"Even though we didn't eliminate that guy, we crippled him. He'll spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. Are you satisfied with this outcome?" Yi Feicheng asked Hong Binglan and Si Youyou as they returned to the cape.
"Mhm."
Si Youyou and Hong Binglan exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Compared to killing Bell, this outcome was far more brutal for the Daquan Gang, so they were naturally satisfied.
Two of the three participants from the Daquan Gang had died at Yi Feicheng's hands, and the remaining one, Bell, had been crippled by him.
It could be said that the Daquan Gang's hatred for Yi Feicheng now far surpassed that of the Qing Gang and Hongmen. The entire Daquan Gang probably wished they could tear him to shreds.
However, Yi Feicheng was unfazed by all of this. If the Daquan Gang was wise, this matter would be over.
After all, Yi Feicheng had killed two people from the Daquan Gang and crippled one, but it was all within the rules. If the Daquan Gang dared to disregard the rules, the consequences might be beyond their ability to bear.
"The free-for-all is over. Next up is the challenge match. However, both the Black Tiger Gang and your Qing Gang have Saints presiding over them, so those guys shouldn't be foolish enough to challenge you."
"It seems our Hongmen has piqued their interest." Although Poyang hadn't participated, seeing their old rivals suffer heavy losses and their Hongmen rank second, he was naturally ecstatic.
He was sure his master would be pleased to hear this news upon their return to Hongmen.
Hearing Poyang's words, everyone couldn't help but smile knowingly. Although Hongmen hadn't displayed their strength, any gang that dared to challenge them would surely face misfortune.
...
"The free-for-all has concluded. The rankings for this free-for-all are..."
"First, the Black Tiger Gang of Huaxia."
"Second, the Hongmen of Huaxia."
"Third, the Qing Gang of Huaxia."
...
"Eleventh, the European Transcendent Alliance."
"Twelfth, the North American Daquan Gang."
Based on the time of their withdrawal from the battlefield, the white-robed middle-aged Saint announced the free-for-all rankings for each gang. The top three being swept by the Huaxia side made everyone incredibly envious.
However, there was one point that surprised them greatly: Hongmen, which hadn't made a move, ranked second, one spot higher than the Qing Gang, which had a Saint presiding over it.
Although the Black Tiger Gang only had Yi Feicheng, his strength was evident to all. Most people were convinced that he deserved the first place.
But Hongmen's ranking truly puzzled them.
"Huaxia's Hongmen didn't even make a move, yet they ranked second. Can the Qing Gang really accept this?" some people wondered.
Although the Qing Gang and Hongmen were both part of the Huaxia side in this World Gang Competition and should have been united against a common enemy, in the eyes of outsiders, their relationship was generally adversarial, and they wouldn't be so deferential.
"It seems Hongmen's strength is far greater than we imagined. We must not be reckless during the challenge match later."
The participants in the World Gang Competition were elites and geniuses from various gangs. They were not fools but were very intelligent. From this ranking, they had deduced a lot of information.
At the very least, the fact that Hongmen could make the Qing Gang willingly rank behind them suggested their strength was comparable to the Qing Gang's. Without a Saint presiding over them, how could they dare to challenge?
"There will now be a thirty-minute intermission. All participating contestants are requested to prepare well for the upcoming challenge match. The final rankings will be determined by the results of the challenge match."
The white-robed middle-aged Saint looked around and addressed the crowd.
This half-hour break was intended for the participants to recover, as, generally speaking, after a free-for-all, contestants would have expended considerable energy.
However, this time, the break seemed somewhat redundant for others.
This was because they had been forced to withdraw from the free-for-all without expending much energy.
As for the Daquan Gang members, upon hearing about the half-hour break, they decided to leave.
After all, although the challenge match hadn't started, they had no more participants left. Their bottom-ranking was already sealed, and staying longer was meaningless, only serving to add to their frustration.
Furthermore, the Daquan Gang had suffered too great a loss this time, and they needed to return as soon as possible to discuss countermeasures.
...
Perlis, the leader of the Transcendent Alliance, had short, neat hair. Her delicate features, coupled with her voluptuous figure, gave her a unique allure.
"This time, the top three have been completely taken by the Huaxia side. There's no hope for the top three, but we still need to strive for the top five," Perlis said, exuding an energetic and eager demeanor.
The Transcendent Alliance had always been ranked among the top major gangs in the world, never falling out of the top three. However, the strength of the Huaxia side this time was truly formidable, forcing them to abandon their initial goal.
They could only settle for less, aiming to break into the top five so as not to disgrace the Transcendent Alliance.
"It will all depend on you then." The other two members of the Transcendent Alliance knew their own limitations and placed their hopes on Perlis.
...
"Didn't you want to come here for plein air painting? Now that there's a thirty-minute break, you can start," Zhang Fan said to Zhao Qingqing and the others.
"Oh!"
Hearing Zhang Fan's words, Zhao Qingqing and her classmates and senior students reacted. They had been so engrossed in watching the competition that they almost forgot about it if not for Zhang Fan's reminder.
After setting up their easels and preparing their painting tools, Zhao Qingqing and the other three began their plein air painting.
The scenery of Cape Usby was already beautiful and captivating. Zhao Qingqing and the others were indeed students of an art academy. In less than half an hour, they had captured the scenery of Cape Usby on their paper, looking quite artistic.
After finishing their plein air painting and packing up their easels, Zhao Qingqing and the others felt much more relaxed, and they looked forward to the upcoming challenge match with even greater anticipation.
The thirty-minute break ended, and under the organization of the white-robed middle-aged Saint, the challenge match officially began.
Among the participating gangs, apart from the Black Tiger Gang, the other eleven factions had participated in multiple previous competitions and were thus familiar with the rules of the challenge match.
However, with the addition of the Black Tiger Gang this time, the white-robed middle-aged Saint had to reiterate the rules of the challenge match.
"All gangs can initiate challenges. Each gang has three challenge opportunities. A gang can only send one contestant to challenge another. Once confirmed, it cannot be changed."
"Only by consecutively defeating all the contestants of the challenged gang can the challenge be considered successful."
"Once a challenge is successful, the ranking of the challenging gang will replace the ranking of the challenged gang, and the subsequent faction rankings will be pushed back by one position accordingly."
"These are all the rules. Now, please, the representatives of the gangs wishing to issue challenges, come forward."
...