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.
"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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