Li Yan knew why Dongmen Gaozhi was looking at him now. He considered the third round an opportunity: while competing for materials, he could easily target Li Yan.
The only question was whether Dongmen Gaozhi would strike to kill when the time came. For now, Li Yan preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Even under the internal selection rules, "accidentally" killing an opponent during a fight would not violate any regulations, but it would certainly draw particular attention to him.
Did Dongmen Gaozhi not have friends or relatives? They might bear a grudge against him forever...
Meanwhile, when Dongmen Gaozhi first listened to the elder above announce the rules, he grew increasingly disappointed. Neither of the first two rounds offered any opportunity for a one-on-one confrontation.
Everyone would compete together to determine the winners. Only when the elder announced the third round did his eyes brighten, and he immediately looked toward Chen Ying.
Still, after hearing the rules for the first two rounds, he felt somewhat uneasy—not because he feared he would fail to advance.
You had better not be a wax spearhead with a silver sheen. You'd best make it into the third round, or I'll have to find another opportunity later...
Before long, everyone headed to their respective platforms. Even the platform assigned to Li Yan's group could not accommodate all the cultivators competing in pill refinement at once.
They had to compete in batches, and Li Yan was assigned to the third batch. That alone showed how many participants there were!
None of this posed any problem for Li Yan. He merely needed to remain seated and watch the screens of light floating overhead.
In fact, the escort competitions held inside illusion formations or magical treasures could also have their scenes projected outside. That was hardly difficult.
It