Upon receiving Yun Huang's voice transmission accusing him of protecting his own, Yun Qing rubbed his nose, feeling a rare twinge of guilt.
His figure flickered, his black robes stirring the wind, and he drifted back down onto the foremost Dark Jade seat, settling as steadily as a mountain beneath his eleven colleagues' varied gazes.
...I wonder whether Huang's "aversion to concubine-born children" has improved. After all this time, he ought to have become desensitized, Yun Qing mused from his seat.
Still, he had rubbed that little tyrant's fur the wrong way twice. Thrilling. He would gladly do it again, hehe.
The interlude ended, and the tournament resumed.
The Ceremony Elder steadied himself and channeled spiritual energy into his throat, about to call out and ask whether any challengers remained-
Only for his voice to catch halfway.
His gaze swept over the line of challengers, and his eyelid twitched violently!
The line was sparse. There were only... twenty-three left?!
Including the current Twelve Young Masters, that made just thirty-five people in total!
In previous years, nearly fifty people would have reached the exciting later events, such as the Heroes' Flag Contest and Illusion Realm Contest. With this year's numbers... where were they supposed to find a gathering of heroes?
The Ceremony Elder's scalp prickled. Not daring to decide on his own, he hurriedly flew to the elders' seats, his voice plainly troubled. "Elders, the first round has ended, and fewer than half the customary number of contestants remain... How should we determine the subsequent rounds? Please give us your instructions!"
The elders overseeing the proceedings all frowned slightly.
This situation was indeed unprecedented.
"Ahem." Second Elder Yun Yuan stroked his goatee, unable to hide the amusement in his eyes, and muttered loudly, "This really is a first. That boy Qing's