At this moment, the people around began to speculate about Long Shi's identity. Some said he was clearly a bodyguard, but others quickly refuted it.
"A young man not yet twenty years old, can he be a bodyguard for political bigwigs? You must be kidding me."
"That's not necessarily true. What if he's a martial arts prodigy?"
"Bodyguard is probably impossible. For political bigwigs like this, they'd at least require someone of the 'master' level from the Martial Arts Association to be qualified for protection. This young man is probably a descendant of Elder Zhong?"
"Descendant of what? Do they look anything alike? I guess he's an adopted son."
The crowd buzzed with speculation, offering all sorts of guesses, but none hit the mark. It wasn't until Li Chonglou heard Hua Yin speak beside him.
"Could he be from a mysterious organization?"
Hearing this, Li Chonglou looked at Hua Yin with some surprise. He then realized that Hua Yin herself was full of uncertainty as she spoke, clearly just making a bold guess, and even she didn't dare to believe it herself.
It was understandable. Long Shi looked far too young, and no one dared to imagine what his current status might be.
Meanwhile, after the staff had introduced the key figures, they quickly got down to business.
"You should all be aware of the rules and prizes for this arena competition, so without further ado, I now announce! The First Strongest Bodyguard Competition of Shangjing officially begins!"
"Are there any experts willing to defend the first arena stage?"
As soon as the staff member uttered those last words, countless hands shot up from the audience, all clamoring "Me, me, me!" In such an occasion, besides the strongest person, the first one to appear was the one who could leave the deepest impression on others.
Therefore, who would pass up such a golden opportunity? They eagerly signed up, afraid of not being selected.
Logically speaking, the person who appeared first would be at the greatest disadvantage. Firstly, they would reveal their strength too early, and secondly, in such a clear scenario of a war of attrition, the later one appeared, the more advantageous it would be.
However, Li Chonglou did notice something.
Most of those with their hands raised now were people who lacked the confidence to contend for the championship. For example, Shen Yi and Shen Er, who were beside Liu Qiang, showed no reaction at all.
"This is a good opportunity!"
Li Chonglou thought, quickly casting his gaze at those with their hands raised. He had been selecting his remaining opponents, and sometimes the weakest and the most incompetent were not much different. Therefore, he hadn't been entirely sure about those who appeared weak before.
But now it was different. Those who looked weak and had their hands raised now were truly very weak! Li Chonglou quickly confirmed his intended targets.
However, at this moment, he suddenly felt someone grab his hand. Before he could even react, he was pulled up and held above his head by the person.
"What are you doing?"
Li Chonglou looked at Hua Yin with confusion. It was she who was holding his hand high.
Ya Lili, standing beside them, also cast a questioning glance at Hua Yin. Hua Yin, however, looked at Li Chonglou with an expression of disappointment, as if he had failed to live up to expectations.
"What on earth are you thinking! Why aren't you raising your hand for such a great opportunity? What if you get chosen? This is the best chance to perform in front of those important figures!"
"What if you get chosen?" When Li Chonglou heard these words, his expression instantly changed. He quickly broke free from Hua Yin's grasp and tried to lower his hand.
"Are you kidding me! If I were actually chosen, wouldn't that be like playing an ace right at the start? Or I might not even get a single penny!"
Even if Long Shi and Fourth Master weren't here, he wouldn't choose to be the first one to appear. Others needed this opportunity to showcase themselves, but he didn't!
If one were to speak of status, among everyone present, there was likely no one who could compare to him, not even Long Shi! It was worth remembering that the glory he brought back to the Dragon Group was enough for him to hold the position of deputy captain.
The position of deputy captain meant what? It meant that as long as he could withstand the tests in the future, the position of Dragon Group captain would be his sooner or later.
However, Li Chonglou had refused. His heart was not in that aspect, so he had ultimately allowed the captain to assign him the position of Long Shi.
But even so, his status in the Dragon Group was higher than Long Shi's. At the very least, the treatment they received was worlds apart. This was because Li Chonglou was one of the only two individuals in the Dragon Group whose files were top-secret!
Therefore, from any perspective, if he were to be chosen to appear first, it would absolutely be detrimental with no benefits!
However, just as Li Chonglou was lowering his hand, the staff member on the stage finally made their choice.
"Alright, then you will be the first warrior to take the stage!"
Everyone immediately looked in the direction pointed by the staff member. The five people on the high platform also turned their gazes. At the end of their sightline, Li Chonglou stood there, utterly stunned.
"Hmm? Him?"
Fourth Master frowned slightly. Although he had only met Li Chonglou once, he had a deep impression of that young man with an extraordinary aura. Moreover, Li Meixia often mentioned him, so Fourth Master recognized Li Chonglou at a glance.
Long Shi also recognized him with just a single glance.
"Damn it, why is Eleven here? And it looks like he's here to compete? Hmm? Eleven from our magnificent Dragon Group is participating in a bodyguard competition?!"
Long Shi's face instantly turned green. He had no doubt about Li Chonglou's strength. In fact, the moment he saw Li Chonglou, he understood who the champion would be today.
However, what made it difficult for him to accept was that this competition was not even qualified for them to participate in!
For a core member of the Dragon Group to win the title of "Strongest Bodyguard" brought no sense of honor at all. Instead, it was like a piece of gold stained with excrement, disgusting and laughable!
At the thought of this, Long Shi's body instinctively wanted to rush towards Li Chonglou to find out what was going on!
However, as soon as his body moved slightly, Zhong Mingguo noticed. The latter immediately asked, "What's wrong? Is there a situation?"
At this moment, Zhong Mingguo was completely on edge. He knew very well where this young man came from, and his every move, to a certain extent, represented his life or death!
Long Shi then realized that his current identity did not allow him to act carelessly. Thus, he could only suppress his impulse and explain to Zhong Mingguo.
"It's nothing, I just mistook someone."
Zhong Mingguo then visibly relaxed.
Helpless, Long Shi could only cross his hands behind his back again, his eyes fixed on Li Chonglou, hoping that the other party would look over!
As for Li Chonglou, he had already turned to stone.
"Is this a joke? Just like this, they chose me?"
At this moment, his hand was only halfway retracted!