After the Great Elder finished speaking, no one present went to draw lots. Instead, they all looked at Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian understood their thoughts — they wanted him to draw first. He didn't mind and walked directly to the drawing table, pulling out a bamboo slip. It was a blue-backed number three slip.
After that, Han Yue went up to draw: a blue-backed number eighteen. After drawing, she quietly returned to stand beside Xiao Tian.
Subsequently, others went up to draw lots one after another, some even constantly praying before drawing. "Ancestors bless, please don't let it be number three."
"No, why are you doing this to me!"
A person with a Five-Star Dou Ling cultivation looked at the red-backed number three slip in his hand with a terrified expression, his body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with despair.
Half a year ago, Bai Cheng, a Six-Star Dou Ling, had been instantly defeated by Xiao Tian. Not to mention he was only a Five-Star, and half a year had passed. Who knew how terrifying Xiao Tian was now? He could already see himself being instantly crushed, with no suspense whatsoever.
The others, seeing the slip in his hand, couldn't help but let out sighs of relief, their eyes filled with relief. They would rather face Lin Xiuya than Xiao Tian. At least Lin Xiuya was still in the Dou Ling realm, and since they were all Dou Ling, they naturally weren't as afraid.
He was at a loss, walking off the stage like a corpse. In his mind, he had already pictured the scene of himself being instantly defeated and eliminated.
As the last slip was taken by a small hand, the entire drawing ceremony came to an end. The fifty contestants had varied expressions; some wore smiles.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister, on advancing to the next round in advance."
Xiao Tian congratulated Han Yue beside him, because Han Yue's opponent was a male with a Two-Star Dou Ling realm. The difference in their realms was like heaven and earth. Unless the opponent was a child of destiny, there was no way he could win against Han Yue.
"As long as I don't run into you, it's fine. But I don't think I'll be so unlucky as to run into you. At least, I've been quite lucky in the past six months or so."
Han Yue thought that ever since she met Xiao Tian, her luck had become unusually good. Not to mention her circumstances and realm, even the status of her Moon Spirit in the Inner Academy had improved. Her Moon Spirit could barely be considered a mid-to-upper-tier force before, but now even upper-tier forces were willing to give them some face.
Han Yue secretly glanced at Xiao Tian beside her with a strange look in her eyes. When Xiao Tian suddenly turned his head, she quickly looked elsewhere, feeling guilty.
"If Senior Sister runs into me, I won't hold back, you know. Don't cry then."
Xiao Tian joked with Han Yue, smiling playfully.
"I'm not that kind of delicate woman," Han Yue rolled her eyes at Xiao Tian, annoyed.
Wu Hao drew the blue-backed number twenty-one slip, and his opponent was a One-Star Dou Ling. One couldn't help but marvel at Wu Hao's excellent luck. He was currently only at the peak of Da Dou Shi, and his opponent was someone he had defeated before.
Xiao Yan, as before, drew the red-backed number fifteen, and his opponent was Bai Cheng.
Bai Cheng looked at Xiao Yan with a solemn expression, his eyes filled with apprehension. Although he was now one star higher in realm than Xiao Yan, he couldn't even capture the speed Xiao Yan had displayed before.
Xiao Yan also sized up Bai Cheng. Although Bai Cheng had been directly crushed by his Brother Tian, Xiao Yan wouldn't underestimate him. The opponent was a Seven-Star Dou Ling, so he still needed to be careful. Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit, let alone when the opponent is in a higher realm.
"Xiao Tian, I'm really looking forward to fighting you. This time, you can't refuse me, hmph!"
A tender yet clear voice rang out, filled with fighting spirit.
The person speaking was Zi Yan. Zi Yan knew that Xiao Tian's strength was very formidable, and even standing beside him, she felt a strong sense of pressure. So she often pestered Xiao Tian, wanting to fight him. Ever since many of the previous contenders who could be her opponents had graduated, she had no opponents left. Even Lin Xiuya, who was ranked second, would either surrender or run away when he saw her.
"There will be a chance. Let me see your monstrous strength."
Xiao Tian rubbed Zi Yan's head and said with a smile, reluctantly agreeing to her request.
"Then it's a deal, otherwise I'll get angry!" Zi Yan's lips curled into a slight smile when Xiao Tian finally agreed, and she immediately put her hands on her hips.
Xiao Tian looked at Zi Yan's cute appearance. "So cute, she'd probably cry for a long time if I punched her."
Zi Yan's slip this time was red-backed number six, and her opponent was the unfortunate dark horse from the original story. Xiao Tian looked pityingly at a young man in the crowd of contestants who couldn't stop smiling. "Poor unlucky fellow."
Overjoyed, he didn't notice the many people looking at him with pity.
"Since everyone has drawn their lots, please return to your respective positions for now. The order of matches will be randomly drawn. Contestants whose numbers are called, please step onto the stage."
The Great Elder's faint voice echoed through the square. He reached into the bamboo tube in front of him, randomly drew a bamboo slip, which read 'Twelve'.
"Contestants with red and blue number twelve, please come on stage for the match."
After the Great Elder's words fell, two figures quickly flashed onto the stage. These were two people, both at the Three-Star Dou Ling realm. The two stood opposite each other, bowed briefly, then took out their weapons, activated their Dou Qi, and watched each other warily with sharp eyes.
One was water-attributed, and the other was metal-attributed.
Both unleashed their trump card Dou Techniques, making the arena rumble. Essentially, the metal-attributed one was continuously on the offensive, with blue and gold Dou Qi clashing non-stop.
With identical realms, the two fought an inseparable battle. Half an hour later, both were panting, their faces covered in sweat, and their lips slightly pale. However, the metal-attributed one looked better than the water-attributed one.
"The metal-attributed one is going to lose. Although he seems to have the advantage, water emphasizes endurance, while metal is prone to exhaustion and has poor sustained ability. He chose to strike while the iron was hot earlier to secure victory, but since he hasn't won for a long time, he will be at a disadvantage," Xun'er, standing beside Xiao Tian, suddenly spoke.
Just as her words fell, about five minutes later, the metal-attributed cultivator was swept out of the arena by a water vortex, falling heavily to the ground and being eliminated.
Han Yue looked at Xun'er in surprise. This seemingly quiet and elegant woman unexpectedly had such keen insight into battle. No wonder she could be by Xiao Tian's side; she was not a simple person after all.
"First match: Kong Yu, wins!"
After the Great Elder announced the result, Kong Yu took out a pill, consumed it, and slowly walked off the stage.
Subsequently, several more matches were announced, none of which involved Xiao Tian and his group. However, there were also overwhelming victories and incredibly exciting fated duels, which made the audience in the arena incredibly excited.
"Next, please welcome contestant number six."
Su Qian casually drew a slip, looked at the number on it, and after reading it out, a man with a defiant expression walked onto the stage. It wasn't until Su Qian saw this man's opponent appear that he was slightly startled, a hard-to-describe expression appearing on his face.
"Contestants are not allowed to casually take lives."
"Don't worry, Great Elder, I won't take his life."
The man arrogantly tilted his head back, speaking with conceit.