Chapter 3743   - 817 - Battle for the ChampionshipCrucible of the Ancients:

The two-hour break quickly passed, and players again filled the main event venue. Some preliminary participants even returned an hour earlier to secure better seats in the spectator stands.

“Rin, who do you think will win?” Dead Soul curiously asked as he looked at Rin, who had just walked up to the ring.

“As a fellow Crystallian, I am naturally rooting for Ink Crystal,” Rin said, rolling her eyes. “The Continental Championship is a place for the three races to compete. The better our race does in the championship, the more sixth-floor experts we can produce in the future. Don’t tell me you’re hoping for the Holy Race and the human race to reign over us.”

“What a boring answer,” Dead Soul said, sighing. Then, he nonchalantly continued, “I’m betting on Black Flame’s victory. Although his victory will put our race in second place, he is the expert who defeated me. I don’t wish to see him lose to anyone.”

Dead Soul’s words earned him a look of disdain from Rin.

However, Dead Soul didn’t mind Rin’s reaction and simply continued, “I’m sure you are aware, but the Holy Race is much stronger than us and the human race. After the major system update, many old fellows back home have already decided to help the humans resist the Holy Race on the Eternal Continent. That way, we can minimize our living area’s exposure when the Eternal Realm’s entrance is discovered.

“So, it doesn’t really matter whether Ink Crystal or Black Flame wins. Black Flame winning might even be good news for us. After all, you and I will both be part of the vanguard legion headed for the Eternal Continent. If Black Flame is strong enough to defeat Ink Crystal, I can only see it as good news for our future alliance.”

“You sure have put a lot of thought into this matter.” Rin couldn’t help but look at Dead Soul in surprise.

Contrary to her previous statement, Rin secretly hoped for Ink Crystal’s defeat.

Neither Rin nor Dead Soul had expected Ink Crystal’s appearance. They never imagined there could be another member of the younger generation who could surpass them. While knowing that the Crystallian race had more talented experts was reassuring, Ink Crystal’s origins were shrouded in mystery. Even now, the powers they belonged to had yet to uncover Ink Crystal’s details. It was as if Ink Crystal had suddenly sprouted from the ground one day.

Additionally, the executives of Rin’s Guilds had warned her not to approach Ink Crystal, and she was advised to behave like Ink Crystal did not exist.

Since her Guild’s executives wished to treat Ink Crystal like she did not exist, Rin would naturally be more inclined to wish for Black Flame’s victory. After all, Black Flame’s victory would increase the likelihood of the human race producing more sixth-floor experts. Meanwhile, the stronger the human race became, the easier it would be for the alliance between the Crystallian race and the human race to resist the Holy Race.

…

Amidst Rin and Dead Soul’s hushed conversation, the Ink Crystal Party and the Verdant Rainbow Party arrived before the staircase leading into the ring and quietly waited for the start of the final match.

“Quick, look! What’s going on with the Ink Crystal Party? Why has the party’s roster changed?”

“Crap! It really did change! Isn’t this against the rules?”

Everyone quickly noticed something peculiar when the Ink Crystal Party entered their sight.

Originally, besides Ink Crystal, the five other members of the Ink Crystal Party were either at or close to 30 years old. Now, though, these five members were nowhere to be seen. Instead, five teenagers had taken their place. Although they did not look like they were in their mid-teens, like Ink Crystal, they were still in their late teens.

When Extreme Feather saw the Ink Crystal Party’s new members, shock and horror colored her eyes.

Half-step Mortal Gods!

Among the Holy Race’s younger generation, Garuda was the only person who managed to have reached this standard. Yet, five such experts had appeared in the Ink Crystal Party. Moreover, the feeling of danger Extreme Feather got from looking at each of them was no less than what she got from Garuda…

At this time, Rin and Dead Soul similarly froze from shock.

“Judge! Isn’t the Ink Crystal Party cheating for making substitutions?”

Many players began shouting for the judge to assess the situation. They all suspected that the system had made a mistake. After all, the Continental Championship had been hosted quite a few times already, and they never heard of anyone replacing their members in the middle of the championship. At most, participating parties could swap opponents with parties of the same race.

However, despite everyone’s shouting, the mighty existence overseeing the championship did not respond. The mighty existence merely announced the start of the finals and called for the Ink Crystal Party and the Verdant Rainbow Party to enter the ring.

“Legendary-ranked disguise tools?” Shi Feng couldn’t help but be astonished as he looked at the Ink Crystal Party’s five smiling teenagers.

It was unlikely that the system had made any mistakes. However, it was a fact that parties participating were prohibited from swapping members in the middle of the Continental Championship. This left only one possibility—Ink Crystal’s party members had been disguising themselves this entire time.

There were plenty of disguise tools in God’s Domain. Most of them could be seen through using Master Identification Skills or Advanced Observation Skills, and only Legendary-ranked disguise tools could evade detection. However, Legendary-ranked disguise tools were difficult to come by, and seeing even one such tool was a rare event, let alone five in the same party.

But compared to the combat standards of the five teenagers, the significance of Legendary-ranked disguise tools paled significantly.

“You guessed correctly,” Ink Crystal said, smiling as she looked at Shi Feng. “They have been in disguise all this time. I felt it would be too cruel to the other participants if my party members revealed their strength right from the start. So, to give everyone some hope, I had them disguise themselves. As a reward for guessing correctly, I can give your party a chance.”

“What chance?” Verdant Rainbow asked.

“If our parties fought six-on-six, you guys wouldn’t have even the slightest chance of winning,” Ink Crystal frankly said. “Thus, I propose a one-on-six. My party will send only one player into the ring, while your party can enter with all six members. The winner will become the champion, while the loser will settle for second place.”

…magic