The matchup bracket had actually been set long ago. It was just hard to know before the battles which fighter would advance from each pairing.
The later the Divine Emperor rankings went, the smaller the gap between opponents became, and the greater the suspense. The stunning performances of Zi Zhen and Ye Yichen, for instance, had thrown part of the bracket into disarray.
But for Shen Xie, it made little difference!
"This time, dark horses have emerged one after another. Three made the top four, throwing the original plans into disarray."
"By the original projections, Shen Xie should have faced Xuanting's Prince Zang in the semifinals. But Zi Zhen has taken Prince Zang's place."
"Likewise, the other match should have been an internal clash among Xingxuan Wuji, Taicang Shun, and Huangji Yuan. Now it's an internal clash between Li Tianming and Ye Yichen instead."
Shen Xie against Zi Zhen. Li Tianming against Ye Yichen!
Those were the matchups for the upcoming semifinals.
When the Xuanting clans and the Divine Tomb Sect saw the bracket, both sides felt a little strange about it.
But not for quite the same reasons.
For the sake of spectacle, pride, and glory, the Divine Tomb Sect naturally wanted Shen Xie and Zi Zhen to reach the final together. Just as at previous Divine Emperor Banquets, they could claim both first and second place and overawe the Xuanting clans!
They didn't want the two to meet early.
As for the Xuanting clans, some had no stake in it and simply wanted to watch a thrilling fight.
But they certainly had less confidence than the Divine Tomb Sect.
So before long, someone said, "This is fine too. At least one of ours is guaranteed a place in the final. At least we can secure second!"
"Exactly! Even