It was no surprise.
Su Qingtan had once again fought her way out of the losers' bracket.
Her wind-attribute ability was already unrivaled among those at her level.
If she hadn't encountered Qin Xuan, a jack-of-all-trades, she wouldn't have ended up in the losers' bracket at all.
The results were out, and the top eight in the Intermediate Grandmaster division were all determined.
Besides Qin Xuan and Su Qingtan, other powerhouses such as the boxing Grandmaster Sun Yingxiong and the Qi cultivator Qi Ling were also present.
"It seems tomorrow's matches will be very interesting..."
Looking at the list, Qin Xuan's lips curved into a slight smile.
Shi Chuangong, who had just finished his match in the losers' bracket, panted and reminded Qin Xuan, "I fought Qi Ling for hundreds of rounds, and I could clearly feel that his cultivation has advanced further."
"If it weren't for the tight schedule of this competition, he would probably have broken through his realm and become a higher-level Advanced Grandmaster."
"Coupled with the fact that Qi cultivators are skilled in alchemy."
"You must go all out when you fight him."
Qin Xuan nodded gently upon hearing this.
He cupped his fists slightly and bowed gratefully to Shi Chuangong, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Shi. I will do my best in tomorrow's battle and not let you down."
Although he didn't know why, this Shi Chuangong always held hope for him.
But as the saying goes, if others respect you one foot, you should respect them ten feet.
Since the other party thought so highly of him, he naturally couldn't let him lose face.
Moreover, in the first round of the winners' matches, this Senior Shi had exhausted his vital energy to wear down Qi Ling.
This caused him to be exhausted when he competed in the losers' bracket.
Even though Qin Xuan didn't need the other party to go to such lengths, the other party was ultimately looking out for him.
With the conclusion of all the matches in the venue, the first day of selections for the Dragon Country Martial Arts Tournament finally came to an end.
During the holiday, Qin Xuan returned to his own quadrangle house as usual.
Meanwhile, all of Qin Xuan's close friends, especially the "Four Golden Flowers," were summoned by their respective family heads.
Yuan Family.
"More than twenty years ago, my Yuan family had a marriage engagement with the Qin family."
"Now that the Qin family's eldest grandson has returned, it is only natural to fulfill it."
"Mengqi, it's not that I, your grandfather, am saying this, but it's time for you to change your personality and expressions!"
Xie Family.
"If the Yuan family has a marriage engagement, doesn't my Xie family?"
"On that day when the Qin family had a child, my Xie, Yuan, Wan, and Fan families were all present."
"It was agreed then that whichever family had a daughter would be betrothed to the Qin family's son as a child bride."
"Now that you are all girls, whoever can win Qin Xuan's affection will depend on your own abilities!"
Wan Family.
"I told you not to be so wild, to act like a tomboy."
"Now look at you?"
"You've almost become buddies with Qin Xuan!"
"No, starting today, you must straighten out your personality!"
"Even if you have to deceive him, you must do so until the engagement is fulfilled!"
Fan Family.
"What do you mean 'it's okay,' and you're indifferent?"
"He's an Intermediate Grandmaster at twenty-six, a future Divine-level Supreme!"
"Don't you know the status of the current three Divine-level Supremes?"
"You must keep this seedling, the only one with potential worldly ties, for us!"
That night, the Four Golden Flowers were all given strict orders by their grandfathers.
As for Su Qingtan, who was herself a family head and had directly interacted with Qin Xuan, she decided to bring her granddaughter, Su Nishang, to the competition venue the next day.
"Grandma, I really don't have any romantic feelings for him. Can you stop making things difficult for me?"
With furrowed brows, Su Nishang, usually heroic and spirited, was quite helpless when facing her grandmother.
If it were about anything else, her grandmother's high-handedness would be acceptable, as that was her forceful nature.
But when it came to her marriage, Su Nishang truly did not want to comply.
"What do you mean making things difficult?"
Upon hearing her granddaughter resist, Su Qingtan's eyes widened, and she immediately became angry.
"Fifteen years ago, when you were eighteen, I asked you to marry a husband, and you said you were still young and unwilling."
"Fine, you were right, I won't force you."
"Eight years ago, when you were twenty-five, I asked you to marry a husband, and you said you hadn't found anyone you liked, and still refused."
"Did I not force you and let you have your way?"
"But what about now?"
"Nishang."
"You're already thirty-three!"
"You're about to become a middle-aged person whose youth is fading!"
"Even if your talent is exceptional and your cultivation is profound, how long can your beauty last?"
"If you don't find a suitable husband to marry now, how can our Su family continue the lineage when you get old?"
"That's typical old-fashioned thinking!"
"Besides, there are so many people in the Su family, it's not necessarily me who has to continue the lineage!"
Although what her grandmother said was true, Su Nishang did not want to rashly decide her lifelong marriage because of it.
She was no longer young, it was true, but she would rather remain unmarried and live a solitary life than be forced to marry someone without an emotional foundation.
"You, you, you, you're going to make me so angry!"
Hearing Su Nishang call her old-fashioned, Su Qingtan slammed the table.
She had thought that with her earnest persuasion, Su Nishang would understand her.
Who knew that not only did she disagree, but she even dared to retort!
"Do you know that our Su family was once among the upper-middle tier of the eight great families of the capital?"
"People from other families used to respectfully greet our Su family members."
"But what about now?"
"Since your great-grandmother's accidental death, the highest cultivation in the entire Su family is just this old woman!"
"Not only has the Su family's status plummeted, but I also have to face the other seven families alone and support the entire Su family by myself!"
"Now, our Su family has finally produced another astonishing genius like you."
"At such a young age, your cultivation is almost catching up to mine."
"If you can combine with the even more astonishing Qin Xuan, given the characteristics of our Su family's bloodline, your future child will undoubtedly be even more remarkable!"
"Then, with Qin Xuan as the head, and you and your child as support, the Qin family and the Su family will surely lead the entire Dragon Country!"
"Grandma has thought of everything for your future."
"Can't you, Su Nishang, understand even a little?"
"Or do you want our Su family to completely withdraw from the capital stage, from the eight great families of the capital, after you pass away?"
Su Qingtan's voice grew more agitated, and by the end, tears welled up in her eyes.
Su Nishang had never seen her usually strong grandmother cry, and for a moment, her heart was in turmoil, unsure of what to do.
After a long silence, she finally spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "I understand..."
"I will let you make all the arrangements for this matter, but I have one condition: Qin Xuan must also agree."
"Agree, agree, Qin Xuan also told me today that he thinks highly of you!"
Upon hearing her granddaughter's softened stance, Su Qingtan immediately wiped away her tears.
Su Nishang, seeing this, didn't know what her grandmother was thinking.
But what was said could not be taken back. She, Su Nishang, would not change her mind because of this.