"All of you already know the purpose of this tournament. A lot of people are participating. Since no age limit has been placed, we have 8,330 participants."
Numerous students exclaimed in surprise. There were so many of them? That was a terrifying number. With so many participants, just how long would the tournament last?
Liu Hong smiled and said, "To save everyone's time, we have decided to adopt the format of team matches for this tournament. Generally, we work in teams of five or ten when operating on the Allheaven Battlefield. Thus, we will be holding our matches in teams of five as well. This will both save time and help all of you get used to team battles in advance.
"All of you will be randomly assigned into teams of five. Someone will ask this: Why aren't you guys allowed to form your own teams?
"Because that is not the luxury you have at the Allheaven Battlefield. There, you will be receiving your assignments from the military, and your teammates will be different depending on the assignments you have been given. You will not be able to form whatever team you want as well.
"You are either strong enough to work alone or you will be working with random teammates. The military will not change the way they operate for you alone. And you are not qualified to question the way they do things. Whether your teammates are strong or weak, that will depend on your luck."
"Therefore, don't even bother questioning this tournament format. That will be the same as questioning the operation of the entire human race. If you are unhappy with this format, you are free to not participate. We won't force anyone to join."
What else could the students say if he was putting it like that? Indeed, this was how the military operated for missions of smaller scale. If the students thought that this was unfair, they could simply not participate. It wasn't like participation was mandatory.
Liu Hong said, "Fate will decide who you get as your teammates. Remember, you are not allowed to harm your own teammates. Nor are you allowed to abandon your teammates."
Someone couldn't help but ask, "What if a teammate is too weak and keeps ending up as the target of our opponents? Are we supposed to keep protecting the weakling?"
"Remember this. They are your comrades-in-arms. You should not be leaving them behind."
Liu Hong's voice turned cold, "This is the principle we operate by in the Allheaven Battlefield. Even if you are assigned to a team with your enemy, both of you need to watch over each other. If one of you ends up dead during the mission, the survivor will also be executed. That is how things work. That is how we do things at the Allheaven Battlefield. Nothing will change for the sake of your feelings.
"If you don't like this, if you're unhappy, if you think this is wrong, feel free to not participate in the tournament. This system of random team assignment is one of the reasons why the people of the various prefectures, academies, and armies have been able to work together in the Allheaven Battlefield.
"Of course, there are exceptions to the rule of not leaving anyone behind. When your teammate is in a situation of sure death and the act of helping that teammate will lead to your death as well, there is no need for you to throw your life away. The military does not encourage you to lose your life needlessly. At that time, you can elect to flee or to pick your fights.
"Today, all of you will be given a chance to experience the assignment system of the military. This will give you more experience working with strangers, and it will be beneficial for your own survival when you head to the Allheaven Battlefield in the future.
"There are 8,330 of you. 1,666 teams will be formed. Only a single team will last until the very end and grab all the slots available."
The moment Liu Hong was done speaking, a clamor erupted from the students. This was a terrible tournament format. Five slots were offered, yet all of them would be won by one team.
Liu Hong gestured at the crowd and shouted, "Silence! The other participants won't be getting any slots, but the top ten teams will still receive other rewards. For the second place, you can get a Mountainsea willpower text each. For the third place, you can get an earth-grade martial technique manual each. For those in the fourth through the tenth places, you will be given a Skysoar willpower text of the Myriad Text Sutra each."
That placated the students to some extent. Fortunately, the other rewards were actually quite good as well.
Mountainsea willpower text, earth-grade martial technique, Myriad Text Sutra's willpower text...all these were treasures. With all these rewards, they would have a much higher chance of getting something out of the tournament.
After all, with all the additional rewards, a total of 50 students would be able to win something from the tournament.
Noticing the satisfied expressions of the students, Liu Hong smiled and said, "I'm glad to see that you're happy with these rewards. The Character Faculty has taken the initiative to hold this tournament and offer these precious rewards in order to help everyone grow better and enter the Skysoar Realm as soon as possible. Hopefully, this will also strengthen the human race as a whole."
"..."
Done with his speech, Liu Hong waved his hand. At his order, a large machine was lifted onto the stage.
"Everyone, each of you will draw a plate from this machine. A total of 8,330 plates are in there, numbered 1 through 1,666. Each number will be etched onto five different plates. Those with the same number will be assigned to the same team.
"Regardless of whether you're in the academy, on the battlefield, or somewhere else, luck is a part of your strength. Do not make the mistake of thinking that luck is not real. A non-factor. Know that some races out there specialize in cultivating the dao of luck. Luck is very real.
"If you end up with weak teammates from your draw, do not be prejudiced against them. Every single person has their own use. If you end up with strong teammates, do not forget yourself. Think about the fact that you are now baggage. Will they be prejudiced against you? If you don't want that to happen, do your best to showcase your abilities."
At the same time, a Cloudbreach walked up the stage and stopped before the machine. After sending his willpower into the machine and giving it a scan, he shook his head in the direction of the spectating zone. No problems had been found.
Old Huang was standing in the spectating zone. Apart from him, a lot of other people were there as well. Chen Yong was there. Zhao Li was there. And so on.
Only a few Mountainseas had arrived, but there were a lot of Cloudbreach cultivators present.
Old Huang said nothing. Nothing unusual was found. In that case, there was nothing he could say.
On the stage, Liu Hong smiled. Why even bother inspecting the machine? He was a good guy. How would he do something like mess with the machine? That was a cheap trick unbefitting of him. He would never do something so stupid.
The students themselves were the ones making the draws. If he was going to do something, he was naturally going to do it against the students, not the machine.
Sure, they could inspect the machine. Could they inspect every single one of the students as well? More importantly, those students wouldn't be willing to receive a thorough scan either.
"Get on the stage and make your draw."
With that, the students started getting on the stage to make their draws. There were a lot of them, but they were moving in an orderly manner. It didn't matter if they made the draw earlier or later, so it would be unbecoming for them to squeeze against each other just to make a draw. As cultural researchers, they had enough self-respect to not do something so barbaric.
...
Beyond the stage.
Amid the crowd, Su Yu did not know what to feel after looking at the crowd.
He saw an old man with white hair getting on the stage, walking alongside a bunch of teenagers. He couldn't help but think of his own father when he saw that.
His father was nearly 50. If his father was a member of the academy, he would also be one of the pitiful ones who was still stuck at the Infinite Strength Realm at such an old age. And he wouldn't even be one of the stronger Infinite Strength cultivators. He would be one of the weaker ones. He would probably be weaker than even some Great Strength students. How pitiful.
Su Yu couldn't help but feel some sympathy toward those grandpas and grannies.
Perhaps he should just end the match for them cleanly when encountering them in the tournament. They were too pitiful. He would do them a favor and help them retire earlier, giving them the break they deserved.
One student after another stepped onto the stage and drew a plate from the machine. Some were busy looking around for their teammates. Some were focused on the stronger students, trying to figure out the number drawn by those students.
This was actually quite an interesting tournament. This segment was more like a gamble than a test of skills.
The students were moving at a fast pace. Before anyone knew it, over a thousand students had taken their draws. Before long, it was the turn of Lin Yao and Yang Sha to make their draws.
Yang Sha took another glance at Lin Yao. He was starting to understand what his junior brother had been talking about previously. The tournament would be held in teams of five. With this format, they would naturally stand a chance if they were assigned to a team of strong students. Perhaps...they would be assigned to Zhan Hai's team? Or a team of some powerful old students?
How did his junior brother find out about this? And how could his junior brother be sure that they would be assigned to a strong team? He did not think too much and reached into the machine.
Nothing had been done to the machine. But something had been done to some students. Yang Sha had no idea what happened, but when his hand reached into the machine, a plate fell into his palm.
Number 600.
Beside him, Lin Yao nonchalantly reached into the machine and took out a plate. On the plate, the number 600 could be seen as well. The two exchanged gazes in shock. They had really been assigned to the same team!
Nearby, Liu Hong was cursing inwardly. What were these idiots doing? Why were they still standing on the stage? Get off the stage already!
Old Huang was also paying close attention to the stage. His eyes flickered as he glanced at Elder Sun, who remained completely still. Old Huang frowned. He seemed to have sensed a faint aura flashing over the bodies of those two. Instead of grabbing a plate from the machine, the plates had actually been attracted to them.
His face changed slightly as he sent his willpower over.
Elder Sun indifferently said, "Old Huang, don't just scan a student randomly. This is not proper."
"You..."
Old Huang had an unsightly expression. He cursed inwardly.
The single character faction seemed inept at everything except these cheap tricks. He suspected that the same trick had been used on some other students as well. Damn those bastards!
As for the proof of that...even if he knew what was happening, it would be hard to find one.
He might be able to find something if he could arrest some students and scan their bodies for foreign auras before proceeding with that line of investigation. But that would be a lot of work and any proof he found that way wouldn't even be strong enough for him to do anything with. The single character faction could easily refute a proof so weak.
Sure, he could always perform a deeper investigation to find out more, but what would be the end result of that?
Canceling the tournament?
Old Huang suppressed his anger and decided to wait and see. If some of the students actually started complaining, he could perhaps use that as a chance to do something about it.
His gaze landed on Su Yu. Were these guys doing this to target Su Yu?
Or were they only doing this for the slots?
And sure enough, he sensed the same unusual aura on the bodies of a few other students. He looked at Elder Sun and snorted, "A mere Mountainsea is stooping so low for a few slots? If you're unwilling to give the slots to outsiders, be honest and don't waste everyone's time with this tournament."
"All of you already know the purpose of this tournament. A lot of people are participating. Since no age limit has been placed, we have 8,330 participants."
Numerous students exclaimed in surprise. There were so many of them? That was a terrifying number. With so many participants, just how long would the tournament last?
Liu Hong smiled and said, "To save everyone's time, we have decided to adopt the format of team matches for this tournament. Generally, we work in teams of five or ten when operating on the Allheaven Battlefield. Thus, we will be holding our matches in teams of five as well. This will both save time and help all of you get used to team battles in advance.
"All of you will be randomly assigned into teams of five. Someone will ask this: Why aren't you guys allowed to form your own teams?
"Because that is not the luxury you have at the Allheaven Battlefield. There, you will be receiving your assignments from the military, and your teammates will be different depending on the assignments you have been given. You will not be able to form whatever team you want as well.
"You are either strong enough to work alone or you will be working with random teammates. The military will not change the way they operate for you alone. And you are not qualified to question the way they do things. Whether your teammates are strong or weak, that will depend on your luck."
"Therefore, don't even bother questioning this tournament format. That will be the same as questioning the operation of the entire human race. If you are unhappy with this format, you are free to not participate. We won't force anyone to join."
What else could the students say if he was putting it like that? Indeed, this was how the military operated for missions of smaller scale. If the students thought that this was unfair, they could simply not participate. It wasn't like participation was mandatory.
Liu Hong said, "Fate will decide who you get as your teammates. Remember, you are not allowed to harm your own teammates. Nor are you allowed to abandon your teammates."
Someone couldn't help but ask, "What if a teammate is too weak and keeps ending up as the target of our opponents? Are we supposed to keep protecting the weakling?"
"Remember this. They are your comrades-in-arms. You should not be leaving them behind."
Liu Hong's voice turned cold, "This is the principle we operate by in the Allheaven Battlefield. Even if you are assigned to a team with your enemy, both of you need to watch over each other. If one of you ends up dead during the mission, the survivor will also be executed. That is how things work. That is how we do things at the Allheaven Battlefield. Nothing will change for the sake of your feelings.
"If you don't like this, if you're unhappy, if you think this is wrong, feel free to not participate in the tournament. This system of random team assignment is one of the reasons why the people of the various prefectures, academies, and armies have been able to work together in the Allheaven Battlefield.
"Of course, there are exceptions to the rule of not leaving anyone behind. When your teammate is in a situation of sure death and the act of helping that teammate will lead to your death as well, there is no need for you to throw your life away. The military does not encourage you to lose your life needlessly. At that time, you can elect to flee or to pick your fights.
"Today, all of you will be given a chance to experience the assignment system of the military. This will give you more experience working with strangers, and it will be beneficial for your own survival when you head to the Allheaven Battlefield in the future.
"There are 8,330 of you. 1,666 teams will be formed. Only a single team will last until the very end and grab all the slots available."
The moment Liu Hong was done speaking, a clamor erupted from the students. This was a terrible tournament format. Five slots were offered, yet all of them would be won by one team.
Liu Hong gestured at the crowd and shouted, "Silence! The other participants won't be getting any slots, but the top ten teams will still receive other rewards. For the second place, you can get a Mountainsea willpower text each. For the third place, you can get an earth-grade martial technique manual each. For those in the fourth through the tenth places, you will be given a Skysoar willpower text of the Myriad Text Sutra each."
That placated the students to some extent. Fortunately, the other rewards were actually quite good as well.
Mountainsea willpower text, earth-grade martial technique, Myriad Text Sutra's willpower text...all these were treasures. With all these rewards, they would have a much higher chance of getting something out of the tournament.
After all, with all the additional rewards, a total of 50 students would be able to win something from the tournament.
Noticing the satisfied expressions of the students, Liu Hong smiled and said, "I'm glad to see that you're happy with these rewards. The Character Faculty has taken the initiative to hold this tournament and offer these precious rewards in order to help everyone grow better and enter the Skysoar Realm as soon as possible. Hopefully, this will also strengthen the human race as a whole."
"..."
Done with his speech, Liu Hong waved his hand. At his order, a large machine was lifted onto the stage.
"Everyone, each of you will draw a plate from this machine. A total of 8,330 plates are in there, numbered 1 through 1,666. Each number will be etched onto five different plates. Those with the same number will be assigned to the same team.
"Regardless of whether you're in the academy, on the battlefield, or somewhere else, luck is a part of your strength. Do not make the mistake of thinking that luck is not real. A non-factor. Know that some races out there specialize in cultivating the dao of luck. Luck is very real.
"If you end up with weak teammates from your draw, do not be prejudiced against them. Every single person has their own use. If you end up with strong teammates, do not forget yourself. Think about the fact that you are now baggage. Will they be prejudiced against you? If you don't want that to happen, do your best to showcase your abilities."
At the same time, a Cloudbreach walked up the stage and stopped before the machine. After sending his willpower into the machine and giving it a scan, he shook his head in the direction of the spectating zone. No problems had been found.
Old Huang was standing in the spectating zone. Apart from him, a lot of other people were there as well. Chen Yong was there. Zhao Li was there. And so on.
Only a few Mountainseas had arrived, but there were a lot of Cloudbreach cultivators present.
Old Huang said nothing. Nothing unusual was found. In that case, there was nothing he could say.
On the stage, Liu Hong smiled. Why even bother inspecting the machine? He was a good guy. How would he do something like mess with the machine? That was a cheap trick unbefitting of him. He would never do something so stupid.
The students themselves were the ones making the draws. If he was going to do something, he was naturally going to do it against the students, not the machine.
Sure, they could inspect the machine. Could they inspect every single one of the students as well? More importantly, those students wouldn't be willing to receive a thorough scan either.
"Get on the stage and make your draw."
With that, the students started getting on the stage to make their draws. There were a lot of them, but they were moving in an orderly manner. It didn't matter if they made the draw earlier or later, so it would be unbecoming for them to squeeze against each other just to make a draw. As cultural researchers, they had enough self-respect to not do something so barbaric.
...
Beyond the stage.
Amid the crowd, Su Yu did not know what to feel after looking at the crowd.
He saw an old man with white hair getting on the stage, walking alongside a bunch of teenagers. He couldn't help but think of his own father when he saw that.
His father was nearly 50. If his father was a member of the academy, he would also be one of the pitiful ones who was still stuck at the Infinite Strength Realm at such an old age. And he wouldn't even be one of the stronger Infinite Strength cultivators. He would be one of the weaker ones. He would probably be weaker than even some Great Strength students. How pitiful.
Su Yu couldn't help but feel some sympathy toward those grandpas and grannies.
Perhaps he should just end the match for them cleanly when encountering them in the tournament. They were too pitiful. He would do them a favor and help them retire earlier, giving them the break they deserved.
One student after another stepped onto the stage and drew a plate from the machine. Some were busy looking around for their teammates. Some were focused on the stronger students, trying to figure out the number drawn by those students.
This was actually quite an interesting tournament. This segment was more like a gamble than a test of skills.
The students were moving at a fast pace. Before anyone knew it, over a thousand students had taken their draws. Before long, it was the turn of Lin Yao and Yang Sha to make their draws.
Yang Sha took another glance at Lin Yao. He was starting to understand what his junior brother had been talking about previously. The tournament would be held in teams of five. With this format, they would naturally stand a chance if they were assigned to a team of strong students. Perhaps...they would be assigned to Zhan Hai's team? Or a team of some powerful old students?
How did his junior brother find out about this? And how could his junior brother be sure that they would be assigned to a strong team? He did not think too much and reached into the machine.
Nothing had been done to the machine. But something had been done to some students. Yang Sha had no idea what happened, but when his hand reached into the machine, a plate fell into his palm.
Number 600.
Beside him, Lin Yao nonchalantly reached into the machine and took out a plate. On the plate, the number 600 could be seen as well. The two exchanged gazes in shock. They had really been assigned to the same team!
Nearby, Liu Hong was cursing inwardly. What were these idiots doing? Why were they still standing on the stage? Get off the stage already!
Old Huang was also paying close attention to the stage. His eyes flickered as he glanced at Elder Sun, who remained completely still. Old Huang frowned. He seemed to have sensed a faint aura flashing over the bodies of those two. Instead of grabbing a plate from the machine, the plates had actually been attracted to them.
His face changed slightly as he sent his willpower over.
Elder Sun indifferently said, "Old Huang, don't just scan a student randomly. This is not proper."
"You..."
Old Huang had an unsightly expression. He cursed inwardly.
The single character faction seemed inept at everything except these cheap tricks. He suspected that the same trick had been used on some other students as well. Damn those bastards!
As for the proof of that...even if he knew what was happening, it would be hard to find one.
He might be able to find something if he could arrest some students and scan their bodies for foreign auras before proceeding with that line of investigation. But that would be a lot of work and any proof he found that way wouldn't even be strong enough for him to do anything with. The single character faction could easily refute a proof so weak.
Sure, he could always perform a deeper investigation to find out more, but what would be the end result of that?
Canceling the tournament?
Old Huang suppressed his anger and decided to wait and see. If some of the students actually started complaining, he could perhaps use that as a chance to do something about it.
His gaze landed on Su Yu. Were these guys doing this to target Su Yu?
Or were they only doing this for the slots?
And sure enough, he sensed the same unusual aura on the bodies of a few other students. He looked at Elder Sun and snorted, "A mere Mountainsea is stooping so low for a few slots? If you're unwilling to give the slots to outsiders, be honest and don't waste everyone's time with this tournament."
