52: Chapter 52 The Pre-Match Registration Showdown

The building of the Nanjiang City Deity Association was several times more grand than the one in Jiang City.

Above the dome, it wasn't a physical structure but a flowing star map constructed from divine power. Every shining star represented a famous and powerful deity from Jiangnan Province, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

Jiang Xun and Xu Qingran walked in side by side, while Old Baitou followed behind like an ordinary team teacher, leisurely looking around.

The hall was already bustling with noise.

Top geniuses from dozens of cities across Jiangnan Province were gathered here, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder as various powerful Divine Kingdom auras clashed.

In Jiang City, Xu Qingran, with her A-grade talent, could be called the 'Number One Genius,' but here, A-grade talent was merely the standard. There were even several exceptionally powerful auras that undoubtedly belonged to S-grade talent holders.

The title of 'Jiang City's Number One' seemed somewhat insignificant here.

Xu Qingran's expression was more solemn than ever before. She subconsciously leaned closer to Jiang Xun; the environment here made her feel immense pressure.

Jiang Xun, however, appeared very calm. He pushed up his thin-framed glasses, his sharp gaze sweeping over everyone present like a cool-headed historian examining samples of different civilizations.

In his eyes, these so-called geniuses were nothing more than living civilization databases.

That fellow with the slicked-back hair, dressed elegantly and surrounded by several people, had a Divine Kingdom aura smelling of fire and brimstone. It should be a Demon-type Civilization; his personality was likely tyrannical and arrogant, but easily provoked.

That girl in the corner, wiping a longsword alone with a cold temperament, had a Divine Kingdom aura as sharp as a blade. She belonged to a Sword Cultivator Civilization, with a firm will but possibly lacking flexibility.

While Jiang Xun was analyzing with interest, a sudden commotion broke out in the center of the hall.

A tall, handsome young man with an overbearing face was surrounded by a dozen geniuses like stars around the moon. He wore a silver-white combat suit engraved with complex mechanical patterns, and his Divine Kingdom aura was full of metallic coldness and the rhythm of energy.

"It's Li Wei from the Nanjiang Li Family! S-grade Mechanical Civilization! He's a favorite for the championship!"

"I heard he almost got a guaranteed spot last year. After preparing for another year, he's even more terrifying."

The surrounding discussions clearly reached Jiang Xun's ears.

Li Wei. It seemed the main player had appeared.

Jiang Xun's gaze fell on the man, and Li Wei seemed to sense something. His eyes swept through the crowd, finally resting briefly on Jiang Xun for a second, his gaze filled with undisguised contempt and killing intent.

It felt like he was looking at a bumpkin from some backwater town. However, Li Wei clearly had something more important to do at the moment—establish his authority.

His gaze turned toward a thin young man waiting in line for registration. The badge on the young man's chest read 'Donglin City Champion'.

"You, yes, you." Li Wei pointed at the young man, his chin slightly raised, speaking in a condescending tone, "B-grade talent, 'Bulwark Civilization'? A trash civilization like this can win a championship? Is Donglin City out of people?"

The young man named Chen Mo's face instantly flushed red. He clenched his fists and said angrily, "What do you mean!"

"What do I mean?" Li Wei acted as if he had heard a huge joke and laughed exaggeratedly, his followers joining in with boisterous laughter.

"I mean, trash should stay in the trash can, not come out to offend the eyes of important people."

Before his voice finished, a majestic divine pressure instantly erupted from Li Wei, like an invisible Mount Tai, pressing down heavily on Chen Mo!

Chen Mo let out a muffled groan, his legs going weak and his knees buckling uncontrollably, looking as if he were about to kneel in public. He desperately mobilized his Divine Kingdom's power, and a layer of earthy yellow light shield condensed in front of him. He struggled to hold on, his entire skeleton groaning under the unbearable burden.

The entire hall instantly fell silent. Everyone looked over, but no one dared to stand up for him. This was the show of authority from a top genius—cruel and direct.

"Interesting, you can still hold on a bit." Li Wei's smile turned cruel. He raised a finger, and a piercing beam of energy lit up at the tip. "I'll give you three seconds to get out yourself. Otherwise, I'll cripple your Divine Kingdom."

Chen Mo's eyes were filled with humiliation and indignation. He knew that if he truly knelt, his Dao heart would be destroyed.

But the pressure grew stronger and stronger, and his light shield was already covered in cracks.

Just then, a gentle voice spoke up.

"Excuse me, let me through, you're blocking the way."

Everyone looked toward the source of the sound and saw Jiang Xun standing innocently between Li Wei and Chen Mo, as if he were just an ordinary passerby trying to squeeze through the line to register.

With this interruption, the momentum Li Wei had gathered instantly dissipated.

The pressure on Chen Mo suddenly lightened. He stumbled back a few steps, gasping for air, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at Jiang Xun.

Li Wei's face instantly darkened. He slowly turned his head, staring at Jiang Xun, and said word by word, "You are Jiang Xun?"

"That's me." Jiang Xun nodded and pushed up his glasses. "Something the matter?"

"Very good." Li Wei laughed out of extreme anger. He withdrew his divine pressure and stopped looking at Chen Mo, because in his eyes, that waste was no longer worthy of his attention. He sized Jiang Xun up. "My cousin Li Ang, and the face of my Li Family, were trampled underfoot by you in Jiang City. I was originally thinking about how to slowly play you to death on the field, but I didn't expect you to be so eager to deliver yourself to my door."

"Oh," Jiang Xun's response was as flat as asking about the weather. "So? The teacher at the registration desk is about to get off work. I'm busy."

This attitude of being completely ignored made Li Wei angrier than any retort could.

He glared at Jiang Xun, just about to explode, when the hall's broadcast suddenly rang out.

"Attention all contestants, the tournament rules have been announced." A cold, mechanical electronic voice echoed through the hall. "This group stage will adopt the 'Hundred-Man Deserted Island' mode. One hundred contestants will be deployed to the virtual Divine Kingdom battlefield codenamed 'Realm of Oblivion.' Rankings will be determined by plundering others' points and killing virtual creatures. Within the battlefield, all forms of confrontation are encouraged. After the group stage ends, the top twenty in points will enter the knockout rounds."

As soon as the voice finished, the whole room was in an uproar.

These rules were practically encouraging the geniuses to kill each other!

The anger on Li Wei's face suddenly vanished, replaced by a grim smile. He looked around the hall and announced loudly, "Everyone, I, Li Wei, hereby announce the establishment of the 'Hunter Alliance'! Those willing to follow me to clean up the trash can stand by my side now! We can guarantee that alliance members will not fight each other and will have priority for advancement!"

As soon as he spoke, more than twenty geniuses immediately stood behind him, forming a large group.

Li Wei was very satisfied with the effect. He looked down at Jiang Xun as if pronouncing his death sentence.

"And the first target of our 'Hunter Alliance' is you, Jiang Xun!"

"I hope you can survive for a few more minutes before we find you."

After saying that, he led the large group of people away in a grand manner, leaving only an arrogant silhouette behind.