Chapter 174 Not My Concern

There was naturally no obvious gap between the two participating teams in the first round of competition. As fellow elven archers, their overall strength was evenly matched, and moreover, all of them were top-tier experts chosen from within the tribe.

"The second round is the magic competition!" A nearby referee then set up an hourglass. Two elves dressed in long robes walked onto the high platform, exchanged mutual bows, and with a wave of their staffs, unleashed overwhelming waves of magic.

"Is this nature magic?" Seeing the two elves commanding flowers, trees, briars, and vines to attack each other, Ye Tian instantly grew curious. "Yes, this is the unique magic exclusive to our elven race: nature magic," Taya said proudly.

The elven race is renowned for producing two types of occupations: the sharpshooter whose arrows never miss, and the nature mage who manipulates plants. Compared to other types of magic, nature magic may lack sheer destructive power and offensive force, but in combat, a nature mage is the most troublesome opponent to deal with. You never know when a thorny vine might suddenly erupt from the soil to grab your ankles!

Furthermore, many of the plants manipulated by nature mages are poisonous, which is the most terrifying part. Therefore, when a fire mage and a nature mage of the same rank encounter one another, the winner is usually the nature mage.

"Can you do that too?" Ye Tian asked. "Mm-hm, I can manipulate plants as well," Taya smiled. "Because they are friends." "Amazing!" Ye Tian rubbed his chin. Why hadn't he realized before that Taya had such a wonderful skill? She would make a fantastic gardener in the future!

Unfortunately, Taya had no idea what Ye Tian was thinking; otherwise, she would surely have fainted from exasperation. Mages were so rare on the continent that they could be considered an endangered species, yet Ye Tian actually wanted a powerful mage like herself to work as a gardener. It was simply too heartbreaking.

"At this rate, the two of them could fight for a whole day without a result," Ye Tian muttered, curling his lips. Although the mages on the field were fighting fiercely with an endless variety of plants, their skill levels were clearly evenly matched, and both were deeply familiar with nature magic. Continuing to fight like this was a complete waste of time.

"Actually, the first two rounds are just for show," Taya said with a helpless sigh. "Since we belong to the same elven lineage and are thoroughly familiar with each other, fighting like this won't lead to any conclusion. The crucial final round is when the victory is truly decided."

"Oh, really? What is the third round of competition?" Ye Tian's interest was piqued. "No-holds-barred combat," Taya sighed. "Which means you can use any means necessary to kill your opponent. The first two rounds do not permit such actions."

Suddenly, an exclamation rose from the crowd below. Ye Tian hurriedly looked over and saw that the wood elf had suddenly clutched his shoulder, where a crossbow bolt was unmistakably embedded. "Despicable!" Taya shouted in anger. Seizing the opportunity, the dark elf faction used thorny vines to tightly bind the wood elf mage, lifting him high into the air.

"What are they trying to do?" Taya cried out in alarm. "Not good!" Ye Tian panicked, letting go of Taya's hand. He grabbed a nearby flag and hurled it forward with all his might. Swish! A crossbow bolt became entangled in the fluttering fabric of the flag. Clank! The flag dropped to the ground.

Ye Tian immediately suppressed the surging blood in his chest, took a deep breath, and executed the Cloud-Stepping Steps, leaping up in two or three strides. With a wave of his hands, the thorny vines constraining the wood elf snapped apart one after another. "Are you alright?" Ye Tian lacked the strength to gently catch the mage and could only watch apologetically as the man landed heavily with a thud.

"I'm fine, thank you." Having narrowly escaped death, the wood elf gasped heavily for air and immediately expressed his gratitude. "Hey, didn't you say killing wasn't allowed?" Ye Tian asked angrily. "A human?" The opposing dark elf frowned.

"Since when did we have human guests here?" Queen Fila glanced sideways and asked the Elven Queen. "Fila, control your people!" Although the Elven Queen's face remained expressionless, her tone was quite displeasured.

"I'll have a word with them later," Queen Fila leaned back lazily in her chair. "Though I must admit, that human's poise just now was even more dashing than the bravest warriors of the elven race."

"Don't harbor any ideas; he is a guest," the Elven Queen said indifferently. "Besides, he is the one who awakened the Ancient Tree of Wisdom." "Really?" Queen Fila was slightly startled. "He is that human?"

"Why, don't you believe it?" the Elven Queen asked. "Just curious." Queen Fila cupped her chin with her hand and looked at Ye Tian, her gaze now carrying a trace of strangeness.

"Time's up," Ye Tian pointed at the hourglass nearby, where the sand had just run out. "Oh, oh." At that moment, the referee hurried over and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." The wood elf immediately stood up. "Because someone interfered, this round is declared invalid," the referee pronounced fairly. "Furthermore, we strongly condemn what just happened and hope certain individuals will not repeat such violations!"

The Elven Queen glanced at Queen Fila beside her. "Let's call it a draw," Queen Fila said. At that, a handmaiden stepped forward to convey the decision of the two queens. "It's a draw!" the referee announced. "Now, let us proceed to the next event."

Ye Tian shrugged, intending to jump down. "Wait! The human interrupted the battle and stole the victory. I want to duel you!" a dark elf suddenly said with a sinister expression.

"A duel with me?" Ye Tian laughed. "Are you out of your mind? I'm not an elf, and dueling you holds no benefit for me." "That's right, this person is completely shameless! Not only did he launch a sneak attack, but even after being exposed, he still wants to challenge someone to a duel. Have they no sense of shame?" Alansa immediately bounced out to voice her condemnation.

"Hmph, you're courting death!" The dark elf flew into a rage from embarrassment and waved his staff. A thick tree root suddenly burst out from the ground, sweeping toward Alansa. Alansa was startled; she hadn't expected that merely uttering a few words would provoke an attack from the opponent!

"Alansa, adopt a horse stance and throw a punch!" Ye Tian suddenly shouted. Without consciously thinking, Alansa assumed a horse stance, let out a crisp cry, and threw a punch forward. Bang! Wood chips flew everywhere as Alansa's punch shattered a tree root as thick as a human thigh!

"Ouch!" Alansa immediately clutched her wrist and hopped around. "Look!" Taya hurried forward. "She's fine, just scraped a bit of skin." Taya smiled. "Applying some medicine later will fix it."

"This is impossible!" The dark elf was dumbfounded. Such a thick tree root had been shattered by a single punch from a young girl; he simply could not accept it. "You—" Before he could finish his sentence, a large hand suddenly grabbed his head, hoisted him into the air, and hurled him forcefully back toward his own faction.

Thud! The dark elf landed heavily in the chair of his faction. "What just happened?" He looked around in a daze, wondering how he had managed to fly across the space.

"Hmph." Ye Tian dusted off his hands and prepared to jump down when a voice sounded by his ear. "Wait, Your Excellency. To humiliate my clansman in such a manner—don't you think you are taking the dark elven race far too lightly?"

Ye Tian turned his head to see a tall dark elf standing before him. "Your clansman launched a sneak attack on my friend. I merely taught him a lesson. Did you expect me to applaud him instead?" Ye Tian's tone was laden with gunpowder.

The tall dark elf froze for a moment; judging by his appearance, he was not someone skilled in eloquent speech. "You insulted my companion. I want to duel you!" the tall dark elf flushed and said. "Is that so? And if you lose, will your comrades step up to avenge you?" Ye Tian smiled wickedly. "Do you think I have nothing better to do than play games with you all day?"

"You—" The tall dark elf was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing how to respond. "Your Excellency sure has a sharp tongue. It seems all humans are as utterly despicable as Your Excellency." At this moment, a slender dark elf stepped forward to rescue her companion from the predicament.

"Ah, yes, I am despicable. But can I compare to you noble people who shoot poisoned arrows in the dark? If that's the tradition of the dark elves, then I suppose nothing more can be said." Ye Tian shrugged innocently after finishing his sentence.

"Hahahaha!" The elves below couldn't help bursting into loud laughter. "That's right, the dark elves are just that noble! Humans, whatever you do, don't lower yourselves to their despicable level!"

"Mm, I heartily agree," Ye Tian nodded earnestly, prompting another wave of loud laughter from the crowd below.

The slender dark elf instantly flushed red like a monkey's backside, glaring angrily at Ye Tian. "Human, I want a duel with you!"

"Understood, understood," Ye Tian smiled. "I understand how noble you are. Now, I would like to ask: if you noble dark elves win, what kind of reward will there be?"

"Idiots," Queen Fila muttered under her breath. "What is it, Fila? Are you unhappy?" the Elven Queen asked indifferently, looking toward Queen Fila. "How could this old lady possibly be happy?!" Queen Fila thought viciously in her heart, though outwardly she said, "I am simply angered by my subordinates' lack of manners."

"Is that so? But this doesn't concern you," the Elven Queen remarked casually, a sentence that drove Queen Fila nearly mad with frustration.

"This..." The two dark elves exchanged glances with one another. Such a major matter was beyond their authority to decide, so they both looked toward Queen Fila, who was seated lazily to the side.

"Idiots!" Fila let out a vicious huff and glared at them. The two dark elves looked at each other in dismay, then gritted their teeth and said, "Fine! We accept your challenge. But what about you? What happens if you lose?"

"If I lose, this goes to you!" Ye Tian produced a perfectly round nocturnal luminous pearl, which emitted a dazzling brilliance under the moonlight. The Elven Queen and Queen Fila, with their sharp eyesight, noticed something seeming to swim within that radiant glow.

"What kind of gemstone is this?" Both elves were startled. They had seen plenty of rare and precious treasures in their lives, but such a stunning gemstone was a first for them. Clearly, it was not artificially synthesized through magic, but rather naturally formed!

"This is a nocturnal luminous pearl," Ye Tian smiled. "Though its value may not match your sacred artifacts, it is still a priceless treasure. What do you think?"

The two elves looked at each other again. What Ye Tian said was true; calling such a rare and precious treasure priceless was no exaggeration at all.

"Not enough?" Ye Tian reached into his robe and pulled out two fist-sized pearls. These were two items from his private stash that he had never been willing to grind down.

"So large!" Pearls were not particularly rare treasures, but pearls the size of a fist were something seen perhaps once in a millennium. It wasn't an exaggeration to say they were one of a kind on the entire continent, let alone a pair.

"Still not enough?" Ye Tian frowned slightly and retrieved a small box. "Inside is Snow Beauty Paste, which has cosmetic and skin-rejuvenating effects. You can inspect it." With that, Ye Tian tossed the small box over.

The two elves opened the box with a mixture of surprise and skepticism. A refreshing fragrance instantly wafted out. The slender elf cautiously scooped out a tiny bit with her fingertip and applied it to the back of her hand, immediately breaking into a delighted smile. "It's wonderful!" she exclaimed, then spun around, dashed onto the platform, and respectfully presented the box to Queen Fila.

"Hmm, the fragrance is quite nice. It seems this lad is quite a decent apothecary," Queen Fila gently scooped up a tiny bit with her fingernail and applied it to the back of her hand. Instantly, she felt the skin on the back of her hand become smoother, feeling as delicate and refined as the finest silk when her finger brushed across it!

"Good stuff, I'll take this," Queen Fila said, reaching out to claim the box. "Yes, Your Majesty Queen!" The slender dark elf beamed with joy, scurried back down the platform, and walked up to the two men. "Human, we accept your proposal!"