Yan Gui, the captain of the Ghost Team, smiled as he saw Bo Qiang's confident demeanor.
Bo Qiang was the most promising newcomer Yan Gui had seen in a long time, so naturally, he hoped Bo Qiang's mentality could keep pace with everyone else. If he were still as worried as he was yesterday, Yan Gui might have even considered letting him participate in the first round.
The atmosphere in the venue became tense for a moment, with everyone silently waiting for the trial zone's gates to open.
Time passed quickly, especially in such a tense atmosphere. It felt like they had only dozed off for a moment before it was time for the competition to begin.
As the ten-meter-wide gate to the trial zone slowly descended, all the hunting team captains walked out and headed inside.
Before the competition truly began, they first had to submit their rosters, after which the trial zone staff would use machines to randomly arrange them.
This process didn't take much time. Just half an hour later, a match list was announced.
There were over a hundred hunting teams present, divided into ten groups, labeled with letters from A to J. Each group had an average of thirty teams, and since each team could only send a maximum of three people to compete, the number of participants in this round was approximately three hundred.
This round would proceed in three stages. The first stage was for each group to determine their top ten, resulting in a hundred people who would then be randomly reorganized into ten groups. The second stage would directly determine the top ten.
The third stage would be the final, deciding the ultimate top three.
The competition rules were very simple, and Li Chonglou quickly learned that he had been assigned to Group F.
"How long will this round take?"
Li Chonglou asked Yi Long, who was beside him. Perhaps fearing that Lei Feng would come looking for trouble, Yi Long had been sticking close to Li Chonglou.
"Probably about two days. If it's fast, it might finish tomorrow."
Yi Long explained that there were ten arenas inside, and each match had a fifteen-minute time limit. This meant that forty matches could be held in an hour, so the pace was quite fast.
Li Chonglou nodded upon hearing this. For him, the faster the better, as there were still two more rounds to go.
Yi Long, who had been looking at the list, quickly found Li Chonglou's scheduled match time.
"Your Group F match is tonight. Don't wander off, just follow me inside."
Li Chonglou nodded and followed Yi Long directly into the trial zone.
The entire training area was extremely vast. The space used for just the first round was as large as several football fields. Although it was nearing evening, several large floodlights had already been turned on, illuminating the area as brightly as daylight.
The entire venue was not complicated, simply consisting of ten spaced-out arenas. Each arena could accommodate about a hundred spectators around it.
The arenas were constructed with special materials. The platform was two meters high, a circular pillar with no protective barriers. This was also one of the competition rules: anyone who fell off the arena was considered defeated.
In reality, this rule was in place to prevent all matches from becoming life-or-death duels. After all, they were all resources of Tie Lin, and the organizers naturally did not wish for too many people to die in this round.
Once inside, Yi Long, familiar with the process, first led Li Chonglou to the arena designated for his Group F.
"Remember, if you encounter an opponent you can't handle, just jump down. Surrendering is better than losing your life. Quite a few people die on this arena every year."
Yi Long emphasized his advice, and Li Chonglou nodded. According to the competition rules, those who lost for the first time still had a chance for a rematch. This meant that every participant had two chances, allowing them to avoid strong opponents and surrender to conserve their strength.
Yi Long's advice essentially meant the same thing. He knew firsthand how many talented individuals there were in Tie Lin. Let alone Pang Zheng, who ranked in the top five in the Dark Division, even Lei Feng might not be considered notable in the entire Tie Lin. At least, he wouldn't be among the current top ten masters of Tie Lin.
Once everyone had found their respective arenas, ten staff members quickly stepped onto the platforms to start calling out names for the matches.
Yi Long then returned to his own arena. Li Chonglou found himself surrounded by strangers. To his surprise, he was the first one scheduled to compete.
When he heard the staff member on stage call his name, he couldn't help but cast a questioning glance at Yi Long in the distance.
"Didn't you say my match was tonight? Why am I going on first?"
However, Yi Long, who had been keeping an eye on him, was also puzzled. According to the usual rules, Li Chonglou's name was listed later in his assigned arena, meaning he should have competed in the middle or at the end.
Therefore, facing Li Chonglou's puzzled look, Yi Long could only shrug.
"Fine, they're unreliable after all." Li Chonglou shook his head and then walked towards the arena.
As soon as he stepped onto the arena, he was seen by Bo Qiang, who was standing below the arena at the very edge on the other side.
Bo Qiang's expression instantly changed. His eyes widened in disbelief, as if they were about to pop out.
"Damn it, why is he really here!"
Bo Qiang, who had been watching with casual amusement, suddenly felt his heart sink to the bottom. His face turned incredibly grim.
Yan Gui, who had been closely observing Bo Qiang, noticed this and finally understood why Bo Qiang was acting so strangely. He then turned his gaze towards Li Chonglou.
"Who is this kid? Why is Bo Qiang so afraid of him?"
Yan Gui's expression also turned cold. While he was not entirely satisfied with Bo Qiang's current strength, he had high hopes for his potential. Therefore, he did not want any obstacles to appear before Bo Qiang.
If possible, he would even personally clear the path for him!
For a moment, a murderous intent flickered in Yan Gui's eyes as he looked at Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou, who was watching his opponent ascend the stage, suddenly felt his heart skip a beat. He was naturally very sensitive to killing intent and immediately understood that someone had developed murderous intentions towards him.
So, Li Chonglou instinctively glanced behind him, his gaze meeting Yan Gui's.
Both of them frowned. Li Chonglou was perplexed as to why someone would harbor killing intent towards him when they had never met. Yan Gui, on the other hand, had not expected Li Chonglou's perception to be so sharp.
"He's a master!"
Yan Gui's inner thoughts provided an answer. His tightly knitted brow deepened further.
"No wonder Bo Qiang is so wary."