The Alliance Executive Government

Early in the morning five days later, an urgent knocking sounded at the door.

"Jiang Feng, are you ready? We need to leave."

"Coming."

Jiang Feng ended his cultivation session, washed his face, and hurried to open the door. Jiang Xinran was standing outside.

"Let's go eat first, then head to the Grand Trial Grounds," Jiang Feng said with a smile.

"Okay."

The Preliminary Round had ended three days earlier. The Six Great Temples had selected sixty young professionals to advance to the finals.

Regardless of how they performed in the finals, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the sixty of them would soon be organized into ten Demon Hunt Squads and sent to the front lines against the Demon Race.

Today was the day to draw lots for the finals. The sixty finalists would be divided into six groups by lottery, then compete in round-robin matches at the trial grounds of the Six Great Temples.

In other words, after nine matches, the top two contestants from each group and the four best third-place contestants would advance to the round of sixteen. The subsequent elimination matches would determine the top three.

The finals would last longer than the Preliminary Round, and the competition would be fiercer.

In the Preliminary Round, contestants had only fought others from their own temple. In the finals, they would face professionals from the other five classes.

And since the rewards for the top three were Spirit Furnaces, the competition would be especially fierce. No one would hold back. Everyone would unleash their greatest strength to fight for a Spirit Furnace.

The drawing would take place at the Alliance Executive Government. After finishing breakfast, Jiang Feng and Jiang Xinran arrived there early.

After showing their competition number plates from the Preliminary Round to the staff for inspection, the two followed a staff member inside the Alliance Executive Government, passing through an archway into a spacious hall.

The hall was circular, with a platform in the center and tables and chairs arranged around it. It could accommodate roughly five hundred people.

"We made it to the finals! Jiang Feng, I'm still so excited. I can't calm down at all," Jiang Xinran said joyfully.

She had always been lively. Ever since reaching the finals and securing her place in a Demon Hunt Squad, she had been all smiles every day, her beauty breathtaking.

As for her ranking in the finals, she felt she only needed to do her best. There was no reason to put too much pressure on herself; she would get as far as she could.

Besides, she still had Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng had already promised that he would definitely finish in the top three and choose her as his teammate.

Becoming a member of a Demon Hunt Squad already filled Jiang Xinran with joy. Being in the same squad as Jiang Feng would make her twice as happy.

Over the years, the two had spent so much time together that they had all but become each other's best friend. It would certainly be a shame if they ended up in different Demon Hunt Squads.

"Have a little ambition. You're supposed to be Starjoy City's number one genius. Isn't making the finals only natural?" Jiang Feng curled his lip, giving her a slightly disdainful look.

"You have the nerve to bring that up? It makes me so mad! What do you mean, I'm Starjoy City's number one genius? That's obviously you!" Jiang Xinran shot him an indignant look. "Your cultivation used to lag so far behind mine that I thought you'd struggle to reach the fourth order by the competition. Then you quietly went and reached the Fifth Order!"

"Uh..." On that subject, Jiang Feng felt a little guilty. After all, he really had concealed his strength back then, letting Jiang Xinran keep her title as the number one genius.

"Speaking of which, are you really twenty this year?" Jiang Xinran eyed him suspiciously.

"Uh..." Jiang Feng said sheepishly, "I'm eighteen this year."

"Oh, get lost. Every time I ask, you say eighteen. You were eighteen two years ago, and you're still eighteen now. Did those two years of your life just vanish? Tell me the truth. How old are you?" Jiang Xinran was thoroughly displeased.

"I am eighteen. I lied last time," Jiang Feng insisted stubbornly, though his eyes wandered around the hall, not daring to meet hers.

"I don't believe you. Look me in the eyes and say it." Jiang Xinran refused to let it go.

Jiang Feng looked back at her face. After a moment's thought, he said, "My age is my biggest secret. I can only tell the person closest to me."

"Fine. Just great. After all these years together, you won't even tell me your real age?" Jiang Xinran looked ready to cry.

"Enough. By the person closest to me, I obviously mean my future wife. You and I are brothers," Jiang Feng said matter-of-factly.

"Who's your brother? Don't act like we're close. I barely know you." Jiang Xinran gave him a disdainful glance, then turned her head away and fell silent.

"Then why don't you be my wife? We're both single anyway. Once that's settled, I'll tell you my real age," Jiang Feng said with a smile.

"Get lost! Who wants to be your wife?" Jiang Xinran's pretty face instantly flushed scarlet. She turned away and snapped at him.

"After all these years, you still get this embarrassed over a joke," Jiang Feng teased.

"Why can't you be serious at all today?" Jiang Xinran asked.

Jiang Feng countered, "Then what am I like when I'm serious?"

"I don't want to talk to you anymore." Jiang Xinran found a seat and sat down, unwilling to pay any more attention to the jerk.

Jiang Feng sat beside her, laced his hands behind his head, and studied the contestants in the hall with interest.

"Brother Jiang, we meet again."

Just then, a green-haired young man ran over from a distance. He had a handsome, delicately featured face. It was Lin Xin, whom they had met at the Aimei City Auction House.

"Oh, if it isn't Brother Lin! Judging by the look of you, you must have done pretty well in the Preliminary Round," Jiang Feng said with a smile.

"Not bad. I barely managed to take first place. You came first too, didn't you, Brother Jiang?" Lin Xin said casually, as though he had long since decided that Jiang Feng would rank first among the knights.

"Alas, I'm afraid I've disappointed you, Brother Lin. Something happened a few days ago, and I couldn't take part in the remaining matches," Jiang Feng said regretfully. The thought of those thousand System Coins made his heart ache.

And five days had already passed, yet the Assassin Temple's compensation still hadn't arrived. Their efficiency deserved nothing but a bad review.

"A few days ago? Don't tell me you're the poor sap who was rumored to have been nearly beaten to death by some powerhouse?" Something occurred to Lin Xin, and he blurted it out without thinking.

Jiang Feng's face darkened, and he spat in disgust. "Pah! What poor sap? I don't know anyone like that. I only know the genius knight who dared to face a ninth-order powerhouse head-on and refused to bow to overwhelming might."

"Uh, you're right, Brother Jiang." Lin Xin froze for a moment, then hurriedly agreed.

"Hahaha..." Jiang Xinran had still been sulking beside them, but hearing Jiang Feng's shameless words, she couldn't help laughing aloud.

"Hey, hey, hey! You're making me look bad." Jiang Feng gave her a disgruntled look.

"You can't tell me what to do." Jiang Xinran made a face at him.

Lin Xin also greeted Jiang Xinran. "Miss Xinran, we meet again."

"You already came first in the Preliminary Round. Do you still need Long Haochen to choose you?" Jiang Xinran asked curiously.

Lin Xin shook his head. "The finals are different from the Preliminary Round. Luck matters a lot."

"Oh." Jiang Xinran nodded, only half understanding.

Seeing the innocent look on Jiang Xinran's face, Jiang Feng couldn't help smiling.

Jiang Xinran didn't know, but Jiang Feng was very familiar with Lin Xin's capabilities.