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Cui Ming invited the Fish Team for dinner, of course, to seek guidance, and Wandering also joined. As Yellen said, if Cui Ming needed help, he wouldn't hesitate to boast. However, boasting was not appropriate when seeking mentorship. Wandering was eager to learn about the reconnaissance and guard tactics, having heard that a friend of Cui Ming happened to be the captain of that team. Lowering his voice a few degrees, he discussed it with Cui Ming, who reluctantly allowed Wandering to join in.
How did merchants come into existence? One story goes like this: there was a farmer and a ****** who lived not far from each other. The farmer grew crops while the ****** raised livestock. A merchant appeared and told the farmer that two pounds of grain could be exchanged for one pound of pork. The farmer, tired of vegetarian meals, agreed to the trade. Then the merchant approached the ****** and said that two pounds of pork could be exchanged for one pound of grain, which the ****** naturally accepted as well. The logic of this story is flawed, but in economics, it illustrates a market gap created by information asymmetry, which merchants exploited.
Regardless, the dinner went very smoothly. Both Cui Ming and Wandering learned what they wanted to know. There was a mathematician in the Fish Team who analyzed various equipment and the value of reconnaissance guards using mathematical calculations based on time and the Set Off process to derive an optimal strategy. Cui Ming understood half of it; such matters were handled by Ding Ze, who noted everything down for further study before sharing it later.
With a strong memory and high intelligence, Ding Ze convened a meeting with the five of them at the hotel that night. He concretized the numbers on a whiteboard, explaining the cost-effectiveness of various equipment and treasures bit by bit. The key point was reconnaissance guards; once you set up a reconnaissance guard, your opponent must purchase True Sight Potions to detect them. The potion only lasts for fifteen minutes and allows users to see invisible entities. Due to its many functions, it comes at a high price. When calculating the manpower required to place reconnaissance guards and the money and manpower spent on True Sight Potions, it became clear that the side actively deploying reconnaissance guards held a significant advantage.
Everyone was working hard to familiarize themselves with the Competition Match, striving to find changes as they progressed through the first round of eliminations and into the second round's halfway point. Their understanding of the Competition Match deepened. The tactical improvements surpassed advancements made in arbitration competitions over the past couple of centuries. The Competition Match was developed by several master-level figures during the establishment of the Force Alliance, painstakingly creating a set of rules designed to be as fair and just as possible while considering various cultivation systems; even the distances in wild areas were meticulously calculated, tested, and refined.
Unfortunately, this Competition Match had only been used for arbitration competitions held every few years or even decades until now when it was finally opened up for everyone. Upon studying it, participants discovered an unexpectedly vast amount of content. Although they had gained an overall understanding, many gaps remained—such as why there was a back route and how it could be utilized.
The back route was something Cui Ming paid close attention to; its disadvantages were evident since it required wasting one unit of manpower and traveling three times further to reach the opponent's back exit. The back exit had an Arrow Tower, which led to the Main Base. However, this segment took three minutes to traverse while opponents could use return scrolls that only took eight seconds—an oddly designed setup.
Cui Ming said, "I can't think of how to use the back route offensively right now. But others might have ideas; therefore, we need some defense there. If we are financially better off than our opponents, we should first upgrade our back route's Arrow Tower by two levels." Level three is the highest level; a level three Arrow Tower is incredibly fierce and requires soldiers working together with team members to dismantle it. Without soldiers drawing fire, no one could survive under a level three Arrow Tower for more than ten seconds.
As they spoke and refined their strategies, everyone asked questions whenever issues arose and shared their opinions freely. Undeniably, Cui Ming had become their backbone; however, he never believed his views were entirely correct because each person's character and life experiences limited their imagination in certain ways. This was a united team; no one resented Cui Ming's leadership or acted dismissively because of it. Ding Ze, utilizing his memory and extensive reading along with some literature from the Ding Family, theoretically synthesized much information. Li Qing focused on practical combat analysis with great accuracy regarding individual strengths. While both Beiyue and Mi Xiaonan contributed less feedback overall, Beiyue emphasized teamwork among two or three people and provided valuable insights for Cui Ming, while Mi Xiaonan shared some insights on reconnaissance.
After a night of discussions, implementing reconnaissance guard tactics became essential whether anyone liked it or not. As for other strategies, they needed to adapt based on their opponents' situations; there was no unchanging strategy like an Eternity. As Eva said, part of why Cui Ming was so clever wasn't just because he had a sharp mind but because he was always prepared.
...
The battle for the Top Eight began—the moment everyone had been eagerly anticipating in the Competition Match.
The eight teams were: Ye Family, Ding Family, Silent City, Fire Cult, Pirate Team, Cao Liu Family, North Moon Group, and Little Wave Team.
The team from Mi Xiaobo, composed entirely of Yorkians—members included Mi Big Head, Mi Xiaona, Mi Xiaolu, Mi Xiaobo, and Mi Xiaoji. This group couldn't be considered the strongest from the York Clan but ranked among the best in their younger generation.
In this context, the Force Report naturally regarded the advancing team from North Moon Group, which had received a bye round, as "fish meat" among the top eight teams while believing that whoever drew them would have the most favorable chance at reaching the final four. Based on strength analysis, North Moon Group ranked lowest while teams like Little Wave Team, Cao Liu Family, and Pirate Team were roughly equal in strength as second-tier teams. The strongest teams were undoubtedly recognized as the Ye Family, Ding Family, Silent City, and Fire Cult.
The drawing ceremony for the Top Eight was held at headquarters, with the eight team captains seated. The Ye Family, having finished their previous match the fastest, was the first to draw their opponent. Ye Wen stepped up and casually picked a slip of paper from the box. After glancing at it, he crumpled it in his hand, his expression unreadable. Next was Fire Cult, represented by a masked woman with an alluring figure, her face partially obscured. She quickly unfolded her slip, and Bufon announced, “Fire Cult versus Ding Family Group.”
Ding Nuo couldn't help but shake his head. The strongest group—there was no denying that Fire Cult was formidable, unstoppable in their advance, with a fierce and practical fighting style. Each individual within the group was also incredibly difficult to deal with.
The prophet from Silent City stepped up to draw next, revealing: “York Clan.”
Mi Xiaobo tightened his eyes upon hearing that they would face Silent City, his desire for victory intensifying.
Finally, it was the turn of the Cao Liu Family. Cao Yi approached and drew: “Pirate Team.” He felt satisfied with this opponent.
Dina said, “Ye Family Group, please announce your opponent.” There was no need for an announcement; only North Moon Group remained.
Ye Wen remained silent, his finger resting on his lips as he contemplated quietly like an ice sculpture. After Dina asked three times, he finally spoke: “Ding Nuo, do you want to switch opponents if Fire Cult and North Moon Group have no objections?”
Ding Nuo straightened up and looked at Ye Wen: “Are you sure you want to switch?”
Ye Wen nodded: “Yes.”
Dina turned to Fire Cult: “Do you have any objections?”
The Masked Woman, gazing at Ye Wen, replied: “None.”
Dina then looked at Beiyue: “What about you?”
Beiyue, leaning back and reflecting on the breakfast meeting from earlier that morning, thought that both the Ye Family and the Pirate Team were relatively easier to handle. Why was the Ye Family easier? They had two weaknesses: first, while Ye Shi was strong and indispensable in both control and team battles, she had a low combat readiness level and could easily panic. The second weakness was that the main tactics of the Ye Family were quite rigid, lacking an assassin capable of swift breakthroughs. This made Ye Shi's strong area control even more crucial.
The individual strength of the Ding Family was outstanding.
Of course, regardless of which team they faced, Cui Ming had no confidence. However, he believed that compared to their own team, the Ye Family would be easier to deal with.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Beiyue raised his finger: “Agreed.”
Dina announced, "The matchups for the Top Eight are as follows: Ye Family Group versus Fire Cult, Silent City Group versus Little Wave Team, Cao Liu Family Group versus Pirate Team, and Ding Family Group versus North Moon Group. There will be one match each day, starting tomorrow morning at nine o'clock. The first match will be Ye Family Group against Fire Cult. Thank you all."
Everyone stood up to leave. Liu Na had been waiting and immediately rushed forward to ask, "Ye Wen, why did you give up on North Moon Group..."
Ye Wen did not respond. He waved his left hand dismissively, pushing Liu Na aside, and walked out of the headquarters with a blank expression. He felt immense pressure; while both Yellen and Ye Xin preferred not to face North Moon Group, he had respected their opinions but still held his own. However, how high was their chance of winning against Fire Cult?
Fire Cult featured the Centaur, whose Destruction Impact increased in power with speed. This specialized Centaur in enhancement had formidable defense along with incredible offensive capabilities. Being a Centaur gave him a natural advantage in speed that even a cheetah would envy. In the previous match, when the Centaur charged out of the wilderness at high speed, two opponents were caught off guard and killed by the tremendous impact. Facing the Centaur next, they fled in terror, unwilling to confront him head-on.
The Serpent Woman was an enhanced version of Medusa, capable of petrifying targets and freely deploying a poisonous domain. With venomous fangs that could attack from a distance, she could also create a fog effect with her poisonous mist.
The Lion Dog was known as the best assassin currently recognized—agile and sharp. In a state of Force, he could instinctively evade attacks from practitioners. Most terrifyingly, he could remain invisible indefinitely while possessing immense attack power; even those specialized in enhancement could not withstand four strikes.
The Leopard Woman utilized trap markers; once someone stepped on an invisible trap, her spear throw from two hundred meters away would theoretically hit the marked target and inflict lethal damage. In close combat, she could transform into a leopard form—swift and ferocious—her claws capable of tearing through Force protection and directly attacking the target's body. In her last match, the Leopard Woman took just five seconds to dismember a practitioner into twelve pieces; one swipe could rip an entire shoulder off.
The Minotaur stood at two meters three tall with an enormous physique and indomitable fighting strength; he could even demolish a level one Arrow Tower. He was a nightmare in team battles; using the power of the earth for his charges, he could blast opponents away within his vicinity while causing Force tremors that rendered them unable to retaliate for a short time. He could withstand attacks from a level two Arrow Tower for up to fifteen seconds without dying, making it impossible for him to be surrounded or stopped.
Fire Cult's five members were strong in one-on-one combat but even stronger in five-on-five scenarios. Liu Na described Fire Cult's strength as a nightmare in her Force Report.
How should they fight?
[With 515 approaching soon, I hope to continue climbing the 515 Red Envelope rankings. On May 15th, there will be a Red Envelope rain as a reward for readers along with promoting my work. Every bit counts; I will definitely keep improving!] (To be continued.)
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