The others seated in the VIP section were somewhat moved, but having weathered many storms, their emotions were not as fluctuating as Li Guan’s.
Lee Zhen listened to the discussions around him, squinting his eyes.
This time it did seem like Xiaobai had given its all, but Lee Zhen still felt that Lin Chen was holding something back.
Judging by their expressions, they seemed relaxed.
"Would you like to continue?" the referee asked Li An.
The latter sighed upon seeing the fallen Spirit Beast and shook his head.
Although he knew he would definitely face punishment from the Li Family when he returned, he also understood that there was no winning today.
Subsequently, the referee announced:
"Match 452, the victor, Lin Chen."
As the announcement ended, many people joined in applauding.
Lin Chen then stepped forward to pat the bull...
The Li Family’s bloodline should be decent, right?
And looking again, it was indeed as he thought:
"Hidden Bloodline: 13.45%"
"It seems the Li Family are indeed experts in selecting bulls," Lin Chen said as he collected it and praised Xiaobai, while the Little Fox beside him chirped excitedly.
Each time Xiaobai won, it got a step closer to its dream of winning money.
After all, it was half of the Little Fox’s fortune.
Lin Chen cupped his hands towards Li An, who reciprocated the gesture, and then Lin Chen went to sign his name and left the arena with Xiaobai.
Li An lowered his head, not daring to meet Li Jiuxiao’s gaze.
Li Jiuxiao was essentially being groomed as the next Patriarch, so he wielded a lot of power.
"When you return, your resources will be halved, and you’ll have to battle for over six hours a day..." Li Jiuxiao said angrily.
But Li Guan, standing by, said, "Jiuxiao, don’t be too upset. The opponent’s Soul-Calming Hoof was at Perfection Level, so his loss was expected."
Having said that, Li Guan allowed Li An to leave.
Li An seized the opportunity and quickly left without a moment’s hesitation.
"Second Uncle, we should be stricter with those of the direct lineage," Li Jiuxiao said.
Hearing this, Li Guan felt a bit displeased...
Though he was Li Jiuxiao’s uncle, technically, the position of Patriarch didn’t reach his branch, so he was still considered direct lineage.
But he forced a smile and said, "This time Big Brother entrusted you with leading the team to assess you, I am merely here to assist, but as your uncle, I must remind you that the competition is what matters most."
"Black Mountain City invited us to make use of our influence, for the Wan Family to take a step forward."
"Our Li Family cannot afford to lose."
"Rest assured," Li Jiuxiao said, "Though Wan Ming’s strength is somewhat notable, it’s no match for the Bone Armor Bull."
"As long as you’re confident," Li Guan said no more.
However, as Li An was hurriedly leaving, he was stopped by Li Qiuqiu.
"How’s it going?" Li Qiuqiu, being quite reputable among the direct lineage, asked because she was very kind to everyone.
"It’s likely going to be difficult when I go back," Li An sighed, explaining the punishment.
"I’ll go talk to him," Li Qiuqiu decided to go in, but Li An stopped her, saying, "Sister Qiu, even the Second Patriarch talked and it didn’t help; if you go in, he might get even angrier."
"But it’s unfair to lose the match and still be punished?" Li Qiuqiu said passionately, "No one in this world can always win, not even..."
"Sister Qiu," Li An said nervously, casting a glance inside.
With a long sigh, Li Qiuqiu eventually gave up.
The start of the qualifying rounds made the competition’s atmosphere suddenly tense up.
Lin Chen’s matches were not the most high-profile; the one that gained the most attention was Dasa’s.
His match was on the second day, and the person who drew to face Dasa felt extremely pressured.
Even while at the inn, people came forward to deliver fruit baskets, flowers, food, etc., leaving notes that translated to a single message:
"Go beat that fool hard for me."
This made the Beastmaster both delighted and pressured, and he even declared publicly that he would give it his all.
The result was that he lost.
Though this time the opponent slightly disrupted Dasa, in the end, Dasa smoothly defeated him and shouted that line:
"Ox-Type Spirit Beasts of Nanfen Ancient Country are the best in the world!"
The audience was collectively silent.
For them, this outcome was hard to accept—they hoped someone would give this show-off a lesson.
After the match, someone finally spoke up, saying whoever defeated Dasa would receive their popularity votes.
Though two popularity tickets were not precious, what was interesting was that many people joined in the response.
On the third day of the qualifying rounds, the competition for the top 64 concluded, and the popularity voting began.
Thanks to Dasa, Li Jiuxiao garnered even more popularity; everyone hoped Li Jiuxiao would meet Dasa.
Thus, the rankings between the two awards in this round were quite close.
On the fifth day, the draw for the round of 32 took place, attracting a huge audience.
Unfortunately, Dasa once again drew an "Ordinary" level seed player, but this was a stronger one than before.
This person was likewise put under great "pressure," but he was much more low-key, merely stating he would do his best.
Lin Chen also had good fortune, drawing a not-so-strong opponent.
However, in the match, the Beastmaster’s Spirit Beast demonstrated incredible battle instinct: although Xiaobai won, it was forced to use its strongest combined skill in "Ordinary state."
As for Li Jiuxiao, he drew someone from his own family.
It was unclear whether it was to show his power as Young Master or out of control of his force because the Li Family member’s Spirit Beast was severely injured and unconscious.
The audience naturally didn’t have the time to speculate and collectively sighed in regret:
"Why didn’t Dasa run into him?"
On the seventh day, Dasa’s match took place, and the popularity surged.
This time, the Beastmaster was much more effective, immediately suppressing Dasa, and the audience was watching as if hyped up, yelling and shouting wildly.
Who would have thought Dasa’s Spirit Beast would break through at a critical moment to level 18 and "kill" the opponent.
This scene almost gave the audience a heart attack.
Finally, Dasa called out his classic line again:
"Ox-Type Spirit Beasts of Nanfen Ancient Country are the best in the world!"
The audience was silent once more.
Post-match, someone went to the temple to light incense, praying for Dasa to meet Li Jiuxiao.
Dasa’s discussions also reached a peak instantly.
"It’s already down to the top 16, how come he hasn’t been ’eliminated’ yet."
"What a pity, if it hadn’t broken through, it would’ve definitely won, I was ready to celebrate."
"I’d trade ten years of my ex’s life just for Dasa to meet Li Jiuxiao."
Thus, the qualifying rounds concluded, and the third round of popularity voting began.
Once again, the number of contestants halved, and the popularity votes started to show significant gaps.
The undisputed number one was still Li Jiuxiao, while Wan Ming and Li Qiuqiu were nearly tied for second, with Li Qiuqiu even poised to overtake.
After all, female Beastmasters of ox-type are rare, and seeing a woman among a crowd of men naturally draws significant attention.
Lin Chen’s votes had little fluctuation, and his growth rate seemed to be quietly declining.
The previous halo of "impressive battle records" had faded, and many people started doubting whether Lin Chen could advance to the next round.
Because in the top 16, it was unified that only Spirit Transformation level Spirit Beasts remained.
Lin Chen was the sole remaining Mortal Level Spirit Beast.