“Has Aunt Lian arrived?” Jiang Ke’er asked.
“No.”
Her feelings were momentarily complex.
Alongside the relief, there was a tinge of disappointment.
With only the final few minutes left before the match began, Jie Shui, A Miao, and Gan RuÇŽnruÇŽn suddenly seemed to have coordinated, all saying they needed to make a call.
Jiang Ke’er knew eavesdropping on others’ phone calls was very poor manners, but she couldn’t help being curious and pricked up her ears to listen.
She’d had a feeling since earlier that these three teammates were hiding something from her…
Holding the communication stone, Jie Shui spoke hesitantly. “Ming Ling, I…”
Ming Ling? Jiang Ke’er remembered that priestess girl from the Underworld Province, the one who had presided over the ceremony when she became the Queen of the Earth.
Back then, Jie Shui had insisted on taking the “Revival Society” squad on the mission to deliver supplies and letters to the village of the Underworld Province Remnant Clan.
That was also related to Ming Ling—Jie Shui clearly harbored a faint, budding affection for her.
Unfortunately, facing the communication stone, Jie Shui ultimately didn’t have the courage to say those words.
“…Sorry, never mind, wrong number.”
He gently hung up.
He didn’t notice the obvious flaw of “calling someone by name even for a wrong number.” He just stared blankly, holding the communication stone for a long time, before finally putting it away.
In contrast, Gan RuÇŽnruÇŽn’s side was much more celebratory.
“Thank you, Uncle Li…”
“Thank you, Uncle Zhao…”
“Thank you, Aunt Wang…”
Her fingers flew, dialing one number after another. She bowed and scraped, her face full of gratitude as she thanked every person who answered.
After making several dozen calls in a row, she looked up at the sky and let out a long, relieved sigh, seeming refreshed and content. “No regrets left!”
What surprised Jiang Ke’er the most was A Miao’s side.
The usually timid and weak A Miao suddenly had a stern face, speaking with utmost seriousness to the person on the other end.
His tone wasn’t like a casual chat; it sounded more like reporting to a superior.
“Confirmed.”
“I guarantee it.”
“Yes.”
“As you command.”
“Understood.”
Soon, A Miao hung up and resumed his usual honest, meek smile.
Jiang Ke’er really wanted to ask them what on earth they were up to, but Qiao Xiaoxian stopped her, countering with a question. “Right now, is there anything you want to say to someone?”
Jiang Ke’er thought for a moment and shook her head. “No. Everything that needed to be said has already been said.”
“…”
“The match is about to begin. Please prepare to take the stage,” the backstage coordinator reminded them with an expressionless face.
Clearly, neither the organizers nor the audience held the Bagpipe Squad in high regard.
The Bagpipe Squad making it to the finals was already the biggest blunder in the history of the Shenzhou Cup. No one wanted to see this scene.
Exchanging a glance, Jiang Ke’er and the other members quickly adjusted their gear and walked out through the player exit.
[Welcome, everyone, to the finals of the Wuyin Year Shenzhou Cup! I’m your live commentator for this match, Huang Bozhong!]
[I’m commentator Li Ming!]
[Alright, we’ve now reached the player entrance segment… And now entering the field is, oh—the Bagpipe Squad!]
This was the first time Jiang Ke’er had heard such passionate, booming commentary on the field. Usually, when they entered, both the spectator stands and the commentary booth fell into a dead silence.
She couldn’t help but look towards the commentator’s booth and was slightly taken aback. “New commentators?”
“Yeah, a new commentator named Huang Bozhong,” Gan RuÇŽnruÇŽn said.
[The Bagpipe Squad is undoubtedly the biggest dark horse of this season! They fought their way into the semi-finals with an undefeated record, then deliberately fell into the resurrection match, arrogantly defeating all their opponents! They even defeated the former champions, Battle Wasteland Team One, yesterday! Their dominance is akin to a demon king’s descent!]
Huang Bozhong’s passionate, roaring style of commentary was very atmospheric, but his commentary partner, Li Ming, beside him looked extremely displeased.
‘Bro, do you even know how to commentate? Why are you hyping up the enemy so much?’
Fortunately, commentator Huang Bozhong immediately pivoted.
[It’s a pity, however, that they have also encountered the strongest opponents since the inception of the Shenzhou Cup—the fully-staffed, five Dao Seat Team Dieties!!!]
That’s more like it.
Li Ming quickly picked up the thread.
[That’s right! This match is bound to be a spectacle. The Dao Seats represent the strongest young cultivators of the Human Clan, while the Bagpipe Squad represents the strongest young cultivators of the Demon Race… This will be an epic clash of titans!]
Li Ming, a seasoned commentator, instantly elevated the match to the level of a racial contest. This way, the outcome of the match seemed to represent the superiority between the young elites of the two races.
This made the match even more gripping, and the audience in the arena immediately grew tense.
Of course, he dared to say this because he had one hundred percent confidence in the Dao Seats—yesterday, one Dao Seat had given them a hard time; today, there were five!
Li Ming was well aware that the few setbacks caused by Jiang Ke’er earlier had dealt a significant blow to the Human Clan’s confidence.
Right now, they needed a resounding victory to reclaim that age-old confidence.
Therefore, he had been relentlessly amplifying the racial conflict in his commentary.
[There’s still a short while before the match officially begins. Please remain patient,] Li Ming said, checking the time with a sly smile. [I’ve heard that our new commentator, Mr. Huang, also has a reputation as a battle analyst… How about, before the match starts, we ask Mr. Huang to give us a brief analysis of this match.]
[Well, I’m not worthy of such praise. It’s just making some reasonable inferences based on available information. Anyone could do it easily,] Huang Bozhong said modestly, raising a hand. [Besides, what analysis does this match need from me? I think everyone already has a good idea of the outcome.]
[We have an idea, yes, but we’d still like to hear some well-reasoned analysis.]
[Alright then,] Huang Bozhong smiled somewhat helplessly.
[But you’ll have to wait a bit longer. At the very least, we need to confirm both sides’ formations and configurations before analyzing… The five Dao Seats of Team Dieties are undoubtedly powerful, but I know nothing about them. Analyzing rashly would just be baseless speculation. As commentators, we have a responsibility to our audience.]
A trace of disdain rose in Li Ming’s heart.
‘What responsibility to the audience? Where does a rookie commentator like you get off spouting such official jargon, and jabbering on, stealing my spotlight…’
‘Well then, let’s see what you can come up with for analysis later.’
But on the surface, he maintained a harmonious, smiling face and said, [Alright, alright!]
Now, standing at the southern end of the arena, Jiang Ke’er finally got a clear look at her opponents’ appearances.
The Dao Seats of the Tribulation Immortal Hall had always been very mysterious. Apart from the two original members of Team Dieties, the three new additions were complete strangers who had never appeared in the public eye before… Huh?
A sudden, familiar face caught Jiang Ke’er completely off guard.
No, on second thought, it should be within expectations.
The man was full of masculine vigor. His every movement and gesture seemed to emanate faint dragon roars and an imposing dragon aura. His sword-like eyebrows gave him a formidable, imposing air.
It was precisely that cultivator from the Yang attribute Dragon Vein. Although he had lost slightly before, his strength was undoubtedly formidable.
Then, the gentle-looking woman standing beside him was probably the cultivator from the Yin attribute Dragon Vein.
What a coincidence.