Once the first round of matches is completed.
Sixteen contestants were eliminated.
Prince and Kordel both advanced.
But the two weren't particularly happy; instead, they stood together in the front row of the audience, both with unpleasant expressions.
Prince was motivated by the news of his brother Joann's elimination, and even more so by the fact that Joann had been defeated by Gilan in a single exchange.
This matter brought him immense pressure and made him feel depressed.
Kordel, on the other hand, saw his older brother, Renoan.
"Why would he participate in the competition...?"
The handsome young man with dark hair gritted his teeth.
As the second son of Staven, the Propaganda Department of the Empire, he has always been overshadowed by his elder brother, neither recognized by his father nor known to the public.
Even though Kordel tried to escape his brother's shadow, it was all in vain. Because Renoan Lotito was a true genius.
Renoan was two years older than him and had already graduated from the Rudao Court Academy, where he was currently interning at the Imperial Army. He had consistently ranked at the top of his class, especially in combat, spearmanship, and staff fighting.
At only twenty-one years old, he already possessed the dual identities of a Emblem staff user and a martial artist.
Hailed as a " Star of Muse " by major media outlets, she is a star figure in the capital's high society and is widely recognized as the future of the empire.
Many powerful figures like to praise Minister Staven's outstanding eldest son as "the new era's Hiru Warrior ".
Prince and Kordel, who were not on good terms before, now felt a strange sense of sympathy for each other because of the pressure from their "older brother".
It was only fifteen minutes into the halftime break.
The second round of the competition began soon after.
Prince and Kordel were placed at the back of the line, standing in the stands, staring intently at two of the six young men who were about to take the stage.
As the Judge's whistle blew.
Beep!
But soon, the audience erupted in uproar.
"One move!"
"Another one-hit kill!"
"Who is that young man?!"
"My God, this is unbelievable..."
Prince's eyelids twitched as he listened to the surprised comments from the gentlemen and ladies around him.
This time he saw it clearly.
Gilan indeed only used one move; the moment the cane was thrown, the opponent didn't even have time to react before the weapon slipped from his hand, and he fell to the ground.
It was both shocking and bizarre.
He and Kordel exchanged a glance, both speechless.
Because Renoan also defeated his opponent in less than ten seconds!
Perhaps intimidated by his brother's performance, Kordel underperformed after taking the court and suffered a disappointing defeat. Prince, on the other hand, fought hard and advanced to the quarterfinals.
But in the next round, Prince once again witnessed how terrifying his older brother was.
Still the same move!
It looked like adults and children were playing around!
Wow!
Another gasp rippled through the audience.
On the stage, only the opponent remained, lying on the ground, staring blankly at the blond youth's slowly departing figure.
Prince was almost numb.
Inside a private room on the second floor.
"Wow!" Milinda clapped excitedly. " Gilan is amazing! He won so easily with just one move again!"
Nancy and Miss Dadeier smiled, their eyes filled with surprise.
If Joann's defeat was just an accident, then her second and third performances could not be accidental; they were genuine displays of overwhelming strength.
Zigui and Franz, standing to the side, also looked on in astonishment.
"Could it be that Brother Gilan, like Renoan, is also a ' Emblem ' level staff user?"
Franz was incredulous.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door of the private room.
Knock knock.
Nancy went and opened the door.
Behind the door were Joann and Kordel, looking dejected after being eliminated.
In addition, there was a petite noblewoman behind them.
"Miss Osara?" Nancy was quite surprised. "Weren't you uninterested in staff fighting and other similar competitions?"
"Sister Nancy," Osara greeted her with a slight smile. "I heard Sister Dadeier was here too, so I came to join in the fun."
" Osara."
Everyone in the private room turned to look, Dadeier greeted her friend with a gentle smile.
After the three entered.
Osara quickly walked to Dadeier's side and asked with curiosity and anticipation:
"Sister Dadeier, what round is it in the competition?"
"Hey, why are you suddenly interested in these things?"
Dadeier somewhat surprised.
But soon, she thought of something and joked:
"Could it be that one of the contestants is someone you're interested in?"
"Hmm... not really."
Osara hesitated for a moment, then stammered out an explanation.
Soon, Dadeier suddenly realized.
It turns out that this close friend had been feeling down at home after being deceived by Vittorino, so her family arranged a social dinner for her.
Coincidentally, it was also at the dinner party that Osara met Renoan Lotito, the genius eldest son of the Propaganda Department.
Perhaps it was the first stirrings of young love, but she immediately developed a strong interest and fondness for this dazzling young man.
I came here to watch the game, ostensibly to join in the fun, but actually a large part of the reason was for Renoan.
"They've already reached the semi-finals."
Seeing that Osara's face was flushed, Dadeier stopped teasing her and said softly.
"Mr. Renoan has advanced. In addition, there are Mr. Gilan, Prince, and another genius from the academy, Hart Norman."
Upon hearing that Renoan had advanced to the semifinals, Osara's smile widened even further.
But she quickly snapped out of her daze and exclaimed in surprise:
"Oh, Mr. Gilan is also participating?"
"Hmm." Dadeier nodded. "Perhaps Mr. Renoan and Mr. Gilan will clash."
Upon hearing this, Osara looked conflicted.
For a moment, I didn't know who to cheer for.
On one side is Mr. Gilan, who saved her life, and on the other side is Mr. Renoan, whom she has a good impression of.
At this moment, Milinda, who had been quietly observing from the side, asked suspiciously:
" Osara, you know Gilan too?"
"Hmm." Osara looked at her and nodded. "Some time ago..."
She was about to explain when Dadeier in the back.
Seeing her Dadeier subtly shake her head at her, Osara realized that she couldn't make her affairs public.
So she changed her tune:
"A while ago, Sister Dadeier introduced me to Mr. Gilan, and we had a meal together."
"Oh, so Miss Dadeier isn't interested in Gilan."
Milinda looked disappointed.
"I thought our two families could be linked by marriage..."
The people present exchanged glances, and all smiled knowingly.
Everyone knew Milinda's personality, so they didn't say much.
Not long after.
As the bell rang, the fourth round of the competition began.
Based on the elimination system, this can be considered the semi-finals.
Prince faced off against Renoan, and Gilan faced off against Hart Norman.
Compared to the first two encounters, the latter two were more eye-catching. To be precise, it was the blond youth Gilan Gillan who attracted everyone's attention.
In the first three rounds, he only used one move each time.
With a single move, he easily won the match.
This unparalleled strength was beyond anyone's comprehension, even more dazzling than that of the genius Renoan.
The hundreds of gentlemen and ladies present all stared intently at court number 1.
Hart Norman was a tall man, about 1.9 meters, with short, reddish-brown hair and a handsome face. He held a cherry wood cane with a steel core, his sharp eyes fixed on his blond opponent.
He had seen it in the previous three rounds of the competition as well.
The opponent's strength terrified him.
But after all, he was a young talent from the " Triumph Kingdom Academy " and a senior " Instructor " level staff master; it was impossible for him to admit defeat before even fighting.
Hart Norman's mind raced as he considered a solution.
But looking at his opponent's expressionless face, holding the bronze staff, and standing loosely, his eyes twitched.
Despite appearing to be full of flaws, it gave him a feeling of being unfathomable and extremely dangerous.
Beep!
The Judge blew the whistle.
Hart Norman felt a chill run down his spine and decided to take the initiative.
With a stomp of his foot, he shot forward like an arrow...
puff!
Hart Norman's expression froze.
His eyelids trembled as he looked down.
A bronze staff covered with relief patterns was stuck in his right arm, the blunt tip of which was right in the crook of his elbow.
Suddenly, he felt that the right side of his body had lost all sensation.
The fingers automatically loosened, and the Steel-core Cane fell to the ground.
Immediately, he fell to one side.
thump!
What on earth happened?!
How could I...?
No wonder...
No wonder his opponents all dropped their weapons and fell to the ground!
So that's how it feels!
One hit and he'll be rendered unable to fight!
Is this some kind of secret staff technique?!
Wow!
The audience erupted in uproar once again.
One move!
It was still just one move!
Although the actual fight was missing, this scene was all the more breathtaking.
Many gentlemen and ladies stood up abruptly, clapping and casting eager glances at the blond youth on the field.
Gilan remained unmoved by the surrounding noise and stares.
Carrying the Cane of Justice, he walked indifferently off the stage.
He didn't participate in the competition for so-called praise and fame; to him, those things were less important than a cup of Sticky Bark Milk Tea.
Gilan glanced discreetly at a private room on the second floor.
What he was doing was inviting people to the banquet after winning the championship...