At noon, Lin Qian and his companions had left the residence where they had been staying and went to the location of the ring.
Around the ring, observation platforms had been set up in advance, allowing all parties to have a clear view during the competition.
The so-called observation platforms were huge clamshells suspended in the seawater, fitted with seats and various snacks and fruits.
At that moment, Lin Qian and his companions were sitting on one of those observation platforms, quietly seated on the giant clam, waiting for the competition to officially begin.
As for the arrangement of this competition, it had been determined by random draw and was conjured above the central ring using Soul Power, making it visible to everyone.
According to the rules of the Clan Meeting, players from the same clan were not paired randomly, so there would be no combat between them initially, including the allies of the Human Clan.
Therefore, Lin Qian’s name and that of Zhang Qi from the Eastern Division Clan and five others were very far apart; they would not encounter each other at the beginning.
Taking advantage of the fact that the competition had not yet started, Lin Qian discreetly observed the other observation platforms where members of the Eight-Armed Sea Clan and their participants in the Clan Meeting were present.
The Eight-Armed Sea Clan had one main clan, four major sub-clans, thirty-six minor sub-clans, and one hundred and eight tribes, making a total of one hundred forty-nine groups, five slots for the Eight-Armed Sea Clan, and one ally from the Human Clan, altogether eight hundred ninety-four people.
The one-on-one competition was about to start among these eight hundred ninety-four participants.
Of course, Lin Qian would not focus on each of these potential opponents; his main attention was naturally on the players from the main clan and other sub-clans.
According to Zhang Nianxin, some of the thirty-six minor sub-clans had rapidly increased their strength recently and were likely to produce some dark horse competitors that warranted extra caution.
Moreover, with the assistance of allies from the Human Clan, some formidable opponents were bound to emerge, though their true capabilities were still unknown.
However, no matter what kind of opponent he faced, Lin Qian was determined to win the competition. Since he had come, he naturally intended to do his best.
Just as Lin Qian was silently contemplating, Zhang Qi, who had left earlier, had just come back from not far away, his face full of irritation: "It’s really too much, looking down on people!"
Seeing Zhang Qi’s state, Lin Qian and the others curiously turned their attention to him, not understanding what had happened.
"What happened, did someone bully you?" Seeing Zhang Qi’s appearance, Lin Qian asked with a chuckle.
Zhang Qi helplessly waved his hand and spoke to Lin Qian: "It’s not about me being bullied, it’s about you, Your Highness."
"Bullying me?" Hearing Zhang Qi’s words, Lin Qian became interested, "What do you mean by bullying me? From the start until now, I’ve been sitting right here. How can you say I’m being bullied?"
Zhang Qi seemed to realize that his expression was inadequate and quickly elaborated: "The bullying I’m referring to comes from other people’s words, which are really too much."
Following that, Zhang Qi explained the cause and consequences of the matter clearly, clarifying it for everyone.
It turned out that on the battle pairings displayed above the ring, not only were the names of the combatants from either the Eight-Armed Sea Clan or the Human Clan indicated, but their realms were also listed.
On the chart, not to mention the main clan, even the young talents from the allied Human Clans of the Western, Southern, and Northern Sub-clans, were all young prodigies who had surpassed the Life and Death Realm despite their young age.
It was known that one of the conditions for participating in this Clan Meeting was that the age could not exceed thirty years.
As for those in the thirty-six minor sub-clans, there were quite a few allies from the Human Clan. Their realms were all above the Life and Death Realm, causing many to feel apprehensive, thinking that these minor sub-clans might use this opportunity to surge in power.
After all, whether or not one could go to the ancient Human Clan relic depended on the results of this competition.
However, on the team’s chart, it was clearly indicated that this time, the ally of the Eastern Division Clan from the Human Clan was merely at the Sixth Level of the Sky Breaking Realm, which instantly became a laughing stock.
This Clan Meeting was indeed a fiercely competitive event, yet the ally of the Eastern Division Clan was only in the Sky Breaking Realm!
Lin Qian’s opponent was from one of the minor sub-clans of the Eight-Armed Sea Clan. Although his strength was not of the Life and Death Realm, he possessed the power of the Sky Crossing Stage of the Sky Breaking Realm.
In their view, between the Sky Crossing Stage and the Sixth Level, it was clear who would win and who would lose.
Those who could participate in this Clan Meeting were all beings with significant talent, and their combat abilities were certainly not of ordinary caliber, deserving of comparison.
Therefore, overcoming a higher realm was extremely unlikely in this Clan Meeting, as everyone was capable of exhibiting combat power beyond their own realm.
Many believed the fall of the Eastern Division was imminent, and Lin Qian was merely here to joke around.
Some even started gambling.
Of course, what they bet on was not whether Lin Qian would win but how many moves he could withstand, with various options available.
A hundred moves, ten moves, or even one move.
"Isn’t this insulting? Earlier I argued based on reason, mentioning that Your Highness is actually very strong, but guess what happened." As he spoke, Zhang Qi laughed angrily, "That ally from the Yunhai Sect of the Northern Division Clan said that His Highness was just a coward with lustful intentions but no courage, and it would be good if he could last half a move!"
Lin Qian was shocked and looked at Zhang Qi incredulously: "Are you sure you heard right? She said I’m a lustful coward? How can she say that?"
"That woman said that previously His Highness used lustful eyes to sneak a peek at her. When discovered, he quickly looked away, which shows he is a coward with lustful intentions but no courage. Lacking in power is one thing, but not even having the courage to face her beauty is another," Zhang Qi said angrily.
After listening, Lin Qian burst into laughter: "That’s really interesting. My Xinxin is a hundred times better than her in terms of appearance, temperament, or talent. Why would I need to look at her?"
Lin Qian was truly astonished by these remarks; he didn’t know where that female disciple from the Yunhai Sect got her confidence to say such things.
He had initially just been observing their group from the Yunhai Sect, primarily because of his master, Wei Wushuang.
What does delusion mean?
After a while, Lin Qian laughed and waved his hand, saying to Zhang Qi: "Such foolish people are not worth bothering with. Calm your emotions, thoroughly enjoy the competition, and treat this as a form of training to integrate the new Cultivation Technique and new abilities."
"Our real target is the ancient Human Clan relic. The Clan Meeting is not the endpoint."
Zhang Qi himself possessed exceptional talent and a remarkable temperament. After hearing Lin Qian’s words, he quickly calmed down.
"Silence!" Just then, a sonorous voice caused ripples across the waters, reaching everyone’s ears.
Lin Qian looked toward the source of the sound and saw that it was the Clan Leader of the entire Eight-Armed Sea Clan, Zhang Tianxin, from the main clan’s observation platform, who had stood up and shouted.
He was the Clan Leader of the main clan and of the entire Eight-Armed Sea Clan!