Lilian

Ba Mu and Jia Geer's consecutive defeats made Gu Ding an overnight sensation, transforming him from an unknown nobody into a household name throughout the Wu La City.

As a philosopher once said in the history of interstellar navigation: to judge a person's status and position, we only need to look at the friends he makes; to judge a person's achievements, we need to look at the opponents he has.

Ba Mu and Jia Geer were undoubtedly two very good rivals, which made the name "Gu Lotte" famous.

Gu Ding successfully secured a spot in the preliminary round, while the competition for the others continued for the next few days.

It wasn't until three days later that all the matches finally ended, and Gu Ding watched all the other matches from beginning to end.

Jia Geer naturally got the spot as he wished. With his soul strength, apart from Gu Ding, he had no rivals at the Half-Step True God level.

As for Ba Mu, Lord Capson granted him a special spot.

As for the arrogant Kelsa, it was his father, the deputy city lord, who helped him secure a spot.

Gu Ding only watched a few matches at the Half-Step True God level before turning his attention to the true god level matches.

Among the True Gods, the one that intrigued Gu Ding the most was the woman in black robes; she exuded an unfathomable mystery. Unfortunately, she had already secured a spot in the preliminary rounds, and Gu Ding hadn't witnessed her Arena Battle. However, the hand-to-hand combat of those Sixth Sequence and Seventh Sequence powerhouses was a thrilling spectacle, one that sent adrenaline soaring. It just didn't offer Gu Ding much of a reference point.

After the selection process was completed, Capson gathered everyone together and announced all the preliminary round slots: 3,000 people for each rank. In total, there were 9,000 people across all three ranks.

Gu Lotte's name was ranked first among the intermediate-level players. Although some in the crowd still harbored resentment, they chose to silently accept the result, while the vast majority readily acknowledged Gu Ding's status as the strongest.

Meanwhile, Capson continued his pre-match speech.

"The contestants we've selected this time are undoubtedly the best ever. We hope everyone achieves great results in the Martial Dao Tournament and brings glory to our Wu La City! Anyone who makes it into the top ten, regardless of their rank, will receive a generous reward from Wu La City..."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ding couldn't help but communicate with the Sea Emperor, "Is our ranking somehow related to Wu La City?"

"Yes, the top ten cities will receive massive resource rewards from the Heavenly God Palace. Especially the top three, the rewards are beyond imagination! That's why every city is putting a lot of effort into holding Selection Tournament to choose the strongest individuals to participate in this Martial Dao Tournament." The Sea Emperor's explanation finally made Gu Ding understand that Wu La City was being rewarded for its tireless efforts in holding Selection Tournament.

"Of course, there are two very important reasons why so many people participate in the Martial Dao Tournament. First, each of the top ten can obtain a massive amount of cultivation resources. Second, each of the top three can obtain the opportunity to comprehend the Heavenly God Tablet Heavenly God Palace. It is said that the Heavenly God Tablet contains the secret that can help people break through to the Heavenly God level, which is the main reason why so many powerful True Gods flock to it."

"The Heavenly God Tablet..." Upon hearing this news, Gu Ding suddenly felt a surge of anticipation for the Martial Dao Tournament. His original purpose in participating was simply to eliminate the current master of the Heavenly God Palace. Now, however, he was also eager to know what secrets the Heavenly God Tablet held.

"Tomorrow morning, all the contestants who have qualified for the preliminary rounds will gather here. I will arrange for you to go to the Heavenly God Palace." Capson's speech came to an end in a short time, and the crowd finally dispersed.

Gu Ding stood still and communicated with the Sea Emperor again. "We still have one afternoon left, where would be a good place to go?"

"I heard there's a pretty good barbecue restaurant in Wu La City, but it's a bit pricey. They use only god-level monsters as ingredients," the Sea Emperor said, imprinting the route into Gu Ding's mind.

"It doesn't seem far, less than three kilometers from here." Gu Ding checked the location and distance, then looked up in the direction of the barbecue restaurant.

Just then, a delicate fragrance wafted over from not far away. Gu Ding turned his head and saw that the black-robed woman, a True God of the Ninth Sequence, was actually walking towards him.

"I see everyone else has left, and you're the only one here," the woman in black said You You. Her voice was pleasant, and she seemed to be quite young.

"I'm going to eat barbecue." Gu Ding wasn't quite sure why this woman had approached him, but he didn't care.

"Roast meat, I haven't had it in a long time. How about I go with you?" the woman in black said with a soft laugh. Her face was still hidden under the brim of her hat, making it difficult for Gu Ding to see her clearly.

"Okay, I haven't had this in a long time either." Gu Ding did not refuse the other party's request.

When the two arrived at the barbecue restaurant, it was already noon, just lunchtime.

Under an open-air parasol, the two sat facing each other at a small table, menus in hand.

Gu Ding quickly ordered what he wanted, but seeing that the other person hadn't decided yet, he said, "Order whatever you want, I'll pay."

The woman in the black robe hesitated for a moment, but only ordered a glass of juice and a dessert.

Gu Ding glanced at her menu, smiled, and shook his head. "You really know how to save money for people."

"You're lucky, I'm not hungry right now," the woman in black robes waved her hand and moved the menu aside.

Gu Ding handed the menu to the waiter, and the two fell into an awkward silence once again.

Fortunately, their drinks arrived quickly, and they soon found common ground to talk about.

Looking at Mirka in the Gu Ding cup, the woman in the black robe said with a smile, "I didn't expect a man like you to drink a beverage that even women don't drink."

"I think it tastes great, why should I care about what other people think?" Gu Ding grinned.

"That's true." The woman in black smiled and stared at Gu Ding for a while before suddenly speaking again, "How did you come up with the idea of participating in this competition?"

"I've heard that the Heavenly God Tablet holds the secret to advancing to the Celestial God level, so I want to go and see it," Gu Ding gave a reason that sounded perfectly reasonable.

"Is it that simple?" the woman in black robes asked with a smile.

"There's another reason, but it's not convenient to say." Gu Ding smiled and shook his head. "What about you? You're probably also after the Heavenly God Tablet, right?"

"No," the woman in black shook her head, paused for a moment, and then continued, "I'm looking for someone."

"Looking for someone? That person must be very important to you, right?" Gu Ding asked casually.

"You could say that," the woman in black robes said after a moment of silence, then nodded.

The dishes they ordered were quickly served, and the two fell silent again.

Gu Ding devoured the roasted meat on the table, while the woman in the black robe used a knife and fork to cut the dessert into small pieces, slowly putting them into her mouth and chewing them for a long time before swallowing. It was as if, at the same table, their eating styles were completely different: one was the boisterous and unrestrained type, the other the noble and elegant type.

This difference also attracted the attention of many diners nearby.

Gu Ding naturally didn't care, and the woman in black robes also remained calm, completely ignoring the pointing and whispering of others.

This state lasted for nearly half an hour, during which Gu Ding finished devouring all the roasted meat, and the woman in black robes put down her knife and fork after him.

"Thank you for your hospitality, the desserts were very delicious." After more than half an hour of silence, the woman in the black robe finally spoke again.

For the past half hour, Gu Ding had his mouth full of grilled meat, so he couldn't speak, and the other person didn't say a word either.

"Want another one?" Gu Ding always felt that eating a dessert that was less than half the size of a Miko's palm would only make one hungrier.

"No need, one is enough." The woman in black shook her head, stared at Gu Ding for a long time, and then suddenly spoke, "My name is Lilian."

"My name is Gu Lotte." Gu Ding nodded and gave his pseudonym.

"I know, I've watched your matches. I think with your skill, barring any unforeseen circumstances, you should be able to win the intermediate-level championship in the Martial Dao Tournament," Lilian said bluntly.

"Thank you, I think you also have a chance to win a high-level championship," Gu Ding said, sharing his opinion.

"Why do you say that? Can you see how Combat Strength I am? But you're clearly only Half-Step True God," Lilian asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Of course I can't see it, I just have this feeling." Gu Ding shook his head. He had never let outsiders know about his ability to see the Combat Strength of others.

"Feelings? People with strong souls do indeed have more sensitive senses than ordinary people." Lilian muttered to herself without asking any further questions.

After finishing the barbecue, Lilian seemed to have something to attend to, and the two parted ways.

"This woman named Lilian is indeed a bit strange," the Sea Emperor also gave his judgment. "She inexplicably ate lunch with you, and the reason she gave was so far-fetched. She said she hadn't had barbecue in a long time, but she only ate a small dessert. And a dessert that was less than half the size of Miko's palm, she actually spent more than half an hour eating it."

"Although I don't know what her purpose is, it seems she didn't get the answer she wanted from me." Gu Ding was quite certain that his identity had not been exposed.

"Regardless, it's best to be careful. Once your identity is exposed, not only will you be unable to participate in this Martial Dao Tournament, but you will also be besieged by the world's strongest individuals," the Sea Emperor warned again.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Gu Ding, of course, didn't dare to let his guard down. He still had several months left in this world, and before that, if his identity was exposed, it would bring endless trouble. (To be continued~^~)