<h4>Chapter 1288: Chapter 1279: The Finals Begin</h4>


    Zhang Po shook his head at the captain of the y Monster team, disying an expression of being unable to disclose anything, and subsequently disregarded the manypetitors’ gazes, walking straight out.


    The sun hung high in the sky, finally marking the agreed day for the finals. The stands were already filled withpetitors who, though eliminated, were reluctant to leave and eager to witness the fighting prowess of the Xiao Family descendants, cheering enthusiastically for their admired and respected opponents.


    Seeing these young people who, despite being beaten badly, still held great respect for their opponents, Zhang Po was filled with emotion: "Ah, this is the true essence of cultivation, endless learning."


    Holding no exception, Qing Hong and his group also stayed. Strangely enough, they sat together with the contestants from the gathering day, making their area particrly notable in the spacious Martial Arts Arena.


    "Why are they sitting together like that?" Chang Wei pondered confusedly.


    "It seems they are also very concerned about Xiao Yifei’s safety. We should continue to hide the truth," Zhang Po whispered a reminder to Chang Wei.


    From a distance, Qing Hong noticed the two’s approach, warmly waving an arm to greet them. Zhang Po responded with a slight friendly smile and calmly walked over.


    "How is it? Hasn’t Xiao Yifeie back yet?" Qing Hong inquired with concern. The contestants assisted by Xiao Yifei behind him also cast caring nces over.


    Zhang, after a moment’s thought, responded to them: "I received a message from Xiao Yifeist night. He told me he might be a littlete for today’spetition, but there’s no need to worry. Please enjoy the matches, we’ll do our best."


    "Xiao Yifei isn’t dead? That’s great!" Upon hearing Zhang Po’s reply, everyone disyed expressions of joyous excitement. They still held sincere admiration for Xiao Yifei in their hearts, and learning that Xiao Yifei had managed to evade the Xiao Family’s troubles made them genuinely happy for him.


    Zhang Po obliged with a couple of chuckles before gesturing to Qing Hong and others, then returned to the rest area of Team Fifteen.


    "Don’t worry, be careful not to give yourself away." Zhang Po felt Chang Wei sitting behind him visibly trembling, his knuckles turning pale from the pressure.


    The closer it got to their nned time, the more anxious Chang Wei became, as his experience was nowhere near as extensive as Zhang Po’s. This scenario hidden with crises was still somewhat beyond his handling ability.


    "Yeah, don’t worry." Suppressing his inner tension, Chang Wei replied steadily.


    Before long, Xiao Zhentian walked onto the Martial Arts tform with a broad smile, cleared his throat to signal the audience to quiet down. Seeing Xiao Zhentian, the crowd immediately fell silent, awaiting his announcement of the start of thepetition.


    Chang Wei pressed arge hand down and loudly said to the audience below, "Everyone, the highly anticipated ’Martial Artist Conference’ finals are about to begin! Before the match starts, I will first announce the matchups determined overnight by the Xiao Family senior members. This allocation is handled with absolute fairness by the Xiao Family, considering thepetency of all advancing contestants, please supervise."


    Then Xiao Zhentian announced the matchups for the finals.


    The four seeded teams unsurprisingly were pitted against each other, the y Monster team against Li Huoke, while Zhang Po’s opponents turned out to be the Poison Manor team.


    "Just as expected!" Upon hearing his opponents’ identity, Zhang Po felt his spirits dampened slightly. The connection between the Xiao Family and Poison Manor was undoubtedly involved in some foul business. This final was inevitably a ploy for the Xiao Family to use Poison Manor to eliminate Team Fifteen, who was a thorn in their side.


    "You called it." Chang Wei feignedposure and expressed.


    "Proceed as nned, don’t separate under any circumstances, clutch the Hook Jade I gave you tightly." With those words, Zhang Po pulled out a piece of light blue jade from his pocket. Though it seemed uncarved, its quality was exceptional, featuring intricate patterns that shimmered with a vibrant glow.


    Chang Wei also had an identical piece of jade in his hand. Wiping the sweat from his palms, he held it firmly, intently watching Xiao Zhentian, who was about to announce the start of the match standing on the Martial Arts tform.


    After confirming the contestants understood their opponents and no objections were raised, Xiao Zhentian continued addressing the audience: "In this finals, the advancing contestants may collectively challenge my n’s descendants. If victorious, they will all enjoy the opportunity to enter the Holy Mountain for cultivation."


    As Xiao Zhentian’s words fell, the entire audience was stirred. The Xiao Family’s confidence was astounding, allowing advancing contestants to collectively challenge them, with victorious teams permitted entrance to the Holy Mountain. Coupled with rumors that Xiao Yifei had already entered earlier, the audience couldn’t help but feel this Holy Mountain seemed somewhat devalued.


    Ignoring the discussions below, Xiao Zhentian released an overwhelming aura of authority. The immense energy startled the audience into silence, turning the venue into a quiet scene.


    Satisfied seeing his views prevail, Xiao Zhentian wore a gratified expression: "I hereby announce the start of the ’Martial Artist Conference’ finals!"


    Despite some dissatisfaction, given the Xiao Family’s overwhelming strength, the audience chose not toin further, as the spectacle of the matches was undeniable, but neither the results nor the distribution of prizes deeply concerned them.


    Seeing the audience regaining calmness, Xiao Zhentian continued: "For the first round of this finals, the first match will be between the y Monster team and the lone-swordsman genius, Li Huoke."


    Upon hearing the name Li Huoke, the audience erupted in excitement, cheers continuously erupted. Many veteran contestants had heard of Li Huoke’s name, and his swordsmanship had deeply captivated every audience member fortunate enough to witness it, leaving them thoroughly impressed.


    Yet, the honored individual, Li Huoke himself, appeared rather indifferent, leisurely walking onto the Martial Arts tform, a giant sword embedded in the ground, his gaze filled with apathy, awaiting his opponent.


    Seeing his long-anticipated Li Huoke finally step onto the stage, the light in Zhang Po’s eyes grew even brighter. He particrly stayed in the previous round to observe Li Huoke’s performance. However, his opponent was too weak, not even exerting a tenth of his strength before being eliminated.


    Thus, Zhang Po hoped that Li Huoke, facing the equally regarded Dark Horse Team, the y Monsters, could fully demonstrate his capabilities.


    The y Monster team also sent their representative against Li Huoke, coincidentally the captain who single-handedly took on a team in thest match.


    Seeing only one person from the y Monster team step onto the tform, Xiao Zhentian suddenly furrowed his brow, interrupting the two: "Hold on, there’s a change in this match’s format I forgot to introduce earlier."


    "What?" Both the captain of the y Monster team and Li Huoke said in surprise, looking at Xiao Zhentian with puzzled expressions.


    Ignoring their nces, Xiao Zhentian told the audience: "In this finals, the Xiao Family has collectively decided to proceed with team battles for thispetition. Due to time constraints, one-on-one matchups will hinder progress, so this decision was made out of necessity. We ask for your understanding."