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

In the remaining nine days, their location will be exposed twice more. Fortunately, the range is only within a hundred miles. If it were an ordinary competition, they would definitely be surrounded and annihilated, with no room for combat or movement.

However, now that the Five Flavor Islands have been destroyed and the Five Elements Sealing Heaven Formation has been broken, all teams can obtain the maximum space for combat movement, and the entire Three Realms will become the stage for the eighteen teams to fight against each other.

For Zhou Qingfeng, the current strategic goal has been achieved, and he has already ranked first in the individual points. No one else can catch up with him no matter what. If others want to win the championship, the only way is to kill him.

Being the target of everyone's criticism is not good news.

The only option at present is to trade space for time, constantly move and conduct guerrilla warfare, and avoid direct combat with enemy squads.

"Listen carefully, I'm going to devise the next battle plan!"

"Starting today, the entire team will be divided into three smaller groups."

"Xiao Hongyun, you'll be paired with Cheng Wuquan."

"Ye Tingxiu, you're paired with Du Yanran."

"Duan Hongsu, you and Tantai Minglan are in the same group."

At this point, Zhou Qingfeng picked up the burning wood, extinguished it casually, and then laid out his troops on the ground inside the cave, explaining in detail the overall strategy and local combat tactics to come.

"Remember, our current overall operational strategy is to trade space for time. Confrontational combat is not the goal; survival is our ultimate objective. We must absolutely not engage in direct combat with any small team."

"You three groups should disperse and hide in three corners, forming a triangle for defense, with me at the center."

"Each group is separated by a hundred miles and keeps watch on each other."

"No matter which direction the enemy comes from, we can react quickly and retreat in another direction."

“If any group is forced into combat, you will have to find a way to break out on your own. The other groups, including myself, will not provide any form of assistance.”

"This is an order, understand?" Zhou Qingfeng held a meat pie in one hand and a piece of charcoal in the other. After speaking, he looked at the faces of the six team members one by one. As soon as their eyes met Zhou Qingfeng's, the six of them nodded.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng dropped the charcoal and shouted, "Let's move out!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingxiu stood up decisively and patted Du Yanran on the shoulder: "Let's go."

Du Yanran nodded slightly, and the two quickly left the cave side by side.

Xiao Hongyun stretched and chuckled, "Hehe, the price of fate's gift was already marked in secret. I followed along to rack up points before, and now it's time to pay the price. Cheng Wuquan, come with me."

"He's being deliberately mysterious, talking nonsense, he's sick." Cheng Wuquan glanced at Xiao Hongyun, muttered to himself, and left the cave with Xiao Hongyun, quickly moving in another direction.

Duan Hongsu and Tantai Minglan remained silent, simply following Zhou Qingfeng's orders. They had no right to refuse, because they had survived until now by following Zhou Qingfeng, accumulating a large number of points and earning billions in wealth. Now that Zhou Qingfeng was using them as pawns for vigilance, they could only obey his orders.

A seven-man combat team vanished without a trace, leaving only Zhou Qingfeng hiding in the cave.

Zhou Qingfeng positioned himself in an absolutely safe position, while the other three groups served as both a safety buffer and a shield, specifically designed to protect Zhou Qingfeng from harm, and all faced the risk of being annihilated.

If the three teams do not act quickly enough or react swiftly enough, death is inevitable.

This tactical deployment is not only a survival strategy but also a psychological tactic, forcing the opponent to disperse their forces across the vast battlefield to search for them, while Zhou Qingfeng and his team maintain mobility and initiative, able to adapt flexibly in a perilous environment, laying the foundation for ultimate victory.

In this tense atmosphere, time passed day by day.

Zhou Qingfeng changes his hiding place by drawing lots every day, seeking good fortune and avoiding danger, and thoroughly implements the strategy of trading space for time. Even if a group accidentally encounters another team, Zhou Qingfeng can be notified immediately, and he can quickly move to another location in two other directions, always keeping himself in a state of absolute safety.

As a result, the teams in the world competition had no way of finding where he was hiding, which drove everyone who wanted to hunt down Zhou Qingfeng crazy. However, no matter how crazy they were, it was useless, as they couldn't even see a shadow of Zhou Qingfeng.

Even Qin Xinsu had given up on the search and killing, because Zhou Qingfeng was too good at hiding, and the world arena was too big. He had a solid lead in points, so why should he show himself and fight with others?

With only one day left, the world competition has entered a frenzied stage of fierce battle. The eighteen teams no longer have anything to hide, because there are only thirty spots on the leaderboard, and even occupying the bottom spot can make them famous all over the world.

No one wanted to fight to the very end only to fail and not even make it onto the Heavenly Ranking.

The best way to ensure you make it onto the Heavenly Ranking.

That means that in the end, only thirty people were left.

In this way, you will be 100% guaranteed to be on the Heavenly Ranking.

Under these circumstances, no one wasted time searching for and killing Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng's strategy of trading space for time was undoubtedly successful. He remained an observer, watching the changing winds and the struggles among the heroes, keeping the situation firmly in his grasp.

Until the match entered its final, most crucial period.

The many prodigies gathered at a desert rock to rest, ceasing their fighting. The final result couldn't be changed in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, so continuing was pointless; it was better to take a break.

"Where do you think Zhou Qingfeng is hiding?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. I never thought about getting first place. I'd be content just to make it onto the Heavenly Ranking."

"Actually, I admire Zhou Qingfeng for being able to take the top spot on the Heavenly Ranking. Our strategic thinking is far behind his. He took the initiative from the start to rack up points, and then hid away. We had no way to deal with him."

"Yes, it can only be said that from the moment Zhou Qingfeng gained the upper hand, we were already out of the running for the top spot on the Heavenly Ranking."

“I accept defeat wholeheartedly. He even killed Huangfu Yunzheng. That was Huangfu Yunzheng, the most outstanding genius of the younger generation of the Python Sparrow Royal Family. He was killed so quietly.”

"Zhou Qingfeng... with his wisdom and ability, he deserves the title of a man of great talent and ambition."

Qin Xinsu stood with her hands behind her back, feeling regretful for not having sparred with Zhou Qingfeng: "Alas, I understand now. It was all wishful thinking on my part. From the very beginning, I had already lost the right to be Zhou Qingfeng's opponent."

Wu Chunshan asked, puzzled, "Captain, what makes you say that?"

Qin Xinsu shook her head and said, "You don't understand."

She considered herself to be of unparalleled strength, extremely arrogant, and regarded all the heroes of the world as prey.

However, Zhou Qingfeng didn't take her seriously at all, because she hadn't seized the initiative, didn't have enough personal points, and didn't even have the qualifications to fight against Zhou Qingfeng.

If she had previously seized the initiative to rack up points, she would have had enough points to threaten Zhou Qingfeng's chance to take the top spot on the leaderboard.

Then there's no need for her to search the whole world for Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng will definitely find her and kill her.

However, she didn't have that many points, so she couldn't threaten Zhou Qingfeng's position as the number one on the Heavenly Ranking.

So no matter what she did, she couldn't get Zhou Qingfeng to even glance at her.

The time it takes to drink a cup of tea passed quickly. A World Gate appeared around each team, and as the World Gate slowly opened, the competition on the World Arena officially came to an end.

Without any hesitation, Qin Xinsu turned and stepped through the gates of the world, returning to the defiled and evil realm.

The others also passed through the gates of the world one after another.

When they returned to the first level of the White Bone Foundation Building Tower, all eyes were focused on Zhou Qingfeng and his group, their gazes filled with complex emotions, admiration, and a hint of resentment.

Zhou Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, indifferent and unconcerned about the gazes of others.

Mao Erlang surveyed the remaining seventy-two prodigies before him and slowly spoke: "You have all fought on the world stage for days and must be extremely exhausted. Please go back and rest for now. The rankings will be announced in three days."

Upon hearing this, everyone clasped their hands in a salute and said, "As you command."

The group filed out, each led away from the city lord's mansion by a servant. Only Zhou Qingfeng did not leave the mansion, but turned around to pay his respects to his master, Qiu Chengde.

Qiu Chengde was busy with daily affairs in his study, listening to reports from dozens of deputy stewards. These deputy stewards were each in charge of a certain matter in the outer courtyard of the city lord's mansion, and all obeyed Qiu Chengde, the chief steward of the outer courtyard.

The steward team, consisting of dozens of deputy stewards, can assist Qiu Chengde in managing the city lord's mansion in an orderly manner, and can maintain the normal operation of the city lord's mansion even if Qiu Chengde is not present for a short period of time.

However, problems will arise over time. After all, the city lord's mansion has 10,000 servants and 9,000 maids, as well as four departments, six bureaus, and twelve supervisory offices. Some matters can only be decided by the chief steward, Qiu Chengde.

Qiu Chengde sipped his tea slowly, glanced up and saw Zhou Qingfeng standing outside the door. He put down his teacup, waved to his subordinates who were reporting, and said, "That's enough for today. You may leave."

Upon hearing this, dozens of assistant stewards immediately clasped their hands in a salute: "Yes, Steward Qiu."

Immediately afterwards, dozens of assistant stewards filed out, greeted Zhou Qingfeng with clasped hands, and then departed.

Zhou Qingfeng stepped into the study, lifted his robe, knelt down on both knees, and bowed deeply: "Disciple greets Master."

Qiu Chengde stood up with a smile, went over to help Zhou Qingfeng up, and reached out to pat the dust off Zhou Qingfeng's knees: "Get up, the ground is dirty."

Zhou Qingfeng chuckled and said, "It's alright, Master. I'm going back to the manor to change into new clothes anyway."

Qiu Chengde turned around and sat back down, gesturing for Zhou Qingfeng to sit as well.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng smiled and sat down on the chair next to him.

Qiu Chengde asked with a smile, "Why did you come here today, kid?"

Zhou Qingfeng said, "The competition just ended, and I'm in a hurry to let my master know I'm safe and sound, and also to ask for a meal. I also need to go to my mother's place later. I guess she's still taking a nap right now, so it'll be perfect to go in the afternoon."

Qiu Chengde chuckled, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked, "Have you gotten into trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng stammered, "It's not exactly causing trouble, it's just that I killed the prince during the competition."

"Pfft~~~" Qiu Chengde spat out a mouthful of tea, staring wide-eyed at Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng quickly stood up and asked, "Master, are you alright?"

Qiu Chengde cleared his throat, put down his teacup, and calmly wiped the tea from his lips: "It's nothing, I just choked on my tea. You just said you killed the prince, were you referring to Huangfu Yunzheng?"

Zhou Qingfeng nodded and said, "Yes, Master, this person is too much of a threat. The competition has reached a critical turning point. If I don't take him down first, he will most likely take me down. I don't want to die, so the only option is for him to die."

Qiu Chengde coughed twice: "Cough cough cough, it's nothing, it's nothing, disciple, don't be afraid, it's not a big problem."

"The qualifying rounds of the Heavenly Pride Tournament are essentially life-or-death battles on the world stage."

"When geniuses clash, death is inevitable."

"It was already stated beforehand that you would be responsible for your own life and death. If Huangfu Yunzheng dies, no one else can be blamed. The Mangque royal family will not hold you accountable for this matter. Even if the Mangque royal family wants to cause you trouble, your wife will protect you."

"Don't worry, you did a great job. You killed the most outstanding young genius of the Python Sparrow Royal Family. Madam won't blame you; on the contrary, she will be very happy. You've really vented Madam's anger."

Hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng felt somewhat relieved and asked, "Master, from what you're saying, it seems that Mother has an old grudge against the Python Sparrow Royal Family?"

Qiu Chengde hummed in agreement: "Disciple, you may not know this, but back then, the lady's husband, who was the previous city lord, the First Taibai, was forced to commit suicide by the other city lords incited by the Python Sparrow Royal Family..."

Qiu Chengde slowly recounted the past events. Given Zhou Qingfeng's current status and position, he was indeed qualified to know the secrets of the First Family. The Python Sparrow Royal Family did have an old grudge with the First Lady, but it was merely a personal feud.

However, the cause was indeed because the First Taibai broke the rules among the powerful. Since ancient times, it has been a matter of the rich facing the rich and the poor facing the poor. Whoever breaks the rules must pay the price, and even the First Taibai is no exception.

It can be said that the positions of First Lady and City Lord, as well as the title of Duke, were both earned by First Taibai at the cost of his life.

Because the First Taibai designated a successor before his death, even Emperor Gengshi had no right to interfere with the city lord's choice of his successor. This was not only the First Taibai's right, but also the right of every city lord, and it was also the rule.

The first family was connected to the royal family of the python and sparrow by blood, and they intermarried generation after generation.

The First Emperor Taibai and the current emperor, Emperor Gengshi, are cousins.

The First Lady had to call Emperor Gengshi her "elder cousin," and the First Lady also had to call him "elder cousin."

As an adopted son, Zhou Qingfeng should address Emperor Gengshi as his great-uncle according to seniority.

"Do you understand now? The Python Sparrow Royal Family has always owed you a life. You killed Huangfu Yunzheng during the competition in a perfectly legitimate and lawful way. Don't be afraid. Besides, killing Huangfu Yunzheng is just collecting some interest."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng suddenly realized, "No wonder Master said Mother would be happy."

Qiu Chengde calmly picked up his teacup again and took a sip: "Alright, just know about this. Don't mention it again, especially not in front of Madam. It's best to keep it to yourself."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng's heart tightened, and he said with a serious expression, "Yes, Master, I understand."

Seeing his serious expression, Qiu Chengde smiled and patted his head: "Alright, that's enough. I'll have the kitchen prepare some food. You can eat here at my place for lunch. After you finish eating, rest for a while, and then go see Madam in the afternoon."

Zhou Qingfeng chuckled: "Okay, Master."

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