Chapter 363 Xie Zhong’s Thoughts
Lan Ju only wanted to tell him that he trust Mark's decisions and don't unnecessarily question them but Xie Zhong understood it differently as he analyzed those deeply.
Why a supreme being accepted a commoner as his master in the first place when even the Emperors had to greet them in respect? Such loyalty can only occur by two things.
One, the guy has a strong hidden background.
Two, the guy forced the supreme being into servitude.
Feeling that the second option is out of the question, Xie Zhong concluded that Mark belonged to the first option. The existence of firearms and the Kunlun sect's support for Mark only increased his suspicion.
Now, the only question that remained in Xie Zhong's mind is why Mark is participating in this tournament.
For a person who had a supreme being as his servant, a manticore as a mount, and a beast emperor kitten as a pet, the rewards from the tournament shouldn't entice him. Hence, there's another motive. Perhaps, revenge?
It is not uncommon that arrogant young masters wanted to take revenge with their own hands. So, maybe, it was just that?
Xie Zhong formed his own theory based on an ambiguous answer from Lan Ju.
Mark's arrival did bring confusion to the Patriarch of the Xianshu sect but thankfully, it also saved his face a little bit, considering the emperor sent a letter about skipping the opening ceremony but promising to attend the finals.
Back to the Arena, once the matchups were done according to one's cultivation, making sure that neither fellow 6-circle realm experts become opponents nor do a 4-circle realm Spirit warrior will face a 6-circle cultivator, well, atleast until round 32.
The legendary realm expert, Elder of the scarlet peak (4th highest), Gao Su became the proctor of all the battles.
He started by speaking the rules after speaking a few words about the tournament for formality.
The Dragon Warrior Tournament, which only occurs once every 10 years, is considered the most prestigious tournament in the continent, not just because of the impressive rewards and the participation of the most talented cultivators from sects but it is also because the top 8 Spirit Warriors will also be qualified for the Void tournament.
If the Dragon Warrior tournament is a continental one, then, Void Tournament is a worldwide one.
Coming to the rules, currently, round 128 will start. Due to the fact that five seeded candidates from various sects ended up being disqualified, five lucky individuals will proceed to the next round without any battle.
Obviously, it is going to be the warriors with the highest potential. Of the remaining 123, there were about 19 of them in the 6-circle realm. 5 out of those 19 got a bye and proceed to the next round.
Unfortunately, Mark wasn't one of them. 𝒇r𝘦e𝘸𝒆𝚋𝐧o𝘷𝘦𝘭. 𝒄oｍ
But, he didn't think he wasn't unlucky though. After all, his goal is something else and he needs as many opportunities as he can get to fulfill his goal.
As for how the battle goes, there was a large platform placed in the middle of the arena. It was fifty meters wide, a hundred meters long, and 2 meters in height. As long as the participant's body touches the ground, he/she loses.
Flying is allowed but not greater than fifty meters above the ground and five meters away from the platform. If this rule is broken, then the participant will lose the match too.
Other than that, killing is absolutely allowed. However, only before the participant admits his defeat or before the proctor announces that the said participant is in no condition of battle.
The weapons and artifacts are allowed no matter whom they belonged to but the contracted beast is not allowed to support its ally/master.
As for the rewards, there are different ones for different rankings but the one that is worthy to be described were the rewards for the first four ranks.
The fourth ranker will receive 10,000 gold coins, a fierce-grade beast egg of chosen attribute, and a platinum-grade weapon.
The third ranker will receive 20,000 gold coins, a beast-king egg, and a platinum-grade weapon.
The runner-up will receive 30,000 gold coins, either a direct chance to form a contract with a 6-circle realm beast king that has no master or a beast-king egg and a platinum-grade weapon & armor set.
And the winner will receive a huge amount of 100,000 gold coins, a chance to form a contract with a 7-circle realm beast king with no master or a beast-king egg, a platinum-grade armor set, and a semi-divine grade weapon, and finally, an opportunity to seek guidance in cultivation directly from the Void Temple.
The Void Temple is an organization that conducts these dragon warrior tournaments in all the continents every decade, followed by the Void Tournament at the end.
It is said that one of the three demigod realm beasts of the world was the guardian of this Void Temple and there's also a rumor that a demigod cultivator was hiding in that temple's headquarters.
How much of that is true? No one knows.
However, one knows that the organization is far stronger than any Empire's army or any individual sect just based on the fact that they have atleast three supreme beings and a dozen Supreme realm experts. Unknown to the rest of the world, who knows how many more such experts were hiding there?
Anyways, back to the tournament, after the recital of the rules was over, the proctor went on to announce a spar between two grand elders of the sect, following the tradition of the tournament.
This practice not only showcases the strength of the hosting sect but also helps the youngsters in widening their horizons. Who knows, some of these geniuses can learn a thing or two after watching advanced realm experts fight.
Everyone but Mark was intently staring at the arena. They were excited to watch the sparring between two supreme realm experts. Even the grand elders sitting beside the Patriarch were ready.
Little did they expect Xie Zhong to suddenly change a decision. He stopped them from going to the field and cupped his fists toward Lan Ju, "Brother Wu, if you don't mind, I would like to spar with you. Will you accept this selfish request of mine?"
"Huh?" Everyone else quickly turned their heads to look at the Patriarch. Lan Ju too blankly stared at him, wondering what this fellow was thinking. Trying to get yourself humiliated?
As if Xie Zhong understood what everyone was wondering about, he gave his reasoning before Lan Ju gave his answer.
Usually, it is an incredibly rare thing for two Supreme Beings to be standing in the same location. Xie Zhong too had never battled a person in the same realm and such opportunities were even rarer.
Perhaps, he wanted to experience how strong he is, compared to other Supreme Beings. Even after Lan Ju warned him that he will be putting the stake the reputation of his sect in the process, Xie Zhong didn't back down from the request. After all, what's fame? It will change based on the circumstances. Not to mention, it was just a spar anyways…
Since there was nothing to lose for him here, Lan Ju agreed to the spar and both of them slowly rose into the air, flew toward the battle platform, and landed on it, taking everyone by surprise.
"Patriarch Xie is personally showcasing his abilities? This will be awesome…"
"Hey, who is that expert beside him? Is he a grand elder?" "No, he is not. I think he is the servant of that handsome guy…" "Wow, no wonder he was given the royal treatment. I'm curious about his background"
"I heard that Patriarch Xie is one of the few grandmaster swordsmen in the world. He could use even grass as a blade. I'm excited…"
The spectators started discussing among themselves as the two powerful beings landed on the platform and looked at each other.
"Brother Wu, we'll follow the same rules as the participants. The match will end when one of us steps outside of the ring." Xie Zhong spoke in a polite tone and cupped his fists. "We'll start when you are ready."
Lan Ju nodded in silence.
Xie Zhong created an energy sword and went into his battle stance. Lan Ju did the same, indicating that it is going to be a sword fight.
Looking at that, a smile appeared on Xie Zhong, "good. We'll compare our sword skills then."
He charged forward as soon as the proctor blew the whistle. Lan Ju, on the other hand, didn't move from the spot without displaying any expression on his face. "Come on."