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"Remember this well," Cui Ming said, "as for my mindset..."
Li Qing interrupted, "Junior Brother, you're a gambler, so you'll definitely choose A. But if we choose A, our chances are slim. Choosing B gives us a much better chance."
"No, I suggest we choose B. The kind of gambler you mentioned who bets everything is purely relying on luck. I'm more of a technical type; based on my current probability calculations, if we choose B, we have a solid chance of making it through the medium difficulty of the second half. Since we can handle the team's B task, why can't we handle the medium difficulty in the second half? Conversely, if we can't manage the medium difficulty in the second half, what right do we have to choose the A task in the first half?"
Beiyue replied, "I disagree with choosing B. The second half is an individual battle, which means some of us might pass while others might not. For example, just now Cui Ming, you were killed and couldn't pass. In my view, we're a team. Although I'm eager to pass the assessment and have strong reasons to do so, as the captain and as an individual, I prefer that all five of us make it together. To ensure all five of us pass, we must aim for lower difficulty. Therefore, we must choose A for the second round."
Cui Ming said, "A is really tough. Just from the last task, if Ghoul is determined to run away, we would have a hard time dealing with it. And then there's the Bone Dragon; without wind and with Raefus and Yellen out there, we wouldn't be able to take down the Bone Dragon. Even while besieging Ghoul, we'd still have to keep an eye on Bone Dragon."
Li Qing stated, "The ones who need to pass this assessment most are Beiyue first, followed by Ding Ze and Mi Xiaonan."
Mi Xiaonan raised her hand and said, "I don't count."
Ding Ze added, "Don't count me either."
Li Qing nodded and said, "That makes things easier. Let's take on the A task; I believe we can pass it, but I can't guarantee our score. Even if we face the highest difficulty in the second half, can't we still send Beiyue through? So I support Beiyue in choosing A. If we can earn low difficulty points, all five of us will pass together. If it's high difficulty, then we'll work together to get Beiyue through."
Cui Ming said, "I have no objections."
Beiyue responded, "Li Qing, after what you said, I think it's not feasible."
Li Qing replied, "This is the best approach. We're betting on passing together; if we fail, we'll send you through. Beiyue, you have your reasons; we don't. Five years from now, we can fight again. By then our strength will crush A-level assessment tasks—I’m confident about that."
Cui Ming chuckled lightly and said, "Because five years from now, the burden known as Cui Ming will become the world's top expert."
"..." Beiyue ignored Cui Ming's joke. After thinking for a moment and seeing Ding Ze and Mi Xiaonan nodding in agreement, Beiyue picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Beiyue Team chooses A+ task."
"Received," Dina replied. "You can return to your rooms now; food has been sent over."
Mi Xiaonan asked, "Aren't we going to take another look?" They had just completed the Sin City mission as the First Group.
Cui Ming replied, "Since we need to focus now, there's no point in looking anymore. Let's go."
...
The difficulty of A+ was evident from the first assessment; it was truly challenging. The abilities of the Ghoul surprised everyone, who had initially thought it was merely a vampire-level enhancement. They did not expect it to be a member of the Force Alliance's Otherworldly Creatures department. There was also a Bone Dragon that the team could not possibly defeat.
However, during the first round of cooperation, the team discovered Cui Ming's strengths. While Cui Ming's skills were less effective in one-on-one or two-on-two situations, they proved to be incredibly powerful in scenarios where they were outnumbered. When paired with Ding Ze or Mi Xiaonan, Cui Ming could easily incapacitate any opponent.
In other departments, there were techniques like immobilization, Paralysis, Unconsciousness, and Seduction. Among these, immobilization was the least useful and quite rare. This was because opponents in an immobilized state could still attack and defend. Those affected by Paralysis moved slowly and were prone to falling, making it difficult for them to control their Force. Unconsciousness and Seduction were lethal crowd control techniques. Both came with significant side effects. In standard immobilization, time could be shortened due to discrepancies in Force levels. Strategies varied; even recently freed immobilization cards could last for a considerable time, which increased alongside Cui Ming's Force levels without being shortened by an opponent's increased Force.
Cui Ming and Mi Xiaonan could maximize the effects of immobilization and Ultimate Thunderstorm, making them the strongest combination in the team. Cui Ming playfully rubbed Mi Xiaonan's head under his arm and said, "Golden combination."
Li Qing added, "Mi Xiaonan is a bit slow to enter the fray. When Cui Ming uses Yellow Card, Mi Xiaonan should have unleashed Chidori."
Mi Xiaonan responded, "But Cui Ming's Yellow Card might not be an immobilization card."
"That's true," Li Qing said. "Ding Ze should team up with me; our coordination can handle both chaotic battles and strong enemies." Ding Ze had teleportation abilities, and with Li Qing's flying kick, they could either propel Ding Ze or kick opponents away, ensuring strong survivability.
Li Qing continued, "Beiyue, your role should change. I feel like your strength has improved significantly today; you shouldn't be positioned as a frontline tank anymore since you're not majoring in enhancement like Yellen. I believe you are crucial for disrupting enemy formations and entering battles strategically. If we face Eva, Raefus, and Feng's group, you need to disrupt Eva and Feng. You should position yourself as an attacker targeting their weak points."
Cui Ming remarked, "Yellen and Ye Xin work exceptionally well together; these two seem to have extensive combat experience."
Ding Ze added, "Of course! The Ye Family has real-life training partners. Their prospective head, Ye Wen, went alone to Arctic Island for training; it's a pity we didn't see him today."
Beiyue quickly interjected, "Let's not get off-topic." Always vigilant against straying from the subject.
"Whether we're on topic or not doesn't matter; we still don't know what the competition entails," Cui Ming said. "What we need to do is eat well, drink well, and rest up for the new mission starting at ten tonight." Without staying on topic, there would be nothing left to discuss.
After the first round of the Assessment Match concluded, grouping would begin. All teams that succeeded in their missions would have the option between A and B level tasks. Four teams were eliminated in this round: three from the Eastern Continent representative team and one rogue team from the Western Continent that experienced internal conflicts leading to arguments and even a fight between a team member and their captain in Sin City.
Among the remaining thirteen teams—including Beiyue Team—five chose the A+ mission. Before this round of assessments began, the President repeatedly emphasized that due to limited resources in Hero City, it was impossible for every group to have their own separate scene. If several teams attempted to take down a Bone Dragon together again or similar incidents occurred, they risked immediate elimination.
Dinner was delivered to the contestants' rooms, and the President along with a bald man visited all the participants. The bald man's name was simply 'R'. When introducing himself, he mentioned that he had been a Wandering man since childhood, and people from Hero City called him Wandering, inviting everyone to do the same. He was in his fifties, with a white beard and a lean build. At first glance, he seemed unremarkable, even somewhat unattractive, but what surprised everyone was that this bald man was the leader of the Alliance Hunters. Among the six Alliance Hunters, he was one of them and also managed the group. Due to the neutrality of the Alliance Hunters, his status was at least equal to that of the President, especially since the President had to run for election every four years.
Wandering saw that everyone was interested in chatting and asked if they would like to join the Alliance Hunters. Over the past decade, while the Eternal Sphere appeared peaceful, there were some changes unknown to outsiders. First, due to climate change, various creatures from the South and North Poles began moving towards the equator. People from Silent City frequently appeared in the Three Continents, and for the first time, practitioners emerged in the position of Fire Sect Pope. While there might not be a significant upheaval, the number of Alliance Hunters was quickly becoming insufficient to handle sudden incidents worldwide.
When it came to Beiyue's group, Wandering spoke with Key Point and Li Qing about joining. Li Qing expressed that if he joined the alliance, he would definitely apply to become an Alliance Hunter. Beiyue also stated that he would apply for an assessment as an Alliance Hunter. However, Mi Xiaonan, Cui Ming, and Ding Ze showed no interest in this matter.
What surprised Beiyue was when Wandering said that if Beiyue passed the assessment and was interested in joining the Alliance Hunters, he could recommend Beiyue for entry into Alliance Academy, where experienced experts would be responsible for further training and learning. Beiyue asked why, and Wandering explained that while Beiyue's Weapon Raw Materials might not be the best, once forged into shape, they were among the best weapons currently within the alliance.
"Wandering," Cui Ming interjected without hesitation, "it's not good to lie."
Wandering didn't get angry; instead, he laughed heartily and sighed. "Beiyue, many people might not know this, but your father was once a member of Alliance Academy. I was his teacher. Unfortunately, he wasn't very interested in cultivation but had a greater interest in forging. He left after just three months because he didn't meet my requirements for admission into Alliance Academy. Nevertheless, I have kept an eye on you over these years; I believe your character aligns very well with what we seek in an Alliance Hunter."
Beiyue nodded. "I will definitely work hard."
"Good," Wandering affirmed with a nod before standing up to bid farewell and move on to the next group.
...
At nine o'clock in the evening, the arena was brightly lit as five teams participating in the A+ mission took their positions. Dina's voice rang out: "This A+ mission is a clearance task with miniaturized scenes featuring five environments: desert, snowy plains, coastline, high mountains, and towns. Your mission is to collect cards representing animals, plants, Intelligent Beings, landscapes, and locations—20 cards of each type. Once you have collected all of them, you will complete your mission within a limited time of 72 hours. During these 72 hours, staff members will appear at certain locations; finding them allows you to request food and water. Now please have your five team leaders come to the podium to discuss which type of collectible items you wish to pursue. If multiple teams compete for the same collectible item, a draw will determine who gets it. You have ten minutes for internal discussions."
Li Qing clapped his hands: "I've seen similar assessments before; defeating Force Beasts will yield animal cards. Plants are mostly from Nature System; they can take various forms and can be defeated for cards as well. The cards are graded; some are one-star difficulty that can be solved with sheer strength while others range from three to four stars—most are two-star difficulty. However, among several teams there will definitely be at least one Five-Star Card." (To be continued.)
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