Chapter 58: Seed Players

Before the second round of the elimination tournament began, the ten advancing contestants were variously full of confidence, solemn in expression, or anxious about gains and losses, each different from the next.

They were very clear that as long as they won one more match, they would be able to obtain a recommendation spot for the Academy.

The matchup list for the second round of the elimination tournament would be decided by the various Clan Elders, who would adopt a "strong versus weak" pairing method based on the strength displayed by the contestants.

This type of matchup situation avoided the possibility of the Stronger meeting prematurely; the only drawback was that there was not much suspense.

However, family resources were limited, and the Clan Elders hoped to concentrate resources to cultivate outstanding clansmen; the Academy recommendation spots were of vital importance and were also the area where the family had spent the most resources over the years, so they naturally had to be more cautious.

Of course, if someone could defeat the strong while being weak, they would not feel disappointed; the occurrence of such a situation almost represented that the defeated Stronger had committed a fatal error.

In the second round of the elimination tournament, regardless of whether they were strong or weak, they all expressed their desire for the Academy recommendation spot; they cast aside their concerns, fought bravely and fiercely, completely disregarding the injuries of their Demon Pets, and struggled until the very end until the winner was determined.

In the second round of the elimination tournament, Li Zhangsheng focused his attention on Li Runfeng, whose opponent was not very strong and possessed a Lower 8th Rank Demon Pet; because Li Runfeng deliberately hid his true strength, his opponent thought the gap between them was not large and performed quite crazily.

Just like in the previous round, Li Runfeng was still feigning weakness to the enemy, and after a flurry of "flustered" commands, he finally won the match with an extremely "slight" advantage.

"Li Runfeng wins!"

The Internal Affairs Elder's resonant voice rang out; to tell the truth, he felt quite ashamed of Li Runfeng's conduct, yet he found it difficult to expose him, as hiding one's strength was, after all, a tactic.

Originally, with Li Runfeng's strength, he could have easily obtained a spot in the semi-finals, but he chose to hide his strength, naturally having ulterior motives; if there were no surprises, it was nothing more than wanting to obtain a better spot, as this, after all, concerned his future.

After more than half an hour, the second round of the elimination tournament finally ended, and five winners successfully advanced to the semi-finals; adding Li Zhangsheng, Li Tianyu, and Li Jingyi, they had exactly eight people.

Advancing to the semi-finals meant they had automatically obtained an Academy recommendation spot, but the Academy also had different tiers, and to obtain a better Academy recommendation spot, they still had to continue to struggle.

The semi-finals would be held tomorrow morning.

After the crowd dispersed, the Clan Leader Li Wenbo arrived at his office; his left hand supported his head, and his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he had encountered a troublesome matter.

Unlike the elimination tournament, the matchup list for the semi-finals was determined by the Clan Leader; for the sake of the family's interests, he had to make the correct choice.

The reason for not adopting a drawing-lots method was mainly to avoid two contestants with great potential meeting prematurely, leading to one of them dropping in ranking, which did not conform to the family's interests.

This was the source of the Clan Leader's vexation.

On the Clan Leader's desk was an unfinished list, on which were the names of Li Zhangsheng, Li Tianyu, and Li Jingyi; they all possessed Mid-Rank Beasts and were listed by Li Wenbo as seeded players.

The problem arose: one more seeded player had to be chosen, and this was also where Li Wenbo was conflicted.

If he knew the true strength of Li Runfeng, Li Wenbo naturally would not hesitate much, but the problem was that he did not know; due to a lack of focus, coupled with the superb acting of Li Runfeng and the Ice Bird, this was the main reason he had not noticed.

Otherwise, with his discernment as a Fourth-rank Demon Tamer, he could have easily seen through the Ice Bird's Camouflage.

Knock, knock~

At this moment, the door was knocked.

"What is the matter?"

"Clan Leader, the Internal Affairs Elder requests an audience!"

"Invite him in quickly!"

Although there was infighting within the family, leading to Li Wenbo not being on good terms with several powerful Clan Elders, both sides were consistent when it came to the greater good of the family, both single-mindedly wanting to strengthen the family.

After the Internal Affairs Elder entered, the two did not know what they discussed, but when the Internal Affairs Elder left, Li Wenbo's originally furrowed brows smoothed out, and he wrote three characters in the final position—Li Runfeng!

After settling the four seeded players, the remaining four could be arranged however; if they could defeat the strong while being weak, that would not be a bad thing either.

The next morning, Li Zhangsheng arrived at the Training Ground on time; after yesterday's test, his popularity had soared significantly.

Li Zhangsheng did not care at all; he still sat silently in the contestant seating area, spread out a book on tactics, and as if no one else were around, he quickly immersed himself in the ocean of knowledge.

His Demon Pets were growing rapidly, and he could not drag them down; he needed to constantly enrich himself, improve his knowledge and experience, and let his Demon Pets exert their proper level.

Although he did not know who his opponent in the semi-finals would be, he was full of confidence in himself; even if he encountered Li Tianyu, Li Jingyi, or Li Runfeng, he had the certainty of victory.

While waiting, time passed slowly, and more and more clansmen gathered at the Training Ground, packing the central Arena tightly.

Before the match began, Li Wenbo stood on the high platform again and said in a voice like a booming bell: "I will read the rules of the Clan Competition once more: First, this is a battle between Demon Pets, and attacking the Demon Tamer themselves is strictly prohibited; Second, each person can field three Demon Pets, fighting in a singles format; Third, leaving the field or being knocked out of the field is equivalent to that Demon Pet being defeated; Fourth, if the participating clansman does not arrive within the stipulated time, they will be considered to have forfeited! Fifth, you cannot use lethal force, otherwise you will be severely punished!"

In terms of the nature of the competition, the semi-finals were similar to the elimination tournament; the difference was that the elimination tournament only allowed one Demon Pet to be fielded, while the semi-finals allowed three!

The rules of the semi-finals actually highlighted Li Zhangsheng's advantage; he did not believe other contestants also had three Mid-Rank Beasts.

The semi-finals were still refereed by the Internal Affairs Elder, which was also his duty, "First match, please have Li Zhangsheng and Li Jianren take the stage!"

Li Zhangsheng was a bit surprised; he did not expect his opponent in the semi-finals to be his "business partner" Li Jianren, but he did not hesitate and walked unhurriedly to the stone platform beside the Arena.

On both sides of the field stood two three-meter-high stone platforms, used to improve the Demon Tamer's field of vision to better observe the situation on the field.

On the other side, Li Jianren had a bitter face; he also did not expect that his opponent in the semi-finals would be Li Zhangsheng.

Half a month ago, he and Li Zhangsheng became "business partners," with Li Zhangsheng providing the goods and him being responsible for sales.

In terms of profits, although Li Zhangsheng took the lion's share, he also earned quite a few resources; under the accumulation of resources, Li Jianren's strength had also improved, but time was not on his side. If he had been given a few more days, his Flame Wolf might have completed its advancement, possibly allowing him to become a seeded player, and he would not have had to meet Li Zhangsheng now.

"I can't beat him at all!" Li Jianren wailed in his heart; unlike others, he knew Li Zhangsheng better. The Paradise Bird alone was enough to give him a hard time, not to mention Aixi.

In order to hide his strength, Li Zhangsheng had not let Aixi appear at the Training Ground recently, but because of their business partnership, Li Jianren had seen Aixi once at Li Zhangsheng's house. At the thought of that majestic, massive tiger body and those sword-like fangs, Li Jianren's heart was full of chill.

He was very clear that facing Li Zhangsheng, he did not have the slightest chance of winning!

Thanks to Heng Hui and Cou Qiao for the tips!

(End of this chapter)