"They really are as bold as ever."
Standing outside the God of War Temple during registration, Hanguang Shiying glanced at Shi Feng and his group as they appeared before the crowd, feeling a slight twinge of surprise.
"That Zero Wing is nothing but a bunch of fools who don't know the value of their own lives!" A heavily armored giant standing nearby, nearly three meters tall, said with disdain. "They turned down your generosity before, Vice President, missing out on an enormous opportunity. And now they actually dare to participate in this matter on their own initiative—even revealing their own data. They probably won't even make it through the preliminary selection for external reinforcements."
This time, for the competition over the twelve alternate seats, every major superpower had brought in outside help. However, the rules stipulated that no more than one hundred external reinforcements could be hired, and each one cost thirty Seven Luminaries Crystal Stones. This put considerable strain on all the major superpowers.
But bringing in outside help was one thing—whether those reinforcements could pass the preliminary selection and earn guild points for the sponsoring guild was another matter entirely.
If they couldn't even pass the preliminary, then all the Seven Luminaries Crystal Stones spent on outside help would be wasted.
Therefore, the external reinforcements recruited by the major superpowers would all be extremely powerful. Not a single superpower would pass up even the slightest chance of defeating their opponents, let alone opponents whose data they could analyze and counter.
After all, in the Divine Realm, classes had natural counters. Even top-tier players would find it troublesome when facing a class that countered their own. If the opponent's basic attributes and equipment were fully known, one could precisely deploy personnel to suppress them.
Now that Zero Wing had revealed everything, it would be a miracle if they survived.
"What exactly is Black Flame thinking?"
"Didn't anyone tell them this operation was supposed to be kept secret?"
In one corner of God of War Plaza, Ke Rui, wearing a black cloak, stared at Zero Wing's group in the distance until his eyes were about to pop out of his head.
The competition for the twelve alternate seats was such a monumental event that the major superpowers had exhausted themselves just trying to conceal their strength. Some superpowers had even equipped their ace members with disguise items, terrified that their stats would be leaked to other superpowers and perfectly countered.
And yet Zero Wing had gone and displayed their data perfectly right in front of every major superpower's eyes...
"Hong Xinyuan, are these the trump cards you prepared using three of our reserved slots? Truly an eye-opening experience—truly eye-opening!" An elderly man in blue robes, with half-white hair and holding a purple jade scepter, turned to Hong Xinyuan beside him. The fury in his words was so intense that the vice presidents nearby, including Mu Xin, couldn't help but shudder.
"Grand Elder Yu Cang, this should just be... an accident..." Mu Xin looked at the blue-robed elder and hurriedly explained.
Grand Elder Yu Cang was one of the Five Pillars of Frost Sword. Previously, when Hong Xinyuan had wanted to give up three reserved slots, Yu Cang had been furious—nearly tearing the entire Frost Sword guild apart over it.
Back then, Yu Cang had tried to secure a reserved slot for his grandson, but the consortium had refused. He had let it go at the time; after all, reserved slots were exceedingly precious—each one used was one fewer available, and they weren't something the Green God Corporation gifted every year.
Now Hong Xinyuan had handed over three reserved slots without a second word. It would be absolutely impossible for Grand Elder Yu Cang not to be angry, let alone now that something like this had happened...
"An accident?" Yu Cang let out a cold laugh upon hearing this. "Yes, it certainly is an accident. What a truly unprecedented accident this has been for me!"
"There were indeed some issues this time, but Zero Wing's people do have real strength," Hong Xinyuan said, unable to say much more, a trace of guilt in his heart.
"They're not bad, I'll give you that. Seventeen people in total, the lowest level at 117, the highest reaching 121. They each carry over six pieces of Epic-rank weapons and equipment on average—quite rare even among the ace main squads of the major superpowers." Yu Cang looked toward the other guild elders and spoke seriously. "But now that all their data has been exposed, it couldn't be easier for the major superpowers to counter them!"
"The Seven Luminaries Crystal Stones of our Frost Sword didn't come easy. Every single one was obtained through the painstaking efforts of our guild members. I have no intention of letting those crystal stones go to waste. I suggest we remove Zero Wing immediately and fill the remaining external reinforcement slots with my grandson's subordinates!"
After Yu Cang finished speaking, the elders present fell into a heavy silence.
"I think Grand Elder Yu Cang makes a very valid point. Zero Wing made such a grave error—they do need to be replaced." One of the vice presidents standing behind Grand Elder Yu Cang nodded in agreement.
"What Yu Cang said isn't without merit. I believe it is necessary to replace them." A white-haired senior elder also spoke up. "This seat competition has consequences far too great—it could very well determine the life or death of our Frost Sword's future. We absolutely cannot be careless about this, nor can we afford to take that risk."
"Exactly right."
"We truly don't need to take that risk."
Once this senior elder had spoken, the elders present began to voice their agreement.
As for the matter of external reinforcements, no one present was worried. Every major superpower had prepared substitutes for this operation, and their Frost Sword was no exception.
Moreover, Grand Elder Yu Cang's grandson was no simple person—he had already earned the title of Sloth, one of the Seven Sins, within the Blossom of Seven Sins.
Had he not joined the Blossom of Seven Sins, he would already be serving as a vice president of Frost Sword.
The Blossom of Seven Sins was an organization exceptionally skilled in assassination. Its members were born killers. Among all the major superpowers, no superpower—not even any super guild—understood better how to deal with players!
Yu Cang's grandson was one of Frost Sword's crucial trump cards in the fight for the seats. Having the remaining external reinforcement slots filled by top experts from the Blossom of Seven Sins wouldn't be a bad thing at all.