I Was Forced To Marry The Phoenix Empress-Chapter 146: Securing the Twentieth Ranking

The Imperial Envoy was the first to recover after witnessing the tragic incident.

While the crowd was still brooding over the status of the man's balls, he took the initiative to shift everyone's focus to the match's results and declared.

"Eighth Attempt Failed!

With that, today's Heaven Ascension Trials concludes the Feng clan, retaining its position as a major clan and proving to all of us the grit and tenacity which each member of a Major Clan possesses.

Truly a marvellous and surprising show of strength, courage and honour…"

As he finished those words, the Imperial Envoy began clapping for the Feng Clan and seeing that as a signal, all the members of the Feng Clan rose from their seats and cheered without restraint.

After the fall of Wei Tian, they all had thought that their clan was about to be pushed down a great precipice and would lose their status as a major clan. However, just then, a miracle in the name of Yi Chen happened to them, and they came out victorious in the end.

"Yi Chen!"

"Yi Chen!"

It wasn't certain who started it, but a few seconds later, Yi Chen's name swallowed all the other noises that were present in the arena.

Just listening to these cheers, which were loud enough to cause his heart to tremble each time, Yi Chen couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of joy, satisfaction and of course a tinge of embarrassment.

Cheers so loud that the fact that came from only one-third of the spectators could not be noticed at all. This was indicative of how loudly and without restraint the cheers with Yi Chen's name were echoing in the entire arena.

As for the Minor Clan, the Kai Clan's members, in general, were still finding it difficult to come out of this trauma.

Just when they had thought that victory was right within their grasp a Fifth Level Cultivator came out of nowhere and spoiled all their plans!

"We lost…" Kai Hu muttered to himself at the results as his legs soon lost their strength and he fell back on his seat.

His gaze fell on He Son the next moment. He too did not have a good expression on his face. It was clear how greatly unsatisfied he was with the results.

'Are we going to lose the He Clan's support…' Kai Hu thought with worry apparent on his face.

Meanwhile, with gritted teeth, He Son was trying hard to control his temper at the moment. If all the Fifth Level cultivators who were defeated by Yi Chen came from the Kai clan, things would have easier for him to digest.

However, reality was quite different.

The majority of the Fifth Level cultivators who were defeated by Yi Chen were instead lent by He Clan, and that's why this defeat served as a tight slap to not only him but also to his clan.

It was because of this reason. He Peng, who had been tasked by his father to ensure everything would go as planned, was currently raging like a mad dog.

"They lost?! They really lost? What about all the resources our He Clan wasted on them? Why is it that they couldn't even best a tiny little Fifth Level Cultivator?!"

Anger and frustration were clearly laced in He Peng's voice as he blurted those words.

And these feelings were directed towards the individual who was the cause of all this.

"Yi Chen…I'll show you your place in tomorrow's matches!"

He Peng's eyes flashed with cruelty as he turned around and left the arena the next moment.

He had to relay today's results to his father as quickly as possible. Just thinking of how furious he would be at him made He Peng once again throw a flurry of curses towards Yi Chen.

It wasn't just He Peng, but it was the same with Kai Hu and all the members of the Kai clan who were staring daggers at Yi Chen and cursing all his nine generations.

"As for Yi Chen, he didn't give a damn about their piercing gazes and fully enjoyed the cheers and congratulatory voices which were directed towards him while standing in the centre of the stage.

'So, this is how it feels to not be low key…'

He was finally starting to understand why all the main characters enjoyed slapping faces and surprising the crowd with enormous achievements.

It was all because of this!

This feeling of great pride and joy was bubbling inside him at this moment.

With a cheerful expression apparent on his face, Yi Chen soon bowed towards the Imperial Envoy, who had been standing on the stage with him and was still clapping.

The Envoy nodded back towards him with a smile, and seeing that he had accepted his bow, Yi Chen made his way down the stage and towards the Feng Clan's stands without any worry.

He had exhausted all his Qi pool and was clearly susceptible to sneak attacks at the moment. However, he wasn't worried about them in the least.

'With the Imperial Envoy's presence, which clan would dare to do that?' he snorted with confidence and continued walking.

However, he didn't have to take more than a few steps as his team members came rushing towards him in the blink of an eye and, grabbing his legs all of a sudden, started lifting him.

"W-Wait! Wha-"

Before Yi Chen could even get an opportunity to understand what was going on, his figure was soon launched into the sky by them

"No! Not there-Not!"

To his horror, one of the excited members' hands had come dangerously close to the point of squashing what lay between his legs.

"!!!"

Clearly remembering the tragic fate his opponent had gone through a few moments ago, Yi Chen covered his bottom with his hand with all his might as he fell down towards his teammates, only to be thrown once again in the air by them.

'Phew! I almost lost mine!'

Yi Chen thought in relief while also cursing out in his mind.

'Can't they be a little more careful?! I know you guys are happy beyond joy, but that doesn't give you the warrant to perform friendly fire!'

Not knowing what was going on in his mind, the clansmen kept pushing him up in the air and again, while making their way back to the stands. Soon, even Yi Chen began enjoying the sensation of being thrown around by his team members, while of course never forgetting to protect his sensitive regions.

However, this joy was short-lived as soon they reached the stands and Yi Chen was made to get back on the ground.

The next instant, Feng Ning, who had been waiting for him with an expression of deep gratitude on her face, said.

"Thank you, Brother Chen. Without your presence today, we'll indeed be in a very dire situation."

She clasped her hands and bowed the next instant.

"This…" Yi Chen couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, but still not wanting to stop her in front of everyone and make a scene, he allowed her to do so.

What he had not realised was that Feng Ning's emotions were clearly shared by every member in the team, and just a second later, everyone else also clasped their hands towards him in gratefulness.

"Thanks, Brother Chen!" one clasped respectfully. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Thanks a lot, Brother Chen! Sorry for not treating you well earlier!" another one said while scratching the back of his head.

"I'll follow you all my life, Brother Chen!" An energetic fellow thumped his chest seriously and muttered…it was, of course, Qin Yao.

.

.

.

Seeing such a serious and holistic response from everyone's side, embarrassment soon drifted away from his face, and he respectfully accepted everyone's gratitude.

"I'm glad my efforts paid off, and we were able to keep our clan's head high," Yi Chen said after a while, much to everyone's satisfaction.

Smiling brightly, Feng Ning addressed both Yi Chen and the other team members the next moment.

"I would love to throw a grand banquet now that it's almost evening and celebrate our victory in the Major Ascension Trials and also Brother Chen's great contribution in making that happen, but unfortunately, we can't.

We still have an important match scheduled for tomorrow, and so it's important for Brother Chen to rest until then.

"It's alright, Sister Ning! We'll be waiting," One of them said.

"Yes, Sister Ning! On that note, why don't you also choose me to take the third spot for tomorrow's matches? I'll make sure to teach those He clan bastards a lesson!" one of the Fifth Level cultivators with only a slight injury suggested.

"No! Choose me instead. I'll make sure they'll regret joining that wretched clan after clashing swords with me." Another Fifth Level cultivator chimed in from the side.

.

.

A few others who had also returned from the treatment room by now also chimed in from the side.

Sensing their anticipation for tomorrow's matches, Feng Ning chuckled and said, "That depends on who amongst the four of you has recovered the most by tomorrow. So, you guys better rest well instead of training tonight."

When she finished her words, she glared at them with narrowed eyes, clearly familiar with how much of a training nerd the four of them were.

"This…"

"I'll try not to…"

The four of them responded similarly, which brought an amused smile to Feng Ning's face. The next moment, she clapped her hands to catch everyone's attention and spoke.

"Alright, everyone, it's already evening now, so let's all return to the clan without wasting any time."

After a nod and short bow, everyone soon took their belongings and began leaving through the exit gates.

"Brother Chen, you must be greatly exhausted after so many matches today, so rest a lot. As for tomorrow's matches, you don't need to worry about it much, as I've only given you the seats to complete the lineup.

Since we'll be facing Sixth Level cultivators tomorrow, I'll deal with them personally!" Feng Ning said as deep-seated hatred glimmered in her eyes.

Not noticing the changes in her mood, Yi Chen nodded to those words.

"Alright, Miss Ning, I'll cheer for you," Yi Chen said with a smile. Even if she loses, he will still have a chance to make up for it, so Yi Chen wasn't worried much.

Tomorrow's matches, unlike today's, will have a much simpler format.

The first match will be between the nineteenth and twentieth-ranked major clans, in which three chosen candidates from each side will fight against one another.

The clan that wins two out of three times is deemed the winner and takes the nineteenth rank, while the loser takes the twentieth.

Soon, the nineteenth-ranked clan will go against the eighteenth-ranked clan similarly, and the eighteenth rank will be finalised.

In such a pattern, all the rankings from the First to the Twentieth will be finalised in the next two days, which would officially end the second phase of the Inter Clan Tournament.

'Trying to understand the format of the Major Ascension Trials had overloaded my mind…Thankfully, this one's much easier to comprehend,' Yi Chen thought in relief while walking through the dark passageway towards the arena's exit.

Beside him, Feng Ning was walking, and as for Qin Yao and Feng Min, they were following closely behind them.

Thinking of something, Yi Chen suddenly asked, "How long will it take for Brother Wei to recover?"

"The physician said that it would take a week for all his bones to recover," Feng Ning said with pursed lips.

That violet attack from He Son had left several internal injuries and fractured bones in Wei Tian's body. So the fact that he would recover in a week was already indicative of how skilled the physicians hired by the royal family were.

"I see…" Yi Chen nodded in understanding and didn't pursue the topic further.

Soon, they arrived outside at the entrance of the Soaring Dragon Arena.

Just then, Feng Ning's eyes fell on four individuals who were standing just a few meters away from them. In realisation, she immediately informed Yi Chen.

"Brother Chen, come with me. The Patriarch and the Three Elders are waiting for you."

"The Patriarch?" Yi Chen muttered in realisation and soon followed after her as his eyes fell on the four individuals who seemed to be waiting for him with warm smiles on their faces.