"Good! Good! Very good!"
"Who would have thought that I'd draw such a great prize right from the start..."
Lin Ran, who had long been annoyed by these two brothers, had always wanted to find an opportunity to deal with them properly, and now was the perfect time!
Seeing Lin Ran's excited look, Luo Qingyan naturally knew what he was thinking, so she consciously shrunk back, intending to leave the stage to Lin Ran.
Lin Ran, meanwhile, stole a glance in the direction of the Shimada brothers.
For some reason, these two fellows seemed quite happy as well, showing no trace of fear or apprehension.
Could it be that even now, they still believed they were a match for him?
Lin Ran shook his head.
If that was the case, then it was up to him to bring them a deep and unforgettable sense of terror!
With this thought, Lin Ran lightly tossed the slip of paper in his hand. /
After the draw, there was still about ten minutes of preparation time, so there was no need to rush to the front stage just yet.
As for the Shimada brothers on the other side, they appeared to be lost in thought, quietly erecting a soundproof barrier and whispering to each other.
"Younger brother, do you remember what Patriarch Tanaka arranged for us at the beginning of this morning?"
"Naturally!"
"Using the help of the secret treasure and the heroic spirits, we are to defeat Lin Ran with all our might! This will provide us with greater leverage for future recruitment!"
"Sigh, I truly don't understand why our national policy has become this way..."
"I can understand everything else."
"But to recruit an outsider to serve our own interests is truly too preposterous."
"Could it be that our Great Sakura Empire cannot find anyone like Lin Ran?"
"Perhaps it is truly difficult..."
"At the very least, setting aside other things, if we don't rely on external forces like the secret treasure and heroic spirits, we would never be his opponent."
"Although this is tantamount to cheating on the stage..."
"But for the future and rise of our Great Sakura Empire, we should not concern ourselves with the righteousness of the means."
"Besides, no one else will be able to uncover our cheating; we can completely pretend this never happened."
"This initial show of dominance is essential! Otherwise, when it comes to future negotiations, we don't know how much advantage that fellow will exploit."
"Only by proving that we are not desperate for him, and that he is not irreplaceable to us, can we minimize the price we have to pay..."
"Alas, I still cannot accept this arrangement... To reluctantly recruit a Dragon Countryman, just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable."
"Alright! Let's not say such things anymore!"
"Political matters are for the great figures above to worry about..."
"Our job is to fulfill our duty as enforcers!"
"Yes, brother..."
Lin Ran on the other side noticed this but didn't pay much attention.
Even if he could hear the Shimada brothers' conversation, he wouldn't be worried.
After all, if he were to be afraid just because the other party used such cheating methods, he wouldn't be Lin Ran.
...
Soon, as the break time ended, Lin Ran leisurely ambled onto the stage and looked towards his first opponent.
With only two of them, there was no need for any formation tactics; they just had to fight honestly.
As for the Sakura Country...
Their second brother, the younger of the Shimada brothers, Shimada Gen, stepped onto the stage.
"Please guide me!"
For some reason, Shimada Gen had taken off his strange, mecha-like armor and stood there in his physical form.
Although he had been pointing at Lin Ran with Hanzō from below, his attitude on stage was quite good, appearing very polite.
Lin Ran, on the other hand, seemed indifferent, merely nodding to acknowledge that he understood, without even saying a word to him.
Gen was momentarily stunned, then his face turned displeased and indignant.
"Baka yarō! What's with all the arrogance! Do you really think you're invincible, looking down on us Shimada Brothers?"
"It seems that choosing to cheat today was completely the right decision..."
"Regardless of the initial intention, we must severely humiliate this annoying guy today!"
"As long as we achieve this, it won't be a loss!"
With a darkening expression, Gen silently drew his katana from behind him, lowered his center of gravity, and awaited the final countdown.
As for Lin Ran, he still maintained his usual nonchalant demeanor, not appearing to take anyone seriously at all.
3!
2!
1!
Start!
The moment the countdown ended, Gen decisively lunged upwards at a 45° angle and then executed countless mid-air directional changes, coldly fixing his gaze on Lin Ran below.
At this moment, besides Lin Ran on the stage with his eyelids drooping, all other contestants, especially those who had reached the top eight, watched with great seriousness.
"Not bad, their fighting spirit is quite high!"
"I originally thought that after encountering Lin Ran, they would give up and succumb to despair!"
"I didn't expect them to still be so spirited..."
"I really don't know if I should praise the Sakura Country people for their good mentality or their inability to grasp the situation."
"If it were me, in a situation where I knew I couldn't win, I would most likely just make a token effort and then choose to concede."
Isaac, the Doom Bell from the Byzantine Empire, shook his head and sighed.
Kapil, the Spirit of the Earth from India, standing nearby, cast him a sideways glance:
"The fight hasn't even begun yet, and you've already sentenced the Shimada brothers to death?"
"Lin Ran is indeed very strong, but those two brothers should have some skills..."
"Not to mention they are the only team with dual main players, and they have been hidden by the host Sakura Country, so there's a high possibility they have secret ultimate moves they haven't used."
"Lin Ran's attitude appears so dismissive; there's a decent chance of him stumbling."
Isaac shook his head and wiggled his finger in front of Kapil:
"Nonono... It's not like that at all."
"After witnessing so many matches, haven't you discovered Lin Ran's terrifying nature?"
"He is too versatile and too perfect, and there are no weaknesses that can be exploited."
"Unless one can completely and absolutely overwhelm him in terms of raw strength from all aspects, Lin Ran can effortlessly handle all unexpected situations."
"Clearly, the Shimada brothers' raw strength cannot achieve this."
"Therefore, I can confidently make this judgment here..."
"No matter what tricks these Sakura Country people come up with, they will not pose any threat to Lin Ran."
"At most, their desperate struggle with their utmost effort will be nothing more than a source of amusement for me."