In fact, if their abilities were a direct counter, it was entirely possible for someone ranked 298th on the Dragon List to take down someone in the top 250.

So, there was a certain art to it.

Over the course of a month, anyone in the top 300 of the Dragon List could be challenged.

If a challenger came, you could fight them off at the cost of getting injured. Then another came, and you’d fight them off, getting injured again...

During that month, your injuries would just keep piling up, leaving you no time to recover. You would be challenged endlessly until you were knocked out of the top 300.

But if you took another approach...

A challenger comes, you cripple them. Another challenger comes, you cripple them too.

Chances are, no one else would dare to come.

Someone with a low IQ would struggle to understand the cause and effect at play here. But this was the cruel reality of the fight for the reform slots, and the reality of their society.

There were many ways for a kind-hearted person to repay the Alliance.

But if you were merciful and held back, you would be the one to die.

"Yes, I’m Gao Neng. A pleasure, Wang Nanlin." Gao Neng stepped forward politely. In truth, calling Wang Nanlin trash earlier had just been a formality.

In reality, he was a very well-mannered person.

"When you fought He Yuan just now, you held back?" Wang Nanlin glanced at Gao Neng’s fair and handsome face, his brow furrowing slightly.

"A little." Gao Neng nodded. If he hadn’t held back, He Yuan wouldn’t be getting carried into the infirmary right now; he’d be on his way to the crematorium.

"The results of the challenge over at the Southern Alliance Military Academy are out. Someone died," Wang Nanlin said nonchalantly.

"Someone died?" Gao Neng was rather surprised to hear this. ’Everyone here is a hope for the Human Alliance’s future. Crippling someone should be the limit. After all, with today’s medical technology, even those injuries can be fully healed.’

’But death... that’s a bit too cruel.’

"Yes. The one who died was the challenger," Wang Nanlin continued.

"I understand." Gao Neng didn’t ask any more questions.

"No, you still don’t understand. That challenger’s strength wasn’t actually that impressive. If Song Qin from the Southern Alliance Military Academy had been willing to hold back, he wouldn’t have died."

"What are you trying to say, Wang Nanlin?"

"I’m saying that a challenge is a life-or-death battle. Today, you came to my Beihai Military Academy, injured dozens of my underclassmen, and crippled the vice president of our student council. Now you’re facing me. There’s no chance I’ll hold back. But if you’re willing to leave now, I won’t attack you." Wang Nanlin’s tone turned cold.

"If you kill someone... you don’t have to pay for it?" Gao Neng finally understood, but after a moment’s thought, he still voiced the question on his mind.

"Hahaha, Gao Neng, I heard you come from the Forgotten Land. I thought you would have understood how cruel the world is, but it seems you’re still too naive. Let me ask you just one question: which is more ferocious, a lion raised in a zoo or a lion that survives in the wild?"

"The one from the wild, of course."

"Exactly. They’re both lions, but wild lions survive because they have to. Though there are fewer of them, their combat strength is exponentially greater. What does the Human Alliance lack right now? Population? Five hundred million people is a lot less than during humanity’s peak, but even so, the thing the Human Alliance lacks most isn’t people. It’s resources! To put it bluntly, the Human Alliance’s current resources can’t sustain these five hundred million people!"

"..." Gao Neng said nothing.

"This reform by the Human Alliance... what is it really changing? It looks like an expansion of resources, but it’s actually a concentration of them. They’re just using a different method—taking all the resources accumulated over decades and laying them all out for one big gamble. Three hundred slots. Is that a lot? Not at all! As for what comes next... I don’t think I need to spell it out for you."

"Thank you for the lesson, Wang Nanlin." How could Gao Neng possibly not understand by now?

’These three hundred people are the entire Alliance’s hope for the great war two years from now.’

’As for everyone else...’

’Do they not have to go to the battlefield?’

’No!’

’Everyone has to go to the battlefield. It’s just that those who don’t get one of the slots will become the vanguard for these three hundred, maybe even their sacrificial pawns.’

’To put it bluntly, they’ll be cannon fodder!’

’Of course, that’s a bit of an extreme way to put it. These three hundred will do their best to protect everyone else, and they’ll probably die even faster than the rest.’

’But the line between the primary and secondary roles had already been drawn.’

’If all three hundred of them died...’

’...could anyone else possibly survive?’

’Impossible!’

’But if only a portion of the others died, these three hundred would have a chance to survive. That was the biggest difference between them.’

"Alright. I’ll ask you one last time: are you going to continue the challenge?" As Wang Nanlin spoke, he drew his weapon.

His weapon was a Guan Gong’s Long Saber.

It was composed of four sections.

When assembled, it reached a full three meters in length.

’A long weapon? Looks like... to fight Wang Nanlin, I’ll need to get in close!’ Gao Neng watched the scene and subconsciously made his decision.

But just then, someone tugged on his hand.

It was Fang Tangtang.

"Hm?" Gao Neng turned to look at her.

"He’s tricking you..." Fang Tangtang whispered, then pulled out her phone and held the screen in front of Gao Neng. "Look, it’s a message from Sister Ning’Er. Wang Nanlin excels at close combat. His real weapons are two short blades hidden at his lower back. If you’re going to fight him, it’s best to maintain a medium-to-long distance."

"Holy shit?! People are so treacherous!" Gao Neng instantly understood. Wang Nanlin had deliberately said all that to earn his trust, to make him think Wang Nanlin was an upright person. That way, he would never suspect Wang Nanlin of using deceitful combat tactics.

’Luckily...’

’My future wife is watching the livestream!’