When there was one hour remaining before the Fire Thief's "3-hour deadline," all purchasers received the details of the hidden rule sent by Guan Tong.

After learning the information, almost every purchasing party couldn't help but feel they'd been scammed.

This hidden rule allowed backstabbing teammates within the same team. This information was important for individuals, but for these purchasing parties, it wasn't particularly valuable.

Because each purchasing party represented the power of a nation or a large organization, which meant they could quickly obtain vast amounts of information.

Once the challenge tournament officially began, news of teammates backstabbing each other would likely be learned by these major powers very quickly.

Looking at it this way, it seemed like the five hundred thousand Ascension Coins were wasted, just for knowing this news a bit earlier.

But shouting "scammed" with their mouths was one thing; deep down, they knew they'd definitely have to buy it next time.

Because many "big shots" were in a Team Formation state with several of their elite security personnel twenty-four hours a day. If they didn't buy the information in advance and only learned about the rule some time after its release, their backs would definitely break out in a cold sweat.

No matter how small the probability, this hidden rule made guard betrayal a reality.

After obtaining the information, the various factions finally began making decisions.

The Suroma Empire was the first to make an official statement, declaring they would not interfere with the choices of domestic Ascendants. Whether to discard the invitation or keep it and become a "Contestant" after one hour was a personal right.

However, this didn't mean that Contestants who chose to participate could freely kill each other in cities to seize points. To compete against each other, they first had to register with a specific official department. After registration, their names would enter a competition list.

All Ascendants on the competition list would be arranged by the authorities to conduct public matches at the national outdoor stadium in the capital.

Non-participants who wanted to watch in person had to pay fees based on their seat location, ranging from 50 to 600 Ascension Coins. If inconvenient, they could also watch via online live streaming.

As soon as Suroma's decision was announced, Ascendants worldwide who were following the situation exploded in outrage, with social media flooded with curses.

"Who came up with this idea and got it approved? They're absolute beasts! Making people pay tickets to watch their own countrymen slaughter each other?!"

"What a genius at squeezing coins."

"I actually kind of want to go see it live. Must be way more thrilling than watching a movie in a room."

"This kind of match can kill people! Would anyone really spend Ascension Coins to watch murder?!"

"If no one dies, I wouldn't watch it. Not interesting otherwise."

"Anyone know that demolition maniac from the dark web? Heard that guy used his ability to blow up a lot of people, and the videos sold like crazy. Shows a lot of people want to watch this stuff."

"Kill, kill away. Suroma didn't have many people left anyway. I think they'll wipe themselves out sooner or later."

"A bunch of idiots, so eager to die? I'm definitely playing it safe and forfeiting, surviving until digital life tech lands, backing up my memories before doing anything risky."

While the Suroma authorities caused massive controversy with their shocking decision, other countries also successively announced their official handling methods for this rule.

Unlike facing other rules, the member states of the Human Consortium did not adopt a unified approach this time. Because the situations varied from country to country, they couldn't use a consistent strategy this time.

Beixing subsequently made an official announcement.

They would not interfere with the choices of domestic Ascendants but encouraged keeping the invitation and becoming Contestants.

The authorities would do their utmost to ensure the safety of every Contestant. Private duels and killing to seize others' points were strictly prohibited during these seven days. Anyone discovered doing so would be punished for the serious crime of murder.

Judging from Beixing's official declaration, it seemed that after weighing the options, they ultimately chose to abandon the idea of letting domestic Ascendants compete for ranking rewards.

This safety-first approach received a lot of support in the court of public opinion, with comments almost unanimously positive, with only a few dissenting voices.

"Great! With official guarantees, we don't have to worry about being killed as Contestants."

"Yeah. Not forfeiting for fear of being killed, forfeiting would lower Mind Power upper limit... This policy is the best."

"This is truly a choice made for the majority of citizens."

"But this way we can't compete with foreign Ascendants for rankings, right? A shame... We're clearly the country with the most Ascendants in the world..."

"Person above, do you think getting into the top ten thousand is easy? If you want to compete, you can totally leave the country, or go to some remote wilderness areas domestically, find those illegal organizations or mercenaries out there to compete!"

Less than ten minutes after Beixing issued its declaration, Xisiya also issued a declaration.

Firstly, the authorities would also try their best to protect Ascendants who chose to become Contestants.

Secondly, if any Contestants wanted to compete for rankings, they could register with official departments and then go to designated locations to compete with other registrants... but this process would be completely closed off. They would absolutely not turn it into a ticket-selling, live-streaming business like Suroma.

Looking at it this way, the Xisiya authorities' handling method seemed like a middle ground between Suroma and Beixing. Not as extreme and radical as Suroma, nor as safety-focused as Beixing.

Regarding Xisiya's approach, there were both opponents and supporters, but the volume wasn't high, because Suroma and Beixing had already attracted most of the attention.

Apart from these three major powers, the handling methods of other smaller countries were largely similar, tending towards Xisiya's approach.

They would have liked to follow Beixing's example, but their official control wasn't that strong.

They couldn't follow Suroma's example either; the Suroma authorities controlled terrifyingly powerful intelligent war machines, which they didn't have. If they adopted such an extreme method, they might very well face united opposition from domestic Ascendants.

...

The three-hour-long meeting ended. When the conference room door opened, one could see a nickname + points displayed above everyone's head.

This meant everyone present had chosen to keep the challenge tournament invitation, becoming a Contestant after three hours.

After Yelanka walked out, Guan Tong and Uenoshi, who were waiting nearby, came forward.

One displayed above their head: Mu Tong, 1.

The other displayed: Yoroi, 1. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Without a doubt, both Guan Tong and Uenoshi had modified their nicknames before the Contestant identity took effect.

Especially Guan Tong. Although the nickname "Shadow" was already extremely common with who knows how many people using it, now that his identity was Yelanka's bodyguard, using the "Shadow" nickname definitely wouldn't do.

The nickname "Mu Tong" was a code name he had used during the earthquake rule before, so he simply used it as his nickname now.

"You've both changed your nicknames," Yelanka said. "Should I change mine too?"

Guan Tong glanced at her head. It displayed: "Ice Frost, 1".

Although he and Yelanka had already traded information before and he knew her nickname, seeing it displayed above her head now was still somewhat amusing.

"What do you want to change it to?"

"Hmm..."

Yelanka thought very seriously for a moment.

"How about changing it to 'Sword of Xisiya'? Since I've already become the Administrator of Xisiya, my sword must be wielded to protect this country."

"..."

Both Guan Tong and Uenoshi fell silent.

"What, you don't think it's good?"

"I think this nickname suits your trusted subordinate, Sigaochin, better," Guan Tong said. "You're the Administrator. Rather than a 'sword,' shouldn't you be more like the 'sword wielder'?"

Yelanka was slightly taken aback. "That seems reasonable. Then I better not change it and just keep using the previous one."

She didn't dwell on the nickname anymore and returned to her office with the two of them.

"The official countermeasures from various countries have been released. Have you seen them?" Yelanka sat in her chair, poured a glass of water to moisten her slightly hoarse throat. The three-hour meeting had been quite intense.

Leaning against the window, Guan Tong said, "Saw them all online. Apart from Suroma's on-site ticket sales being a bit outrageous, the others were largely similar."

Uenoshi nodded, her thoughts aligning with Guan Tong's.

"Suroma has always prioritized profit; doing this isn't strange. What's surprising is Teacher, your homeland, Beixing... actually chose to give up on letting its domestic Ascendants compete for rankings this time."

"It seems like giving up, but actually might not be."

"Oh? Why?"

"Only domestic Ascendants are strictly controlled, but don't forget there are also many Beixing Ascendants abroad."

"You mean the Beixing Ascendant soldiers in the front line Joint Force?" Yelanka showed surprise. "Would the task of competing for rankings be given to them?"

"I just think it's possible, can't say for sure."

"...Then Teacher, and this Ms. Uenoshi, what are your plans?"

"We both plan to give up on competing," Guan Tong said. "We won't actively kill to seize points these seven days. But if someone comes looking for trouble, or someone tries to harm you, we'll definitely take action when needed."

Hearing this, Yelanka was somewhat surprised, mainly because of Guan Tong.

As "Shadow," him giving up on this competition was something probably very few people would expect. Many would definitely think he'd be one of the strongest contenders for the top three spots.

However, upon careful thought, she found it very reasonable.

"I know Teacher, you're not someone who kills innocents indiscriminately... but having such powerful personal strength and choosing to give up when at an advantage truly makes me admire you greatly. If it were anyone else, they definitely couldn't do it."

Hearing this, an image of that tall figure who liked wearing beige martial arts uniforms appeared in Guan Tong's mind. He shook his head. "No, I know someone. Her strength is extremely powerful, but I know she would definitely also give up on competing for rankings."

Seeing the slight upward curve of Guan Tong's mouth when he mentioned that person, Yelanka felt curious but didn't press further.

"This time..."

Before she could finish, Guan Tong, standing by the window, saw something and his expression changed. "Watch out!"

Whoosh—BOOM!

CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK CRACK!

The explosion shattered the glass into pieces. Yelanka turned her head to see a thick barrier of shadow forming beside her, blocking all the flying fragments.

"What happened?"

"Someone fired an RPG from a car on the street," Guan Tong said coldly. "Don't worry, he won't get away."

His shadow was much faster than the car's speed. As soon as the other party fired, before the car could leave the street, the shadow swam under the vehicle, then transformed into a Shadow Pillar pushing upward.

The speeding vehicle was immediately lifted and flipped over. The Driver and the person carrying the rocket launcher inside were caught completely off guard, both pinned under the car, faces filled with panic.

They struggled to crawl out but felt a sharp, murderous aura surge from ahead. The two looked up and immediately saw a person standing before them, a short knife in hand gleaming with a sharp, cold light.