Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 495: Enter the Final

Unlike Xiao Xiao and Xue Zhao, who were bickering, Zi Xing was completely stunned by Ye Qingchen’s strength.

In her mind, Zi Xing continuously replayed the battle, imagining herself in Chi Jianbai’s place. Could she, with her own power, have found a way to win? No matter what strategy she devised, the outcome was always the same: she would undoubtedly be defeated by Ye Qingchen. This feeling was deeply unsettling.

Zi Xing had always been a standout in her family. Upon entering the Central Celestial Academy, the largest academy in the central region, she was also considered a priority for focused cultivation. Otherwise, the academy would not have given her one of their precious slots for this competition. Yet, this junior brother had joined the sect much later than she had. He was only at the third level of the Martial King Realm, and his Martial Soul was merely a Seven-star Willow Wood Martial Soul, but he now commanded combat power that surpassed her own. How on earth did he cultivate?

Meanwhile, Mr. Know-it-all, who had been standing quietly behind Xiao Xiao, couldn’t help but speak up.

"Master, I have a feeling your young master wasn’t using his full strength. If he were to truly unleash his power, he would be even more formidable."

His words caught the attention of the three beauties.

Xue Zhao shot Mr. Know-it-all a disdainful look and turned to Xiao Xiao. "Did he just call you Master? Don’t tell me that’s your pet."

Xiao Xiao nodded, retorting, "He is. The young master helped me subdue him. What about it? You don’t have one, do you?"

Xue Zhao wrinkled her nose. "Who would want a pet so ugly and tiny?"

Mr. Know-it-all was left speechless. He had merely been stating his observation, only to have the two girls start discussing his appearance and height.

In contrast, it was Zi Xing who addressed the topic seriously. "Impossible. Even if Junior Brother Ye is strong, he’s only at the third level of the Martial King Realm. The combat power he just unleashed must be his limit!"

Mr. Know-it-all shook his head. "My observations are never wrong. He is simply unwilling to reveal his full strength right now, and I can’t say any more, or my master will be displeased."

Xiao Xiao and Xue Zhao, however, seemed to believe him, nodding with conviction. Their certainty made Zi Xing waver. Perhaps Ye Qingchen really hadn’t used his full strength after all.

Xiao Xiao believed it because she knew Ye Qingchen possessed the Fen Tian Earth Fire. To say nothing of the Fen Tian Earth Fire, he hadn’t even used the Ancient Jade Spiritual Fire. That was proof enough that he hadn’t gone all out. Xue Zhao believed it because she had personally seen him defeat Wu Zhengyang. During that fight, his Shadow-extinction Sword Technique had concealed three strands of Sword Intent, but he had only used two just now. It was clear that Ye Qingchen had held back.

At that moment, Ye Qingchen stepped down from the arena and joined the three women.

Zi Xing looked at him in disbelief. His aura was stable and his breathing was steady; he didn’t look like someone who had just endured a grueling battle. This only strengthened her suspicion that he had not used his full power.

Finally, she couldn’t resist asking, "Junior Brother Ye, was that last move your full strength?"

Ye Qingchen smiled at her. "What do you think, Senior Sister Zi? I’m only at the third level of the Martial King Realm, after all."

His ambiguous answer left Zi Xing even more confused. However, he clearly didn’t want to dwell on the topic and instead turned to Xiao Xiao. "Xiao Xiao, any news about the finals? What’s the format?"

Before Xiao Xiao could speak, Xue Zhao eagerly jumped in. "The tournament host announced the details for the finals long ago. Didn’t Little Sister Xiao Xiao tell you?"

Ye Qingchen glanced at Xue Zhao, but he was familiar with her mischievous personality and didn’t mind. He simply smiled and said, "I was busy competing on the stage. Even if Xiao Xiao wanted to tell me, there was no time. In that case, I’ll have to ask Miss Xue Zhao to enlighten me."

Xue Zhao shot Xiao Xiao a triumphant look before leisurely explaining, "Fifty contestants are left for the finals. The matches will still be one-on-one duels, but this time, the rankings will be decided by a points system. The winner gets one point, and the loser gets none. The final rankings will be based on the total points."

Ye Qingchen sighed. So in the end, I can’t just rely on luck to get into the top twenty. A points system where everyone has to fight all the other opponents is the best way to test someone’s true strength. The only downside is that this will drag out the tournament significantly.

Xiao Xiao understood his concern; he wanted to finish the competition quickly, secure a spot in the top twenty, and head to the lands of the ten Ancient Clans. She quickly added, "Don’t worry, Young Master. After the preliminaries end today, all contestants get a day of rest. In the following matches, if any contestant loses two rounds, they will be eliminated from the tournament. Plus, they’ll open ten arenas at once, so the tournament shouldn’t last too long."

Ye Qingchen breathed a sigh of relief and affectionately patted Xiao Xiao’s head.

This gesture, however, earned Xue Zhao’s displeasure. She pouted and grumbled, "Big Brother, you’re so biased! I was the one who told you about the competition format, but you’re rewarding Little Sister Xiao Xiao instead of me. Humph."

Her puffed-up cheeks were so endearing that Ye Qingchen felt the urge to pat her head too. However, under Xiao Xiao’s murderous glare, he wisely suppressed the thought and offered a few words of verbal praise instead.

Afterward, the group returned to their respective sect’s rest areas to await the final matches. As a contestant from the Central Celestial Academy, Ye Qingchen naturally left with Zi Xing. Although he disliked Liu Feng and his group, his stunning performance on the stage had shut them up. They no longer dared to mock him so brazenly.

Early the next morning, Zi Xing and Ye Qingchen returned to the venue together.

Compared to the previous day, things were just as Xiao Xiao had described. The organizers had set up five additional arenas, and the audience seating had been rearranged to better suit the finals.

As advancing contestants, Ye Qingchen and Zi Xing were once again called onto the platform to draw lots and determine the match order. The matchups for the subsequent rounds would be updated in real-time by the tournament organizers.