Chapter 343: Seating

Dawn has broken, and the members of every major team have already begun their adaptive training to maintain their best condition. Tomorrow is like a crucial battle in the qualifiers; especially for those teams facing immense challenges, they are confronting a fight of life and death.

Tianjing Martial Arts also started early in the morning. Li Hao had not appeared, and everyone was used to it, so they didn't call him. However, at 10:00 AM, all team leaders were required to attend an official meet-and-greet.

Zhou Naiyi checked the time... Could he have forgotten?

Probably not, after all, it is such a big deal.

Zhou Naiyi smiled slightly and continued training until her Skycom rang.

"Ah? Is that so? I am so sorry, please wait a moment." Zhou Naiyi hung up the Skycom and hurriedly went to find Li Hao; he actually really hadn't gone.

Li Hao was woken up by the thumping knock on the door. He opened it and saw Zhou Naiyi. "Ah, Class Monitor, what's wrong? Why are you in such a rush?"

"There is a team leader meeting this morning. Why haven't you gone yet? The organizing committee people even found me," Zhou Naiyi said anxiously. "Hurry and change your clothes; this meet-and-greet is very important."

The team leader meeting is a recognition of status and also a very glorious occasion. It is a special opportunity given to the leaders of all major teams. The fighting in the S Tournament isn't everything; this is a stage, a chance to show one's face to everyone. What is fighting for? To gain Glory.

"I forgot. No need to change, just like this." Li Hao scratched his head; he truly hadn't taken this to heart. "Tidy up your hair a little; you represent the image of our Tianjing!" Zhou Naiyi said. "Lower your head."

Li Hao was helpless and lowered his head. Zhou Naiyi helped comb Li Hao's sticking-up hair until it was neat. This hair was quite stubborn, and it took a good while to press it down.

Zhou Naiyi nodded. "Head up, chest out, get your spirits up, don't be all wilted!"

"Yes, ma'am~~~" Li Hao smiled and gave a salute.

At this moment in the Galaxy Conference Hall, the other sixty-three team leaders had already arrived. Actually, there wasn't much to do; the officials simply explained some details of the competition. In fact, they were all in the competition rules, but this made it seem more formal. At the same time, there was also an important segment: the group photo.

After all, in the battles over the next two days, half of the teams will be eliminated. This group photo is also a precious memory.

Even if eliminated, as an S-Tournament team leader, this is a huge honor that cannot be ignored. These are the leaders of the sixty-four strongest teams among the countless mecha combat academies of Humanity.

The venue was buzzing with noise. The staff were arranging positions and still waiting for people. The team leader of Tianjing Martial Arts had actually forgotten such an important matter; one simply didn't know what to say. A small temple with a big demon wind.

Xilian was greeting acquaintances enthusiastically, including Chao Qinglong and others. Five years had passed, and everyone was now a person of status. Grudges were buried deep in their hearts, and on the surface, they all got along. Even someone with Romero's personality wouldn't put on airs in a place like this; it was as if old friends who hadn't met in a long time were gathering. The others at least had some contact, but Xilian really hadn't appeared for a long time.

Kiran Rao, holding a white headscarf, found the War God Maxis. "Team Leader Maxis, we will go all out in tomorrow's battle. I hope you can also bring out your full strength. Let us join hands to present a world-class battle for the audience!"

"Who are you?"

Maxis looked at this Kiran who had popped out of nowhere and was slightly stunned.

Kiran Rao was stunned, his face turning a bit dark. "I am your opponent tomorrow, the team leader of the Indira Team, Kiran Rao. I come from the great Ganges City. Our team's nickname is Little Galaxy!"

Kiran was a bit angry. Galaxy was a bit too arrogant. Did they not know what it meant to capsize in the gutter? A rabbit will bite when it's desperate!

"Oh." Maxis smiled slightly and glanced at the entrance not far away.

"Maxis, don't be too arrogant. We of Extreme Shadow are waiting for you to enter the group stage!" Cang Gongtian said.

"Cang Gongtian, watch your mouth. Who will win tomorrow is still unknown!" Kiran said confidently. "Although it would be better to meet you in the finals, now is not bad either!"

Before Maxis could speak, Laika, the team leader of Carmela nearby, couldn't help but laugh. As a representative of one of the three major schools of the Moon, the

Limitless Free Flow, he had always remained in the top tier of the NUP, second only to the glory of the War God and the Heavenly King. Of course, now there was one more, Xilian.

Maxis ignored the two Earthlings who were trying to stir up trouble and greeted Xilian.

"This year's S Tournament is the most interesting one." The two big shots of the Moon chatted.

Maxis could be considered the person second only to Xilian in the Moon faction back then. He didn't join the Shadow Scout, but as a member of the Moon, he also participated in the war. He was a true powerhouse, and he had his own thoughts and ideas. His mentality was already very mature during the Apocalypse, and now he was even more steady. Essentially, he was also waiting for the two of them to return, and he knew it was only a matter of time.

Xilian smiled slightly. "With so many old friends, it's impossible for it not to be lively."

"If I meet Galaxy first, I will definitely go all out." Maxis still had a measure of respect for Xilian; back then, he had both strength and bearing. In this S Tournament, Galaxy naturally hoped to win the championship, but this didn't just depend on strength; it also depended on a certain amount of luck, to see who would meet Tianjing Martial Arts first.

"It seems you have prepared very fully in these two years. If we meet, there's no need to show mercy," Xilian laughed. Among the people of the Apocalypse back then, the ones he thought most highly of were Maxis and Basta. They had clear heads and weren't blinded by a championship. The hard training of these past few years was probably all to wait for Li Wu... or him.

"No, I know the strength of the old team leader. Whether I meet you or him, there's no difference," Maxis laughed. "We still have our advantages this year, and with Fan Liweite, after a round or two, we'll be able to probe the bottom line. Tianjing itself still has quite a few problems."

"Fan Liweite is afraid he won't make it." Xilian shook his head.

"Are you talking about the exchange tournament? Mecha pilot battles have a margin of error. Li Hao is good at psychological warfare, but it can't smooth out the gap." Maxis naturally knew that during the Hailong Exchange Tournament, Fan Liweite lost to Li Hao in the pilot duel. This was also within expectations, but there was still a certain difference between mecha battles and pilot battles, and there were more opportunities. After all, with super-heavy weapons like mechas, human strength is weakened quite a bit. Compared to individual strength, piloting strength is more important, so there are still opportunities.

"Li Hao gave him a chance at a mecha battle, but he didn't dare to fight," Xilian smiled. This wasn't at the technical level, but rather his mentality was already weak, and he had too many distracting thoughts.

Among top-tier players, once one thinks about winning and fears losing, it's all over.

"Basta, on the other hand, is not to be underestimated this year; he took the initiative to challenge Li Hao," Xilian continued.

"Oh? I haven't heard of that? Did they fight?" Maxis's eyes burned with curiosity about the result.

"No, he asked me to wait until the S-Tournament," Basta walked over. "I held back."

Maxis understood in a second. Li Hao had dealt with Fan Liweite but didn't fight Basta, clearly believing that Basta was superior to Fan Liweite. At the same time, it showed enough confidence; in this round of probing, he hadn't revealed any flaws.

"It seems we are going to face the challenge of five years ago again this year. Unexpectedly, I'm a bit happy," Xilian said. "Your threat is just as big as his," Basta said flatly; he wouldn't be fooled.

"That's well said. Don't shoot yourself in the foot like before," Chao Qinglong walked over. Xilian never forgot to stir up trouble.

"Haha, Chao Qinglong, heroes don't dig up old accounts. We lost very thoroughly that time, so I'm even more looking forward to this time. Aren't you?" Xilian laughed.

Chao Qinglong was expressionless, but in his heart, he admired him. This was Xilian; he could let go of what he picked up. Although he had missed many S Tournaments, the moment he returned, he was definitely one of the strongest contenders for the S-Tournament Champion. No one dared to underestimate him, especially the calm attitude that made Chao Qinglong wary.

All fear and wariness stem from insufficient strength.

From this point, Xilian was already ahead.

Xilian looked at Chao Qinglong and read him in an instant, but he didn't say much more. From the beginning, Chao Qinglong was not his target. Although he had grown a lot, talent is not something that can be caught up with just by hard work.

The four top big shots of the Solar System just standing there had an aura that

dominated the world, and gazes would unconsciously focus in this direction.

"This Xilian is pretty cocky, isn't he? The big shots are talking, why is he joining in?"

"I don't know. Seems like they know each other, after all, he was first in the Mid-Season Tournament."

"What's the use of that thing? Galaxy and Eternal just didn't exert their strength; it was just tactics." "Look, Fan Liweite is a bit unsociable, too arrogant, right?"

"Defending champion, it's normal to be arrogant. If I could win the championship, I'd be even crazier than him, haha."

"We don't need the championship; if we could just make it to the top eight, we could bring honor to our ancestors."

"This year is really too bloody. Last year, quite a few teams had injuries, but this year it's like hell, everyone has returned, and so many fierce newcomers have popped up. I really don't know what they were doing before."

"Who knows? Isn't there only the group photo segment left? Why hasn't it started yet?"

"Seems like one person is still missing?"

"Holy crap, which idiot could be late for this? I really didn't notice; it seems they aren't important either, why wait for them?"

Aofei, Luo Bi, Yan Peng, Depuya, and the others were also chatting and laughing; their luck was quite good, their opponents in the qualifiers were a sure thing, their mental states were relatively relaxed, and they were all S Tournament regulars; as for going further later, they would really need a bit of luck.

"Why hasn't Second Brother arrived yet?"

"He just replied to my message, it seems he overslept." Depuya laughed, "To oversleep for this, haha, I feel like Second Brother doesn't take the S Tournament seriously."

"Don't spout nonsense." "Second Brother has changed a lot."

"Everyone has to grow up; he's doing quite well now. With him here, we all feel more confident. I think Xilian should also be fully recovered; it's truly going to be a fierce battle."

"This guy really hasn't changed much, but he feels like someone you don't want to mess with."

"Given his personality, he should have been fine a long time ago. Choosing this moment to emerge, he must have prepared something; perhaps he has been silently observing all of us."

"That's not necessarily true. There are only two or three people he truly fears. Don't forget, he was also one of the fiercest people back in the day." Depuya said. Although he was talkative and liked to brag, his memory of Xilian's terror was still fresh, and at this age, he was even more aware of the powerful energy behind Xilian.

"Why think so much? Just do it! Isn't Second Brother participating?" Luo Bi was very excited; he couldn't wait any longer. The Cougar feared no opponent, nor did they fear failure; they enjoyed this crazy process.

"I'm worried that Second Brother's desire to win isn't strong. He didn't care much about these things in the past, and after experiencing such awful things, I'm afraid... otherwise, he wouldn't have only just emerged now." Yan Peng suddenly said.

Everyone was stunned. This was indeed a problem. If he really wanted to compete with Xilian, he shouldn't have chosen Tianjing Martial Arts; one really shouldn't underestimate Xilian.

"He has chosen the lifestyle he likes; let's not disturb him. If we want victory, we have to fight for it ourselves," Aofei said.

"Aofei said it well. Second Brother doesn't owe us anything. Come to think of it, back then it was us who weren't firm enough, letting him suffer so much." Luo Bi said with a bit of guilt. Of course, he wasn't blaming his friends, just hating himself for not daring to make a bigger scene back then.

"Luo Bi, you did better than any of us." Depuya also felt a bit embarrassed.

"I'm not as good as the ant; that kid is the real man." Luo Bi shook his head. Back then, Cheng Konghai had tried many times to rescue Li Hao, even wanting to break into the prison, but in the end, he was stripped of all Apocalypse benefits by the Alliance, to the point where his injuries couldn't be treated, and he ended up living on the streets.

The organizing committee didn't want to wait anymore, "Team Leaders, please stand according to the nameplate projections on the ground, corresponding to your own circles. Everyone also has a location map on their Skynet, sixteen people per row."

Everyone began to find their positions. The first row was, of course, from Fan Liweite, Maxis, Basta, Chao Qinglong, Romero, and others. Xilian was also in the first row, but he was originally in the corner; now he was naturally in the middle, and he didn't intend to yield. Others were still looking for their positions, and the chatting didn't stop; the whole scene was lively.

The staff members were watching the time; they were just missing that Li Hao. What on earth is this guy

doing? But hearing that he was almost there, they couldn't be bothered to fuss about it; for now, they would get the scene arranged.