"Tang Rao, thanks a lot." Hassen said with a grin, his face the picture of simplicity.

Tang Rao simply choosing them had touched him deeply.

Indeed, this bro from the underworld was easily moved.

"Tang Rao, you're such a real man." The one meter eighty tall Oli swung her fist, using that unreliable -er ending.

"I like Yan countrymen with perseverance." Jessica smiled, her dirty braids looking super cool.

As for the biggest Bo in the house, Bo Ya just stared at Tang Rao, not saying a word, just looking.

It was so intense that Tang Rao almost couldn't take it.

Ah, underworld girls are so direct, and their way of expressing their emotions is top-notch.

"So, when do we set off? Is two days enough?" Tang Rao asked, clueless as it was his first time here.

"Of course it's enough, let's set off a bit later, no need to desperately compete with others at the start," Hassen said.

"Huh, compete over what?" Tang Rao didn't understand, wasn't it just about going to join the battle of the Nine Heads? Why compete on the way there?

"Of course it's about competing for the ranking of arrival at the competition venue, whoever arrives first, that's an honor," Bo Ya said to Tang Rao.

"Is there a reward?" Tang Rao asked.

"Uh... no." Girl Bo Ya.

"Then compete for fart, crazy." Tang Rao rolled his eyes, what's the point of all this hassle with no reward, must be some short-circuit in the brain.

"Hahaha, Tang Rao, I share your view!" Hassen seemed to be very happy.

He also felt it was pointless, with no benefits, nothing worth competing for.

Anyway, even if we arrive last, we can still compete in the same way.

Since they agreed, the group of five didn't hurry to leave. Under Hassen's leadership, they found a small tavern to drink, eat, and chat.

"Brother Jun, look, that kid." In the tavern, Liu Jun's group was also there, seated diagonally across from Tang Rao and his group.

Liu Jun lifted his head to glance at Tang Rao, then took a sip from his glass.

"Enough, just an idiot who doesn't know what's good for him, let it be. Eat well, drink well, we'll set off soon aiming to arrive among the top hundred," Liu Jun said with a wave of his hand.

The three people all nodded.

Arriving among the top hundred was definitely a great start.

Time passed, and Tang Rao and Hassen's group kept drinking until the afternoon.

By then, there were no more people around them, all had set off for the competition destination.

"Hahaha, Tang Rao, let's... let's drink more..." Hassen seemed a bit tipsy, holding his cup with a muzzy gaze.

But he was too dark to show any blush.

"Alright, Hassen, no more drinking, we need to set off now," Oli stood up and lifted Hassen up.

After paying the bill, the five people left the tavern.

Tang Rao used his Spiritual Energy to disperse his drunkenness, otherwise, he'd be staggering...

As for Hassen, he was still stumbling along the way.

It took him more than two hours to finally sober up.

Anyway, on their way, Tang Rao and his teammates didn't meet a single soul, probably no one left later than them.

One and a half days later, in the early morning...

"Hahaha, look, that's it! We've arrived!" Hassen burst out of a grove, pointing ahead, excitedly.

Tang Rao, Oli, Bo Ya, and Jessica emerged one after another.

Not far from them were nine lofty towers, each over a hundred meters high, standing majestically.

"Let's go, timing's just right." Hassen led the way, running towards the direction of the nine towers.

The other four also immediately followed.

This was a vast plain, with the nine towers forming an immense circle.

At the center of that circle was the competition venue.

It was surrounded by people, a massive crowd of several hundred thousand.

Of course, the vast majority of them were onlookers.

The Nine-Headed King Hall is such a vast space; there certainly wouldn't be a lack of inhabitants.

Throughout the journey, Tang Rao had also seen numerous human settlements.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry, the deadline is approaching." Hassen ran swiftly, fearing they wouldn't make it in time.

Under Hassen's lead, the group of five obtained the competition tokens through extreme peril.

As soon as the five had their tokens, the staff distributing them ended their shift.

This meant that Tang Rao and his group were the last to arrive.

The five competition tokens ranged from 4996 to 5000, indicating a total of five thousand participants.

"I'll take number 5000," Tang Rao said, taking a token from Hassen's hand.

Since there were no rewards or penalties for arriving early or late, it made no difference to take the last one.

"Tang Rao, I... I want to be your brother!" said Hassen, moved. It wouldn't be appropriate to pass number 5000 to one of the three ladies, so it was either Hassen or Tang Rao who had to take it.

That was the very last number, and it was bound to be the subject of mockery.

Tang Rao resolutely accepted it, demonstrating tremendous courage.

"Oh... who is this? What number did you get?" As luck would have it, Tang Rao and his group encountered Liu Jun and his companions again.

Their team still had four members, each holding a competition plank.

77, 78, 79, 80, among the top hundred.

"5000?"

"Damn, you really know how to bring shame to our nation."

"Idiot!"

Upon seeing the competition token number in Tang Rao's hand, the group immediately began to ridicule and curse him.

As for Liu Jun, he wore an expression of disdain.

Originally, if Tang Rao had agreed to join their team, he could have at least obtained number 81, which would symbolize honor.

But now, being the last was an outright disgrace.

"Are you done?" Tang Rao inhaled deeply, trying hard to contain himself, to be honest, he was nearing the end of his patience.

"If you're done, I'll be on my way." Tang Rao clenched his teeth, he had promised himself to keep his calm, to face towards the vast sea where spring blossoms bloom. He mustn't act impulsively, he must not resort to violence, for violence is wrong.

"Quit it, dumbass."

"Wait until you embarrass yourself on stage..."

"I can hardly wait, just can't wait to see you make a fool of yourself up there."

In the end, Tang Rao still didn't react, as Hassen had informed him that starting a fight privately would result in disqualification from the competition.

Therefore, Tang Rao decided to beat these four fools to death during the competition, because Hassen also told him that killing an opponent during the contest bore no consequences, and no one could be held accountable.

...

At this moment, atop the nine lofty towers that the crowd couldn't see clearly, stood a throng of people,

Representing each of the Nine-Headed King Hall's nine powers.

"Zeng Yan." A gentle voice rose from one of the towers, where an elderly crone who seemed about ninety-years-old spoke.

Despite her age, one could feel the exuberant life force emanating from her.

Beside the old woman, Meng Junqiao stood quietly.

Upon hearing the old woman's call, Zeng Yan, who was at the edge, immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Did that young man named Tang Rao you mentioned arrive?" the crone asked softly.

"He did," Zeng Yan nodded.

"What number did he draw for the token?" she continued to inquire.

Zeng Yan swallowed, his forehead darkening slightly.

"The... 5000th number," he finally said.

Surrounded by many, laughter followed; number 5000 was, after all, the very last one...

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