When I woke up, I wanted to go home.

The competition between Emperor-level powerhouses and the competition between Sovereign-level powerhouses are completely different. Don't be fooled by the fact that there is only one major level difference. The number of people stuck at the peak of Sovereign-level is not just dozens of times greater than the number of people who have successfully advanced to Emperor-level powerhouses. The destructive power of the two can also be said to be worlds apart!

Due to special circumstances, only seventy-six Emperor-level experts participated in this year's competition.

They only need to be divided into two groups, with thirty-eight people in each group.

On the first day, the thirty-eight Emperor-level powerhouses in one group fought against each other, and after the nineteen winners were determined, they rested for a day.

The next day, the thirty-eight Emperor-level powerhouses from Group Two will compete to determine the nineteen winners, and so on!

The duelists were determined by drawing lots from the spectators in front of the palace square, in order to prevent planned cheating!

If an odd number is encountered, there will be a bye.

Those who draw a bye will advance directly to the next round.

When this rule was first established, many people felt it was unfair, but in the end the king made the decision, saying that luck is also a form of ability!

In previous years, when there were many Emperor-level experts, the Grand Competition would be held in the vast icy snowfields.

There are fewer people this year, so the competition venue can be opened up within the kingdom, since it's not a true life-or-death battle between emperors.

Let's not talk about those with a huge difference in strength. Even if we encounter two players of equal strength, they will compete in terms of internal strength to see who can outlast whom, and they won't go too far in killing each other.

After all, no one would want to antagonize an Emperor-level expert. Besides, which Emperor-level expert doesn't have a powerful family or force behind them?

Zhu Chongjiu was assigned to a group, so he will be playing today.

He reviewed the information about the Emperor-level competition in his mind, then looked at his opponent and said, "Old man, you can go down now."

First, you can't beat me. Second, if you save your energy, you can live a few more years.

I'm afraid I might accidentally wear you down to death. Even if I don't, I'll go too far and reduce your remaining ten-plus years of life by a few years!

The competition has strict rules against causing death intentionally. If someone is found guilty of intentional homicide, their results will be invalidated, and they will be punished. The specific punishment will be decided by the king.

In all these years, there hasn't been a single Emperor-level competition where an opponent has died.

Besides, Emperor-level experts aren't as easy to kill as you might think!

The old man opposite Zhu Chongjiu replied after hearing Zhu Chongjiu's words: "Young brother is right. People say that youth has the upper hand in boxing. I, an old man, don't have many years left to live. They say that the older people get, the more afraid they are of death. I didn't think so when I was young, but now that I'm at this point, alas! I feel ashamed."

"That's why I was hoping to find some rare and precious herbs in the Divine Void to prolong my life. I would be grateful if you could help me, young brother."

As the old man spoke, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Zhu Chongjiu!

After listening to the old man's words, Zhu Chongjiu replied, "Do you know what the two types of people I hate the most in my life are?"

The old man asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

Disobedient children and disobedient elderly people!

Sorry, you've already taken one spot.

After saying that, Zhu Chongjiu vanished from the spot in an instant!

By the time the old man reacted, Zhu Chongjiu was already standing in front of him, raising his right hand, his index and middle fingers forming a finger sword, the technique Yang Shen Finger already condensed at his fingertip, and pointing at the old man's throat!

Zhu Chongjiu originally intended to apply it to the forehead, but due to the height difference between the two, he applied it to the throat instead!

The old man froze, not daring to move.

Zhu Chongjiu said, "When you get old, you should go home to retire, raise birds, walk dogs, and bask in the sun. You're deaf, blind, and have trouble walking. What's the point of going out and showing off?"

"After you reach the Divine Void, it doesn't matter if you die, but there are still twenty or so people left. Are they all going to be buried with you?"

Zhu Chongjiu asked the old man in a calm tone!

On the big screen, a chorus of screams erupted from the square.

Wow, so cool!

Who is this? He's so handsome!

The male companion next to him was unhappy. "What's so handsome about this short guy!"

Some people echoed Zhu Chongjiu's question, saying, "Yeah, you want to prolong your life, but you don't care about the lives of the other team members? What a selfish person!"

His companion whispered in his ear, "Keep your voice down. The old man you're talking about is a marquis, over seven hundred years old now. He fought alongside the previous king in his campaigns across the north and south." After hearing his companion's words, not only the other person but everyone around fell silent!

Inside the palace, in a spacious hall, there was a huge projection screen showing Zhu Chongjiu pointing his fingertip at the old man's throat, accompanied by Zhu Chongjiu's voice.

At this moment, an old man with gray hair, who didn't have many years left to live, stood up, bowed to the king, and said, "Your Majesty, this Emperor-level contestant named Ninth Brother is clearly insulting a high-ranking official of the kingdom and showing contempt for the law. Your Majesty must punish him!"

After the old man finished speaking, an old man who was obviously much younger and more robust, but also had white hair and a long beard, stood up. He looked at the old man who had just spoken with a fierce gaze, bowed to the king, and said, "Old man Chen, what's wrong? Did you hit the nail on the head? I think this young man is absolutely right."

Although Old Man Jiang and you have been close friends for hundreds of years, and you're both old bones with little time left to live, just listen to this young friend's advice, hurry home and enjoy your remaining years, eat whatever you can, and let everyone see, that's enough!"

Old Man Chen looked up angrily and said, "Lord Wang Guo, don't think I don't know that this guy called Ninth Brother is a contestant from your junior academy. If you side with him, you're cheating!"

"You think I cheated? How did I cheat? Tell me."

Besides, I am a Duke, and you are only a Marquis. I am a rank higher than you.

If you speak to me like that, do I also think you are insulting a high-ranking official of the kingdom and showing contempt for the kingdom's laws, and request the king to punish you?

Also, do you know why you and Old Man Jiang are still Marquis after all these years?

Now that we've already talked things out, and the King and all the ministers are here, I'll tell you, so you won't have to wonder what happened when you're in your coffin in a few years!

You and Old Man Jiang have made countless great contributions over the past few centuries, not to mention countless small ones, but don't you ever think about why you haven't been promoted?

Do you think the king is unaware of what your two families' descendants have done?

Do you two think you've covered up the messes for your juniors perfectly?

Do you need me to list them out for you one by one?

Not only your descendants, but you two old guys, who fought alongside the late king and used your power to do countless dirty things, do you think the king doesn't know?

Have you ever considered how you two will face the late king after you die?

At first, Old Man Chen didn't take what the Duke of Wang Guo's words seriously.

However, as the Duke of Wang Guo explained the matter one by one, especially when he got to this point, Old Man Zhao collapsed to the ground, his face streaked with tears, sobbing uncontrollably!

The king, sitting on the high throne, said calmly, "Your Majesty, that's enough. Brother Chen has accompanied my father in battles and helped me establish the kingdom after my father's passing. He has made great contributions!"

Since Elder Chen and Elder Jiang are both advanced in age and should not overwork themselves, let them enjoy their retirement years!

The ministers below shouted in unison, "Your Majesty is wise and benevolent!" Then, two guards entered from outside the hall and helped Old Man Chen out!

Even though Old Man Chen was an Emperor-level expert, he didn't dare to resist in the slightest, or even utter a single word of explanation.

At this moment, he also knew that today was the first day of the Emperor-level Grand Competition, and also the day that the Duke and the King were preparing to take them down.

If they don't resist, all will be well. But if they displease the king, even the last vestiges of friendship may be lost, and their descendants will suffer as well.

What Old Man Chen couldn't understand was where the King and the Duke of the Kingdom found this Emperor-level expert to participate in the competition. There was no information about this person in the entire Ruixue Kingdom. Could it be that the King secretly trained him?

On Zhu Chongjiu's side, the Marquis surnamed Jiang has already conceded defeat, and Zhu Chongjiu has left the arena to return to the capital to rest.

Inside the palace, as the discussion about Zhu Chongjiu continued, a minister stood up and said, "In this Emperor-level competition, this Emperor-level expert seems to have the fastest time in the history of the competition."

Since they were trained by the academy of the Duke of the Kingdom's descendants, could the Duke of the Kingdom introduce them to everyone?

After all, everyone is very curious about this suddenly appearing super expert!

The Duke of the Kingdom, in a rather impetuous manner, said, "Why should I introduce you to someone?"

"Go ask him yourself! With your methods, you can easily find his address!"

After the Duke of the Kingdom finished speaking, he closed his eyes, giving off an expression that said, "Don't bother me, I don't want anyone to disturb me." He even stopped watching the game on the big screen.

In fact, the Duke of Wang was secretly thinking to himself, "Nephew, nephew, where did you find this person? He's so fierce."

A top-tier Emperor-level expert with five or six hundred years of combat experience, who can kill you in one move just like that?

Of those present, how many could withstand his move?

No wonder you made such a confident promise back then that one of the two Emperor-level leaders in the team must be you, or even if there was only one leader, he must be an Emperor-level expert from your academy.

Sometimes, being too strong isn't good either. How do you explain that? My head is spinning. I'm playing dead, I'm giving up!

At this moment, the king, sitting high on his throne, looked at the duke with a thoughtful expression.

Seeing that the minister was about to explode after being rebuked by the Duke, the King quickly said, "Alright, everyone, stop being so curious. Actually, I'm quite curious myself."

However, during the crucial competition, people keep some secrets and hold back more cards in order to successfully compete for rankings.

I believe that after the competition, the Kingdom Guild will provide everyone with a reasonable explanation!

Upon hearing this, the Duke of the Kingdom's eyes, which were closed, twitched. Damn it, what was bound to happen has finally happened. He'll just have to take it one day at a time. If all else fails, he'll have his little nephew, that brat, bring this guy called Ninth Brother himself to explain!

After this incident, everyone suppressed their curiosity and watched the competition between other Emperor-level powerhouses!

Back in the room, congratulations came through the communication stone. Dean Wang even said he was going to the gambling den to get the money and then come back to split the spoils with Zhu Chongjiu.

Only then did Zhu Chongjiu realize that Dean Wang had not only bet that Zhu Chongjiu would get a spot to enter the Divine Void, but also planned to bet that Zhu Chongjiu would win every time they competed.

Most people bet on the outcome of a single group competition first, and only bet on those who will enter the Shenxu quota after they have a clear understanding of the situation.

When Dean Wang opened the betting pool, he immediately bet all his savings on Zhu Chongjiu to secure a spot in the Divine Void, as the odds would be much higher than the previous betting options.

Later, Dean Wang thought that entering the Divine Void meant that he would win every group competition, so why not bet on the winning rate of a single group? Even if the odds were low, every little bit helps!

So Dean Wang borrowed a lot of money from his family friends and elders and started gambling recklessly!

Zhu Chongjiu doesn't have to compete on the second day; the third day is his competition to advance from nineteen to ten. Most Emperor-level experts, unless injured, will go to watch the competition.

The kingdom arranged special viewing areas for emperor-level powerhouses, as well as some wealthy and noble people.

Most of them go there to gamble.

Some Emperor-level powerhouses also went there to verify and learn, since a battle of Emperor-level powerhouses of this scale is a rare and precious opportunity, and their understanding and application of techniques can be learned and referenced.