31: Chapter 31: Rules and Odds of Small Matches

The atmosphere in the Qingheng Sect's Central Hall was as somber as a funeral parlor.

Hundreds of Disciples at or above the Foundation Establishment Stage lined both sides, while the various Peak Masters sat on the high platform. An Elder from the Law Enforcement Hall stood before the platform, unfurling a golden scroll of parchment; his resonant voice echoed through the spacious hall.

"The quarterly Sect Small Competition is a grand ceremony to examine the cultivation results of each peak and hone the Dao Heart."

The Elder scanned the crowd, his gaze lingering on the people of Hengchuan Peak for a moment before he loudly read out the new rules.

"This year's Small Competition will no longer judge heroes solely by victory or defeat; instead, it will consist of 'Three Rounds':"

"The first round is the individual arena battle. It tests individual combat power and decisiveness in killing."

"The second round is a team battle. Groups of five will be tested on coordination and on-the-spot maneuvering."

"The third round is the Resource Integration Competition."

Speaking here, the Elder paused, deliberately emphasizing his tone, "This round was specially set by the Sect Head. Each peak will receive equal initial resources and must, within a limited time, use terrain, Formations, and Materials to build a defensive line and resist the beast tide. The final victory will be determined by the 'total remaining resources' and the 'integrity of the defensive line'."

A wave of whispers broke out in the hall.

"Resource Integration Competition? Isn't that just the scavenging that Hengchuan Peak is best at?"

"Hmph, what's the use of scavenging? Cultivation ultimately comes down to how hard your fists are. We'll be able to cripple them in the first two rounds."

Shen Xingzhou stood below the platform, his fingers moving slightly inside his sleeves.

On his retina, that familiar line of blue text instantly appeared, deconstructing this so-called grand ceremony into the language he was most familiar with.

[Project Panel: This Season's Sect Small Competition · Hengchuan Peak Pilot]

Party A: Sect Leader Ning Chenzhou of the Qingheng Sect

Organizer/Executor: Hengchuan Peak (Person in Charge: Shen Xingzhou)

Task Objective (KPI):

Overall Ranking ≥ Top 3.

Total Combat Damage Rate < 50% of the Sect average (i.e., controlled within 15%).

Project Impact Assessment:

Success: Resource Quota + 30%, Sacrifice Quota - 20% (cleared to zero), Pilot Mode written into the Sect Charter.

Failure: Resource Quota - 30%, Sacrifice Quota + 20%.

Personal Connection: If the project fails, the host's personal sacrifice rank will be restored to its original position (S-Rank).

Shen Xingzhou looked at that red "S-Rank," the corners of his mouth curling into a bitter arc.

"Is this what they call a 'Grand Competition'..."

"This is clearly the entire Sect's year-end KPI assessment."

"Win and you get a promotion and a raise; lose and you get laid off and sacrificed. Truly capitalistic."

...

Once the rules were released, the underground currents of the Qingheng Sect began to surge instantly.

Although the Sect strictly forbade gambling on the surface, in the world of cultivation, wherever there was fighting, there were betting pools.

In the backyards of various teahouses and the taverns of the outer workshops, countless betting slips flew out like snowflakes.

When that thick list of odds was posted on the wall, everyone laughed until they couldn't stand straight.

[This Season's Small Competition · Peak Victory/Defeat Odds Board]

Zhijian Peak (Championship Favorite): 1 to 1.2

Tianlei Peak: 1 to 2.5

...

Hengchuan Peak: 1 to 50

"1 to 50?!"

An Outer Sect Disciple widened his eyes, "Betting on them to win? Who would dare? That money would be like throwing it into the water without even hearing a splash!"

"Of course it's crazy to bet on them to win, but betting on them to be 'eliminated in the first round' or to have the 'highest number of casualties' is a guaranteed profit!"

The surrounding crowd burst into laughter. In everyone's eyes, Hengchuan Peak was just a mob wearing tattered armor and holding fire pokers; when they encountered a regular army, they were lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

However, as Su Ciyao looked at the odds list, her eyes lit up as if she had seen a pile of Spirit Stones.

"Content... This is absolutely top-tier content!"

She quickly took out a Sound Transmission Jade Slip and began recording a new teaser video.

"Family! Look at these odds! The whole Sect is betting against us! But this is exactly what we want to talk about—the counterattack of the 'Working Peak,' starting from fifty-fold odds!"

"In this battle, we won't just win; we'll win so hard they'll question their entire lives!"

Just as Su Ciyao was busy hyping it up, a new [Sect Risk Alert] popped up on the System sidebar.

[Public Opinion Monitoring: Sect Sentiment]

Betting against Hengchuan Peak: 68% (believe they only know how to scavenge trash, don't understand combat)

Holding a "watching a joke" mentality: 21%

Minority support (low-level/speculators): 11%

[Predicted Impact:]

If Hengchuan Peak achieves a comeback under such high public opinion pressure, it will cause a huge cognitive shock to the lower levels of the Sect, greatly enhancing the "Pilot Acceptance" and "Sect Head Support."

[Risk Alert:]

The risk of public opinion backlash is extremely high. If they perform poorly, Hengchuan Peak will become the laughingstock of the entire Sect, and even if they don't finish last, they will lose their foothold.

...

In the preparation area, the atmosphere was somewhat restless.

Several Disciples gathered together, looking at the betting list that someone had brought in, all of them filled with righteous indignation.

"A bunch of snobs with eyes lower than a dog's!"

Zhao Tie punched the wall, "Fifty times? In their eyes, are we not even worth as much as a monkey?"

"I'm going to beat those grandsons from Zhijian Peak to the ground in the arena!"

"Right! Beat them up!"

Senior Sister Xie Handeng stood in the center of the crowd, wiping her cobbled-together sword, her Battle Intent burning in her eyes. Although she was usually lazy, she hated the feeling of being stepped on by others more than anything.

"The more they look down on us, the more I want to smash their faces."

She looked at Shen Xingzhou, "Assessor Shen, I won't be saving my Spiritual Power this time. I want to show them what 'Junk Sword Technique' really means."

Shen Xingzhou leaned against the pillar, holding the [Individual Performance Estimate Table], like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads.

"Smash faces?"

Shen Xingzhou looked at her coldly, "No matter how beautifully you fight, if too many people die, this time is a loss."

Senior Sister Xie Handeng froze for a moment, the flames in her eyes almost extinguished: "What do you mean? Afraid of death?"

"I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of dying without value."

Shen Xingzhou pushed the panel in his hand in front of her, the dense data on it shocking to behold.

[Individual Performance Estimate · Senior Sister Xie Handeng]

Estimated arena battles: 3 – 5

If using the "traditional one-for-one" fighting style:

Estimated win rate: 60%

Estimated personal combat damage: Moderate (requires half a month of recovery)

Contribution to squad's total combat damage rate: + 120% (i.e., increases overall combat damage)

If using the "Hengchuan Peak SOP fighting style":

Estimated win rate: 85%

Estimated personal combat damage: Slight

Contribution to squad's total combat damage rate: - 30% (i.e., reduces overall combat damage)

"See this?"

Shen Xingzhou pointed at the red "+ 120%," "Senior Sister Xie Handeng, you are a Genius, you can kill the opponent's strongest Sword Cultivator one-for-one. But in this Small Competition, if you fall down with serious injuries, not only will it not add points, it will actually be a point deduction."

"Because our goal is not to kill, it is to win."

"It is to get the most points with the minimum cost. This is the logic of a 'Worker'."

Senior Sister Xie Handeng looked at the data, opened her mouth, and finally silently put away her sword.

Although she didn't understand those complex algorithms, she understood the last sentence.

"...Understood."

"I will do the math."

...

In the dead of night, Shen Xingzhou sat alone in his Immortal Cave.

In front of him was the final [Profit Simulation Report] generated by the System.

This page was the part that truly made him feel suffocated.

[Profit Simulation: Sect Small Competition Outcome Projection]

Option A: Overall Last Place

Sect Level:

Resource Allocation - 30% (Hengchuan Peak will be completely cut off from food/supplies, and may even be disbanded).

Sacrifice Quota + 20% (meaning you have to personally send your Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters to fill the pit).

Personal Level:

[Host's personal sacrifice rank restored to original position] (This line is marked in red and bold, and constantly flashing in his vision)

Status: S-Rank priority sacrifice target.

Result: Extremely high probability of dying in the next sacrifice ritual.

Option B: Enter the Top 3

Sect Level:

Resource Allocation + 30% (can launch Phase II infrastructure).

Sacrifice Quota cleared to zero (everyone survives).

The pilot "Performance Hell + Benefits" model is officially written into the Sect Charter, becoming the template for the entire Sect.

Personal Level:

Unlock [Advanced Hidden Permissions].

Sacrifice rank downgraded to Z-Rank (basically safe).

Shen Xingzhou stared fixedly at that line of red text.

"Restored to original position..."

"S-Rank priority..."

This wasn't a competition at all; it was clearly a guillotine placed against his neck.

If he didn't win, not only would he die, but he would also have to watch Hengchuan Peak die with him.

The System's cold, mechanical voice sounded faintly in the corner, like a devil's whisper:

[Note: If Hengchuan Peak finishes last in the Small Competition, the host's personal sacrifice rank will be restored to its original position.]

[Friendly reminder: There are only three days left until the Small Competition begins.]

Shen Xingzhou took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Fear gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake, but he forced himself to calm down.

Fear cannot solve problems; only calculation can.

He opened his eyes, and there was no longer a trace of hesitation in his gaze, only a calmness bordering on madness.

He looked at the cloud stairs leading to the arena, mentally calculating the most important account of his life.

"This is not just a martial arts competition."

Shen Xingzhou muttered to himself, his fingers tapping lightly on his knees, the rhythm steady and powerful.

"This is the first public financial report meeting held for these cultivation 'shareholders'."

"They want to see passion, they want to see slaughter, they want to see us bleeding like clowns."

"But I refuse."

"I want to take 'performance,' 'combat damage,' and 'return on investment'—this set of cold, hard numbers—and brand them onto their faces like a hot iron."

"Only by making them understand the terror of the data..."

"Will they understand who the real winner is."