Yu Shan raised a brow upon hearing what the fourth prince said. This was too good to be true. Being able to advance two stages ahead compared to others was a pretty advantageous situation for him.
For one, he could keep his abilities to himself longer. This meant other participants wouldn't know exactly what he was capable of in the first and the second stages of the competition. They wouldn’t be able to make any appropriate countermeasures against him.
They might be able to investigate his battle history to know what to expect from him but that would be of little help to them. He’d gotten much stronger than he was in the past. Whatever they found out from investigating him, they'd be in for a surprise once they realized he was several folds stronger than their expectations.
Secondly, he could observe everyone’s abilities on the sidelines. If he could sit through the first and the second stages of the Golden Dragon Election, he'd be able to study the other competitors thoroughly and distinguish anyone who might pose a threat to him.
Even though he was one of the strongest among his generation, a supreme genius, he wasn't arrogant enough to think that he was unrivaled under the heavens. Anyone eligible enough to enter the Golden Dragon Election was a genius. There were naturally going to be a few unexpected elements when all these geniuses were gathered together, so some caution should be exercised.
And lastly, he wouldn’t have to exert himself too much. By starting in the third stage instead of the first stage like everybody else, he could preserve his strength and fight with more efficiency. While others were only at their seventy or eighty percent their strength in the third stage after going through the previous two stages, he would still be at a hundred percent of his strength.
It was a very good opportunity, one that he ought to take. Still, for an opportunity that good, there must have been a few downsides to balance it out.
After thinking for a moment, he asked the fourth prince, “Fourth Prince, if we can accomplish the task written in our scrolls, it means we can move two stages ahead. However, what happens if we fail? Will we get disqualified?”
The fourth prince, who has been expecting someone to ask this kind of question to him, answered right away, "If you fail, you won’t be disqualified. You’ll just have to start at the first stage like everyone else.”
That response only made the other participants more disgruntled.
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“What? So there are no consequences then, even if they fail?”
“As I said, this is favoritism.”
“This is so unfair.”
The fourth prince’s gaze landed on them for a moment before returning to Yu Shan as he added, “If you fail, you won’t be disqualified, however, there’s a big chance you’ll die if you fail the task.”
The fourth prince’s words were enough to shut them up.
Death? That was a very severe consequence, much more so than just getting disqualified from the competition. Although the competition in the Golden Dragon Election was fierce, it actually had a low death rate. It was because killing was not encouraged in the competition.
The main purpose of the Golden Dragon Election was to groom the younger generation into becoming powerful experts that will one day serve and protect the empire. They couldn’t allow them to kill each other in the competition wantonly. That would be too much of a waste of manpower. The participants in the Golden Dragon Election were all geniuses. It was certain that they would grow into powerful figures if given enough time.
Which was why some strict rules were enforced in the competition that prohibits killing. Even so, there were still some deaths every time the competition was held. After all, fists and legs had no eyes. In a battle between two individuals with equal powers, it was unavoidable that one or both parties will suffer a heavy injury, or in some cases, even death.
In that case, an investigation would take place to find out whether the deed was done accidentally or on purpose. If it was found out to be done on purpose, the culprit would be subjected to punishment. As for what punishment, that depended on the emperor.
For most of the participants of the Golden Dragon Election attending the banquet, the concept of death was still a foreign thing to them. They might have been geniuses, but very few of them had had true life and death experiences. Some only had the guts to participate in the competition because of the strict rules enforced that ensured they’d be able to keep their lives at the very least.
“Die? It looks like the tasks the emperor gave us are nothing simple,” Yu Shan said with a smile.
“Of course, Brother Yu Shan. If they were simple, they wouldn’t be worth getting ahead of everyone in the competition,” the fourth prince replied.
“You’re right. It should be like this, I wouldn’t be able to put myself at ease if I was given such an unfair advantage for practically nothing at all. Wouldn’t you agree, Crown Prince, Yun Ling?” Yu Shan glanced at the other two.
Yun Ling and Crown Prince merely smiled at him, not saying anything.
“Your attitude is admirable, Brother Yu Shan. This little prince has much to learn from you,” the fourth prince remarked in awe. Whether he was merely acting or truly saying that out of sincerity, who knows?
“Fourth Prince is exaggerating.” Yu Shan calmly waved his praise off.
The fourth prince’s face went serious as he said, “Now then, would you three kindly open your scrolls and read your tasks for us?”
Yun Ling smiled at him and asked, "Is this also according to the emperor’s instruction?”
“No, but we need something to totally convince them right?” The fourth prince responded. By ‘them,' he meant the other participants who are still dissatisfied with the turn of events so far.
“Hmm, true.” Yun Ling nodded, agreeing with him.