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“What in the world… are they doing?” Luna exclaimed, her small mouth agape in astonishment.

On the screen, Dowd, the host, unexpectedly picked up a chair and flung it toward Fenice, the guest of honor.

In an instant, Fenice deftly smashed the chair with a punch. The incident unfolded so abruptly that even the Third Divine Elder Grez, seated nearby, failed to react in time.

Beep—

A sharp beep rang out as the image on the screen abruptly terminated, replaced by a beautiful image of a flower.

Beneath the image, a few large words were displayed:
LIVE STREAM ERROR. BE RIGHT BACK.

“Mr. Dowd has hosted several Martial God Tournaments. I remember him as a very patient man who wouldn’t lose his temper like that,” Luna commented, tapping on her chin.

“I wonder if there’s some sort of animosity between him and Miss Fenice…” she mused.

“I doubt that’s the case…”

Lilith massaged her throbbing temples. Judging from the extensive list of sponsors Dowd had just read out, it seemed the entire Great Celestial Rite was likely secretly controlled by that group of idiots.

They were akin to unseen cockroaches in the kitchen, lurking in the shadows of every corner.

The thought sent shivers down Lilith’s spine. She suddenly contemplated giving up on participating in the Great Celestial Rite and just walking away.

“Oh, it’s back,” Luna exclaimed softly as the image on the screen returned to normal.

Dowd, the host, reappeared in the center, grinning and making jokes as if nothing had happened.

“There’s no need to be alarmed, dear viewers. That was just a small performance we specially prepared to liven things up. Of course, the chair was just a prop. Our guest of honor is unharmed.”

Lilith discreetly scoffed at Dowd’s attempt to downplay the incident, noticing the fresh bruises on his face.

She turned to Luna and said, “I’m surprised they didn’t replace the host after that outburst.”

Luna, evidently unconvinced by Dowd’s lame explanation, thought for a moment before responding, “There’s probably no backup host.”

“No backup? For such a grand event, there must be a contingency plan for unforeseen circumstances, no?”

“The Bourd family has always hosted the Great Celestial Rite. Dowd, as the current head of Bourd family, has successfully hosted five iterations. The family trusts him, so it’s understandable they haven’t deemed it necessary to arrange a backup,” Luna explained.

“Furthermore, replacing him will be no different than admitting it was the mistake of the host. That would undermine Dowd’s efforts over the past twenty years,” she added.

“…You have a point there.”

Lilith silently mourned for Dowd. Despite his previous successes in hosting the tournament, Fenice was proving to be an extremely challenging guest.

What was even more unfortunate was that the organizer played the most crucial role in the Great Celestial Rite. Surely, an astronomical amount was involved in hosting such a grand event.

As the main sponsor of the Bourd family, Fenice was allowed to virtually do as she pleased. Therefore, Dowd could not expel Fenice even if she had punched him in the face.

“All right, ladies and gentlemen, let us unravel the mystery from earlier. Last time, we had over 29,000 participants. Can you guess how many there are this time since the festival was on an even grander scale?”

Dowd swiftly flipped through his script, searching for the answer.

“The answer is—over 21,000! Yes, you heard it right, 21,000! Less than the previous… Huh? Less?”

Dowd looked down at the script in disbelief, flipping it back and forth.

“Strange, the offline survey showed a higher number than this. Why is it less now? Could the data be wrong?”

Third Divine Elder Grez gave Dowd a strange look and asked, “What have you been up to these past few days, Dowd?”

“Huh? Well, I’ve been diligently practicing at home. As a professional host, I…”

“A host should also broaden his horizons,” Elder Grez interrupted before Dowd could finish speaking. “The data is correct. Something happened in the past few days, causing many participants to give up on taking part in the tournament.”

“G-Give up…?” Dowd was rendered speechless.

How could they give up? This is the Great Celestial Rite, we’re talking about. Countless people would fight tooth and nail for an invitation.

“What? What’s wrong with Dowd?”
“I can’t believe he’s that clueless.”
“How can he call himself a host if he doesn’t even do his homework properly?”

Since Dowd did not switch off the sound amplifier earlier, the entire conversation was broadcast to the entire audience. Dowd’s ignorance incited displeasure among some in the audience.

“I… I…” Dowd felt like he was facing the biggest crisis of his career.

Just then, a certain guest who had recently punched him in the face leaned in closer, blinking with the innocence and curiosity of a child.

“Huh? Why aren’t you hosting anymore? I’m waiting for the match to start. Do you need my help?”

Dowd felt as if his fragile heart had been shattered, much like a fragile glass

You, hosting? Stop joking!

“Wow, look at that expression.”

The culprit who caused the decline in the number of participants nonchalantly enjoyed the grapes she had brought, handing one to Luna before she swallowed the whole bunch.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone smiling with a throbbing vein on his temple,” she mumbled as she munched on the grapes, spilling some grape juices from her mouth.

“It’s quite impressive,” Luna agreed, holding the grape in delight but reluctant to consume the gift from Lilith.

“Enough of this nonsense.” Third Divine Elder Grez, with a wave of his sleeve, took over, unable to continue watching.

“The Martial God Tournament of the Great Celestial Rite officially begins now!” he declared.

As soon as Grez announced that, the scene on the screen shifted from the host room to the center of the arena.

At some point, a pure white sapling, resembling a delicate sculpture of shimmering light, danced gracefully under the caress of the breeze. A drop of water descended from the sky, moisturizing the tree sapling. It rapidly took root and grew, with pure white roots extending into the ground without causing damage to the arena.

The trunk quickly expanded, growing from the size of a thumb to thick enough for ten people to put their arms around it.

The tree sapling had transformed into a towering tree. As if caressed by the gentlest spring breeze, tiny buds gradually blossomed on its previously bare branches.

Instead of flowers, they bloomed into what seemed like round fruits with a pure white leaf. The leaves cradle the fruits delicately, as if safeguarding the most precious treasures.

“That’s…”

Lilith narrowed her eyes, zooming in and realizing it was not a fruit. After all, there were no transparent fruits in this world. Each of them bore a small pattern similar to the one on the stage.

Luna proudly pointed at the towering white tree swaying in the wind with a smirk and said, “That is the reason why I told you that the first round will complete in three days.”