CHAPTER 296: CHAPTER 295, GAME OF SURVIVAL?_1

Inside the villa.

Jiang Chen looked at his sister and laughed. "Jiang Qiu, show me your equipment."

"What ’Jiang Qiu’? Show some respect and remember to call me ’Sister’."

This kid had gotten bold, daring to call her by her name now. Jiang Qiu still displayed her equipment for him to see. Jiang Chen glanced at it—Level 50 Silver-grade equipment.

What the heck is this trash? he thought. There’s only one piece of Gold Level Equipment. Such equipment is simply an eyesore!

Jiang Qiu teased, "What, are you planning to replace it with a Level 100 Legendary Set for me?"

They all laughed. They knew Jiang Chen owned a customized Level 100 Legendary Set—a privilege reserved only for the Sons of God. Ordinary people simply didn’t have access to such things. Unless one received approval from the Alliance of All-Gods, only then could they qualify for customization. To earn the approval of the Alliance of All-Gods, one had to make significant contributions—slaying one million Heroes on the battlefield, for instance—just to stand a chance.

Alice nodded. "Now that we’ve all reached the Second-stage, we should indeed update our gear."

"The attributes of Second-stage monsters are getting stronger. Without better equipment, it’s tough to keep up."

"Shall we go check out the store?"

Jiang Qiu shook her head. "Let’s not bother. Stores are just places to get ripped off, and their item attributes aren’t that great. We should save up money gradually and then buy equipment to slowly replace our current gear."

Jiang Chen said, "Don’t worry about the equipment. I’ll get you a set."

"How? By buying them?"

"I’m planning to participate in the Genius Tournament. The first prize is a Level 100 Legendary Set."

They all widened their eyes.

Participating in the Genius Tournament?

They were all aware of this. The Alliance of All-Gods had already released detailed information: participating in the Genius Tournament could earn one Legendary Equipment, customized no less. The news had shaken the Xileruo World. Many people were eager to try, as these were privileges usually enjoyed only by the Sons of God. Innumerable candidates had signed up for the preliminaries, and it became a hot topic among Heroes.

They also understood that with Jiang Chen’s strength, he truly qualified to compete in the Genius Tournament and even win it.

Alice and the other four were quite envious. Why don’t I have such a wonderful younger brother? they thought.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qiu said, "It’s very dangerous."

"Don’t worry. I can stop the Underworld Clan’s army of a million. Anyone below the Third-stage is no match for me," Jiang Chen said, not taking it to heart at all.

Alice nodded, though a hint of worry touched her. "Jiang Chen, I feel like this Genius Tournament organized by the Underworld Clan is probably set up just for you."

"How so?"

"You stopped the Underworld Clan’s million-strong army, so they definitely don’t want to see you rise. This is their way of nipping you in the bud. They will undoubtedly find an opportunity to deal with you."

Hearing Alice’s words, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Hmm, that’s indeed a possibility."

"After the battle, the Underworld Clan immediately started the Genius Tournament. It’s very likely targeted at you."

"Looks like little brother has become a thorn in their side."

As Alice and the others voiced their concerns, Jiang Qiu grew even more worried. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Chen chuckled. "I’m not worried at all. The Underworld Clan is nothing to me."

"Caution is still the best policy."

Three days passed quickly, and the preliminaries officially began.

All who participated in the preliminaries were transported into a small world. The preliminaries weren’t one-on-one duels. As soon as the top one hundred contestants emerged, the preliminaries would end.

**Preliminaries**

**Number of Contestants:** 35,439,821

**Location:** Preliminary World

**Rules:** The area for the preliminaries will continuously shrink. If contestants fail to enter the Barrier area within the unspecified time, poison gas will be released, and the Heroes will be eliminated.

Jiang Chen read the preliminary rules. Battle royale? he thought. I’m good at this!

Jiang Chen checked his location immediately.

**Preliminary World**

**Time until the end:** 29:59:59

**Instruction:** Contestants must immediately enter the Barrier area...

The Preliminary World was vast. To prevent people from hiding, contestants were eliminated by the shrinking Barrier and poison gas, making it easier to determine the top one hundred.

Isn’t this just a modern version of a battle royale? he mused. Except there are no firearms, no AKMs.

Jiang Chen’s luck was a bit poor; he had appeared at the very edge of the map. He had to enter the Barrier area within the specified time to proceed to the next stage of the competition.

As Jiang Chen was transported into the Preliminary World, over thirty million Heroes also arrived, appearing randomly all over the map.

Jiang Chen activated Sky Flashing Mode and Tian Gang Sword Body Mode. He decided against using Wan Jian Gui Clan for now and activated Heavenly Ruler Dragon Mode instead.

Jiang Chen rushed towards the Barrier area. Along the way, he saw many other Heroes also racing towards it. They began to slaughter each other.

While Jiang Chen was running, a Hero spotted him and called out, "Hey dude, want to team up? Form a temporary alliance?"

Jiang Chen glanced over. He nodded and said, "Sure."

Then, a streak of Sword Qi shot out, instantly felling the Hero.

The Hero, enveloped in white light, stared at Jiang Chen in disbelief. No honor! We agreed to team up, and you actually killed me? What the hell?

Jiang Chen laughed. Team up? he scoffed internally. I’m the goddamn king of solo kills! Why would I need to team up with you?

Heroes kept appearing around him, but Jiang Chen simply charged forward, slaughtering everyone in his path. The battle wasn’t confined to the ground; the sky was also a scene of brutal combat. Giant Dragons roared, and various kinds of Magic lit up the sky.

As Jiang Chen charged ahead, a Dragon Knight in the air spotted him and dove. The Giant Dragon roared, but then a flash of white light enveloped the Dragon Knight, and he was gone.

Dare to ambush me? Jiang Chen thought. Who gave you the nerve?

Jiang Chen continued on his way and quickly reached the Barrier area. With nothing better to do, he found the highest mountaintop and settled there, observing the surrounding battle from above.

Such a pity I don’t have a 98K right now, he mused. Otherwise, it’d be one shot, one kill. Right... I don’t have a 98K, but I do have Wan Jian Gui Clan’s Skill. Its maximum range is 1,000 meters. Hmm, that seems even better than a 98K.

At this thought, Jiang Chen chuckled. Wan Jian Gui Clan...

**Preliminary World**

**Time Remaining:** 24:59:59

A warrior was sprinting across the ground, constantly vigilant of his surroundings. Suddenly, white light enveloped him, leaving the warrior baffled. What’s going on? Was I ambushed? Who was it?

A team of five, coordinating their advance, was attempting to reach the Barrier’s interior. Suddenly, they too were enveloped in white light and vanished.

The people nearby immediately hid.

"Who the hell is doing these sneak attacks? Does anyone know?"

"How did these guys disappear out of nowhere? It must be a hidden assassin."

"There are no assassins. I’m an Archer with the Hidden Eye Skill, and I didn’t detect any enemy."

"It must be a Super Long-ranged Attack class, a Sharpshooter! That guy is hiding somewhere, ambushing us."

"Damn it! If I find out who it is, I’ll eliminate him for sure!" No sooner had he finished speaking than a flash of white light enveloped him, and he vanished.

"Don’t stick your head out! This person is hiding up high. The moment you appear, you’ll be eliminated instantly!"

At that very moment, Jiang Chen stood on the highest peak. Another kill, he thought. That makes 500. My aim is still pretty good.

Not far away, a dozen or so Giant Dragons flew towards him. Jiang Chen extended his hands, forming them into the shape of pistols, and aimed at the oncoming dragons. Time to make some noise.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A dozen shots later, a dozen more kills were his.