Chapter 68

The elders had watched the previous two rounds of the selection competition, and the best result the Principality had ever achieved was a child making it into the top fifty.

The young people also learned about this from others, and they were looking forward to it.

After four matches, every time a child from the Principality was eliminated, they felt extremely sad, even pounding their chests in frustration.

They watched as the Ninth Princess of the Principality advanced strongly, and they watched as Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha hovered on the brink of elimination.

They cheered, their hearts filled with anxiety.

In the end, under their watchful eyes, three people made it into the top hundred.

But they were still worried, fearing that Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha would run out of luck and be eliminated.

The outcome was beyond their imagination.

A new match began.

In this new match, Nalasha went wild, actually casting Meteor Shower instantly, demonstrating the power of the Sunflower Medal holder.

Before they could fully savor it, Princess Lucia continued to advance with a decisive move.

Now, their cheers and drumbeats were dedicated to Gong Sun Murong.

They hoped for a miracle, imagining that another Sunflower Medal holder was also very powerful.

Their voices drowned out the entire venue.

They waved their arms, staring intently at the sixteenth arena, where Gong Sun Murong would face his opponent.

Not only them, but almost everyone was watching.

Gong Sun Murong walked onto the arena step by step under the gaze of countless people.

His opponent was already waiting there.

"Earl Gong Sun, right? I don't care if you've been hiding your strength. Today, I will tell you that I am the inevitable victor, the undisputed victor. I am wearing a full set of magical equipment, and I possess great power. No one can stop my progress," his opponent snarled.

His voice and image were broadcast through the large screen and magical devices, heard by everyone.

The audience from the Principality of Gels were angrily shouting.

They felt insulted by Gong Sun Murong's opponent.

Gong Sun Murong remained silent, looking at the referee.

"The match begins," the referee understood his meaning and announced it directly.

As soon as the words were spoken, all the dirt on the arena flew up, instantly forming large balls in the air, enveloped in flames, and fell from the sky.

The audience was already familiar with this group attack spell, even the baby could name it.

It was called—Meteor Shower.

Nalasha had just cast one, and now Gong Sun Murong cast another.

"I surrender!" Gong Sun Murong's opponent shouted, jumping off the arena and even using a flying acceleration spell.

It was too fast; even a fourth-level Great Mage couldn't withstand the instant Meteor Shower attack.

Aren't you a warrior? You can't play like this. You're holding a one-handed sword, right? Why are you casting Meteor Shower?

The Sunflower Medal holders are all bad, you're so powerful, but you let others beat you until you spat blood continuously?

You can cast a group attack spell instantly, and you use a large hammer to smash the earth mage's defense?

The person who jumped down complained and cursed.

This time, no earth mage intervened. Gong Sun Murong controlled the large fireballs to stop and said to the referee, "Please announce it!"

"Ah? Ah! Alright, Gong Sun Murong wins," the referee was stunned for a moment and then loudly announced the winner.

The audience on the stands was in an uproar.

The audience from the Principality of Gels sang and beat their drums loudly.

Everyone was in tears, their expectations turning into reality.

The Principality had finally risen.

They saw it, the strong lineup of the Principality, three people standing there on the arena, all mages, casting spells instantly.

Meteor Shower was no longer valuable.

Never before had they felt such a sense of honor as a citizen of the Principality of Gels. With such strength, what was the top fifty?

"Grandpa, the big brother called Gong Sun Murong, he still has battle qi!" a baby pointed at the arena and said in a childish voice.

"The baby is right, he has battle qi, both battle and magic. Baby, remember, this is the foundation of the Sunflower family, the nobility of our Principality of Gels," the baby's great-grandfather said, tears streaming down his face, smiling.

He had always heard that if a noble used the Sunflower Medal, they would be incredibly powerful, but he had only taken it as a legend.

Because it had never appeared on the continent, and he had never seen it.

At this moment, he understood. Sometimes, legends are more real.

The Sunflower? The noble who seemed to advance by luck in the first four matches, in the fifth match, no longer hid his strength, casting Meteor Shower with a wave of his hand.

"Great Mage level 9! Going out for a trip?" Emperor Rexlar was also shocked. Even though he himself was a Sky Mage and a High Earth Warrior, he couldn't figure out how Gong Sun Murong had improved so quickly.

He had advanced a level in just two days. What had he experienced?

Had the improvement of Great Mages become so simple?

More importantly, he knew the trump card of Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha. It wasn't that Gong Sun Murong's magic was powerful, but the hidden teamwork they had.

With Gong Sun Murong's magic strength improving, did it mean they could hide even more?

******

Naturally, some people were happy, and some were sad.

The people at the betting house were now in a state of sadness, as they had to pay out 7.5 million gold coins.

They had miscalculated.

They had thought they had already given enough importance to Gong Sun Murong, but who would have thought he wasn't a warrior but a mage.

This was a disaster. Could they not pay the money?

Of course not.

The Emperor's requirement for the betting house was fairness, following the rules, and not limiting the betting amount.

It was a test of the analysts' abilities, not just for making money.

Every time a betting session opened, it was a test for others and the empire's analysis team.

They had thought that Gong Sun Murong's opponent, motivated by a million gold coins, would decisively defeat the warrior Gong Sun Murong.

Who would have thought Gong Sun Murong was also a mage? You're so unethical, hiding so deeply, just to make money from the betting house, right? Right?

You two can cast Meteor Shower instantly, how poor must you be to need to scheme against the betting house during the selection?

Is it really necessary? Everyone is struggling, just trying to make a living.

The people at the betting house were deeply resentful.

They were afraid.

The empire's selection competition chose twenty main candidates and twenty substitutes in each age group.

Now that Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha had made it into the top fifty, they were guaranteed to advance after two more matches.

How could they adjust the odds then?

If they lowered the odds, and the opponents had higher odds, they could bet on the opponents and then surrender.

Since they had already advanced, they didn't care about the ranking and could do whatever they wanted.

If they lowered the odds for all the contestants, would they still want to make money?

Would the Emperor be happy?

The betting house's credibility would be lost. If they released low odds, the winners wouldn't earn much, and the losers would lose everything. Would anyone still bet?

The people at the betting house were in a dilemma. They even thought about sending someone to ask directly.

Or to cooperate.

To understand Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha's plans and coordinate with them, even if they had to share some of the profits.

They couldn't continue like this, it would be their downfall.

******

The ministers around Emperor Rexlar were convinced. The Emperor was indeed the Emperor, his judgment of people was truly accurate.

When Gong Sun Murong was almost defeated, the Emperor was smiling happily; when Nalasha cast Wind Blades, the Emperor was also smiling.

He was so happy, as if he had found a treasure.

Only now did they understand that the Emperor had known their true nature all along.

Indeed, it was excellent.

Two cunning children, who wouldn't have to worry about being set up by others when participating in the continental competition.

Their strength was evident, and they still hid much more. The situation of the empire was like the current season, spring had arrived.

As for the betting house, we won't provide you with any information. You will only lose some money, and the Emperor won't punish you harshly.

You did your best. Who would have thought those two children were so deep and direct, pretending so well, even spitting blood six times.

It's not your fault, the Emperor will forgive you.

Losing some money is just that, a few million gold coins is a lot, but it can't compare to Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha. They are not something money can buy.

And from the recently obtained information, the two children had no relatives, and they appeared suddenly in the desert.

Dependent on each other, selling water, saving many people, and killing many others, they had gathered a group of subordinates in the desert. Despite having money, they didn't buy contracts but used precious beast cores to enhance their subordinates' strength.

They were easy to talk to, as long as you showed kindness, they would return it with more; they were hard to talk to, as long as you showed hostility, they would think of ways to eliminate you.

According to their words, they would repay a meal's favor and avenge a slight grudge. They liked babies and hoped to have a home.

They were not afraid of any challenge and would not compromise under any threat.

They could face someone they had conflicts with and make the other person's baby laugh after showing a submissive attitude.

They could charge into an imperial fleet and kill countless enemies.

They cherished everything they could and eliminated any threat to them.

This was Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha, the holders of the Sunflower Medal.

So direct and pure.

The ministers thought about this and began to consider sending a butler to contact the subordinates of the other side, showing the necessary humility and sincerity.

Anyone sent out who dared to act arrogantly would be killed upon return.

******

Gong Sun Murong and the other two were unaware of others' thoughts.

They were celebrating by clapping hands.

They had made it into the top fifty, and the Principality would be proud.

The audience from their Principality on the stands was still celebrating.

So the three of them discussed and lined up, bowing to the audience from their Principality.

If others were kind to them, they should express their gratitude, right?

The audience from the Principality of Gels became even more enthusiastic. They felt they had already achieved what they wanted.

The three contestants were bowing to thank their supporters.

They were so humble and peaceful.

This was different from their performance on the arena, where they were strong, advancing from the top hundred to the top fifty with one move each.

Such powerful people bowing to thank them, what more could they ask for?

Then they saw Nalasha and Lucia perform a squatting bow, and Gong Sun Murong a single-hand bow.

They went crazy.

At that moment, the audience from the Principality of Gels went wild.

These noble courtesies symbolized not just themselves but the honor of the entire Principality.

Then Gong Sun Murong waved his hand, and suddenly, countless candies and delicacies appeared