Sure enough, after our second round of competition, the two young men behind us started discussing, which then escalated into an argument, prompting the referee to remind them twice.
Through their conversation, I also learned that the two young men came from a certain place in the southwest and were being groomed by a family as successors.
Moreover, judging from the old man's attitude, he brought them out this time not to enter Fengmen Village at all, but simply to participate in the treasure-fighting competition and broaden their horizons.
Perhaps to avoid making enemies, they prepared their things in a very conventional way, essentially a beginner's gift pack.
It took me about five minutes to find the genuine one, but I didn't ring the bell immediately. Instead, I waited for about five minutes before ending the competition.
After we both turned around, the old man nodded to me: "Young man, you are very kind. We are from the Meng family in the southwest. If you ever pass through this place, please be sure to come to our residence for a cup of tea."
Unlike the previous match, we won this round amicably: "You're too kind."
After the two sides finished their match, we became the winners of the first round.
As the middle-aged man who had led the way entered the house, the monkey grinned at me and said, "Young Master Duan, while you were appraising the treasure, I was silently counting the time in my mind. Our round only took about ten minutes, which is five minutes earlier than you expected. Do you think we might be the first to advance?"
The reason I dared to give the other party an extra five minutes was because I was confident: "It should be about right."
Soon, we were led away by the middle-aged man and into a large cave.
When I took off the mask, I was proven wrong.
At this moment, there are already five teams in this room, not counting us. It seems that there are still many real masters in this treasure competition.
The man led us to an area and said, "Congratulations on winning the first round and qualifying for the finals. Please wait patiently here. Once the top fourteen teams advance, the 'Undersea Moon' challenge will be over! To ensure fairness in the subsequent matches, you cannot communicate with other teams before leaving here!"
After hearing what the man said, Jiang Man finally felt relieved and patted my arm: "I didn't realize that besides being good at tomb raiding, you also have such outstanding eyesight. I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
I chuckled: "It was Uncle Tian who suggested that I represent the Tianxia Group at the Treasure Competition. What does it have to do with you?"
Jiang Man said coquettishly, "Pah, I wasn't talking about my taste in competitions, but my taste in men."
Jiang Man's words made me blush, so I changed the subject and asked, "When you contacted Fengmen Village, did they mention the general content of the second competition?"
"No, those people only told me the registration location for the first competition."
Jiang Man shook her head slightly: "However, when my father exchanged the Ze Wang Jade Seal for the admission tickets, the other party said that the four teams that win two matches can enter Fengmen Village and become villagers of Fengmen Village."
They also mentioned something else: it is said that once someone becomes a villager, there will be no more restrictions on entering Fengmen Village in the future. However, so far, there have been no rumors about the location of Fengmen Village. I think the way to enter Fengmen Village is probably the same as how we got here: everyone was drugged and brought in.
The selection process in Fengmen Village is so rigorous that perhaps only those they choose can obtain more clues and gain some understanding of this mysterious place.
I chatted casually with Jiang Man while lighting a cigarette and glancing at the other teams in the hall.
These teams ranged from six people to as few as one person.
As time went by, more and more participating teams began to gather in the hall.
The monkey counted the teams beside me and said with a smile, "Young Master Duan, twelve teams have already won, and there are only two spots left to advance. Do you think Wei Shengnan and the others still have a chance?"
I shook my head slightly: "It's hard to say."
There are many experts here today. When we came in, there were already five groups of people. The rest of the people appeared within ten minutes, which was about the time I estimated.
Therefore, those who came here before me must have had better eyesight than me. If I hadn't taken advantage of the Meng family, my ranking would have been around tenth. And the teams ranked tenth and below must have advanced after three rounds of competition.
At this time, Wei Shengnan and the others were among the teams that were eliminated in the first round. Although I was dissatisfied with Song Laosan, I was still confident in his abilities. I felt that if he were to make a move, there was a high chance that he could advance. However, whether he could be the first to enter the top fourteen was still unknown.
Compared to that, what I'm more worried about now is something else entirely: whether Duan Jinyan is among the twelve teams present.
While I was observing the other teams, everyone else was also looking around.
After all, we've only made it through the first round. In the competition for the final spots, two-thirds of the people here will be eliminated.
Just as I was deep in thought, the monkey next to me suddenly cursed, "Damn it, that bastard Song Laosan actually helped them advance!"
I looked up and sure enough, I saw two more teams coming from the entrance, one of which was Wei Shengnan and her group.
Unexpectedly, with Song Laosan's help, they actually qualified right on time.
At this moment, the man who had been in charge of our team walked to the table and placed several bottles of mineral water on it: "Gentlemen, you all know the rules, so I don't need to waste my breath explaining them, do I?"
Jiang Man looked at the man: "We've already won the first round of the competition, so are we still not allowed to contact the outside world?"
The man said expressionlessly, “That’s the rule of Fengmen Village. The moment you approach Fengmen Village, you become dead people who no longer exist in this world. If you can successfully enter Fengmen Village, you will not be able to contact the outside world until you leave the village.”
...
When I woke up again, I was lying in a normal room with windows, but there were sturdy railings outside and a surveillance camera on the ceiling.
I was the last one to wake up in the room. I sat up and shook my head: "Where are we?"
The monkey pointed to the window: "This is a building built in the mountains. There is a courtyard downstairs, and a dense forest outside. Our room is locked from the inside."
Just as I was wondering if the second match would be held here, the landline phone in the room suddenly rang. Jiang Man went over and turned on the speakerphone: "Hello?"
As the voice came through the phone, the electronic lock on the door popped open: "First of all, congratulations on passing the first test to enter Fengmen Village. Next, please send a representative to the backyard to receive the mission."
Jiang Man frowned and asked, "Is this second competition a solo task?"
No comment.
The other party said something, and then the phone went dead.
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