The third day saw contestants from all seed teams staying put in their hotels, refraining from causing trouble and preparing for the following day's matches.
The next morning, the Beijing Advanced Martial Arts Academy stadium.
The stadium entrance was adorned with red and green banners, exuding a festive atmosphere. The words "When the youth are strong, the human race is strong" were emblazoned in gold on a banner fluttering in the air.
Today marked the first day of the Hundred Schools League seed team battles. The seed teams from various special administrative regions entered the stadium, led by their respective deans.
The first to enter were the three teams from the host nation, Huaxia. Led by Li Zhenshan, Qin Hai, and Ye Changshun, they took their pre-arranged positions in front of the main stage.
Lin Zhan surveyed his surroundings. The stadium was shaped like a bird's nest, with the audience seats encircling three-quarters of the martial arts hall. Nearly 100,000 spectators had already filled the stands.
In the center was a massive 1000-square-meter arena, constructed from a special alloy capable of withstanding attacks from Platinum-level martial artists.
The arena also featured six referee stations, with all referees being Platinum-level experts from the Huaxia military, to prevent any mishaps during the competition.
Closest to the arena was the judges' platform, where one Diamond-level martial artist from each special administrative region served as a judge.
Directly facing the arena was the main stage, where over ten leaders from the academy, military, martial arts bureau, and federal government, along with a Diamond-level representative from each special administrative region, were seated.
Lin Zhan looked closely and saw his own father, Lin Shanhe, occupying the main seat: "Why is this old man here? And in the main seat. Who is that middle-aged man sweating profusely beside him?"
Jiang Zheng followed Lin Zhan's gaze: "Uncle Lin is now the Lord Protector of Beijing. This league is crucial for the upcoming secret realm expedition, so each special administrative region will undoubtedly send experts to accompany them. As Huaxia is the host, we naturally need someone to hold the fort. Uncle Lin, being a newly promoted Lord-level expert, is perfect to showcase Huaxia's strength beyond just the established Lord-level figures."
"As for the person beside Uncle Lin, he is the representative sent by the Federal Government, the newly appointed Secretary-General. Why wouldn't he be afraid? Have you forgotten how the previous Secretary-General met his end?"
"Old Jiang, your intelligence gathering is truly meticulous. It's good that Uncle Lin is here, giving us peace of mind. Otherwise, if we were to truly annihilate those three teams and push them to their limits, what if experts from their special administrative regions were to attack us?" He Dazhuang added.
"Look at the Diamond-level experts from each special administrative region seated on the main stage. What if one or two of them become enraged and disregard the rules? With Uncle Lin here this time, we can do as we please. It would be best if we push them to the brink, so Uncle Lin can take care of them in passing."
"Enough talk, we're entering the stadium now."
The remaining seven seed teams from the various special administrative regions also entered.
Xiao Hanyi observed them one by one: "As expected, they all have hidden strengths. The team captains are all at the peak of Silver, and the team members, except for support personnel, are all Silver-level. This is quite different from the initial intelligence."
"That's not necessarily true. Just like you, we usually hide our true strength. When there's an advantage, our levels soar. Perhaps they're doing the same," Lin Zhan remarked.
"Is that show-off the captain of the Yin San special administrative region's team?" He Dazhuang pointed to a bald youth with an elephant."
"This elephant doesn't seem weaker than Little Gold or Little Black, and it looks like a tough opponent."
"This guy is going to be difficult to deal with. The data on that bald guy says his mental power is extremely strong. We need to be careful not to fall into his trap during the fight."
With all participating teams present, the atmosphere instantly livened up, and the stadium buzzed with excitement. Reporters from all over aimed their cameras and microphones at the arena.
Security personnel moved back and forth, maintaining order.
"Please be quiet, return to your seats, and do not disrupt the competition," announced the host, a Platinum-level instructor.
"The competition rules are divided into two rounds."
"Round one is a team elimination format. Each team will send out five members for battles. The loser is eliminated, and the winner can continue to fight until one side has no members left."
"Round two, after the first round, is the captain's challenge. One team's captain can challenge the other team's captain to determine individual rankings."
"Now, the captains of each participating team will draw lots to select their opponents."
The captains of the ten teams stepped onto the stage one by one to draw lots.
"Match one: Qin Du team versus Fusang special administrative region team."
"Match two: Modu team versus Yin San team."
"Match three: Jingcheng team versus Meilijian special administrative region team."
"Match four: Siberia special administrative region team versus Great Britain special administrative region team."
"Match five: Roman Vatican special administrative region team versus Africa special administrative region team."
"Following these will be the captain's challenge matches."
"Heh, speak of the devil." Lin Zhan looked at the slip of paper in his hand: Match three, Meilijian team.
Lin Zhan looked towards the Meilijian team. Coincidentally, Adam Saul was also looking at Lin Zhan. Their eyes held no concealment of intense killing intent.
"You little brat, what are you looking at? Eager to reincarnate?" He Dazhuang immediately fired back, showing no deference to Adam Saul.
"Old Xiao, Old He, Ling Xiu, Old Leng, and me. The five of us will fight the first match. No need to hold back, just go for the kill," Lin Dazhuang declared.
Since the opponent had revealed killing intent, there was no need for courtesy. It seemed these two special administrative regions had fully sided with the Ten Thousand Races. They intended to use the Hundred Schools League to provoke Huaxia and test their strength. If Huaxia were to become enraged and initiate war over the death of a few competition contestants, they would have an excuse to depose Huaxia from its leading position in the federation. This would allow them to bring the Ten Thousand Races to Earth, thereby achieving their objectives.
Lin Zhan led his team back to their seats, awaiting the start of the competition.
The contestants for the first match stepped onto the stage. Qin Du team sent out Bai Zhanlong, the legitimate son of the Bai family, a prominent ancient family in Qin Du, and cousin of Bai Liqiu. The ancestors of the four great ancient families under King Qin Ying Zheng—Bai, Meng, Wang, and Li—had also revived with the King of Qin, becoming a cornerstone of the human race.
Fusang team sent out Xiao Inu Jiro, who ascended the stage dressed in ninja attire.
"I didn't expect this. Besides Ying Xuan, the Qin Du team has another peak Silver expert. It seems they are following the same path as Old Xiao." Lin Zhan's mental power had reached Gold-level, giving him sharp insight.
"Indeed, it's the same. Bai Zhanlong also cultivates through killing. Don't forget that the ancestor of the Bai family was known as the ' Butcher of Men.' His bloodline has a greater advantage in following this path than others," Xiao Hanyi said.