Team Formed Successfully

October 20th. The competition for slots in the Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm was hosted by the Divine Character College. With only five spots available, countless competitors entered. In the academy's Preaching Area stood a massive arena specifically dedicated to martial bouts. It was vast, and large tournaments were usually held here. ... Early in the morning, the venue was already packed with a sea of people. The students were extremely interested in such a competition. Even if they lacked the strength to participate, being a spectator was entertaining enough. This time in particular, there was no restriction between new and senior students. There were even rumors that grandfathers and grandsons were taking the field together, which drew all the more curious looks. Amidst the crowd, Yang Sha looked at his junior brother beside him, frowned, and asked in a low voice, "Junior Brother Lin, the rules haven't even been announced yet, and not even our teacher said anything. How did you know the rules in advance?" Lin Yao hurriedly looked around and whispered, "Senior Brother, walls have ears!" This senior brother of his really was a handful. Could something like this be spoken of out in public? "Just trust me. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do!" Lin Yao felt that his senior brother still needed further evaluation. He had zero sense of secrecy. Bringing someone like that into the Mutual Aid Society would make it easy for others to use him as a breakthrough point, exposing the society's existence. In Lin Yao's eyes, the current Mutual Aid Society was unimaginably powerful, concealing who knew how many prominent figures within its ranks. When that exchange catalog had surfaced earlier, his heart had almost leaped out of his chest! Heaven rank cultivation methods, Heaven rank martial techniques, top-tier Yellow rank basic cultural arts, Earth rank cultural weapons... All kinds of incredible treasures had appeared on the society's exchange list. If not for the fact that he and his senior brother had gotten along fairly well over these past few days, he would never have bothered trying to pull Yang Sha into the organization. Yet here his senior brother was, taking it all so lightly! You'll regret this! Neither he nor Yang Sha could dream of securing a mystic realm slot on their own. Even Liu Hong had only been allocated a single spot, which Liu Hong was certainly going to use for himself to break through to the Lingyun Realm. With the slots being so precious that eight or nine out of ten students on the Top 100 Rankings couldn't get one, an opportunity was right in front of him, and his senior brother still doubted him. Yang Sha remained silent. Regardless, he had come here harboring doubts. Their own teacher was presiding over the competition and didn't even know the situation, so how could Lin Yao know? And how could Lin Yao guarantee they would secure a slot? Only a ghost would believe you! Still, since he was already here, whatever. He hadn't expected to get a slot anyway. ... While those two were chatting, Wan Mingze and his group arrived nearby. Hu Qiusheng looked at Wan Mingze and smiled. "Mingze, you're not participating? If you did, you might be able to snag an extra slot." Wan Mingze shook his head without elaborating. Far too many people were taking part. Plenty of them were at peak Yangxing and the ninth stage of the Wanshi Realm. In a competition like this, even he couldn't guarantee victory. There were too many variables. He already had a slot, so there was no need to meddle. This time, the Single Divine Character Faction had first released thirteen slots, and the competition offered five more, giving away a full eighteen slots in total. As for the thirteen who had already secured their spots, everyone generally had a good idea of who they were by now. Hu Qiusheng smiled. "What a pity. Out of all of us, you had the highest chance! Oh, right, will Su Yu participate?" Su Yu was very strong as well, but looking at it now, his chances weren't great. Especially since the Single Divine Character Faction would likely target him, making his prospects even slimmer. Wan Mingze frowned slightly and murmured, "I'm not sure. I hope he doesn't take part; otherwise, it will only stir up more trouble. The Single Divine Character Faction is holding in a lot of frustration right now. They have quite a few senior students over thirty years old, and many of them have reached their peak..." Hu Qiusheng lowered his voice. "Even if they target Su Yu, they wouldn't dare make it too obvious, would they?" "Hard to say!" Wan Mingze shook his head. After all, it was a competition hosted by the other side. If Su Yu had signed up beforehand, they surely had a plan prepared. While they were talking, a group of people entered the arena. Up on the stage, Zhao Ming and several other Hall of the Top 100 referees stepped forward. Zhao Ming chuckled. "As a referee from the Hall of the Top 100 adhering to the principles of fairness and justice, I will serve as the head of the referee panel for this Sea of Consciousness Mystic Realm slot competition!" Many let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it wasn't an expert from the Single Divine Character Faction acting as referee. Referees from the Hall of the Top 100 still possessed a reputation for fairness. The next moment, another Lingyun expert stepped onto the stage and barked, "This competition is supervised by the Supervisory Court!" ... In the spectator area beside the arena. With a smile on his face, Liu Hong stood behind Elder Sun. Elder Sun frowned and murmured, "These fellows! We're clearly the ones putting up the money and slots to hold this competition, yet they insist on sticking their hands into everything!" Liu Hong chuckled softly. "Elder Sun, rest assured. Fairness and justice are an absolute necessity! The academy did contribute ten thousand merit points after all. Since they want to meddle, let them get involved, lest they claim our competition is unfair." "Did Su Yu sign up?" "Yes." Liu Hong smiled. "Elder Sun, don't worry. I will deal with him properly!" Elder Sun nodded slightly. Liu Hong lowered his voice and added, "As for Nephew Qian Hai and the others, I'll also do my best to place them into strong teams and strive to help them secure slots!" Elder Sun said nothing. Qian Hai and the others... were students from his lineage. While not his direct disciples, they were still his grand-disciples. If they could really get slots, that would be wonderful. The Single Divine Character Faction had over a hundred researchers. Aside from the ones given out, they only had thirty-two slots left this time. Even as an elder, he hadn't received that many—only three in total. After all, too many people needed a share. Three... was far too few! Those entering weren't limited to students; some in the Tengkong Realm would go in as well! Moreover, according to the rules, a Tengkong counted as two slots, and a Lingyun entering counted as three. Of course, going in as a Lingyun didn't actually help much, as the willpower they could absorb was limited. Under such circumstances, who wouldn't want a few extra slots? Keeping his expression impassive, Elder Sun asked in a quiet voice, "Pingsheng won't object, will he?" Liu Hong smiled. "He won't. As for Senior Brother Zhou... Zhai Feng and Qiu Yun were his proudest disciples, but now... you know how things stand. Even if they got slots, they'd have nowhere to use them." Zhou Pingsheng had six disciples. Two were in Tengkong. Aside from Zhai Feng and Qiu Yun, two other disciples were over thirty and considered senior students. On Zheng Yuming's side, there were six disciples as well, with Huang Qifeng being one of them. Four of them were in Tengkong, and another was over thirty and had yet to reach Tengkong. Hu Wensheng had two disciples: Chen Qi and Guo Shengquan. Chen Qi's strength was still weak, while Guo Shengquan wasn't weak at all, though he had little contact with the Single Divine Character Faction these days and was considered an outlier. Zhou Pingsheng had also been allocated two slots this time... which had been granted to him earlier, originally meant for Zhai Feng and Qiu Yun. Now those spots were wasted on them, but Zhou Mingren hadn't taken them back, effectively leaving them for the other two disciples who hadn't reached Tengkong. Everyone had seen Zhou Mingren's generosity, and no one said anything. As for how much dissatisfaction others felt, that was their own business. Having said his piece, Liu Hong still whispered, "Elder Sun, to be honest... I deliberately don't want to give slots to Senior Brother Zhou's side." "..." Elder Sun remained silent, waiting for his explanation. "Senior Brother Zhou already received two slots, and right now only two people under his wing can make use of them, which is enough! But he hinted that he wants a few more... Many eyes are already on him right now. If he makes another reckless move, I'm worried trouble will brew." Elder Sun glanced at him and said indifferently, "He asked for them?" "Yes." "Pay him no heed! Foolish fellow! Even at this juncture, he still tries to cause a stir. Does he really think no one knows what he did? Old Zhou can protect him for a moment, but can he protect him for a lifetime? Did buying that research material really cost a hundred thousand merit points?" "Eighty-two thousand..." Elder Sun nodded and said no more. Old Zhou had shouldered all of that, so it wasn't worth arguing with Old Zhou over such matters. "Liu Hong, keep your mouth shut and don't talk behind people's backs. Understand?" Liu Hong gave a bitter smile. "I understand, Elder Sun. I was just worried... Ever since my teacher entered seclusion, I've kept a low profile. But this time I was pushed forward to lead the competition, and Senior Brother Zhou approached me. I don't dare give them to him... I was out of options, so I could only confide in you. If things go sour... I hope you'll put in a good word for me." "If I gave them to him and he actually sold those slots—selling them to our own people would be fine, but if he sold them to outsiders... Elder Sun, to put it bluntly, I'd end up taking the blame and facing disaster. Rather than that, I'd rather offend Senior Brother Zhou!" Elder Sun said indifferently, "Go ahead and do as you see fit! Little Zhou has grown too conceited over the past few years; it's time he sobered up! You are the person in charge below Tengkong, appointed by Old Zhou. Everything is under your responsibility. Ignore him!" "Thank you, Elder Sun!" Liu Hong thanked him, appearing as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Elder Sun said nothing more. Checking the time and seeing that the moment had arrived, Liu Hong leaped up and flew onto the arena stage. ... "Everyone knows the purpose of this competition!" "There are many participants. Because there is no age restriction, as many as eight thousand three hundred people have registered!" An outcry erupted below the stage! So many people? That was terrifying! How long would this competition take! Liu Hong smiled. "To save everyone time, we have decided to adopt a team battle format! On the All-Heavens Battlefield, there are typically five-man squads and ten-man squads! Therefore, this time we will use a five-man team battle mode. On one hand, it saves time; on the other, it allows everyone to adapt to a cooperative team model!" "Accordingly, five-man squads will be formed randomly next!" "Some might ask: why not let us form our own teams?" Liu Hong projected his voice loudly. "That is because once you reach the All-Heavens Battlefield, missions are issued by the military! Civilization Masters in the military do not get the chance to choose for themselves; they are matched with teammates randomly!" "Unless you possess overwhelming strength and can act independently, you will be matched randomly. The military will never alter an entire operational model just for you, nor do you have the right to question it! Whether the teammates assigned to you are strong or weak depends entirely on your luck!" "Do not question this team format. Questioning it means questioning the operational methods of the entire human race. If anyone finds this unacceptable, you may choose not to participate. No one is forcing you!" With words like that spoken, how could anyone object? The military indeed used this method for small missions. If you felt it was unfair, then simply don't take part. It wasn't mandatory anyway! Liu Hong continued, "Whether the teammates you are assigned are strong or weak is your fate! Remember, learn to cooperate with your teammates. Harming or abandoning teammates will not be tolerated..." Someone couldn't help shouting, "What if a teammate is too weak and the enemy keeps targeting them? Are we supposed to keep protecting the weak?" "Remember, they are your comrades-in-arms! Not giving up and not abandoning them is what you should do!" Liu Hong said coldly, "On the All-Heavens Battlefield, that is the rule! Even if two mortal enemies are placed in a squad, they must protect each other. If one dies, the other will be executed upon returning alive! That is the battlefield; that is war! The overarching situation will never bend to the will of a single person!" "If you find it improper, unwilling, or unconvinced, then don't participate and forfeit directly!" "This is also the main reason why various prefectures, academies, and legions can cooperate and fight side by side on the All-Heavens Battlefield!" "Of course, there are exceptions. When your teammate is certain to die and attempting to save them will only result in your own destruction, there is no need, nor does the military encourage it. In such cases, you may choose to flee and look for another opportunity to fight!" Liu Hong smiled. "Today, we will let you experience the military's rules, providing you with some experience for your future survival on the All-Heavens Battlefield!" "Eight thousand three hundred people, one thousand six hundred and sixty-six teams!" "In the end, only one team will stand victorious and claim these five slots!" As soon as these words landed, a clamor boiled up. This was far too harsh! Five slots were only going to a single team! Liu Hong pressed his hand down and shouted, "Quiet! Although there are no mystic realm slots for the others, the top ten teams will all receive other rewards! Second place will receive a Shanhai Realm text of will! Third place will receive an Earth rank martial technique! Fourth through tenth place will each receive a Tengkong Realm text of will of the *Myriad Characters Scripture*!" At these words, many people felt slightly relieved. Fortunately, the rewards were quite good. A Shanhai Realm text of will, an Earth rank martial technique, and a *Myriad Characters Scripture* text of will were all great treasures. This way, their chances were much higher. After all, a full fifty people would receive rewards! Seeing that the crowd was satisfied, Liu Hong smiled. "It's good that everyone is pleased! The Divine Character College took the initiative to offer such valuable rewards this time so that everyone can display greater strength and strive to enter the Tengkong Realm as soon as possible to serve the human race!" "..." After spouting standard pleasantries for a while, Liu Hong waved his hand, and a massive machine was hauled up onto the stage. "Everyone, come up and draw lots! There are eight thousand three hundred number plates in total, ranging from 1 to 1666, with five copies of each number. Those who draw the same number plate will be teammates!" "Whether in the academy, on the battlefield, or anywhere else, luck is part of strength. Don't think luck is something illusory; some races specifically cultivate the Dao of fortune—it is very real!" Liu Hong said loudly, "If you draw weak teammates, don't look down on them; everyone has their use! If you draw strong ones, don't get too excited; think about whether holding them back will earn you their resentment! Everyone, bring out your true strength!" While he was speaking, a Lingyun expert from the Supervisory Court walked over to the machine, extended his willpower inside, inspected it, and then shook his head toward the spectator area, finding no anomalies. In the spectator area, Old Huang was seated, along with many others. Chen Yong had arrived, Zhao Li had arrived... There weren't many Shanhai experts—only a handful—but quite a few in the Lingyun Realm had shown up. Seeing this, Old Huang said nothing. No anomalies! Since that was the case, he had nothing to say. On the stage, Liu Hong smiled. *Inspect all you want. I'm an upstanding man; would I ever do something like that? Tampering with the machine is far too low-end! I never pull such cheap tricks! The ones drawing lots are people, so naturally I tampered with the people. You can check the machine, but can you inspect every single student? Besides, the students wouldn't appreciate being searched either!*'" "Step up and draw your lots!" Liu Hong shouted. Students hurried onto the stage one after another to draw their lots. Despite the large crowd, there was little disorder. Drawing early or late made no difference, and Civilization Masters still maintained some sense of decorum. ... Below the stage. Su Yu stood among the crowd, feeling a bit emotional. Seeing white-haired elders stepping onto the stage to compete alongside teenagers, he couldn't help feeling a pang of sentimentality. He thought of his own father! His father was nearly fifty. If thrown into the Civilization Academy, he would lead a miserable life. He had only just entered the Wanshi Realm, was nearing fifty, and was a very weak Wanshi at that—probably no match for even some Qianjun Realm cultivators. How bleak! He truly sympathized! These old men and women had it so rough. If he encountered them later, he should defeat them quickly and spare them a prolonged battle. It was simply too exhausting for them! Student after student stepped onto the stage, drew a lot, and received a number plate. Some looked around, trying to figure out where their teammates were. Others stared intently at the powerful figures in the crowd, eager to know what numbers they had drawn. This competition was indeed fascinating. Just guessing one's teammates was a gamble in itself, a test of luck. The students moved quickly, and in the blink of an eye, over a thousand had already taken their turn. Soon, Lin Yao and Yang Sha went up together. Yang Sha glanced at Lin Yao. He began to understand his junior brother's earlier words. In a five-man competition, if a few powerhouses joined their team, there would naturally be hope of securing a slot. Could it be... that Zhan Hai would be on their team? Or perhaps some veteran students? How had his junior brother known? And how could he guarantee they would end up on the same team? Pondering this, Yang Sha reached into the machine without thinking too much. The machine had no issues, but certain students did. Yang Sha had no idea what was happening; he simply grabbed at random, and a number plate landed in his hand. Number 600! Beside him, Lin Yao also casually grabbed a plate. Looking at it, it was also Number 600! The two exchanged a glance, both somewhat astonished! They really were on the same team! Nearby, Liu Hong cursed inwardly. *You two idiots, why aren't you getting off the stage? What are you standing there for!*'" Below the stage, Old Huang had been watching closely. At this moment, his eyes flickered, and he looked toward Elder Sun. Elder Sun remained impassive, uttering not a word. Old Huang frowned! Just now, an aura had flashed across those two for a fleeting instant. It had attracted the plates into their hands rather than them simply drawing them! His expression shifting, Old Huang reached out with his willpower toward them! Elder Sun said calmly, "Old Huang, do not probe students haphazardly. It is inappropriate." "You..." Old Huang's expression darkened, and he couldn't help cursing inwardly! The Single Divine Character Faction was useless at everything else, but they were full of underhanded tricks like this. Many students probably had the same thing going on. Damned bastards! As for proof... even if caught, it would be hard to pin down. Unless they forcibly seized the students, probed the auras on their bodies, and identified the discrepancies, but that would be time-consuming and laborious, and the other side could easily deny it. It wasn't that it couldn't be uncovered if investigated thoroughly, but... what would happen after that? Cancel the competition? Old Huang suppressed his anger, deciding to see if any students filed a complaint later, which would give him an excuse to investigate. His gaze shifted to Su Yu in the crowd. Were these fellows doing this to target Su Yu, or purely for the sake of those slots? Sure enough, an abnormal aura flashed across several more students shortly after. Old Huang looked at Elder Sun again and snorted coldly. "Is it really necessary for an esteemed Shanhai to stoop to this for a few slots? If you truly didn't want to give them up, you shouldn't have agreed in the first place!" Elder Sun replied indifferently, "Old Huang, even if you are the head of the Supervisory Court, do not spout baseless accusations! Besides, weren't those slots forced out of us by people like you back then? We opened our own mystic realm, spending our own money and resources, yet a bunch of people turned green with envy and forced us to surrender slots. Was that fair? Old Huang, think about it yourself!" Old Huang was left speechless. That matter had indeed not been entirely fair. The Single Divine Character Faction had paid their own money and resources to open the realm, and the other elders calling an elder conference had certainly harbored their own motives. Everyone was well aware of this. At this moment, even if several elders were present, none of them would likely speak up. Old Huang sighed softly in his heart and said no more. Right then, a figure stepped onto the stage, and the surrounding students parted one after another. "Zhan Hai!" "He should already have a slot, yet he still came? Shameless!" "Damn it, that guy could step into Tengkong even without entering the mystic realm, yet he insists on competing with us!" "What number did Zhan Hai get?" "..." The crowd buzzed with excitement. Zhan Hai, ranked first on the Top 100 Rankings! Peak of the ninth stage of the Wanshi Realm, peak Yangxing! A student like him had an absolute guarantee of stepping into Tengkong even without entering the mystic realm! Ignoring everyone, Zhan Hai casually drew a number plate, glanced at it, and said calmly, "Number 988. My teammates, come find me later!" From below the stage, an ecstatic cheer suddenly erupted! Evidently, someone held Number 988 and was on Zhan Hai's team. With Zhan Hai stepping up, other top figures began taking the stage one after another. Jiang Mu, Li Minyu, Dai Qing, Hu Zongyu, Lin Qing, Liu He, Wang Peng... Familiar names from the Top 100 Rankings went up to draw lots! Even some who had already secured slots chose to participate. The Single Divine Character Faction had never stated that those who already had a slot couldn't join. One more slot meant one more person could enter, further strengthening their own faction's power. Once many people had already taken their turn, Su Yu walked toward the stage. He kept a low profile! Yet the moment he stepped onto the platform, the surroundings fell quiet. Whispers broke out below. "Su Yu is here too!" "He's really bold. This competition was organized by the Single Divine Character Faction. Isn't he afraid they'll gang up on him?" "Exactly. This is a five-man team battle, not a solo duel. If five powerhouses from the Single Divine Character Faction are matched together and his teammates are weak, he's done for!" "..." Su Yu's appearance drew countless eyes. Saying nothing, Su Yu silently stepped forward and reached into the machine. The moment his hand went in, a number plate appeared in his grasp. Su Yu glanced at Liu Hong, smiled faintly without a word, and walked straight down the stage. *Did that guy tamper with me when we met last time? I'll have to be more careful next time!*'" Silently sensing it, it was Number 600! Just as he was thinking, Su Yu suddenly spotted someone and hurriedly called out, "Senior Sister, you..." Wu Jia quickly drew her plate and said awkwardly, "I just came to participate for fun. Don't worry, if I can't win, I'll admit defeat! I'm not here to cause trouble, I just didn't want to make things easy for them. If I run into those bastards from the Single Divine Character Faction, I'll beat them to death!" "..." Su Yu was speechless. Why had she come running here? Turning his head, he looked at Chen Yong over in the spectator area. Chen Yong smiled and said nothing. Taking part in the competition wasn't a bad idea; it could serve as practical experience. Provided she didn't do something foolish and fight to the death. This was a rare opportunity! Just as Liu Hong had said, these were the rules on the All-Heavens Battlefield. Getting used to them in the academy was good. When she actually went to the battlefield in the future, at least she would know how to fight alongside others rather than on her own. She could also experience what it felt like to have terrible teammates! That way, when she encountered unreliable teammates on the real battlefield, she wouldn't be enraged to death. Experiencing it now would prepare her mentally. With strength in the top seventy of the Top 100 Rankings, she wasn't weak. Out of these eight thousand-plus people, only about a hundred had a sure chance of defeating Wu Jia. Resigned, Su Yu said no more. Walking down the stage with Wu Jia, she said happily, "I got Number 888! Isn't that an auspicious number?" "Junior Brother, what about you?" Su Yu suddenly chuckled and murmured, "Senior Sister, do you think anyone would notice if we swapped number plates right now?" As he spoke, someone squeezed through beside them and grumbled, "Forget it, you can't swap! I was just planning to buy a few hundred plates to resell to people in need, but the moment I bought one, the Supervisory Court grabbed me and fined me a hundred merit points. Total rip-off!" "..." Su Yu looked at Xia Huyou, somewhat speechless. This guy was truly something else, managing to see a business opportunity even here. "You didn't participate?" "Nope. Isn't fighting exhausting?" Xia Huyou spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I'm a merchant. Making a fortune together and living in peace—fighting isn't my style. It's just a single slot anyway, and besides... I already have one, so why would I fight?" "You already have one?" "Yeah!" Xia Huyou laughed gleefully. "Guess who I got it from?" "Who?" "Prefect Xia Changqing!" Xia Huyou wore a proud grin. "I went straight to his door and asked for it. We're all Xia family members; it would look bad if he didn't give me one, wouldn't it? And what do you know, I really snagged one without spending a single cent. Feels great!" Su Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Then again, Xia Huyou had personally visited Xia Changqing's doorstep—how could Xia Changqing refuse? Ordinary people might not know Xia Huyou's identity, but could Xia Changqing be ignorant of it? Refusing to give him one... would have been difficult to justify. This chubby fellow truly knew how to disgust people! Xia Changqing had obviously been unwilling to give it to him, considering his grandson Xia Yuwen was competing with Xia Huyou for the position of Mansion Master. After saying that, Xia Huyou smiled. "Want to buy intel? I can tell you which experts are on the same team. I just gathered a lot of intelligence!" "Does the Single Divine Character Faction have any strong teams?" Su Yu didn't care about the others, only the Single Divine Character Faction. "Yes!" Xia Huyou lowered his voice. "There really is one exceptionally powerful team! Two of Zhou Pingsheng's disciples are in it, both over thirty. They dropped off the Top 100 Rankings because they hadn't advanced to Tengkong, but they used to be veteran rankers! The other three have similar backgrounds: one is a student of Elder Zheng Yuming, and the other two are students of Elder Yu and Elder Li!" Hearing this, Wu Jia couldn't help saying, "Isn't that cheating..." Su Yu coughed lightly and smiled. "Senior Sister, they organized the competition, so it's normal. There's no need to say all that!" Wu Jia was still indignant! Far too shameless! Xia Huyou didn't mind and smiled. "They're very strong! All five are veteran Top 100 students. Their martial techniques, cultivation methods, physical bodies, willpower, and divine characters have all reached a pinnacle. To be honest, the five of them joining forces could definitely battle a Tengkong!" A five-man squad like that wouldn't have much trouble fighting a Tengkong cultivator. Of course, they needed good coordination, or they could easily be picked off one by one. "What about the others?" "There's also Zhan Hai's team, Jiang Mu's team... In any case, squads formed by the top ten of the Top 100 Rankings are all major threats! Oh, right, among the senior students, there are a few other strong teams as well!" Su Yu nodded. "Did Zhai Feng and the others participate?" "No!" Xia Huyou shook his head. "They went out and aren't in the academy! My guess is they went to cause trouble for the All-Races Sect to atone for their misdeeds and resolve their inability to enter the mystic realm. If nothing unexpected happens, they'll be back soon, likely after destroying one or two All-Races Sect strongholds!" Su Yu frowned. "Do they have cooperation with them?" "Not to that extent!" Xia Huyou explained, "We actually keep track of some of those strongholds, but we leave them alone to bait the bigger fish while keeping watch in secret. The Single Divine Character Faction has many experts and people, so they definitely know the locations of some strongholds. It's completely normal for them to find something when they go out. If they really collaborated, they wouldn't dare be bold enough to send students to do such a thing..." Baiting fish! Su Yu understood now. Indeed, the Great Xia Prefecture likely had tabs on quite a few All-Races Sect strongholds. Otherwise, whenever they needed a scapegoat, they wouldn't be able to simply wave their hands and have the Dragon Martial Guards slaughter a horde of them, making heads roll! It had been the same last time! First, they pinned the blame on the Primordial Cult Master, then slew the Blood Fire Cult Master, and afterward, the Dragon Martial Guards went out to wipe out a batch of All-Races Sect members. The Great Xia Prefecture seemed well-practiced with that routine. "What a pity!" Su Yu sighed. *I'm truly saddened that those fellows aren't participating. Otherwise, if I bumped into them and taught them a lesson, how satisfying that would have been.*" While they were speaking, the lot-drawing had almost concluded! Liu Hong shouted, "You now have half an hour to find your teammates! There are 1666 teams. Find your teammates, assess the situation, and if it looks bad, you can forfeit, or go up on the arena for a spar. Be mindful of managing your stamina; this isn't just a single bout. If you get crippled in the first fight, you won't be able to advance later. Don't put up pointless resistance!" With that many people and that many teams, if the matches were conducted round by round, winning first place would require at least ten rounds of battle! Fighting ten consecutive matches would be a tremendous ordeal for any team. Paying no heed to what Liu Hong was saying, Su Yu smiled and shouted, "Number 600, assemble!" His voice was fairly loud. As soon as he called out, many people turned their attention toward him. Within the crowd, several people's expressions turned strange. Gripping the plate in his hand, Liu He couldn't help cursing under his breath! *Fuck! How did I end up on a team with this guy!*" Over there, Yang Sha froze. Su Yu! He was on a team with Su Yu! He looked at Lin Yao. Lin Yao wasn't surprised at all and whispered, "Senior Brother, this is our chance! He's very strong!" "I..." Yang Sha wanted to curse! *Bullshit, I know he's strong, but Su Yu isn't even a match for Zhai Feng! More importantly, we're on opposing sides, don't you know that? Relying on Su Yu to fight his way to first place? Are you kidding me! Do we have to cooperate with Su Yu to fight others? How... how am I supposed to explain that to our teacher!*" In the distance, Zhou Hao's lips curled into a wide grin. He didn't walk over, simply waiting where he stood. He swept a glance across the distant experts, such as Zhan Hai and Jiang Mu... Were these fellows going to be his opponents next? What a thrilling sensation! As for having three deadweights on the team, he didn't care in the slightest! It was enough that Su Yu was strong! Having a few more deadweights was fine; he had never counted on anyone else to help him anyway. As for Su Yu... Su Yu was the one who had come looking for him, otherwise he wouldn't have cared who his teammates were. As for Liu He, a student with a respectable ranking on the Top 100, Zhou Hao didn't take him seriously either. Although he was only at the ninth stage of the Qianjun Realm, he had little interest in fellows who didn't carry a shred of bloodlust on them. One by one, the teams assembled swiftly. "Number 888..." Someone called out over there. Wu Jia hurriedly ran in that direction. Su Yu glanced over and was somewhat surprised—it was actually a fairly strong team, with several rankers from the Top 100 standing there. Without time to focus on that, a few people soon gathered around Su Yu. Liu He's eyes were hostile, Yang Sha looked entirely reluctant, and Lin Yao put on a show of glaring furiously as they all looked at Su Yu. Su Yu ignored them completely, saying indifferently, "When the fighting starts, you three stay to the side and don't get in the way!" "You..." Liu He was enraged. He was a Top 100 student after all; Su Yu's words were simply too insulting! Su Yu paid him no mind. At that moment, people from all directions turned their gaze toward him. When they saw the people standing beside him, they nearly burst out laughing. Liu He, Lin Yao, Yang Sha... and there was even the new student Xia Huyou nearby? This was Su Yu's team? How could they possibly fight with this? Stared at by so many, Xia Huyou didn't care. He had only walked over to watch the show. Why look at him? He wasn't part of it! Still, Su Yu's team... was truly terrible! The Single Divine Character Faction had really outdone themselves with this scheme! Liu He was reasonably capable, but would he actually put in any effort? In the spectator area, Elder Sun and several other Lingyun experts beamed with smiles, looking toward Liu Hong on the stage with approval. *Well done!*" If that slot was actually taken by Su Yu, that would be a true disgrace! With a team composition like this, could Su Yu possibly claim a slot? What a pipe dream!