At least ten thousand people had already arrived at the scene, not counting those who were still arriving in succession.
Word had it that only two hundred spots were available, and instantly, the atmosphere turned extraordinarily tense. A fire of suppressed fury burned in every heart, but no one dared to be the first to erupt.
Because everyone knew that whoever exploded first might become the target of those Imperial Realm powerhouses—turned into the next batch of chickens slaughtered to warn the monkeys.
King Shangping's voice rang out once more: "Those whose strength has reached the Saint Realm qualify for the selection. If there aren't enough from the Saint Realm, the selection will extend to those at the peak of the Yuan Realm. Once two hundred spots are filled, the selection ends automatically. After the selection concludes, those who did not earn qualification—if they do not leave—your safety can no longer be guaranteed."
The Saint Realm threshold immediately locked the vast majority out.
After all, news of the Wilderness hadn't spread far yet. Few knew of it at all. Those with informed sources had already made their way here.
When the Saint Realm powerhouses heard this, whatever opposition or resistance they'd been harboring evaporated in an instant. When they thought about it carefully, this rule actually seemed to work in their favor.
Five hundred entering versus ten thousand entering—who held the advantage? The answer was self-evident.
So all the Saint Realm powerhouses stepped forward, reversed their positions, and threw their support behind King Shangping and his allies.
At that point, there was no more suspense.
The Imperial Realm sat at the apex of the food chain—they made the rules. The Saint Realm powerhouses occupied the upper tier as well, holding the advantage.
With both factions backing the rule, the remaining crowd—though far more numerous—were simply creatures from the bottom of the food chain. Even with ten thousand protests burning in their hearts, it was all for naught.
They simply had no voice.
Three to four hundred Saint Realm powerhouses competing for two hundred spots—everyone felt their odds were solid, so not a single one stepped forward to object.
Jiang Chen marveled inwardly. King Shangping and his people had played an open gambit, but an extraordinarily effective one. It had thoroughly split the crowd.
As long as the Saint Realm cultivators were siphoned off, what voice could the rest possibly have?
Then again, those below the Saint Realm who'd come here were just making up the numbers. Even if they somehow entered the Wilderness, never mind everything else—those endless miasmas and toxic fogs would likely wipe out more than half of them on the spot.
It was just that the allure of the Wilderness was too powerful. It had muddled their heads into thinking fortune favored the brave, that opportunity lay just within reach—as though piles of gold awaited them to simply bend down and scoop up.
Whether these people agreed or not, the selection began.
Two hundred spots made for a simple process. Line everyone up by strength and the majority sorted themselves out at a glance. For the disputed cases, direct combat decided it.
Two hours later, the two hundred spots were firmly settled.
The chosen two hundred were naturally ecstatic. Those rejected wore expressions of dejection, eyes shifting restlessly—some harbored thoughts of causing trouble, but lacked the nerve.
After all, the rule-makers and their beneficiaries held an overwhelming advantage in strength. Put simply, a handful of Imperial Realm powerhouses could slaughter every remaining person at the scene.
When the selection concluded, King Shangping spoke flatly: "Half an hour. Anyone who hasn't left within half an hour—your safety will no longer be guaranteed."
A warning and a threat, all in one.
Some timid cultivators sighed and departed, reluctant to go. Those with low cultivation levels also knew staying would do no good, so they left as well. A small handful of rejected Saint Realm cultivators still lingered.
Because they'd heard that each Imperial Realm powerhouse had three carry-in slots. The slots were precious, but with an opportunity like this, many didn't want to let it slip away.
Jiang Chen, as one of the rule-makers, had three slots of his own. He assigned one to Huang'er and one to Lin Yanyu, which sent the latter into raptures.
With his martial strength, had Lin Yanyu tried to qualify through the selection, there was easily a seventy to eighty percent chance he wouldn't have made it.
"Fellow Huang, I really owe you for this one." Lin Yanyu was overjoyed.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "You earned it yourself."
The fact that Lin Yanyu had reminded him about this alliance—in Jiang Chen's eyes, that was the opportunity Lin Yanyu had earned through his own initiative.
Lin Yanyu grinned ear to ear and vowed: "Fellow Huang, I absolutely won't hold you back."
Words of reassurance like that, Jiang Chen didn't take too seriously. Once inside, even he himself couldn't be certain of how things would go. Lin Yanyu claiming he wouldn't be a burden—matters were rarely that simple.
"Senior, do you happen to have a spare slot you could sell me?" A Saint Realm martial artist approached Jiang Chen cautiously, his voice trembling.
Jiang Chen shook his head without interest. "Not interested."
He was only bringing Lin Yanyu along because he figured the man might prove useful down the road. As for anyone else, he had absolutely no interest in carrying them in.
This wasn't a pleasure cruise. Bringing along a stranger meant one more risk, one more unpredictable variable. No amount of money could tempt him.
The independent cultivator saw Jiang Chen's decisiveness and seemed to lose his nerve. He didn't dare press the matter and walked away, crestfallen.
A few more rogue cultivators came to ask, and Jiang Chen refused them all without hesitation.
As the half-hour deadline neared, the remaining independent cultivators at last didn't dare linger. With dark expressions, they departed.