Chapter 4470 — Targeted

He had assumed that a challenge aimed at their own escort agency would be as shameless as it came, yet to his surprise the rules sounded perfectly fair and above reproach.

What Qi Wenmo feared most was that their agency would be singled out for a concerted gang-up, worn down by one challenger after another in relentless relay—against which even an iron-bodied immortal would have no strength to spare.

But by the rules Hai Wuliang had just announced, that possibility was all but eliminated—unless someone, after defeating him or Ling Yi, kept issuing repeat challenges.

And in that case, the challenger would be fighting back-to-back battles himself, which put both sides on the same starting line; who emerged the victor would come down to nothing but fists.

"Brother Qi, do the other agencies have Gold Core-stage higher-ups too?" Wei Zhao was not so optimistic, and suddenly asked.

"That..." Qi Wenmo choked on the words, the flicker of joy and excitement from their sweeping victory in the fifth round of the Escort Agency Championship vanishing in an instant, his expression turning grim. "I don't know the details, but there shouldn't be many."

"So I thought. I'm afraid Hai Wuliang was aiming at exactly this from the very start." Wei Zhao glanced at Hai Wuliang not far away, and then at Cheng Haonan and the other two, who kept casting strange looks his way. For some reason, he could not shake the vague sense that these two groups must be connected somehow.

By rights there should be no connection between them, but Wei Zhao's intuition had always been sharp, and the attitudes these people let slip without thinking were enough to reveal a hint of something.

A short while later, the panel of judges and referees sorted through the rosters of escorts each agency had submitted beforehand, culled out the names of every Gold Core-stage higher-up, and announced them publicly!

Just as the two of them had expected, of all thirty-two agencies only a scant twelve possessed Gold Core-stage higher-ups—not even half.

Even though the crowd present had some notion of this, they were still startled by the number and fell into animated discussion.

Among these twelve, the Qingtian Escort Agency shone brightest, with the names of the young master Qi Wenmo and the honorary chief escort Ling Yi both prominently listed! Yet apart from Qingtian, none of the other five great agencies—including the Xuanying Escort Agency, which had just risen so forcefully—appeared on the roster.

The remaining eleven were mostly mid-tier agencies, neither especially strong nor especially weak, and the Longzhou Escort Agency was among them.

This was not hard to understand. The ranks of the powerful agencies were thick with experts; any ordinary escort might possess late Gold Core strength or above—especially outfits like the Sihai and Xuanying Escort Agencies, whose consummate Gold Core experts alone were more than two hands could count. As higher-ups, if they did not even have Nascent Soul strength, how could they command respect?

As for the weak, small agencies, their scale was limited to begin with, and they had no posts like young master, vice chief, elder, or strategist—there was no need to create such positions at all, since that would only dilute their authority.

Under normal circumstances, a small agency had at most one or two escorts beneath the chief escort, and no other higher-ups whatsoever.

Though the Southern Continent Escort Grand Gathering was a major affair, and the vast majority of agencies brought out all their best, they could not leave no one behind—at the very least one escort had to stay to mind the rear. Thus, in the rosters most small agencies had submitted beforehand, the only senior figure leading the team was the chief escort himself—a commander without a single soldier under him.

And since he was the chief escort of an agency, he could not possibly be a mere Gold Core expert; Nascent Soul strength was the bare minimum, which naturally kept him off the list of those open to challenge.

What was more, some agencies, though in special circumstances and possessing a young master like the Qingtian Escort Agency—whose strength was mostly at the Gold Core level—had those young masters stationed back home to hold the fort. Surely no one could summon them over a thousand miles at a moment's notice.

That was simply unrealistic. Even if those agencies agreed, the gathering could not wait that long.

The first-rate agencies had none, the lowest-tier agencies had none; the only ones likely to possess Gold Core-stage higher-ups were the mid-tier agencies—and the Qingtian Escort Agency was the sole exception among them.

This was the true purpose behind Hai Wuliang's challenge!

By proposing these rules, agencies like their own Sihai Escort Agency, which had no Gold Core-stage higher-ups, were placed naturally in an unassailable position! They alone could challenge others, while others could do nothing about them—free to advance or hold their ground.

Conversely, the twelve agencies including Qingtian became the true prey! Anyone interested could pounce and take a bite, and if one bite was not enough, a second and a third could follow.

Of course, the precondition was having the strength for it. Without it, one would not only fail to tear flesh from the prey but might well be kicked half to death—and could blame no one but oneself.

Qi Wenmo's brows were tightly knit. Though the present situation was not as dire as he had feared, it was hardly good either: among the twelve prey on the list, the Qingtian Escort Agency was not only the sturdiest but also the most conspicuous, and being marked was all but a foregone conclusion.

Yet beside him Wei Zhao showed not the slightest trace of worry. Even knowing full well that this so-called challenge of agency helmsmen was aimed squarely at him, he had not taken it to heart at all. The one thing he cared about was whether he would get the chance to finish off Wu Baoliang.

"Not bad. At least they haven't disappointed me." Wei Zhao looked at Wu Baoliang's name on the public board and could not help but smile knowingly.

With the gathering about to end and still no chance to face Wu Baoliang, it would be a lie to say he was not at all anxious—after all, who would want to linger in the Southern Continent for the sake of one Wu Baoliang?

But now things were looking up. This additional challenge would make him a target of all, true, but at the same time it gave him the chance to challenge Wu Baoliang. All things considered, Wei Zhao rather felt he had come out ahead.

With his current strength he was, after all, invincible among Gold Core experts; no matter how many challengers came, they were merely handing him points—not worth a mention.

Seeing Wei Zhao so calm and composed, Qi Wenmo was somewhat at a loss for words. He admired Wei Zhao's strength, but after all he did not know just how powerful Wei Zhao truly was, and in the face of this gathering storm, he could not help but panic—though panicking was of no use anyway.

Under the gaze of the multitude, the challenge of agency helmsmen officially began, and the first order of business was the drawing of lots.

Five judges and referees oversaw it jointly, while countless pairs of eyes below the stage watched as one, ensuring no one could cheat! (To be continued..) R752