Rebirth of the Prime Dragon Master
Chapter 289 A Person Who Broke His Promise

'l didn't expect Rocky to be paired with Evan so soon, * Marin thought inwardly. Evan had already reached the fourth grade of the Earthly Stage. Marin believed that it was impossible for Rocky who was only between the second and third grades to win against Evan

The contest started with the first round which was split into halves. The first half involved thirty spirit manipulators in a one-on-one battle. Pairs were selected in random and those in low grades were easy prey if paired against higher graded spirit manipulators. Only the fifteen spirit manipulators who won their battle participated in the second half. The second half included a battle against each other until one by one, the competitors were defeated, with only the seven most powerful left standing. These seven winners were qualified for the second round of the contest.

The thirty spirit manipulators in the contest were from the first grade of the Earthly Stage to the ninth grade of the Earthly Stage. The majority of the competitors were from the first grade to the fifth grade. It would not be difficult for powerful spirit manipulators to win in the first half of the battle and be qualified for the second half.

It was truly poor luck that Rocky had an opponent that belonged to the fourth grade of the Earthly Stage, when the majority of the competitors would come from first to fifth.

Marin expected that Rocky would excel or at least last until the second round. She did not expect this match up with Evan in the first half. Now, she was worried he would not even make it to the second half. She felt uneasy about the outcome, and she knew that she was alone in this. If Rocky lost, he would no doubt be ecstatic. After all, he did not want to be there let alone win. Marin's frown deepened as she thought about Rocky's potential reaction. She knew Rocky would view it as the best consequence since he would not need to proceed to the succeeding parts of the contest. "Even if he tried his best, he would still lose. I shouldn't have asked him to do this!" Marin wailed in regret. She should have foreseen this outcome. She swiped her hair from her face and let out a loud breath. 'How could I have been so reckless and stupid?' She restrained herself from pulling out her hair in frustration.

Rocky would have made a good bargaining chip in her hand. If she had used him well, he could have brought her what she wanted but she squandered that opportunity.

The martial field where the contest was held was divided into five parts. It was spacious enough that five contests could be held at the same time. This would take an hour to an hour and a half to end. With the starting time in mind, the contests would be done by noon.

"Commander, what should we do if Rocky does not turn up on time for his match?" Deputy Commander Chen turned to Marin and asked. He looked concerned, his lips pressed tightly together as he waited for her answer. Truthfully, Marin did not know what to do either. Rocky's match was scheduled later than others, but he should have been there by now.

"Wait. That's all we can do right now," Marin answered. She was surprised at how even and calm her voice sounded. "Do not worry about Rocky. Just focus on your own matches and make me proud,” she continued. She put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in support. She knew it was useless to be anxious. She consoled herself with thoughts of how she would punish Rocky for breaking his promise and not showing up.

After instructing the Deputy Commander Chen something else, she swiftly moved out towards the viewing platform.

As soon as she stepped into the dais, Marin felt suffocated and crowded. She saw Lance sitting in the middle, his face stern and serious. She knew the atmosphere surrounding him felt heavy and stifling, just from the faces of the Elite Commanders and Frontline Commanders sat around him. Nobody dared to talk and each one of them seemed extremely uncomfortable. Only Isis looked perfectly calm, seated beside Lance.

"Commander in Chief,” Marin greeted Lance as soon as she reached the grandstand. She arched her hands in respect and looked down in submission.

"You're finally here! Come and sit down.” Lance gestured Marin to sit close to him. Fondness flickered on his face so fast that it was barely there. To all his commanders and officers, he was a stern and serious leader. He dared not show his tender love for his niece in public. Not that anyone there knew. None of his commanders and officers knew nor would they believe it if someone told them that Marin was his niece, as they saw how indifferent he was to her.

He dismissed Marin shortly so she could sit and enjoy herself. She inclined her head in respect and sat next to Isis. She was relieved to not be the center of attention especially with the situation at hand.

"Any news? Has Rocky arrived?" Marin was thankful for Isis discretion. They talked in whispers, wary of unwanted attention.

She shook her head at Isis. She did not know how to explain her current situation to her.

"What's going on?" Isis could tell that something was wrong.

She stared intensely at Marin until she broke. With a restrained sigh, Marin told her the truth, that Rocky didn't come along with them.

"What? Why don't you just tie him up so you can bring him here? You know my father requested him to come." Isis gave a panicked glanced at Lance and turned to Marin again. She knew his father would be angry if Rocky didn't show up. And nobody wanted her father angry.

Marin felt helpless too. It took her a few days to calm down after what happened in the beast stable. She had been annoyed and did not want to deal with him. Despite this, she had tried her best to persuade Rocky to come. If Rocky didn't show up, she didn't know what she would do. However, a small part of her still had faith in Rocky. She believed that Rocky was an honest and trustworthy person. He would not break his promise.

Four hours passed quickly. Her fears seemed to have come true when it was Rocky's turn, but he had not shown up. His opponent, Evan, had already entered the stage along with his spirit- manipulated beast.

"Where is Rocky? Why hasn't he entered the stage yet?" Marin's shoulder tensed when she heard the question. The moment that she feared had finally come. Lance seemed to be aware that Evan's opponent was Rocky. Thus, when only Evan showed up on the stage, he gave Marin a questioning glance.

Marin swallowed nervously. She didn't know what to tell him.

"Father, why are you so anxious?" Isis interrupted. "Rocky may have planned this. Maybe he wanted to come at the last moment, like a grand entrance!" She grumbled in an attempt to help Marin out of trouble.

"Is that true?" Lance raised a dignified eyebrow but did not say anything else. He looked around the arena, seemingly mollified.

Marin breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Isis discretely. She nodded at her in appreciation, the movement was small and unnoticeable to others.

However, Isis felt uneasy too. Outwardly, she did not look any different. But her eyes wandered too, hoping to glimpse Rocky's arrival. She was worried that if Rocky did not show up, the competition would not be fun at all.

In the waiting area, Evan seemed to be celebrating already. He sneered and said, "I didn't expect Rocky to be my opponent. This is a good opportunity for me to seek revenge. I'll teach him a lesson or two. It's his fault that I was transferred to the northwest military camp. That awful excuse for a camp!” Evan sneered, disgusted by the mere thought of the camp. "Where is he now? Is he too cowardly to compete with me?" He strutted at the waiting area like a proud chicken, eyes narrowed at his surroundings. His laughter boomed in the waiting area. He was amused at the thought that he would surely win. If Rocky showed up he would beat him and teach him a lesson. On the other hand, if Rocky does not show up, he would still win without any effort on his part.

The rules of the contest dictated that if one party did not show up on the stage within thirty minutes, the opposing party would win by default. It meant Rocky would automatically lose if he did not show up on the stage in thirty minutes.

Anxious and upset, both Marin and Isis watched the area where Evan would compete with Rocky. They hoped to finally see him arrive, that he really just wanted a grand entrance.

"Is that man really planning on standing me up?" Marin pursed her lips, fuming. If Rocky dared not to come, the Commander in Chief would not go easy on him. And she especially, would not let this go easily. She despised it above all, people who did not keep their promises. And if he was like that, he would definitely feel her wrath.