After Shi Yu and his group arrived at their destination, the South City District Association naturally gave them a warm welcome.
The president of the South City District Association, a middle-aged man with a round face, a ruddy complexion, and a short stature, greeted them with a broad smile.
"Old Feng, youāve finally made it."
After saying this, he looked at Shi Yu, who was standing beside President Feng, and said, "This must be the genius from Pingcheng District who conquered the Four Gates Ruins."
"Indeed, heās quite talented."
"Hehe... His name is Shi Yu," President Feng smiled, naturally.
However, while the president of the South City District Association could smile now, he hoped that the other party would cry later!
Although on the surface, everyone was dividing the Holy Spring resources together,
in essence, this was also a covert competition to explore the ruins.
Other districts and counties didnāt think Pingcheng District could independently explore the ruins successfully, which was why they decided to open the Holy Spring.
During this competition to enter the Holy Spring, each president likely wanted to see which districtās new talent was the strongest.
In a sense, this ranking would already represent the progress of each district in conquering the ruins.
At such a time, President Feng naturally hoped that Shi Yu would perform well.
He didnāt want Pingcheng Districtās ruins to be taken over by other districts...
"President Sun, hello."
At the same time, Shi Yu also greeted him.
Not for any other reason, but because President Sun had a good eye, recognizing him as a talented individual.
"Good, good, letās go to the hall. A welcoming banquet has been prepared there. Letās eat and rest first before discussing the Holy Spring matters," President Sun said with a smile.
...
In the banquet hall, the presidents and new representatives from the other associations were also present.
The other presidents, upon seeing President Fengās arrival, immediately greeted him warmly, calling him "Old Feng."
However, the young apprentice beast tamers under 20 years old paid no attention to President Feng, this official from a remote rural area, and instead focused on the handsome Shi Yu.
"The representative from Pingcheng District, who is said to have solved four-sixths of the Pingcheng Ruins..."
"He seems to be a strong combat unit, which can help us gauge our own level when entering the ruins."
Although they didnāt say it out loud, every new talent, and even the other presidents, viewed Shi Yu this way.
As a local "lucky one" from Pingcheng, Shi Yu was the first to come into contact with the ruins and achieved good results, but didnāt completely conquer them, making him a perfect template for a combat unit.
At this moment, if the new representatives from the other eight districts and counties were to choose their most desired opponent, it would definitely be Shi Yu.
"They all seem to be looking at me with unfriendly eyes..."
Shi Yu was also observing the others. Eight young men and women, around 20 years old, six of them boys, and two girls.
Hmm... They all seem quite strong, probably stronger than Cheng Gong, right?
I hope their strength can please me a bit.
After all, Iāve been working hard to improve.
"Shi Yu, let me introduce you."
Next, President Feng began introducing the other presidents to Shi Yu.
At the same time, each president also briefly introduced their own new talent.
However, these basic introductions, which were mostly just names, didnāt provide much valuable information.
So, everyone quickly turned their attention to the buffet.
Regardless of whether others were hungry, Shi Yu, who had been on the road all day and hadnāt eaten much in the morning, was definitely hungry.
Therefore, everyone soon began to eat.
Shi Yu noticed that the people of Donghuang also had a national characteristic: they liked to talk while eating.
The nine new representatives from the districts and counties were still relatively shy, reserved, and quiet due to the presence of so many important figures.
However, the nine presidents, while eating, began to enthusiastically discuss the order of entry into the Holy Spring.
"Would it be fair to have them take turns fighting, and then determine the order of entry into the Holy Spring based on their scores?"
"Our South City Association will provide recovery items and healing beast companions to ensure they are in peak condition for each match," President Sun of the South City Association suggested.
"That might be too slow."
A lean president shook his head. "Nine people taking turns fighting, how long would that take?"
He was clearly an impatient type.
However, his suggestion did gain the agreement of the others.
While the presidents also wanted to know the strength of their new representatives,
as master-level beast tamers, they didnāt have a strong desire to watch each match.
They cared more about the results than the process.
"As long as thereās a result, the process doesnāt matter."
"Why not have a tournament format, where whoever wants to enter first can defend the stage?"
"Those who disagree can challenge the defender."
"This ensures everyone has a chance and reduces unnecessary matches."
The lean president suggested, implying that those confident in their strength should defend the stage, and after a few matches, those with self-awareness would recognize the gap.
At that point, instead of wasting time on meaningless matches, they could simply give up, thus avoiding many unnecessary battles.
After saying this, he glanced at his associationās representative, a short-haired young man in a white combat suit, clearly confident in his new talentās strength.
"Agreed."
The lean presidentās suggestion was immediately supported by the other presidents.
A tournament format was good.
"Who will defend the stage first?" President Sun asked.
After he said this, the new talents remained shy.
After all, even if they were confident in their strength, the pressure of being the first to defend the stage was too great.
"Iāll do it."
Just as everyone was undecided, at the table, Shi Yu, after finishing a piece of steak, quietly put down his chopsticks.
"Iāll be the first to defend the stage," Shi Yu said, lifting his head.
His initiative instantly drew everyoneās attention.
"Uh."
The kid is bold.
President Feng was taken aback, then quickly smiled, showing his support.
The other presidents and new representatives were also surprised, then thought to themselves:
"This combat unit... really understands!"
At this moment, who better to defend the stage first than Shi Yu, the only one who had entered the ruins?
With Shi Yu as a reference, everyone could gauge their own level in exploring the ruins.
"Good, you have courage."
The presidents praised Shi Yu, then instructed their own geniuses: "Learn from him."
Of course, this was just polite talk... everyone was waiting for the afternoon matches.
Time passed quickly.
Soon, everyone finished eating, and the presidents, being busy people, naturally wanted quick results.
So, after a brief rest, they decided to start the competition.
...
In the South City District Beast Tamer Association complex, in a stadium-sized arena.
The well-rested group arrived here in the afternoon, and there was indeed a stone stage.
Except for the combatants, the others could watch from the higher spectator stands.
"Letās start directly, no referee needed."
With nine master-level beast tamers present, a referee was unnecessary, as the combat process would definitely be under control.
The main role of a referee, besides determining the winner, was to ensure the safety of the combatants.
After all, beast battles were hard to control, and injuries were inevitable, even for the beast tamers.
An excellent referee would eliminate all unstable factors.
The tall, handsome young man, as the defender, was the first to step onto the stage.
Although the audience was small, they were all heavyweights, the top-tier beast tamers of Bingyuan City.
Shi Yu felt fine, not feeling much pressure.
As Lu Qingyi would say, in the future, when he explores the Ice Dragon Ruins, he could even ask these nine people to be his bodyguards.
"Shi Yu, the best apprentice beast tamer in Pingcheng."
"The third gate of the ruins is a low-level commander, a Level 10 Ice Armor Giant."
"The fourth gate of the ruins is a group of fifty ice beasts..."
"He managed to pass the fourth gate, so his strength must be considerable."
The new talents present knew some information about Shi Yu, as the ruinsā strategy information was synchronized throughout the city.
However, they didnāt know much about how strong he was specifically.
So, while they viewed Shi Yu as a combat unit, they also felt some pressure.
If they couldnāt defeat this combat unit, wouldnāt it mean they had no hope of passing the fourth gate of the ruins?
Let alone the fifth and sixth gates...
Therefore, everyoneās current thought was to decisively defeat Shi Yu and prove their own strength.
Then, the Holy Spring baptism, the exploration of the ruins, and a rapid rise to prominence.
"Who will challenge first?" The presidents looked at their new representatives.
There was a downside to fighting first: once the beastās species, moves, and combat style were revealed, the opponent could easily formulate a strategy, putting them at a disadvantage in subsequent battles.
"Iāll do it."
The young man in the white combat suit, who was next to the lean president who first suggested the tournament, spoke up.
"Then letās start. Bai Qi, just do your best," the lean president smiled at him.
"Yes," the young man named Bai Qi nodded.
"You go ahead."
The other presidents didnāt mind, as it was a tournament, and it didnāt matter who went first.
After saying this, they looked at Bai Qi.
Bai Qi was not unfamiliar to everyone.
He came from Baiyuan District in Bingyuan City, and his father was a master-level beast tamer, making him a second-generation beast tamer.
From the fact that the daughter of master-level beast tamer Lin Hongnian could pass the professional exam at 18 with a medium-level beast, it was clear how strong these second-generation beast tamers were.
In short, the children of master-level beast tamers definitely received better training than Cheng Gong, who was a "blood is thicker than water" nephew.
Next, the young man in the white combat suit slowly walked down to the stage, facing Shi Yu.
At this moment, the 16 spectators, whether they were important figures or new talents, focused their attention on these two.