The Global Martial Arts Competition was not attended by all the countries in the world. Some small countries didn’t even have a warrior at the War God-Emperor realm, so sending representatives would be nothing but a joke.
There were also some countries with numerous sects but overall weak strength, making it unlikely for them to enter the top fifty, let alone win any prizes. And if they were to lose their one or two Sovereign powerhouses, it would be a great loss for them. Furthermore, this year’s championship had canceled the middle-aged and elderly group, resulting in a decrease in the number of participating countries compared to the previous edition. Many countries didn’t even fill their two hundred slots. However, even though many countries didn’t send participants, almost all of them sent representatives to spectate, including many wandering cultivators who came on their own accord.
At nine o’clock in the morning, the Prime Minister of Xidengia, representing the host country, delivered the opening speech. Afterwards, the chief referee of the competition began explaining the specific rules.
Compared to Glavale’s Dragon Phoenix Ranking tournament, the rules of this championship were much simpler. Since it was a team competition, the matches were scored, and there were no multiple rounds. Each person took turns to enter the arena, and the winner stayed and earned a point. As the reigning champion, the winner could stay on the stage until someone defeated them. Of course, they could also choose to take a break if no one challenged them and came back later.
As for the loser, they either admitted defeat and leave, saving their life, or they would be killed by their opponent and fall on the stage. In either case, the loser only had one chance to compete.
There were fifteen arenas, and there was no specific requirement for which country must challenge on which arena. All participants could choose freely. Besides, there was a predetermined order for entering the stage. And the final results were determined by the ranking of each country based on their accumulated points.
This kind of competition rule might not be considered fair, but it was definitely the fastest method. Otherwise, with over ten thousand people, who knew when the results would be determined. In the previous edition a hundred years ago, the same rules were applied. The reason why all the Glavale participants were defeated was that whenever someone from Glavale stepped onto the stage, countries led by Northfortia would send out even stronger challengers. In addition, the referees turned a blind eye, and even if many Glavale participants admitted defeat, they didn’t stop the matches in time, resulting in the disastrous outcome.
“Go! Let them from the West see the glory of Glavale a hundred years later!” Opal waved her hand at Billy and the others. “Just focus on showing your true skills in the competition. Don’t worry about anything else! I want to see if any referee dares to blow the whistle against us Glavale!”
As she spoke, a chilling killing intent permeated from her body.
“Opal, you wouldn’t dare to kill even the referees, right?” Stout clicked his tongue and asked.
“Nothing is impossible!” she shrugged in response. “If they dare to blow the whistle, I dare to kill!”
The crowd involuntarily took a cold breath. No wonder she was the top disciple of the Floating Cloud Peak Master on the Ether mountain. Such courage was unmatched.
At nine-thirty in the morning, the competition officially began.
There were fifteen arenas, and the representatives from the top fifteen countries of the previous edition were the first to step onto the stage. In this point-based team competition, the order of entry was crucial. If the strongest participants went in first, the opponents would naturally send their strongest challengers, and if the strongest ones got killed, the rest would suffer. Therefore, in most cases, the strongest warriors of each country were saved for later stages.
“Lord Dragon, let’s warm up first!”
A Glavale participant said to Billy in the waiting area. After speaking, he stood up with a dozen male disciples.
“Sit down!” Billy waved his hand. “You don’t need to take action this time, just watch!”
“What?” Everyone exclaimed in surprise, full of confusion. They had come all the way to Xidengia to bring glory to their country. Many of them had even written farewell letters before setting off. But now, Lord Dragon was telling them not to fight?
“Lord Dragon, we…”
“A hundred years ago, the last time Glavale participated in the Global Martial Arts Competition, not a single person returned alive!” Billy interrupted their words. “A hundred years later, Glavale appears again at the Global Martial Arts Competition. This time, our goal is not only the championship but also to seek justice for our compatriots from a century ago! But there’s a condition: as many Glavale participants as come, they must all go back, not one less! I don’t want to see any compatriots fall at the Championship!”
“But if we don’t participate, Lord Dragon, the pressure on you…” the man took a deep breath.
“Listen to Lord Dragon’s arrangements!” Casey interrupted him.
“Well… alright then!” The man didn’t insist further. He knew that if they went up, although they could earn a few points for Glavale, it would be difficult for them to leave the stage if the people from Northfortia had ill intentions towards Glavale.
“Boss, can I go and have some fun with Vermilion Bird and the others?” Azure Dragon asked Billy.
“Yes!” Billy nodded. “Casey, Harleen, Ivy, the three of you don’t need to go up for now!”
“Understood!” Casey and the others responded simultaneously.
“General Holmes, you go with Azure Dragon and the rest!” Billy then turned to Harlan Holmes and continued, “Each of you will go to a different arena!”
“Got it!” Harlan nodded.
“Each of you fifteen will choose a different arena!” Billy then looked at Azure Dragon and the others and added, “If you encounter opponents from the top ten ranked countries, show no mercy!”
“Understood!” Everyone nodded in response.
“Boss, what if we encounter someone from Aquilandia?” Soul Chaser asked.
“People from Aquilandia won’t challenge us on stage. If we happen to face them, they will voluntarily admit defeat!” Billy responded.
“Got it!” Soul Chaser nodded in response.
“Everyone, remember, if you encounter an opponent you can’t defeat, surrender immediately, no lingering battles!” Billy emphasized.
Everyone responded again and dispersed towards the fifteen arenas.
“Honey, when will the three of us go up?” Harleen asked Billy after everyone had left.
“You three can wander around each platform. If Azure Dragon and the others surrender after encountering an unbeatable opponent, you three can go up if you’re confident.” Billy replied. “After winning, don’t linger in the fight, immediately apply for rest and then move on to other arenas.”
“Got it!” The three of them nodded simultaneously.
“Also, if you encounter an opponent you can’t defeat, surrender right away!” Billy reiterated.
“Understood!”
The three of them got up and headed towards the arena area. Meanwhile, on each platform, the matches had already begun, with fifteen pairs of participants fighting simultaneously. The participants in this competition had a minimum cultivation level of War God-Emperor, so for the hundreds of thousands of spectators, it was definitely a visual feast.
Around ten o’clock in the morning, on the third platform, it was Azure Fang’s turn to take the stage. The platform master was a man in his thirties from Xidengia, and before this, he had already won three matches in a row.
“You’re from Glavale?” The man pointed his large knife at Azure Fang when he saw him take the stage. “You’ve got some guts, still daring to come up here. I thought you folks from Glavale were just here to spectate this time! Do you remember a hundred years ago, the last time Glavale participated in the competition? I promise you, this time, history will repeat itself!”
“Referee, can we start?” Azure Fang didn’t even spare him a glance, turning to the referee and asking.
“Go ahead!” The referee nodded in response.
Whoosh!
Before the referee’s words had even finished, Azure Fang’s wrist flicked, and his curved blade slashed out with a cold gleam.