After the group photo, the spectator said a lot to Jia Yan and mentioned that if it weren’t for his partners not measuring up, his achievements might have been much greater by now.
Jia Yan simply smiled faintly, without responding.
"Jia Yan, it seems you’re still quite popular. Have you really not considered staying here?"
The Scaled Creature was persistent, continuing to persuade him after the spectator had left.
"I really have no intention of staying here. However, meeting all of you here has been my good fortune, and I’m thankful for the joy you’ve brought me," Jia Yan told his temporary companions around him.
He didn’t know whether these beings would still be his friends after today, but at least for now, they were.
"Heh, what are you talking about? No matter where you go in the future, no matter if we ever meet again, we’ll always be friends," the Four-eyed Monster said, shaking his head and laughing.
"Jia Yan, you’re sure to be a powerful being in the future. If you can just remember that in this desolate galaxy, you have friends like us, that would be enough," said the pink Monster in an unusually serious tone, without any teasing.
The Strong One who didn’t talk much just looked at Jia Yan, not saying anything, but it was clear he felt the same.
"The final day’s Chaos Stone gathering quota competition begins now! Look at the Strong Ones, folks—this is their day, their celebration. Ladies and gentlemen, is your blood boiling? Is your fighting spirit surging? Today will mark the end of the tournament and the opening of the next! The Chaos Stone Gathering Tournament, our eternal favorite!"
Fireworks burst into the sky, and cheers rang out.
With the fireworks’ grand display, the first fight began.
Since it was the last battle and the rankings were pretty much set in stone, the Strong Ones fought less fiercely and more with a spirit of friendly competition and showmanship.
"Ohh, the Feng Wan Forces have won! Their fight was brilliant, but the upcoming bouts promise to be just as unyielding. In this fight, one of the sides is our well-known dark horse from the season’s start—Angel Camp!"
"Angel Camp faced a shortage of personnel, leading to a complete decline in combat power in the latter half. Otherwise, their performance would have definitely been better than it is now. Let’s welcome this formidable team that has delivered us such a visual feast!"
"Their opponent is... "
In the Angel Camp players’ area, Jia Yan, with a hint of a smile, turned to the Four-eyed Monster and the others and said,
"Sorry, for some reason, I felt like going first today. I ended up taking all of your opponents."
The Four-eyed Monster had no solution for him.
It turned out that for this final battle, Jia Yan had volunteered to go first. He seemed to be on some sort of fire today and single-handedly defeated all five opponents from the other side in one go!
"Alright, I guess you wanted to give us a rest after so many consecutive battles these past days, thank you," they said to Jia Yan’s explanation, not really minding it. As a helper, remembering to save energy for the main team at this moment made him a very qualified ally.
"Alright, the finals have started over there, let’s go watch," the Scaled Creature said.
"I won’t go. You guys go gain some experience," Jia Yan said nonchalantly.
When all the Angel Camp’s Strong Ones had left, Jia Yan shook his head.
Listening to the noise outside, he knew it was about to leave his life soon.
Having won so much in the tournament venue for so many days, Jia Yan had gained a lot and found this novel mode of combat quite fun.
But he knew that he was still a powerful Evolutionary Creature, and if he had to make a choice now, he would undoubtedly choose the life-and-death struggles of the past over continuing these bloodless battles.
What’s the point of playing house?
"Luckily, in three days, the forces that have acquired the quota will collect their spoils. By then, if I want to fight, will there be none to find? Just hope I don’t die in battle," Jia Yan reflected, and a strong desire to fight began to boil within him.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!!!————
Not far away, the Zeji Team’s Strong Ones were engaged in a decisive battle with another powerful force.
As for Jia Yan, he had lost interest in watching their battle, for non-life-threatening fights held no meaning for him anymore.
He simply lay there, sorting through his energy.
With each refinement, he was removing obstacles in his energy for future battles.
His newly understood True Energy was also starting to show hints of a solidifying pale yellow color.
The battle in the distance had reached its climax, with waves of sound continuing to rise.
And the roar of the thousands in the audience was earth-shattering, enough to make one’s blood boil.
Yet all this had no effect on Jia Yan now; he was simply tending to his body, which was gearing up like an ancient sword about to unsheathe.
An earth-shattering noise seemed to blow everything away.
The whole venue was alight with cheers, and the host’s non-stop chatter didn’t pause for a second.
Shortly after, a few of Angel Camp’s Strong Ones came back with looks of shock and admiration.
"Alright, Jia Yan, with the tournament over, the Zeji Team has won; their main team is too strong," one said to Jia Yan.
Continuing to look at Jia Yan, he went on,
"Can you move? We players need to attend the leaving ceremony," the Four-eyed Monster said, seemingly feeling a bit guilty – this powerful ally had expended so much for Angel Camp’s current standing.
But Jia Yan wasn’t nearly as drained as the Monster thought. As soon as he finished speaking, Jia Yan got to his feet.
For the leaving ceremony, Angel Camp was simply one of the minor teams, just like during the opening ceremony.
"Jia Yan, we really appreciate your efforts for Angel Camp. Rest assured, in three days, the quota we promised you will be yours," the Four-eyed Monster said to Jia Yan during the ceremony.
"That’s good to hear," Jia Yan replied with a faint smile.
The volume ends here!
This volume was too long; I originally planned to make the collection conference a separate volume, but I blundered by not doing so, resulting in this 50-Chapter volume. The next volume won’t be the same; I hope everyone continues to support Buyue. Thank you!!