18. The Most Familiar Stranger
“If there’s a good opportunity, why not seize it?” Gong Yiling puffed out her chest, striking a confident pose. “This young lady is still under thirty, young and full of energy. I have to give it a try.”
She even wanted to add,
*Agent sister, why aren’t you joining? Are you not interested in such trivial matters?*
Of course, such a self-exposing remark could only remain a thought.
Yan Chuyue, amused by her enthusiasm, chuckled. “What if you run into Qiu Shui or Xinyao in the next round? What will you do?”
“I’ll beat them until their butts bloom.”
“Huh?”
“—That’s impossible!” Gong Yiling scratched her head, laughing. “I wouldn’t steal their spotlight. I’ll just throw the match.”
Of course, countless people passed the preliminaries in Yanlie City. Even in the official first round, which was also an arena battle, Gong Yiling didn’t think she would be so unlucky as to face her disciples directly.
After the list of finalists was announced, the palace posted the format for the official first round.
—It wouldn’t be an arena battle anymore.
The first round included finalists from all regions, totaling over three hundred participants.
Having so many people fight in the arena, especially since their average strength was much higher than the preliminary round, would take days. And that wasn’t Emperor Shangguan Long’s intention. He preferred methods that could quickly identify both talented individuals and those with ulterior motives.
After all, he wasn’t interested in the fights themselves; he had other goals.
Therefore…
The format for the first round surprised many.
It was a team competition.
And not just any team competition.
The rules were simple.
Each participant would receive a random number card with a single digit from 0 to 9.
They were allowed to steal each other’s cards, and those who lost their cards wouldn’t be eliminated, but could continue to roam the arena, trying to steal others’ cards or reclaim their own.
The final score would be the average value of the number cards held by a team.
Teams had to consist of two to four members. A solo participant, even with a high score, couldn’t advance.
Yes, these rules were harsh, a “blessing” for introverts and those with social anxiety.
And that wasn’t all.
To prevent someone from hoarding all the number 9 cards, two additional rules were added.
First, each person could hold a maximum of three cards, and the total value of their cards couldn’t exceed fifteen. If two teams had the same average score, the team with the higher total score would win.
Second, if the members of a qualifying team all had the same total score, they could request “score consumption” from the judges without their teammates’ consent.
Upon requesting score consumption, the other team members would be automatically disqualified, and the individual’s score could exceed fifteen, becoming the sum of their original score and the consumed scores.
This meant teammates could betray each other.
Unless they completely trusted each other.
—And how many such teams existed?
As the saying goes, great rewards attract brave warriors. And with this rule allowing for the targeted elimination of teammates…
Even close friends might not be able to maintain absolute trust. The more familiar they were, the higher the chance of betrayal.
This was Emperor Shangguan Long’s intention.
To accelerate the competition and force those with ulterior motives to act, making it easier to identify them.
This unprecedented format caught many off guard.
Some had hoped to rely on luck, but now, even if they were lucky enough to get a number 9 card, they might not be able to keep it.
In this ruthless competition, strength and cunning were paramount.
The competition began the next day. After a brief period of commotion, the participants started forming teams.
Finding a single teammate wasn’t difficult.
As for betrayal, as long as you were willing to betray your teammate, you didn’t have to worry about them betraying you.
Mutually assured destruction.
Those in the spotlight quickly formed teams.
For example, the First Prince partnered not with his subordinates, but with the stronger Young Master Xuli—who knew why he was even participating.
And those who performed exceptionally well in the preliminaries, like Qiu Shui and Lu Xinyao, naturally teamed up.
Their partnership was likely one of the few where betrayal was unlikely.
As for Miss Gong, after rejecting several seemingly treacherous individuals, she found herself without a teammate.
This wasn’t surprising.
Although she performed well in the Yanlie City preliminaries, only those who witnessed her matches knew about it.
Over seventy percent of the participants here were strangers from other cities. To them, she was just a nobody who probably got lucky in the preliminaries.
No one would want to team up with her, except for those seeking easy points.
Of course, Miss Gong wasn’t worried.
She approached Yin Qiushui and Lu Xinyao, posing as a stranger.
“You two seem to be close friends, right?”
Qiu Shui shielded Lu Xinyao protectively, frowning at this stranger. “Who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am.” Gong Yiling, pleased with Qiu Shui’s reaction, smiled. “I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?”
“What suggestion?”
“Simple. In this format, many will try to betray or buy points from their teammates. Even if your average score reaches 15, it might not be enough to guarantee advancement.”
“But with me, considering the total score rule for tiebreakers, our total score could reach 45, guaranteeing our advancement. What do you think?”