Yue Baize's announcement that he was withdrawing from the semifinal didn't surprise anyone. Having drawn Xiang Qin, they couldn't possibly have fought to the death beforehand — doing so would only hand an easy victory to Dan Qian Palace.
What everyone was curious about was whether Jun Mobai would yield to Mu Gaoqi.
Over at the Great Sacred Hall, a brief emergency consultation was held. Over at Dan Qian Palace, however, Dan Chi didn't put any pressure on Jun Mobai. Elder Liancheng also seemed unwilling to see Elder Yunnie's disciple appear too extraordinary, so he too made no demands of Jun Mobai whatsoever.
As for the other elders of the Martial Arts Hall, seeing that none of the leaders had spoken, they certainly wouldn't be so tactless as to chime in. The elders of the Martial Arts Hall had a reasonable grasp of Elder Liancheng's thinking as their hall master. They could more or less guess that he didn't want to see Elder Yunnie's disciple overshadow everyone else — so even if it meant an internal showdown, they would let them fight it out.
Still, no one could tell what Jun Mobai was thinking. After pondering for a moment, he too voluntarily withdrew from the semifinal.
"Junior Brother Gaoqi, I watched your previous fight with Wang Han. I am far from your level. If I were to fight this match, I'd only be humiliating myself."
Jun Mobai fanned himself with his paper fan, every inch the refined gentleman. Even in defeat, he carried himself with the air of a dashing young noble.
Jiang Chen was somewhat surprised, feeling a faint twinge of disappointment. Palace Master Dan Chi had tasked him with keeping an eye on Jun Mobai. He had originally planned to use this fight to gauge Jun Mobai's true capabilities. He hadn't expected the fellow to actually withdraw.
Whether Jun Mobai was hiding his strength or truly felt himself outmatched and voluntarily forfeited, no one could say.
And so a dramatic scene unfolded. In both semifinals, someone had voluntarily withdrawn. It was as good as guaranteeing both Xiang Qin and Mu Gaoqi a spot in the finals.
"Brother Xiang, give it your all." Yue Baize's gaze was steady. "Everyone in the Great Sacred Hall stands with you."
"Xiang Qin, give it your best. Don't let down the expectations of the entire sect." Xiang Wentian patted Xiang Qin on the shoulder.
The other clan leaders all cast encouraging looks toward Xiang Qin.
Clearly, by this point, everyone knew that no matter what, every level of the Great Sacred Hall had to stand behind Xiang Qin. Internal problems would be resolved internally, but when it came to the interests and the big picture of the entire Great Sacred Hall, they had to stand united.
They had prepared extensively for this Myriad Aspects Hidden Dragon Ranking championship, had made numerous arrangements for the restoration of the Myriad Aspects Empire, even going so far as to bribe the smaller sects into voting for the Great Sacred Hall. For what? For the arrival of this very day. This Myriad Aspects Hidden Dragon Ranking championship — the Great Sacred Hall was determined to claim it.
On Dan Qian Palace's side, there were no grand declarations. By now, everyone knew that Mu Gaoqi's strength was unfathomably deep. Even Shen Qinghong clearly understood that, in terms of raw power, several of himself might still not be Mu Gaoqi's match. The him of old would never have accepted that. But at this moment, his heart was as calm as still water. If Mu Gaoqi's displayed strength had only been marginally greater than his own, he might have had trouble swallowing it. But Mu Gaoqi's displayed power had completely suppressed even Wang Han — placing him uncountably far ahead of Shen Qinghong. And so he actually felt relaxed and at ease. The gap was so vast it was like the chasm between an Origin Realm cultivator and a Saint Realm one. There was simply no possibility of closing it, so what was there to dwell on?
Nie Chong thought about how he had previously mocked Mu Gaoqi, saying they hadn't even bothered to send Rong Zifeng to compete. The moment he recalled those words, he felt an urge to smash his head into the nearest wall.
"Junior Brother, be careful." In Ling Bi'er's clear eyes, joy was mingled with firm encouragement. Clearly, she too hoped Jiang Chen would seize the championship on the finals stage. This would be the first time since Palace Master Dan Chi's victory sixty years ago that they would reclaim the Grand Ceremony Martial Tournament championship.
Elder Liancheng offered a few perfunctory pleasantries. Jiang Chen merely nodded, not really paying attention to what the man said.
Palace Master Dan Chi spoke to Jiang Chen privately. "The people of the Great Sacred Hall fight with extreme ferocity. Remember, this fight will be different from the one against Wang Han."
"I'll keep that in mind." Jiang Chen nodded solemnly.
"The geniuses of the Great Sacred Hall generally have a few defining traits. Their close-combat ability is extremely savage, their bloodline abilities are extraordinarily potent, and then there is their totemic power. You need to be wary of all of these."
"Close-combat ability, bloodline abilities — I understand those. But what is this totemic power?" Jiang Chen asked curiously.
"Totemic power comes from the ancient totems of their respective clans. In these divine beast families, whenever a powerful clan head approaches the end of their lifespan, they channel their power into the clan's Great Totem, nourishing it and augmenting its strength. This Xiang Qin has certainly received the baptism of the Great Totem and thus possesses his own Natal Totem. That Natal Totem power is no small matter. Totemic power can not only crystallize into a Dharma Manifestation Totem, but can also summon the Totemic Sacred Beast — granting extraordinary strength."
When Dan Chi had competed in the Grand Ceremony Martial Tournament back in the day, he had surely clashed with the powerhouses of the Great Sacred Hall. So he was no stranger to their combat patterns.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen nodded. Knowing the opponent's fighting style made things easier. He had already fought Cao Jindu — no matter how talented Xiang Qin was, he couldn't possibly surpass Cao Jindu. Jiang Chen wasn't overly worried about this fight.
Under the gaze of countless spectators, both combatants stepped onto the finals stage. Xiang Qin wore the distinctive battle armor of the Great Sacred Hall, which, combined with his imposing physique, made him appear overwhelmingly majestic, his presence truly extraordinary. Jiang Chen, as always, wore plain, ordinary attire, making no special preparations of any kind. But the moment he stood on that stage, no one dismissed this as a one-sided slaughter at Xiang Qin's hands. Everyone knew this would be an evenly matched contest. Even the invincible Wang Han had fallen to Mu Gaoqi — so while Xiang Qin was somewhat stronger, whether he could defeat Mu Gaoqi remained an open question.
Xiang Qin's gaze was deep and piercing. With a single glare, he exuded an aura reminiscent of the waxing and waning of the sun and moon.