qianqiu said with a blush. “Elder sister Mengqin, we’re still young!”
Lan Mengqin giggled. “If you don’t like him, what’re you being anxious for?”
Dong Qianqiu glanced at her. “He’s my teacher’s disciple after all!”
“Teacher Nana?” Lan Mengqin was startled.
Dong Qianqiu nodded her head. “He is Teacher Nana’s first disciple. The last time he came over to our school was to find Teacher Nana as well.”
Upon hearing her explanation, Lan Mengqin’s expression immediately changed. She turned to look at Lan Xuanyu on stage with surprise and expectations in her eyes.
Lan Xuanyu’s trio walked up the stage and stood to the side, with Lan Xuanyu taking the center position while Liu Feng and Qian Lei were a step behind and by his sides.
At the same time, their opponents walked up on stage.
They were three relatively tall youths. The three did not look special in any way, but had concealed presences and possessed stability surpassing that of people their age.
The three stood in a file and looked at Lan Xuanyu’s team with fire in their eyes.
“Both parties, state your names.” The judge responsible for Stage 1 spoke up, coincidentally being the familiar Ling Yiyi.
“Lan Xuanyu, Liu Feng, Qian Lei.” Lan Xuanyu’s trio spoke up their names.
The opponents reported their names with Li Han in the middle, Li Bin on his left, and the slightly shorted Jia Yu on the right.
The three maintained calmed expressions, letting Lan Xuanyu know that their luck was absolutely at a down low. The opponents before them were definitely strong.
To have such calm expressions at such an age meant strength!
“There are no rules and you can rely on anything. Match, start!” Ling Yiyi waved her hand and retreated to the side of the stage.
No rules? These words immediately imprinted themselves onto Lan Xuanyu’s mind. Ever since he met Ling Yiyi, he realized that every word that came out of her mouth contained a deeper meaning and was never for nothing.
As the three opponents opposite them took a step forward simultaneously, their auras surged out and soul rings rose from their feet.
On the left, Li Bin’s three purple soul rings blossomed with striking colors. On the right, Jia Yu also conjured three purple soul rings. In the center, Li Han actually had four purple soul rings.
Qian Lei and Liu Feng’s expressions immediately changed when they saw the rings.
Two Soul Elders, one soul ancestor! In terms of strength, they were already on par with Bing Tianliang’s team. If they were faced against Bing Tianliang’s trio in a face to face battle, their chances were absolutely slim! Who would have thought that their luck would be so bad?
At the same time, the opponents also witnessed the soul rings from Lan Xuanyu’s team.
Originally prepared to make a move, their expressions turned into ones of shock.
Two purple soul rings appeared from Liu Feng and Qian Lei. The Spirit Ascension Platform was not a wasted trip—the rewards had upgraded their soul rings to 1,000-year soul rings.
As the center man of the team, Lan Xuanyu was obviously the team leader, but two yellow soul rings surged from his feet.
Seeing this, the expressions on Li Han’s team became weird. In contrast to Lan Xuanyu’s team’s belief, they immediately realized that they were overflowing with luck. Three two-ring soul masters? They could enter the semi-finals? What kind of luck did they have to achieve that? And they felt extremely fortunate as well to pick such opponents, it was going to be a breeze. Their calm expressions unknowingly revealed a bit of relaxation, insofar that they started to smile…
Anyone’s mood would definitely become better when encountering such opponents. A team consisting of a Soul Ancestor and two Soul Elders should be rare in the semi-finals, but a team comprising three Soul Grandmasters was definitely rare and unique.
That’s right, they could be described as a rare and unique team. All the teams that had yet to be picked to fight all revealed envious looks as they stared at Li Han’s team. They would definitely get to the next round.
Who didn’t see the other team’s ugly expressions? The rather good-looking youth in the middle had a bitter expression as he unleashed his martial soul, but he did not reveal any intent on attacking.
“You guys, just admit defeat.” Li Han’s eyes moved as the four soul rings on his body bounced up and down rhythmically, the manifested aura revealing his evident Soul Ancestor power.
Lan Xuanyu’s current expression was of helplessness and bitterness with a tinge of sadness. He sighed and laughed bitterly. “We still wish to try.”
Having not been picked for the first wave, Bing Tianliang stood beneath the stage and kept his gaze fixated on Lan Xuanyu’s side over at Stage 1.
When he saw how strong Lan Xuanyu’s opponents were, he could not help but perspire in cold sweat for them. It’d be too difficult for them. But when he saw Lan Xuanyu’s mournful face and pained expression, the corners of his mouth could not help but twitch.
From what he knew of Lan Xuanyu, he knew that the guy’s exaggerated expression, which seemed realistic, was actually meant to cheat his opponent’s rhythm! Could it be they really had a shot at winning this?