How could the ranking tournament possibly be paused midway through?
At Jun Beiyue’s question, the crowd suddenly remembered that the newcomers’ ranking tournament was, in fact, still ongoing! The true decisive battle was about to begin.
Though the Yu clan’s Thousand Eagle Formation nearby was certainly worth watching, the newcomers’ ranking tournament remained, after all, the more important spectacle.
The formidable dark horse, the Hai clan, against the venerable, established Gu clan!
The Hai clan was without question the most unexpected dark horse of this year’s tournament, having created miracle after miracle on their way here — and precisely for that reason, their true strength remained deeply mysterious.
Having even defeated the Bai clan — just how strong was the Hai clan, truly? And where exactly did their limits lie?
As for the Gu clan, the most venerable, established clan on Liuxian Island — its true strength had always been difficult to gauge, and now, given the astonishing potential the young disciples had shown against the Yu clan, the Gu clan had become even more of an enigma than ever.
This clash between old power and new — what unexpected sparks might it produce?
The crowd quickly turned their full attention back, eager to watch.
Just as the two Elders of Qinse announced the start of the final decisive match, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “Hai clan, fight to the end and defeat the Gu clan — rewrite history!”
At these words, an instant chorus of agreement erupted from every direction, all cheering wildly for the Hai clan!
The enthusiasm, the sheer volume of the crowd, left the Gu clan head’s face looking distinctly strained. He instinctively glanced back toward Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, only to find Jun Beiyue’s cold, handsome face utterly free of embarrassment, calmly watching the two competitors step onto the platform.
Ziqing, meanwhile, was still watching the eagle battle raging nearby, seemingly paying no attention at all to the final match.
“Hai clan! Hai clan! Hai clan!”
“Defeat the Gu clan, rewrite history!”
…
The chanting grew louder and louder, deafening enough to nearly drown out everything else — especially once both sides took their positions on the platform, the shouting grew even more frenzied, the atmosphere bordering on chaos.
“Everyone, quiet down!”
“Quiet, please — the match is about to begin, quiet!”
…
The two Elders of Qinse personally tried to restore order, but the crowd’s excitement simply couldn’t be contained.
The Hai clan head was secretly delighted, though of course he wouldn’t step forward personally to thank the crowd or signal for quiet — he was waiting for the two Elders of Qinse to formally invite him to speak first.
“Esteemed one, you truly are the Hai clan’s benefactor. Do we really stand a chance of winning?” the Hai clan head asked in a low voice, turning to Jiao Cha behind him.
Seeing the crowd’s overwhelming enthusiasm, completely dismissive of the Gu clan, even openly hostile toward them, Jiao Cha felt cold sweat trickling down his spine.
He was Han Ziqing’s man now, after all — if that girl ever got angry enough to withhold his antidote, he’d suffer the agony of losing his scales all over again!
Getting no answer from Jiao Cha, the Hai clan head pressed further. “Esteemed one, are you confident? Those young Gu clan disciples don’t seem weak at all!”
Jiao Cha glared furiously at him from behind, displeased. “Tell everyone to quiet down. The match is about to start — what’s all this noise for? Have you no dignity at all?”
The Hai clan head was baffled. “Esteemed one, didn’t you say… didn’t you say we’re the hope of every ordinary clan, that we’re even more beloved by the people than the Gu clan?”
“Bah! Do you think this is some emperor’s throne you’re fighting for? Even the leader of the martial world doesn’t need popular support — what does a mere foremost clan need with the people’s hearts?” Jiao Cha scolded, unceremonious.
The Hai clan head looked puzzled — that certainly wasn’t what the esteemed Jiao Cha had said when he’d first offered to help the Hai clan!
Just as the Hai clan head hesitated, Jiao Cha kicked him sharply in the rear. “Hurry up, will you! This is embarrassing!”
The Hai clan head jumped up at once, and instantly, every eye in the arena turned toward him — the cheering abruptly stopped as everyone assumed he was about to say something important.
The effect was so striking even the two Elders of Qinse felt a flash of envy, both old men turning to look his way, saying nothing at first.
For a moment, the entire arena fell silent — silent enough that one could have heard a needle drop.
The Hai clan head was, after all, merely the head of a minor clan — old in years, perhaps, but hardly well-versed in grand occasions. Seeing every eye fixed on him, and noticing even Jun Beiyue’s own scrutinizing gaze from the Gu clan’s side, he grew flustered at once, trembling visibly, the shaking plain enough for those around him to notice.
The Hai clan head had originally known exactly what he wanted to say, but under the weight of this overwhelming scene, his mind went completely blank.
Jiao Cha, growing impatient, secretly kicked him again — hard enough that the Hai clan head nearly cried out in pain. “Ah— um, everyone… no— Elders, please, let the match begin.”
Stammering, halting, he finally managed to get the words out clearly.
Jiao Cha gave an inward snort of contempt. At least the old fool had the sense not to thank the crowd openly in front of the Gu clan, and not to put on airs before the two Elders of Qinse — otherwise, he’d have truly offended everyone present.
“Very well. First match: mass free-for-all — the Gu clan against the Hai clan!” Elder Qin declared decisively, himself eager to see whether the Hai clan could pull off yet another miracle against the Gu clan, eager to know whether the Gu clan, despite this turbulent and perilous tournament, could still hold onto its position as the foremost clan.
Not just the two Elders of Qinse — the entire crowd, even the Bai clan father and daughter who’d only just now recovered their wits, were burning with anticipation as well.
“Father, I really just now—” Bai Feiyao tried to explain, but the Bai clan head cut her off irritably. “There’s no point explaining anything right now!”
“Father, the Hai clan really is strong, I gave it everything I had!” Bai Feiyao pressed on, unable to see, or perhaps unwilling to consider, that the real problem might have lain with her partner.
The Bai clan head paid her no more mind, watching coldly as the ten competitors clashed on the platform.
“Father, please believe me, it’s not that your daughter didn’t try hard enough — it’s that the Hai clan really is—”
But before Bai Feiyao could finish, on the platform, all five of the Hai clan’s fighters were suddenly struck down by a barrage of Wind Blades unleashed by the Gu clan’s disciples — five blades landing simultaneously, coming within a hair’s breadth of slicing their throats, nearly costing them their lives!
They’d actually lost. The Hai clan had lost!
That was far too fast!
Bai Feiyao’s jaw dropped in shock, while the Bai clan head glared at her furiously. “It’s precisely because you two couldn’t coordinate properly! Do you think this old man can’t tell how strong the Hai clan really is? How many times have I told you not to be so arrogant, so dismissive of your opponents at your age? Did any of it sink in at all?”
“Clang—” The gong sounded, marking the end of the first match. The Gu clan had won!
In an instant, support for the Hai clan cooled considerably, though the chatter of speculation only grew louder. There was no denying it — this match had turned out to be rather disappointing after all.
Could the gap in strength between the Hai clan and the Gu clan really be that vast?
The two Elders of Qinse exchanged a glance, seemingly noticing something, but neither betrayed a flicker of expression.
Amid the buzz of discussion, the second match soon began — and this one, too, concluded remarkably quickly, with the Gu clan emerging victorious once again!
At this, everyone was left utterly stunned!
Everyone had expected this to be the most exciting match of all — instead, it turned out to be the fastest one yet!
Best two out of three — there was no need for a third round at all. The Gu clan had won, the Gu clan was the true ultimate victor, and the Gu clan would once again claim the position of Liuxian Island’s foremost clan!
The Hai clan head turned back in disbelief, looking for Jiao Cha — only to find he had already vanished without a trace. In that instant, understanding seemed to dawn on him. He whirled around abruptly to look toward Jun Beiyue, only to find that Jun Beiyue had already slowly risen to his feet, while the woman beside him — the one who had never once looked at the platform the entire time — still had her attention fixed on the eagle formation nearby.
The Thousand Eagle Formation was gradually shifting toward the arena, and a purple figure had already leapt onto the rooftop…
…