The lights stopped flashing, signifying the end of the grouping. One, two, three, four. Four huge golden numbers appeared in the air. Behind each number were four pictures, representing the names of the contestants in the group.
Group One: Titan, Qi Mu, Bing Yu, and Zeus.
Group Two: The Pharmacist, Jiang Yuan, Chi Tianjiao, and Qian Bian.
Group Three: Yan Ningya, the Driver, Cao Shuiqin, and Jun Yongye.
Group Four: Constantine, Xuanyuan Shishi, Ying Suifeng, and Blackmoon.
Lan Jue's eyes narrowed, and he unconsciously glanced at Titan, who sat on his haunches not too far away.
It wasn't the worst, but it wasn't the best either.
The first group had Hercules and Wolf Emperor Qi Mu, so one could imagine how difficult it would be to stand out from this group.
However, the top 16 had all been selected through great waves. They were the representatives of the younger generation of Adepts. No matter who they were grouped with, the situation would not be too different.
At least they weren't in the same group as the Driver or the Pharmacist. That was good enough.
The Terminator's booming voice boomed through the arena once more. "The lots have been drawn. Tomorrow is a day of rest.
The tournament will resume. "
The sixteen Adepts all had different expressions on their faces, but most of them were calm and collected. They didn't even spare a glance at their opponents.
There was a lot to learn in a day of rest. Studying their opponents was of the utmost importance.
Adepts who were part of an organization had the advantage. They could gather information from their own organizations, and from there they could plan their tactics accordingly.
Whatever the case may be, though, there was no doubt that the round-robin tournament was going to be spectacular.
Every inch of ground had to be fought.
Only the champion of each group would emerge. In a single round robin tournament like this, each participant had to fight three rounds. They had to do their best in each round to have a chance of advancing.
There was no way anyone would go easy on them.
Lose any of them.
That meant they would be eliminated from the tournament.
Back at the hotel, Lan Jue received a call from the Gourmet. She had a meeting that night.
Study the tournament.
The afternoon was spent investigating, researching, and confirming the results.
This was where the Accountant's advantage came into play.
His vast knowledge of the internet and Skyfire Avenue's events would allow him to gather as much information as possible.
Naturally, they would be able to obtain the most information.
In the afternoon, Lan Jue did not cultivate. Instead, she accompanied Jun'er for the whole afternoon.
Accompany her to play.
Ever since she had the Holographic Projection Retina Helmet, Jun'er had become much more cheerful.
She didn't reveal too much of her abilities.
It was as if he was no different from an ordinary child.
They spent the afternoon with Jun 'er, then had dinner with her and the Pharmacist. Afterwards, they brought Jun' er to the hotel's meeting room on Skyfire Avenue.
Everyone who came to participate in the competition had arrived.
They were having a heated discussion.
The Accountant's face lit up as he sat there, talking nonstop.
"This Cao Shuiqin is really something!
From her previous matches and the analysis of the information I've gathered, although her cultivation is only around level nine rank six, she is extremely terrifying … "
"Aiya, here you come, little beauty!" The Accountant stopped talking when he saw Jun 'er. Instead, he moved closer to her with a smile.
Jun 'er beamed at him. "Hello, Uncle Accountant."
"Call me big brother," the Accountant interjected. "I've told you many times.
I'm not as old as your father. "
Lan Jue smirked. His lips trembled as he spoke to the old man.
The Accountant leapt to his feet, looking terrified.
She stared at him with widened eyes. "No way?
Don't scare me! "
Lan Jue's voice was placid. "Do you think I'd joke about something like this?"
The Accountant's head drooped in defeat. "Fine, I was wrong.
Hurry up, work, work. We need to figure out a plan.
I've been busy all afternoon.
I'm a reliable man!
Hurry up everyone, don't just sit around.
Everyone's here, let's get started. "
The others looked at Lan Jue in surprise.
I'm curious as to what he said to the accountant.
Of course Lan Jue wasn't going to explain. She hugged Jun 'er close to her and sat down.
The Pharmacist, the Driver, and the Pharmacist were all present. They sat together in a circle, with the Driver and the Pharmacist among them.
The Gourmet and the Accountant were seated on the sofas in the inner circle.
The others were seated on chairs in the outer circle.
The Gourmet nodded to the Accountant. "Tell us what you've found today.
Focus on the three groups we're in. "
"Alright."
The Accountant was much more subdued than before. His solemn demeanor was strange to the rest of the group.
He was used to being a joker, and now he was being serious was hard to accept.
The Accountant's eyes first fell on Lan Jue. "The groups for the top sixteen have been decided. There are four groups, each with strong competitors.
Let's start with the first group.
The first group is Titan, Qi Mu, Bing Yu, and Zeus. He's our Jewelry Master. "
The room was silent. Everyone was paying close attention to the Accountant's analysis, even those who weren't participating.
Those who were able to enter the top 16 were the best of the current generation of Arcanists, the strongest under the age of 40.
Even if he couldn't directly participate in the competition, he would be able to gain more experience by watching the competition after analyzing it.
"Among all four groups of contestants, I have assigned a seeded contestant to each group. In other words, they are the ones with the highest chance of advancing."
The Accountant paused for a moment. He looked at Lan Jue for a moment, then continued. "For the first group's seeded fighter, I've chosen Titan.
He has the best chance of advancing. "
"I've investigated him thoroughly, but I've found very little.
All the information related to him seems to have been deleted, so we can only make a judgment based on some clues. "
"Is he stronger than the Jewelry Master?" The Driver couldn't help but ask.
The Accountant looked at him, but nodded without hesitation. "If the Jewelry Master doesn't have any special tricks up his sleeve, I believe his chances of winning are less than five percent."
The Accountant's words shocked everyone present.
The Accountant's tone was firm and resolute. Although he was a lively man, he didn't dare speak carelessly when it came to serious matters.
Lan Jue nodded. "It's fine. Go on."
The Accountant went on. "So far as I can tell, Titan is the Terminator's apprentice. His Discipline, his strength.
He participated in a Northern Alliance project called the Paragon. He was the only one to succeed.
Ninety percent of his body is mechanical.
High tech.
Aside from his brain, his entire body is metal.
Peak ninth level.
It's possible he has some degree of control over protogenia.
The tournament forbids the use of protogenia, so he's probably only at the peak of ninth level. "
"Out of all four groups, if I had to pick the one with the best chance of winning, I would choose him.
Discipline is power. You may think it's simple, but no matter what it is, when it's used to its fullest, it's terrifying.
As for the power he used in the last elimination round, I did a simple calculation.
The results of the calculations showed that the power he had unleashed in that battle had exceeded the charging power of the main heavy mech mech by two times.
From the changes in his body, and the changes in his eyes, it's likely he used less than half of his normal strength. Maybe even a third.
And that's assuming he doesn't have any special methods to enhance his strength.
Pure power, he has no weaknesses.
There are only two ways to beat him. First, surpass him in power.
Second, use a special method to concentrate your attack into a single point and burst with power three times that of his defense. That's the only way to break through his skull and penetrate deep into his brain.
The only way to defeat him is to destroy his brain, or the Core in his chest. "
"You could say that Titan is no longer human. He's the crystallization of the Major League's technology.
With the Major League's technology, it's easy to imagine how powerful he can be.
I hacked into the Northern Alliance's supercomputer, and although it was erased within three seconds, I got a number.
The Northern Alliance's artificial Paragon project costs as much as a Commander-class battleship.
It's even more expensive than the Lethal Weapon project. "
"From what I've gathered, three years and seven months ago, the Northern Alliance completed an important research project called the Metal Cell.
The gist of it was to combine human cells with metal molecules, and then metallize them. This slows down the cell's metabolism, but it makes them stronger.
As for the Artificial Ruler project, it was precisely the second month after the success of the metal cell research.
I suspect there's a direct connection between the two. "
The Gourmet's face grew serious as he listened to the Accountant's explanation.
If the Northern Alliance really did develop an artificial Paragon, then it meant they had the ability to mass-produce superhumans.
For humanity it would be an epoch-making development, but for the Eastern Alliance and Western Alliance it would be devastating.
If, one day, the North could produce thousands of Paragons, then even Jue Di wouldn't be able to stop the North's march. Humanity would be united under the North's rule.
Artificial Paragons would rule the world.
(To be continued)