CHAPTER 630: CHAPTER 265: THE MARTIAL TOURNAMENT OFFICIALLY BEGINS, ADVANCEMENT IMPOSSIBLE (2)

Xiao Cen: "I’m in group 102."

Upon hearing the group numbers, Xiao Hen shook his head in disappointment. There was nothing he could do; there were just too many groups in the Logging Realm here in Xia City. With 172 groups, it was indeed difficult for the four of them to end up in the same group.

But Xiao Lin and the others clearly didn’t share his thoughts.

The trio still believed that it must be intra-group competition. Not being placed in the same group meant the four brothers naturally wouldn’t have to compete against each other, which was a good thing.

The four of them quickly mingled with the crowd, passing through the iron gates of the Inner City, entering the Outer City.

Nearing seventy thousand people from Longyou were housed in temporary large wooden huts, so the Outer City’s buildings weren’t as dense as those in the Inner City. After passing through a small cluster of buildings, it became quite open, and they could soon see the city gates in the distance.

The moment they saw the city gates, everyone suddenly froze.

Near the gates, five massive square iron cages had been erected, towering unexpectedly, each estimated to be two hundred meters wide and twenty meters high.

The set-up inside the ten iron cages was similar, featuring rock-formed fake mountains, several half-cut massive trees, towering snow slopes, and very deep trenches and snow pits...

"What’s this for? Are we supposed to enter for free-for-all battles?"

"That’s likely it, a hundred-person melee, leaving only a few victors."

"Otherwise, why group us like this? It must be a melee."

"But we’re all equipped with weapons; how is victory determined?"

"Exactly, how do we know who’s been eliminated?"

"During last night’s grouping, they mentioned that you could bring your own weapons and armor, and even prepare medicine. For a hundred-person melee, there are bound to be casualties!"

.........

The sight of the iron cages sparked immediate discussion among the crowd.

Most people voiced their inner speculations directly;

Only a few, after pondering for a while, had flickering expressions, clearly seeing something yet intentionally keeping it to themselves.

Xiao Hen too was observing. After staring at the iron cages for a long time, his expression suddenly changed, as if he had figured something out.

He turned to find Xiao Lin and the others already starting to split up to locate their group teams. He quickly rushed forward to stop them.

"Ah Lin, wait a moment. I think I’ve figured it out..."

The three stopped at his call and gathered together.

With a serious expression, Xiao Hen lowered his voice and quickly instructed, "Once you’ve found your group, quickly get acquainted with the others. I suspect..."

"All contestants, you have one last hundred-breath time to return to your group. Anyone who hasn’t found their team by then will be eliminated unconditionally. Starting countdown now, 100...99...98...97..."

Xiao Hen wanted to say more, but the Camp Supply Department staff member overseeing the event from above the gate had already started the countdown.

He had no choice but to stop speaking, separate from Xiao Lin and the others, and find his own team.

Around the ten iron cages, numbered wooden signs were already erected, clearly indicating numbers from 1 to 172, which evidently corresponded to the group numbers, and many people were already standing under these signs.

Despite long-term exposure to harsh environments like the Ice Abyss, even without rigorous training, human organization is naturally strong, which is why the Camp Supply Department only allotted a hundred-breath time.

"10...9...8...7..."

Seventeen thousand people quickly formed into 172 small formations around the ten iron cages, aligned with those wooden numbered signs.

"3...2...1...Time’s up!"

With the countdown ending, no one was wandering on the plaza; everyone stood with their group.

"Good, not bad!"

Qiu Peng’s voice replaced the Camp Supply Department worker’s, stepping onto the city’s gate, first smiling and praising them.

As one of the Six Ministry Directors and one of the few Cold Resistance Level experts in the camp, Qiu Peng’s authority was recognized. As he spoke, over ten thousand people immediately fell silent, all looking up at the gate, quietly waiting for his next words.

"I know many of you have been inquiring over the past few days, trying to figure out the selection method for the pre-qualifiers. I specifically instructed everyone not to leak any information, so I can assure you that among the seventeen thousand here, and the fifteen thousand in the other five sub-arenas, not a single person knows the pre-selection method."

Qiu Peng, with a bit of self-satisfaction, glanced over the 172 formations below, a gleam in his eyes as he continued, "Weapons, armor, medicine... I’ve mentioned it last night, apart from your parents, you’re allowed to bring anything that enhances combat power."

"Hahaha..."

......

After Qiu Peng said this, a burst of laughter erupted from below.

Unlike the Earth-digging Realm, the Logging Realm contestants ranged from as young as nine to over twenty, with a vast age disparity.

This led many younger contestants to focus less on the competition itself, instead attempting to glean insights from their parents or have them exchange contribution values at the Camp Supply Department for weapons, armor, or medicine. In summary, there were various strategies, all hoping to pass the preliminaries by exploiting loopholes.

"I specifically instructed everyone not to leak any information."

When Qiu Peng said this, his face showed a smug confidence that the pre-selection method hadn’t been leaked, providing a subtle lesson to those hoping to take shortcuts.

Atop the city gate, Qiu Peng gestured for silence and, once the crowd settled, continued, "Alright, I see you’ve prepared your weapons, armor, and medicine well. Without further ado, I’ll directly announce today’s pre-selection method..."