Seeing him shake his head, Soul Fingerprint wasn't surprised. After the disappointment in her heart faded, she felt much calmer and was about to speak, but a cry came from the direction of the pier, causing the group to stop and look in that direction.

Fang Hong saw a long white trail in Long Lake, pushing a giant wave toward the shore, causing the sailboats moored in the bay to drift backward, crowding together. The waves lashed against the pillars of the pier, splashing up water a foot high.

He also saw many people gathered at the dock, looking into the lake from afar, where something seemed to have dived underwater, leaving behind various sized whirlpools. This strange phenomenon lasted for quite a while before gradually calming down.

"That thing is here again," Mulan said, also looking in that direction.

"That thing?"

"Koras, the 'god' of the fishmen," Hawk-Beak Bean replied. "Actually, it's just a water monster they've tamed."

Only then did Fang Hong remember the infamous 'flood' of Fanric—actually the spiny fishmen in the lake, these uncivilized aquatic creatures inhabiting the southern part of Long Lake, often attacking villages and cities along the shore. When they swarm, even a port like Fanric isn't safe.

The last time they caused trouble was during the Battle of Bain thirteen years ago. After a purge, they disappeared for several years. But in the blink of an eye, another ten years have passed and it seems these fishmen have multiplied during this period and have returned in full force.

However, the 'flood' is an issue for the officials of Fanric to worry about. For them, it was just a minor distraction. After leaving the dock area, Soul Fingerprint took the opportunity to explain the current exhibition match:

"The exhibition match of the Continental League is not held annually, so it's understandable if you're not aware of it. It's actually an adjunct to the Continental League, with a certain demonstrative nature, hence called an exhibition match. The main matches of the Continental League generally consist of a home and away game, with only one match each, and the events are determined by the local Artisan Association. But the exhibition matches are different, they aim to showcase the profession of alchemists to the public, so the events are generally more basic and simple, divided into three successive stages."

"These three stages are usually single word and engraved array, materials and structure, and crafting magic guided conductors. Simply put, the typical process of alchemy is demonstrated to the public. Like the main matches, the exhibition matches also test the team's capabilities, rather than individual ones, as its purpose is to measure the overall level of alchemy in a region—"

"So the competition is still based on average scores, and participants in three matches can only take part in two at most. The first match, single word and engraved array, is an open selection. Because of this, there are often many participants. The specific rule for this competition is each team sends four members to the stage, the highest score is excluded, and the average score of the remaining three members is the final score of the group. This match only admits the top thirty, so our group's score must be within the top thirty to move to the next match."

"After three matches, the ultimate winner is decided. The winner gets rewards from the Southern Region Alchemist Alliance, as well as a chance to challenge a main match team. In the last two matches, representatives from the Colin Ishurian Artisan Association will attend, to select substitutes to participate in Osh."

"This is considered a way to fill gaps," Soul Fingerprint said to this point, Mulan added, "But in reality, they might not select a substitute. It depends on the actual level of this year's exhibition match contestants. Moreover, if the main match results are remarkable, an exhibition match generally won't be held."

Hearing this, Fang Hong understood that the so-called exhibition match is essentially an alternative selection. He couldn't help but think of the crafting competition he participated in at Traveler's Rest. He realized he was already taking part in a similar competition for the second time.

After the experience in the Hall of Thousand Doors, Fang Hong had a comprehensive understanding of his own skills—especially his basic alchemy skills. Competitions like these no longer posed any challenge to him. Only after leaving Nevade did he understand the reason Odin asked him to come south for this competition was probably just as a matter of convenience.

In fact, it was like asking him to help the Ragnarok team, and after that, both sides would be settled. Of course, Fang Hong vaguely felt that there might be another reason for letting him come south, but the reply he received was unclear, and there was no further correspondence after that.

Originally, he thought it would be an easy task, leading the Ragnarok team to win the championship effortlessly, maybe even excessively dominating the competition. However, listening to Soul Fingerprint's description of the competition, he realized it wasn't that simple.

Because according to this rule, his score could mostly be canceled, and he couldn't participate in every match.

He couldn't help but ask, "So how are the others' skills on our team?"

This question made everyone give him an odd look, and Cui Ning even rolled his eyes.

However, Soul Fingerprint remained calm, simply explaining the team's situation to him: there were six members in total, including him. If three members take part in each match, including him as a substitute, they must rotate once to comply with the rules.

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