The rules were genuinely novel, placing heavy emphasis on teamwork. The gap between the top geniuses of the ten Sacred Lands wasn't all that dramatic.
Even if someone was strong enough to take on three opponents at once, that wouldn't necessarily be enough to withstand wave after wave of raids from other teams.
After all, the rules allowed outright snatching. So long as no one was killed, any method of seizure was considered fair game.
This meant the competition would inevitably be riddled with schemes and tricks, filled with cunning plundering and calculated betrayals.
Under these circumstances, a team wasn't merely a source of additional strength — it was also a psychological anchor.
Going it alone would make it nearly impossible to stand out.
"This collective trial places such a strong emphasis on teamwork. I hope you all appreciate the higher-ups' good intentions, and I hope you'll cooperate in earnest to deliver impressive results. One final reminder: this trial will last a total of fifteen days. Every single one of you will be scattered and deposited onto the islands individually, and we guarantee that you'll be placed very far apart from one another. So don't count on any lucky breaks. This is a trial where wisdom, strength, patience, and cooperation are all equally critical. As team leaders, your role as commanders and guiding figures is also extremely important."
Fifteen days — half a month.
Not particularly long, but not exactly short either.
"One more thing — don't assume that the Trial Pearls will just be tossed casually somewhere on the islands. The placement of every single Trial Pearl will be carefully calculated, and they'll be hidden extremely well, far from easy to discover. So you're not just competing against your fellow geniuses — you're also competing against luck, and against the Trial Pearls themselves!"
Once all the rules had been laid out, the six hundred Trial Pearls were distributed, giving each person roughly ten.
Each Trial Pearl was worth one point. That meant every genius needed to collect at least ten points in this collective trial just to meet the baseline expectation.
Of course, that was only the average. For anyone harboring ambitions of a top placement, ten points would be far from sufficient.
With a total of six hundred Trial Pearls in play, this was the moment for everyone to show what they could do.
"All right, before the trial begins, each team will have one double-hour to deliberate. After that hour, all participating geniuses will be deployed into the trial islands one by one."
A double-hour wasn't a small amount of time, but it was far from generous either.
It was the window for each team to discuss strategy and formulate a plan. This was where everyone's intellect would be put to the test.
In a single double-hour, they needed to deliberate on countermeasures, draw up a plan, and tailor that plan to each team member's individual level of strength — a considerable challenge.
Jiang Chen's team — Wu You and Gan Ning — gathered around him.
Jiang Chen led the two of them to a corner and activated an isolation talisman. That way, whatever they discussed inside would be completely inaudible to anyone outside.
"Gentlemen, whatever thoughts you have, feel free to share them first." Jiang Chen smiled.
Wu You mulled things over for a moment. "I think this trial is going to be brutal. With points on the line, plenty of people will stop at nothing. So the first priority is finding a way to regroup as quickly as possible and avoiding getting caught alone. Otherwise, we'll be picked off one by one without much trouble."
"Brother Wu makes a very good point." Gan Ning nodded as well. "I've been thinking — if I run into an opponent weaker than me, what's the best approach? I'd say knock them out and stash them in some corner. That way, I don't violate the no-killing rule, and I reduce the number of competitors at the same time."
Gan Ning's strength ranked toward the lower end among these geniuses. His way of thinking was a classic survival mindset of the weaker contender.