"Contestant Shui Bing'er has forfeited!?"
"Uh… what an absolutely spectacular battle!"
"And with that, the champion of this year's tournament has finally been decided!"
Even the referee was stunned by Shui Bing'er's sudden withdrawal, but he quickly recovered and moved to smooth things over, announcing the final result.
"The winner is—Miss Zhu Zhuyun!"
"Ladies and gentlemen, let's cheer for our new champion!"
The moment his voice fell, thunderous cheers erupted across the entire venue.
"Thank you for letting me win," Zhu Zhuyun said with a smile as she dismissed her Cerberus, ending the storm. The clouds in the sky dispersed, the lightning faded, and everything returned to normal.
Letting her win?
Even with her normally calm and detached nature, Shui Bing'er couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow at those words. The more she thought about it, the more it sounded like Zhu Zhuyun was showing off. Was that a humble remark, or a subtle jab?
Forget it.
Shui Bing'er exhaled softly and shook her head. "Thank you for the guidance."
After exchanging a few polite words, the two stepped down from the stage.
The award ceremony for the top three would begin shortly, and they still needed to be presentable for that. They hurried off to freshen up and make sure their appearances were impeccable. Even though they had tried to maintain their poise during the match, some disheveled hair or damaged clothing was unavoidable. Nothing indecent, of course—just a bit of messiness that didn't suit their usual image.
A short while later…
"Now, will the top three contestants please come forward to receive their rewards," the announcer called.
The three girls, now dressed in clean outfits and meticulously styled to show off their best appearances, stepped one by one onto the award platform hastily constructed in the center of the plaza.
"And now, let us welcome the City Lord!"
"To present the awards to the top three contestants!"
As the emcee's voice rang out, a figure in white silently appeared on the platform—Ye Cheng.
Smiling warmly, he looked at the three girls before him—Zhu Zhuyun, Shui Bing'er, and Hu Liena.
Under his gaze, the girls instinctively tensed up. It was hard to tell whether it was nervousness, admiration, or the pressure of standing before their idol. After all, in this era, who wasn't a bit of a fangirl?
Just then, a servant stepped forward carrying a tray covered with a red cloth. However, it didn't hold the official tournament prizes, but something else entirely.
Ye Cheng casually lifted the red cloth to reveal three round medals with elegant engravings and attached cords. It was obvious at a glance that they were gold, silver, and bronze medals.
But these were no ordinary medals. Instead of simple metals, they were forged from rare and precious materials, making them not only unbreakable but also imbued with the techniques of artifact refinement. Each medal served multiple purposes—when worn, they calmed the mind, aided meditation, and accelerated cultivation.
In times of danger, they could even function as defensive treasures, shielding the wearer from attacks.
These medals weren't just symbols of honor—they were highly functional treasures.
In addition, anyone carrying one of these medals would receive special privileges within Baiyun City. In other words, they were far more than mere trophies.
Moreover, the rewards for the top three weren't limited to these medals. The real prizes would be distributed later. The medals were simply an added bonus, not a replacement for the actual rewards.
As this was the first ever Soul Contract Tournament, and meant to serve as a major promotional event, the organizers had gone all out. There was no way they would cut corners on the prizes.
Ye Cheng first picked up the golden medal and approached Zhu Zhuyun, the champion. As he lifted the cord, Zhu Zhuyun obediently lowered her head, allowing him to hang the symbol of victory around her slender, fair neck.
The crowd Immediately burst into cheers and applause.
After hanging the medal, Ye Cheng thought about offering some words of encouragement—but decided against it. He had already said everything that needed saying before the tournament began.
And so, he moved on.
He stepped in front of the second-place winner, Shui Bing'er, followed closely by the servant holding the tray.
He picked up the silver medal and slowly raised it toward her.
Though she was overwhelmed with emotion, Shui Bing'er forced herself to stay composed and quietly lowered her head. She allowed him to place the medal around her neck.
The moment the silver medal rested against her chest, a cool stream of energy surged through her mind. The excitement that had been threatening to overwhelm her was instantly soothed, as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her in the heat of summer—startling, but refreshing.
"Thank you…" she murmured, almost reflexively.
The moment the words left her mouth, even she was startled. In this kind of formal setting, it felt like even speaking required some sort of permission.
Ye Cheng, however, simply smiled at her nervous expression and said, "This is the honor you earned."
Those words filled her with both relief and joy. Even her idol recognized her efforts! That meant everything to her. And she could feel the jealous glances from the two girls beside her—they must have felt it too.
With the silver medal awarded, only the bronze medal remained—for third-place winner Hu Liena.
There had been some debate among the judges regarding third place. Some had even proposed an extra match between Hu Liena and Huo Wu to determine the final ranking.
But Ye Cheng had vetoed that idea.
He stated that there was no need to complicate things. The judges would score both girls based on their performance, and the highest score would determine third place.
Since the top authority had spoken, the judges naturally complied. After the scores were tallied, Hu Liena emerged victorious and was awarded third place.
When she first heard she had only placed third, Hu Liena wasn't entirely convinced. She believed that based on true strength, she at least deserved second. Sure, she couldn't beat that Cerberus, but could Shui Bing'er?
Shui Bing'er had simply gotten lucky with a weaker opponent. If they'd faced off directly, Hu Liena was certain she would've won. But there was no point in dwelling on what-ifs. In the end, she accepted the result. If she didn't, she'd have to give up her third-place spot to Huo Wu.
And Hu Liena wasn't so impulsive. She wasn't about to hand over a reward just to prove a point. Especially not when, thanks to her connections in the Spirit Hall and the insider news about Baiyun City, she knew exactly what kind of privileges came with these first-edition Soul Contract Tournament medals.
Future tournaments might offer similar medals, but they likely wouldn't come with the same special privileges. That was a unique bonus for this inaugural event.
Ye Cheng hung the bronze medal around Hu Liena's neck, and thunderous applause and cheers rose from the crowd once more.
With that, the groundbreaking Soul Contract Tournament—
—came to a close.
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