The following day.
The venue for the World's Number One Magic Martial Arts Tournament.
In the center of a circular arena, reminiscent of a grand colosseum, sat a massive square stage. The surrounding spectator stands were already packed to the brim; it was a veritablesea of people.
Led by Long Vivi, Qin Yan and his group arrived at a premium spot. It was a private booth that provided a crystal-clear view of everything happening on the arena stage.
At that moment, Luo Fei, Er Niu, and the other contestants who had made it into the Round of 16 were on the stage for the drawing ceremony.
The rules for this stage of the competition were simple: the sixteen contestants would draw lots to be divided into Group A (Numbers 1-8) and Group B (Numbers 9-16).
Those who drew numbers 1 through 8 were placed in Group A, while those with 9 through 16 went into Group B. From there, Number 1 would face Number 2, Number 3 against Number 4, and so on. The winners would advance to the Quarterfinals.
Before long, a beautiful staff member stepped onto the stage carrying a drawing box to begin the process.
Luo Fei and Er Niu joined the queue. With only a few people ahead of them, it was soon their turn.
As the drawing began, Luo Xuanyi, Xiao Bei, and Long Vivi stayed in the booth, offering up silent prayers for the two men. They hoped they wouldn't be sorted into the same group so they wouldn't have to face each other before the finals.
Watching from the side, Qin Yan simply shook his head. To him, it didn't matter which group they were in; they were bound to clash eventually. The moment he had looked at the sixteen people on stage, he had seen through the true strength of every single one.
Aside from Luo Fei and Er Niu, the Power Levels of the other contestants hovered between 140 and 160. They were simply no match for his two companions.
Currently, however, Luo Fei and Er Niu were only displaying Power Levels of around 150. They were suppressing their true strength because they were wearing the Weighted Martial Arts Gi Qin Yan had gifted them.
The suits had a significant weight-increasing effect, totaling about 50 kilograms from head to toe. If they were to shed this gravity gear, their Power Levels would instantly recover; Luo Fei would reach approximately 200, and Er Niu would hit 199. There was very little difference between them.
Soon, the results of the draw were announced. Luo Fei was Number 1, while Er Niu was Number 16 one at the very top of the bracket, the other at the very bottom. The girls breathed a collective sigh of relief,
rejoicing that the two hadn't been drawn into the same group. This meant the championship would almost certainly be decided between the two of them, a realization that filled them with joy.
Once all the lots were drawn, the host announced the official start of the matches.
Luo Fei was the first to take the stage. His opponent was an Archmage whose Power Level barely reached 140.
Gong!
The heavy strike of a gong echoed through the air, formally declaring the start of the Round of 16.
Qin Yan could palpably feel the atmosphere in the stadium turn feverish. Banners were waved, cheers erupted, and whistles blew the noise was deafening.
As the signal for the match sounded, Luo Fei politely cupped his fists toward his opponent.
Then, at the referee's command, both surged into action. Luo Fei charged forward with incredible speed. In response, his opponent waved a magic wand, instantly unleashing a bolt of blue magical energy toward Luo Fei.
Boom!
A loud explosion rang out as the magical energy struck Luo Fei. But just as the crowd expected to see him sent flying, he burst through the aftermath of the attack completely unscathed, driving straight toward his opponent.
"He's fine?!" gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.
Thwack!
The sound of a heavy impact followed, and a figure was seen soaring backward. A moment later, the opponent slammed into the ground far outside the arena's boundaries.
Every eye in the stadium remained fixed on the stage. Now, only Luo Fei stood there, straight as a spear.
The match had ended so quickly that the audience hadn't even had time to process it. After a heartbeat of stunned silence, a roar of triumph erupted from the crowd.
The referee was equally dazed. He hadn't even settled into his role before the fight was over. Only when the cheers reached his ears did he snap back to reality and rush forward to declare the result.
"Number 2 has fallen out of the ring! For the first match, the winner is Number 1!"
As the victory was announced, Luo Fei jumped up in excitement, waving vigorously toward the booth where Qin Yan and the others were seated.
Luo Xuanyi and the girls were overjoyed to see him win, waving back with small, enthusiastic hands and shouting encouragement at the top of their lungs.
After Luo Fei stepped down, the second match began immediately.
Compared to Luo Fei's lightning-fast victory, the matches from the second round onward became much more drawn-out. The opponents were closely matched in strength, leading to tense, grueling battles that took a long time to resolve. The crowd watched these spectacles with great interest.
As the matches ended one by one, the event finally reached the final bout of the day.
It was Er Niu's turn to take the stage. His opponent was a Swordsman with a Power Level of approximately 142. He wasn't particularly formidable and posed little threat to Er Niu.
Following the referee's command, the battle commenced.
After exchanging a few trial moves to gauge his opponent's strength, Er Niu stopped holding back. His aura surged violently, and in an instant, he sent his opponent flying out of the ring, ending the match decisively.
Once the referee declared his victory, everyone's faces lit up with happiness, sharing in the joy of their double success.
With that, the day's matches concluded. The Quarterfinals would take place tomorrow.
Qin Yan and his group left the venue to regroup with Luo Fei and Er Niu. Naturally, they headed off to celebrate, enjoying yet another feast of exquisite delicacies.
Once they had their fill, the group went their separate ways to rest.
The next day, the Quarterfinals began right on schedule. As expected, Luo Fei and Er Niu defeated their opponents without any surprises, advancing to the Semifinals.
However, once they reached the Top 4, the unexpected happened. The organizers suddenly adjusted the rules, moving the finals forward. They ordered the four remaining contestants to take the stage simultaneously for a battle royale the last one standing would be the ultimate victor.
A massive stir erupted in the stands. The crowd was in an uproar, filled with disbelief and excitement. Such a drastic rule change had never occurred in the history of the World's Number One Magic Martial Arts Tournament.
The spectators discussed it heatedly. No one caused a disturbance; instead, after the initial shock, they cheered, sensing that the competition had just become far more intense and unpredictable.
Luo Xuanyi and the girls were surprised, but they kept their thoughts to themselves. They felt that since the final winner was bound to be either Luo Fei or Er Niu anyway, it didn't really matter how the Semifinals were handled.
On the stage, the four contestants were momentarily stunned by the sudden change. Rule changes mid-tournament were unheard of. However, since the organizers had made the decision, they didn't object. They simply found it interesting and prepared to proceed.
After announcing the new rules, the host allowed the contestants ten minutes to adjust and warm up before the match began.
The fighters began their final preparations.
"I won't be showing any mercy, Er Niu," Luo Fei said as he walked up to his friend, his eyes flashing with a sharp, boundless fighting spirit. "I'm going to give it my all, and I hope you do the same. Regardless of the outcome, let's have a fight we can be proud of!"
"Me too," Er Niu nodded heavily, the battle intent in his own eyes soaring.
Sensing each other's determination, both were filled with excitement. Neither wanted to leave the arena with regrets; they were determined to clash with everything they had in a truly unreserved battle.
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