The display screens above the ten arenas displayed the contestant numbers of each group. The various major powers had long since found out the contestants' numbers. As soon as the groups were released, they would immediately know the contestants' numbers through the system.
"Group Three and Group Five's list is amazing!"
"Isn't number 29 Falling Blossom, one of the Purple Thorns Kingdom's top ten Swordsmen?"
"Crap! Isn't number 1514 Piercing Language, the Swordsman who made it into the top 100 during the last ranking competition? "
…
When everyone saw the names displayed on the large screen, they began to discuss among themselves. Group 3 and Group 5 were the most popular because these two groups accounted for one-third of the players expected to make it into the top 100 of the competition. One could say that the competition was quite intense.
Inside a VIP room, Gentle Snow's expression darkened when she saw the group list.
Among Zhao Yueru's group of five, two had been assigned to Group Three, while the other three had been assigned to Group Five.
It wouldn't have been a big deal if they had more members in their own groups, but Group Three and Group Five had more experts than the other groups by a large margin. Among the various superpowers' newcomers, 23 were in Group Three, and 19 were in Group Five. These two groups had more than half the total number of newcomers the various superpowers had sent to the competition.
In addition, these two groups had over a dozen players from first-rate Guilds, as well as members from the various top adventurer teams. In total, these people accounted for roughly 90 slots. There were also the independent experts from the Black Dragon Empire and neighboring kingdoms. No one knew if a dark horse would appear among these two groups.
After all, this had happened many times in the previous ranking competitions. Some unknown experts had suddenly risen to prominence and made it into the top 100.
Group Three and Group Five were definitely death groups.
Most likely, aside from Zhao Yueru, the other four would be in danger. If they encountered seeded players or newcomers from superpowers, they'd most likely face a bitter battle.
Meanwhile, the overall ranking of Guilds depended on the number of players who made it into the ranking competition. Aside from the various superpowers, every Guild had five contestants. The more people a Guild had in the ranking competition, the better. Once the Guild had reached the final ranking, the Guild's total points would be calculated based on the Guild's ranking.
If only three of Crimson Castle's five players made it to the finals, the gap between the Guild and Crimson Castle wouldn't be easy to make up for. Not to mention, Crimson Castle had two Flowing Water Realm experts. The Guild's ranking wouldn't be low.
"Relax. It shouldn't be a problem for everyone to qualify," Shifeng said, chuckling as he looked at Gentle Snow's worried expression.
While there were plenty of experts in Group Three and Group Five, Zhao Yueru and the others weren't weak, either. Not to mention, their weapons and equipment ranked among the best in God's Domain. They were even equipped with the All-rounded Device. Aside from Refinement Realm experts, there was no need to fear the others.
Gentle Snow was speechless as she looked at the incomparably calm Shifeng.
If it was just a normal competition, she wouldn't mind. It could be a good place for Zhao Yueru and the others to increase their combat experience. However, this competition was related to the development of Ling Yi's branch.
If she won, Ling Yi's branch would grow stronger. It could even contend with the Black Dragon Empire's five first-rate Guilds. However, if she lost, the consequences would be very awkward. After all, she was the one managing Ling Yi's branch. She didn't want the branch to fail.
While Shi Feng was conversing with Shi Feng, the matches on the ten stages had begun. The system's selection speed was very fast, and the list of matches appeared almost instantly. Meanwhile, the contestants displayed on the stage could start the match as long as they stepped onto the stage.
Group One: Number 4,187 VS Number 712!
Group Two: Number 1,714 VS Number 6,024!
Group Three: Number 584 VS Number 5,513!
…
Every spectator in the Underground Arena could see the matches on all ten stages simultaneously. Meanwhile, the large screen outside the Underground Arena would choose the most noteworthy match and broadcast it live. This way, every player on the street would be able to see it clearly.
"That Shield Warrior with the crimson shield is amazing! He only lost less than 10% of his HP after killing that Level 43 Berserker! "
"He is indeed amazing. The Shield Warrior either blocked or dodged all of the Berserker's attacks. His Defense is watertight. In terms of strength, that Shield Warrior should rank among the top 100 Shield Warriors."
…
The players sitting in the open-air bar outside the Underground Arena discussed the matches on the large screen as they drank.
Battles between players were very fast. Generally, the outcome of a match would be decided in less than a minute. Even if a match couldn't be decided, to save time, the match would be decided based on the percentage of HP each side had. Meanwhile, when ordinary players encountered an expert, the battle would end in less than 30 seconds.
As the matches ended, Fierce Snake, who was in Group Three, entered the stage. His opponent was a Level 45 Guardian Knight.
"That Berserker named Fierce Snake sure is unlucky. He's going up against Flaming Arm, the 37th ranked Guardian Knight, in his first match."
"I can only say that his luck is terrible. After Flaming Arm reached the 37th rank, Dragon Abyss, one of the top five adventurer teams in the Empire, recruited him. With Dragon Abyss's nurturing, his strength has increased by leaps and bounds. He'll definitely reach the top 30 in his class this time."
Due to Flaming Arm's appearance in Group Three, he attracted a lot of attention. After all, as the 37th ranked Guardian Knight in the Black Dragon Empire, Flaming Arm was definitely an expert. In a first-rate Guild, he could even serve as the main MT.
In terms of class, Guardian Knights had an advantage over Flaming Arm. The outcome of this match was self-evident.
"Hahaha! The Ling YI Society is off to a bad start. They're going to lose their first match." Crimson Castle smiled faintly as he glanced at Fierce Snake.
There were only 30 matches for each participant in the preliminary round, and only the top 100 out of 640 participants would be selected. Based on past experience and the intense competition, even players who won 26 matches would be in danger. Normally, players needed to win 27 matches to qualify for the preliminary round. If they lost their first match, they'd have to win 27 of the next 29 matches. This was no small feat.
As for Fierce Snake's strength, Crimson Castle had a clear understanding of it. After all, the man was one of Ling Yi's Branch Guild's top-tier experts. Crimson Castle had done a lot of research on Fierce Snake, and Fierce Snake barely ranked among the 70th ranked Berserker class in the Black Dragon Empire. Normally, Fierce Snake would have no problems qualifying for the preliminary round. Unfortunately, there were too many experts participating in this competition.
Fierce Snake and Flaming Arm stared at each other on the stage of Group Three.
"It seems you're quite unlucky! You're facing me in your first match. How about it? Are you going to step down on your own, or do you need me to kick you out? "Flaming Arm chuckled as he looked at Fierce Snake.
Normally, experts would choose to forfeit their match against Fierce Snake, conserving their strength for the next match. If they lost even after using all of their trump cards, they would be at a disadvantage in the following matches. After all, the other participants had already seen through their trump cards. They would definitely think of ways to deal with Fierce Snake in the next match.
"Between the two of us, it's hard to say who is the unlucky one," Fierce Snake said with a smile.
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