Just after the person in charge finished speaking, several more people arrived at the competition venue. Judging from their hurried expressions, they had obviously used all their strength to get there.
Looking at the people in the venue, Qi Ling couldn't help but feel puzzled. In this world, due to the suppression of special forces, it was impossible to directly see the strength of each person. However, Qi Ling could still sense that some of these people were quite difficult to deal with.
What puzzled him was that none of the people he knew were among them, including Cao Yang, Qian Xunji, Xue Qinghe, and even Luna and Xiao Ye, who should have been present.
These people couldn't possibly have been eliminated in the first round. The only reason Qi Ling could think of for them not being here was that there were other reporting venues besides this one!
"Hey, are you kidding me? There are already over a thousand people here. Are there any other participants elsewhere?" Qi Ling thought dejectedly, "Just how many people are participating in this competition? This is outrageous!"
With the three hours almost up, the person in charge slowly pushed the city gate and closed it. The heavy gate seemed weightless in his hands, and he easily closed it with just one hand.
After the city gates were closed, voices came from outside. It turned out that someone had arrived at this time, hoping that the person in charge would make an exception and let them in.
But the person in charge ignored them and turned to everyone else present, saying, "Everyone, time's up. Congratulations to all 1243 contestants; you have earned the right to participate in the competition!"
"Everyone, please look carefully at your chest. A number will appear there! This number is crucial to your upcoming matches, so please make sure you know it!" the person in charge said.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked down and, sure enough, saw a number appear on their chests, as if printed on their clothes. They didn't know when it had appeared, but at that moment, everyone's chest displayed a "1".
"1? What does this 1 mean?" Everyone was a little confused, including Qi Ling. Fortunately, the person in charge explained.
"As you can see now, this number on your chest represents your current qualification. If you lose your qualification, this number will disappear."
"There are already over a thousand people in this venue, and there are five other similar venues elsewhere," the person in charge continued. "So the number of participants in this competition has indeed exceeded our expectations."
"Therefore, after discussion among all the adults, the events for the first round of the competition have been decided."
Then, the person in charge opened his arms and smiled at everyone, but the smile on his pale face looked worse than crying.
"Let's fight it out here! Defeat your opponents and steal their points. The time limit is three hours! After three hours, only players with 5 or more points will be eligible to continue the competition!"
"Of course, during the match, you can use any means necessary, any kind of attack is permitted, and the entire city will become your battlefield!"
"Determining the winner is quite simple: being unable to continue fighting or voluntarily surrendering both count as a loss! Of course, the simplest way is to kill your opponent directly; killing is legal here! If you want to save your life, voluntarily hand over your points and then exit the match in disgrace!"
"Finally, the team format will be acknowledged during the competition. Whether you're outmaneuvering each other or sticking together for mutual support, the final points will be awarded accordingly. Sometimes, cooperation is a worthwhile option."
"Please enjoy this exhilarating battle! Of course, to ensure the smooth running of the competition, we will terminate the match early if the number of participants drops below two hundred! Now, the first round of the Demon God Contention Battle officially begins!"
After explaining the rules of the competition, the person in charge turned into a puff of black smoke and disappeared from the spot, leaving behind more than a thousand contestants who were on the verge of battle, all staring nervously at each other.
Qi Ling hadn't expected the other side to act so recklessly, actually starting with a chaotic free-for-all to select the truly qualified players.
This cruel competition system truly lives up to its reputation as a competition from the Devil Realm, as it directly encourages killing. You should know that when Qi Ling participated in the Soul Master Tournament, let alone killing someone, even seriously injuring an opponent would result in an investigation.
However, in the current situation, no one made a move immediately. Since it's impossible to sense the strength of others here, it's not advisable to choose an opponent. If you choose an opponent stronger than yourself, it would be like delivering a free meal to your door.
However, there is a generally accepted fact that is quite useful: those who arrive late are usually less capable, so they take longer and are therefore more likely to succeed.
As one of the last contestants to arrive, Qi Ling naturally became the target of everyone's attention. More importantly, Qi Ling's companions were two women, one of whom was unconscious. Wasn't this a stroke of luck?
If they could take care of all three of them, they would get three points. They only needed one more point to pass the level smoothly! This made Qi Ling an instant hot commodity, and many people surrounded her. However, because of mutual respect, no one was willing to make the first move.
Looking at their expressions, Qi Ling knew exactly what they were thinking. It was truly a case of fortunes changing. Qi Ling never imagined that one day she would become someone else's victim.
" Bai Di, what do we do? It seems we're surrounded," Kurumi said, but her smiling face showed no sign of tension. "What should we do? We're being besieged."
Qi Ling said helplessly, "I don't have any good ideas either, I can only do my best."
"Hehe, in that case, I'll help you share some of the burden." Kurumi said, her body moving like a fluttering butterfly as she lightly leaped out of the encirclement. Then, Kurumi led a group of enemies and ran into the distance.
Qi Ling was almost certain that Kurumi left to fight in order to conceal her abilities from Qi Ling. As for whether they would be exposed to others, there was no need for someone about to be eliminated to hide them.
This is undoubtedly a good thing for Qi Ling, as she no longer needs to worry about her identity being exposed. However, she still cannot use those overly conspicuous skills; she can simply deal with them with her fists.
Three people were drawn away by Kurumi, leaving four others. Although they all wanted to be the first to attack, they exchanged glances and none of them made a move.