Chapter 60: Jade Cannot Be Made Into an Object Without Carving

After the semi-finals concluded, the finals would commence in the afternoon; as long as one entered the grand finals, they could obtain a recommendation quota for the Highest Academy.

Langya Kingdom is located in a corner of the southeast of the continent. Its area is not large, and it governs only three provinces and one capital: Yuan Province, Huizhou, Hu Prefecture, and Yecheng.

Among them, Luo City is under the jurisdiction of Yuan Province. There are dozens of academies in the Yuan Province region, among which the Yuanling Academy, governed by the provincial capital, is the best, ranking among the Four Great Academies of Langya Kingdom.

The "Highest Academy" here refers to the Yuanling Academy; as for the highest academies in other provinces, that is not something the Li family can touch.

To obtain a recommendation quota for the Yuanling Academy, one must not only have the channels to obtain it but also spend a tremendous price, which can be said to be bone-breaking for a Local Power like the Li family.

A recommendation quota does not represent an admission quota. A Highest Academy like the Yuanling Academy naturally cherishes its reputation extremely, selecting the best among the best; to enroll in the Yuanling Academy, one must still pass a test.

This year, the Li family secured two quotas. According to past rules, as long as one enters the grand finals, they can obtain a recommendation quota for the Yuanling Academy.

It is also for this reason that the finals can be said to be the most important of all.

The match-ups for the finals are determined by drawing lots.

In the drawing session, Li Zhangsheng drew Li Tianyu, and the finals were arranged for the second match; before him was the match between Li Jingyi and Li Runfeng.

When the sun reached its zenith, the finals officially began.

The tournament format was the same as the semi-finals, still a 3v3 duel format!

"First match, please have Li Jingyi and Li Runfeng take the stage!"

As the Internal Affairs Elder's voice fell, the two slowly stood up and walked unhurriedly to their respective stone platforms.

Li Runfeng's expression was solemn, his lips pursed, and his whole body trembled slightly, giving one a very nervous feeling, as if he were a novice "mounting a horse with a spear" for the first time.

However, if one observed his eyes, they would find that his pupils were like a pool of still water, calm and unruffled, even giving one the feeling that he had everything under control.

Well, this guy is still acting!

Li Runfeng's goal was very simple, nothing more than hoping that Li Jingyi would underestimate him to increase his odds of winning.

On the other side, ever since drawing Li Runfeng, Li Jingyi's mood could be described as jubilant, which also made her mindset much more relaxed. In her eyes, Li Runfeng was just there to make up the numbers; not only did he fail the test, but in the previous match, he was almost overturned by his opponent, so naturally, he could not be mentioned in the same breath as Li Zhangsheng and Li Tianyu.

No matter how one looked at it, Li Runfeng was far inferior to the other three, which was the main reason for Li Jingyi's relaxed mindset.

Seeing Li Jingyi's demeanor, how could the old and cunning Internal Affairs Elder not see it? Let alone him, many Clan Elders also saw it, including Li Jingyi's grandfather—the Beast Garden Elder.

In the morning semi-finals, because Li Runfeng was arranged by the Clan Leader as a seeded player, the Beast Garden Elder had taken notice of him.

Although Li Runfeng's acting was on point and his Ice Sparrow had been cast with a Breath Concealment secret technique, under the absolute gap in strength, the Beast Garden Elder still sensed something unusual, but unexpectedly, he did not warn his precious granddaughter.

Jade cannot be made into an object without carving, and people cannot know righteousness without learning. In the Beast Garden Elder's view, his granddaughter Li Jingyi was no different from a flower in a greenhouse, full of innocence and naivety, unaware of the sinister nature of the human heart.

Therefore, the Beast Garden Elder would rather Li Jingyi suffer a loss now—at the very least, there was no danger to her life in the Clan Competition—than have her pay a heavy price later due to underestimating the enemy, or even lose her life!

The human heart is sinister; wherever there are people, there must be deceit. For resources, for Demon Pets, for techniques, as long as there is profit to be made and strength to be gained, some Monster Tamers will often choose to stop at nothing.

Only after experiencing setbacks can one learn lessons, gain wisdom from experience, and walk further on the road ahead.

As for whether she would lose the Yuanling Academy recommendation quota, the Beast Garden Elder did not take it to heart. With his status in the clan, as long as he paid some price, it would not be difficult to obtain a Yuanling Academy recommendation quota.

It was also at this time that the Internal Affairs Elder shouted loudly: "The match begins!"

At the start, the two mainly focused on probing. Li Runfeng summoned the Sawtooth Mantis, and Li Jingyi chose the Warmth Rabbit.

Like the Purple-Striped Chipmunk, the Warmth Rabbit also had a cute appearance, with a bright red body, a pair of watery eyes, a small pink nose, and a short tail.

The Warmth Rabbit is a Fire-type Fairy; it is agile and excels in speed and jumping. It belongs to the same High-Level Servant race as the Sawtooth Mantis, and both have Lower 9th Rank standards.

After the match began, Li Jingyi took the lead in commanding the Warmth Rabbit to cast Fireball, but unfortunately, it was easily dodged by the Sawtooth Mantis, which rushed rapidly toward the Warmth Rabbit.

In terms of speed, the Sawtooth Mantis was not inferior at all, and its fierce offensive was far from what the Warmth Rabbit could compare to; as long as it got close to the Warmth Rabbit, its odds of winning would definitely increase greatly.

In the blink of an eye, the Sawtooth Mantis appeared in front of the Warmth Rabbit. It brandished its sawtooth-shaped scythes, and with the help of powerful explosive force, it slashed several times in an instant. Several blade lights, both real and illusory, emerged, covering the Warmth Rabbit from head to toe.

This was Consecutive Slash, with the force of a thunderbolt, slashing several times in an instant, sweeping across all directions; it was also the signature skill of the Sawtooth Mantis.

Facing the fierce offensive of the Sawtooth Mantis, the Warmth Rabbit hurriedly jumped up. It jumped very high, successfully avoiding the Sawtooth Mantis's offensive.

However, before the Warmth Rabbit could land on the ground, the Sawtooth Mantis seized the fleeting opportunity. Its sawtooth scythes began to emit a startling cold light, and in a step-by-step pressing manner, it unleashed an even more fierce killing move.

By the time the Warmth Rabbit landed, its body had several wounds deep enough to see bone, while the Sawtooth Mantis did not fare well either, having been hit by the Warmth Rabbit's Flame Jet.

However, looking at the situation, the Sawtooth Mantis clearly had the advantage.

Not giving the Warmth Rabbit a chance, the Sawtooth Mantis instantly pressed forward. Under the Warmth Rabbit's terrified gaze, the sawtooth scythes formed a cross shape and slashed fiercely onto its body.

Under this strike, the Warmth Rabbit lost its ability to fight.

"Ah, I didn't expect to win!" Li Runfeng continued his performance. He let out a light breath and patted his chest hard, seemingly surprised by the Sawtooth Mantis's victory.

"Dog shit luck!" Li Jingyi muttered. Under her signal, the Purple-Striped Chipmunk in her arms jumped up and instantly landed on the arena.

"It's over, it's over!" Seeing the Purple-Striped Chipmunk, Li Runfeng feigned despair.

However, under his instruction, the Sawtooth Mantis began to approach the Purple-Striped Chipmunk rapidly.

"Xiaozi, Thunder Strike!"

Before the Sawtooth Mantis could get close, the Purple-Striped Chipmunk's body was surrounded by electric sparks. Countless electric sparks condensed, turning into a bolt of current as thick as a bowl, shooting rapidly toward the Sawtooth Mantis.

"Hold on, Sawtooth Mantis!"

The Sawtooth Mantis had no time to dodge and was instantly hit by the current.

Squeak~

After being hit by the current, the Sawtooth Mantis let out a miserable cry and was instantly severely injured. However, its character was tenacious, and it endured the intense pain to launch an offensive.

"Sawtooth Mantis, Blade Strike!"

Under Li Runfeng's command, the Sawtooth Mantis brandished the back of its sawtooth-shaped scythe with its right hand. This move was extremely fast, and the Purple-Striped Chipmunk did not fully dodge it, getting its tail struck by the back of the blade.

The Sawtooth Mantis did not stop, pressing down hard on the Purple-Striped Chipmunk's tail with the back of its right blade, not giving it a chance to break free.

The Purple-Striped Chipmunk struggled hard. Although it was a Mid-Rank Beast, due to its petite size, it did not excel in strength; its strength was actually inferior to the Sawtooth Mantis.

"This is the moment, Dance of the Blade!" Upon discovering that everything was proceeding according to plan, Li Runfeng pulled out a subtle smile.

(End of chapter)