Since Rocky could not do anything to pre-arrange the draw, he could only entrust the result to fate.
Ideally, he was hoping that he could face Israel first so that Valeria would be paired with Quentin. After
all, Quentin would be a much easier opponent than Israel.
Before the draw began, Rocky looked at the other three candidates and uttered, "Why don't we let the
lady draw first?"
"Yeah, I don't mind." Quentin also agreed. He was actually staring at Valeria with narrowed eyes.
Although he was not a hundred percent sure, he had already suspected that the real identity of this
female Spiritual Emperor was indeed Valeria.
However, Valeria hesitated, a bit confused at the statements of the two.
"Come on, just do it. It doesn't really matter who draws first." Rocky nodded and continued to urge her.
Finally, Valeria heaved a sigh and took a bamboo slip from the box.
Afterward, Quentin approached the box and also took one.
Then, Rocky also gestured at Israel that he could pick before him.
Without hesitation, Israel took one of the remaining bamboo slips, automatically making the last one as
Rocky's.
After everyone had already drawn, the elder of the Di Clan, who was in charge of supervising this
battle, signaled the four candidates to show their lots at the same time.
With that, Rocky and the rest flipped the bamboo slips and showed the numbers written on them. When
Rocky looked at the bamboo slips of the other three candidates, he saw that Quentin had the same
number as him, which meant that they would be the ones to fight in the semifinals. Moreover, the other
pair would be Valeria and Israel.
Rocky could not help but let out a frown since this was the worst combination that he wanted to
happen.
"Do you mind if I exchange my lot with you?" Out of desperation, Rocky approached Valeria and
proposed that they traded their lots. After all, he was worried that something bad might happen to her.
Once Israel confirmed that she was a Godly Genius, there was a huge possibility that he would try to
kill her.
At the same time, Valeria was taken aback that Rocky would do something like this. In fact, she was
tempted to accept the offer because she knew that her chances of defeating Israel were slim to none.
However, when the elder saw what Rocky was trying to do, he quickly declared with a serious
expression, "You are not allowed to exchange your lot with another candidate. That will defeat the
purpose of drawing it."
Of course, Rocky also knew this. He was just at a loss that among the possible outcomes, the worst
one was about to happen.
"I appreciate the gesture, but I will be fine!" Valeria already thought that it would be against the rules to
swap lots, but she had somehow gotten an even better impression of Basil because of what he just did.
Hearing this, Rocky could just force a smile and nod at her.
"To the candidates who had the number 'one' written on your bamboo slips, you are going to fight first!"
the elder announced. It turned out that the first round would be between Valeria and Israel.
Therefore, the two Godly Geniuses began to prepare for their battle.
Afterward, Rocky and Quentin left the ring. Their match would be held later after this one.
Then, at this moment, Eunice suddenly appeared before Rocky and whispered to him, "Come with me.
Our chief wants to see you…"
Rocky actually wanted to watch Valeria's match since he was worried about her. However, he knew that
Colton must have something important to tell him, so he had no choice but to go with Eunice.
Not long after, the two arrived at one of the buildings in the Boundless Manor. Inside it, it seemed that
Colton was already waiting for them for some time.
"What can I do for you, Chief Colton?" Rocky asked without wasting any time.
"I just got pressing news saying that the royal family of the Shura Race has mobilized its army to
occupy the territory of the human race and the spiritual race," Colton said in a gloomy tone.
"What? Where did you hear this? Is this information credible?" Rocky never expected that while they
were still in the contest, the royal family would suddenly plan to send the troops of the Shura Race to
the territories of the human race and the spiritual race. Back then, Rocky discovered that Gilbert was
actually the one who ordered Jonathan to disguise himself as Canaan, causing trouble for the human
race. However, Gilbert only followed the order of the Shura Race's royal family.
Fortunately, after Jonathan's death, the plot of the Shura Race was thwarted, which became the start of
the alliance of the human race and the spiritual race. Because of this, the Shura Race's royal family
would not sit still until they suppressed the two races again.
Originally, the division of the human race and the spiritual race was what balanced the forces in the
entire continent. Hence, the Shura Race's royal family would never allow that the two races join hands
against them. After all, it would pose a huge threat to the Shura Race. Therefore, it should not be that
surprising that the royal family had finally made its move against both the human race and spiritual
race.
"It is from a reliable source. I believe you will also receive this news from your fief soon enough," Colton
answered firmly.
"If that is really the case, the situation has just gotten even more complicated. After the contest, I have
to immediately go back to the Ghost Fief and find a way to stop the Shura Race from sending out their
troops." Rocky understood that once the troops were already sent out and had reached the territories
of the human race and the spiritual race, a huge catastrophe was going to happen.
"I appreciate what you want to achieve. But I'm afraid that with your strength alone, you won't be able
to stop the royal family from their plan. That's why I will also set out to the spiritual race to persuade
them to formally join hands against the Shura Race. It's better to be prepared than wait for a miracle to
happen!" Colton voiced out his thoughts as he clenched his fists.
"Of course. I have no complaint about that. In fact, we should be always prepared for unforeseen
disasters."
"When you return to the Ghost Fief, I urge you to take Eunice with you. If anything goes wrong, at least
she could immediately contact the Di Clan," Colton strongly proposed.
"All right. I understand." Rocky actually wanted to refuse at first. But when he contemplated about it, he
thought that it would also be convenient to have a helping hand. After all, he had no one he could really
trust back there, and Eunice could help him in more ways than one.
"For now, I have to go to the spiritual race. It's actually a shame that I will miss the final battle of the
Spiritual Emperor Contest, but it's fine with me since I already know what will be the result in the end,"
Colton remarked, glancing at Rocky meaningfully.
Recognizing what Colton meant, Rocky could just let out a faint smile.
After their conversation, Colton left right away. At the same time, Rocky and Eunice returned to the
battlefield where the match between Valeria and Israel was being held.
However, when they arrived, they found out that the match had already ended.
Unexpectedly, Israel was the only one standing on the stage, and Valeria was nowhere to be seen. At
the same time, there was a huge commotion in the crowd as if they could not believe what just
happened during the match.
"That premium-stage Spiritual Emperor is too powerful! It will not be a surprise if he ended up winning
the contest!"
"I agree! With his strength, he should be close to the peak stage of the Emperor Realm!"
"It will be difficult to beat him. He is unstoppable!"
Rocky and Eunice could just glance at each other, wondering what happened to Valeria. Then, Eunice
took the initiative to ask the elder supervising the match. It was not until then that she learned that
Valeria had been badly injured by Israel and that she was already sent to the healing room.
Worried about her condition, Rocky instantly rushed to the healing room the moment he learned about
Valeria's condition, while Eunice also followed after him.
Then, inside the healing room, Rocky found that a Spiritual Emperor, who was well-versed in medical
skills, was doing his best to heal Valeria's wounds.
Meanwhile, Valeria was still unconscious on the bed. Her skin was torn open, and her complexion was
very pale. It was obvious that she was seriously injured.
"How is she doing?" Rocky asked in a low voice as he tried to suppress his anger.
"I'll be honest, it is actually bad. Most of her meridians were seriously damaged. Even if she is treated
well, I'm afraid that her strength will inevitably decline. This will also surely affect her cultivation. I did
not expect that her opponent will be this ruthless…" the Spiritual Emperor answered, shaking his head.
Then, Rocky continued to ask, "Is there any other injury?"
"Yes. But compared to her damaged meridians, they are not that serious. However, I also feel a little
helpless. This is the first time I encountered such huge damage in one's meridians." It turned out that
even the medical skills of the Spiritual Emperor were not enough to properly cure Valeria's injuries.
After thinking for a while, Rocky whispered something to Eunice.
In response, Eunice just nodded silently, and Rocky eventually left.
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