Chapter 1178: The Knockout Tournament Begins

Aside from Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu, two other contestants also stepped forward. Their mount dragons were not yet permitted onto the Rising Dragon Platform and would only be able to come up when their matches took place. The leading Dragon Knight said calmly, “Those who possess mount dragons have a certain advantage in competition, so you cannot be drawn as the odd recipients. This will apply to every round of matches going forward. Now, let the drawing of lots begin.”

Darkfiend Dragon Knight Luo Yayuan stood atop his dragon energy pillar. He first gave a slight bow toward the tallest dragon energy pillar in tribute, then raised his hand and waved, sending out a ball of grey light. After flying into the air, this grey light rapidly expanded, soon becoming a massive grey sphere. At that moment, the seven Dragon Knights simultaneously waved their hands, each sending a beam of light into the sphere. With a low explosive sound, the grey sphere burst apart, and streaks of grey light descended downward. Among them, three streaks landed above the three groups of contestants who possessed mount dragons, including Lan Xuanyu and the others, while the remaining grey streaks fell toward the rest area.

When the grey light was about ten meters above the ground, it suddenly accelerated and instantly selected one contestant each. Lan Xuanyu could faintly sense that these grey streaks contained scattered divine sense fluctuations, clearly originating from the Dragon Knights. This seemingly simple drawing of lots actually involved the power of the seven great Dragon Knights, making cheating utterly impossible; everything was random. Lan Xuanyu clapped his hands together and caught the grey light hovering above him and Bai Xiuxiu. A number immediately appeared in his mind: thirteen. This was evidently the sequence number they had drawn—number thirteen.

Luo Yayuan announced, “Contestants who draw adjacent numbers will face each other. The one who draws number twenty-nine will win by default.” Although they could not determine who would get number twenty-nine, they could ensure that the three contestants with mount dragons on Lan Xuanyu’s side would not obtain it. The draw was now complete, but the contestants still did not know who their opponents would be. Luo Yayuan waved toward Lan Xuanyu and the others and said, “You may return.”

Lan Xuanyu and the others then went back to the rest area. Today, Lan Xuanyu and Bai Xiuxiu were clearly not going to be the first to take the stage, and their opponent should be the holder of number fourteen.

“Numbers one and two, step forward and enter the arena,” Luo Yayuan said in a deep voice. Immediately, two people emerged from the crowd. Among them was someone familiar to Lan Xuanyu and the others—Xu Yanmo, who had spoken with them earlier. Xu Yanmo had drawn number one, and his opponent was a burly middle-aged man. Their eyes met, and it was as if sparks flew instantly between them.

“Prepare for the match,” Luo Yayuan said flatly. Xu Yanmo and his opponent walked into the arena together. A True God-ranked Dragon Clan powerhouse floated to the midpoint above their arena. After seeing the two take their positions, he said in a deep voice, “Finals stage, knockout round, first round first match: Xu Yanmo versus Zheng Shude. Begin!”

The entire process of the Rising Dragon Competition was very simple. After the referee briefly announced the names, he directly declared the match started. A golden flash appeared in Xu Yanmo’s eyes, and intense light elements immediately began radiating outward from his body.

“Miss Lan, who do you think will win this match?” At that moment, a low, deep voice suddenly sounded in Lan Xuanyu’s ear. Lan Xuanyu had not closed his eyes in meditation today. After entering the finals, every opponent was extremely powerful, so it was quite necessary to observe the matches. Lan Xuanyu turned his head and was surprised to find that the one speaking to him was Qi Tianlong, who had come over and sat down beside him.

“I haven’t watched Zheng Shude’s previous matches, so it’s hard for me to judge,” Lan Xuanyu said.

Qi Tianlong appeared very calm on the surface, but in reality, he was anything but calm at that moment. This was the closest he had ever been to Lan. He was startled to discover that his usually steady heart immediately began to stir uncontrollably the moment he sat beside Lan. If not for his mastery over his own bloodline having reached an exquisite level, he might have given himself away.

He had deliberated back and forth before finally deciding to come over and make contact with Lan. The finals had already begun, and he and Lan might run into each other at any time. If they met, they would be opponents, and neither would show any mercy. He did not wish to leave a bad impression on Lan during the competition. Qi Tianlong said, “Xu Yanmo is in a bit of trouble, because his opponent’s abilities suppress him somewhat. Zheng Shude is the second-place finisher from the Seventh War Zone. His overall strength is actually not as good as Xu Yanmo’s, but his attributes counter him.”

Qi Tianlong’s words were brief and to the point, but they startled Lan Xuanyu. Lan Xuanyu knew Xu Yanmo’s strength well; even if Xu Yanmo’s cultivation had not reached the Limit Douluo level, it was equivalent to that of a ninety-seventh or ninety-eighth ranked Title Douluo. Could he actually be suppressed by his opponent? Xu Yanmo possessed the light attribute—could his opponent possess the dark attribute? The next moment, Lan Xuanyu understood what Qi Tianlong meant by “counter.”

No dark elements appeared on Zheng Shude’s body. Instead, emerald-green dragon scales emerged along with his Divine Dragon Armor, covering his entire body. As intense light elements burst forth from Xu Yanmo, the emerald-green radiance on Zheng Shude grew denser, and a type of energy fluctuation that Lan Xuanyu was very familiar with erupted outward. The energy fluctuation, brimming with life force, made that emerald green appear so vivid and succulent. This attribute? A wood attribute with a dense life energy? This was the first time Lan Xuanyu had seen this type of Dragon Clan member.

Plant growth required two things: light and water. At this moment, after the light-attributed Xu Yanmo encountered the wood-attributed Zheng Shude, Xu Yanmo’s light elements were clearly being absorbed by the other party! The radiance on Zheng Shude grew brighter and brighter precisely because he was absorbing the light elements released by Xu Yanmo. By absorbing the opponent’s power and converting it into his own, one side gained while the other lost, giving Zheng Shude a clear advantage. No wonder Qi Tianlong had said Xu Yanmo was in trouble. And indeed, that was the case.

Before today, Xu Yanmo had never fought Zheng Shude. Although he had studied Zheng Shude, when they actually clashed, he discovered that the opponent’s attributes suppressed him extremely severely. Some of the light elements he drew in were absorbed by the other party, and even with his control over light elements, he could not fully prevent it. After that portion of light elements surged into Zheng Shude’s body, Zheng Shude’s aura began to climb dramatically. If they had been allies, they would have been inseparable. But now they were opponents, and Xu Yanmo was inevitably affected.

However, Xu Yanmo had extensive combat experience. The moment he realized his opponent’s attributes countered his own, he reacted immediately. The light elements that had been continuously glowing instantly transformed into blazing light flames, and the entire arena suddenly grew scorching hot. Without a moment’s hesitation, he spread his six wings behind him, and intense light flames burst into roaring combustion all over his body. It should be noted that when he had faced Lan Xuanyu that day, he had only gone all out after multiple rounds of probing.

Today, he directly chose to give it his all from the start. Because he knew that the longer the opponent absorbed his light elements, the greater the boost the opponent would gain, and dragging things out would not work. Only by using his strongest means to defeat the opponent in a short time could he prevent the opponent’s attribute advantage from fully coming into play. No matter how mighty a tree was, it could not absorb blazing light flames.

Seeing the blazing light flames burning on Xu Yanmo’s body, a faint smile curled at the corner of Zheng Shude’s mouth. The emerald-green light receded, and in the next instant, thick tree trunks shot up into the sky, rapidly spreading outward from his body. As these trunks took root and sprouted, with branches extending, the speed at which light elements in the air were absorbed immediately increased dramatically.