The Demon Realm Martial Arts Tournament, watched by countless eyes, finally began as scheduled in the Iron Fist Territory of the Blood Fiend Empire.
Because there were far too many participants this time, greatly exceeding expectations, a large-scale screening round had to be held before the official preliminaries to eliminate more than half the contestants. At the same time, the screening results would determine the groupings for the next preliminary round.
The screening method was quite unusual: contestants had to cross Courage Land near the Ancient Battlefield. This was a special trial ground passed down through generations in the Blood Fiend Empire, containing all manner of tests. The most formidable among them were the illusions within. Cultivators with weaker strength or frail willpower could become deeply trapped, unable to break free until they fainted; worse still, some could suffer damage to their souls.
Upon registering, each contestant received a numbered token. Besides being used for drawing lots, this token had two functions. The first was to record time. Those who passed through Courage Land the fastest would be separated into groups with those who passed through the slowest in the next preliminary round, preventing elite powerhouses from meeting and eliminating one another too early. As the final time limit approached, the numbered token would also sound a warning.
The second function was "leaving the battlefield." If a contestant could no longer hold on in Courage Land, they could crush the token to be automatically teleported out. Naturally, that also meant forfeiting the competition.
Chen Rui's numbered token was No. 3, Lei Chan's was No. 1, Catherine's was No. 2, and the Octopus Emperor's was No. 4. These four numbers had been reserved in advance and came with the privilege of exemption from the screening round.
The others did not receive