Golden Dragon Tang Wulin part3

Chapter 602 - Promise

“Of course!” Tang Wulin nodded without hesitation. “We’re partners.”

Gu Yue narrowed her eyes. “Fine. I’ll compete in the two-on-two competition with you. That’s it. I won’t compete in the one-on-ones or the team battles. I won’t be involved in them in any way.”

Joy and anxiety warred in Tang Wulin’s heart. Sure, he was happy to fight alongside her in the two-on-two competition, but the rest of what she said drew a divide between her and the rest of the team, erected a barrier between them. He felt nothing but worry for what the future might bring. It was a feeling he hated.

“Gu Yue…” Tang Wulin began.

“You can go now,” she replied softly. “I want some peace.”

“Alright,” Tang Wulin eventually said. He knew it was impossible to control Gu Yue’s mood, so he settled for what he got.

She had agreed to fight alongside him in the two-on-two competition.

Tang Wulin left Gu Yue’s room. He didn’t see her for the rest of the day. This left him in such low spirits that he ate half as much as usual for his meals. He wanted to go see Gu Yue once more, to try and convince her again, but he didn’t even know what he would say.

The next day, Continental Young Elites Tournament began, drawing competitors and spectators from all over the continent. The tournament was held in the Grand Star Luo Stadium. Due to the high number of competitors, all participants were separated into different groups for the preliminary contests. For the sake of speeding things along, the preliminary contests were instant eliminations. A single loss and they were eliminated from the tournament. Luck would undoubtedly play a major part in these opening rounds. However, luck was a part of someone’s strength.

Fairness was subjective. Just as Elder Cai said before, absolute fairness did not exist in this world. If Tang Wulin wanted fairness to exist, if he wanted to create and control it, he had to rely on his own strength.

The first preliminary matches to take place were for the one-on-one duels. This was the part of the tournament that everyone was couldn’t wait to see. These were the matches that had the most at stake.

Inside the Grand Star Luo Stadium, fifty stages were set up for the preliminary matches. Matches were to be held in a set order, with the next beginning as soon as the previous ended. They would cycle through each match until the preliminaries were finished. Every competitor was assigned an electronic number badge. The badge contained detailed information about the competitor and their match times. If they missed any of their matches, they would be instantly eliminated.

The Continental Young Elites Tournament didn’t start with an opening ceremony. There were simply too many competitors to hold one. As such, the ceremony was scheduled for after the preliminaries.

The Grand Star Luo Stadium could accommodate three hundred thousand people. It was the largest stadium, not just in Star Luo City, but the entire continent. Furthermore, it was also equipped with the most cutting-edge technology. Tickets had been sold out long before the tournament began. Although the tickets were all sold out, there was also a continent-wide live broadcast. However, the broadcast was pay-per-view. Thanks to this, as well as the registration fee paid by thousands of competitors, the Star Luo Empire easily recouped the costs of hosting such a grand tournament. The Empire had long ago learned the best ways to squeeze all the profits from this tournament.

Countless ordinary citizens yearned to be soul masters. Unfortunately, there was no overcoming what they were born with. For them, watching this tournament was the next best thing. For them, this was a festival. People all throughout the continent were giddy with excitement to witness the rise of the stars of the next generation.

Thanks to the strings that had been pulled to register the Shrek Academy students, their matches were spread out over a few days.

Tang Wulin drew number 333, an easy number to remember, one that bore no ill omens. His match was on the first day. Interestingly enough, apart from Gu Yue who opted out of participating, everyone else’s matches were on the second and third day. They were all staggered.

“Are you still upset I didn’t participate?” Gu Yue asked Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin shook his head. “I’m not mad about it. I just feel like you’re drifting further and further away. At this rate, It feels like you might leave us for good. I don’t like that.”

Gu Yue stared at him. “I’m sorry, but all good things must come to an end. No matter how much we try to fight it, we will have to grow up and one day part ways.”

“Why do we have to part ways?” Tang Wulin asked.

“Maybe…” Gu Yue met his eyes for a moment. Then she looked away. “Maybe we won’t have to. We’ll see. And besides, aren’t I going to compete with you later?”

“But we can still cultivate together for many more years!” Tang Wulin grumbled. “Even if you’re a member of the Spirit Pagoda, Shrek Academy is just a school! You can graduate, then you can go back to the Spirit Pagoda.”

A pang of pain flared up in Gu Yue’s heart. She grabbed Tang Wulin’s hand and squeezed it. “I’ll at least enter the inner court with you, alright? I promise.”

Tang Wulin blinked at her a few times, then burst with joy. “You better keep that promise!”

Gu Yue nodded, a thin smile forming on her lips. “Count on it.”