Global Demon Transformation.

Chapter 495 The First Step Yuanlong
When 394 contestants appeared on stage, it meant that the 'Strongest Presence' semi-finals had officially begun.

The homepage of the Martial Arts Forum was now covered by a huge poster.

The poster shows the backs of 396 contestants, two of whom have already died because of their attempt to assassinate Lin Feng.

Below the poster is the official live stream room, and with the semi-finals about to begin, the number of viewers is climbing rapidly.

At this point, the live stream chat displayed that 423.21 million viewers were watching online.

This is just a martial arts forum; some people watch this live stream through other means.

In China alone, conservative estimates suggest that at least 800 million netizens watched online.

The number worldwide is probably well over a billion.

As the country with the most trainees and a recognized powerful nation, China is the focus of attention for countries around the world.

Each contestant who secures a spot becomes a research target for various countries.

"It's about to begin, and this semi-final is sure to be exciting."

"Absolutely. Popularity polls are all about popularity. They're nowhere near as exciting as a real contest where the strong rule."

"There was a surprise at the end the day before yesterday, I wonder if there will be one today?"

"Zhao Zhou and Zhou Long are also in the audience; I'm afraid they won't dare to participate in 'Might Makes Right'!"

“He’s still a bit lacking in strength, but Chen Junhao has a chance.”

"If Jing Feiyang were to go up, how many people could be his match?"

A massive amount of comments flooded in, making it impossible to see the live stream clearly without turning them off.

Compared to the popular gala livestream the day before yesterday, today's audience numbers and bullet screen activity are much higher.

Although the popularity vote involves the entire population and attracts more fan attention, the outcome of the contestant's selection as a trainee is actually quite predictable. Therefore, the gala the day before yesterday was just a star-studded event, and the audience and fans didn't experience much excitement or enthusiasm.

But today is different.

No one is universally acknowledged as having a 100% chance of getting a spot.

Battles are exciting enough, but suspense makes them even more thrilling.

"It's about to begin."

Chen Junhao and his group appeared on the screen, eliciting cheers from the audience. They also politely waved to the camera.

Although they have secured student slots, it doesn't mean they can rest easy.

The contestants who won the popularity vote were almost all retired professional players. As former rivals and teammates, they knew each other's strength and fighting style very well, but they were unfamiliar with the people who entered the semi-finals.

Those who made it to the semi-finals are all at least as strong as them, and those who got a spot in the semi-finals are generally stronger than them.

If that weren't the case, they could just participate in the "might makes right" campaign directly, instead of wasting time and effort attending events to win votes.

Of course, this is not absolute. After all, a master like Jing Feiyang would have a high chance of getting a spot as a student even without participating in the popularity vote.

Some people do it simply to be conservative, while others do it to hide their strength.

"Out of 394 contestants, only 34 will be selected as trainees. It's a one-in-ten competition, even more brutal than the popularity vote."

Xie Yixiao sat behind Chen Junhao, thinking to himself.

As an assistant, he was not qualified to sit next to Chen Junhao.

He also felt the pressure at that moment.

It even gave me the feeling of when I first joined the Glory Alliance.

The core of the popularity vote is popularity, but it is not just about who is more famous.

Just like professional players, their popularity and favorability are definitely higher than those retired All-Star players, giving them an advantage, but even so, they don't get many votes.

Because, in the eyes of the audience, their chances of becoming king were too low.

Fans consider many factors when voting, but the most important is talent.

Their strength certainly can't be too bad; at the very least, they need to reach the ninth rank.

Secondly, there's talent. Talent represents the future. If you don't have enough talent, what right do you have to participate in the popularity vote? Other personality traits can also influence the votes.

If even one criterion is not met, it is impossible to receive a high number of votes.

“All the major powers and conglomerates have shown up today,” Zhao Zhou said, sitting next to Chen Junhao and looking around.

This semi-final has indeed garnered more attention, as evidenced by the involvement of various major forces.

Zhao Zhou knew that the presence of so many powerful figures at the event was also for the purpose of recruiting talent.

This talent isn't just about those who get a spot in the competition; even those who are eliminated, or anyone who makes it to the semi-finals, are considered talented.

Popularity polls come in many different forms due to their different themes, while the "survival of the fittest" poll is much simpler and even somewhat monotonous in comparison.

There were no contestant introductions or campaigning sessions, no challenge rounds, and no dazzling virtual rankings. After the host gave a few opening remarks, the competition officially began.

Rumble…

Just as everyone was discussing this, a giant arena slowly rose from beneath the stage, accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground.

Viewed from above, the arena resembles a blooming flower, forged from steel, with 34 petals of different colors, each over 50 meters in diameter, forming the ring atop a 20-meter-high stem.

"So beautiful!"

"34 petals, 34 arenas, are they going to start all at once?"

The appearance of the arena drew gasps of amazement, for the competition venue was simply too magnificent.

It truly resembles a beautifully blooming flower.

Compared to the audience's amazement, the expressions of the contestants participating in the semi-finals changed slightly.

They were unaware of the rules of the competition beforehand and initially thought it would be a simple ring match, but it was clearly not that simple.

"Similar rules to the Throne Challenge?"

Lin Feng asked with some curiosity.

Even before the host announced the competition rules, as a member of Hongyun University and a former winner of the first throne, he had already guessed the rules.

Compared to the Throne Challenge, the previous free-for-all is missing. The 34 petals actually represent 34 thrones.

Whoever can stay on the petal will be selected as a student.

"That's good, it's more exciting."

Ye Qiu said excitedly.

He hadn't participated in the Throne Challenge, but he had watched it, so he naturally knew the rules.

"Thirty-four petals represent thirty-four student slots. Participants can choose any of them, and winning three consecutive matches will secure their spot. After each challenge, a healer will come to treat the participants, so they don't need to worry about injuries or the depletion of their physical and spiritual energy. If a participant fails five times in a row, they will be automatically eliminated. There is no time limit for the semi-finals."

The host's enthusiastic voice confirmed Lin Feng's guess.

"Is there a rule that allows someone to win without a fight?"

After hearing the competition rules, Yun Tianqi asked with some curiosity.

The challenge is free, but there is a limit to the number of attempts. Five failures result in direct elimination, which means that everyone will choose weaker opponents.

Some recognized strong individuals are the ones to avoid choosing.

This could indeed lead to someone winning without a fight.

"Yes, that's true, but such experts are not afraid of challenges!" Ye Xing nodded.

"Choices are important. If you make the wrong choice, even if you are very capable, you will be eliminated. However, five chances to fail are enough to avoid the probability of failure caused by such a wrong choice."

Lin Feng said.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward after the competition venue was revealed.

On stage, the 394 contestants seemed hesitant, none of them making any rash moves, as none of them wanted to be the first to reveal their strength.

The noise and chatter lasted for a minute or two until the first contestant lightly touched the ground and leaped onto a petal, at which point a tsunami of cheers erupted.

"It's Dean Bu!"

Dong Yunan exclaimed in delight.

The first figure to leap onto the petals was Bu Zheng, whose real name was Bu Yuanlong!

It was once an existence that made countless geniuses feel inferior.

(End of this chapter)