Chapter 295: Xilian's Gourd

The others were also feigning composure, trying their best to appear natural, even to the extent of Wuzang and Zhou Naiyi. Zhou Naiyi had only lasted one round in the S Tournament, and at the time, the Tianjing Mecha team had absolutely no presence. Moreover, there were so many teams participating in past S Tournaments that for many, it was truly just a matter of showing up; their strength was too vastly different compared to these top-tier teams. The Mid-Season Tournament had indeed boosted their confidence a little, but only a little.

Sheng Man and the others were attending such a grand event for the first time. Seeing this lineup, their eyes shimmered, their excitement tinged with joy. This was a real big stage; they never dreamed that Tianjing Mecha would have such a glorious day.

But why was it so quiet?

Ariel didn't know what had gone wrong, but she couldn't put it into words. At this moment, everyone's gaze was fixed on the Tianjing Mecha side; to be precise, everyone's gaze was focused on one person.

Without knowing when it happened, everyone had stood up.

Aofei and the others had passion in their eyes. When he wasn't there, Earthlings seemed as if they didn't exist, but when he arrived, Earth was a high mountain.

Some people's eyes shifted—was this the legendary person???

Li Hao and the others walked down. Under such scrutiny, Ma Long felt his legs were not quite listening to him, while Zuo Xiaotang kept his head down. Zhou Naiyi and the others just found it very hard to understand—was it because they were late?

Zhou Naiyi glanced at Li Hao's back, feeling very at ease, but why?

Is it the Apocalypse? They all knew about that; it had a lot of influence on Earth, but what did that have to do with Moon People, Martians, or even TAS? Shouldn't they all be enemies?

"Li Ge, welcome back. The era where monkeys claim to be kings when there are no tigers in the mountains is finally coming to an end," Yintai Dumela said with a smile, not giving any face to certain people present.

The expressions of Zhou Naiyi and the others changed. This was not a good thing; with one sentence, she had put Tianjing Mecha on the fire. What kind of virtue or ability did they have to deserve this?

"Don't stir up trouble. It's been a few years, you've become prettier, but your mouth is still as poisonous as ever," Li Hao smiled slightly. He was 1.85 meters tall, and Dumela was 1.8 meters; she was indeed the tallest among the women.

Dumela was not afraid at all, instead throwing a provocative look, "You haven't tasted it, so how would you know?"

Everyone was stunned. This was Yintai Dumela??? The one known as the most brutal female pilot???

Li Hao didn't take the bait; Dumela was the type who would get more energized the more you engaged with her. He looked around, "Everyone, sit down. Many old friends are here; there will be plenty of time to catch up later."

Then, everyone really did sit down, including Fan Liweite, Dumela, Basta, and the others...

Li Hao led his dumbfounded and dazed team to sit down next to Aofei. Sheng Man and the others felt like they were drunk or had walked onto the wrong set; only Cheng Konghai remained completely calm.

"Where is Xilian? Making us wait means it's going to cost extra," Li Hao said, pointing at Anlita.

Anlita smiled sweetly, "Li Ge, don't be anxious. The President will be here shortly."

"I have already arrived," Xilian's voice rang out, "As the host, there must be some sense of ritual. That cannot cost extra."

Xilian appeared on the stage, looked around, and smiled slightly, "Welcome to all my old and new friends. It's called an exchange tournament, but really, it's just that we haven't seen each other in a long time, and I've missed you all, so I invited everyone to gather together."

"Xilian, since we're all here, there's no need for pleasantries. Some of the little ones don't understand the situation yet, so let's get straight to the point," Romero said bluntly. The people from Hailong looked at Romero, but Romero didn't care at all; who didn't know the measure of their opponents?

Xilian wasn't angry, "Romero, you're not the impatient type, so there's no need to act. And there's no need to worry about us discovering that Basta is hiding his strength. There are no secrets in S11; neither of your acting skills is very high."

The whole venue was filled with whispers. Romero's single eye narrowed slightly, and he didn't speak again. In this Mid-Season Tournament, Romero taking first place was indeed intended to shield Basta, but Romero himself hadn't lost out either.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the new-style super mecha are in the underground training ground, eight in total. Everyone can take turns using them. All Golden Zone training and daily training facilities are fully equipped. When resting, if you want to go out and look around, you can contact your respective team's butler. Hailong Academy will arrange everything to ensure everyone has a good time," Xilian said with a smile, "Everything under the Fanmelafisi Family's industry will be twenty percent off."

A round of applause broke out in the venue. It had to be said that Xilian's hospitality along the way was very impressive. Taking things makes one's hands soft, and eating things makes one's mouth soft. The goal of trying the new-style super mecha was already half-achieved, and it wasn't EMP, but mecha piloting; this feeling, this taste, was different.

For top experts, experiencing and trying things out a step ahead is very helpful for improving their control of the Golden Zone. This was also the purpose for a considerable number of people coming here.

"Team Leader Xilian, how will the sparring be arranged?" Ji Yuguang asked, "Since we're all here, how can we miss out on so many experts?"

"Everything is free. Everyone can fight whoever they want, as long as you don't kill or seriously injure anyone, it's not a big problem. Hailong's medical conditions are the best in the Solar System; I can guarantee that."

Everyone smiled. Those who were a bit annoyed were now in a great mood. Xilian was generous; although he could be a bit pretentious, it was within an acceptable range. After all, he had the strength and was spending the money and effort.

"I have a question. When is Miss Arths arriving? I'm a fan of hers," someone asked, immediately causing another round of laughter.

"Me too."

Everyone started clamoring, and the atmosphere suddenly went off track.

Xilian signaled for everyone to be quiet and looked at Dita, "Team Leader Dita, this requires you to answer for everyone."

Dita stood up and looked around. The aura of the Big Dipper Seven Stars had no suppression power in this venue, "Arths will come, but I can't say the specific time. I hope everyone will abide by the code of conduct and not cause any inconvenience to Arths."

That was what she said, but the Martians and Titans were still whispering and laughing, not taking it seriously at all. This was also what Dita was worried about; she couldn't suppress them.

Xilian smiled, "Team Leader Dita, don't worry. Hailong will be responsible for this. Unless Miss Daliven takes the initiative, others should not disturb her. Please be cautious, everyone."

Xilian's gaze swept over the areas that were still discussing until the opposite side quieted down. He hoped no one would be blind.

Hailong Academy provided a very detailed activity schedule, no different from a regular exchange tournament, except that this time there was more free time every day. On the surface, it really looked like an ordinary exchange tournament.

An exchange tournament is not a Mid-Season Tournament; there is no pressure for results. Some top teams will hide their strength in the Mid-Season Tournament for the sake of an explosion in the S Tournament. At this stage, the exchange tournament is for mutual probing. Of course, those with good relationships and no direct record conflicts will compete to a certain extent, but they still have to hide their moves, especially their finishing moves. If they are used too much, it is highly likely that opponents will figure out countermeasures. Not to mention team battles; some tactics and special combinations in team battles are even less likely to be used in such a place. Let alone trying them, they even have to deliberately conceal them. Don't underestimate the tactical analysis groups of the major teams; sometimes a slight, unintentional exposure is enough for the other side to analyze some possibilities. Once they face each other, this information can be fatal.

Instead, everyone would be less inhibited when trying out the super mecha. Another aspect is the physical confrontation between pilots. This is actually a direction for challenges in the exchange tournament. Compared to mecha-on-mecha, the deception and difficulty of judgment in person-to-person confrontation are higher.

Ariel from the Starship Department introduced the situation of Hailong Academy, the basic layout, and the simple history of the academy to everyone. This was instructed by Principal Ma'er of Hailong Star Combat Academy; the necessary procedures still had to be followed. Although Ariel was moving and her voice was pleasant, the participating teams really didn't have much interest. The major teams were whispering to each other, observing the opponents around them.

The simple meet-and-greet ended in an hour, but Xilian called for a team leader meeting, while the others had free time.

Led by Xilian, Li Hao, Aofei, Romero, Basta, Fan Liweite, Dita, Dumela, and Ji Yuguang walked through the corridor and then took the elevator down. No one spoke in the elevator.

A group of familiar strangers.

This was also another purpose for the eight team leaders coming here. Li Hao was personally invited by Xilian, and the others were also approached by Ma'er; otherwise, the super mecha alone wouldn't have attracted so many powerhouses.

What Xilian had discovered was what everyone wanted to know most.

The elevator was very fast, estimated to be more than five hundred meters underground. The door opened, and in front of them was a maglev track. A maglev car was already on standby. Seeing everyone, the door opened, and Ma'er in a suit and leather shoes stepped out.

"Xilian, where are you taking us?" Dumela asked, "Everyone ran all this way, you should at least tell us."

Xilian smiled slightly, "You all didn't think such an important discovery would be placed openly in the academy, did you? The secret witnessing the origin of humanity is right before your eyes. Whether to go up or not is for you all to decide."

The exchange tournament was just a cover; this was Xilian's real purpose.

Except for Dita, everyone present were members of the Apocalypse and understood Xilian's shrewdness better. This time, it was probably really a trap. Everyone's gaze subconsciously turned toward Li Hao.

On the other side, Zhou Naiyi and the others returned to their residence. Ariel accompanied everyone all the way to the living room before leaving the elevator. The moment the elevator door closed, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

Everyone sat down by the window. Zhou Naiyi took drinks from the vending machine and threw them to everyone. Ma Long and the others had at least seen Li Ge's status at the Mid-Season Tournament and were slightly mentally prepared, but even with preparation, they didn't expect that at such a level, Li Ge would still be this fierce.

"Is Li Hao this awesome outside too?" Lu Lingxiao couldn't help but ask, "Is this a rehearsed show? Was that person just now really Fan Liweite? The Heavenly King Fan Liweite?"

"Yintai Dumela... that's my idol... God, what kind of god-tier exchange tournament is this?" Huo Ying was also stunned for a long time. As a water dispenser manager, he knew these people; there was no mistake, but this atmosphere always felt like a dream.