"May I challenge now?"
The moment these words were spoken, the surroundings erupted.
"I want to go first!"
"Damn, how are you guys so fast? I want to go too!"
The crowd's enthusiasm was instantly ignited, and their target was clearly Li Chonglou. In their eyes, Li Chonglou was like water waiting to be scooped up. Even if he couldn't hold the arena after defeating them, he could at least earn a point. Where else could they find such a good deal?
The staff on stage seemed to have anticipated this, calmly stating, "Please remain calm, everyone. I will register the targets you wish to challenge. The one with the most intended challengers will become the first defender of the arena. The remaining nine will have other arenas opened for them to challenge simultaneously."
This statement seemed fine to others, but Li Chonglou immediately sensed something amiss.
If ten people were to defend the arena simultaneously, why bother with the concept of a "first defender"? This was clearly not for him.
Li Chonglou had a vague guess of Ge Nixiao's intentions and couldn't help but feel a touch of helplessness.
"It's a shame I can't find anyone now."
Li Chonglou sighed inwardly. His intention was obvious: to build momentum for him and give him the spotlight at every turn. For anyone else, this would indeed be a great opportunity to showcase themselves, but Li Chonglou didn't see it that way.
Although he had also decided not to hold back, he hadn't intended to become so high-profile all at once.
Fortunately, he had made his decision beforehand, otherwise, he wouldn't just be feeling helpless now; he'd be downright frustrated.
Meanwhile, the staff quickly sent another person with a pen and paper to register information. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of people chose Li Chonglou, with only a few confident individuals opting for members of the Ghost Team.
Seeing the burning gazes from the crowd, Li Chonglou quietly found Yilong and whispered in his ear, "What if I intentionally lose the match later? And then use a resurrection token to come back up?"
Yilong's eyes held a complex expression as he narrowed them and said, "Are you that confident, kid?"
Naturally, he was. Li Chonglou nodded seriously. If it weren't for his senior brother, he would have made his own decision long ago.
Since his senior brother remained in the Dark Division, there must be something worth remembering for him here.
Li Chonglou couldn't give him much else, but if it came to rankings within the Dark Division, he could still strive for them.
However, Yilong understood Li Chonglou's naturally low-key nature at this point and knew why he was thinking this way. He then said, "You don't actually need to lose intentionally. It's only three matches in total, and they won't all be高手 (gāoshǒu - experts), will they?"
Li Chonglou instantly understood his meaning.
He froze for a moment, then it dawned on him.
That's right. According to the rules, a defender only needed to win three matches to directly advance to the next round. Although everyone's attention was on him now, who could guarantee that all three opponents would be experts?
In that case, even if he won three matches in a row, it wouldn't be considered too ostentatious!
After coming to this realization, Li Chonglou became at ease and no longer paid attention to the constant burning gazes directed at him.
However, he overlooked one point.
Under normal circumstances, the probability of encountering true experts in three consecutive matches was indeed not high, given that there were at least twenty or so people who had applied to challenge him simultaneously. But the situation had not been normal from the very beginning.
After all, if it had been a normal progression, he wouldn't have reached this stage, a newcomer managing to break into the top ten.
Half an hour passed quickly.
Apart from another member of the Ghost Team who had also requested a challenge, the other eight individuals on the leaderboard did not ascend their respective arenas.
Everyone gathered around the arena where Li Chonglou was, until he stepped onto it.
"First challenger, Bo Qiang."
The staff member quickly read out the name. However, the moment he finished speaking, both Li Chonglou and Bo Qiang were stunned.
"It's him?"
Li Chonglou immediately recognized Bo Qiang as the bald man, but he hadn't expected him to challenge him.
Even more unexpected was Bo Qiang himself.
"What the heck! When did I say I wanted to challenge? Damn it, am I out of my mind?"
Bo Qiang was immediately agitated, especially seeing Li Chonglou's gaze fixed on him. He couldn't dodge fast enough, how could he possibly initiate a challenge!
Just as he was anxiously about to step forward to question the staff, Yan Gui on the side suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No need to ask. I registered you."
"?"
Bo Qiang stared blankly at Yan Gui, his face full of confusion.
"Bo Qiang! Some things, once they become your inner demon, you must overcome them, conquer them! Even if you fail, you must have the courage to face them! This is what a true warrior should possess!"
Yan Gui spoke word by word, his eyes fixed on Bo Qiang with an irrefutable gaze, giving him no room to back out.
Bo Qiang immediately forced a smile, "Captain, do I really seem as weak as you imagine? I understand what you're saying, but..."
"Since you understand, there's no 'but'! This time, I won't allow you to flinch. If you dare to refuse the challenge or surrender directly, then you'll sever ties with the Ghost Team from now on!"
After delivering his final sentence, Yan Gui waved his hand and turned to look at Li Chonglou on the stage, clearly giving him no opportunity to negotiate.
Alas... Bo Qiang sighed deeply.
He knew Yan Gui was doing this for his own good, so he no longer argued, but silently walked onto the stage.
Li Chonglou, who had been watching this unfold, now understood why Bo Qiang was his first challenger. As Bo Qiang stepped onto the stage, he raised an eyebrow slightly and said softly.
"Long time no see."
Long time no see, my foot. It's only been two or three days, and honestly, it would be best if we never met again.
Bo Qiang grumbled inwardly, not responding to Li Chonglou's greeting, and instead said directly, "You heard what I just said, right? I won't say any more nonsense. You should understand."
The people below the stage exchanged glances. "Holy crap, it's someone he knows again?"
"How many people does this guy know?"
"Why don't I know him?"
If Li Chonglou were an old-timer from Iron Lin, they wouldn't find it strange. After all, they could almost recite the names of everyone present.
But the problem was that Li Chonglou's identity was that of a newcomer. How long had this batch of newcomers been here?
And he already knew everyone from various strongholds, and even knew people from the Ghost Team?