Chapter 1134: Chapter 1134: Imperial Arrangements
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
In the blink of an eye, the round-robin tournament was about to commence. The drawing of lots had already been completed. Huang Yuanlang brought the results of the draw.
For Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu, the results of the draw were actually quite favorable. The best part was that the two of them were in the same group.
Yes, in the same group.
The entire drawing process was random. It didn’t matter which city or family the competitors hailed from; the draw was thoroughly shuffled.
Those who had entered the round-robin were the top one hundred finalists from the previous elimination round. Aside from the upper-rank Dragon Clan, nearly all were top warriors from the mid-rank Dragon Clan. Even if a lower-rank Dragon Clan had performed exceptionally in the elimination round and ultimately achieved Ascending Dragon, they could not advance to the later stages.
Each group had ten competitors, so the round-robin was equivalent to fighting nine battles, which was the best way to assess overall strength. The top three from each group would advance to the final stage and also earn the qualification for future Dragon Knight assessments.
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The competition would undoubtedly be fierce. Advancing from the round-robin was crucial. So even though it wasn’t an elimination tournament, it was sure to be intense. All upper-rank Dragon Clan members would undoubtedly fight with all their might during the round-robin phase.
The reason why it was good news for Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu to be in the same group was mainly that they could support each other. This was far more advantageous than if Bai Xiuxiu had been alone in a group.
There was one round-robin match each day, with no rest in between. This meant that the opponent Lan Xuanyu had faced could very well be Bai Xiuxiu’s next challenger. This gave them plenty of room for strategic play. Additionally, Lan Xuanyu would also face Bai Xiuxiu in a match, which he could purposefully lose to give Bai Xiuxiu an extra win.
Of course, all of this was predicated on the assumption that Lan Xuanyu was strong enough to defeat the other competitors in his group.
“I’ve gathered information about the competitors in your group during the past two days. It’s very important, and I’ll analyze each one for you. This will greatly help in devising strategies. The chance of both of you advancing from the same group is much higher. My father and I have discussed it, and you may need to employ some rather aggressive tactics.”
Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu exchanged glances. Lan Xuanyu said, “Does the patriarch have any suggestions?”
Huang Yuanlang’s eyes narrowed slightly and he said, “There are many strong competitors in my group, so I’m definitely not advancing. It’s up to you two. Your group also has several strong contenders. To be honest, I don’t know if you two are up to the task of defeating them, especially Xiuxiu. Therefore, Xiuxiu, your goal is to vie for third place. Try to score points against weaker opponents as much as possible, and with Lan’s help, there’s still a chance. Lan, your role is crucial if Xiuxiu is to advance. When facing opponents you can defeat, try to inflict as much damage as possible, impairing their ability to recover for subsequent matches. Do you understand what I mean?”
Lan Xuanyu’s eyes shifted, and he nodded.
He certainly understood what Huang Yuanlang meant. If he were able to severely weaken his opponents, Bai Xiuxiu’s prospects of victory would be much easier when facing them later on.
Huang Yuanlang continued, “For the sake of your advancement, the family has expended a great deal of effort. The drawing of lots was beyond our influence. The drawing process was personally overseen by the Lord Dragon Knights. However, we did pay a price to influence the subsequent battle line-ups. In the first match, Xiuxiu will face the strongest competitor in your group. The following three rounds will be against the weakest three. As for you, Lan, the opponents you’ll face in the first three rounds will be those weakest three, in the same order as Xiuxiu. This means, Xiuxiu, you’ll concede the first match and then there’s the possibility of consecutive wins in the following three rounds. Plus, with Lan giving you one match. That would give you four victories.”
“According to the usual pattern, to enter the top three, having six victories is relatively stable. In the latter matches, you will have two where you will face fighting first, and two where you will fight later. You must strive to win these two matches. As long as you win, qualifying is basically stable.”
Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu were both a little surprised; they had not expected that the Imperial could actually interfere with the seeding order of the tournament. The difference in this order could lead to vast changes. It could be said that it was tailor-made for Bai Xiuxiu.
Huang Yuanlang also felt the gaze of the two, and smiled, “This wasn’t achieved by the family alone but also with the support of Lord Luo Lan. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy to arrange. Lord Luo Lan is very pleased to know you have signed the millennium contract with our family. He praises you for being grateful and seeking to repay kindness. He will support you strongly, so that you’ll become Dragon Knights in the future. And Xiuxiu, as Lan’s Mount Dragon, the best way for you to progress is to enter the top thirty together. After reaching the top thirty, you can enter combat riding your Mount Dragon.”
“However, there are a few points to clarify in advance. First, if Xiuxiu cannot secure the expected victories in the early matches, Lan, you should not lose on purpose in the last match. Second, if Lan, you unexpectedly falter, to ensure you qualify, you can also choose not to lose in the last match. Your qualification is most important. Lastly, if you both qualify together, you must aim to enter the top six in the final stage. The rewards for the top six will be very generous. You should already have experienced the benefits of Dragon Crystal and Dragon Marrow. The top six will be rewarded with either Dragon Crystal or Dragon Marrow. The higher the rank, the richer the rewards. Furthermore, Lan, you have a special reward for obtaining first place, which includes one trip to the Dragon Realm. This is unprecedented. Lord Luo Lan asked me to tell you that he has a gift for you if you manage to get first place.”
Lan Xuanyu nodded; the benefits of signing the millennium contract were becoming apparent at this moment. The Imperial were showing heartfelt trust in them, and they even had the tacit support of the Moke Dragon Knight, Luo Lan.
But, to really fight for first place? Lan Xuanyu looked at Bai Xiuxiu, as he had made her a promise.
Bai Xiuxiu gave him a slight smile, then asked Huang Yuanlang, “Big brother, if we get first place, as a Mount Dragon, can I enter the Dragon Realm with my sister too?”
Huang Yuanlang laughed, “Of course you can. In a certain sense, the Mount Dragon is part of the Dragon Knight. It is your shared glory.”
“Alright then. We will definitely give it our all.” As she spoke, she gave Lan Xuanyu a slight smile.
“Where you are, I am there too. We live and die together!”
The words Bai Xiuxiu once said echoed in Lan Xuanyu’s mind, and he understood her intentions now.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves thinking about winning the championship right now. Let’s get past each stage as it comes. Even the round-robin is already a difficult process. Your group, although it’s not as scary as the one I’m in, still has very strong opponents. I’ll introduce them to you one by one.”
“In your group, there are two Mid-rank Dragon Clan members. Although they are the best among the Mid-rank Dragon Clan, I believe Lan should have no problem dealing with them. They are also the ones we’ve arranged for Xiuxiu to face in the first three matches. I won’t say too much about them. As long as Lan doesn’t hold back, Xiuxiu should also have no problem against them. Now, let’s talk about the one who ranks third from the bottom.”
“This third-from-last, he’s a Higher-rank Dragon Clan member. His strength is probably not far from mine,” Huang Yuanlang said, his face reddening slightly, and continued, “His name is…”
Right then, Huang Yuanlang began to analyze the opponents for Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu one by one. It had to be said that the Imperial took this Ascending Dragon Competition very seriously, conducting in-depth research on the opponents in Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu’s group.
As he listened to the explanations, Lan Xuanyu’s expression gradually grew more solemn. Especially when Huang Yuanlang mentioned the various abilities that the Higher-rank Dragon Clan excelled at, he couldn’t help but frown. The strength of the opponents was obvious. Qi Tianlong was not the only favorite to win the championship. There were actually quite a few on the same level as him.