Chapter 297: The Decisive Battle (1)

Once Fennel finished speaking, Quiet And Steadfast felt thankful for his foresight. Otherwise, the position of Lead Disciple might really have fallen into Crying Fish’s hands. Although she could be a little idiotic at times, her strength was nothing to scoff at.

“Everyone knows that in order to combat the Shinra Sect, we need to band together and work as one, so our ability to cooperate with one another is vital. For that to happen, we need to have a good understanding of one another. And, the best way to familiarize ourselves with the tactics and habits of other people is through battle. To that end, I’ve decided that the finals will proceed as follows: each of the three finalists will take on the other five Lead Disciples. The person with the most number of victories will be crowned the winner. I hope that the other five Lead Disciples can assist us in this matter.”

Looks of astonishment appeared on everyone’s faces after Leisurely Viewing Nanshan made her announcement.

Shen Jingbin and company were surprised for a brief moment before their expressions were replaced with joy, while Crying Fish broke into a frown.

The five Lead Disciples were on that ugly monster’s side. With things as they are, they’d definitely give her a hard time, and no amount of levels or equipment would help her!

Crying Fish hated Leisurely Viewing Nanshan so much that she was crying tears of blood.

Amongst the representative spectators, two of them hailed from Life At First Sight. Crying Fish cast a meaningful glance at her guild members, and they immediately stepped out to protest.

“Hey, this isn’t right. Isn’t this an internal issue amongst the Nymphs? Why’re you dragging other people into this? To top it off, they might not even accept this arrangement.”

After the player from Life And First Sight spoke up, The Winds Of Ximen immediately chimed in, “Not really; we’re more than happy to help out.”

F*ck! Where the hell did that come from?!

If looks could kill, who knows who many times the Winds Of Ximen would have died at the hands of Crying Fish’s death glare.

Pure Crane nodded. “I think that having a match now to get know one another better is a pretty good idea. I’ll cooperate.”

“I have no objections,” Qi Mu said.

Quiet And Steadfast wordlessly nodded his agreement.

Shen Jingbin cupped her chin and added, “I don’t have any objections either.”

Crying Fish continued to cast meaningful looks at her guild members, while the person who spoke up racked his brain to think of a rebuttal. Unfortunately, Fennel spoke up before he could offer a retort. “I think this is a good idea too. It looks like I’ve picked the right person, so let’s do it like this then. We’ll be troubling the five Lead Disciples.”

“You’re too kind, Sect Leader,” Pure Crane replied.

“The battle for the position of the Nymph Abode’s Lead Disciple will now begin. Competitors, please get ready,” Just as Crying Fish was about to issue her final struggle, the referee NPC whose eyes were hidden by a white veil appeared in the center of the courtyard and emotionlessly announced the commencement of the final round. With that, the matter was laid to rest.

Crying Fish glanced dejectedly at Leisurely Viewing Nanshan and concentrated all of her dissatisfaction into it.

Alright, she’s remembered Leisurely Viewing Nanshan’s face. She was going to hunt her down if she didn’t manage to get the position of Lead Disciple.

Once the commencement of the finals was announced, an enormous circle appeared at the center of the courtyard. The five Lead Disciples stood on the left of the circle, while the three Nymphs stood on the right. Leisurely Viewing Nanshan, Fennel, and the veiled referee stood on top of the circle itself, and the spectators stood beneath it.

“The order in which the three of you will compete will be left to you to decide. Who will be the first to fight?” Leisurely Viewing Nanshan asked.

Blooming Flower and Sentimental Musings exchanged a glance with one another before revealing a friendly smile. “I’m tired after a day of fighting. The sooner I die, the sooner I'll respawn, so I’ll be going first. Do the two of you have any objections?”

“That’s fine, I have no objections,” Blooming Flower said.

Sentimental Musings then turned her attention to Crying Fish who hadn’t even once looked her in the eye this entire time and asked, “What about you?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Sentimental Musings pulled out a recovery pill from her inventory and swallowed it before she stepped into the circle. She clasped her hands in greeting and said, “My name is Sentimental Musings. I request your guidance.”

Surprise flashed across Quiet And Steadfast’s face when he noticed Sentimental Musings consume the pill. It turns out that she’d had a Soul Returning Pill too. It looks like there was more to this guildless player than meets the eye.

These pills - Soul Returning Pills - sounded very terrifying, but in truth, it was their refining process that was difficult. The minimum proficiency required to refine them was a Grandmaster Apothecary. Furthermore, the main ingredient, the rozelle plant, only grew in Eternal Island which was filled with aggressive high-levelled monsters that boasted strong attacks. While making the plant, there was even a chance of running into a guardian that was only slightly weaker than a world BOSS, making even the process of gathering the plant a tall order.

He held back Shen Jingbin who wanted to make for the stage, stepping forward as he said, “Let me handle the first round. She’s likely a high profile individual too. I’ll go probe her.”

Shen Jingbin backed off and watched Quiet And Steadfast step onto the stage. Both competitors exchanged a bow before jumping straight to fighting. As his objective was to sound Sentimental Musings out, Quiet And Steadfast fought in a very conservative manner.

Noticing Shen Jingbin focusing intently on Sentimental Musings, Pure Crane broke into an explanation from behind her. “Sentimental Musings was previously the top Nymph in Sovereign’s Descent, so her battle sense and combat process are both formidable. However, she had some issues in real life that prevented her from playing. It’s been a while, but she’s recently made a return. I myself was surprised when I saw her in Matchless City.”

“Eh? Sovereign’s Descent?”

“Mm. Back then, she left the guild due to the conflicts she had with Neverending Journey’s wife. When she left, she removed all of the guild members from her friend list as well. I used to frequently run dungeons and fight in battlegrounds with her. We were on good terms, so she didn’t remove me from her friend list.”

“Looks like there’s going to be a nice show to watch then.”

“Maybe. I don’t know the exact details since I don’t concern myself with these things.”

While the two of them were speaking, the battle on the stage concluded. Quiet And Steadfast had continued to fight conservatively, but there was too much of a difference in power between them. Sentimental Musings gradually fell into a disadvantageous position and was eventually pushed off the stage by Quiet And Steadfast.

“You’re strong. I admit defeat,” Sentimental Musings calmly said after she was pushed out of the stage.

Quiet And Steadfast wordlessly nodded, folded his hands behind his back, and walked off the stage.

“The victor of round one is the Lich Palace’s Quiet And Steadfast. Will the next competitor please come forward.”

Pure Crane patted Shen Jingbin’s shoulder and stepped past her onto the stage.