The next morning.
“Today will be the end of the tournament.” Su Ting and Lu Ran arrived at the square. Looking at the already packed and bustling square, she said to Lu Ran, “This is the final day, and the number of spectators has multiplied exponentially.”
“The final day? But there are still seven competitors left. In the morning, we have three matches with two people facing off each time, and one person getting a bye. After those matches, there will be four people left. In the afternoon, the four will compete, leaving two for the final championship match. Is the final also today?” Lu Ran asked in surprise.
“Yes. The two afternoon matches will be held back-to-back, and the champion will be decided this afternoon.” Su Ting nodded.
Then she gave Lu Ran a meaningful glance.
She never expected that a necromancer like him could make it this far, with only seven competitors remaining!
And what Su Ting didn’t mention was that in previous years, there was never a need for two consecutive afternoon matches. Because there would always be some contestants dropping out, which sped up the schedule. But this year, strangely enough, even up until now, the roster was still completely full. None of the eliminated players had been absent, which was why two matches were needed in the afternoon. It had been about four or five years since they’d had a tournament this complete.
As for Lu Ran’s abilities, though Su Ting didn’t know all the details, she had a pretty good grasp of them. Just his invincibility—taking no damage—combined with that Blood Spear that could one-shot anyone, already made him the undisputed champion.
“I see. In that case, with only seven people left, the matches should be over quickly,” Lu Ran nodded.
“If you keep performing the way you have been, the championship is yours, and no one can take it away—unless someone manages to push you off the arena, or you accidentally fall. But from where I stand, I don’t see any opponent with the chops to force you off that stage.” Su Ting analyzed.
Just as she finished speaking, a competitor walked past them not far away, heading toward the small rest rooms, accompanied by an elderly man. Lu Ran keenly noticed—that guy was still staring at him!
It was the same strange fellow Lu Ran had noticed on the arena before. Though they hadn’t fought, Lu Ran had an odd feeling, as if this guy was targeting him specifically.
Even Su Ting sensed something off.
“Do you know that person?” she asked.
“No, I don’t. I just find it strange—he seems really interested in me.” Lu Ran shrugged.
“Probably don’t know him. He’s likely from another major city. To make it this far, he must have some skills. But for you, there’s no need to pay him any mind—just focus on your matches. With your reputation now, it’s hard for any competitor not to be interested in you.” Su Ting didn’t think much of it.
Then, the two of them headed toward the rest area.
As they passed through the crowd, the spectators were absolutely thrilled!
“Lu Ran, look over here, look over here! I’m your fan!”
“Ahhh! Lu Ran’s here! Lu Ran is so handsome!”
“What the hell, handsome? Is he handsomer than me?”
“I admit he’s strong, but handsome? I don’t buy it!”
“Lu Ran, I want to have your babies!”
Whoa! This frenzy was night and day compared to yesterday!
The crowd shouted and cheered, and among them were quite a few young women. Lu Ran’s female fan base was growing rapidly. And it made sense. As a necromancer, he had one-shot the Xuanjia Berserker Wang Yan, one-shot the Summoner Cen Yuno, one-shot the Qimen Master Zhao Xuan, and even made the Space Walker Su Xiaoyue voluntarily jump off the arena and surrender. He had bulldozed his way through, unstoppable, with no equal!
Moreover, during his match with Zhao Xuan, he stood completely still, tanking Zhao Xuan’s full-powered barrage without losing a single drop of HP. In this digitized world, that was practically godlike! It was only natural that he’d won over so many fans so quickly.
Thankfully, the competitors had their own private passage, so the young women couldn’t get in. Otherwise, Lu Ran would’ve had a hard time even reaching the rest area.
The further they went, the quieter the noise became, because the front sections were reserved for the major families and factions. In other directions, large crowds of onlookers were packed together, but they were far from Lu Ran, so he couldn’t quite make out what they were shouting.
Lu Ran could sense that as they passed by the reserved seats of the major families, the heads and leaders of these powers were all desperately smiling at him with friendliness, as if they wanted to shout: I’m one of the good guys!
Over at the Cong family section, Cong Jixian was seated farther away, so he didn’t need to crowd in. But Cong Yu, pouting, said, “That bastard! How did he suddenly get so many female fans? And they’re talking about having his babies—aren’t they ashamed as young girls saying things like that?”
Cong Shuang wasn’t beside her this time; it was Cong Jixian sitting next to Cong Yu. Hearing this, he gave her a surprised look. A flicker of something strange passed through his eyes, but it was gone in an instant. Chuckling, he said, “Lu Ran’s performance has been outstanding, so this is all well-deserved. My little Yu has grown up now. If there’s a boy you like, you should pursue him boldly—better than regretting it later when someone else takes him.”
Cong Yu froze for a moment, then shook her head without responding. Cong Jixian didn’t press further, but his expression grew noticeably more amused.
Up on the main stage, the four guild leaders and all the top officials had arrived. And on this final day, the leadership lineup had been greatly expanded! Some appeared to have come specifically after hearing about Lu Ran the necromancer’s performance and reputation; others were directly dispatched from higher-ups—they were needed to personally present the champion’s award.
It was also worth mentioning that Wang Mu, who had shown absolutely no interest in the Hundred Cities League before, had now shown up. Of course, Wang Mu didn’t have the status to be on the main stage, but given his standing, it was no trouble at all for him to grab a seat in any family’s exclusive section.
Beside Wang Mu was another middle-aged man.
“Old Wang, what’s gotten into you? Why the sudden interest in watching the Hundred Cities League? I thought you had zero interest in kids brawling like this?” the man asked, puzzled.
“I’m not interested in the league itself, but there’s one contestant I’m very curious about, so I came specifically to watch. The only pity is that I missed the matches from the first two days—what a shame. A real shame.” Wang Mu said with deep regret.
“Oh?” The man’s eyes lit up. “A contestant that could get you, Wang Mu, to make a special trip—this is a first for me. Which one? There are only seven competitors left now. Could it be Cong Shuang?”
But just as he finished speaking—before Wang Mu could even respond—the man realized it himself. Startled, he said, “I remember! It’s Lu Ran, isn’t it? You came specifically for Lu Ran, right? I almost forgot you’re a necromancer too. That Lu Ran’s performance the past two days was truly extraordinary—unprecedented!”
Wang Mu smiled but said nothing, which indirectly confirmed the man’s guess. He had come for Lu Ran!
“I just wonder what makes that Lu Ran so special,” the man mused to himself.
“Words are useless—just watch and you’ll see.” Wang Mu started playing coy, just like Yu Qingcang used to.
