Yun Feng agreed. She certainly had to be careful. Her brother had come with her. If she had known that the contest would be held here, she wouldn’t have dragged her brother into this. The Cashya Empire, whatever they wanted, they wouldn’t have it!
While Yun Feng and her ancestor communicated telepathically, the noble of the Cashya Empire introduced the place similarly to what the ancestor said, except that he didn’t stress its dangerousness. However, the other three empires’ representatives couldn’t be fooled so easily. After his introduction, the royal members of the other three empires who had come with the contestants were all sullen.
“This place is not very suitable as an arena, is it?” said the royal member of the Ovey Empire. “Although the Cashya Empire has been keeping the Forsaken Maze a secret, we’ve heard a thing or two about it. Does the Cashya Empire want us to explore it for you?”
“Hahaha! Of course not. The champion and the second place in the international contest have to beat others fair and square. Naturally, nobody will accept their defeat easily. We’ve picked this place for various reasons. It’s not as dangerous as it’s rumored to be at all. Besides, all those kids are young geniuses. Do you even need to worry about them?”
“That’s easy for you to say. The loss will be heavy if anything happens to them,” said Kai in a low voice. That was exactly the problem. If anything happened in the Forsaken Maze and the contestants were lost, it would be a great strike for any empire. It wasn’t easy to raise geniuses. If they were lost, a lot of time and efforts would have to be invested on finding and training their replacements. The Karan Empire couldn’t afford losing any of the ten young people that it sent here.
“Alright, if you’re too worried, you’re free to quit,” said the noble of the Cashya Royal Family to the other royal nobles, which changed their expression completely. They didn’t have any choice except to take the risk!
“Does anyone want to quit?” asked the noble of the Cashya Royal Family. The royal members of the other three empires all looked awful, but none of them quit in the end. For them, winning the qualification to explore the relics was the most important thing!
“If nobody is quitting, then you’re all agreeing with the arrangement.” The royal member of the Cashya Empire smiled. At this moment, the royal member of the Shengyao Empire asked, “Have you picked this place because you’re prepared?”
Hearing that, the royal member of the Cashya Empire smiled. “Don’t worry. The Cashya Royal Family doesn’t know anything about this maze either. It’s as risky to you as it is to us.”
After saying that, the royal member of the Cashya Empire walked to Zheng Ran and Bi Xing and said something in a low voice. They seemed to be discussing something important. After they were done, Mr. Zheng Ran stepped up and spoke to the forty contestants of the four empires with a smile, “Whichever empire you’re from, you’re an important treasure of the East Continent. While the Forsaken Maze is dangerous, you should be confident of yourselves! I hope you will get good results in the international contest!” After the speech, Zheng Ran dropped a hint, and the royal member of the Cashya Empire had something distributed. Yun Feng accepted it and found that it was a white jade pendant.
“If you encounter dangers and difficulties that you cannot take care of in the Forsaken Maze, squeeze the jade pendant. It will take you out of the Forsaken Maze. Of course, it will mean your forfeit too.”
Everybody held their jade pendant, deep in thought. Yun Feng smiled. She still had the jade pendant that Ao Jin offered her when she explored the Dragon Palace. The two jade pendants looked quite similar, except that jade pendant had a dragon engraved to it, and this one didn’t.
Every contestant kept their jade pendant properly. It could be their lifesaver at critical moments, so they had to store it well. Zheng Ran continued, “Since the Forsaken Maze is picked as the place for the contest, I’m sure you’ve guessed the goal of the contest. In three months, the first team to walk out of the Forsaken Maze will be the champion. If no teams gets out in three months, then the team with the most remaining members will be the champion.”
Everybody reflected on the rules thoughtfully. Yun Feng smiled. Those rules were interesting. During the three months, the four teams could look for other teams instead of the exit. If they forced the other contestants to quit, they would win.
Everybody realized the implication of the rules, and looked at each other nervously. Noticing the tension in the atmosphere, Zheng Ran chuckled. “There are four entrances ahead of you. You may choose any of them. Once you enter it, it will mean the beginning of the contest. Alright, I’ll give you some time to consider.”
Zheng Ran waved his hands. The contests of each empire immediately gathered. On the Karan Empire’s side, Kai said solemnly, “After you go in, you don’t need to look for the exit immediately. If you run into contestants from other empires, force them to quit!”
“Uncle Kai, don’t worry. We’ll definitely make sure of that!” Kasa smiled. Kai nodded. Yun Feng remained silent and smiled coldly in her heart. The other three empires were probably thinking the same. This was not about exploring the maze at all, but an ultimate battle where everybody would try to kill each other.”
“You need to pick one of the entrances in the middle.”
Kasa nodded as the leader. Very soon, all the four empires finished their meeting, and proposed the entrance they picked. There were no conflicts at all. Zheng Ran said with a smile, “All contestants, be prepared.”
The four empires’ contestants went to the entrance they picked. Yun Feng looked around, and saw that the Shengyao Empire picked the first entrance, the Ovey Empire picked the second, the Karan Empire picked the third, and the Cashya Empire picked the fourth. Yun Feng was slightly grave, wondering which opponent she would meet first in the maze.