Chapter 342: Attending the Ceremony
“Are they trying to kill an Executor?”
In the end, Xu Zhi arrived at this conclusion.
Executors spent most of their time deep within the Lost Lands—perhaps for some reason. After all, the Lost Lands were rich in extraordinary energy, and rumors said they held the secret of “ascension.” It was possible the Executors themselves were searching for that secret.
Yet as “Executors,” they couldn’t completely abandon the mortal world to pursue ascension alone—otherwise, what exactly were they “executing” on behalf of?
Moreover, every Executor seemed to possess an extraordinarily long lifespan and maintained connections with various real-world factions. They couldn’t truly detach themselves from worldly affairs.
At fixed intervals, Executors would return from the Lost Lands to handle matters.
Only in emergencies could they break from their established schedules.
Did the Council know that the [Winter]-attribute Executor was engaged in something important, and therefore sought to force him out of the Lost Lands?
Would that create an opening—an opportunity to kill him?
If Xu Zhi voiced such thoughts, she would undoubtedly be called reckless. But the more she considered it, the more convinced she became.
Which meant—Minjiang, Dingchan… they were connected.
And Lian City… was it cooperating with [Cup]?
If [Cup] could help kill the [Winter] Executor, then within Lian City’s Council—was someone aiming to become the next [Winter] Executor?
Xu Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.
Could it really be so?
She didn’t consider herself exceptionally intelligent. If she could figure this out, then those truly brilliant—or better informed—couldn’t possibly have missed it.
On the surface, the entire scheme seemed to point toward that goal.
But it felt too obvious.
And this was only the beginning. To truly “kill an Executor,” there would have to be many more steps ahead—unpredictable variables could still arise.
Better to wait and watch.
The league schedule was temporarily suspended.
Clearly, until public opinion was addressed, no one was interested in watching a façade of normalcy.
Unlike the Federation Xu Zhi was familiar with—where public opinion could be controlled—in the real world, while a single city’s narrative could be managed, the discourse surrounding the league could not be fully controlled. There were too many voices, too scattered, and many belonged to extraordinary individuals. The organizers couldn’t force every city’s leadership to silence their citizens, so their only option was to resolve the issue as best they could.
Soon, the organizers released their response. Among punishments and reparations, one point stood out above all:
[An Executor will come to Free City, reconstruct the Oath Circuit, verify its stability, and attend the finals.]
The moment this statement was issued, Xu Zhi knew—the mastermind behind the scheme had achieved their goal.
Never before had an Executor publicly appeared before the masses for such an extended time.
Executors had always been synonymous with power and mystery. Yet now, to stabilize public sentiment, it was unclear what conditions had been negotiated between the league and the [Winter] Executor—or what the Executor himself had considered before agreeing.
Regardless, his presence would ensure the fairness of the finals to the greatest extent possible.
No one didn’t admire Executors. The announcement that one would attend the finals ignited public excitement, even washing away earlier dissatisfaction. Anticipation for the finals reached an unprecedented height.
But Xu Zhi couldn’t share that excitement.
She wasn’t sure whether the Executor would see through her “disguise.”
“The finals will begin in three days. Compared to previous years, the top ten teams haven’t changed much.”
This season had been full of surprises, with several “dark horses.” Yet in the end, the teams that made it into the top ten finals were still the familiar powerhouses:
Lian City Light Institute, Lian City Academy, Sangluo City Academy, Hejiang City Academy, Lingzhou Light Institute, Lingzhou City Academy, Yingtian City Academy, Wen Yuan Celestial Heart Association, Tuzhou City Academy, and Baitiao City Academy.
Among them, Tuzhou and Baitiao were backed by massive financial conglomerates, with Baitiao serving as the headquarters of the [Fixed Star Consortium].
There were some differences this year—for example, it was the first time Lian City had two teams in the top ten.
“The finals format is different this time,” Xi Min explained.
“There will no longer be a 1v1 stage. The ten teams will first be ranked from 1 to 10 based on points. Then, each team will have two chances to issue challenge matches. You may only challenge upward, cannot challenge a team you’ve already faced, and cannot challenge a team that has just completed a match.”
“You may also choose to forfeit your challenge. Once no team wishes to issue further challenges, the competition ends.”
After explaining the rules, Xi Min added:
“Based on points, we’re ranked sixth.”
“Council Academy is ninth.”
Under this format, lower-ranked teams actually had an advantage. Since they couldn’t challenge downward, they had more options compared to higher-ranked teams.
And with two chances, there was room for trial and error—naturally encouraging ambition for higher placements.
The most difficult positions were clearly the top three.
Especially first place.
Everyone wanted it.
This year’s contenders were particularly strong—perhaps even stronger than in previous years. Yet no team could confidently claim overwhelming superiority.
“So who’s ranked first?”
“Lingzhou Light Institute. They’ve had too many clean sweeps—their points have been leading all along.”
“Tsk… no sense of restraint.”
That just made them a target for everyone.
Anyone would want to challenge them.
This format was clearly designed for spectacle. Compared to straightforward matches, this system of challenges and strategic choices was far more exciting for audiences.
And the league’s previously shaken reputation seemed to be recovering under this renewed excitement.
“What do you plan to do?” Xi Min asked her students.
“Of course we’re going for first place,” Tong Zhou replied without hesitation.
Xi Min nodded slightly.
“It’s good to have that ambition.”
“With an Executor attending the finals, the audience will be larger than ever—including influential figures who wouldn’t normally watch in person. This is an unprecedented opportunity. Everyone involved will want to seize it.”
Such was the influence of an Executor.
“During the finals, aside from the Life Reversal Array, there will also be high-density core energy for recovery. Your preparation areas will have mental restoration arrays as well, so you don’t need to worry about your condition.”
“The only thing you need to do is perform at your best—and take first place. Understood?”
Having prepared for this moment, the team members nodded.
“Understood.”
