At the foot of the mountain.
Numerous armed personnel stood gathered.
Among them, an unfamiliar middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back.
Zhao Zilong, Sheng Guofu, and others were present, along with many unfamiliar faces.
As soon as Chen Jie and Lin Shuang appeared, Zhao Zilong spotted them.
His eyes immediately turned red with fury.
It was all because of Chen Jie that Wen Jing was disfigured.
He was determined to avenge Wen Jing! He would snatch Lin Shuang away and replace Wen Jing.
Seeing Chen Jie also looking in his direction, Zhao Zilong immediately made a throat-slitting gesture at Chen Jie.
Chen Jie paid him no mind.
"Everyone, allow me to introduce you to General Zuo of the Dragon Gate, Zhu Qing! He is one of the highest authorities in the Dragon Gate! From now on, you will all follow his arrangements!"
Tong Hao introduced to the crowd.
Zhu Qing spoke with a powerful voice.
He raised a token with one hand: "This is the token that represents the status of the Lord of the Dragon Gate. If you who are competing for the position of Dragon Gate Lord emerge victorious, you will receive this token that commands the Dragon Gate!"
"Now, I will inform you of some rules!"
"Those participating in the Dragon Gate Lord competition tonight will each receive an electronic token representing their identity."
"This electronic token has a tracking system. Once your electronic token appears outside the perimeter of Wutai Mountain, you will be considered eliminated!"
"Additionally, you will also receive a device to track the location of the electronic tokens! Two days later, the electronic tokens will broadcast their locations to all members!"
"You will only have four days. Within two days after the electronic token's location is exposed, you must not leave Wutai Mountain. After four days, you will gather at this location. Whoever possesses the most electronic tokens will be the ultimate victor, the Lord of the Dragon Gate!"
Chen Jie understood.
Their intention was to allow members to encounter and fight each other freely for the first two days.
To prevent anyone from hiding in the deep mountains, all participants' locations would be shared after two days.
The competition would shift from passive encounters to active searching.
The real struggle would begin after two days.
"Are there any other questions?"
Zhu Qing asked finally.
Sheng Guofu suddenly spoke up, "What if someone among us kills innocent people?"
Zhu Qing replied, "This is indeed a concern. We are all people of Great Xia and should not kill our comrades. Therefore, in principle, killing is not permitted! If discovered, the perpetrator will be disqualified from the Dragon Gate Lord competition and severely punished!"
"However, no battle is without risk. Once a struggle begins, if someone dies due to an accident, it can only be accepted. I hope you will act within your capabilities!"
"Let's begin! No need for further preamble!" Zhao Zilong urged suddenly.
Zhu Qing glanced at him with a frown.
But he said no more, "Alright, I will now announce..."
"Wait!"
At this moment, an old man's voice called out.
From a distance, Zhan Tian and Zhan Zhuo, leading Li Ziling, walked towards them.
Seeing this, Chen Jie's gaze sharpened.
He immediately recognized that Zhan Tian and Zhan Zhuo were extraordinary.
He had not expected Li Ziling to appear.
"Li Ziling?" Lin Shuang exclaimed in surprise, looking at Li Ziling.
Li Ziling glanced at Lin Shuang, then at Chen Jie.
She then turned to Zhu Qing and said, "I also wish to participate in this competition!"
"You?"
Zhu Qing clearly knew Li Ziling's identity.
His gaze softened for a moment, and he couldn't help but say, "Miss Li, everyone participating in the Dragon Gate Lord competition today is at least at the Earth Rank. You, I'm afraid..."
Zhan Tian's eyes widened: "Although the young lady is an ordinary person, we two old fellows are not ordinary! If we two old fellows help the young lady, do you dare say she is not qualified?"
Zhu Qing said helplessly, "Why are you two getting involved?"
"Hmph! Half of this nation's prosperity is thanks to the merits of God of War Bai Yu. We are merely helping the young lady reclaim everything that belongs to the Li family!"
"Are you sure?" Zhu Qing asked.
"Certain!"
"Very well! If that's the case, then you shall be counted! But you must ensure Li Ziling's safety!"
"Do you even need to say that?"
The two retorted, glaring.
Zhu Qing nodded without further comment.
He then gestured to an assistant beside him.
A moment later, the assistant brought some electronic tokens and tracking devices, distributing them to everyone present.
"Participants, each of you take an electronic token! Then board the aircraft!"
According to the rules, the planes would land at different locations.
Participating members could freely choose their landing spots.
They could also form teams freely.
Of course, if someone had already landed at a location, no other person would land there without their permission.
This greatly protected everyone's safety and privacy in the initial stages.
When it was Chen Jie's turn, Zhu Qing gave him a deep look and then produced an electronic token from elsewhere, handing it to Chen Jie.
After the distribution was complete, Zhu Qing said, "Board the aircraft!"
Thus, everyone boarded the vehicles one by one.
Li Ziling paid Chen Jie no attention throughout.
However, once inside the cabin, she still sat next to Chen Jie.
"Chen Jie, let's disembark from the same spot later!" Lin Shuang whispered to Chen Jie.
"Why? Aren't you afraid I'll snatch your token?" Chen Jie asked.
"Heh heh, I have no chance anyway. I'm just here for experience. In the end, it will still be yours."
Lin Shuang smiled.
"Alright." After all, they were engaged, and Chen Jie felt he should take care of Lin Shuang if he could.
"Li Ziling, come with us later," Chen Jie said to Li Ziling.
Li Ziling seemed to have lost her usual enthusiasm for Chen Jie.
She asked in a low voice, "Teacher Chen, you've always known my identity, haven't you?"
Chen Jie nodded.
"Then, did you get this opportunity because you were protecting me?"
Chen Jie replied, "Something like that."
Li Ziling chuckled and did not mention her father.
Instead, she said, "No, Teacher Chen. I think it's better if we go our separate ways. Otherwise, if I compete with you for a token later, it will put you in a difficult position."
Chen Jie looked surprised.
But after glancing at Zhan Tian and Zhan Zhuo, he nodded, "Alright, with those two by your side, your safety will be guaranteed."
At this point, Chen Jie looked at the place where he had obtained the immortal cultivator's遗物 last time and said, "Let's disembark here!"
Lin Shuang was taken aback, "Okay!"
Soon after, the plane landed.
As Chen Jie and the two were about to descend, Sheng Guofu stepped forward, "Chen Jie, we'll go with you!"
Chen Jie glanced down at the mountain ridge, where a faint, weak glimmer was flashing.
Chen Jie said, "No, I have other matters to attend to!"
Sheng Guofu's expression stiffened, and he retreated awkwardly.
A moment later, the plane landed, and Chen Jie and Lin Shuang descended together.
After Chen Jie left, Zhao Zilong moved to Chen Jie's position.
He smiled and looked at Li Ziling.