Chapter 1414 - Competition Starts
"This is…"
As Zhao Yueru gazed at the staff with a red-and-white glow, its beauty captivated her.
As a Fragmented Legendary Weapon, Frostflame's Wrath radiated an intense powerful the moment it appeared, making ordinary players feel quite uncomfortable. The surrounding Mana inadvertently flowed towards Frostflame's Wrath, and it instantly became the focal point of the room.
At this moment, Zhao Yueru wasn't the only one to notice how unique Frostflame's Wrath was. Even Gentle Snow and the others had noticed the weapon's extraordinary features.
Could that be… Gentle Snow had deja vu when she saw Frostflame's Wrath. A possibility surfaced in her mind, but she quickly shook the thought away, refusing to believe it was feasible.
When Zhao Yueru accepted Frostflame's Wrath and checked its Attribute Panel, she was stunned.
How is this possible?! This is…a Fragmented Legendary Weapon?! Zhao Yueru couldn't believe her eyes.
To obtain a single Epic item, a large Guild would have to invest countless resources and manpower. At this stage of the game, a first-rate Guild would be fortunate to have seven or eight Epic items. Even the various superpowers had very few Epic items.
However, even now, no one had heard of any of the superpowers obtaining a Fragmented Legendary item. First-rate Guilds and below could only fantasize of wielding such items.
Yet, Shi Feng had just handed her a Fragmented Legendary staff…
She even began to wonder if Shi Feng had a few hidden backers.
"You need to keep this staff a secret. You should be aware of the consequences should others discover this matter," Shi Feng whispered a warning.
Although he had revealed Frostflame's Wrath, not just any player could inspect it. Only the wielder could check its Attribute Panel. Hence, aside from Zhao Yueru and himself, nobody knew that Frostflame's Wrath was a Fragmented Legendary Weapon. However, since Gentle Snow had her own Fragmented Legendary item, could likely guess the staff's identity. Other players would, at most, assume it was a top-tier Epic Weapon.
After all, Fragmented Legendary items were truly too rare. Even after ten years in God's Domain, Shadow had never obtained a single Fragmented Legendary item.
"Mhm." Zhao Yueru nodded seriously. She had never expected Shi Feng to let her use such a precious weapon. She wouldn't expose the Guild's secrets.
"Alright, before you enter the competition field, use these All-rounded Devices. How far you go in the competition will depend on you." Shi Feng then took out ten All-rounded Devices and handed them to Zero Wing's five representatives. Each All-rounded Device lasted four hours, one hour more than the Titan Device's duration. Two All-rounded Devices should be more than enough to last until the end of the ranking competition.
Although players weren't allowed to use Magic Scrolls and items such as Berserk Potions and Frost Grenades in the Secret Pavilion's ranking competitions, they could use anything else.
…
The Underground Arena's large-scale arena in the Black Dragon Empire could accommodate 100,000 people. Currently, players filled the space. The venue was even livelier than the competitions in the Dark Arena due to the ranking competition's lower restrictions. This time, the Secret Pavilion had invited all of the local second-rate Guilds and above. The local well-known players and adventurer teams had received an invite as well. It wasn't hard to fill the Underground Arena's largest venue.
"So many players are participating in the competition this time!"
"I know, right? The last one only included the players from the Black Dragon Empire, but I've heard that quite a few superpowers have sent their newcomers to gain some experience in this competition. In addition, famous experts from the neighboring kingdoms have come to join the fun. The Secret Pavilion has doubled the number of official slots in the competition. Now, a total of 6,400 people can take part. Many of the top 100 players from the previous competition will likely lose their spots."
"Hahaha! Our Hundred Beast adventurer team's commander and vice commander will definitely rank among the top 200! We'll be able to rank among the top 30 adventurer teams in the Black Dragon Empire!"
"Top 200? Your commander only ranked 40th during the last competition. He'll be lucky to make it into the top 500 this time. I heard that even the FFF adventurer team is only aiming to get two people into the top 100. After all, the newcomers from the various superpowers are terrifying. Furthermore, several hundred top and well-known adventurer teams from the neighboring kingdoms have also sent participants."
"That's right. Don't forget; this competition isn't just a contest between adventurer teams. The Black Dragon Empire's various large Guilds are also participating. Those Guilds' foundations are far more powerful than adventurer teams. One top-tier expert from a second-rate Guild could easily trample an expert from a well-known adventurer team. Only representatives from top adventurer teams have a chance of securing a top position in this competition."
The crowd in the spectator stands engaged in heated discussions regarding the competition.
Generally, they only got to watch such a large-scale competition once a month. It was the highest standard competition ordinary players had access to. Most ordinary players envied those who got to watch the competition in person.
However, these players were even more jealous of the players in the 30 VIP rooms. From these rooms, players could see the ten stages as if they stood next to them. The difference between the experience of sitting in a VIP room versus sitting in the spectator stands was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Unfortunately, there was a limited number of VIP rooms available. After prioritizing the superpowers, the Secret Pavilion handed these rooms to the first- and second-rate Guilds before dividing the rest among the top five adventurer teams in the Black Dragon Empire. Everyone else could only look upon these rooms in envy.
While players chatted, Yuan Tiexin, the host of this ranking competition, appeared on the main stage. Immediately, cheers erupted throughout the venue.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to watch the Black Dragon Empire's monthly ranking competition. As there are a lot more participants this time, we've modified the competition slots and rules slightly. First, there are 6,400 official participants this month. These participants will be categorized into ten stages. Each participant will fight in 30 matches. The system will randomly determine these matches competitors. Each victory will grant one point. In the end, the top 100 participants of each stage will move on to the competition's main phase.
"During the main phase, Guilds and adventurer teams that rank within the top three of their respective categories in terms of average strength will receive an invitation to the Secret Pavilion's internal auction. I won't continue to waste everyone's time; so let the competition begin!"
The moment Yuan Tiexin announced the start of the competition, the audience cheered once more. At the same time, the various participants felt a heavy pressure weigh them down. They hadn't realized that the first phase alone would eliminate 5,400 players.
Every one of the 6,400 participants was an expert, yet so many people would be eliminated so quickly. This competition would be far crueler than the previous events, which had only included 3,200 players.
After Yuan Tiexin finished speaking, the system began to distribute the 6,400 participants randomly into ten groups. Each group had 640 participants. However, only 100 players would proceed to the final phase. The various Guilds and adventurer teams' ranks would be determined based on their average results during this final phase.
"Hahaha! Zero Wing is pretty lucky! All five of its representatives have been selected for the competition's two death groups! Ranking among the top 50 won't be a problem, not to mention ranking among the top 10 Guilds in the Black Dragon Empire!" Crimson Fox could not help but laugh when he saw the system generated lists, sneering as he glanced at the VIP rooms above him.