The spectators cheered loudly for their favorite contestants.
"Mr. Zhongli, good luck!"
"You've totally got this!!!"
"Go, Master Hu! Even though you beat me, if you win the championship, at least I won't look so weak!"
"Good luck, Young Master Xingqiu!"
"Chongyun, brother~ charge ahead!"
"Yanfei, go for it~ Show everyone just how strong Liyue Harbor's most popular legal consultant really is!"
"Lady Tianquan, Lady Yuheng, you too, good luck!!!"
"Wait... where's the Conqueror of Demons..."
"I'm pretty sure I saw him join the tournament..."
"Yeah! I was beaten by him. Back then, he already had six stars!"
"Right... so where did the Conqueror of Demons go..."
Some spectators noticed that Xiao was nowhere to be seen. All were confused.
As an adeptus, he had a far longer lifespan than mortals, so he was quick to grasp the rules of Duel Monsters and swift to understand new things. That was why Ganyu and Yanfei, both adepti, had quickly learned the game and made it into the finals. Thus, the regulars assumed that Xiao, who had learned the game earlier than either of them, should also be present in the finals!
Just as confusion spread, Xiao walked through the door. In his hand were ten Metal Stars, some still smeared with blood. There were even wounds on his face. It seemed Xiao hadn't just been dueling contestants during the Lantern Rite, but had also fought against evil spirits!
Seeing Xiao like this, the spectators instantly understood. They all offered their thanks:
"Thank you, Great Sage, for your thousand years of protecting Liyue Harbor!"
"Thank you, Great Sage!"
"Your efforts are appreciated!!!"
"Thanks to you adepti, Liyue Harbor is safe..."
"Once again, another Lantern Rite, and we thank you for all your work!"
Xiao froze at the scene. He never thought there would be a day he was so warmly welcomed. Many of the customers present even held copies of [Conqueror of Demons – Xiao], and they knew of his real achievements! So they respected him greatly.
The usually cold and unfeeling Xiao began to show a gentler side. To those thanking him, he did his best to smile and said:
"It is simply my duty. No need for thanks..."
Then he turned to Luya, taking a deep breath: "Because... I encountered evil spirits and saved a few people. That's why I'm late... can I still participate?"
Luya nodded. "Of course." Since Xiao's delay was to protect Liyue Harbor, Luya naturally thought he should be allowed to compete. Otherwise, it would be far too heartless...
Xiao's furrowed brows relaxed. Luya handed him fifty packs.
"The rule for the finals is to open packs now and build a Deck. You'll duel the other contestants with that."
Xiao nodded at once. He quickly understood the core of the competition. He began opening packs, then built his Deck and prepared to face opponents!
For Xiao, it was easy to grasp. Even though he hadn't dueled in the shop, he had studied the cards tactically. So he had been able to gather ten Metal Stars despite fighting evil spirits, ultimately making it into the finals.
With Xiao entering, the finalists now numbered twenty-five. After about twenty minutes, all contestants had finished building their Decks. Luya saw everyone confidently placing their completed Decks in front of them.
Next was the battle of the finals bracket! When everyone was ready, Luya climbed the raised platform that had been set up. He announced:
"Contestants, now! The official matches are about to begin!!! First, the draw."
There were twenty-five contestants. Luya used the pre-prepared lottery system, entering all their names.
In the end, Hu Tao, Zhongli, Xiao, Xingqiu, Chongyun, Keqing, Ningguang, Xiangling, and Yanfei were all matched against ordinary citizens of Liyue Harbor. Ganyu, meanwhile, drew a bye, automatically advancing to the next round... As expected—the qilin's luck!
Luya calculated that this round would reduce the field to thirteen. The next would leave seven. After that, four. Then, the final two would face off for the championship!
Originally, with twenty-four, the last round would have been a three-way match. That was why Luya had planned to award prizes to the top three. But with Xiao's arrival, Luya decided to extend the rewards to the top four.
He announced, "Since we have twenty-five contestants now, the top four will all receive prizes!"
The contestants cheered, delighted. More prize spots meant a better chance of winning!
Everyone stepped up onto the Duel Stages. For this first round, only twelve stages were needed. Luya's shop had nearly thirty stages, more than enough.
And so, the finals bracket officially began!
"Duel!!"
With over twenty voices ringing out, twelve pairs of duelists began their matches.
In an instant, all sorts of common cards appeared. Most were strong Level 4 monsters.
[Axe Raider] Level 4│EARTH│Warrior│1700 ATK / 1150 DEF
[Gemini Elf] Level 4│EARTH│Spellcaster│1900 ATK / 900 DEF
[Spear Dragon] Level 4│WIND│Dragon│1900 ATK / 0 DEF
╵When attacking a Defense Position monster, inflict piercing damage. After it attacks, at the end of the Damage Step, switch it to Defense Position.
[Dark Blade] Level 4│DARK│Warrior│1800 ATK / 1500 DEF
Most duelists stuffed their Decks with the strongest Level 4 monsters they could pull. After all, [Mirror Force] would be rare in this event, since it was a high-rarity card. Fifty packs wouldn't guarantee drawing it. So the most straightforward way to inflict damage was monsters!
Thus, strong Level 4 monsters were crammed into every Deck! In addition, Equip Spells and monster removal Spells/Traps were also crucial.
This Lantern Cup finals was a test of how well contestants could master the basics of their cards. It ensured matches were full of strategy, not just about who had stronger rare cards.
The twelve duels were fiercely contested. Anyone who made it this far clearly had skill! Even unknown duelists weren't to be underestimated.
Chongyun proved the point. He was beaten in just three turns by a man named Ye Fan...
"Whoa, Ye Fan is amazing!"
"He actually won in three turns!?"
"This guy's got talent!!!"
"Wow, Mr. Zhongli also won his match!"
"Mr. Zhongli looked like it was easy!"
"Miss Yanfei won as well...."
"The Conqueror of Demons also triumphed!"
"What's going on... are all adepti this strong at dueling?!"
"Lady Ningguang won too! As expected, the mind for politics and business is formidable... she's strong at dueling as well!"
"Whoa... Xiangling looks like she's about to lose?!"
"Wait... she still has a Trap Card!"
"Oh damn! [Magic Cylinder]?!"
"Damn! That's brutal!!"
"Xiangling turned it around and won..."
"Master Hu seems to be struggling...."
"Wow, she scraped by with just 200 Life Points!"
Without her own Deck, Hu Tao wasn't as dominant as before. She realized she relied too much on powerhouse single cards, neglecting synergy. Even though she won this match, it was tough—and against an opponent not particularly strong. Yet she still had a hard time.
Hu Tao faintly sensed she might not make the top four. She resolved to rework her Deck after this, not to depend too heavily on lone cards, which made her Deck's consistency unstable.
"Young Master Xingqiu also won—and without much trouble."
In the end, after the first round, all the regulars advanced except for Chongyun, who was eliminated. Hu Tao, Zhongli, Xiao, Xingqiu, Keqing, Ningguang, Xiangling, and Yanfei all entered round two. With Ganyu's bye, thirteen contestants remained!
Among them, Ye Fan, Lin Ming, Xiao Ran, and Zhou Bai—though not famous—also advanced!
As before, Luya entered the names into the lottery system, pairing opponents.... After this second round, the field would shrink to seven.
...
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