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Li Qing and Ding Ze had previous experience riding airships, but for Cui Ming and the others, stepping into the airship was a breathtaking experience. The airship, measuring one hundred fifty meters in length and thirty meters in diameter, had its entrance open to a wetland park. The park was not large, but it was exquisitely designed, featuring a walking corridor above, campsites suitable for pitching tents, and fishing spots by the water. In addition to the aquatic life, various bird species could also be seen.
Beyond the wetland park was the reception area, which was relatively small and felt like a secluded spot surrounded by wetlands. The second floor housed a fitness lounge with facilities such as a bowling alley, billiard room, gym, and swimming pool. The third floor contained guest rooms, while the fourth floor featured an open tea house, bar, café, and mahjong room.
This airship was called Nordo, renowned as the most luxurious airship in the world. Li Qing and Ding Ze had only traveled on B-class airships before; while they were comfortable, they could not compare to Nordo. Currently, the airship manufacturer had received over ten orders from private clients seeking to produce smaller airships as luxurious as Nordo, each priced exorbitantly.
The cabin crew consisted of carefully selected outstanding personnel; just looking at the beautiful attendants was a delight. Staying in comfortable guest rooms and lying on the bed while gazing at the beautiful sky outside was an enjoyable thought.
There were a total of thirty-eight passengers on this Nordo flight, including six competition teams. Three members were from the alliance council, and five represented various city-states from the Eastern Continent. Dawn City had also sent representatives. Cui Ming's team was formed in Dawn City; although their future was uncertain, they currently represented Dawn City. This was not just an honor but also a matter of status. The number of practitioners from alliance members would influence Dawn City's standing within the alliance and indirectly affect international exchanges in trade, agriculture, and other fields.
Except for Mi Xiaonan, everyone else listed Dawn City as their birthplace. This detail was significant; while it would not restrict their eligibility for future arbitration competitions, they were among the first group of Dawn City residents to participate in assessments after joining the Force Alliance.
However, Eastern Continent remained Eastern Continent. Once the airship entered the stratosphere and everyone gathered on the fourth floor for tea and coffee to get acquainted, it took less than five minutes for conversations to veer off-topic as they began to entertain themselves. Cui Ming went to play mahjong with two women and one man while Mi Xiaonan was dragged by Li Qing to camp in the wetland to handle barbecue duties. Ding Ze returned to his guest room, lit a cigarette, and lay back on his bed admiring the view of the sky. Only poor Beiyue found himself engaged in conversation with three members of the alliance council while also trying to connect with other team leaders—especially those from previously competing teams who had valuable experiences from their failures.
On the second day, a pair of practitioners held their wedding aboard the airship; they were Romir and Fanxi from the northernmost city-state of Eastern Continent. The couple from the snowy plateau received blessings from everyone.
On the third day, a practitioner host invited everyone to play games together. Beiyue was initially excited but soon felt deflated upon reaching the fourth floor where he discovered that all activities were entertainment games: word-guessing relays and bottle cap flicking... Teams drew lots for competitions where losing teams faced various amusing penalties—kissing fish, standing still for ten minutes, or sharing heartfelt truths.
The fourth day featured a talent show where singing, dancing, reciting poetry were allowed; speed drinking water or eating watermelon were also options... As long as participants believed they could perform something unique that others couldn't do, they were welcome to showcase their talents. All participants acted as judges scoring those who took the stage; the winning team would receive an extravagant dinner.
The fifth day consisted of a knowledge quiz and fishing competition.
On the sixth day, there were no activities; everyone was busy tidying up in their rooms, preparing for landing...
This is what people from the Eastern Continent are like. Their wealth, harmony, slow pace of life, and low stress levels shape their personalities. Their attitude towards life is to go with the flow and enjoy it. Beiyue couldn't help but ask a captain if he wasn't worried about failing the assessment. The captain replied nonchalantly that if they didn't pass, they could always come back in five years. It was rare to have so many friends gathered together this time, so they should just have fun.
Of course, there were exceptions. However, these exceptions did not board the Nordo; that is to say, Cao Yi and Mi Big Head. Their team had chartered an airship to Hero City, where they would conduct their final training. Mi Big Head and Mi Xiaonan expressed that they actually didn't like this team because the pressure was too intense. The team wasn't particularly fond of Mi Big Head either, but due to orders from the Cao Family and Liu Family, they reluctantly included him.
On the afternoon of the sixth day, they landed. The morning had been much quieter as the Alliance sent over some materials, including the Assessment Match schedule and the number of teams participating from various continents and city-states. In this assessment, there were seven teams from the Western Continent competing, with three from the Dawn Empire. The Eastern Continent had six teams participating, including three from Twilight City. The Ding Family and Ye Family each had one team, while the Cao Family and Liu Family formed a joint team. These three families' teams were considered the most promising.
The Assessment Match would utilize recorded footage to align with the Eternity Alliance's efforts to reveal the truth about practitioners to the public. Currently, people generally accepted the existence of practitioners without significant changes in their lives or mindset. After all, there were only about two hundred practitioners at present, while Dawn City had a thousand celebrities. People viewed arbitration competitions more as entertainment and hoped for more broadcasts of matches. The viewership ratings for the first televised broadcast of arbitration competitions were astonishingly high, with equally impressive ratings for reruns.
Globally, people eagerly anticipated territorial disputes because only such disputes could lead to arbitration. This led to a strange phenomenon where many citizens of city-states with territorial frictions strongly urged their lords not to negotiate with their opponents but instead to hold arbitration competitions organized by the Alliance. Unfortunately, the lords sincerely informed their citizens that practitioners collectively refused to participate in arbitration competitions at this time. Thus, even this not-so-intense Assessment Match was recorded and edited for release, with all practitioners' faces blurred.
Some fancifully suggested holding professional competitions so that matches could be viewed regularly; however, this was impossible. What could motivate practitioners to compete? Money? No; treasures? Perhaps, but what treasures could possibly compel practitioners to risk their lives? As it stands now, large-scale competitive events seem unlikely to occur again for decades.
The Assessment Match consisted of two halves: the first half focused on team competition centered around tasks. In this half, if four members fell but one passed through the competition, the entire team would still succeed and revive together. In contrast, during the second half—though still a team assessment—the focus shifted to individuals. For instance, if someone fell in this half, they remained fallen; revival opportunities depended on choices made by those still alive. After the first half concluded, judges would score each team; higher scores would result in lower difficulty for the second half and vice versa.
The assessment took place at Hero Arena in the center of Hero City, where skilled Magic System experts operated modified giant Force Stones to create illusory scenes. Before the assessment began, each participant underwent testing for Force equivalence that would virtualize their life value. Damage potential relied on individual abilities while also offering chances to acquire certain treasures during the Assessment Match for self-enhancement—all facilitated through a magical array built over many years on massive Force Stones.
Arbitration competitions were similar to assessments but emphasized direct confrontations between individuals where everything was fair and resources were equal. Whether one could pass an assessment depended significantly on luck.
...
Hero City lacked guards; after disembarking from the airship, directional signs led them toward a long staircase. Ascending this staircase brought them into Hero City itself—a remarkably desolate place where not a single person could be seen in such a vast city; only arrows guided their way. After following these arrows for over ten minutes, they finally reached the main hall of Hero City. This hall was once home to the Pope of the Cult of the Gods and bore remnants of its former grandeur. The main hall featured three levels: a circular structure with guest rooms on the second floor and an open area on the third floor flanked by two roads encircling a large space below—the arena itself—while these roads served as spectator stands.
The arena looked quite ordinary now, just a plain concrete surface, but the five hundred acres of land were etched with various spells from sorcerers.
There were two receptionists in the main hall. Upon inquiry, it was revealed that members of the Assessment Committee and other teams from the continent had not yet arrived. They were all practitioners and could not spare any volunteers. Each assessment was conducted by the President, who would call upon someone to handle the reception. One of the receptionists was a practitioner from the Magic System, who first needed to assess each person's Force equivalent and record it. During the assessment, a Life Stone would be issued; if the Life Stone showed no value, it meant that the individual had perished.
The North Moon Group was the last to arrive due to their wandering around. The Beiyue Captain was tested first. Standing within a magic circle, the sorcerer closed his eyes, and after a moment of contact with both sides' Force, he opened his eyes and wrote down: “Beiyue, ID 045, Force equivalent two hundred three.”
“Ding Ze, ID 046, Force equivalent one hundred five.”
“Li Qing, ID 047, Force equivalent two hundred one.”
“Mi Xiaonan, ID 048, Force equivalent one hundred six.”
“Cui Ming, ID 049, Force equivalent one hundred one.”
Beiyue asked from the side, “Are our numbers considered low?”
“I don't know,” replied the receptionist sorcerer with a glance at Cui Ming. “In terms of the Eastern Continent, it's slightly below average.”
Cui Ming asked in surprise, “Are there even lower ones?”
“Of course there are,” said the sorcerer as he had Cui Ming sign. “The Five Remnants Team has no one with a Force equivalent above one hundred. If you’re not interested, then don’t come; it wastes our time. You can go to your rooms upstairs according to your IDs. No fighting is allowed in Hero City; otherwise, you will be disqualified from the assessment. Breakfast is at 7 AM, lunch at 11 AM, and dinner at 7 PM. If you miss those times, you’ll have to go hungry. Please go to your rooms and organize yourselves.” (To be continued.)
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