Although many competitors weren't scheduled to compete today, and the venue might not be the Boundless Battle Arena, Angel could see dozens of competitors, including the Black Cat he had seen earlier.
Entering the backstage, the Black Cat walked elegantly towards the front. Along the way, no one dared to approach, all watching it with fear. When the Black Cat reached a sofa with a backrest, its body slowly transformed into a handsome, aloof young man, the only unchanged feature being its cat eyes. As he scanned the competitors with those eyes, they all avoided his gaze.
However, there were several who didn't mind the Black Cat's stare.
For instance, a woman holding a handbag with pink hearts, yet surrounded by an aura so gloomy it seemed to swirl with dark energy.
And a youth, though exuding a faint aura of death, radiated the vitality of the morning sun.
A man sitting silently, his upper body bare and scarred, deeply immersed in cultivation.
A girl wearing a peculiar hat, smiling creepily and looking deranged.
And so on… All these individuals ignored the Black Cat's gaze, and the Black Cat himself paid them significant attention. It was evident that these were competitors on the same level as him, or perhaps even stronger.
Though Angel planned to be a judge just to earn some points, he wasn't there to simply get by; he was genuinely looking forward to this New Stars Competition, especially since his friends were participating.
Angel withdrew his spiritual power, unaware that as his spiritual energy moved away, a young man in a corner, engrossed in reading a book, curiously followed the direction of the departing energy.
…
Farina sensed Angel's curiosity regarding the competitors: “You seem quite curious about these competitors.”
“After all, I have to watch at least 10 matches, and I hope to see some exciting duels in these,” Angel responded.
Speaking of excitement,” Farina paused, “like in today's preliminary matches.”
Angel curiously asked, “Why would today's preliminaries be exciting?”
“Preliminaries draw many viewers, representing the face of this New Stars Competition.”
As Farina explained, Angel understood.
The so-called “preliminaries” weren't what he thought to be the first matches in order. Rather, they were deliberately selected duels.
However, according to Farina, this “deliberate” choice wasn't manipulated.
Because at the end of yesterday's New Stars Competition, all advancing competitors had already drawn lots for their matchups. They already knew their opponents' numbers, though the specific match schedules hadn't been set yet.
Competitors only knew their opponents' numbers, but officials certainly knew all match pairings.
Since the preliminaries represent the face of the New Stars Competition, and also likely the most popular matches besides the finals, it would be embarrassing if a preliminary match ended in one side surrendering, being one-sided, or lacking in skilled showcases, turning into a prolonged battle.
Therefore, among nearly two hundred matches, officials chose the most promising match to be a showcase duel for the preliminaries of the New Stars Competition.
Given it was deliberately chosen, the match, relatively speaking, is unlikely to be disappointing.
With this in mind, Angel curiously asked, “So, who is competing in this preliminary match?”