Chapter 792: Torch

On the old platform, this slowly emerging light and shadow immediately attracted the attention of several people.

The man was wearing a fluorescent robe, which was incredibly conspicuous under the illumination of the kerosene lamp, like a glowing light bulb. On his chest and back, the two white numbers "17" were written, and he also wore a work badge on his chest.

"I am the resident referee for this trial, number 17." The man scanned the crowd, took out several forms from his bosom, held a pen in his other hand, and spoke again, "Are you all here to participate in the trial? Report your names."

"Lin Yan."

"Jian Wubing."

“……”

After everyone reported their names, the referee matched the names on the forms with the black-and-white photos one by one. The background of those photos was at the office, and it seemed they were secretly taken when they submitted their application forms to prevent discrepancies between the applicants and the actual participants, which would lead to cheating by substitutes.

After confirming the identities of several people, the referee nodded slightly:

"There is one hour and twenty-five minutes until the competition officially begins. Next, I will set an initial location for each of you. You need to walk there yourself. When the fireworks go up at twelve o'clock, it will be considered started."

"Initial location?"

"To avoid participants teaming up in advance and affecting the fairness and justice of the competition, we will set an initial location for everyone. Some members of organizations with official backgrounds will also be deliberately separated." The referee said calmly, "At the same time, during this competition, it is forbidden for more than three people to travel together. Once discovered, the first time will be a warning, and a repeat offense will result in direct disqualification."

Hearing this, Chen Ling felt that the five major domains were indeed serious this time. Not only did they not give any preferential treatment to their own official organizations, but they deliberately weakened their advantages, leaving opportunities for civilian individuals... Standing from the perspective of humanity, they were too thirsty for fresh blood.

"This competition will last for 48 hours in total. During this period, you can use any method to reduce the number of participants."

"In addition, we have hidden a 'Dark Palace' in the Old District, which contains a 'privilege.' This 'privilege' will be related to the final competition for the [Heaven-Reaching Star Position] and will bring great advantages to the possessor."

"When the countdown to the final three hours begins, seven star thrones will rise in the Old District. When the time ends, the seven people sitting on the star thrones will become candidates for the [Heaven-Reaching Star Position]."

The referee used the most concise language to summarize the requirements of this competition, and then asked calmly:

"Do you all understand?"

"Understood."

"Now, you can take your kerosene lamps and set off."

The referee marked the initial positions of everyone present on a map. After noting them down, they carried their kerosene lamps from behind the station and walked separately into the Old District in the darkness.

Jian Changsheng carried a kerosene lamp and walked side by side with Chen Ling in the abandoned city. The dim starlight was like a light white frost sprinkled on the road. At the end of the distant street, one could also see the faint light of other kerosene lamps like fireflies, walking silently.

"Don't say, this really has an atmosphere." In the darkness, Jian Changsheng seemed a little excited, "If I can get that [Heaven-Reaching Star Position], I can change my luck... From now on, I'll say goodbye to this shitty life completely."

"Then good luck."

"...Why are you so cold?"

"In the script, people who say this kind of line usually don't live past three episodes."

"..." Jian Changsheng gritted his teeth, "No, don't you have any interest in this star position?"

"A little, but not much." Chen Ling smiled slightly, "Compared to the result of grabbing it, I prefer to enjoy the process... This kind of stage that gathers all the divine path geniuses is rare in a hundred years."

"What a pervert."

Jian Changsheng rolled his eyes and stopped at a crossroads with Chen Ling.

"My initial position is over here, what about you?"

"In the opposite direction to you."

"Alright, then let's split up." Jian Changsheng was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, "By the way, if you run into that bitch Diamond 6, remember to teach him a lesson for me!"

“……”

Chen Ling didn't answer, just waved his hand and walked straight into the darkness.

For some reason, the organizers seemed to think that he and Jian Changsheng were companions and deliberately set their initial locations far apart. Chen Ling walked for a full twenty minutes before arriving at his location.

It was an abandoned residential building, about seven stories high. From the outside, it looked like an old residential complex from before the Great Catastrophe, but now the facade was already dilapidated... Seeing this, Chen Ling felt like he was in a disaster apocalypse movie.

The light of the kerosene lamp illuminated the dilapidated stairs. Chen Ling walked up step by step, and after reaching the roof, he looked around...

Within his field of vision, he saw two halos of kerosene lamps, one in the residential building opposite him, and the other on the street not far away.

After Chen Ling appeared, the kerosene lamp on the street went out directly. It should be that the person noticed two competitors around and felt it was a bit dangerous, so he extinguished his own light source and completely hid in the darkness to avoid being killed and eliminated at the beginning.

In contrast, the kerosene lamp on the building opposite Chen Ling was still bright. It seemed that the person was somewhat confident in his own strength.

Seeing this, Chen Ling narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The strong show their fangs, and the weak hide in the darkness... Although it's the most reasonable approach, it's too conventional."

Everyone wanted to live to the end to compete for those seven positions, so they would be relatively conservative at the beginning... But Chen Ling was different. He didn't want the final result, but to earn enough anticipation in a short time.

Currently, his audience anticipation was still stuck at 51%, but to safely be reborn and restore his arm, he needed at least 70% anticipation...

After all, it was difficult to survive to the end in this arena full of monsters and geniuses with only one hand.

A glimmer of light flashed in Chen Ling's narrowed eyes,

The palm holding the kerosene lamp suddenly tightened, and strands of electric light wandered over it. The next moment, a surging flame directly blew the kerosene lamp to pieces!

Bang—!!

A crisp explosion sounded,

A scorching and bright pillar of fire rushed directly into the sky from Chen Ling's position, like a candle dragon dancing under the night sky, instantly attracting the attention of all participants within a radius of more than ten kilometers!

At the same time, the participant on the building opposite Chen Ling saw the sky-high fireworks that were arrogant to the extreme, and his mouth opened involuntarily... with an expression of seeing a ghost!

While everyone was thinking about extinguishing the fire or protecting themselves, the fierce man opposite actually led the fire directly into the sky!

[Audience Anticipation +3]

[Current Anticipation: 54%]