Cervantez's victory came as a shock to many, as he, like Leo, was an open qualified candidate, meaning he had never received proper education from universities.
For the past two decades, the royal universities had fostered the belief amongst the masses that only through structured training could talents blossom.
It was the royal universities which decided whether one had the aptitude or not to be enrolled into their esteemed programs, and if one could not make the cut, it was these same universities that labeled them as second rate talents.
If one felt discontent with the evaluation of the royal universities, the only platform they had to showcase the fact that they could become a great warrior even without receiving proper education, it was the Grand Tournament.
However, In the last 20 years, there had not been a single champion from the open candidates, making the qualification of two open qualified candidates into the semi-finals a significant event.