Conference Before the Grand Finals

Spirit City was exceptionally quiet late at night. All thirty-three competing teams had long since arrived, and most people were now meditating or sleeping. Only a select few were exceptions.

Figures slipped out of certain academies' tents, moving without a sound before gathering in a dark corner.

"Is everyone here?" Liu Xiaoxiao asked through spiritual transmission as he turned his head and counted the people around him.

This was a secret meeting. They absolutely could not expose themselves, so naturally, they could not speak too loudly.

"Twelve people. No one's missing," Chen Long replied through spiritual transmission.

"Let's get straight to the point," Li Hong said. "This time, we're mainly here to discuss our future plans."

"Getting on Tang San's good side is the most important thing," Wang Haochen said. "We need to ride the protagonist's coattails."

"By the way, Da Bao, have you built a good relationship with Dai Mubai?" Zheng Bei asked.

"When would I have had time for that? I'm going to be the ultimate villain," Da Bao said bluntly. "Wouldn't it be better to just kill Tang San and take his opportunities?"

"Tang San is the protagonist. How could he be so easy to kill?" Liu Xiaoxiao rebuked him. "Look at what happened when four Title Douluo tried to kill Tang San. What was the result? Didn't they still flee in disgrace? Tang San should be taken away by Tang Hao next. Are you going to kill someone right under a Title Douluo's nose? Or go mess around in Slaughter City?"

"I think we should forget it. If we kill Tang San, the plot we know may undergo huge changes. That would be extremely unfavorable for us," Fan Yihuang also advised.

After much earnest persuasion, everyone finally talked Da Bao out of it and got him to try to build a good relationship with Tang San and the others.

Yet no one knew that Lin Bo was still sneering to himself.

"Have you noticed that ever since we came to this world, it's as if luck has been on our side?" Qi Xiaomin said. "For instance, I already have a soul bone, while Fan Yihuang even obtained two soul bones at once."

"I have a soul bone now too." Li Hong nodded.

"I don't have one yet," Little Fatty said. "But under normal circumstances, once I win the championship, I'll get a soul bone as well."

"How can you be sure you'll win the championship?" Qi Xiaomin asked. "The next opponents you'll face are us, fighting at full strength."

"You might not necessarily be able to stop us," Little Fatty said.

"Perhaps it's because of fate," He Qiang said. "We never belonged to this world. After arriving here, perhaps we were already chosen by some unseen force."

"Don't forget our ultimate goal," Chen Fang said. "Everything we do is for the sake of becoming gods. Perhaps because becoming gods is so difficult, opportunities have come our way. In other words, they've left us a way to survive."

"If things follow the normal plot, then barring any surprises, Lin Bo is certain to become a god," Chen Long said. "As long as Lin Bo doesn't risk his life fighting Tang San like he did in the original plot, then it's practically guaranteed."

Lin Bo nodded without saying anything more.

"As for everyone else..." Chen Long continued, "Little Fatty is one of the Shrek Seven Devils. With Tang San lending him a hand, becoming a god shouldn't be much of a problem. But the remaining ten might not be so fortunate. Although we have three chances, no one can say what will happen in the future. It might become harder each time."

"After the tournament ends, there will be five years before the Shrek Seven Devils reunite," He Qiang said. "During that time, we must explore as many places as possible and seek out our own opportunities. Martial soul mutations, top-tier soul rings, soul bones, increased Soul Power, even divine inheritances."

At the mention of divine inheritances, everyone grew much more solemn.

Hadn't they been sent to this world in order to survive? And if they wanted to survive, becoming gods was their only path.

"Anyway, let's first discuss the upcoming Grand Finals," Liu Xiaoxiao said.

"Mm." Chen Long nodded. "In the first two rounds, aside from Shrek Academy and Blazing Fire Academy meeting in the first round, we know nothing about the other matchups."

"In the first round, Da Bao and I, along with Liu Xiaoxiao and Chen Fang, will receive byes. In the second round, Little Fatty's group will receive byes. In the third round, Li Hong's group will receive byes," He Qiang said.

Although Chen Long was not weaker than Li Hong in individual strength, the Divine Wind Academy team was ultimately stronger overall. Thus, in the Heaven Dou Empire qualifying tournament, the Divine Wind Academy team had taken second place.

"Then should we hold back during the matches to ensure the plot proceeds smoothly?" Chen Fang asked.

"We can win the championship through our own strength. We don't need you to hold back," Little Fatty said.

"How about this? We should still give it our all. If I'm not mistaken, then no matter how we perform, the final outcome won't change," He Qiang said after a brief pause.

"You mean like last time?" Chen Long asked.

"Mm." He Qiang said, "I invited the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan chief, which led to Snake Lance Douluo and Stingray Douluo arriving. Yet the final result still did not change."

"I think we can call this the 'world rules' self-restoration ability,'" He Qiang said. "Even if the plot deviates, under the correction of powerful world rules, everything will gradually return to the original plot and will not be changed by just a few of us."

"Doesn't that mean we can't become gods?" Zheng Bei asked.

"Not necessarily," Chen Long said. "According to our hypothesis, the stronger an individual is, the more they can influence the world rules. If we all become Title Douluo, then we'll be able to influence the situation across the entire continent."

"In other words, if we want the power to change the plot, we must possess sufficient strength as well?" Liu Xiaoxiao said. "Even if we know what will happen in the future, we still can't stop it or change any of it?"

"We don't know. This is only our hypothesis," He Qiang said. "If we want to verify it, we'll have to conduct an experiment."

"How do we verify it?" Wang Haochen asked.

"I have an idea," Liu Xiaoxiao said. "If I remember correctly, after the Grand Finals end, the Lovesick Heartbreak Red in Xiao Wu's arms will fall out, exposing her identity. In the end, Tang Hao will stand against seven Title Douluo and take Tang San and Xiao Wu away."

"You mean?" Li Hong asked.

"Change things from the very source and see whether it causes a butterfly effect that affects everything, or whether the world rules pull it back onto its original track," Liu Xiaoxiao said.

"Then we'll leave this matter to you." Chen Long nodded. "It's getting late. Let's disperse for now. Remember to move quietly and don't alert anyone."

The group scattered and quietly returned to their respective teams.

Should I tell Bibi Dong that Tang Hao is here? Lin Bo pondered briefly, then shook his head. The seven Douluo willing to act will do so when the time comes. Those unwilling to listen to Bibi Dong won't listen to me either. Qian Daoliu has a prior agreement with Tang Chen, so he probably won't move against Tang Hao now. Forget it. There will be plenty of chances to deal with Tang San. Only my own strength is fundamental. No use overthinking it.