The main cast disbands and reassembles to become assembly line workers.

The battle lasted for a full four hours.

The six of them fought their way from the outer edge of the forest all the way to its core region.

During this time, they almost died three times.

The first time was when Wanyan Gu disobeyed orders and charged too far ahead, getting flanked by two high-level parasites. Ye Guyun had to step in to save him.

The second time was when Lu Chenzhou's ranged water bullet accidentally injured Rong Xiaotian. The two almost started fighting each other right there on the battlefield, only to be stunned into stopping by Xiao Chen's furious shout.

The third time was Xiao Chen himself.

While covering Lin Tiechuan's retreat, he was ambushed by a parasite hiding underground. In an instant, black marks crawled all over the right half of his body.

At the critical moment—

Ye Guyun's sword arrived.

With a single strike that cleaved the parasite in half, the sword aura also left a shallow cut on Xiao Chen's body, perfectly slicing off the layer of black marks along with a layer of skin.

Xiao Chen winced in pain, baring his teeth.

Can't you be a fucking bit gentler!

Ye Guyun remained expressionless.

If I were gentle, you would be dead.

Xiao Chen hissed in pain, gritted his teeth, and continued to charge.

Finally.

The eerie nest in the core region was cleared out.

The remaining dozen or so parasites in the forest were wiped out one by one.

And deep within the nest, they found three villagers who were still alive—entangled by the eerie entities and on the verge of death, but still clinging to a breath of life.

Lin Tiechuan personally carried them out on his back.

By the time they exited the forest, his body was covered in scars. Although the black marks had been suppressed, his true qi was nearly depleted.

He placed the last villager on the ground, dropped to one knee, and panted heavily.

But his eyes—

Were frighteningly bright.

On the outskirts of the forest.

A squad of elite imperial guards had arrived at some unknown point.

The leading captain cupped his fists in a salute.

Thank you for your hard work, young heroes.

Xiao Chen was taken aback.

When did you get here?

The captain's expression did not change.

An hour ago.

Xiao Chen frowned.

An hour ago? Then when we were almost dying inside—

The captain remained impassive.

His Majesty decreed—

Unless it is a fatal moment, we are not allowed to intervene.

Xiao Chen trembled all over.

He finally, thoroughly, and completely understood—

Wang Hao never intended for them to die from the very beginning.

But Wang Hao also never intended to make things easy for them from the start.

What he wanted was to throw this group of arrogant prodigies into a boiling cauldron of oil—

To fry them.

To fry them until they shed their shell of arrogance.

To fry them until they learned what it meant that one person cannot win alone.

To fry them until they learned to—

Bow their heads.

Cooperate.

Trust.

In the side hall of the high platform.

Wei Zhongxian lined up six recording stones in a row, the images displaying clearly.

Wang Hao held a cup of tea, watching frame by frame.

When he saw the moment Wanyan Gu was flanked, he shook his head slightly.

Plenty of brute strength, but lacking in brains.

When he saw the moment Lu Chenzhou accidentally injured Rong Xiaotian, he coldly snorted.

The control precision of his water-attribute profound art is inadequate, and his awareness of ranged coordination is zero.

When he saw the moment Xiao Chen was ambushed, he paused for three breaths.

Then—the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Not bad.

At the critical moment, it was still Ye Guyun who made a move.

These two—

Truly worthy of being the ones I had my eyes on from early on.

He continued watching.

When he saw the scene of Lin Tiechuan carrying the villagers out on his back—

He put down his teacup.

He remained silent for a long time.

Then he said in a low voice—

Write this down.

Lin Tiechuan—

Promote him.

Transfer him from the reserve camp to the official camp.

Vice-captain of the Prodigy Gang—promoted to core squad member.

Grant him the qualification to learn an external body-tempering secret technique.

Wei Zhongxian bowed in compliance and carefully asked a question.

Your Majesty... what about the other few?

Wang Hao finished watching the six recording stones, closed his eyes, and pondered for ten breaths.

Then—

He slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

It was not a very pleasant smile.

This squad—

First-rate combat power.

Ninth-rate cooperation.

Temperament—super first-rate.

He stood up and looked out the window.

Outside the window, the sun was setting in the west, and faint shouts could be heard from the direction of the martial arts arena.

Tell them—

Come back and rest for a day.

And then—

Before the top eight of the Martial Arts Tournament, all popular contestants—

Must participate in the team competition.

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback.

Team competition? Your Majesty, there was originally no team competition in the tournament's schedule—

Now there is.

Wang Hao's voice was not loud, but it was resolute and decisive.

The individual competition shows who is the best fighter.

The team competition shows who is the most—useful.

I do not want a bunch of loosely assembled prodigies.

What I want is—

He raised his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist in the empty air.

—an army.

Looking at his back, Wei Zhongxian suddenly felt a chill creep up his spine.

It was not out of fear.

But because—

He suddenly realized that His Majesty had never been cultivating these prodigies as talents.

He was—

Forging iron.

Heating it until it was red hot, hammering it flat, quenching it, and hammering it again.

Hammering them until they became the shape he desired.

Hammering them until they became—

Weapons.

In a side tent.

Xiao Chen and Ye Guyun sat side by side on the threshold, gazing at the setting sun.

Their bodies were still wrapped in bandages, and dried blood scabs still lingered at the corners of their mouths.

After a long time.

Xiao Chen spoke.

Brother Ye.

Mm.

What do you think he is ultimately trying to do?

Ye Guyun fell silent for a moment.

To hold us—all of us—in the palm of his hand.

Xiao Chen smiled bitterly.

Then do we still have a choice?

Ye Guyun did not answer.

He looked down at his own hands.

On his palms, there were still traces of blood left from when he helped Xiao Chen slice off the eerie mark.

He did not know if it was Xiao Chen's or his own.

After a long while—

He spoke indifferently.

We do.

We can choose—how we are held by him.

Xiao Chen paused for a moment.

And then he laughed.

His laughter carried far into the setting sun.

What they did not know was—

Further away on the outskirts of the forest, a pair of eyes was watching all of this through some special far-seeing spiritual artifact.

The owner of those eyes wore a gray robe, his face hidden by a hood.

Beside him stood another figure in gray robes.

These six prodigies... are they all raised by the Great Zhou?

Yes.

Especially that Xiao Chen and Ye Guyun—

The gray-robed man frowned slightly.

These two were originally supposed to be children of destiny favored by the Heavenly Dao.

But Wang Hao swooped in and hijacked them, forcefully turning them into his thugs.

The other gray-robed man said in a deep voice—

The Pavilion Master ordered us to—

Should we make a move?

The gray-robed man who spoke first fell silent for a moment.

No rush.

The Martial Arts Tournament is not over yet.

Wait until they enter the team competition—

The corners of his mouth curled into a cold, sinister arc.

We still have... our own people inside.

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the edge of his hood.

In the distance, the lights of the capital city were lighting up one by one

...

The fifth day of the Martial Arts Tournament.

Xiao Chen and his group had just returned from Green Crow Ridge and hadn't even warmed their seats before they were jolted up by an imperial decree.

By the Grace of Heaven, the Emperor Decrees—

Starting today, a team competition phase will be added to the Martial Arts Tournament.

All those who have passed the third round of the individual competition must participate in the team confrontation matches. The results will be factored into the final rankings of the Prodigy Roll.

Those who do not participate—

Will be deemed as forfeiting the tournament, and all their qualifications and benefits in the Prodigy Gang will be revoked.

Respect this.

As soon as the news came out.

The entire capital, from the martial arenas to the gambling dens, from the teahouses to the sect embassies stationed in the city...

Completely exploded in uproar.

"Team battles?!"

"What does His Majesty mean by this?!"

"The individual tournament is only halfway through, and suddenly he adds team battles?"

"This is completely breaking the rules!"

In the Xuanwu Sect's embassy in the capital, an inner sect elder slammed his hand against the table in fury.

"The disciples of my sect all cultivate individual combat techniques. We have never practiced any sort of teamwork!"

"This is deliberately targeting us!"

The Gu Family of Nanling was also furious.

"When have the elite direct descendants of the Gu family ever teamed up with rogue cultivators?"

"Isn't this forcibly crippling our advantage?!"

The reactions from the hidden sects were even more intense.

A commander with a cold expression finished reading the imperial decree and said coldly,

"The Emperor of Great Zhou is treating us like beasts of burden."

"First he collects silver from the gambling pools, and now he wants us to cooperate in his play?"

"We entered this tournament to fight for fame, not to be his..."

He paused.

"...assembly line workers."

However, no matter how much of a fuss was kicked up outside.

The rules for the team battles were posted at the main entrance of the martial arena by the hour of Chen that very day.

It was a massive notice.

Flowing with thousands of words.

Written in extreme detail.

And extremely devious.

Team Battle Rules:

One: Team formations will be uniformly assigned by the imperial court. Free grouping is prohibited.

Two: Each team will consist of six people, assigned by functional roles: melee assault, melee defense, ranged output, support and healing, array control, and mobile skirmishing.

Three: Each team must have a temporary captain, designated by the imperial court.

Four: Match Contents...

First Match: Resource Scramble.

Second Match: Time-Limited Offense and Defense.

Third Match: Simulated Demon-Suppressing City Defense.

Fourth Match: Abnormal Zone Survival.

Five: A certain degree of "temporary strategy adjustment" is permitted during the matches.

This particular rule on the notice was written rather vaguely.

But everyone could see right through it.

The so-called "temporary strategy adjustment"...

Meant that a certain degree of backstabbing within the team was allowed.

For example: stealing a teammate's resources, abandoning an injured teammate, or even sacrificing someone at a critical moment in exchange for victory.

As soon as this rule was released, the atmosphere in the entire arena changed.

"Is he... is he testing human nature?" someone whispered.

The person next to him smiled bitterly.

"How is this testing human nature?"

"He is looking to see who is ruthless enough to throw away their face just to win."

"And then take those people..."

"...and use them for himself."

What made everyone break down even more was the grouping list.

Wang Hao not only forbade free grouping...

He deliberately stuffed people who despised each other into the same teams.

Things like pairing Xuanwu Sect disciples with Nanling Gu Family disciples.

Things like pairing hidden sect members with rogue martial artists.

Xiao Chen was assigned to another group.

His teammates were: Lin Tiechuan, Lu Chenzhou, a female poison cultivator from the Southern Border named Chu Wuxia, an array master from some minor sect, and...

Rong Xiaotian, that hot-tempered brute.

The moment Xiao Chen saw the list, only one thought crossed his mind.

Does this dog emperor hold a grudge against him?

Half an hour after the groupings were announced.

In the martial arena's training area.

The teams gathered for the first time.

The scene was as chaotic as a vegetable market.

Xiao Chen stood at his team's gathering point, looking around.

Lin Tiechuan stood quietly to the side, having no objections whatsoever.

Chu Wuxia was holding a bamboo basket containing who-knows-what, occasionally emitting a hissing sound.

The array master was named Xu Lingjun, a frail young man who looked like a gust of wind could blow him over, holding a tattered array scroll in his hands.

Lu Chenzhou had his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a cold sneer, not even sparing Xiao Chen a glance.

And Rong Xiaotian...

Rong Xiaotian crossed his arms.

"Xiao Chen, we are all just working for the dog emperor."

"Don't expect me to call you captain."

"Last time at Qingya Ridge, what kind of garbage were you commanding? I almost died in there!"

Xiao Chen took a deep breath.

He endured it.

He turned to look at Lu Chenzhou.

"Brother Lu, you are in charge of ranged output..."

"Sorry." Lu Chenzhou smiled, his smile extremely polite. "My Lu family's wondrous water art follows a control style."

"It's not the kind of backline stationary output you're thinking of."

"If you ask me to stand still..."

"I won't listen."

Xiao Chen's mouth twitched.

He then looked at Chu Wuxia.

Chu Wuxia gave him a sweet smile.

"Captain Xiao, the Gu bugs I raise need fresh blood as a primer."

"During combat..."

"If it's convenient for you..."

"Could you let me take a little from your body?"

Xiao Chen was speechless.

He finally looked at Xu Lingjun.

Xu Lingjun pushed up the protective spirit glasses on the bridge of his nose and said timidly.

"C-Captain... my array deployment speed is relatively slow... I will probably need... thirty breaths..."

"Thirty breaths?" Xiao Chen's expression changed. "On the battlefield, thirty breaths is enough time to die three times over!"

Xu Lingjun shrank his neck.

"Then... then I'll try to be faster..."

Xiao Chen closed his eyes.

He slowly turned his head toward the direction of the high platform.

On the high platform, Wang Hao was smiling cheerfully, holding a cup of tea, looking at him from afar.

He even...

Raised his teacup toward him.

The meaning was very clear...

Good luck.

I believe in you.

The blood in Xiao Chen's chest nearly surged up his throat.

On the other side.

Ye Guyun's situation was not much better.

He was assigned to Wanyan Gu's group.

As soon as Wanyan Gu saw him, he snorted coldly.

"The little swordsman of Guyun Mountain."

"Last time in the forest, you saved me..."

"That's your business."

"Don't expect me to accept your favor. The eagles on the grassland always fly alone."

Ye Guyun looked at him expressionlessly.

"I didn't expect anything."

"I'm just..."

He paused.

"...afraid that after you die, you'll drag down the whole team's score."

Wanyan Gu's face flushed red.

"You!"

Ye Guyun had already turned around, no longer looking at him.

Wanyan Gu's fists cracked as he clenched them.

Nearby, the other member of their team, Bai Zhantang, waved his fan, watching this scene with a grinning face.

"Everyone, everyone."

"Stop arguing."

"This was all arranged by His Majesty. Let's not blame each other."

"We just need to..."

"...accept our fate."

Wanyan Gu glared at him.

Bai Zhantang put on an innocent face.

"Why are you glaring at me? I'm not your opponent."

"Your opponent is right here." He pointed at Ye Guyun.

"And here." He pointed at Xiao Chen from the other group in the adjacent area.

"And up there." He pointed at Wang Hao, who was holding his tea on the high platform.

"If you want to fight them, be my guest."

"But if you fight me..."

"I'll have to call the referee. I heard your wolf is still in the zoo being held to pay off your debts, so don't make a mistake you'll regret."

Wanyan Gu was speechless.

These Zhou people are too shameless. I want to go back to the grassland.