Chapter 15: The Finals Arrive

At exactly eleven o'clock, Xiano and Junyi met Qilin, who arrived on time at the Wisteria Restaurant.

"You must be Junyi, right?" Qilin’s face was filled with emotion as he gestured with his hand. "I met you when you were just a small child, back when I was with the old master. You definitely don’t remember me; you were only this big back then..."

"Let’s get to the point." Junyi kept a straight face, remembering Xiano's instructions. "I know my father helped you in the past, but a little favor isn't enough to outweigh the changes in people's hearts. There’s no need for this."

"You child." Qilin shook his head helplessly and sighed.

"Fine, let’s get straight to it. I’m uneasy, so I came specifically to warn you. Although the Kendo Tournament allows you to participate under the Sakuraba name, you will never be allowed to win the championship. If you do, it might bring a death sentence upon you. It’s better to give up early."

"Is someone coming after us? Is it the same people who suppressed, squeezed out, and destroyed the Sakuraba Dojo?"

"I can't say." Qilin’s brows furrowed deeply. "To be honest, even now I don't understand why the other dojos suddenly united to target Sakuraba."

"Several of those masters were good friends with the old master—your father—and they weren't the type to kick someone when they were down."

"Starting four or five years ago, the atmosphere on this island became increasingly strange. Everyone seems to have forgotten the original purpose of this 'Island of Kendo' and is solely focused on making money."

"Especially the masters of the Seven Great Dojos; it’s as if they’ve all become obsessed with wealth. Sometimes they even disappear together for a day or two; I don’t know where they go for their private gatherings..."

"In short, the waters behind this island run deep." Qilin’s tone was sincere. "I know the two of you, especially you, Mr. Xiano, have formidable swordsmanship, but this isn't something one or two people can handle. It’s best to suppress your curiosity and leave this island as soon as possible."

Xiano and Junyi exchanged a look.

"That’s all I’ll say. I’ve already taken a huge risk just by meeting you; I’ve done all I can. Don't expect any more help from me."

Qilin shook his head, pushed back his chair, and stood up. "As you said, the favor from back then is only enough to support me doing this much. Farewell, you two."

Watching his back as he descended the stairs, the sound of his footsteps gradually fading away, the two switched seats to sit across from each other.

"Logically speaking, this muddy water is indeed not something we should be wading into." Xiano crossed his legs and spoke softly. "But I know your personality; you’re certainly not going to give up on this championship that’s almost within your grasp."

"Uh, Mr. Xiano, you don't always have to use me as a shield." Junyi spread his hands with a bitter expression. "At this point, even if I wanted to run, I doubt you’d allow it..."

After spending a few days together, he had become increasingly familiar with Xiano.

When they first met, this guy seemed steady, seasoned, and reliable, but his true colors were those of a degenerate, and when his temper flared, he was perhaps even more stubborn than Junyi himself.

"Hey, you kid, you’re learning bad habits quickly." Xiano rolled his eyes and said grumpily, "That’s true, but unlike you, whose qualification for the finals is still hanging in the balance, my name is already engraved on the championship trophy, okay? There’s five million berries in prize money."

"Besides, the registration fees and all that other nonsense cost me my entire fortune. I don't care how deep the water is; the East Blue only has so much capacity. Whoever tries to stop me from getting my money, I’ll cut them down!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Junyi nodded vigorously. "So what are we doing now?"

"Idiot, we're already in a restaurant, does that even need asking!" Xiano declared with grand enthusiasm, waving over a waiter to order. "Of course, we’re eating first! If you don't fill your stomach, where will you get the strength to fight?"

"But this seems to be a high-end restaurant. I just looked at the menu—a vegetable salad is five thousand berries. Your money..."

A deathly silence followed.

***

In the end, Xiano dragged Junyi away, fleeing in embarrassment under the waiter's disdainful gaze, and returned to the plaza to line up honestly for the free soup noodles provided by the Kendo Tournament.

Come to think of it.

Originally, it was just about returning a coin; how did things get so tangled that he’s now reduced to foraging like a homeless person?

What exactly did I come out here for in the first place?

...

In the afternoon, the quarter-finals and semi-finals were held in succession.

For Xiano, there was no suspense.

The two opponents who faced him were no different from the small fry in the qualifiers, both sent flying off the stage by a single, heavy-handed strike. It made the audience wonder if he wasn't competing in kendo, but playing golf.

Junyi’s matches were much more thrilling. He struggled for over ten minutes in the quarter-finals before narrowly winning, while his semi-final was scheduled as the last match. Xiano finished his match first and watched quietly from the sidelines.

"Hmm?"

Watching the tall, thin masked swordsman, Xiano narrowed his eyes, a sense of danger rising within him.

The sharp intuition brought by his physical transformation told him this person was dangerous—not on the same level as any of the swordsmen he had encountered thus far.

"Be careful, Junyi." He whispered to his protégé, who was preparing to take the stage. "This guy is no simple matter."

"Yeah, I can see that too." Junyi nodded with a solemn expression.

"You can't see anything; it's just that out of the other seven in the quarter-finals, you find it difficult to fight anyone."

"...Do you really have to expose me like that? It's not like everyone is as strong as you, spinning everyone around like a top."

A moment later.

The two took the stage, stood firm, and bowed.

When they looked up again, Junyi’s eyes were filled with tension, while the tall, thin swordsman across from him simply stared, his face hidden behind a white fox mask, showing no expression.

"Second semi-final! White Fox versus Junyi! The winner advances to the finals!" Under the anticipation of the crowd, the host swung his right hand down violently. "Now, begin!"

*Snap!*

The moment the words fell, accompanied by the crisp sound of a bamboo sword, Junyi screamed as he was sent flying off the ring, landing heavily on the ground several meters away.

The surroundings fell into silence.

The audience stared blankly at White Fox, who calmly sheathed his sword. When they finally realized what had happened, an uproar erupted.

"This guy, he can actually do a one-hit kill just like Mr. Xiano?!"

"What is wrong with this year's Kendo Tournament? What kind of monsters are participating!"

"The final is going to be suspenseful now! I originally thought Mr. Xiano would definitely take the title, but this makes things interesting!"

Amidst the clamor, Xiano helped Junyi up. After confirming he wasn't seriously hurt, he stared coldly at White Fox on the stage.

The opponent seemed to sense his gaze. He looked over, met his eyes for a moment, then shook his head and turned to leave the stage.

The host was also stunned, only waking up after a long moment to rush onto the stage and loudly announce the result.

"Second semi-final, White Fox wins! He advances to the finals to face his opponent, this year's biggest dark horse, Mr. Xiano!"

***

"According to the custom of the last five years, the final will be held tonight at seven o'clock—that is, in four hours—at the indoor arena, to give the contestants plenty of time to rest!"

"Ticket holders may enter early! The plaza will also have a large screen broadcasting the event in real-time, so stay tuned!"

Do they really need to rest?

The audience whispered to themselves. Xiano and the white-fox-masked man were both monsters who defeated their opponents in an instant; they were barely on stage before they were off, not even enough to count as a warm-up.

This year is truly bizarre. In previous years, by the quarter-final stage, everyone was usually evenly matched. When has there ever been a scene like this?

However, this also made some people realize that the popularity of this year's final would likely far exceed previous years. Both sides were monsters, and who wouldn't want to know which of them would come out on top?

I have to buy a ticket!

It would be absurd not to see a match like this in person!

Many people immediately rushed to the ticket office, only to be stunned to learn that the final tickets, which cost at least several thousand berries at face value, had sold out days ago. There were no tickets left.

And just then, a group of scalpers sneaked into the crowd, searching for targets and peddling their wares...

...

Behind a large desk.

"All tickets are sold out? Front-row seats are being scalped for fifty thousand berries and people are still buying?"

After hearing the report over the phone, the middle-aged man was even more radiant. "With this, the ticket revenue alone is in the tens of millions. If you add in the revenue for the entire Kendo Tournament, the net profit this year will exceed two hundred million!"

"As expected of you, White Fox!"

Hanging up the phone, the middle-aged man lit a cigar and chuckled. "Sending that Sakuraba kid flying with one strike—only a swordsman like you, who has been immersed in kendo for over twenty years, could do that. I really didn't misjudge you. If it weren't for you, how could the hype for this year's final have been driven so high!"

"Want one?"

He held out another cigar. "The final is a best-of-five. Try to make it last all five rounds, then defeat the kid at the very last moment. You can do that, right? Only then can we continue to attract more tourists next year and keep driving up the ticket prices for the finals!"

White Fox stood silently, not answering, and showing no intention of taking the cigar.

"Don't push your luck." The middle-aged man felt embarrassed, snorted coldly, and put the cigar away. "Get out! Go prepare for your final. I'm going to watch the live stream here with a few beautiful ladies. Having a wooden post like you standing here is a real buzzkill!"

White Fox turned and left without a word.

Passing through the hallway, he happened to see Xiano and Junyi in the plaza below, lining up to receive free boxed lunches. The two were joking and laughing with each other, their relationship clearly excellent.

"Why did you have to come back..."

White Fox stared at the scene, his eyes holding a hint of nostalgia, but it quickly faded into indifference.

He had given them a chance back then.

He took one last look toward the middle-aged man’s office, stopped lingering, turned, and strode away.

He had earned enough money, and he was tired of the performance. He didn't want to stay on this island any longer. It was about time... to call it an end.