The Heavenly Pride Gang Bursts onto the Scene

Ren Mingyue had stayed in the capital these past few days because some disciples of the Ren family were participating in the tournament. Originally, she just wanted to observe the situation, but the more she observed, the more she felt something was wrong.

When others hosted martial arts tournaments, it was like setting up a stage for a play. This was also completely different from the Great Zhou Beauty Ranking last time.

Wang Hao hosting the martial arts tournament was using the stage to investigate backgrounds, using the play to inspect troops, and no longer limiting himself to geniuses from humble backgrounds. She couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, by doing this, aren't you afraid of causing resentment among those sects and aristocratic families?"

Wang Hao turned a page of the memorial, his tone relaxed.

"Resentment is one thing."

"But they will come."

"Because the reputation is real, the rewards are real, and the opportunities are also real."

"What's more, not coming now means not giving face to the Great Zhou, and not giving face to the general trend of the world."

"They will curse me in their hearts, but their feet will still line up."

Speaking of this, he looked up at Ren Mingyue and smiled very gently.

"Besides, I'm not freeloading off them."

"For grassroots rogue cultivators, I provide accommodation, meal tickets, subsidies, and open promotion channels. Look at the current Ten-Man Crowd, how fulfilling their lives are. For those who perform well, I also give them the opportunity to enter the secret vault for exchanges, join the army, enter the court, and become core reserves of the Avengers Alliance."

"If the sect geniuses are truly capable, I will give them a stage too."

"It's nothing more than conveniently finding out a bit about their backgrounds."

Ren Mingyue fell silent.

The phrase "conveniently finding out a bit about their backgrounds" might just be politeness coming from someone else.

Coming from Wang Hao, it basically meant "I want to figure out exactly what fist techniques your ancestors of three generations excelled at, how many spirit fruits you ate when you were a child, and whether you have the potential to rebel in the future."

Shen Xue sat on the other side, quietly flipping through a copy of the tournament regulations. The more she read, the more her brows furrowed slightly.

"Initial screening of martial virtue and loyalty, pressure bearing tests, combat tendency evaluations, resource origin filing..."

She looked up at Wang Hao.

"Are you hosting a tournament, or are you picking future generals, enshrinees, factory guards, and reserve officials for the Great Zhou?"

Wang Hao smiled.

"They don't conflict."

Yun Meng, sitting nearby, drew in a sharp breath as she listened.

"You really aren't hiding it at all, are you?"

Wang Hao was self-righteous: "What I'm doing is an open scheme. The world is about to fall into chaos. The Nightmares, Crimson Moon, Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and Heavenly Dao Alliance are not fake. The older generation won't be able to hold up the future of the Eastern Wasteland for much longer; the younger generation will have to take over sooner or later."

"Since that's the case, is there a problem with me getting to know them in advance?"

Yun Meng thought about it.

She realized there actually wasn't.

The problem wasn't whether there was a problem.

The problem was that while this man claimed he just wanted to "get to know them," his actual methods dug deeper than anyone else's.

Meanwhile, outside the city gates, the registration and open auditions had gradually entered a white-hot stage.

Because what was truly outrageous wasn't filling out the forms.

It was that after filling out the forms, there was a whole set of "initial screenings."

The first stage: testing bone age.

The second stage: testing cultivation base.

The third stage: testing bloodline and physique fluctuations.

The fourth stage: testing pressure resistance.

The so-called pressure resistance test was operated in an extremely simple and brutal manner—

It involved making the participants stand on an array platform to endure gradually increasing coercion, observing their temperament, endurance, true essence stability, and on-the-spot reactions.

This was originally a very normal test.

But the bad part was that the people presiding over this stage were experts from the Western Depot, personally arranged by Yu Huatian.

Thus, the entire scene began to change its flavor.

"Next, number ninety-three, Lin Tiechuan."

"Stand firm, don't tremble."

"It's fine if you tremble, we'll just note it down on the form."

"Hmm? You collapsed this quickly? Write it down: physique is acceptable, willpower is average, but the mouth is quite stubborn."

"Next!"

For a time, the entire testing ground was filled with wailing.

An aristocratic young master held on halfway through and shouted through gritted teeth, "I can still hold on!"

The recording official nearby scribbled away: "Has a desire to show off, large emotional fluctuations, suspected to lack composure."

That young master almost spat blood in anger.

There were sect disciples who stubbornly refused to fall, eventually blacking out and collapsing headfirst.

The recording official sighed: "Strong desire to win, compliance with reassignments remains to be observed."

There was also a fierce man from the borderlands who, bearing the coercion, forcefully took three steps forward, ending up cracking the array pillar under his feet.

The Ministry of War official slammed the table on the spot: "A good seedling!"

When Wang Hao saw the summary, he directly gave his instructions:

"Observe closely, can be admitted into the Heaven's Pride Gang's preparatory camp, prioritize the supply of external martial arts resources."

Yes.

The Heaven's Pride Gang.

This name was personally decided by Wang Hao last night.

The Ministry of Rites had originally drafted over a dozen high-end and classy names, such as the "Demon Suppression Youth Association," the "World's Heroes Camp," and the "Eastern Wasteland's Outstanding Talents Record."

As a result, after reading them, Wang Hao felt they were too pretentious.

Finally, with a stroke of his pen, he settled on three words:

The Heaven's Pride Gang.

Simple, brutal, and down-to-earth.

At first glance, it didn't look like any proper imperial organization.

But it happened to be extremely memorable.

Wei Zhongxian had tried to tactfully advise against it at the time: "Your Majesty, does this name seem a bit too... pugilistic?"

Wang Hao expressed that it didn't matter.

"Young people eat this up."

"Let them find it interesting first, and we can slowly add rules later."

"A sense of gang camaraderie, a sense of belonging, a sense of collective honor—in the end, it will transform into organizational discipline."

Hearing this, Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly, completely convinced. He felt that His Majesty was fast approaching the Great Dao when it came to winning over the hearts of the youth.

A few days later, more and more truly heavyweight geniuses arrived in the capital one after another.

Among them were the Great Xia's Ten-Man Crowd, renowned in their region, as well as Lu Chenzhou, Wanyan Gu, and others who had arrived in the capital early and had already been tormented into gaining experience.

But the most interesting part was the bizarre sense of pleasure that spontaneously arose in the hearts of these "senior victims" upon seeing the new batch of geniuses being ruthlessly crushed by the process.

In the Northern District of the capital, outside a temporary screening site.

Wanyan Gu stood there like an iron tower, his arms crossed. Watching a Holy Son from a Central State aristocratic family ruin two application forms because he didn't know how to use the Great Zhou's standard brush, an extremely pure sense of gratification appeared on his face.

"Not bad."

"Back then, this prince waited in line for eight hours; now you all get to wait too."

Lu Chenzhou stood to the side, his smile elegant, yet his eyes held a hint of schadenfreude.

"I originally thought this set of procedures in the Great Zhou was too tedious. Thinking about it now, it's actually quite fair."

"After all, everyone has to suffer through it once."

Not far away, Xiao Chen, Bai Zhantang, and a few others had even started "assisting with the tournament affairs."

It was called assisting.

In reality, they were sneaking in their own personal satisfaction.

A young Holy Son from a prestigious sect looked at Xiao Chen, his tone carrying a bit of contempt.

"Aren't you the one who took a hit for the Great Zhou Emperor in the Yanshan Secret Realm?"

"Word outside is that you've become a running dog for the Great Zhou."

As soon as these words came out, Bai Zhantang was instantly displeased.

Xiao Chen, however, remained calm. He took the other party's form and glanced at it.

"The handwriting is too messy. Rewrite it."

The Holy Son was taken aback. "What did you say?"

Xiao Chen remained expressionless. "Rule seven of the 'Participant Guidelines': untidy documents are considered a sign of a poor attitude."

"Rewrite it."

"Also, your bone age test is missing a supplementary record. Go over there and line up again."

The Holy Son's face suddenly darkened. "You're doing this on purpose?"

Xiao Chen finally looked up at him, his gaze freezing cold.

"Yes."

"Got a problem with that?"

"If you have a problem, go find His Majesty."

"Or go find the Western Depot."

The Holy Son: ...

Bai Zhantang fanned himself beside him, smiling as warmly as a spring breeze.

Brother, welcome to the capital.

Now you know how good it is to have the Great Zhou backing you, right?

Gu Han stood in the back. Although he didn't say a word, his mouth twitched in a rare display of amusement when he saw several usually aloof aristocratic geniuses looking like they were doubting their very existence after being put through the wringer by the procedures.

It could only be said that pain was transferable.

The suffering he had endured himself tasted completely different once it was someone else's turn.

As more and more geniuses from all over gathered, the prosperity of the capital was completely ignited.

Inns were fully booked, restaurants had long waiting lists, weapon shops were working overtime, elixir stores raised their prices, and casinos even opened betting pools on who will make the top hundred and who will be invited for tea by the West Factory first.

Yun Meng stood by the street, looking at the city full of lights and the endless stream of people with a complex expression.

With these people here, the capital must have earned at least thirty percent more revenue, right?

Ren Mingyue nodded gently beside her.

That's a conservative estimate.

Accommodation, food, elixirs, weapons, transportation, information brokering, casino commissions, plus temporary stall taxes, commercial taxes, city entry fees...

She paused and looked towards the imperial city.

Wang Hao isn't just hosting a tournament.

He's conveniently taking the entire commerce of the capital on a soaring ride.

Yun Meng took a deep breath and couldn't help but curse.

Black-hearted.

Too black-hearted.

Shen Xue stood not far away, but her gaze was much deeper.

What she saw wasn't just him being black-hearted.

It was something on a much deeper level.

These young people came to the capital, lived here, ate here, and witnessed the current order, prosperity, efficiency, and prestige of the Great Zhou.

Especially those grassroots rogue cultivators with ordinary backgrounds who could never access a platform of this level before. Once they received fair opportunities, resource allocation, and a sense of recognition here, it went without saying which side their hearts would lean towards.

Wang Hao was using a tournament to silently win over the hearts of the younger generation.

And once this kind of thing was accomplished, the long-term effects would be terrifying.

Finally, after consecutive days of auditions, testing, screening, registration, and filing.

The first batch of finalists for the Great Zhou's First Martial Arts Tournament was announced.

As soon as the news was released, the entire capital caused a sensation.

Countless geniuses rubbed their hands in eagerness, feeling that after tossing about for so long, they were finally going to step onto the arena to show their true skills.

Some had even written their letters of challenge in advance.

Some had already thought of what to say when they won their first match.

Some had even specially bought a new cloak, preparing to whip it out for a stunning effect when they took the stage.

However, when all the finalists gathered at the Great Zhou Martial Arts Arena, a dense crowd of over a thousand young experts standing packed together, waiting for Wang Hao to announce the rules of the main tournament—

Up on the high platform, Wang Hao wore a black and gold casual robe. His demeanor was calm, and as his gaze swept over the crowd below, he looked as satisfied as a landlord standing on the ridges of his fields during the autumn harvest.

He slowly spoke, his voice spreading across the entire arena:

Everyone, congratulations on making the cut.

The crowd below immediately perked up.

Here it comes!

The fighting is finally about to begin!

Then they heard Wang Hao continue:

Starting today, all finalists will first be incorporated into—

He paused, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

The Genius Gang Preparatory Camp.

The entire arena: ...

Deathly silence.

Many people even suspected they had misheard.

Weren't they here for a tournament?

Why were they joining a gang before the fighting even started?

The next moment, Wang Hao unhurriedly delivered the final blow:

Unified management, unified training, unified deployment, unified room and board, unified ideology... ahem, unified pre-match preparation.

Half a month later, the main tournament will begin.

Rest assured, everyone, it's all for your own good.

Below the stage, thousands of geniuses were collectively dumbfounded.

Bai Zhantang was taken aback at first, then almost laughed so hard he rolled off the grandstand.

Xiao Chen covered his forehead, completely unwilling to speak anymore.

Shen Xue closed her eyes, as if she had expected this all along.

Yun Meng's eyes widened, and after a long time, she squeezed out a sentence:

...This dog emperor, sure enough, he's at it again.

And high up on the platform, Wang Hao looked at the shocked, bewildered, unwilling, aggrieved, and existential-crisis-ridden faces below, his smile growing ever more amiable.

Very good.

The fish have all entered the net.

Next—

It's time to start raising them in separate ponds.

The echoes of half a month later, the main tournament will begin had not yet dissipated in the martial arts arena, but thousands of geniuses had already collectively fallen into an indescribable state of bewilderment.

What happened to the promised martial arts tournament?

What happened to the hot-blooded arena battles?

What happened to the promised one battle to make a name known worldwide?

Why were they shoved into a Genius Gang that didn't sound very proper right from the start?

Below the platform, a white-robed disciple from the Qingxu Sect of the Eastern Ridge finally couldn't hold back anymore. He cupped his hands and said loudly, Your Majesty! We have traveled from afar to spar in martial arts and compete for the title of genius, not to join some... gang! May I ask what the purpose of this Genius Gang is?

As soon as these words came out, countless people nodded in unison.

That's right.

We are geniuses, not gang members.

We are here to fight in the arena, not to join a crew.

Wang Hao stood on the high platform, his expression calm, and the corners of his mouth even carried a hint of a spring-breeze-like smile.

Good question.

He first praised him, then spread his hands toward the entire audience with a serious face.

Everyone has misunderstood.

The Genius Gang is not a gang of the imperial court, nor is it the private army of the Great Zhou.

It is just—

He paused, as if pondering the most appropriate word.

A temporary, voluntary youth alliance centered around academic exchange and martial arts sparring.

Someone below the stage secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Oh, voluntary in nature.

Then it's fine.

Then Wang Hao immediately added another sentence, his tone extremely gentle.

Of course, for those friends who do not join the Genius Gang, due to a lack of unified management and security guarantees, the imperial court cannot be responsible for their safety during their stay in the capital, nor can they be included in the main tournament roster.

Therefore—

You can of course choose not to join.

The entire arena: ...

The crowd finally understood.

So the word voluntary coming out of this dog emperor's mouth was just another way of saying you can choose not to join, but you bear the consequences.

That white-robed disciple exploded on the spot: Your Majesty! How is this any different from coercion?

Wang Hao shook his head, looking helpless.

How can it be called coercion?

I have given you the right to choose.

If you choose not to join, I respect you; if you choose to join, I welcome you.

The choice is yours, and the responsibility is yours.

This is not called coercion, this is called—

He smiled faintly.

Fairness.

That white-robed disciple was choked so hard by this twisted logic that he almost coughed up blood.