14: Chapter 14 Resource Race Begins

The Jiang City Central Stadium, a steel behemoth capable of holding one hundred thousand people.

At this moment, it was filled with an energy mixed with hope, despair, and fanaticism.

The annual "Low-Level Deity Resource Competition" officially kicked off.

For the scions of the great families perched at the pinnacle of this city's pyramid, this was merely a boring gladiator show.

But for the thousands of low-level deities, this was the only opportunity in their lives to leap over the Dragon Gate.

A massive holographic screen floated above the stadium, scrolling through the profiles of every contestant.

Name, Talent Rank, Divine Kingdom civilization type... and a bloody set of odds jointly offered by the major black market casinos in the city.

"Look, that's Jiang Xun!"

Someone shouted, and in an instant, tens of thousands of gazes focused like searchlights onto a young man who had just walked into the arena.

He was wearing the most ordinary sportswear and a pair of black-rimmed glasses, looking just like a harmless student.

But the champion badge on his chest stung the eyes of many people present.

"E-Rank Talent? Is he that thief who got lucky and stole the championship from Young Master Li Ang?"

"I heard he's incredibly arrogant; he even tried to get into the Key Class, but Director Li Fu threw his application form into the trash in front of everyone!"

"Heh, look at his odds. One to three hundred. The bookies clearly don't think he can survive the group stage."

The murmurs came from all directions like a tidal wave, filled with jealousy, disdain, and a minority of admiration.

Jiang Xun turned a deaf ear to it all.

His gaze swept calmly across the arena.

Almost all the low-level deities of Jiang City were gathered here.

Most of them had numb expressions and dull eyes, their Divine Kingdoms stagnant due to a lack of resources, as if they had already accepted their fate.

But there were also those with flames of unwillingness burning in their eyes, clutching the life-determining entry tokens in their hands so tightly that their knuckles turned white.

Jiang Xun saw many familiar and unfamiliar civilization types.

Rough Goblin civilizations, weak Slime civilizations, and some even pinned their hopes on the ethereal Prayer civilization.

These were all his potential "resource packages."

Just then, the crowd suddenly stirred, automatically parting like Moses parting the Red Sea to clear a path.

Li Ang had arrived.

He was dressed in an expensive silk suit, but his face was as pale as paper; the aftereffects of having his Divine Kingdom plundered made him look incredibly weak.

Yet his eyes were as venomous as an evil ghost crawling out of Hell, locked tightly onto Jiang Xun.

Behind him followed two middle-aged men with bulging temples and an aura as steady as a mountain.

They were the Li Family guards, professional deities who had truly seen blood.

The whole arena went silent instantly.

If the previous taunts were just verbal sparring, then now, everyone could smell the real scent of something called "death."

Li Ang walked step by step to Jiang Xun.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze.

He leaned into Jiang Xun's ear and said, word by word, in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"This time, there are no assessment rules to protect you."

"After the competition, I will have my guards 'invite' you to have a cup of tea in my Family's dungeon."

"I will personally break every one of your bones, one by one."

After speaking, he straightened up, a twisted and morbid smile appearing on his face.

Jiang Xun didn't even turn to look at him.

He just replied calmly.

"Sure. I hope your guards are more durable than your Undead Knight."

Li Ang's smile froze on his face.

In the VIP box, Director Li Fu held a glass of red wine, looking down at the scene below with a cruel smile on his lips.

"An overestimating weed; does he really think that winning one school assessment means he can challenge a towering tree?"

A wealthy merchant beside him fawned, "Director Li Fu is right. The Director has already set up an inescapable net; even if this brat manages to walk off the arena today, he won't be walking out of this stadium."

Director Li Fu nodded with satisfaction, his gaze turning to the podium, as if he had already seen the scene of Jiang Xun being slaughtered.

Meanwhile, in the most inconspicuous corner of the stadium, in the shadows of the highest spectator stand.

A figure wearing a worn-out security guard uniform was carefully wiping an old military telescope with a dirty rag.

Lame Zhang.

He raised the telescope to his eyes, but the lens was not aimed at the center of attention, Jiang Xun, nor was it looking at the arrogant Li Ang.

Instead, he scanned the thousands of contestants one by one, slowly and carefully.

His eyes were as sharp as knives, as if trying to pierce through their skin and see the true essence of their Divine Kingdoms.

"The traitor from the Blood Wolf Group... where exactly are you hiding..."

His hoarse whisper dissipated into the noisy air.

"Attention, contestants! The group stage draw is about to begin!"

A massive roar echoed throughout the venue, and everyone's gaze was drawn to the giant holographic screen in the center.

Thousands of names began to scroll frantically, like a massive wheel of fate.

The atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

Every time it stopped, it meant the fate of dozens of people was decided.

"Group One, roster confirmed..."

"Group Two, roster confirmed..."

Soon, the wheel scrolled to Jiang Xun's name.

Everyone held their breath.

The cursor flashed and finally stopped.

On the screen, Jiang Xun's name lit up, and below it, three other names appeared.

"Wang Hu, C-Rank Rock Troll civilization, top eight in the last Resource Competition."

"Liu Qi, D-Rank Illusion civilization, known for his cunning, nicknamed 'Ghost Shadow'."

"Sun Jiao, C-Rank Twin Flower Demon civilization, her healing and poison attacks are extremely troublesome."

Whoosh—!

The whole arena exploded in an uproar!

"Group of Death! This is the real Group of Death!"

"Wang Hu is a notoriously crazy tank, Liu Qi's illusions can make people lose without even knowing it, and Sun Jiao is a hedgehog; whoever touches her is doomed!"

"It's over, this kid is dead for sure! Putting him in this group clearly means they want him out in the first round!"

Almost no one believed Jiang Xun could advance from this group.

Director Li Fu laughed in the VIP box, downing the red wine in his glass.

In the crowd, Li Ang looked at the group list on the big screen, the smile on his face becoming increasingly cruel and insane.

He looked up, across the vast distance, and silently mouthed something in Jiang Xun's direction.

The lip-sync was simple, only two words.

Go. Die.