novelraw Chapter 137: The Draw Ceremony
Chapter 137: The Draw Ceremony
Sycamore City.
Inside the City Stadium.
The news of the earthquake in Montena State sparked heated discussions online, but it didn't affect the scheduled agenda of The Jade State League.
The United Federation had a proper response protocol for such sudden disasters. For the most part, the lives of citizens outside the disaster zone wouldn't be affected much.
Commentator Vera took a moment to compose herself before restarting the draw ceremony.
"Now, the draw ceremony officially begins."
With that said, Vera took a step back.
The referee took a deep breath and stepped up to the transparent box.
He expertly reached into the box and pulled out a small silver ball.
Click.
The ball popped open lightly. The referee extracted a slip of paper from inside and slowly unfolded it facing the camera.
"Star City High!" the referee announced loudly.
Inside the Star City High waiting room, the atmosphere instantly tensed up.
"Didn't expect us to be the very first," Genevieve said slowly, her ruby lips parting slightly.
"Still, I suppose that's good news. At least we don't have to wait around in suspense," 'Emperor' Valerius chimed in.
Soon enough, the referee pulled a second silver ball from the box.
"Willow High!"
The referee called out, holding the text on the paper up to the camera.
"Huh?" Jett's eyes instantly went wide, his mouth involuntarily dropping open into an "O" shape.
Willow High!
One of the absolute top-tier Martial Studies High Schools in the Jade State!
Years ago, because a portal to The Martial Sanctum had appeared in Willow City, various factions had poured massive amounts of funds and resources into the area. Consequently, Willow City's economic and educational levels had surged alongside it.
Over the past two years, Willow High had even managed to surpass Laurel High in one fell swoop, firmly securing its position as the number two Martial Studies High School in the Jade State.
"Never thought we'd have to face such a powerhouse right out of the gate," Jett muttered resentfully.
"It doesn't look like Willow High is our opponent," Genevieve said slowly, pointing at the broadcast screen.
Jett followed her finger, only to see that a massive LED screen had appeared behind Vera at some point.
It displayed the matchup bracket for the top eight knockout stage.
The eight teams were divided into upper and lower brackets.
The names of the first two drawn schools, Star City High and Willow High, appeared in the number one and number three slots, respectively.
"Looks like they draw the odd-numbered seeds first, then draw the even-numbered seeds to match them up," Fly noted, instantly grasping the process as he looked at the screen.
Arranging it this way definitely made the draw ceremony more suspenseful and entertaining to watch.
"Phew..." Jett immediately let out a long sigh of relief. "That's fine then."
"How is it fine? Even though we aren't facing Willow High in the first round, it's basically confirmed that we're in the same bracket. Which means, barring any upsets, we'll still run into them in the semifinals." 'Emperor' Valerius shot Jett a look. "Or are you assuming one of us won't make it past the quarterfinals?"
"If we want to reach the finals, let alone win the championship, Willow High is a hurdle we absolutely have to cross."
At those words, Jett froze in his tracks once again.
Mr. Carter's expression turned a bit grim as well; being placed in the same bracket as such a powerhouse school sharply increased the pressure.
Next up, the results for the number one and three slots of the lower bracket were revealed: Stagcall High and Soulriver High, respectively.
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"Sovereign High... hasn't shown up yet." Mr. Carter furrowed his brows, speaking slowly. If they ended up in the same bracket as them, just like Willow High, it would be an absolute nightmare.
"The only schools left to be drawn are Sycamore High, Sovereign High, Oceanwatch High, and Laurel High, right?" Dean Sterling asked.
The ranking of these four schools should be Sovereign, Laurel, Sycamore, and Oceanwatch.
"A one-in-four chance of going straight up against Sovereign High? Interesting." A cold smirk tugged at the corner of 'Emperor' Valerius's mouth.
The referee once again reached into the transparent box and pulled out the fifth ball.
This was the ball that would determine the number two slot in the upper bracket.
And it would determine Star City High's very first opponent in the knockout stages!
"Please don't be Sovereign High, please don't be Sovereign High..." Jett began crossing himself again, praying fervently.
Although Mr. Carter wasn't as dramatic as Jett, his heart was also pounding with extreme tension.
Please, anything but Sovereign High.
Please put Sovereign High in the lower bracket!
Click.
The ball popped open, and the referee took out the slip of paper, reading it aloud, "Upper bracket, team number two, Sycamore High!"
"Yes!"
Hearing that it wasn't Sovereign High, Jett and Mr. Carter were so thrilled they actually hugged each other.
"This draw is neither good nor bad," Vic analyzed calmly.
Sycamore City's overall strength naturally couldn't compare to Willow City or Laurel City.
Its Martial Studies High School was relatively weaker as well.
But even so, Sycamore High was still one of the Big Four of Martial Studies in the Jade State.
Not to mention, Sycamore High held the home-field advantage this year!
That made them somewhat tricky to deal with.
"Huh?" Jett blanked for a moment upon hearing this.
He had been so focused on avoiding Sovereign High that he completely forgot this year's Jade State League was being hosted in Sycamore City!
Home-field advantage meant the support of the crowd and inevitably some level of bias from the referees.
Jett's mind instantly flashed back to the Freshman Invitational, when Gideon King used his family's connections to collude with the tournament committee and aggressively target Fly.
If the referees deliberately favored Sycamore High this time around...
"In other words, Sycamore High might actually be tougher to deal with than Laurel High," Genevieve pointed out the stark truth.
As the final ball was drawn, the matchups for the quarterfinals were quickly finalized.
Upper Bracket:
Star City High VS Sycamore High.
Willow High VS Laurel High.
Lower Bracket:
Stagcall High VS Sovereign High.
Soulriver High VS Oceanwatch High.
"Feels like this isn't any different from the worst-case scenario." Jett swallowed nervously. "First Sycamore High, then Willow High..."
Even though Laurel High was incredibly strong, in his eyes, Willow High was still more likely to advance to the semifinals.
If everything went smoothly, the opponent they would face in the finals would be...
"Sovereign High," Vic finished the thought.
At the thought of this terrifying gauntlet, Jett's mood visibly plummeted.
It seemed as though a shadow lingered in everyone's hearts—be it tension, disappointment, excitement, or hesitation...
For a moment, a suffocating silence settled over the waiting room.
"Anyway, as long as we give it our best..." Noticing the heavy atmosphere, Mr. Carter, as their guiding teacher, tried to say something to boost morale, but the words died on his lips, unsure of how to continue.
At that crucial moment, Fly spoke up, picking up where Mr. Carter left off.
"So, our next opponent is Sycamore High."
"After advancing to the top four, we face Willow High."
"And finally, we meet Sovereign High in the championship."
"Which means, we'll be striking down three of the Big Four of Martial Studies in the Jade State!"
"This is actually great news."
"The harder the gauntlet, the heavier the crown. This way, after we take the championship, there shouldn't be anyone left to jump out and question our strength, right?"
"Letting powerful rivals exhaust each other so we can reap the spoils, or crushing them one by one until we stand at the apex—which experience is better?"
"I think it's the latter."
"A championship should never be won through cheap tricks. It should be forged from sweat, tears, and even blood."
"Only then, when we look back on this miraculous journey years from now, will we have absolutely no regrets. Right, guys?"
Fly's words ignited a spark in everyone's hearts, instantly scattering the dark clouds that had been hanging over the waiting room.
Just then, Fly turned back to Mr. Carter. "Come to think of it, how much is the prize money for the championship again?"
"Five million," Mr. Carter replied.
In truth, the money was secondary.
If they really clinched the championship, those higher-ups at the Jade State Department of Education would provide substantial backing for their martial cultivation.
An overwhelming deluge of resources and promotions would come pouring in.
Even Star City High would reap immense benefits in the process.
Even more so...
The eight elite universities of The Tulip League would extend olive branches, inviting them for visits or even directly offering guaranteed admission spots.
"Yeah," Fly nodded. "So all we have to do now is scale these three massive mountains—Sycamore High, Willow High, and Sovereign High—and let the world hear our story."
Everyone looked at each other, an unprecedented light flickering in their eyes.
Scale the mountain of The Jade State League and let the world hear their story?
Just thinking about it was enough to make their blood boil with excitement!
Looking at Fly's profile, Genevieve couldn't help but find it somewhat unbelievable.
Just what is this guy's heart made of?
Amongst all of them, only Fly had signed an Apprenticeship Contract with Grandmaster Muse.
And he had made such a bold boast right in front of The Board of Directors.
He was the only one bearing that insurmountable mountain of pressure.
Yet, he was also the only one who remained completely unbothered and brimming with confidence, no matter what he faced.
This Fly...
Does he truly believe he can carve a bloody path out of this gauntlet of powerhouses in The Jade State League and seize the championship?
Just where does this confidence of his come from?
Just then, a sudden knock echoed from the waiting room door.
"Come in." Mr. Carter was slightly puzzled, but still politely invited the person in.
"Hello, is Fly here?" It was a staff member from the tournament committee pushing the door open. "The draw ceremony has concluded, up next is the post-match interview segment."
"Could we trouble Fly to step out for a moment?"
Fly pointed at himself in surprise. "Me?"
"Yes," the staff member replied, a look of pure admiration surfacing on their face. "Your performance this time was truly dazzling!"
"This is my first time ever seeing someone sweep the entire group stage entirely on their own."