Chapter 940: Tang San Won't Have a Problem

"Mhm, thank you, Grandpa." Mei Gongzi nodded seriously. She still had quite a bit of confidence in herself; three first-tier bloodlines and a supreme divine artifact like the Asura Sword were not something just anyone could possess. Moreover, she had cultivated a lot. She was no longer the same person as when she had first stepped into the eleventh order.

"What about Tang San? Does he have to start from the elimination rounds?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor nodded and said, "Not just him. All participants, aside from you, must begin from the elimination rounds. There is certainly some element of luck involved in the draw."

"Okay." Mei Gongzi wasn't worried about Tang San's luck at all; he possessed the Discerning Eye of Heaven. The only question was whether he'd be able to use it without being detected by the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor, who would no doubt be monitoring the draw process.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor said, "Make sure you're well-prepared. Your second grandfather said he won't come see you today to avoid exposing your relationship, but he asked me to pass along a message: this Battle for the Throne is of utmost importance. If your life is in danger, you may reveal your phoenix bloodline, but if you can win without using it, that would be best. Otherwise, having three Emperors from the phoenix race would not be an acceptable outcome, especially from the dragon race."

Mei Gongzi nodded. She understood the situation very well: If she were to utilize Immortal Flame Phoenix abilities during the competition and her bloodline was exposed, the backlash from other clans would be swift. The Undying Demon Emperor and the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor were already two more phoenix Emperors than anyone wanted. If she also became an Emperor, that would make three, an unprecedented event in the history of the Ancestral Court.

Why must the right to become an Emperor be approved by the Ancestral Court? Precisely for the sake of balancing power among the various races and clans. Otherwise, powerful ones like the dragons, phoenixes, and behemoths could indeed produce more Emperors, leaving others without any chances. That was something no other clan would accept. It was a crucial principle for both the Empyrean Dominion and the Solstice Empire.

Therefore, the Undying Demon Emperor naturally hoped Mei Gongzi would become a second Peacock Demon Emperor. The Peacock Demon clan had Emperors in the past, but none currently. Mei Gongzi was also female, which worked in her favor due to how things were set up. In fact, aside from her human heritage, there wasn't much anyone could hold against her. As long as the arranged marriage through the tournament was completed, even the matter of her human side would be resolved, making her acceptable to the current Emperors.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor smiled. "You don't need to worry about Tang San. With his abilities, reaching the finals should be no problem. When have you ever seen him act without confidence? And since this involves his relationship with you, he'll be even more cautious. He's already thoroughly prepared. Honestly, I'm more curious about his performance than yours. Watching his matches might be even more exciting than watching yours."

Mei Gongzi stuck out her tongue. "I'm your actual granddaughter! Since when have you been this biased?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor chuckled bitterly. "It's not bias. I don't know why, but I've been having this feeling lately.... If he goes all out, he might even give

me

a hard time. So what's there to worry about? I am fairly sure that if he ascends, he will reach the same heights as the Crystal Demon Emperor once did. You haven't seen..."

He paused here, cutting himself off before he accidentally said too much.

"What? Are you saying his power is already comparable to yours?" Su Qin looked at her father in shock. Since returning to the Ancestral Court, she had remained at his side. His mood had improved significantly. When she had first come back, she had cried in his arms, letting go of all the resentment and anger she once held. She'd even gone to the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor and given him a beating, saying it was to vent on behalf of her daughter. Lin Ximo, upon learning Su Qin had returned, didn't even dare retaliate. Now, father and daughter were closer than ever.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor gave a small nod. "It's hard to say for sure, but I believe so. When he sparred with me before, I wasn't using my full strength, but he wasn't either. Now, he feels even more refined and complete. At the Emperor level, further improvement doesn't come from accumulation but from refining your abilities. Yet, Tang San gives me the sense that... there's nothing left he needs to refine. That's terrifying. He feels like someone on the brink of a qualitative transformation."

Mei Gongzi blinked cutely, her long lashes fluttering slightly. "Grandpa, if I end up facing him, do you think I could beat him?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor laughed. "Of course! He could defeat the world, but he'll never defeat you."

Mei Gongzi giggled. "Then I hope we'll meet in the final round of the mixed round-robin. Grandpa, can I tell him the rules now?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor replied, "Yes. The announcement should be out very soon anyway. All participants should prepare. Every Emperor will attend the event and take turns officiating to prevent fatal injuries. Since this concerns possible Emperor candidates, everyone will go all out, even risking their lives."

After chatting a while longer, the White Tiger Demon Emperor returned to his palace to rest, while Su Qin stayed to keep her daughter company.

Meanwhile, Tang San had returned to Council Mountain.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

With Mei Gongzi's arrival, his heart had settled. Now it was time to go all-in with preparations. What he needed to do next was select which of his many abilities could be used openly in the competition, especially those that would appear reasonable.

Two days later, the Ancestral Court officially released the rules for the matchmaking tournament. The details were more or less what the White Tiger Demon Emperor had already explained to Mei Gongzi. And once the rules were out, the entire Ancestral Court exploded with eager discussion.

The hottest topic was whether the final top three would be of the same or opposite sex, and whether two of the top contenders might end up marrying each other, forming a couple of dual Emperors.

Tang San and Mei Gongzi had already discussed this, even asking the White Tiger Demon Emperor. His response was straightforward: if the two belonged to different countries a dual-Emperor couple was permissible. If they were from the same country, it wasn't allowed. In that case, the victor would need to choose a partner from outside the top three.[1]

Upon hearing this, Mei Gongzi panicked. Only after Tang San repeatedly assured her that he'd find a way to resolve the issue did she calm down. He told her that they should just make it into the top six first, then adjust the rankings later. Of course, he didn't reveal that he planned to enter the competition as a nymph.

Tang San even suspected that this particular rule had been proposed by the White Tiger Demon Emperor himself. It was actually a great proposal, logically thinking; two Emperors from the same country becoming partners would inevitably result in a political imbalance within the country. On the other hand, if they were a demon and a nymph, their relationship could even result in the demon-nymph relationship improving.

Recently, the Ancestral Court had become almost too lively. Overcrowding had led to a surge in conflict. While violence was prohibited, old rivalries and tensions, especially among those competing in the Battle for the Throne, bubbled to the surface. The Ancestral Court's public order had never been more strained.

1. In case this makes you wonder why Jin Anguo was allowed to propose to her, that's because he did it before all the Solstice Empire debacle and their subsequent meddling into this competition. ☜