Chapter 939: The Tournament Rules

"They're on their way. I'll head back for now, but we'll stay in touch. Just poke me through the Asura Sword, and I'll be there in a flash," Tang San whispered in her ear. The next moment, Mei Gongzi felt a sudden emptiness behind her, a wave of warmth and a twinge of loss arriving almost simultaneously.

Just then, Su Qin's voice came from the second floor. "Little Mei, your grandfather is here."

"Mm-hmm." Mei Gongzi snapped out of it and hurried upstairs.

As she reached the second floor, she saw Su Qin sitting down, arms linked with the White Tiger Demon Emperor. Clearly, the relationship between them was back to what it had once been.

"Greetings, Grandpa." Mei Gongzi smiled sweetly and curtsied to the White Tiger Demon Emperor.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor smiled and said, "My Little Mei is getting more beautiful by the day. Tang San just left, didn't he?"

Mei Gongzi's cheeks flushed, and she nodded softly.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor said, "He just messaged me through divine consciousness. He wanted me to tell you that he's completely safe right now. And indeed, he is. To be honest, if he hadn't told me himself, I would never have guessed his other identity. Don't worry about it, really. He's keeping it from you for good reason. Once this martial contest ends, you'll understand everything. Anyway, enough about him. You are the one who needs to pay attention. The rules for this martial tournament are... a bit tricky."

Mei Gongzi's expression changed slightly. "Grandpa, have the rules already been decided?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor gave a slight nod. "The general outline is set. Normally, as the one being courted, you wouldn't need to participate at all. Just marrying the final winner would do. That was the original plan, especially since we've always supported you becoming an Emperor. After all, what would be the point of the bride participating in a contest for her own hand?

"But with the scope of the tournament expanding so dramatically, things have changed. First, the Solstice Empire insisted on taking part, citing the unity of demons and nymphs and other such pretexts. We couldn't flatly refuse. Actually, we couldn't even gently refuse. The Solstice Empire has taken an extremely aggressive stance on this matter. If we were to reject them, a conflict could very well erupt. I mean... Their attitude is understandable. It's all about the struggle for Emperor seats. So now, this martial contest is effectively a battle for the Emperor seats, and people are already calling it the Battle for the Throne.

"I, Undying, and Crystal Phoenix all support your rise to Emperor. But within the Empyrean Dominion, not all voices are aligned. Every great bloodline has its own outstanding descendants, especially the dragon race. Since the fall of the Crystal Demon Emperor, the dragon race's once-supreme status in the Ancestral Court plummeted. Tenebrous simply isn't good enough to uphold their banner. They are now absolutely determined to seize one of the Emperor thrones. Your father and second grandfather, of course, don't want the dragons to succeed. They want to keep them suppressed as much as they can.

"Anyway, that's an internal conflict of the Empyrean Dominion. The problem is that the Solstice Empire also wants a piece of the pie. And now, after the death of Adamant, they've grown even more desperate. If we seize two of the three available Emperor positions, our advantage will be massive. If we take all three, the Solstice Empire will be in an even worse position than when the Crystal Demon Emperor was alive. That's why they're willing to risk everything to enter this tournament.

"You're required to participate and not just observe because both the Solstice Empire and some factions within the Empyrean Dominion don't want you to be directly awarded an Emperor's throne. That is why the rules were changed to make sure you are obligated to participate."

Mei Gongzi nodded. "You already mentioned something about that, so I was prepared. But how is that going to work?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor replied gravely, "Undying and I fought hard for you. After all, this began as a martial contest for your hand in marriage. But internally, some argue that courtship should be mutual, that not only should you get to choose the suitor, but they should also have the right to choose you. So the contest has morphed into something bigger. Let's just say... the matchmaking event now isn't just about

your

match. All female contenders, including you, have been grouped together, while the male contenders form their own group. Both sides will compete.

"The only advantage you've got is that you are seeded among the female contenders. You'll skip the preliminaries and begin directly in the second stage."

Mei Gongzi blinked a few times. This was clearly something she hadn't expected. "So it's become a mass matchmaking event?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor nodded. "Yes, that's the gist of it. The preliminary stage will be a knockout format, single elimination. It's about as simple and brutal as it gets. The second stage will be much better. Once both the male and female brackets have been cut down to eight contenders each, there will be a round-robin phase. Each of the eight on both sides will fight every other contender in their bracket. That's seven matches each. Based on the point rankings, the top three from each side will then enter a mixed-gender final.

"This final will also be a round-robin, and from it, the top three overall contenders will be chosen. These three, regardless of gender, will have the right to choose a spouse from any of the sixteen top contenders. Simultaneously, they'll be acknowledged as the next generation of Emperor candidates, meaning they will have won the Battle for the Throne."

Mei Gongzi frowned slightly. "That's really complicated. So I'll have to compete from the second round's round-robin stage onward, and I must make the top three among the female bracket."

The White Tiger Demon Emperor nodded. "Exactly. You've been granted a place among the top eight, but whether you can get into the top three depends on your strength. Based on our estimates, the female bracket is a little weaker than the male bracket, but not by much. Whether you can break through depends entirely on you. Not even Tang San can help you in the women's bracket. You'll have to rely on your own efforts."

Mei Gongzi took a deep breath and said, "I understand."

The White Tiger Demon Emperor continued, "The reason the format has become so convoluted is to balance everyone's interests. On the surface, it's about fairness. But in truth, it's to reduce uncertainty. The round-robin format of the second stage ensures that chance plays almost no role. In the preliminary knockouts, luck might matter. But in the round-robin, it's all about pure strength. The final mixed-gender stage helps maintain gender balance.

"To be honest, this format is actually tilted slightly in favor of female contenders. That's because, during discussions in the Ancestral Court, the Solstice Empire pointed out that there are currently too few female Emperors. Ever since the Crystal Demon Emperor's fall, only Earthshade remains. Female powerhouses in both the Empyrean Dominion and Solstice Empire have long held this as a point of contention. That's one reason we originally wanted you to secure one of the thrones."

Mei Gongzi nodded. "So if I want to secure an Emperor's throne, I'll need to win at least nine matches to be safe."

The White Tiger Demon Emperor nodded again. "If you want to be certain, you can't afford to lose. There are many powerful female contenders, like those from the Nethermoon Flower clan, who are all female, as well as female members of the dragon and phoenix races. Practically every eleventh-order person of reasonable age and talent will be competing this time. Whether they're at the peak or not, they all want to try their luck. The scale and spectacle of this tournament is unprecedented in the Ancestral Court's history. Coming out on top in this kind of competition won't be easy. Fortunately, as a seed, you can conserve your energy early on. But still, you must be ready for a grueling fight."