Chapter 1022: The Semifinals Begin
Tang San didn't return to the rest area. He had no way of finding out who he would face in the upcoming semifinals, and he had no intention of observing for now. After all, the match list would be announced tonight anyway.
So, after Big Cat's match ended, he quietly left with the elders of the Blue Gold Tree clan and returned to the White Tiger Hotel to rest.
By evening, Tang San had already received word that with today's matches concluded, all five remaining seeded contestants had been lucky. They hadn't drawn each other, and there had been no dramatic turns of the tables either, so they had all advanced smoothly. Together with Ning Chen'en, Tang San, and another non-seeded contestant, they accounted for the top eight. These eight contestants would now compete in a round-robin format in the semifinals.
There were nine female contestants and eight male contestants participating in the semifinals. During this stage, both male and female contestants would compete on the same day, since there would only be a total of eight matches per day. Furthermore, there would be no rest days during the semifinals. After one day's matches concluded, the next day's matches would begin immediately. So, it would be a grave mistake to think that luck didn't matter anymore in the round-robin. If one encountered powerful opponents too early, tough choices would have to be made. Otherwise, once injured, the subsequent matches would become extremely difficult.
The format of the round-robin was also announced. A victory would earn two points, and a loss earned none. There would be no draws; if a match ended in a tie, the referee would decide which contestant had the advantage, and that would be counted as a win. Of course, if both sides ended up too injured to continue, they would be eliminated directly from the semifinals.
Therefore, unlike the elimination stage, in the semifinals, the first priority for everyone was to protect themselves. Only by maintaining their condition could they endure through all the matches and earn the points they deserved.
Among the eight male contestants, Tang San saw several familiar faces. Ning Chen'en needed no mention, and Radiant Dragon King Xu An'yu was also among them. From Crystal City, besides Xu An'yu, another contestant had entered the top eight. In addition, there were also Jin Anguo, the Lord of Sky-Splitting City; the Lord of Black Dragon City and successor of the Tenebrous Demon Emperor; and a top Great Demon King from the Immortal Flame Phoenix clan. Dragons alone had three representatives! This showed the formidable foundation of this major race.
On the nymph side, only Scorching King Nan Kemeng had made it into the semifinals. Ning Chen'en could be considered half demon and half nymph. In short, the Solstice Empire's male contestants had suffered a major defeat.
There were five and a half demon contestants and only two and a half nymph contestants remaining on the male side. And that was with Big Cat voluntarily withdrawing; otherwise, the Empyrean Dominion would have ended up with six and a half contestants.
It seemed that the nymph side was in a bit of a pinch.