Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

The gradual conclusion of the preliminary rounds signifies the basic end of the entire selection process.

After each contestant loses in the preliminary rounds, they can donate 100 million magic coins to the Sword Tower to secure a spot in the revival tournament, which then kicks off a two-day, three-night bloody revival competition.

However, none of this has anything to do with Zhou Qingfeng anymore.

His current focus is on how to seize the top spot on the leaderboard in the upcoming competitions.

According to Jin Wei, previous qualifying rounds, regardless of changes in the fighting style or rules, were always incredibly fierce, unlike the preliminary rounds which had some protective rules for the contestants.

In the qualifying rounds, the contestants are determined not only by their skill level but also by their life or death; there is no such thing as forfeiting or admitting defeat.

This means the qualifying rounds are very dangerous, extremely dangerous.

Thousands of top-tier talents compete on the world stage, but only thirty will ultimately make it onto the Heavenly Ranking. It's easy to imagine how brutal and bloody the battles will be.

In the study, Shui'er said with some worry, "Brother, since participating in the qualifying competition is life-threatening, why do you still have to participate? What will Father and I do if something happens to you?"

Holding a calligraphy brush, Zhou Qingfeng wrote the four characters "一往无前" (meaning "go forward without hesitation") and said with a smile, "Cultivating by consuming turbid qi is a path of no return. One must have the courage and belief to go forward without hesitation in order to climb to higher peaks."

"Now that I have decided to climb the Heavenly Ranking, how can I give up easily because of the difficulties and obstacles in front of me?"

"Some things, you have to fight for them, and not only fight for them, but fight for them with dazzling brilliance."

"Moreover, no matter who my opponent is, I am confident that I can defeat them one by one."

Upon hearing this, Shui'er remained silent. She was not an indecisive person, but when it came to the life and death of her loved ones, she would always lose her composure, looking before and after, afraid of this and that. This was only human nature.

"Since you've made your decision, I will definitely support you. I will follow in your footsteps and, when I reach the Food Disaster Realm, I will participate in the Heavenly Pride Competition and try to climb the Heavenly Ranking just like you."

"Shui'er, that's right. Only by competing with the heroes of the world can one have no regrets about living in this evil world."

Zhou Qingfeng smiled broadly, very pleased with Shui'er's spirits.

Without such spirit and drive, one is destined never to reach the pinnacle.

If Shui'er retreats out of fear of death.

Then there's no need to continue increasing cultivation resources to nurture her.

Adjusting the training direction early on and cultivating him into a managerial talent skilled in internal affairs would also be a good idea.

At this moment, Jin Wei quickly entered the study, holding three manuscripts and bowing respectfully: "Young Master, the intelligence has been basically collected, and Jin Wei has organized and archived it. Please take a look."

Zhou Qingfeng looked up at Jin Wei, casually placed the brush on the inkstone, and reached out to make a hook.

Upon seeing this, Jin Wei immediately stepped forward, placed the three manuscripts on the table, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and stepped back to await instructions.

Shui'er tactfully prepared to leave, but before leaving, she stepped forward and picked up the calligraphy on the desk: "Brother, could you give me this calligraphy? I can often remind myself that cultivation must be unwavering."

Zhou Qingfeng said with a smile, "If you like it, just take it. You don't need to consult me."

Shui'er smiled and teased, "Isn't it because I was afraid the prince wouldn't be able to bear it?"

Zhou Qingfeng patted Shui'er's head affectionately: "There's nothing to be reluctant about. They're just material possessions. Go on, I have important matters to attend to. Go play by yourself."

"Okay, brother." Shui'er happily took the calligraphy and painting and ran out of the study with small, quick steps.

Zhou Qingfeng smiled as he watched Shui'er leave, then his smile slowly faded as he picked up a scroll of intelligence and began to read it.

Upon seeing this, Jin Wei immediately stepped forward to give a verbal report: "Young Master, based on the intelligence collected over the past three days, after multiple verifications, Jin Wei has organized and filed it into three categories overnight."

"One type is those who pose no threat. These players mostly rely on luck to qualify for the qualifying rounds. Once they enter the world stage, they will be among the first to be eliminated and pose no threat to you."

Zhou Qingfeng hummed in agreement, signaling Jin Wei to continue.

He then looked down and opened the personal details of these contestants, which included their names, ages, parents, affiliations, past achievements, spells and supernatural abilities they were proficient in, and methods to counter them.

This is why Zhou Qingfeng keeps his trump cards hidden and refuses to reveal them easily. If he investigates his opponents, then others will also investigate theirs. Once all his trump cards are exposed, he's doomed.

Jin Wei gathered his thoughts and continued, "The second category is those who are threatening. These are contestants who, due to bad luck, fought their way out of the revival round, or those who were lucky enough to defeat ten to twenty contestants in the preliminary rounds. These people are generally very strong and outstanding."

"In this category, there are Ke Lan, Shui Zheqian, and Tan Ningxiang. The three of them fought their way out of the revival competition again. There are also Mao Yuling from the Mao family, Zhu Jianxin from the Zhu family, Tang Yijun from the Tang family, Song Ye from the Song family, and Ma Tianci from the Ma family. The children of these six families have basically defeated their opponents and qualified for the next round."

Zhou Qingfeng casually asked, "What about Xiao Hongyun and Ye Tingxiu? Did they advance in the competition?"

Jin Wei clasped his hands in a salute: "Young Master, I was just about to talk about these two. They have also advanced."

"Ye Tingxiu defeated seventy-two opponents in a row and won the final victory in the eighty-eighth match."

"Xiao Hongyun defeated ten opponents in a row and won the final victory in the 196th match."

Zhou Qingfeng said with a smile, "I knew those two wouldn't miss this opportunity. So, what about the last category?"

Jin Wei said, "The last category is extremely threatening to you. There are only three of them, and they can be said to be your three strongest opponents in this attempt to climb the Heavenly Ranking."

"Firstly, Huangfu Yunzheng, the grandson of the Mangque royal family."

"Secondly, the first Duanmu was from the first collateral branch of the family."

"Thirdly, Qin Xinsu, the second young lady of the Qin family, the lord of Benlei City."

Zhou Qingfeng tossed the manuscript in his hand onto the table, picked up the thinnest manuscript and began to read it. It contained detailed information about Huangfu Yunzheng, Qin Xinsu, and the First Duanmu.

As he read, Zhou Qingfeng found himself sitting down and reading it word by word.

Seeing this, Jin Wei stepped aside and waited quietly.

Zhou Qingfeng's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

Huangfu Yunzheng is the most outstanding genius among the grandsons of Emperor Gengshi. All that is known about him is that he is always victorious in battle and successful in his plans. He is a man of both wisdom and strategy, and his plans are flawless. He has never been defeated.

Moreover, the techniques and supernatural abilities that Huangfu Yunzheng cultivated were all secrets passed down by the royal family and were not included in the rankings. His past achievements were covered up by the royal family, and all detailed information about Huangfu Yunzheng was top secret.

The only record worth mentioning is that during the preliminary competition, he only released one thousand-year-old Crimson-Eyed Python, which was ranked as a disaster, and defeated all his opponents without ever making a move.

The First Duanmu is proficient in medical arts and wood magic. He is the most outstanding chief genius among the three branches of the First Family, and the supernatural abilities he has practiced have never been revealed.

He performed poorly in the preliminary rounds, managing to go toe-to-toe with every opponent, but always narrowly defeating them at the last minute, seemingly hiding his true strength.

Qin Xinsu, the second young lady of the Qin family, the lord of Benlei City, is proficient in thunder magic and supernatural powers.

As soon as the referee shouted "start," her opponent was already a human-shaped charcoal, perfectly cooked with a crispy exterior and tender interior, seven-tenths done. The aroma of meat filled the air. Her opponent didn't even have a chance to admit defeat before being severely injured and defeated.

Only the cultivators at the Food Fiend Realm who were present at the time saw Qin Xinsu instantly transform into a scarlet lightning bolt, moving, attacking, and returning to her original position in one smooth motion. However, in the eyes of cultivators of the same level, she did not even move.

Zhou Qingfeng closed the intelligence report and slowly processed the information: "This intelligence seems to be incomplete."

Jin Wei clasped his hands in response: "Yes, young master, but this information has been verified and screened from multiple sources and is accurate. If you want more detailed information, it will probably take more time."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly, not dwelling on it too much. The time for intelligence gathering was already short, and there was a lot of information to be gathered about the opponents. It was already good enough that he could find out the performance in the preliminary competition.

Originally, this intelligence could only be used as a reference, not as the basis for action, because everyone can hide their cards, and so can others. In the end, when it comes to actually taking action, it all comes down to whose cards are more powerful.

At least for now, we have basically determined which opponents can compete with us for first place, and we have a basic understanding of their strength, so we will not underestimate them.

"There's no time left, the qualifying matches start at noon, let's leave it at that for now."

"I'll familiarize myself with the intelligence data on the remaining opponents first."

Time is like a ghost, fleeting and silent.

Before they knew it, it was noon. Four thousand six hundred and thirty contestants were waiting outside the city lord's mansion. Then, Mao Erlang personally led all the contestants into the city lord's mansion and walked all the way to the White Bone Foundation Building Tower.

Thousands of people waited in the main hall on the first floor of the White Bone Foundation Tower.

Mao Erlang stood on the stairs leading to the second floor, looking down at them calmly, and said, "Now I will announce the rules of the qualifying rounds. Listen carefully, I will only say it once."

"Rule 1: This qualifying round will adopt a multi-team competition format and will last for 28 days."

"Whoever defeats their opponent gains one point in their individual score, and their team also gains one point in their score."

"The individual scores of the other teammates remain unchanged."

"For each team member lost, the team's score will be reduced by one point, while the individual scores of the remaining teammates will remain unchanged."

"Teams with a score below zero at the end of the match are immediately eliminated."

"Rule 2: The participating teams must consist of a minimum of eight people and a maximum of thirty-six people."

"Rule 3: The ranking will be based on the final individual score after the competition ends."

"Rule 4: Each person's location will be revealed periodically, and only the players can see it within a hundred miles."

"Rule Five: This qualifying round will determine both the winner and the loser."

Mao Erlang paused for a moment, then said calmly, "The rules have been read. All contestants, please take your positions. I will count to ten. It's not too late to quit now. Once you step onto the world stage, there will be no chance to regret it."

Upon hearing this, one by one, the 4,630 geniuses in the audience raised their hands and withdrew.

As Mao Erlang finished his countdown, only 3,900 people remained.

Those who withdrew had more or less heard about the brutality of the 665th Heavenly Pride Tournament.

At that time, there were thousands of top geniuses competing on the world stage, but less than one-tenth of them survived. The death rate was as high as 90%, making it a matter of life and death.

I thought the competition format would change this year, but it turned out to be even more brutal than in previous years.

Many people were afraid and chose to withdraw from the competition at the last minute.

After counting to 10, Mao Erlang looked at the many people who had withdrawn and said coldly, "Your group of contestants is the worst I've ever led since I started hosting the Tianjiao Championship. You bunch of trash don't deserve to step onto the world stage."

"You bunch of trash who snuck in, get out of here! Don't get in my way!"

The 730 contestants who withdrew looked ashamed and left the White Bone Foundation Tower, covering their faces in shame and indignation.

A large area was immediately cleared out.

Mao Erlang glanced at the remaining people and said with satisfaction, "I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to form your own teams."

The many geniuses in the first-floor hall clasped their hands in a salute, and then they all hurriedly looked for their ideal teammates to form teams, knowing the importance of teammates in this qualifying round.

If your teammates are too strong, they will steal your points, leaving you with no points at all. Even if you are ranked at the end of the game, you will not be on the leaderboard. At most, you will just have earned some gold in the promotion matches, which is of no use.

If teammates are too weak, they will drag you down from the start, unnecessarily increasing the difficulty of the battle. After all, this is a battle between squads, and teammates absolutely cannot be too weak.

If there are too many teammates, the pressure to score will be immense. In a team of 36, if each player needs to score 10 points, then they would have to eliminate 360 ​​opponents.

If you have too few teammates, you will be at a disadvantage in a fight.

This requires careful consideration of the team's personnel configuration.

Many people are carefully choosing their teammates.

Those who consider themselves geniuses are forming their own teams, recruiting others, and becoming the team leaders.

Zhou Qingfeng naturally wanted to form his own team, and his teammates were undoubtedly Ye Tingxiu and Xiao Hongyun.

The three met here, and unsurprisingly, they laughed and gathered together.

Zhou Qingfeng said with a smile, "Old Ye, I heard you're really good. You've defeated seventy-two opponents in a row. That's impressive."

Ye Tingxiu raised his head proudly: "It's alright. If I were ranked number 1, I could also win 100 games in a row. It's a pity that I wasn't given the number 1 player card."

Zhou Qingfeng raised an eyebrow: "Oh ho, how come you're speaking so fluently now?"

Ye Tingxiu chuckled: "My master lifted the three-word silencing spell on me. He said that I have almost made up for my weaknesses and there is no need to suppress them. He told me to make full use of my strengths."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded slightly: "Is there any problem with us forming a team for this competition?"

Ye Tingxiu clenched his fist and lightly punched Zhou Qingfeng's chest: "What else is there to say? We have to team up. Lao Xiao, what about you?"

Xiao Hongyun chuckled: "I have to join. Let's fight our way through the entire world arena together."