No strange things are allowed to evolve!

If it's reasonable, then so be it, but if the reason is far-fetched…

He smiled, but this time the smile wasn't so innocent:

“We will hold accountable those who enjoy the benefits of the competition while refusing to contribute to its authority.”

Jiang Shu couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "That really fits the purpose of the competition: to be kind and benevolent, and to be peaceful and harmonious."

Jiang Shu didn't care about the disaster-level items. He had plenty of those things; having them was a bonus, but not having them didn't matter.

However, the counter-offensive...

He felt he understood the director's true intention in summoning him.

If such a confrontation order were used in the Ancestral Spirit Root Incubation Ground of Love and Desire, then those neutral forces who had no hope of obtaining the Ancestral Spirit Root and were just there to participate, hoping to gain some benefits if they could, but not caring if they couldn't, might be able to gain an advantage.

The Ancestral Spirit Root Incubation Ground is already full of competition. He was just asking for help, which didn't seem like a violation of the peace of the evolutionary world. Moreover, the responsibility was shared by the forces that took turns hosting the competition. More importantly, the champion of each competition would almost always become a big figure in the evolutionary world, or at least a prominent figure. So it was easy to imagine that most people would be willing to give him face.

While it's unlikely they'd risk their lives, they might come in handy at a crucial moment, at least making up for their apparent weakness in front of the unassuming elders.

As for doing it secretly, the bureau chief will handle it himself.

Now the path facing Jiang Shu is quite clear.

He definitely has to participate in this competition.

First of all, he came here to earn evolution points, although he could also win them from those small fry who were just there to participate.

However, these people don't have many evolution points to wager, and the evolution points Jiang Shu needs, even with his extremely high bonus multiplier, are not a small number.

Therefore, rather than eating small, frequent meals, Jiang Shu prefers to eat a full meal at once.

The only people who could feed Jiang Shu were clearly those who participated in the main competition.

Secondly, it was naturally to counter the order.

Jiang Shu would certainly not miss an opportunity to gather helpers without having any connections.

Finally, it may not be as important as the former, but Jiang Shu still cares about it very much.

That pure gold trophy.

Just imagining the trophy's golden appearance made Jiang Shu almost want to say those words—"I've longed for this championship for a very, very long time."

Thinking of this, Jiang Shu said to Brother Bing, "Very well, then it seems I have no choice but to participate in the competition."

Upon hearing this, Brother Bing was immediately taken aback.

"So all this talk was just to tell you that you're only deciding to participate now?"

“Of course.” Jiang Shu said with a smile, “After all, I only just found out about this competition. You guys also set up some kind of alliance and a ‘kill order for female gangsters.’”

"That's a kill order from the martial arts world, no, ptooey!" Brother Bing spat. "That's called a resistance order!"

"Alright, alright, whatever the order, I'm very interested anyway."

Upon hearing this, Brother Bing stared at Jiang Shu for a long time.

Then he suddenly asked, "Did I underestimate you?"

"Why do you say that?" Jiang Shu asked, puzzled.

"Excuse me for speaking frankly, but I thought you were just an ordinary person before. But now it seems... even if you are not a hidden master, you must be an extremely confident person."

Brother Bing seemed somewhat surprised, and before Jiang Shu could ask, he explained:

"The reason is simple. After I told you about the rewards for defeating the King, you immediately decided to participate in the tournament. And you didn't just show the usual longing; it was more like... how should I put it? You were determined to win."

"Brother Bing, aren't you being a bit sensitive?" Jiang Shu said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "I just..."

But before he could finish speaking, Brother Bing raised his hand to stop him: "Don't be so quick to deny it, I haven't finished yet."

"Alright, go ahead," Jiang Shu said helplessly.

"Since you came from another organization or force to participate in the competition, it means you are considered an outstanding individual in other places, otherwise you wouldn't have this opportunity."

The more such a person is, the broader their horizons, and the more awe they will feel towards the strong. Although there are arrogant people, I am very good at judging people. For example, I can tell at a glance that you cannot be a member of the Bureau of Different Principles, and I can also tell that you are definitely not a person with the Courage Spirit Root.

Therefore, the presence of this confidence in you is rather intriguing.

Brother Bing acted like a know-it-all, as if he were the world's number one connoisseur, very good at judging people:

"More importantly, you only yearn for the Confrontation Order and turn a blind eye to the Cataclysmic Items. This shows that you are probably already used to Cataclysmic Items, or at least consider them dispensable."

Am I right?

Jiang Shu gasped, "I mean... how dare you slander the Courage Spiritual Root while you're in the Holy Temple?"

"Nonsense, I am the Courage Spirit Root, what's wrong with saying a few words?" Brother Bing was very dissatisfied.

Jiang Shu understood immediately.

It's like how Nigers use "Niger" as a term of endearment when they call someone of their own race, but it's considered discriminatory when a white person calls a Niger.

So the world is a giant circle!

But what could Jiang Shu do? He couldn't very well say that he was the one you described as the dominant figure who had suffocated his peers for five years and was personally selected by the King of Opposition, could he?

He could only laugh it off: "What you said...makes some sense, doesn't it?"

"Hehe, it's okay if you don't admit it. My eyes are my yardstick. I'll be keeping a close eye on you when you participate in the competition~"

Jiang Shu felt a chill run down his spine.

It was at this moment that the two arrived at the personnel department.

Of course, unlike the terminology used by the Bureau of Foreign Affairs, the Holy Church calls this the Human Church, which oversees all personnel arrangements and transfers within the Holy Church and wields immense power.

In addition, there is the Earth Hall, which is in charge of all administration, etiquette, and diplomacy.

The two halls have different functions but are of equal status.

Since we have the human realm and the earth realm, we certainly can't do without the heaven realm.

Heaven's function is similar to the executive department of the Bureau of Otherworldly Affairs, but it is not divided into such a detailed division. Intelligence organizations and command departments are all integrated into it. It can be said to be the foundation and backbone of all the authority and power of the Holy Temple.

Therefore, Heaven is one and a half levels higher than Earth and Humanity.

Above these three halls is the Council of Elders.

The Presbyterian Council decides all major matters of the sanctuary, and the person who holds absolute power and authority in the Presbyterian Council is the sanctuary's president.

Brother Bing also told Jiang Shu an interesting anecdote.

The president of the sanctuary actually refers to the president of the Presbyterian Council. The reason why the Presbyterian Council was chosen as the basis for the name is that if the sanctuary were the main body, it would actually be called the hall master, which would not sound very good. It would not only sound inferior, but it would also conflict with the person in charge of the three halls of Heaven, Earth and Man.

We had considered calling him "Chief of the Alliance" before, but the president felt it sounded too江湖气 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) and reinforced the stereotype of the Courage Spirit Root. In the end, we chose to call him "President".

As for the three halls of Heaven, Earth, and Man, there are some other departments, but Brother Bing only mentioned them briefly without going into too much detail, so they didn't seem to be very important, and Jiang Shu didn't ask about them.

By the time the introduction ended, Jiang Shu had completed all the formalities.

Because he came to the church with a purpose, and there are many people in similar situations, the church even created a new position specifically for people like him. Therefore, his unit is not among the departments that Brother Bing just introduced.

The complete identity document he received now reads: Ditang Special Operations Group.

That makes sense when you think about it. International students are linked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so it's plausible.

"Alright, with this identification card, you can now move freely up to the 85th floor, except for the area where the Elders' Council is located."

Brother Bing patted Jiang Shu on the shoulder:

"Besides, you don't have much work to do. The special operations team can just spend all their time in the confrontation incubation area. And frankly speaking, they won't entrust you with the real business concerning the Holy Temple, will they?"

“That’s true.” Jiang Shu nodded.

"Alright, now I'll take you to see the area where the anti-hatching farm is located."

Brother Bing said, checking the time:

"It's still early, there shouldn't be many people. If it's convenient, I can take you to place the order."

"There are placement matches too?"

Chapter 208 Jiang Shu always had the heart of an apprentice.

"Of course! I've already said that you have to compete against people of similar skill levels. How can we match you with opponents of comparable strength if we don't assess their abilities?"

“I thought the incubator would match people on its own,” Jiang Shu said.

"Not at all." Brother Bing shook his head: "This competition system has been learned and improved by generations of people. If the incubator could match it on its own, that would be simple."

That makes sense.

"Let's go."

"Then I'll trouble you again, Brother Bing, to lead the way."

"It's okay."

Soon, the two arrived at the very top of Paradise, located on the 85th floor.

The entire floor here has been transformed into a fighting arena.

One main arena, nine smaller arenas surrounding the main arena, and eighteen more smaller arenas on the periphery.

However, Jiang Shu did not see anyone actually fighting on the stage.

Because these arenas are essentially incubators, similar to the item incubation fields of the Otherworld Bureau. The real battlefield is not on the arena, but in the incubation field.

Therefore, these arenas were deliberately built in this way simply to conform to a form of competition.

They say it's important to create a certain atmosphere.

Moreover, unlike the Otherworld Bureau, the Confrontation Hatchery seems to be born for performance. Through the screen on the arena, you can even see the scene inside the Hatchery in real time.

This explains why the competitive incubator could give rise to the competitive tournament.

If all we could see was the outcome of the competition, even if the winner took all the spoils, this competition probably wouldn't have remained popular to this day.

It has to be able to witness blood flowing like a river!

However, the competition has not officially started yet. According to Brother Bing, even the qualifying rounds have not started. Right now, it is just the usual situation of the competition incubation field, which can only be considered a warm-up.

Or more accurately, the end of this year's season.

Those who are scrambling for points at this time are mostly people who will participate in the competitive tournament.

The large arena in the center is not showing live footage of the competition incubation area like the eighteen smaller arenas. Instead, many participants who are currently being ranked are waiting to have their identities verified before proceeding to the nine smaller arenas around it for their ranking.

Interestingly, apart from a small number of people from the Holy Temple, most of them, at first glance, looked like Jiang Shu—they had only recently arrived to prepare for the competition.

The so-called "stage determination" is merely granting evolvers the right to enter the confrontation incubation field. It is only for a simple assessment, so there is no need to actually enter the confrontation incubation field. It is just a preliminary test for the participants and is not complicated.

Jiang Shu immediately recognized that this was simply a test of the participants' four abilities—

Strength, physical strength, speed, and intelligence.

There were no attractive testing devices among them.

According to Brother Bing, Charisma is already a nascent ability for Evolvers who are undergoing their first Ascension, but compared to other stats, it is not very effective in determining the outcome of battles, and its effects are inconsistent. Most importantly, it is impossible to measure.

Therefore, charm is not the focus of the test.

"Alright, let's go get tested. There aren't many people, so it should be over quickly." Brother Bing nudged Jiang Shu, signaling him to step down from the audience seats and onto the large arena in the center.

"Where should we start?" Jiang Shu asked.

Brother Bing thought for a moment and said, "Let's start with strength; that's the most direct approach."

“Okay.” Jiang Shu nodded and stepped onto the grand arena, placing himself at the back of the line.

While queuing, Jiang Shu kept observing how others did it.

By imitating others, one can avoid making mistakes, revealing one's ignorance, and exposing the fact that one is actually a country bumpkin.

This is the most useful tip for getting along with others, according to Jiang Shu.

boom!

Just as Jiang Shu was looking around, he suddenly heard a loud noise behind him.

Then Jiang Shu saw on a small arena, an incredibly muscular man was in a punching stance, with rising gray clouds in front of him.

The object from which the sound came was a device that resembled a large drum.

Jiang Shu had seen this thing before, but he thought it was a drum used in the arena, so he didn't pay any attention to it.

But unexpectedly, it seems to be a tool used to test strength.