Chapter 65: Qualifying Battle

  "What?" Bai Xiaobai hastily got up, "So fast? The grouping and lottery have not been done yet, nor has the division of the competition area, how can he start already?!"

  "Heavenly Father above, have you seen? Fire rain falls from the sky, and the Martial Arts Tournament has begun!"

  Jiggs burst in with a big stride, also with an incredulous face, "How is this possible? I didn't receive any news at all, not even Bishop Oda Gen's notification that there would be an opening tonight!"

  "This must be Reinhardt's idea?"

  Miss Nikola walked in, elegantly pushing up her golden-rimmed glasses with a smile, and said helplessly: "This guy is being stubborn again!"

  Reinhardt, a name that would befit the Pope of this era. However, after this woman directly called out the name of the Plague God, everyone had already gotten used to her not giving anyone honorifics.

  "Miss Nikola!"

  Ye Huan called over several team members to pay their respects. Although this mysterious woman made him feel uneasy, with the big battle imminent, tactical guidance was essential and he asked: "No matter how unreasonable this year's martial arts conference is, but the war has already begun, what are your tactical arrangements?"

  "It's all ready for you!"

  Nicholas smiled slightly and led everyone to the horse-drawn carriage outside.

  Xixi is assembling some strange things here, with canvas, solid metal bars, and flame throwers. Ye Huan, who is not familiar with the technology, can't see what they can be assembled into.

  "Is this your tactical guidance?" Ye Huan furrowed her brow.

  "Just wait and see, you'll understand his role!"

  Nicholas waved his hand, indicating that everyone could go to the opening ceremony outside the gate of He Lie Mountain. However, just as Ye Huan walked out a few steps, she asked softly: "Ye Huan, have you seen Lainhart?"

  "I am a devout believer blessed by His Holiness the Pope himself, of course I have seen it!" Ye Huan was stunned for a moment, with the great war imminent, what did this woman bring up the Pope for?

  "What's your impression of Reinhardt?" Nikolai's smile was a bit mysterious.

  Ye Huan searched in her mind and found another Ye Huan's memory, where the Pope was young but already one of the nine saints on the mainland, with a gentle tone of speech and meticulous work, being a very majestic pontiff.

  It can even be said that another Ye Huan was extremely respectful of the Pope.

  But what does this have to do with the upcoming battle?

  "Are you confused?" Nikolai smiled, "If not, then forget it. I just wanted to remind you that it's still February and Rheinhardt might give you a little surprise..."

  ……

  It wasn't long before Ye Huan vaguely understood Miss Nikola's 'reminder'.

  It was several hours later that all the contestants gathered in the square outside the gate, and just by looking at their attire, there were more than 3,000 followers of the Heavenly Father's Teachings. Adding to that the young people from other forces, their families, entourages, tactical advisors, logistics and medical personnel, it was a massive army of 200,000 to 300,000 people.

  A young man wearing imperial robes stood under the gate, with a lion-like mask on his face, holding a black mist-shrouded shrine in his left hand, which should be the statue of Heavenly Father.

  Ye Huan recognized that it was the Pope's figure, and he was about to walk over and pay his respects. However, after taking two or three steps, his feet suddenly stopped moving.

  "Huan Ge, why aren't you leaving?" Lu Xiu asked in surprise from behind: "You are a student personally blessed by Your Majesty, according to etiquette, you should go up and bow to ask for peace."

  "Miss Nicola wasn't wrong..." Ye Huan's eyes widened in shock, "Lushe, have you also seen the Pope?"

  "Of course I've seen it!"

  "Then tell me, what color is the Pope's hair in your impression?" Ye Huan's tone was extremely urgent.

  "This... " Ruxiu scratched his head awkwardly, "Huan Ge, I'm not like you, who once shook the He Lie Mountains and had the qualifications to meet the Pope up close. This... really doesn't know what color the Pope's hair is!"

  "In my impression, three times meeting, the Pope was golden long hair!" Ye Huan narrowed her eyes, "But now... he has black hair!"

  "Is this Pope false?" Rush's face changed color with surprise.

  "No way!" Ye Huan shook her head, "Look at the cardinals behind the Pope, several red-robed archbishops and elders have appeared. They've been following the Pope for years, how could they not tell the real from the fake? Moreover, the Pope is one of the Nine Holy Warriors, this kind of power is something others absolutely can't fake!"

  "Th...!" Rudeus could only think of one impossible possibility, "The Pope is going to dye his hair!?"

  The Pope's next performance was even more beyond Ye Huan's expectations!

  At this time, seeing that everyone had gathered, the Pope's mouth behind the mask hooked up a cold smile with cruel meaning. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Lainhart, representing the Heavenly Father, welcome to this year's martial arts conference!"

  "Long live Your Majesty!" The contestants responded in a flurry, but several impatient ones asked: "Your Majesty, does this mean the Martial Arts Tournament has officially begun? Why wasn't there a pre-tournament draw, an opening ceremony, and we still don't know who our first-round opponents are?"

  "You don't need to know!"

  The Pope gently kissed the holy censer in his hand, with an elegant yet solemn atmosphere, "Because you have not yet qualified to participate in the Martial Arts Tournament!"

  "Haven't we earned the right yet?" The square erupted in an uproar.

  "Are you surprised?" The Pope sneered, "But look at it yourself, there are at least 20 to 30 thousand contestants here, more than 4,000 teams. If we were to have group battles, one match per day, and then rest for a few days, when would it end? Next year, the year after that, or until the second Great Calamity occurs?"

  "So, I've prepared a qualifying match for you!"

  As he spoke, the Pope raised the ark in his hand, and in an instant, the lights on the gentle slope of He Lie Mountain's south face went out, but torches were lit on the cliff behind. In the cold spring wind, these three cliffs still had thick ice sheets, over 9,000 meters high, even the most agile monkeys and the best flying eagles couldn't climb up from here.

  "Now, I announce the rules of the qualifying round!" The Pope said coldly without giving everyone time to react: "First, it is currently 6 pm. Before 6 am tomorrow, you will choose one route from these three ice cliffs and climb to the 9,000-meter-high War God Pavilion. Those who arrive on time will automatically qualify, and the order of arrival will determine your grouping in the first round. Those who fail to arrive, sorry, please go up the mountain from the south side and be a spectator!"

  Looking up at the ice cliff over 9,000 meters high, the contestants' faces all became somewhat solemn.

  Climbing cliffs is not difficult for the new humans who have evolved in terms of physical ability, and adding ice can also be overcome. The key point is that there are no supervisors on this cliff, and more than 20,000 contestants are climbing on it. If someone shoots from behind or makes a sneak attack...

  "Are you worried about being ambushed while climbing?" The Pope's smile became even more sarcastic, "Don't worry, because someone will definitely attack you, because... Rule Two, the core rule of this martial arts tournament is that there are no rules. Ambush outside the arena, poison on the field, do whatever you want, and even if you have the ability to assassinate your opponent before the match, I'll still declare you directly advanced. In short, everything is for victory!"

  "Reinhardt, you're clearly trying to get us to kill each other!" one of the contestants cursed loudly.

  "If you want to understand it that way, I have no choice!" The Pope shrugged his shoulders. "That's the rule for this year. If you want to participate, just follow my rules!"

  The noise under the mountain disappeared immediately.

  Of course, some people left in anger, but they were just a tiny minority of a tiny minority.

  "Alright, those are the rules. Oh, and one more thing, I have to remind you!" The Pope smacked his lips and said with a hint of regret: "Just recently, a ferocious monster suddenly appeared on Mount Heiluo, it has already killed hundreds of soldiers and over twenty high-ranking officials of the Church. Now, this little guy is still roaming around the mountain. If you happen to encounter him during the competition..."

  Some contestants' faces have already turned pale!

  "Are there any more questions?" The Pope raised a pocket watch, "If not, the correction time, it's now 6 o'clock in the evening, the qualifying match... begins!"

  So soon?

  Many contestants were still immersed in the Pope's bloody rules, staring blankly until the Pope finished speaking and walked back to the gate. Only then did they ask their tactical advisors and family members in confusion, "Is this the start of the game?"

  "Bastard!" The tactical guides were also dissatisfied with the Pope's attitude, but the temptation of the ten divine artifacts was too great, and they didn't have time to think twice. They shouted loudly: "The qualifying match only has twelve hours left, let's set off immediately! Anyone who dares to ambush you on the cliff will be killed!"

  "What should we do, boss?"

  In the crowd, watching a team of players rushing up the cliff, Bai Xiaobai asked timidly: "Is this really His Majesty the Pope? How...how..."

  Ye Huan was also confused. Today's Pope was completely different from the benevolent ruler he had imagined, they were practically two different people.

  "No time to daydream!"

  As more and more contestants rushed to the cliff, Ye Huan hastily led the team back to Nikola's side. "Miss Nikola, the qualifying match has begun, we need you to arrange tactics!"

  Nicholas: "Didn't I say it's already been prepared for you?"

  Too scary!

  Xiaoxi had just assembled six mini hot air balloons, with sturdy canvas bodies and flame jets at the bottom. The four corners were also equipped with metal shields that seemed strong enough to withstand defense. At a glance, it was clear that using these hot air balloons, they could fly to the top of the mountain in just a few hours.

  Maybe I can even get first place!

  But the key is that Nikolai started assembling it more than an hour ago, does this woman have inside information or is her mind really terrifying to the point where she accurately calculated Reinhardt's mindset in one go!?

  "I've prepared two methods for you!" Nikolai said in a low voice: "The first method, as you've seen, is to fly directly up using the hot air balloon and arrive at the War God's Pavilion within two hours! However, this is a cowardly act and will be looked down upon by many contestants!"

  "What's another way?" Ye Huan narrowed her eyes,

  Miss Nikola pulled out a deck of cards and a set of tableware, with snacks and drinks arranged on it. "The second way is to sit here first, chat, drink tea, play cards, and then leave after six hours!"

  "With this method, you only have six hours to spare, and even if you make it, you'll get a very bad group ranking, with countless strong enemies ahead! Nikolai's tone was somewhat provocative. "But if you choose this method, you will gain my respect, Nikolai, and I will continue Udo's training, letting you shake the entire continent at the Martial Arts Tournament!"

  "Two options, hero or coward, Ye Huan, I await your choice!"