Chapter 1362: Suspicion

These battle royale-style qualifying rounds not only test a contestant's individual strength but also their race's network and connections, including whether pre-tournament negotiations with other races have been successfully settled, allowing them to unite against others.

Moreover, once on the field, these rounds severely test a contestant's mental fortitude and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Consequently, while the contestants in these qualifiers may not possess the same high cultivation as those in the elimination rounds, the brutality and intricate scheming are truly unparalleled.

Therefore, each qualifying group often battles for a long time before the final victor is determined.

As a result, Zu'an's group finished surprisingly quickly, and in such a dramatic fashion.

From a distance, Shi Rong, who had been sporadically watching the situation, couldn't help but curse, "That guy is incredibly lucky! He actually managed to qualify by relying on that move from the Giant Maggot Race."

Shi Min's expression also looked a bit pained, but he eventually said, "Don't take it lightly. That contestant from the Giant Maggot Race is not simple. That move just now was their race's unique skill, 'Mountain and Sea of Filth.' Whether in gas or liquid form, it's a highly poisonous substance. While not fatal, it will leave you weak and unconscious, and as long as you breathe, it's practically unavoidable. It's truly impossible to guard against."

"Damn, there's actually such a disgusting move!" Shi Rong couldn't help but swear; it was truly repulsive.

Shi Gong said thankfully, "Luckily, the draw was rigged beforehand; we won't be matched against the Giant Maggot Race. Otherwise, even if we won, we'd be disgusted to death by him."

Seeing the yellow liquid in the distance, Shi Min's face twitched. "That's true," he said. "However, that Yanzu guy being able to dodge this unique skill clearly shows he's not simple either. Don't be careless later."

The other two nodded dismissively, their attention more focused on the Giant Maggot warrior.

Contestants from other races clearly shared the same sentiment:

"How lucky would we be if we were in that group? As long as we dodged in time, we could qualify without even fighting."

"You wish! If you were really in that group, you'd be lying in that yellow liquid, eating your fill of excrement right now."

"Ugh, can you not be so disgusting? Maybe I'd have been lucky enough to dodge it."

On Zu'an's side, Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen both turned their backs, not wanting to even glance at the scene in the arena again.

At the same time, they maintained a qi barrier around themselves to prevent the foul odor from reaching them.

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but glare at Zu'an reproachfully. "Why did you hit his stomach?"

Zu'an looked innocent. "I didn't know he'd have such a disgusting skill!"

Yun Jianyue also couldn't help but grumble, "Nothing good ever happens when I'm with you."

Normally, if someone made her so uncomfortable, she would have physically annihilated them by now. But the thought of the opponent's disgusting skill prevented her from even mustering any killing intent; she was truly unwilling to make a move against him.

At that moment, the Giant Maggot Race contestant scratched his head and said with a simple, honest expression, "My apologies, everyone, for the trouble. I'll clean this up right now."

As he spoke, his stomach deflated, and then with a powerful inhale, the entire yellow expanse on the ground was sucked back into his mouth. The ground returned to its original state, leaving only a faint foul odor and the sprawled, unconscious contestants from his group.

After swallowing everything back, he let out a long, extremely loud burp.

Everyone: "..."

At this point, even those with the strongest stomachs couldn't help but bend over and vomit to the side.

Even those watching from the distinguished seats at the very top lost their composure.

Chiwen began cursing loudly, "How can there be such a disgusting fellow? He actually eats excrement!"

No sooner had he spoken than he remembered that not long ago, Zu'an had tricked him into drinking water steeped in excrement every day. He could no longer hold it in and began vomiting violently to the side.

Shang Liuyu, who always prized cleanliness, instantly drifted gracefully away, acting as if he didn't know him.

Women like Suo Lunshi couldn't stand such a scene and left one after another, sweeping their sleeves in disdain, not even wanting to watch the subsequent matches.

Even the seasoned and steady Peacock King of Light tried to explain, "This is an innate ability of the Giant Maggot Race; they made significant contributions during the great war with the human race, ugh..."

Contestants from other races also seemed unable to tolerate the disgusting smell, so they all sped up, quickly determining the top ten from their respective groups. The pace was significantly faster than in any previous tournament.

As for the contestants who had their fill in the yellow liquid, they were all carried out for treatment. Whether they would commit suicide out of shame and anger after waking up, or be left with a lifelong trauma, was something they would have to pray for their own good fortune to avoid.

The Demon Court also boasted many capable individuals. Soon, officials with grim faces emerged. First, they directly controlled water elemental power to thoroughly wash the entire venue. Then, other officials manipulated fire to "disinfect" every inch of the place. Finally, wind-element officials summoned strong winds to blow away all lingering odors in the air.

If this weren't the Royal Altar, given their hot tempers, they probably would have long ago conjured several powerful fireballs to blow up the area and be done with it, instead of going through all this trouble.

Nevertheless, no one was willing to compete in that venue afterwards. The officials, considering everyone's sentiments, temporarily abandoned it, and the subsequent matches were held in several smaller venues in the distance.

Next came the draw for the elimination rounds. As expected, the Snake Race's opponents happened to be the three princes of the Lion Race.

Yun Jianyue was matched against Shi Min, Yan Xuehen against Shi Gong, and Zu'an against Shi Rong.

Seeing Shi Rong's triumphant smile and clenched fist, Zu'an was momentarily speechless. This guy must have deliberately chosen him, intending to thoroughly torment him. Unfortunately for Shi Rong, a big surprise awaited him.

Because the group stage qualifiers ended earlier than in previous years, and the Golden Crow Crown Prince on the high platform was somewhat impatient to witness the Snake Race's miserable defeat, he announced that the elimination rounds would begin ahead of schedule.

This immediately sparked a wave of complaints. Except for the ten qualified contestants from Zu'an's group who had no significant losses, many in the other groups had undergone fierce battles and were more or less injured.

Unfortunately, the Golden Crow Crown Prince's mind was made up. "If there are injuries, everyone has injuries," he declared, "relatively speaking, it's still fair..."

Many were dissatisfied, but unfortunately, the individual would soon be the new Demon Emperor, so no one dared to offend him. Consequently, they all quickly took medicinal pills to heal their injuries.

Soon, the elimination rounds began. To save time, these rounds were not conducted one match at a time; instead, all groups basically started simultaneously.

Before leaving, Zu'an was still somewhat worried about Yan and Yun. "Shi Min and Shi Gong are both Grandmasters. You two are injured after all, and you've only recovered to a cultivation level of ninth-rank or slightly above. It's too disadvantageous to face them. If you see the situation isn't good, just concede. Anyway, you're wearing masks now, so no one will know who you are."

Yu Yanluo also advised, "The Snake Race has long been accustomed to having only one representative slot for so many years anyway. Please don't put yourselves in danger over this."

"Concede? Back then, when Zhao Hao severely injured me with a single blow, I didn't concede. Do these two young lions even deserve that?" Yun Jianyue scoffed with a disdainful smile.

Zu'an: "..."

He felt a strange sense of déjà vu, like Zhou Dian.

Yan Xuehen, however, explained, "Don't worry. It's not necessarily true that greater strength and higher cultivation guarantee victory. The Demoness and I are Grandmasters, after all; our application of power and technique is absolutely not comparable to two young Grandmasters of lower realms. You, on the other hand, should still be careful not to accidentally expose your identity."

Hearing her say this, Zu'an also breathed a sigh of relief. He truly had been flustered by concern. After all, they were Grandmasters whose reputations shook the world.

Soon, the match began. Shi Rong walked towards Zu'an with a sinister grin. "Stinky brat, you didn't expect to meet me, did you?"

Zu'an sighed, "You couldn't even figure that out? Do you think everyone is as idiotic as you?"

Shi Rong: "???"

Is this guy crazy? He dares to provoke me at a time like this.

Anger value from Shi Rong: 666,666,666...

"Very good," Shi Rong said coldly. "You have successfully enraged me. Later, I will crush your bones one by one and show you the consequences of your foul mouth."

After speaking, he could no longer hold back and directly unleashed a 'Frenzied Lion's Overlord Fist.'

What he didn't expect was that the next second, his vision went black. He found a foot on his face, and with a bang, he was directly kicked flying.