The Thousand-Leaf Dome Arena fell silent as the audience waited for the event organizers to make a final ruling on Jia Xiu's actions.
Jia Xiu had given a full explanation himself, but to the audience, what he'd done was still a bit too outrageous. He'd even managed to confuse the referee!
So the people who had made the rules for the first round—the Ukmak Royal Caster Academy—had to give an answer.
Under the Five-School Tournament rules, out of respect for every school, each school had the final say in interpreting the events it was responsible for, unless something extreme happened, such as a threat to the students' safety.
The scar-faced professor from Ukemak carefully watched the replay of Jia Xiu's actions in the arena.
After watching it about three times, the professor suddenly sighed.
"Ah, what a shame."
The Saint Dero teachers present immediately grew wary. They had only one seeded competitor, and now he might get eliminated in the first round.
One of them hurriedly said, "I think you—"
He was about to argue Jia Xiu's case. All right, perhaps not very persuasively, but he still meant to fight for him.
The scar-faced professor continued.
"What a shame he isn't from Ukemak. How can such an outstanding talent not serve the empire? He's bold, dares to make decisions, has a taste for adventure, is decisive and never hesitates, and has ideas of his own. He has everything it takes to be an excellent Ukemak person. What a shame."
He looked toward the Saint Dero teacher.
"What were you about to say?"
"I think you're wise. Extremely wise. You have a discerning eye for talent."
Being able to change one's tune was an essential skill for every Saint Dero person.
"Jia Xiu has passed this round. By the way, what