Chapter 585: Conclusion and Award Ceremony

Although those who ultimately reached the finals would mostly be from high-tier bloodlines, at least the lower-tier bloodlines now had a chance. And more importantly, they had a chance to be noticed.

The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor once again raised his hands and motioned to the crowd, and the entire audience fell silent.

"You, young people aspiring to participate in the Daemon Continent Elite Competition... You must work harder than you ever have in the following years. You

might

just change your destiny.

"With that said, next we will present the awards to the finalists of this tournament. First, we will give out the rewards for the top competitors. The contestants who made it to the top sixteen in the individual and doubles competitions, please come forward."

The top sixteen had already received the most important reward—the recognition of the Sacred Mountains, the fact that the Emperors had witnessed their prowess. Different Emperors had different criteria, but they usually prioritized certain bloodlines. After all, the strength of those who made it to the top sixteen usually didn't differ too much. Even someone like Meng Dede, despite his strength, had been eliminated in the doubles competition’ round of sixteen.

There were also contestants who were not recognized. If a contestant made it to the top sixteen by luck of the draw and their strength was not up to par, or they didn’t show enough growth potential, they might not catch the eye of an Emperor. Conversely, if a strong contestant was eliminated due to bad luck, they might still be acknowledged by multiple Emperors.

The first to be awarded were those with the lowest achievements—those who were eliminated in the round of sixteen. In other words, there were eight contestants from the individual competition and sixteen from the doubles, for a total of twenty-four. However, only eighteen could come to receive their awards. The remaining six, mostly due to serious injuries, could not attend. Their rewards would be sent directly to them.

Meng Dede and his sister did not come. Meng Dede was severely injured, but the reason for Meng Deshi's absence was unknown.

Trays were brought onto the stage, and the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor personally handed them to the contestants.

Each tray contained one or more tokens of recognition from Emperors. In addition to the tokens, those who had gotten this far received a unified reward—ten amethystine coins! It didn’t sound like much, but the amethystine coin was the highest-level currency on the continent! Even when auctioning divine artifacts, amethystine coins were not used for purchasing, which only served to highlight their rarity and value.

Amethystine coins almost never circulated in the market because they were extremely precious in and of themselves. They were considered invaluable treasures for cultivation. Those who possessed amethystine coins rarely sold them or used them as currency. Instead, they kept them to absorb their pure energy during cultivation.

After receiving their rewards, the contestants left the stage under the guidance of the staff, and the number of people on stage significantly reduced.

Next were the rewards for those who had reached top eight, and they were noticeably more substantial. Firstly, the number of Emperor tokens increased significantly; almost all contestants received recognition from multiple Emperors. This was the case for both the individual and the doubles contestants. Moreover, the reward in amethystine coins increased to fifty!

It seemed that the organizers hadn’t bothered to prepare personalized rewards for these people, but none of them had the slightest intention to protest. Absolutely no one had amethystine coins to spare, so how could they refuse?

"Next, we will present the rewards for the top four. Please enter."

The top four meant those eliminated in the semi-finals—two pairs from the doubles competition and two contestants from the individual competition, among whom Tang San.

Walking out with him was a contestant from the Poison Dragon clan. As they walked out together, the contestant gave Tang San a cold glance, with a hint of disdain on his lips.

Tang San pretended not to notice and casually walked forward.

The rewards for the doubles competition seemed more significant at this point because it involved two participants, yet each person’s reward was the same as in the singles competition. This was why many strong contestants chose to participate in the doubles competition alone and why some opted to forfeit the singles competition early to conserve strength for the doubles.

Six trays were brought onto the stage, and the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor personally handed them to the contestants.

Tang San received his tray, neatly arranged with six Emperor tokens. Yes, six. The Poison Dragon standing beside him only had three.

Tang San quickly identified which Emperors the tokens belonged to.

The championship reward included tokens from all Emperors; this was the mandate of the Ancestral Court. Since Tang San was already the doubles champion, he would receive a full set. The six tokens before him were from Emperors who genuinely acknowledged his abilities—the ones who had already made their decision before today's event.

The six tokens belonged to the Destiny Master Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, the Unbreakable Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor, the Heaven-Crossing Earth-Piercing White Tiger Demon Emperor, the Cloud-Soaring Sword Saint Demon Emperor, and—unexpectedly—the Sun-Nurtured Sunborne Nymph Emperor and the Earth-Suppressor Earthshade Nymph Emperor.

The first four were within Tang San's expectations. He already had a token of the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, so this was the second one. The Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor's token was somewhat surprising; he had expected something from the Mammoth Demon Emperor instead. The Sword Saint Demon Emperor’s Sacred Mountain had also recognized him before, and the White Tiger Demon Emperor's token likely came due to Mei Gongzi.

But the tokens from the Sunborne Nymph Emperor and the Earthshade Nymph Emperor were truly unexpected. And having a token from one of them was one thing, but both? There was absolutely no way this was a coincidence. Could they have sensed his Yin-Yang energy?

Their tokens were also interesting: a small pink flower and a small gray-blue flower. They emitted seemingly gentle energy waves, but when Tang San scanned them with his spiritual power, he immediately sensed the violent energy within.

These were likely actual flowers produced by the two top-ranked Nymph Emperors.

It seemed that the Scorching Sunflower and Nethermoon Flower contestants he had defeated had said something to their clans, or maybe the yin-yang energy he’d left within them had been detected.

In any case, that was a concern for later. Since they’d handed him tokens, it was likely that they didn’t view him with enmity.

Tang San had received the greatest number of tokens among those eliminated in the semifinals. After all, gaining recognition from the Emperors was not an easy task. These tokens were not given lightly. Possessing a token meant that if he chose to pledge allegiance, that Emperor would surely accept.

In addition to the six tokens, the top four contestants received another reward: a storage ring. It had a purple gemstone that shimmered with innate light. A quick scan with his spiritual power revealed the energy fluctuations within.

It was filled with amethystine coins, and there were a

lot

of them. A total of two hundred coins, four times the amount given to the top eight contestants!

Tang San had always been curious about amethystine coins. He had heard that Emperors used them for cultivation, but this was his first time actually seeing them. Although he didn’t get any specific item, he also had no complaints whatsoever about the amethystine coins.

Next were the runners-up.

Only three were on the stage this time: Big Cat, the runner-up in the individual competition, and the Scorching Sword Pair, who had just lost to Tang San and Mei Gongzi in the doubles competition.

The three contestants stepped forward together. Among the others, only Tang San had remained on stage; the staff had led the others off. Soon, Tang San and Mei Gongzi would receive their champion rewards—Mei Gongzi twice over

Big Cat and the Scorching Sword Pair approached the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor and bowed.

Trays were brought forward, and Tang San immediately noticed that the tray in front of Big Cat had more tokens than the others.