Chapter 184 – Tense Atmosphere
(Mustang: Hey guys, enjoy the chapter.)
Bi Fan had no time to rest today, so he quickly finished his breakfast and ran back to his room to get some more practice under his belt.
Jing Feng, Bi Fan and Mo Nan still had a few contests left, and all three men were busy nurturing and refining their skills.
As for the others, they were all out touring the Jiu Yu City; after all, this was a rare opportunity for them, and they didn’t wish to sit idly in the hotel and waste their day.
Bi Fan didn’t wish to train with the Chimera in broad daylight, so he began practicing the various skills that he had learnt over time.
Of course, Bi Fan was paying specific attention to the research of Wu Ji Sect’s skills like ‘The Tai Chi Sword’ and ‘The Yin Yang Sword’.
On top of that he was also paying special attention to Wu Ji Xuan’s ‘Wu Ji Sword’.
Even though he knew that he wouldn’t be able to learn the skill in one day, he still wished to understand it better.
Bi Fan wasn’t sure of winning the match, but was preparing himself to give his best shot, leaving the rest to fate.
Bi Fan continued to practice the entire day.
After thoroughly researching ‘The Wu Ji Sword’, Bi Fan had even started admiring Wu Ji Xuan’s talent, and even though he knew that he may not be able to win, he had decided that he’d do his best to walk down the stage with his head held high.
Bi Fan summoned the Chimera in the evening and carried out a few training sessions to help improve their understanding.
Time flew like an arrow, and the final day of the contest arrived.
Bi Fan was extremely excited, so he took a bath earlier than usual and descended downstairs for an early breakfast.
Bi Fan had barely stepped into the dining room when he found Mo Nan and Jing Feng already dining there.
“Brother Jing Feng, Brother Mo Nan, it seems like you guys are even more anxious than me ah.” Bi Fan laughed.
Mo Nan said: “Naturally Brother Bi Fan, we are tied in a five-way contest…. so our situation is much worse than yours.”
“That’s true…. The tie-breakers are much worse. We’ll have to fight somewhere between two to four fights before the final rankings are announced. Given the strengths of our compet.i.tors, defeating even two people on the same day will be a very hard task.” Jing Feng added.
Bi Fan said: “Brother Jing Feng, Brother Mo Nan, your situation isn’t as bad as you think. Out of the five contestants, only you three belong to the same sect, so you’re at an advantage. But I’m awfully familiar with Brother Blue Dragon’s skills, so I’d recommend that you concede your defeat if you run into him. He’s much stronger than you guys since he also pays a lot of attention to physical strength.”
“This….” Mo Nan and Jing Feng were both a bit hesitant. Since they had both come this far, they naturally didn’t wish to admit their defeats very easily.
But they knew that Bi Fan rarely ever missed on shooting, and were convinced that Bi Fan wouldn’t put his friend’s interests above his Sect’s.
Jing Feng said: “Brother Bi Fan, it’s not that we don’t believe you…. But we’d like to test him out, and if we can’t match him, then we won’t waste our energy against him.”
“As is your right. Brother Jing Feng, Brother Mo Nan, you must also practice physical strength later…. It will play a big role in the future.” Bi Fan thoughtfully added.
“We’ve been waiting to learn some laws for tempering our physical strength.” Jing Feng said with a smile: “We’ll ask you for help after the contest; you will help us, right?”
“Of Course!”
Soon, the other disciples started coming down from their rooms one by one. In fact, everyone seemed quite anxious and seemed to be feeling Mo Nan, Jing Feng and Bi Fan’s pressure; a fact which was obvious from the manner in which they ate their breakfast.
Since the final list was guaranteed to be announced today, the stadium was even more crowded than the previous day.
The crowd stood from their seats and cheered as Bi Fan and the others entered the arena.
Bi Fan and Jing Feng seemed the most popular, while Mo Nan also received a warm welcome.
The Quinyang Sect disciples were obviously quite excited; but Luo Sheng and Luo Xiong were carrying a very dull look on their faces.
Luo Sheng simply couldn’t watch the smile on Bi Fan’s face, while Luo Xiong couldn’t look at Bi Fan and Yan Yu Si together. Luo Xiong was constantly contemplating his schemes as he watched them wave to the crowd, and couldn’t help smile evilly in his heart.
Bi Fan could feel as if something was amiss, but he couldn’t identify the cause of this strange feeling in his heart.
“Everyone, let’s head to the dressing room. Mo Nan, Jing Feng and Bi Fan, you three have a very tough task ahead of you today, so you need to focus your attention on the task at hand.” Luo Xiao Tian stated in a serious tone.
As they made their way towards their dressing room, their excitement started transforming into anxiety.
Many sects were going to be involved in today’s tie-breakers.
This time, even the allies would be competing against each other, since every sect wished to get good results.
Like Jing Feng and w.a.n.g Feng, even though the two friends belonged to Sects which usually sided with each other in times of trouble, but these two would fight each other ferociously for the sake of their sect’s prestige today.
As soon as they entered their dressing room, Bi Fan sat down in meditation and closed his eyes, excluding all noise from his conscience.
Jing Feng and Mo Nan also sat down in meditation, but were unable to focus, and kept staring at Bi Fan’s calm and composed demeanor.
One hour pa.s.sed soon enough, and the contest started.
Bi Fan and Wu Ji Xuan’s contest was scheduled to be carried out in the evening since it was highlight of the tournament, and the management wished to save the best for the last.
The management was also taking measures to ensure safety of the two contestants, since they knew that both men were awfully powerful and hailed from rivaling sects.
Such a marvelous contest was bound to draw a lot of attention and along with it, a lot of pressure. They would need to ensure that no contestant harmed the other; or themselves in order to achieve a victory.
Out of Mo Nan, Jing Feng, Blue Dragon, Xuan Yuan Xiao Yu and w.a.n.g Feng, only w.a.n.g Feng and Jing Feng were known names before the start of the tournament, but now Blue Dragon and Xuan Yuan Xiao Yu had also gained a lot of fame due to their indomitable rise in power.
“Who will finish in the third place? Either way, I think that the contests are going to be very exciting.”
“Even though the Quinyang Sect disciples have only lost one game each, they were a bit lucky… I doubt that they’ll win this time around.”
“The Ba Gua sect has been trying to replace the Quinyang Sect for a while now, but it’s going to be very difficult for them now…. it’s a pity that their dark horse lost early.”
“Xuan Yuan Xiao Yu is also very strong, and has only lost to Bi Fan so far… she might be able to win the third spot.”
“I think Blue Dragon is going to win… he’s so ferocious.”
… …
The crowd was discussing all alternatives enthusiastically, and it seemed as if they were more in favor of Xuan Yuan Xiao Yu and Blue Dragon, rather than the their old favorites, Jing Feng and w.a.n.g Feng.
The Ba Gua Sect’s dressing was thundering with the sounds of Li Qian Xun’s chattering teeth.
“Brother Qian Xun, if it weren’t for your injury, then you would also be completing with the likes of Jing Feng.”
“Don’t worry, I will beat them all someday.” Li Qian Xun’s eyes were blatantly exuding the murderous desires of his heart.
“Brother Qian Xun is the strongest… but luck isn’t favoring us at the moment, that’s all….”
Xuan Yuan Feng was sitting with a shameful look on his face inside the Wu Ji Sect dressing room.
This time, apart from Xuan Yuan Xiao Yu and Wu Ji Xuan, the other Wu Ji Sect disciples had performed far below the Sect’s expectations.
Wu Ji Xuan was sitting with a gloomy look on his face, and it was hard to tell his thoughts.