532 Surveying the future

The combined shouts of over 100 thousand people in the arena had already spread to the various great academies. As for Tianjing Academy, all of the students had already jumped up, raising their hands high into the air while shouting "Strongest King" at the top of their lungs. This scene was also present at the other academies. Despite the fact that Wang Zhong wasn't a student from their academy, or that their academies had been eliminated, or that they basically didn't even have the qualifications to participate, Wang Zhong had, on their behalf, achieved their dream to become a king.

All of them stood up and shouted for the man standing in the middle of the stage. That's right! That was the genuine Strongest King!

Within the VIP room, an ugly expression was plastered on Gui Hao's face, as if he had just swallowed a fly. Although he appeared relaxed as he strolled off, the entire matter had caused him to appear like a despicable joker. Giving an ambiguous smile, Vladimir shot a look at Gui Hao before leaving. Laura had also left. She wanted to celebrate with Wang Zhong. He was simply too awesome, and she had already started to worship that fellow!

One after another, the people in the VIP room started to leave. Wang Zhong's performance had caused them to lose all grounds for discussions. From this point onwards, the only thing they could do was to prove themselves through their actions, or to stay silent, as it was pointless to blindly compare themselves. Tianjing had already entered the top 8 in this CHF. Now, all of them needed to contemplate on who could really be a match for Tianjing.

Now, there would probably be no one willing to be Tianjing's opponent. Their weaknesses?

As long as Wang Zhong was there, who would dare to proclaim that they could defeat Tianjing!

This was the "importance" of the king!

Wang Zhong had polished his control of the cross wheels to an unimaginable degree. That weapon was practically invincible in middle-range fights.

Alasi was extremely smart. However, he had made a fatal mistake in his calculations. From the very beginning, he should have targeted Tianjing's most dangerous element: Wang Zhong. Truthfully speaking, there wasn't any meaning in dealing with the others. Nevertheless, those people would still create a massive threat if left alone, which had fuddled his decision making.

At this moment, the members of the Tianjing squadrons were undergoing emergency treatment. Emily and Lily had rather serious injuries, while Scarlet was in a slightly better condition. Although Barran's injuries weren't light, due to his stronger constitution, his recovery rate was also faster. Coming this far in this CHF, Tianjing should have already hit their limit. They might even have trouble gathering enough combat-fit members to participate in the next match. Nevertheless, everyone from Tianjing had already given their all.

Although they had put in so much effort, this was the CHF. It was predestined for every soldier to arrive here, and for every person to fight with their lives on the line.

This time, Tianjing had secured the victory, and had advanced into the top 8 of the CHF. The entire world would remember Wang Zhong's name.

The Seer squadron's match was coming up in the afternoon. If anyone were to say that Tianjing had more fame than Seer, that they needed to bask under Tianjing's spotlight, that there was a person by the name of Wang Zhong who was even more popular than Divian, that person would definitely have been called out as a crazy idiot.

However, at this moment, the interest in the afternoon match was high, in the wake of Tianjing's match. The masses hadn't been able to satisfy their cravings!

This was a match worth waiting for, as the Barbarian squadron was probably the most ferocious among all the participating squadrons in this CHF. They had given their all in practically every single fight, showing to the world their thirst for victory that was even greater than their self-preservation instincts.

Barbarian City was located in an obscure region. Evidently, Barbarian City was rather disliked within the Federation.

Yes, the reality was that grim. Within the Federation's system of governance, Barbarian City had always been a bottom-tier city. However, unlike other weaker Federation cities, Barbarian City did have a certain level of strength. The reasons for the decline of their administrative tier were historical.

Due to being situated near the border, it was considered to be a rather sensitive buffer region. At the beginning, only a small settlement existed at this location. The primary goal of that settlement was to conduct research on mutated life forms. However, as the area developed, this goal of the research gradually shifted, and the Federation began to use this location as a place of exile for criminals. Many whose crimes were serious, yet did not warrant the death sentence, had been banished here.

It was not known when this place had been given the moniker of "Barbarian".

To the Federation, there was no need for a city like Barbarian City, as all the people living there bore the label of "criminal". Either they had sinned, or their parents had.

Barbaric lands were where the greatest value could be extracted out of people. At the very end, not only was it a jail for death convicts and serious offenders, even some light offenders had been sent there, allowing the underworld to flourish.

However, all of these happened a long time ago. After a couple of decades, Barbarian City was established, and this "jail" was terminated.

However, the living conditions grew worse and worse over time. At this moment, not only did Barbarian City have to face a vile environment without the Federation's defence and support, they had to rely on pure manpower and fighting ability, fighting against mutated beasts that were contesting for living space. The beastial tide that came every year would result in life-or-death battles, leaving injuries on every single Barbarian City citizen who survived the ordeal; mental, physical, or both. Everyone had suffered injuries before, and many would lose their friends and family in those life-and-death battles every year.

They needed the support of the Federation! Genuine support!

They needed the Federation's defence system, runic cannons, and more importantly, food and better medical care.

The fight between the parliament and aristocratic families had given them an opportunity to do just that. If they were able to enter the top 8, the parliament would find ways to give Barbarian City a seat in their ranks This meant that Barbarian City's existence would be formally recognised, allowing them to obtain even more resources.

Therefore, they had pushed all the way to this stage, for the sake of that top 8 placing!

Making it to the round-of-16 left them just 1 step away from success, with many Federation citizens starting to pay attention to their existence. Nevertheless, that didn't matter to them, as all they cared about was to get into the top 8.

It was crucially important for them to step over the hurdle that was Seer. However, the problem was that the Seer squadron was clearly unwilling to fall at their hands, nor become a stepping stone for a mere chess piece.

Nevertheless, the outcome of that match caused many to be taken aback. Under Divian's leadership, Jormungandr showcased his outstanding abilities, while Bierhoff and Lancelot Seer displayed exemplary standards for the world to see. Despite giving their all, the Barbarian squadron was only able to obtain an insignificant victory in one duel, and were swept into a 1:4 defeat by the Seer squadron.

Naturally, as their overall standard was pretty good with rather unique traits, they had probably garnered the attention of the various great aristocratic families, which could possibly lead to a future change for Barbarian City. However, their road in this CHF had come to an end.

The third day of the round-of-16 had come to an end, with this undoubtedly being the day that had brought the greatest shock to many people. Tianjing entering the top 8 had given hope to countless people, with Wang Zhong cementing his fame through this match. He was no longer the All Mouthy King of the past, or simply some black horse. At this moment, he had genuinely joined the ranks of the younger generation experts sitting at the apex of the Federation. Torres could not complain or rant about their loss to him.

It was late in the afternoon before Grai leisurely returned. This fellow had always been pretty open-minded, appearing as if he couldn't care less about the outcome of the match. Nevertheless, he was still extremely happy when hearing about Tianjing's victory.

Besides Wang Zhong, who had benefited greatly from their win, Barran was the other person who had significant gains. From now on, no one would dare underestimate this heavy soldier, who had pulled down their average standard. No one had expected Tianjing to be able to walk this far, causing many within the Federation to start paying attention to the city that this squadron hailed from.

The last day of the round-of-16 had started, with the host, Stuart, showcasing their might for all to see. They still possessed endless fame, and, being the number 1 city of the Federation, was also a mighty existence that held the highest reputation in people's eyes. This squadron had garnered the highest levels of support during their round-of-16 match, with the entire arena rooting for the Stuart squadron.

The Eye of the Storm squadron's powerful summoning tactics were utterly useless in the face of the mighty Stuart, with the Stuart members ending the match with their individual brilliance for a flawless 4:0 victory. Despite their strength, the Eye of the Storm squadron was still unable to force Stuart to reveal their true strength. Stuart had still managed to obtain an easy victory without relying on Carolyn.

In the afternoon, as if they were giving a reply to Stuart, the Giant God Peak squadron defeated the Highland Knights squadron with a flawless 4:0 victory. In that match, Borat''s giant hammer still left anyone facing it in despair, with his opponent being unable to avoid his attacks at all. Fernandes' instant petrification special ability was just as invincible as ever. Other than those on the same level as Mo Wen, one had to rely on their sense of sight to fight against their opponent. However, looking at the opponent would result in petrification, which was too lethal! Angele's 5 transformation beast bloodline, which was able to rival Divian's dragon bloodline, was displayed in a rather domineering fashion. Coupled with the scholarly and immeasurably stable Dicaprio, Giant God Peak had displayed the air of nobility from a championship contender.

Naturally, due to how easily and unchallenged they were in their victory, there were people who started to doubt the strength of the Giant God Peak's opponents. At the very least, they appeared so when compared to Tianjing. However, on the other hand, there were no weaklings in the round-of-16. What's more, Stuart and the other S+ ranked squadron had yet to meet their match. How could they say that their opponents were too weak?!

Giant God Peak had entered the top 8 in a strong fashion. Although it wasn't as ferocious as Tianjing, they still exuded an feeling of limitless ability.

The Giant God Peak had obtained the last spot in the top 8. At this moment, the top 8 squadrons of this CHF had been decided.

Martial Ghost Divine Emperor, Stuart, Heaven's Fate, Grozny, Tianjing, Copperfield, Seer, and Giant God Peak.

These 8 squadrons represented the highest standards among all the Heroic Soul Academies of the Federation.

At this moment, there was no longer anyone passing comments like "lucky" or "fluke"; being able to enter the top 8 in this CHF was an undeniable indication of their strength.

The legendary soldier Rodriguez went up on stage for an announcement. The quarterfinals would commence in 7 days.

Although 7 days seemed to be an extremely short amount of time to rest, having experienced so many fights and battles, every single day was extremely precious for the soldiers at the peak of the Casted Soul Stage. To them, every single day represented the possibility of gaining new understandings and chances to breakthrough.

This was the reason why everyone was forcefully restraining their soul stage to the Casted Soul Stage. Their goal was to gain improvements under intense stimulation from the competition.

"That's very common, The round-of-16 was already that intense, especially the last match! That was truly the endgame of the round-of-16. Did you see how Franken was finished off? Even the replay can't do justice to the entire story. You need to watch it frame by frame to understand the whole process. It was really too cruel! The 7 day break is definitely needed, to give all of the squadrons more time to prepare for the quarterfinals!"

"Truthfully speaking, Giant God Peak is really strong. From the start, they had already been judged by the officials to be ranked 7th. I was extremely against that decision, as I personally felt that they weren't as strong as Tianjing. However, from the looks of it, I've really made a huge mistake. Giant God Peak is most terrifying at their ability to conceal their strength. Tianjing's full strength has already been displayed for everyone to see, and it's simple to identify their strong points. However, Giant God Peak has concealed themselves too deeply! I'm really saying what I feel! If not for Franken wanting to settle his grudge against Angele, I feel that Angele would probably have given a huge shock to others in the top 8!"

"I've long said that there's a reason Giant God Peak was ranked ahead of Tianjing."

"Speaking about that, other than Tianjing and Giant God Peak, all of the other commoner squadrons have been eliminated. I initially believed that the Blazing Angel squadron and Blazing squadron might have stood a chance to break through."

"The S ranked evaluation truly represents the S rank. The strength of the aristocratic families have always been at that level. I believe that the quarterfinals will be Tianjing's limit. As for Giant God Peak, that's difficult to predict; they've really showed some strange stuff in their last match. So mysterious! They should be the greatest surprise in this CHF."

Wave after wave of discussions sprung up in the Skylink, with some of them sizing Giant God Peak up against Tianjing, with most favouring Giant God Peak.

On the contrary, the aristocratic families remained extremely calm and tranquil, as this outcome was still within their expectations. While Tianjing's victory had been a little surprising, from their perspective, Giant God Peak going up against the Highland Knights squadron was just like newbies fighting in a low-level match. Clearly, this evaluation had immediately given rise to intense debates, with those present in the arena for that match being the first to erupt. How would you know how intense and terrifying the match was if you didn't come to watch the match?

Stuart, Heaven's Fate, Grozny, and Martial Ghost Divine Emperor; they were, without a doubt, the highest ranking squadrons in the quarterfinals. As for Tianjing, Seer, Giant God Peak, and Copperfield, they were ranked as the lower tier.

While the entire Federation was discussing about the situation of the CHF quarterfinals, everyone naturally knew that everything depended on the match-ups. It could be said that the match-ups could immediately determine the results of the upcoming matches.

As for Tianjing...

Wang Zhong and the others were preparing to drink alcohol and toast to their accomplishments; a prime example of "striking a balance between work and rest."

However, the truth was that Tianjing had not made even the slightest preparation to enter the quarterfinals. The thought of them entering the quarterfinals had never crossed their minds, not even once. Yet, they had actually made it through! To Tianjing Academy, the shock from their accomplishment was close to terrifying! However, this made their information-gathering network seem rather lacklustre. The numbers and figures that they could gather weren't much, and they could only rely on the combat footage from earlier matches in this CHF. Furthermore, at this stage in the CHF, the difficulty of gathering information was even higher, as everyone wanted to keep their secrets secure.

Having fought all this way here in this CHF, the entire Tianjing squadron felt extremely proud of their accomplishments. At this moment, everyone could put down the baggage they carried on their shoulders and carry on fighting, causing their morale to surge to its highest.

As for how they would fight in the coming future, everything would depend on the opponents they were matched up against. Nevertheless, each and every member of the Tianjing squadron already had their own thoughts, as Wang Zhong had already given this squadron its identity.