"Those in favor of contestant number one’s victory, please cast your votes," The official shouted, placing a hand on Chen Yan’s shoulder and then making an inviting gesture towards the Elders.

In the front row, Mu Ran said in an uncertain tone, "Underling Xuhan is going to win, right?"

"What else could the verdict be?" Xiao Wu said between his uproarious cheers for Xuhan.

"He fought someone far above his rank and made it out of the duel on his feet. In a contest of pure skill, there is no doubt that he has proven himself superior!"

Xuanyuan Zhou stared intently at the Elders who were leaning over their seats and discussing the duel among themselves.

"Did you forget something, Brother Wu? All the Elders here were invited by Chen Yan to judge the duel. Are you sure they wouldn’t reveal their fangs now?"

Mu Ran nodded in agreement, his countenance darkening. "It could be an open conspiracy, quite a common one, too, in my experience.

It’ll sound like I’m lying, but every time I participate in a competition of any sort, I also end up facing prejudiced judges. Just one look at their pretentious faces tells me that they aren’t up to anything good."

Xiao Wu craned his neck around to glance at the clamouring audience surrounding the arena.

"Would the Elders do something that illicit so openly? If that were a possibility, do you think Han Xuhan would’ve agreed to a public duel? I don’t think so!"

Xuanyuan Zhou and Mu Ran brightened up. Xiao Wu’s logic made sense. Han Xuhan wouldn’t fight a losing battle; that much they could take for granted.

Soon, the Elders began to raise their hands to cast their votes. But they all seemed rather hesitant, judging by the time it took for each new hand to rise up.

One, two, three...

As the number of raised hands increased, the cacophony outside the arena magnified as well. No one could accept that so many Elders were voting for Chen Yan!

Among the nine judges, five of them raised their hands in the end!

"Five out of nine votes in favor of contestant number one! That’s a majority. I think that seals our verdict! Contestant number one wins the first round of the duel!"

The official’s sonorous announcement was quickly drowned by the indignant shouts of the audience members.

The consensus was audible to anyone listening. Even though Chen Yan had dominated the battle, his superior cultivation base and Han Xuhan’s underdog factor worked against his favor.

Mu Ran tried to hurl a rock at the Elders. Xiao Wu intercepted him midway, but he was just as furious. Xuanyuan Zhou merely sighed.

"No good will come out of making a scene. Why do you think only five of them raised their hands? Is it because the other four Elders aren’t on Chen Yan’s side? Not at all!"

Seeing Mu Ran and Xiao Wu staring at her inquisitively, she explained, "They started raising their hands slowly, one by one, to test the reaction of the audience.

They only stopped casting new votes for Chen Yan when they sensed that the negative emotions in the audience were about to cross a certain threshold. All the Elders are Soul Reformation realm experts, capable of sensing such things down to the most minute scale.

Now, with just five out of nine votes, Chen Yan still wins, but the four Elders who haven’t raised their hands can act like they were on Han Xuhan’s side all along. They can give everyone the illusion of a chance.

To the thousands watching, the ’support’ of these four Elders will become a seal on their dissenting emotions, and they’ll find themselves vindicated while watching these four Elders argue endlessly with the five supporters of Chen Yan.

But ultimately, it’s nothing but an eye-washing tactic to legitimize a fraudulent setup, a bit hard to see through on the spot if you are uninformed."

"Good heavens! There’s a scheme hidden here, too?!" Mu Ran crushed the rock in his hand from frustration.

True to Xuanyuan Zhou’s inference, the votes really seemed to have created a divide among the Elders. They were debating so fiercely that the arena official didn’t even dare to make the announcement for the next round of the contest.

Rubbing his sweaty temples, Xiao Wu asked. "Can Xuhan even counter this move? This setup looks unbreakable!"

One row behind them, amidst a group of indignant disciples hopping and shouting at the Elders, there was an inconspicuous figure sitting calmly. Anyone who noticed him would find his presence there unusual, but for some reason, he was ignored by all, as if there was a veil around him.

Unlike the audience around him, his attention wasn’t fixed on the Elders or the arena.

His gaze was focused on the three anxious disciples of the Salted Fish Mountain Peak in front of him. He seemed to be listening to every word they spoke among themselves, nodding and shaking his head from time to time.

As if roused by Xiao Wu’s concerns, he finally stood up and walked past the gallery, arriving at the edge of the arena with a hand raised. With each step, the veil of obscurity around him seemed to disappear as more and more people noticed him.

"Arena official Yu, who told you there are only nine judges presiding over this duel? Haven’t I been here this whole time?"

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, but it spread across the arena like a wave bringing order over a chaotic sea. The overwhelming noise was subdued, and the arguing Elders all stopped simultaneously, turning to look at this newcomer in confusion.

"...E-Elder Ye?" The arena official stuttered, eyes flickering between him and the other nine Elders on their elevated seats..

"Why do you all look so surprised?" Kong Ye said, sounding amused.

"Didn’t any of you see me coming down the mountain with your group? I accompanied you all the way. I just didn’t want to sit up there with you because I respect your seniority!

All of you were busy discussing today’s grand event on the way here, not giving me a chance to speak. Don’t tell me you never even noticed me trailing behind? Hahahaha!"

A few faces among the panel of judges turned pale.

None of the Elders was a fool.

Kong Ye’s claim was somewhat absurd. How could they not have noticed him following them?

But on their way here, they had discussed how they’d pave Chen Yan’s way to victory in this contest. If Kong Ye had indeed eavesdropped on them at that time...

"You-!"

Elder Shen looked livid for a moment. But he didn’t finish what he wanted to say. Even the signs of anger faded from his face quickly, replaced by an unreadable, calculating expression.

Kong Ye ignored the wrathful glares fixed on him. He pointed at the arena official and said, "I’ll excuse your mistake, Official Yu, since even the senior Elders seemed to have overlooked my presence for some reason.

Nonetheless, shouldn’t you be reassessing the judgment of the first round now? Five out of nine votes in contestant number one’s favor, was it? With me here, make it five votes out of ten!"

"...Er..." The arena official was an experienced man. Sensing the deeper undercurrents, he didn’t know which side to take at that moment.

Kong Ye didn’t care, continuing his assertion unabashedly.

"Since five of us haven’t voted in contest number one’s favor, we’re obviously on contestant number two’s side. That gives this round a tied outcome.

According to the rules, such a tie judged by the Elders can only be broken by a vote cast by our sect master. But he isn’t here today. So let’s put his vote on hold and move on to the next round, shall we?"

Behind him, in the front row seats, three disciples of the Salted Fish Mountain Peak exhaled in relief at the same time.

Against Chen Yan’s impenetrable setup, Han Xuhan’s counter had somehow broken through once more!