The participating factions, including China's Green Gang, Hongmen, and Black Tiger Gang, totaled twelve teams. Each of these factions was a formidable power in its respective country.
Now, their elites had gathered, numbering close to thirty individuals, each at least at the late-stage Transcendent level. Their presence exuded immense power.
As they convened, a strong fighting spirit erupted from everyone, their eyes filled with excitement.
They were all innate Grandmasters and Transcendent beings under the age of thirty, accustomed to the aura of genius since childhood. Each possessed their own pride and convictions. Their gathering here naturally fueled their eager anticipation for the upcoming battles.
Si Youyou, along with brothers Ge Qing and Ge Xia, and Lin Haotian, Hong Binglan, and Yi Feicheng, stood together. They were all part of the Chinese contingent and naturally intended to face the challenges together.
Moreover, Si Youyou was well aware that while their Green Gang's lineup for this tournament was considered luxurious, featuring a Saint-domain expert and two peak Innate Grandmasters, this was an exceptionally strong team in past faction tournaments, capable of holding its ground even against the combined might of several factions in a free-for-all.
However, with Lin Haotian participating this time, this free-for-all held no suspense; the outcome was already predetermined.
Under the direction of the white-robed middle-aged Saint, nearly thirty participants leaped off the promontory and landed steadily on the sea's surface.
"Wow!"
Li Qin and her two junior disciples watched in amazement as the group walked on water as if it were solid ground. It was their first time witnessing such a scene.
Saints from other factions, accompanied by younger talents, approached the edge of the promontory, preparing to witness the upcoming grand melee.
"Let's go watch. Although the outcome is already set, such a spectacle is rare. Don't miss it," Zhang Fan said, also bringing Yan Qianghu, Zhao Qingqing, and others to the edge.
"The rules of the competition are simple: a faction is eliminated if all its participants surrender and withdraw from the battlefield or are all killed," the white-robed middle-aged man declared, hovering in the air and addressing the young men and women below. "The ranking will be determined by the duration each faction's participants manage to persist."
...
"Little brother, that move you just used was amazing! Can you teach me?" The little girl who had been bothering Eleonora now set her sights on Zhang Fan.
"No, you wouldn't be able to learn it even if I taught you," Zhang Fan replied after glancing at the girl.
"How do you know I can't learn it if you haven't even taught me yet?" Isabella said, glaring with her star-like eyes, her cheeks puffed out indignantly.
"Because I have no intention of teaching you," Zhang Fan added.
Eleonora and the others couldn't help but chuckle. They hadn't expected Zhang Fan to be so fond of teasing.
Isabella continued to pester him, but Zhang Fan remained unyielding, leaving her quite frustrated.
"Little brother, do you have a girlfriend? How about I become your girlfriend?"
Due to her mother's influence, Isabella possessed innate power comparable to that of a Saint. Though she couldn't fully control it yet, it gave her perceptiveness far beyond that of ordinary people.
She could sense that despite Zhang Fan's seemingly ordinary appearance, his power far surpassed anyone she had ever met.
Even her father, the leader of the Transcendent Alliance and a supreme God-level expert, was nowhere near Zhang Fan's level.
"Little brother is so amazing! It would be fantastic to become his girlfriend. Then even Father couldn't scold me," Isabella thought to herself, her resolve to become Zhang Fan's girlfriend strengthening.
Unaware of Isabella's thoughts, Zhang Fan simply found her too young and thought she was joking.
"I don't have a girlfriend..."
"But I have a fiancée."
Zhang Fan smiled, his mind involuntarily drifting to Qin Luoshui...
He wondered how her closed-door cultivation was progressing during this time.
Had she broken through to the Saint Domain realm?
Isabella's joy, sparked by the first half of Zhang Fan's sentence, quickly faded.
"That's great..."
She stopped mid-sentence.
...
While Zhang Fan and Isabella were engaged in idle chatter, the battle had already commenced on the sea below.
Although it was a free-for-all, over the years, the various factions had developed unspoken understandings, and it wasn't a free-for-all where everyone attacked everyone.
They had their allies and their nemeses, maintaining a relative balance.
However, this time, the addition of the Black Tiger Gang had gradually shifted the existing balance. Although the Black Tiger Gang only had Yi Feicheng participating, his strength commanded the respect of everyone present.
After all, capable of unleashing the power of a regular Saint, it was likely only a true Saint who could be absolutely confident of defeating him.
In the past, the strength of the Big Circle Gang alone was enough to contend with the Hongmen and Green Gang, often gaining the upper hand and even inflicting heavy losses on both factions on several occasions.
But this time, with Yi Feicheng's involvement, the Big Circle Gang also felt pressure, leading them to forge an alliance with the Yakuza to jointly confront China's three major factions.
"Baka! How dare those Chinese people disrespect my Yakuza! I'll make them regret ever making a move against us later," the young Yakuza member who had spoken out earlier expressed his displeasure with the Black Tiger Gang and naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass.
Thus, the Big Circle Gang and the Yakuza smoothly formed an alliance to confront the Chinese side.
Concurrently, due to numerous conflicts of interest between Southeast Asia's Black Witch Hall and the Green Gang, they also sought to suppress the Green Gang within their faction alliance, thereby joining the Big Circle Gang's alliance.
Beyond these six factions, the other major factions also found their respective opponents.
The European Transcendent Alliance would face the American Brotherhood.
The Russian Ax would face the Canadian Hells Angels.
The Italian Mafia would face Mexico's Tijuana Cartel.
...
They all acted with a tacit understanding, and once opponents were chosen, they did not interfere in other battles. Perhaps it was because they all knew that attempting to fish in troubled waters could invite a joint attack from both sides.
The Big Circle Gang, the Yakuza, and the Black Witch Hall, jointly confronting China's Hongmen, Green Gang, and Black Tiger Gang, was a clash involving six factions, half of the participating groups, and naturally drew the most attention.
"You guys hold back for now. Let me test their strength first," Yi Feicheng said to Lin Haotian and Si Youyou beside him.
These two were Saint-domain experts, and Lin Haotian's strength was sufficient to contend with those in the late Saint Domain. If he were to intervene, this competition would lose its meaning.
"If there's an opportunity, just take care of those guys from the Big Circle Gang!" Si Youyou said. Hong Binglan nodded in agreement. They had considerable grievances with the Big Circle Gang, and with this rare chance to crush them, they naturally wanted to teach the Big Circle Gang a harsh lesson.
"Alright." Yi Feicheng readily agreed. He had long found the Big Circle Gang and their ilk displeasing.
...