On the 14th, one day before the competition, Lin You went out again.
This time, I didn't go to the major duel halls.
There's no need.
I had a pretty good dueling experience yesterday at the Jiangcheng Duel Hall.
It can be regarded as a test of one's current strength.
Compared to before, there has indeed been a lot of growth.
The most significant aspect is probably the magic utilization rate.
Previously, Lin You had strong magic power, but a situation arose where his own card resources could not match the consumption.
If I tell others about this situation, they will probably die of envious.
Happy troubles!
And now, it is much stronger than before.
All the big consumers are waiting for the supply of magic power. No matter what, there won’t be such a ridiculous situation as oversupply.
Since he did not participate in the duel, Lin You basically wandered around the whole day.
Take a look at the scenery and feel the bustling river city.
This day was really pleasant.
In the blink of an eye, it was night.
After eating some local snacks on the street, I returned to the villa and went to bed early.
…
The next day.
Early in the morning, Lin You quickly got up, washed up, and went out.
Today is the opening day of the National Freshman Exchange Competition.
Not only will it open, it is said that the first round of competition will also be held on the same day.
As for the content of the competition, it is not yet known.
If it is the most conventional, it may be a simple and rough two-on-two duel.
But some people will automatically advance in the first round.
Doing so can also prevent some talented but unlucky people from running into these top contestants and being eliminated early.
Such arrangements were not uncommon in previous years.
Soon, Lin You arrived at the Welcome Square.
A bus was already parked there.
Some school leaders can be seen around the bus.
In addition, many students came specially to see him off.
Starting today, the twenty contestants from Jiangcheng will gather here and then go to the venue of this competition together——
River City Association!
At this moment, Lin You's appearance immediately attracted a lot of attention.
"It's Lin You, Lin You is here."
"I don't know how far Lin You can go this year, but I have a feeling he'll make a splash in this competition!"
"Of course. With his ability, he has a chance of making it into the top ten among the contestants this time!"
"The top ten might be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is a top fifteen, and that's pretty cool."
"Don't exaggerate! Haven't you heard? The day before yesterday, Lin You easily defeated a duelist named Sun Yuwei at the Jiangcheng Duel Arena. He's one of the top five duelists in the Magic City!"
"Fuck, there's such a thing?"
"It's absolutely true. I heard about it, and many people saw it at the scene. People in the Duel Kingdom are talking about it."
As they discussed these things, the eyes of the tutors and school leaders were all focused on Lin You.
It's all clear in my heart.
This year, Jiangcheng University may usher in a big explosion because of his appearance!
Lin You was used to being the center of attention, so he walked over calmly.
After seeing Heiyuan among the group of mentors, he waved to him as a greeting.
Afterwards, he nodded to Vice Principal Xia Yan and got on the bus.
Although it was still early, there were already some people sitting in the car.
Most of them are students from Jiangcheng universities. After all, it is most convenient to be on campus.
Jiangcheng University occupies one-quarter of the places this time, or five people.
Lin You also heard about the final outcome of these five places.
Excluding himself, the other four were finally determined to be Xia Mu, Xiao Yi, Qi Yuxuan and Deng Zhuo.
This list is more in line with Lin You’s expectations.
It’s a pity that strong students like Zeng Xi, Chen Mu and Wan Yibin didn’t get the chance to participate in the competition.
These people may even be stronger than most of the contestants.
After all, many cities have relatively weak dueling capabilities.
However, the competition is still very considerate of these cities, giving them at least five places.
The top ten duel cities, including the host Jiangcheng, only have twenty places each.
This has led to the emergence of many overlooked gems.
Jiangcheng has it, and naturally other powerful duel cities have it too.
Especially the Imperial Capital and the Magic City, perhaps some of their hidden gems can defeat more than 90% of the contestants.
But regrets aside, the ownership of the quota has already been settled, and there is no point in thinking about it any further.
Right now, sitting in the car are the other four people participating in this competition.
They all sat in the front seats.
There was only one person, sitting quite far back.
This person is not from Jiangcheng University, nor from one of the top ten universities.
But it was the one who got the last spot in the competition among multiple schools.
Come to think of it, we are acquaintances.
I met Zou Xiang at Jiangcheng Duel Hall the day before yesterday.
Zou Xiang, who was sitting alone in the back seat, saw Lin You get on the bus, his expression changed slightly, but he quickly turned his head away and pretended not to see it.
Lin You didn't care. He just glanced at him briefly, then looked at Xia Mu and the others who were approaching and said with a smile, "Everyone, you're up pretty early."
Qi Yuxuan laughed and said, "It's such an important day, it's hard to wake up late. I even had a little insomnia last night."
Xia Mu chuckled and said, "Not surprising, I'm a little excited and nervous."
"Making a mountain out of a molehill."
Xiao Yi snorted and said something to Xia Mu as usual.
Deng Zhuo was even more straightforward. He didn't say anything at all and just closed his eyes to rest.
Lin You smiled, "Really? I slept very comfortably last night."
Then, he changed the subject, "But today's match is indeed exciting. I don't know what kind of competition system it will adopt. If it's a regular two-on-two duel, it will be very busy."
Xia Mu laughed and said, "You don't have to worry about that at all. If that were the case, it would be a bit unreasonable for a 'big devil' like you not to get a bye in the first round."
Qi Yuxuan also smiled and said, "I agree."
Lin You shrugged. "It's too boring and uninteresting. I want to get to know the super newcomers from various major cities and see what their level is like."
Hearing him say this, Xia Mu couldn't help but say, "I heard that you went to the Jiangcheng Duel Arena the day before yesterday and had a contest with a master from the Magic City. How was it? The rumors made the other party sound so vulnerable that I couldn't tell whether it was true or not."
It is difficult to tell, but not necessarily false!
Obviously, even though Xia Mu had not witnessed the results of Lin You's deck's evolution with his own eyes, he still had full confidence in him.
In fact, even if he didn't see it with his own eyes, it didn't prevent him from guessing some things.
After all, this time, their decks were strengthened a lot before the competition.
This is probably even more true for Lin You.
He got the association's three customized cards.
At this moment, when asked about his feelings, Lin You thought about it seriously, and then said: "Very strong. To be honest, with his strength, if he had faced the old me, the result might have been completely different."
Xia Mu's eyes moved slightly. Lin You's words revealed a lot of information.
The previous Lin You naturally refers to him during the training period.
At that time, everyone could see Lin You's strength, he was very strong!
Otherwise, how could he have won first place with overwhelming points in the training camp?
But is it possible that such a Lin You could still be easily defeated by the legendary master from the Magic City?
In addition, such a master from the Magic City was crushed by Lin You today!
At this moment, Xia Mu felt an unfathomable aura from Lin You.
How strong is Lin You now?
Not only him, but the others also heard something from it and were shocked.
Because of the strength of the newcomers in Shanghai!
It’s also because Lin You has made another leap in strength!
Xia Mu expressed these emotions, but also expressed some anticipation, "This time, it will be really exciting."
Several people were chatting about the competition in the car, and time passed little by little.
Gradually, contestants from the top ten universities also arrived one after another.
These contestants are basically familiar faces.
Du Zhizhong and Ji Ming of Maple Leaf.
Song Ming from Hornets, Zhang Xia and Chen Yize from Feiheng, and Deng Yuxin from Asaba.
Apart from these acquaintances, the rest are all talented students who have performed brilliantly in previous training sessions.
With everyone gathered together, the bus became a little more lively.
And soon, another person got on the bus.
Xia Yan!
The vice president of Jiangcheng University is the leader of this competition.
After Xia Yan got in the car, he glanced at everyone inside and said solemnly, "Now that everyone's aboard, let me say a few words. This National Freshman Exchange Competition will be the ideal opportunity for you new generation talents to showcase yourselves and shine."
"If you can stand out in this competition, you will definitely enter the Duelist Association's field of vision and receive invitations to various branches and even the headquarters. Your future is limitless. This will be your greatest opportunity."
"Let's not talk about the future. Let's just talk about the present. Once you achieve good results, all kinds of resource rewards will come pouring in. You may not have to worry about the lack of cultivation resources for a long time."
Xia Yan spoke very formally, but his words were full of temptation.
Soon, he added, "Putting aside personal concerns, your university and even the city will shine because of this, and be proud of your efforts. This honor will be forever engraved in the city's hall of achievement, and will always be remembered. Therefore, this competition is a glorious test for you and for Jiangcheng. I look forward to seeing what kind of results you can deliver in this trial."
Everyone listened quietly.
Listening to this, a little bit of blood welled up in my heart.
Correspondingly, there seems to be a heavier sense of responsibility on my shoulders.
Xia Yan paused, then said in a serious tone, "In short, go all out and let the people of the country know that Jiangcheng will be the biggest dark horse in this trial. Any so-called overlord will be on edge. Do you have the confidence to do this?"
"have!"
At this point, the passion in everyone's hearts was ignited, and they answered in unison with great momentum.
"good!"
Xia Yan was very satisfied, then looked at the driver, "Master Zhang, we can set off now."
"Okay!"
The driver seemed to be getting emotional as well, wishing he could smoke a cigarette at this moment, but he had no way to vent his emotions, so he had to step on the accelerator.
The huge bus flew out from his hands like a restless spirit.
…
At the same time as everyone in Jiangcheng set off, contestants from various schools also set off under the guidance of their teachers in the hotels booked in various parts of Jiangcheng.
Destination, Jiangcheng Association.
Goal, championship!
Yes, champion.
Regardless of whether it is realistic or not, the momentum to win the championship should be displayed first.
It can also add a bit more momentum to the duel.
…
It was still early in Jiangcheng that day, but the city was already bustling with activity!
…
The bus left the city and went to the suburbs.
After driving for a while, a large park came into view in front of us.
Seeing this park, someone in the car exclaimed in amazement: "I heard before that the Jiangcheng Association was established in the suburbs. I didn't expect it to be true, and it's a park like this."
"What a fuss! The Jiangcheng Association's construction site isn't in the suburbs. So, can they brazenly build it right in the city center? That would attract countless eyes all day long, especially those coming in and out. How conspicuous would that be?"
"That's not what I meant."
The man quickly said, "I thought the association would be hidden in some special secret place, or perhaps in a magic field like the one we had during the previous training camp. I didn't expect it to be built outside."
"It's not surprising. The association has a lot of people. If they were all concentrated in one secret place, it would inevitably be inconvenient for them to move around. It's not a clerical job, so they can't hold it in."
As everyone was chatting, the bus quickly drove into the park.
This car should be certified by the association, and there should be no unnecessary formalities when entering, and the journey should be smooth.
Through the windshield, Lin You noticed that there was a tall building in the center of the park.
The building was quite extraordinary. Even from some distance away, he could sense a strong fluctuation of magical power from it.
"Coolie~"
It also sensed the chestnut ball flying out, and its perception was more specific.
That magical fluctuation was not offensive, but rather more solidified and used to create a barrier.
Lin You actually guessed this, and it was confirmed by Chestnut Ball.
At this moment, the bus was not heading towards the building, but was driving to the right side.
On the other side, the shadows of buildings were extremely sparse, and it was almost a vast grassland.
Yes, grassland!
I don’t know how big this park is.
When some students saw this, they were amazed. “Wow, this place is really huge! Where are we going?”
"It's probably a suitable gathering place. There must be at least a thousand contestants in this competition, right?"
"What a joke! You haven't paid any attention to previous competitions? The number of participants in the past has always been over 5,000. This year's circumstances are special, and the number of places for major cities has been reduced to a certain extent. But no matter what, there are at least 3,000."
"Three thousand?!"
The one who was unaware of the situation seemed extremely surprised.
But someone soon scoffed, "They're just filling in the numbers. In Jiangcheng, there are still many talented people who can't participate due to quota restrictions. If you really want to be picky, at least half of these 3,000 people are not qualified to participate. In the end, there are probably only two or three hundred people who are truly competitive."
"Is that so... After hearing what you said, I feel more confident now. I used to think that our strength was no match for those from the five major universities, not to mention the top players like Lin You and Du Zhizhong. I was worried that we would be ordered to eat when we competed. Now it seems that we are a real feast, haha!"
While these people were chatting, Lin You and others looked ahead.
A lush green horizon stretched out ahead. The bus drove for a long time, and suddenly, the scenery ahead changed.
Lin You's eyes moved slightly, and he noticed that a lake appeared about a few hundred meters ahead.
The lake is not big, less than a kilometer long.
But even from a distance, you can feel the clarity of the lake, and under the sunlight, it has a wonderful mirror-like texture.
At this moment, some people can still be seen by the lake.
It can be seen from their uniform white uniforms that they are all members of the association.
Soon, the car drove past and stopped.
Xia Yan, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was the first to stand up. He turned around and said, "Stay in the car for now. Don't get out without permission. Just wait."
After saying that, he got out of the car with Master Zhang.
It seems that this is the destination.
Now, they probably have to wait for others to arrive. They are the first group to arrive.
As he was waiting, someone suddenly came over and greeted him, "Lin You, how are things going? Has the training been going smoothly?"
Lin You looked at Song Ming who was approaching and said with a leisurely smile: "Not bad, you should be not bad either, right?"
He still remembered that the person who finally got second place in the training camp was Song Ming.
He also received a high reward, and like Lin You, he also received a customized card from the association.
With such abundant resources in hand, it is foreseeable that Song Ming's strength will leap forward again after digesting them.
"There has been progress, but we are still far behind in terms of competitiveness when it comes to competing with the truly top newcomers."
Song Ming was being modest, but that wasn't necessarily a modesty.
After the battle with Sun Yuwei, Lin You had more or less made some adjustments.
Strictly speaking, Sun Yuwei may be the so-called "top" threshold in this year's competition.
It is not easy to cross this threshold.
In the entire Jiangcheng, apart from himself, perhaps only Du Zhizhong has the ability to defeat the opponent.
Of course, some people may have made unusually rapid progress, and Lin You naturally cannot predict the variables that will be caused.
Lin You smiled and said, "We'll know who's better after a competition. Some people might not have reached the level we imagined. The definitive answer still needs to be learned through practice."
"That's right."
Song Ming also laughed. At this moment, someone suddenly said, "Look, someone else is coming."
Everyone immediately turned around to look.
Sure enough, another bus appeared.
No, more than one.
There were several more cars following behind.
Contestants from major cities were picked up one after another.
Soon, the buses approached.
People got out of the cars parked around.
Not the contestants, but their team leaders.
These people also started talking to the people in the association as soon as possible.
Waited for a while again.
Gradually, the area was filled with parked cars.
But buses are actually a minority, and most of them are passenger vans.
There were only a few people sitting in these vans.
After getting off the bus, the leaders of these cities quickly completed the on-site registration with the association’s staff.
Although there are many people, the association's efficiency is not bad at all.
After quickly completing the necessary tasks, a middle-aged man in the association's uniform stepped forward and spoke in a voice tinged with magic, "Young contestants, we sincerely welcome you to represent your respective cities and come to the Jiangcheng Association to participate in this National Freshman Exchange Competition. Without further introduction, let's head to the dedicated venue for this competition."
After he finished speaking, a dazzling golden light suddenly appeared on his hand.
Under the shining golden light, before anyone could react, the lake water in front of them suddenly began to fluctuate violently.
The water surface was constantly undulating, and in the midst of these undulations, an astonishing scene appeared.
The lake water, with the center of the lake as the boundary, surged towards both sides in vain.
It was as if a powerful force was pushing the lake water away.
The empty part was not the bottom of the lake after the water was gone, but a deep darkness.
If you look at it for a few more seconds, it seems like you will fall into endless darkness.
The lake water surged more and more wildly.
In the end, two water walls rising into the sky were piled up on both sides!
In the middle, there is a large area of darkness.
"Coolie~"
Through the darkness, Chestnut Ball quickly sensed that a force was about to explode.
Verification comes quickly.
Suddenly, Lin You felt that he seemed to be floating up.
To be precise, it is the vehicle that is floating up!
This is indeed the case, and it can be easily seen through the windshield.
The bus floated up instantly, and then flew towards the dark lake as if being pulled.
The same goes for the rest of the vehicles.
A spectacular scene appeared.
In mid-air, a large number of vans mixed with some buses were floating in the air.
Then, it quickly merged into the lake.
Vehicles disappeared in large numbers, and in the blink of an eye, they were all gone.
After the contestants were sent in, the middle-aged man waved his hand, and the towering water walls on both sides suddenly gushed out a ball of water.
The two water balls flew towards the center at the same time and soon collided with each other.
Gurgle, gurgle!
The sound of bubbles surging was heard, and the two water balls suddenly merged into a huge water ball.
The water ball followed the middle-aged man's will, flew towards this side, and quickly swallowed up the remaining people.
The team leaders were no longer surprised, and some of the familiar ones started chatting calmly.
This huge water ball, carrying them, also flew into the darkness.
…
After taking a ride on the 'flying bus', my vision went dark for a few seconds. When the light came back, the feeling of floating still remained.
Looking through the windshield, sure enough, it was still in the air, even higher, shoulder to shoulder with the clouds.
At this moment, the bus was landing quickly and steadily.
Not only their car, but there were also speeding cars everywhere around them.
Lin You admired the scenery quietly. It was quite nice.
Looking at the clouds, my mood seemed to become much more relaxed and gentle.
It’s a pity that I couldn’t see the beautiful scenery often.
Soon, the height from the ground was less than 20 meters.
Looking down from the car window, a vast expanse of sand came into view.
Seeing this scene, someone asked in surprise, "Are we going to duel here? This place doesn't seem to be very convenient for setting up a duel protection mechanism, right? Could it be that we're going to play for real this time? A duel in the wild!"
“Not likely.”
A contestant from one of the top ten universities shook his head. "Outdoor duels have too many restrictions. You have to be careful and measured when you're dueling. Otherwise, if you accidentally kill someone, who's to blame? Would the Association really allow us to be so ruthless? If we don't use ruthlessness, it's fine in crushing matches, but in evenly matched battles, you really have to be cautious."
"Who knows?"
Suddenly, someone snorted coldly, "Maybe they really are that cruel?"
Hearing this, everyone was slightly startled and couldn't help but look at the person who spoke sitting in the back row.
Zou Xiang!
Zou Xiang, who had been feeling depressed for a long time, sneered again when he saw many people looking at him: "What are you looking at? Do you think I'm talking nonsense? Do you think this can't happen?"
"What a joke! Perhaps the association is planning to train a pack of wolves this year? Otherwise, why would they notify the entire country of training this year? Normally, would such a major decision be made so abruptly?"
Someone couldn't help but say, "Don't be alarmist. This decision is a good one. It will greatly benefit us newcomers. Besides, it's not just us. The veterans who will follow will also have their own training camps. There's no bias, so it wouldn't be surprising if the decision was made any year. We're just lucky that it happened this year."
Zou Xiang said calmly, "What you said is possible, but who can guarantee that what I said will not happen?"
“…”
The man was speechless after hearing this. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "No matter how you think about it, it's impossible. People could die, even more than one or two. Can we expect the contestants to exercise self-control? When the battle gets intense, sometimes there's no time to think about these things. Even worse, they might use the competition as a pretext to deliberately kill some enemies. Although the probability of this is also very low, in short, once the restrictions are removed, chaos is inevitable!"
"Is it impossible?"
At this time, someone snorted again. Deng Zhuo said indifferently, "From what has happened in recent years, I think the association is showing signs of taking measures in this regard. Maybe this year is just a buffer, but in the next three to five years, things will be hard to say."
"What could have happened recently? Hasn't everything been peaceful?"
Deng Zhuo sneered and shook his head as if at the other party's stupidity.
The man was about to question him when Song Ming, after a moment's silence, said, "Recent years haven't been peaceful. Just in Jiangcheng, I think you all haven't forgotten the Dark Duelist raid half a year ago, right?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone suddenly realized that this was the reason!
Because the school did not take any confidentiality measures, the impact of that incident was actually quite significant.
Not only the local people in Jiangcheng, but almost everyone in the country has heard of it.
However, the subsequent crackdown measures taken by the Jiangcheng Association were properly handled and saved Jiangcheng's reputation in a timely manner.
The outside world is mostly applauding this. The fact that such a hidden dark force was wiped out in a lightning-fast manner fully demonstrates Jiangcheng's powerful strength and its firm attitude of never tolerating the arrogance of any dark force.
But now, the re-emergence of Song Ming's past events has made some people feel vaguely uneasy.
On the surface, that incident ended with Jiang Cheng eradicating the problem completely and achieving a complete victory, but the actual situation was not something that the general public could easily know.
Could it be that what Deng Zhuo and Zou Xiang said was because of this hidden unstable factor?
Just as he was thinking, Song Ming said, "It's not just this. Haven't you noticed that in recent years, news of secret realm fluctuations has become more frequent? Even last year, Jiangcheng experienced such a secret realm fluctuation. At that time, a rare Black Star Secret Realm monster appeared, which also became a big news that shocked the world."
"That seems to be the case..."
"Why do I feel a little scared when I hear you say this?"
The person who initially raised the question also paused for a moment, then said with some difficulty, "Not really. The increase in these figures may be related to the increase in the number of secret realms developed by the association in recent years. It may have caused some backlash, but it's not as serious as you say."
"It's just a guess, actually."
Song Ming explained, "Only the association knows the actual situation. No matter how much we analyze, it's just a possibility. But what I want to say is that there's no need to eliminate some bad possibilities. Even if the probability is low, it still exists."
"Well, you're right."
That person also gave up. At this point, even he himself was a little shaken, and more thoughts came to his mind.
The atmosphere inside the car also became a bit solemn.
But there were also many people who remained calm and didn't even care at all.
Lin You is one of them.
He is too lazy to think about or analyze these so-called crises.
Let’s not talk about whether it is far away or not. Even if it is close at hand, what can he do now?
Are you always worried and nervous?
That would only bring trouble to yourself.
All he was thinking about now was the immediate matter of winning the championship of this competition.
Seek more benefits for yourself and continue to strengthen yourself.
Strictly speaking, this is actually the best solution to any possible crisis.
Bang!
A sound was heard, and then a series of sounds erupted around.
Many flying cars fell to the ground with a loud bang!
The moment it landed, Lin You and others felt that the bus, which had been stable in the air before, was now fluctuating violently.
Immediately afterwards, a distorted, blurry white light flashed in the field of vision.
After the white light disappeared, everyone had already stepped onto the sand, and the bus... just disappeared out of thin air!
Looking around again, all the vehicles had disappeared.
Thousands of people gathered on the endless sand.
If nothing unexpected happens, he will be a contestant like Lin You and the others.
The imagined opening ceremony of the competition did not come. As soon as it started, everyone was suddenly placed on this empty sand.
Only the bleak and cold wind keeps me company.
After a brief silence, a heated discussion broke out in the vast sandy area.
"What does this mean? Is this the venue for the competition? Also, does this mean that we can start the competition right away without any pre-match briefing or anything like that?"
"Why do I have a bad feeling? Is this going to be a big brawl? That would be unlucky. I might be able to win a few one-on-one fights, but I feel like I'll die miserably in a brawl."
"Not really. Wouldn't a chaotic fight easily lead to the formation of cliques? Who would be able to defeat the people from the Magic City and the Imperial City then?"
"You're all thinking about the competition mode, am I the only one wondering where this place is? We came in from that lake, how magical!"
"You're surprised by something you haven't seen before. The Association has all sorts of resources. Not only could they get us in from the lake, they could even flush a toilet. It's just a vehicle for their power."
"Fuck you, can you stop talking so disgustingly?"
"Disgusting? I'm glad I didn't mention the cesspool."
"vomit--!!"
Discussions were heard one after another. Lin You, who was in the crowd, looked around and chuckled, "I don't know which city these contestants are from. There's no symbolic labeling or anything like that."
Xia Mu smiled and said, "No matter what, it's probably not hard to guess who will remain until the end. It will be those people. According to past years, the newcomers from the Imperial Capital and the Magic City can at least take the top five spots. Generally speaking, they can even take the top eight spots. In extreme cases, they can even take the top ten spots. This has happened more than once or twice."
"Then this year we will break this outrageous situation."
Deng Yuxin suddenly rushed over and said confidently, "Let's not talk about other cities. We, Jiangcheng, must occupy at least three of the top ten spots this year!"
“Ahem…”
When these words were spoken, many contestants from Jiangcheng felt ashamed.
Girl, are you serious?
Do you know what this means?
Top ten? In these years in Jiangcheng, not to mention three, there hasn't even been one top ten contestant. How dare you ask that!
Where does this confidence come from?
Just because you ranked third in the training camp?
Well, this third place is still quite valuable.
But the key is... you have trained, and others have trained too, and the training they received is likely to be of higher quality.
If nothing unexpected happens, this year's Emperor and Demon duo will be better than previous years, and the possibility of them occupying the top ten will greatly increase!
Although Jiang Cheng is indeed strong this year, if we really have to say who has a chance to compete for the top ten, besides Lin You, it would be Du Zhizhong, right?
Especially Lin You... Never mind, with his incredible training results, he might really be able to break into the top ten this year.
That’s awesome!
These contestants are quite impressed with Lin You.
The stronger you are, the more you can appreciate Lin You’s extraordinary talent.
Xia Mu didn't make fun of her, but just chuckled and said, "I hope so. Maybe this year, we can really see some different scenery."
"Not maybe, definitely!"
Deng Yuxin is still full of confidence.
Everyone was too weak to complain, but at this moment, Xiao Yi said calmly, "Before the fight, some people's confidence is already worse than a girl's?"
Those who were familiar with him knew that he was implicitly criticizing Xia Mu.
But at this moment, many people felt that they were "hit" and seemed a little embarrassed.
It’s not that we are not confident. No matter how confident we are, it has to be based on reality. What’s the point of telling lies with open eyes?
Deng Yuxin didn't think Xiao Yi was speaking up for her. Instead, she looked at him unhappily, "What's wrong with girls? Girls have the most confidence!"
“…”
Xiao Yi was choked with words.
Seeing him like this, Lin You couldn't help but laugh.
I didn't expect that this idiot would end up like this. He was left speechless by the girl.
Inexplicably funny.
Even Xia Mu couldn't help but chuckle when he saw this scene.
Xiao Yi raised his brows slightly when he noticed this, but soon he forced them back down and returned to his serious expression.
He said nothing and acted as if nothing had happened.
As they were talking, there was suddenly a commotion at the scene.
"Fuck, guys, look up in the sky!"
"What is that... What a huge water ball!"
"Huh? Why do I see our team leader in the water ball?"
"Really... ours is here too, with a driver!"
"They are all here. The people from the association outside are also here."
After noticing this, someone laughed and said, "Looks like we're finally getting down to business. I was saying it, with such a big event, how could the association just abandon us to this barren wasteland?"
But soon, someone said with a subtle expression, "Why do I feel that the water ball doesn't seem to be approaching us, but rather moving away?"
When these words were spoken, many people's expressions froze slightly, and after observing for a while, they became even more confused.
Really gone!
Yes, that huge water ball flew away quickly over their heads in front of thousands of people without stopping at all.
Obviously, it is unreliable to expect those people to explain the current situation.
After a while, the water ball completely disappeared.
On the sand, thousands of contestants, most of them looked confused.
Of course, there are also many people who think about the reasons.
I think the association did this for a purpose.
Regarding the Jiangcheng contestants, Song Ming was a little uncertain: "Perhaps, the competition has already begun. The content of the assessment..."
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Should we chase after that water ball? If so, we can gain a considerable advantage if we act sooner."
"Chasing water balls?"
Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Are you sure he is not talking nonsense?
But why do I feel that there is some truth to it?
Even Lin You felt that this was indeed possible, but he was not in a hurry to act.
There's no need to panic just because of this possibility.
Even if Song Ming guessed it right, it would not be difficult for him to come out on top.
There are more than one or two people who hold this idea.
Song Ming, who made the guess, thought so too and was not in a hurry to act.
The speculation I made just now was just an analysis I made when I was bored.
On the sand, many people had their own ideas and were analyzing the current situation.
But no matter how much they speculated, in the end, no one took action.
However, some people tried to summon flying monsters.
The purpose is simple, to see far and wide!
But after observing for a while, these people found nothing.
Thousands of people were stuck on the sand like this. After a while, there was a sudden sound of explosion in the air.
The next moment, a young man with his eyes closed suddenly appeared in the sky.
His appearance instantly attracted everyone's attention.
Someone noticed the pitch-black uniform he was wearing, on which was faintly embroidered a dark red emblem.
"Who is this? Is he also a member of the association? Why is his uniform black..."
"Is this the point? Can't you see what he's doing now? Walking on air! He's not relying on the monster's abilities, but pure magic power. Magic power is floating in the air. This is an absolutely powerful person!"
"This uniform, aside from the color, seems similar in style to the association's white uniform. Could it be an upgraded version? Some of the higher-ranking members of the association wear this kind of uniform?"
"It's possible, but never mind. Looking at the situation, at least we don't have to stand here stupidly any longer."
As the contestants were talking about this, the young man in the sky suddenly opened his eyes.
In an instant, a few strands of dark red flowed out.
A pair of dark red eyes gazed down at the contestants. After a moment, he said calmly, "To make a long story short, I am the examiner for the first round of your competition. I will be responsible for selecting the students who will advance to the subsequent rounds. For all losers, your individual competition journey this year... ends here."
The voice was very cold, but it still reached everyone's ears clearly.
Everyone was surprised to hear this.
Did the game really start so hastily, without any foreplay?
But there are also people who like this model.
Don't listen to that nonsense, just get straight to the point.
But some people wondered with some amusement, is there really no foreplay, or most people don’t have the chance to enjoy this foreplay at all?
At this moment, Lin You chuckled at the Jiangcheng crowd and said, "It seems like they think there are too many people and plan to go through a few rounds of screening to eliminate a large number of them first? How ruthless."
"It's just a way to save trouble."
Deng Zhuo said this calmly, and Xiao Yi also said calmly: "Otherwise, you will have to play house with some useless kids. It's right to shut them up in advance."
"You are so ruthless."
Lin You smiled. "This is the only national freshman exchange competition we'll ever get to see. Even if it doesn't work out, adding a little more drama won't be a big deal, right?"
Xia Mu smiled and said, "People should be more tolerant, but it seems that the association is not going to be tolerant this time."
Not far away, Deng Yuxin muttered, "It seems the first round of assessment won't be a direct duel. What do you think? Is it possible to use some alternative assessment method?"
"What?"
Some people looked at her curiously.
Deng Yuxin thought for a moment and said, "For example... a cute pet competition!"
"puff……"
Everyone almost choked, but Lin You laughed, thinking about why the girl would say that.
If she were to formulate the content of the competition, something like this would definitely happen.
Maybe a pure cute pet competition is not reliable, but if we add some competitive factors, plus an elimination mechanism, and think more about it and integrate it, it may not be impossible.
At this moment, they were not the only ones guessing the content of the assessment. Contestants from various cities also had some ideas about it.
Soon, high in the sky, the young man said calmly, "Silence."
It was still a very plain sentence, without even the slightest emphasis.
But the moment this voice reached everyone's ears, almost all the contestants present were shocked!
It was as if my heart was hit hard by something.
Lin You raised his eyebrows slightly. The voice just now seemed to have touched the sea of his soul.
It swayed for a moment, but was soon swallowed up.
The force of the touch was obviously not great, but with just a casual word, and from a great distance, it caused such an impact... It was really scary!
What a ruthless guy!
Lin You's heart also moved, but he was not too surprised.
After all, this person is the examiner of the National Freshman Exchange Competition and is obviously from the General Association!
It’s no surprise that the people sent by the Duelist Association headquarters are so powerful.
The entire desert became quiet in an instant, with only the cold wind still blowing.
Soon, the young man's voice came again. "Now, let me announce what you will do in this round of assessment. It's very simple. Begin your actions upon hearing my command. You are allowed to cross this sandy land in any way you want, but this is limited to individuals. Any card aid to others will be considered a foul. Each foul will be accumulated until the end of the competition. If you have three fouls, you will be eliminated."
"At the end of this sand, the next round of examiners will be waiting for you."
The moment the words fell, everyone understood.
The assessment was quite straightforward, requiring them to cross the sand under their own power.
This matter may sound easy, but no one will underestimate it.
Who knows what kind of monster will appear in front of this sandy land.
Although it doesn't seem like there is any crisis at the moment, isn't this just the starting point?
The assessment for the national competition will obviously not be easy!
At this moment, everyone couldn't help but whisper.
On Lin You's side, someone couldn't help but analyze: "I think that the sandy area ahead may not be a problem on the surface, but there may be big trouble in the dark!"
"You mean...underground?"
Someone immediately understood and nodded, "That's right, the crisis will definitely not be exposed openly. If that were the case, passing the test would be a piece of cake. Think about it, there are so many of us. Even if the examiner forbids mutual assistance, the restriction only applies to assistance other than monsters!"
"But in reality, if we really start going out, the monsters can help cover us a bit, or even not cover us, and everyone's monsters can just crush us together. Isn't that a kind of alliance?"
"That makes sense. The crisis must have originated from somewhere in the dark, catching everyone off guard!"
In the dark?
Listening to their analysis, Lin You felt it made sense, but he was not worried.
Based on the little guy's perception, the attack in the dark may not be concealed.
This place is not like the underworld, it has its own sensory shielding!
Here, Chestnut Ball's perception ability can function normally.
Of course, this is an assessment arranged by the association. Perhaps the concealment itself is extremely strong... so strong that even Chestnut Ball can be easily fooled.
But it’s not a big problem. When the enemy comes, we will fight him with our soldiers; when the water comes, we will block it with earth. Just do it and it will be done!
Just as he was thinking about this, Lin You suddenly felt an inexplicable chill in his heart.
Then, the people who were whispering to each other also discovered something, stopped discussing, and looked up into the sky.
There, a rich red light was shining.
As a result, a terrifying aura began to rise!
Just by feeling this breath, everyone felt so depressed that they couldn't speak, and their thoughts came to a sudden halt!
"roar!"
A low and extremely intimidating dragon roar suddenly resounded through the sky.
High in the sky, the red light faded, and a huge figure appeared!
That's a dragon!
A black dragon with a pitch-black body and distinct bones!
The most striking feature of this black dragon is its pair of dark red eyes that are filled with coldness, domineering power, and a sense of devouring!
It seems that if you are stared at by it, you will suffer a devastating disaster!
This cold black dragon, waving its huge black wings, dominates the sky!
The moment they saw the black dragon, all the contestants were shocked!
This, this, this... this is—
A legendary monster, one of the most powerful Red Star monsters—
True red-eyes black dragon!
…
Although they were shocked, after the shock, everyone began to think about another serious problem.
Examiner, just give the test, why are you releasing this legendary monster at this time?
Obviously, this action is not meaningless, and it is even more unlikely that it is simply to show off one's own awesomeness.
Doesn’t that mean…
At this moment, everyone thought of one thing in tacit understanding.
Cardiac arrest!
