boyutpedia Chapter 587: Judges
Chapter 587: Judges
Lana remained silent. After a few moments, she simply gave a faint nod.She didn’t continue the conversation.
Over the next several days, Lana devoted herself entirely to studying theories, cultivation techniques, and every piece of mystical knowledge she could gather.
Finally... the day of the National Mystical Competition arrived. The moment she stepped into the enormous venue, she couldn’t help stopping for a second.
Her eyes swept across the massive arena. There were only around ten mystical cultivators present.
For a brief moment, she was genuinely surprised. ’Only ten?’
It quickly became obvious that not every province or state had been able to send a mystical cultivator to participate.
The scarcity of mystical cultivators made the competition much smaller than she had expected.
With only ten participants, there weren’t many rounds needed to determine the champion.
The entire National Mystical Competition would last four days. The first day would consist of the opening elimination round.
Out of the ten contestants, only eight would qualify for the next stage.
On the second day, the remaining eight competitors would battle until only four were left standing.
The third day would narrow those four down to just two finalists.
Finally... On the fourth and final day...
The last two mystical cultivators would face each other in the championship match, where only one person would emerge as the victor.
Since every state was allowed to send only one mystical cultivator, this competition had become one of the most anticipated events in the country.
Every participant present had already defeated countless competitors just to earn the right to stand there.
Lana took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
The moment her eyes landed on a familiar figure, she paused.
It was Shelly.
Shelly also noticed her almost immediately. A bright smile spread across her face as she walked over.
"Hiii."
Lana smiled back before lightly bumping her fist against Shelly’s.
"It’s been a while."
"It really has," Shelly replied with a grin.
The two exchanged a brief smile before walking forward together.
Ahead of them stood a massive circular battle platform; surrounding the arena were countless rows of towering bleachers packed with spectators.
The constant chatter of tens of thousands of people merged into a deafening roar that echoed throughout the stadium.
Opposite the battle platform sat the judging panel.
There were only a handful of seats, yet every single person sitting there carried an extraordinary reputation.
Each judge was among the most respected mystical cultivators in the country.
Some had represented the nation in the International Mystical Competition and earned remarkable rankings, while others had even finished as runners-up, becoming legendary figures within the mystical cultivation world.
Just then, the lights above the arena brightened. A cheerful voice echoed through the speakers.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
A young man dressed in a formal suit walked confidently onto the stage.
Floating beside him was a sleek black drone that continuously circled around him.
Lana narrowed her eyes. ’That’s... a live broadcast drone.’
The small machine captured every angle before transmitting everything in real time.
Only then did she realize that the entire event was being livestreamed.
She had originally guessed that perhaps several million people would be watching.
Now... she realized she had severely underestimated the scale.
At this very moment, nearly every household interested in mystical cultivation was watching the live broadcast.
The host flashed a dazzling smile.
"Hello, everyone! My name is Kyle, and I’ll be your host for today’s National Mystical Competition!"
Kyle raised a hand dramatically.
"Now then, let’s begin by introducing our distinguished judges!"
He extended his arm toward the entrance. "Please welcome... Jessica Hellcat!"
As soon as her name was announced, a beautiful woman with long, curly crimson hair gracefully stepped onto the stage.
She wore a red bodycon dress accentuating her figure.
The moment she appeared... the audience exploded. Countless people stood up while screaming excitedly.
Lana blinked in confusion. ’She’s... this popular?’
Kyle laughed. "It seems everyone still remembers Miss Jessica!"
He continued enthusiastically.
"Jessica Hellcat was once the runner-up of the International Mystical Competition!"
Another wave of applause swept across the arena.
"If it hadn’t been for the unfortunate injury that prevented her from competing the following year, many experts believe she would’ve become the international champion at least once!"
Jessica merely gave a helpless smile before gracefully taking her seat. Kyle wasn’t finished.
"And that’s not all!"
He pointed toward Jessica with exaggerated excitement.
"Our respected Judge Jessica is currently the manager of the headquarters branch of the Mystical Cultivation Association!"
He grinned broadly.
"So if any of our young mystical cultivators are hoping to join the association in the future..."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"...don’t miss your chance to make a good impression!"
The audience burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, several contestants wore unusually serious expressions.
For them... this wasn’t a joke. This was an opportunity that could change their entire future.
Kyle raised another finger.
"One more thing! Our Judge Jessica has already reached the Tenth Level of the Spirit Monarch Realm!"
He paused dramatically.
"And she’s only one step away from breaking into the Mystical Overlord Realm!"
The entire arena fell silent. Even Lana’s pupils contracted slightly.
’A Mystical Overlord...’
Very few Mystical Overlords existed throughout the world.
They were considered living legends.
It was said that with nothing more than a casual wave of their hand, a mystical overlord could instantly exorcise dozens of ghosts.
Even terrifying ghost kings that had existed for nearly a thousand years would struggle against someone of that level.
Lana looked toward Jessica with newfound admiration.
’She’s much stronger than I expected.’
Kyle continued energetically.
"Next, please welcome... Mason Graves!"
A tall, broad-shouldered man slowly walked onto the stage.
His muscular build was impossible to ignore.
Despite wearing traditional cultivation robes, his powerful physique made him resemble an immovable mountain.
His calm eyes carried an intimidating sharpness that caused many contestants to instinctively avoid making eye contact.
Kyle smiled brightly.
"Mason has represented our country in the International Mystical Competition for three consecutive years!"
The audience applauded once again.
"And every single time, he came incredibly close to reaching the top three!"
Kyle laughed.
"With just a little more luck, he might’ve even taken first place!"
Mason frowned. "Can you stop flattering me and move on?"
Kyle immediately laughed awkwardly. "Sure! Sure!"
The audience couldn’t help laughing as well.
Without another word, Mason calmly sat down, crossing his arms.
The stern expression on his face made it obvious that he was someone who hated unnecessary nonsense.
A few moments later, another judge entered. Unlike the previous two, he appeared surprisingly young.
His handsome face carried a playful smile, and his relaxed posture made him seem approachable.
Kyle enthusiastically announced,
"And finally... please welcome Vincent Roth!"
The moment Vincent appeared... a large number of women in the audience immediately began screaming.
His popularity was astonishing. Vincent simply smiled warmly before waving toward the crowd.
Several girls screamed even louder. Kyle chuckled.
"Vincent Roth has personally coached numerous mystical cultivators who later represented our country in the International Mystical Competition!"
More applause echoed throughout the stadium.
"And despite his young age..."
Kyle grinned. "...he has already reached the Fifth Level of the Spirit Monarch Realm!"
He continued excitedly.
"With his incredible cultivation speed, many believe he’ll become the youngest Mystical Overlord in our country’s history!"
Vincent laughed before shaking his head.
"You flatter me too much, Kyle."
Although he sounded humble... the faint confidence hidden beneath his smile was impossible to conceal.
He casually sat down in his chair as though everything around him was completely ordinary.
Lana watched the judges with growing interest.
’This competition... It’s much grander than I expected.’
Kyle then turned toward the contestants lined up beside the arena.
"Now then! It’s time to introduce today’s ten competitors!"
The giant screen behind him lit up.
"Our first contestant... Shelly from Spineridge University!"
The audience erupted into cheers.
Lana even spotted several familiar faces in the crowd.
Shelly’s friends were standing together, enthusiastically waving banners while shouting her name at the top of their lungs.
Shelly laughed before waving back. After her introduction came Veronica.
Then Alex. After that came Matt. Then Vanessa.
One contestant after another stepped forward as the audience applauded politely.
Finally... Kyle smiled.
"And next... Lana!"
The enormous screen displayed her name and photograph. Lana originally assumed only a handful of people would react.
Instead... an entire section of the audience suddenly stood up.
"Lana!"
"Lana!!"
"Lana!!!"
Her name echoed throughout the arena as countless voices shouted together.
Lana’s eyes widened in surprise.
She instinctively turned toward the cheering section.
There... she saw Sean enthusiastically waving both hands.
Beside him were Jenny and Luke.
Lucian, Axel, Conard, and even Philip were all standing together, cheering for her without caring about the surrounding stares.
For a brief second... Lana genuinely wondered if she was imagining things.
’They’re all here...?’
Her gaze continued sweeping across the crowd.
She spotted Naina happily waving a bright banner.
Standing beside Naina was a suspicious-looking middle-aged woman wearing sunglasses and a cap pulled low over her face.