Chapter 174: Without a Doubt

As night descended, the final ranking for the citywide stage of the Void Cup in Ning was displayed on the screen behind Elder Bai.

#1, from the Zenith Dojo, Zhang Lie!

#2, from the Zenith Dojo, Fang Yi!

#3, from the Zenith Dojo, Sun Mengmeng!

#4, from the Zenith Dojo, Li Feng!

#5, from the Zenith Dojo, Sun Xiaowu!

#6, from the Zenith Dojo, Zhou Ying!

#7, from the Heaven's Flame Dojo, Su Na!

#8, from the Roaring Thunder Dojo, Ma Zheng!

#9, from the Wang clan, Wang Qing!

#10, from the Zhou clan, Zhou Hai!

As expected, Team Zenith took the first six positions in the citywide stage, leaving the remaining four positions to be evenly divided between the Heaven's Flame Dojo, the Roaring Thunder Dojo, the Wang clan, and the Zhou clan.

To the hunters gathered in the plaza, this was a foregone conclusion; the members of Team Zenith had displayed their overwhelming strength throughout the tournament, so much so that they shuddered just thinking about facing them.

"I hereby announce the end of the citywide stage in Ning!"

Su Feng and the Heaven's Flame dojo leader stood up from the stands, followed shortly after by Wang Han. Wang Han simply couldn't accept the outcome of the citywide stage—Team Zenith alone had taken the first six spots in Ning! Most importantly, Wang Xuan wasn't able to enter the finals because of his injuries, and he had lost an important opportunity to attend the nationwide tournament.

"As expected of the Dragonwolf Zhang Lie, who displays the best qualities of China's soldiers," Su Feng complimented him.

He had expected Zhang Lie to win, knowing just how strong Zhang Lie was relative to those of his generation, but he was surprised that the team he led likewise performed so well. None of the hunters of Team Zenith had been famous before, but their time in Team Zenith had transformed them into exceptional hunters.

Su Feng was certain of one thing: he would try to make Zhang Lie continue instructing the special forces teams for as long as possible, so that his soldiers could experience the same rate of growth.

The Heaven's Flame dojo leader wore a complicated expression on his face. Compared to Zhang Lie, his position as the leader of the top dojo in Ning seemed far too inferior. Fortunately, he was no enemy of Zhang Lie and bore him no grudge of his own; their dojos were simply competitors. The Heaven's Flame dojo leader wanted to curb Zhang Lie's dominance, of course, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to do so.

"Congratulations, Dojo Leader Zhang—you and your team are both excellent. If you have a chance, please come visit the Heaven's Flame Dojo." The dojo leader patted him on the back.

The hunters in the plaza were shocked by the preferential treatment that Zhang Lie received from both the Heaven's Flame dojo leader and Su Feng; rather than treating him like a hunter of the younger generation, he seemed more like an equal.

"Zhang Lie, the citywide stage is over, but don't let down your guard just yet. Next up will be the nationwide stage!" Elder Bai murmured, wanting to see some anxiety on Zhang Lie's face.

Unfortunately, the outcome was disappointing: Zhang Lie's face didn't seem to change at all.

"Thank you for your advice, Elder Bai. I'll definitely keep it in mind," Zhang Lie replied, bowing politely.

Elder Bai inclined his head. Indeed, based on temperament alone, Zhang Lie seemed to be an exceptional hunter.

"Alright, let's give out the awards now and finish with the ceremony!" Wang Han sucked in a deep breath, his voice quavering, trying to get this nightmare over with as soon as possible. The positions that Zhang Lie and the rest of Team Zenith had filled—those were meant to have gone to the Wang clan! He clenched his fists tightly, killing intent welling up in his mind.

The stage dissipated into thin air as the hunters gathered by the central plaza of Ning.

"The top ten participants in both the citywide and nationwide stages will receive a prize, something I'm sure all you hunters know very well," Elder Bai began.

This was traditionally how the Void Cup had been structured, and the hunters were indeed familiar with the prize distribution. However, Zhang Lie found his words rather curious. If indeed the prizes this time around were distributed similarly, then Elder Bai would have no need to bring this up.

"This time around, however, the world federation has agreed to open up its treasury for the top participants! The first-place hunter can choose up to five techniques, soulshards, and herbs of his choice; the second-place hunter can choose three; the third-place hunter, two; the fourth- through tenth-place hunters, one!"

Everyone was shocked by this revelation, even Zhang Lie. The world federation's treasuries were sure to have quite a number of treasures, even if this one was only one of the smaller ones that was situated in Ning. This prize would certainly be a boon indeed.

More importantly, Team Zenith occupied six of the first ten positions, and they would be able to choose a total of thirteen items among them.

Everyone stared enviously at the members of Team Zenith, whereas Wang Han's face turned even more sullen. He had learned that the rewards for this Void Cup would be exceptionally generous, but not the extent of the generosity.

Picking anything they wanted from the Ning treasury? The Ning treasury was where the world federation kept much of the treasures it had amassed! It was one of the smaller treasuries, certainly, but the rewards within were still tremendous.

His killing intent toward Zhang Lie grew by leaps and bounds, but no matter how envious he was of Zhang Lie, the outcome of the citywide stage wasn't going to change.

"Thank you, Elder Bai!" Zhang Lie exclaimed in excitement, followed by Fang Yi, Sun Mengmeng, and the other members of Team Zenith.

"No problem. Once the award ceremony's over, I'll bring you to the treasury myself. I hope you'll be able to win the nationwide stage as well, to bring honor to Ning!" Elder Bai glanced at Zhang Lie.

"Yes, Elder!" Zhang Lie replied instantly.

After the award ceremony, Zhang Lie and the others followed Elder Bai to the world federation's treasury. It was smaller than Zhang Lie had anticipated, but the treasures within were sufficient to make his eyes light up in surprise.

Of the thirteen treasures that they could claim, they ended up taking back eight legendary-grade techniques, three superior-grade soulshards, and two rare herbs. One of the herbs, celestial grass, was a main ingredient for Potion #3, and Zhang Lie was overjoyed when he found it in the treasury.

With one of the key ingredients in hand, it seemed that he might be able to brew that potion even while he was in the first realm. After all, the nationwide stage would likely boast even more generous rewards than the citywide stage, and brewing Potion #3 in the first realm would strengthen his abilities to a ridiculous degree, one that far outstripped those of any hunter from the past.

A hunter's growth in the first realm represented his foundation; what heights would Zhang Lie be able to reach with this boon?

"The promised prizes have been distributed. Be at the plaza at 8 AM in three days' time; there will be a teleportation array here to transport you to the capital. Do not be late," Elder Bai emphasized, glancing pointedly at Zhang Lie. "Alright, I wish you all the best in preparing for the Void Cup, and I look forward to hearing about your performance."

Elder Bai smiled as he got into the hovercar waiting for him, whereas Su Feng and the others considered Zhang Lie appraisingly before they left.

"Zhang Lie, I hope you'll be as successful in the nationwide tournament as you were here," Wang Han gritted out, then turned to leave.

"Of course, Clan Head Wang!" Zhang Lie replied with a booming laugh.

"Captain, I fear he's planning something," Sun Mengmeng advised. The hunters of Team Zenith all stared at Wang Han's back with hostility.

"Don't worry. We're not so weak as to have to worry about the Wang clan,"

Zhang Lie reassured everyone. Team Zenith returned to the Zenith Dojo; with the citywide stage concluded, they would be heading to the capital in three days' time. Before then, they would have to focus on instructing their new disciples well.

As they arrived at the entrance to the dojo, the new disciples rushed out, their eyes gleaming as they crowded around the hunters of Team Zenith. The results of the tournament had already been publicized, and the disciples had all heard the news.

"Congratulations, Dojo Leader!" Wang Li, Xu Xiu, and Ding Qiang also rushed out. Despite knowing how strong Zhang Lie was, they hadn't imagined that he would be able to wrest the first-place position in the citywide tournament from the other major clans and dojos of Ning.

"There's no need to get so excited about doing so well in Ning alone," Sun Xiaowu loudly proclaimed. "I bet our captain will be first place overall for the entire Void Cup!"

The three instructors' eyes widened. Sun Xiaowu seemed as though he were boasting, but after seeing some footage of the tournament for themselves, they now had a clearer picture of Zhang Lie's true abilities. Even the nationwide tournament would likely not pose a large challenge.

Zhang Lie turned to the new disciples.

"Now that you've all consumed a sufficient number of white-grub cores each, it's time to prepare for the breakthrough trial," he announced.

His words struck the disciples like a bombshell. Jun Jiuxiao, Ye Xianchen and Wu Kui were all particularly excited; once they broke through, they would be considered official disciples of the Zenith Dojo, the first step on the path to greatness!