After hearing Xuan Zi's words.
Xu Jiawei and his sister Xu Jiujiu both paled.
They both understood what Xuan Zi meant: there was no need to work hard. They only needed to go through the motions, and he had to deliver them into the top four.
It was... pretty fucking outrageous.
How was a team whose average strength did not exceed Soul Ancestor supposed to reach the top four?
Paternal love?
Xu Jiawei desperately wanted to ask Xuan Zi at the top of his lungs why he did not dare to go a little further.
Why not simply come to him and have him rig the tournament to put them in the top two?
Wouldn't it be wonderful to coast straight into the runner-up spot?
That wouldn't be embarrassing either, would it?
"What, is that so difficult?"
When Xu Jiawei went a long time without answering his proposal, Xuan Zi frowned and asked impatiently.
"No, that's not it..."
"You're the ruler of an entire nation. Don't tell me you can't handle this little matter. Besides, whenever one of your three countries hosts the Soul Master Tournament, its own representative team always places well. Don't tell me there's nothing going on behind the scenes."
As Xuan Zi spoke, he took out his wine gourd and gulped down a hefty mouthful.
Even while drinking, he did not forget to cast Xu Jiawei a glance.
Well, this...
Having some of those behind-the-scenes dealings exposed left Xu Jiawei rather embarrassed.
The major powers-Star Luo Empire, Heaven Dou Empire, Dou Ling Empire, and Shrek-all had a tacit understanding about this.
Now that Xuan Zi had dragged those unwritten rules out into the open, he was truly pushing the limits of what anyone could stomach.
It was as though he were telling Xu Jiawei.
*Hard to