Some people, however, saw some hidden meanings in the choice of who would host the opening ceremony of the Empire Ranking Competition.
It is said that many nobles and ministers originally suggested that someone else should preside over the opening ceremony, but the ailing Emperor Yassin overruled the objections and personally appointed Dominguez to oversee the entire process of the Empire Ranking Competition.
This seems to indicate that even with the outbreak of war, the second prince's status in the emperor's heart did not diminish in the slightest.
Looking at the imposing Second Prince on the podium, some people's hearts began to waver again.
The ceremony was simple. After the Second Prince gave a brief speech, just like in the previous regional ranking competition, the top fifty players each received their own codes. When it was Sun Fei's Sun Fei, he drew the code 22, a very ordinary number.
After finalizing their respective codes, the experts began to select their opponents.
This time, Sun Fei drew code number 1, which means that in the upcoming showdown, Sun Fei's first battle will be against a master with the code number 1, whose origin and country are unknown.
"It'd better not be someone from Chambord City, otherwise things could get really messy," Sun Fei prayed silently, hoping he wouldn't run into one of his own.
This method of determining opponents by drawing lots is full of uncertainty and chance. Of course, it is possible for warriors from the same country to meet and fight each other in the arena. Obviously, the Imperial military had anticipated this situation. Only in this way can the fairness and impartiality of the Empire Ranking Competition be reflected to the greatest extent, and the duels be prevented from being manipulated by some powerful families or forces and becoming a battlefield for different interest groups.
While the masters were engaged in duels, twenty-five elite squads from the five war zones, each consisting of fifty elite soldiers and twenty substitute soldiers, began a team battle led by other officers from the Imperial Military Department.
The rules for team battles are no different from those for elite matches. Players draw lots to determine their code names and opponents' numbers. Through rounds of elimination matches, the nation that ultimately stands atop the 25 teams will win the Glory of first place in the team battle.
The team sent by Chambord City consisted of fifty of the strongest Saint and twenty Urban Management. To ensure fairness in the team battle, players above Three-Star Class were not allowed to participate.
"I never imagined my luck would be so bad; I actually ran into Your Majesty at my very first stop."
On the Number One Sword-Testing Platform, Diego Milito, a warrior from a second-class vassal state in the Western Theater, sighed sadly.
The tall, imposing swordsman with thick eyebrows and large eyes completely abandoned any further thoughts of advancing after learning his opponent, King of Chambord ( "One Fist Spanning the Heavens "). However, he did not give up the opportunity to fight. After these days of duels, being able to fight a master like King of Chambord was a long-awaited opportunity for countless Zenit warriors. Everyone knew that King of Chambord never killed in duels, and sometimes he would even give his opponents some pointers.
On the sword-testing platform, Sun Fei wore a smile.
He had a very good impression of this opponent, who had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and an upright demeanor.
In the pamphlet given to him yesterday by the Witch Paris, compiled by the Empire's foremost bard Materazzi and used to swindle money, the swordsman named Diego Milito was described as a very righteous fellow, honest and simple, with upright and methodical moves, and a steady and reliable sword style. Moreover, according to the pamphlet, Milito's life story also had many chivalrous aspects. If this were in the ancient martial arts world of Sun Fei's previous life, this guy would be considered a chivalrous hero, easily reminding Sun Fei of the Guo Brother Jing, who, although not particularly talented, ultimately achieved extraordinary things.
Sun Fei always showed mercy to such opponents, and might even grant them a favor.
Soon, the blue flames of the [ Water Curtain Heaven Flower ] magic barrier flashed, and amidst the shouts and urging of the referees and thousands of spectators around the testing ground, the match, which had long been a foregone conclusion, officially began.
"Your Majesty, please correct me." Milito adopted a very humble posture, his expression conveying a hint of respect while remaining neither servile nor arrogant.
"Please." Sun Fei stood up with a smile.
The blue sword energy surged like waves, Diego Milito unleashed his attack the instant he drew his sword, the entire movement executed in one fluid motion.
Diego Milito's swordsmanship follows a balanced and steady approach, with no tricks or shortcuts in his moves. It appears somewhat rigid and lacks inspiration. However, it is precisely this rigid style that, when wielded by a character reminiscent of the character Brother Jing, consistently unleashes its most powerful force, making him a force to be reckoned with.
Unfortunately, Milito ran into Sun Fei.
Even a fool could see that Milito was no match for King of Chambord; the so-called match was just a waste of time.
However, Sun Fei did not overwhelm his opponent with absolute power in an instant. Instead, he carefully watched Diego Milito's swordplay, and even watched Milito's ultimate move [ Earth Tiger's Wrath ] once or twice.
In the end, amidst boos from the increasingly impatient audience, Diego Milito blushed and conceded defeat.
Sun Fei, however, remained calm and composed.
King Majesty's appreciation for talent resurfaced, and disregarding the audience's impatience, he patiently and with a smile pointed out some flaws in Milito's swordsmanship. Having been exposed to the mysterious powerful figure during this period, and having recently studied Emperor Yassin's handwritten martial arts fundamentals, King Majesty's knowledge of martial arts theory had also advanced rapidly. While not quite a master, he was more than capable of guiding a grassroots warrior like Milito, who had achieved some success through his own hard work.
This delighted Diego Milito.
He had only held onto a sliver of hope when he mustered the courage to stand up for His Majesty amidst the boos of thousands of spectators. Unexpectedly, he actually received guidance from King of Chambord in the end. At that moment, he felt that many of the problems that had troubled him for so long became incredibly simple and instantly clear in King of Chambord's words.
Milito remembered every word Sun Fei had said, thanked him repeatedly, and then jumped off the fencing platform to end the training match.
After the referee announced the winner of the match, Sun Fei jumped off the testing platform and returned to the temporary encampment in Chambord City.
As soon as he stepped into the temporary tent that had been prepared in advance, he saw that his personal bodyguard Torres, the white-haired Pierce, the black-haired Drogba, the warden Oleg, Petr Čech, and others were already waiting in the tent, obviously having finished their matches long ago.
"Huh? They're all back? Tell me, did you win or lose?" Although he asked this with a smile, Sun Fei had already guessed the result since he saw that no one had any injuries.
"Your Majesty, those opponents were utterly no match for us. We were able to directly enter the testing ground in the first round and won long ago. We just didn't expect Your Majesty to take almost half an hour to finish the battle." [ The Heng and Ha Generals ] explained their battle record clearly, saying that all six of them defeated their opponents within ten moves and won the match.
As for Inzaghi and Elena Shayk, their matches have not yet started due to the order of the games, so they have not returned yet.
"Although you have won, remember not to be too arrogant. This duel is not like the previous regional ranking matches. There are many experts here. If you really encounter experts like [ One Sword ], [ Wind and Fire Dual Supreme Staff ], [ First Goddess ] Magic Princess Xindi, or [ Silver-Armored Berserker ] from the Kingdom of Gudong, you will be in trouble."
Seeing that the group of hammers were getting too confident, Sun Fei gave them a few words of criticism.
Judging by the time, Inzaghi and Elena's match was about to begin. The group got out of the convertible, identified their direction, and squeezed through the crowd, quickly arriving at the Number Eight Sword-Testing Platform.
On the Number Eight Sword-Testing Platform, the match of [ Assassin of the Shadow ] Inzaghi is underway.
Beneath the blue [ Water Curtain Heaven Flower ] barrier, figures whistled like the wind, and the clanging of metal against metal echoed intermittently, along with Mars flying. Clearly, unlike the other experts in Chambord who had had smooth sailing before, Inzaghi had encountered a formidable opponent this time. The situation was very unfavorable for the handsome but slender young man, and he was caught in a fierce battle.
Sun Fei had actually anticipated this situation to some extent.
Strength determines everything; Inzaghi's strength ranks only at the bottom among all the top fighters in Chambord.
Although Inzaghi had worked as a mercenary at Hot Springs Pass for a period of time, he had never experienced real battlefield combat. The missions he and Uncle York took on were all simple life-related tasks. Because Inzaghi was naturally thin, his martial arts foundation was not as good as that of soldiers like Pierce Drogba and Čech, and even slightly inferior to that of the ordinary civilian Torres at the beginning.
In addition, Inzaghi met Sun Fei much later. Although Sun Fei gradually modified his body with a small dose of the [ Hulk Potion ] during this time, the time was still too short, and his Dou Qi spirit level was only barely raised to the Two-Star Class Mid Stage.
If it weren't for his terrifying talent that allows him to disappear into the void without revealing his presence, coupled with his good luck in avoiding truly formidable opponents, this young assassin would have had a hard time even making it into the top ten in the Northern War Zone. Even so, Inzaghi's journey in the regional rankings can only be described as bumpy and difficult, barely managing to advance.
However, Inzaghi's good luck ran out in the very first match of the Empire Ranking Competition.
Because his opponent was a Five-Star Class Initial Stage expert from a first-class vassal state in the Eastern Theater.
Although Inzaghi's innate abilities, combined with his recent training in assassination techniques, made each of his attacks seem unpredictable, this Five-Star Class expert wore sturdy armor. Furthermore, he cultivated Wind-Element Dou Qi, which also followed an agile path, resulting in extremely fast reactions. While it was impossible to detect Inzaghi's stealth talent, it was possible to Avoid the instant it landed, and occasionally, a counterattack would cause Inzaghi considerable trouble.
The Assassin of the Shadow is showing signs of defeat.
This may be the first defeat for the Chambord people in this Martial Combat Competition.
First update.
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