The Age of Large Reports? Zhang Yuan thought to himself—would five Grand Masters really be playing around with metaphors? After airing his grievances, he quickly began to ponder the gameplay of this round. The first round tested intelligence and adaptability; logically, the second round should emphasize combat prowess. This tournament simulation was based on a large-scale killing instance, where the core element was, of course, combat—raw strength. Yet what on earth was "The Age of Large Reports"? It was completely incongruous with the very idea of battle. As he pondered this, the scenery around him began to ripple and distort. Zhang Yuan couldn't help but mutter under his breath: Right—just as the scene was about to unfold, what was I doing, all this thinking, doing here? The scene stabilized and cleared within less than two seconds. Surveying his surroundings, Zhang Yuan found himself in the ruins of an ancient city. Everywhere he looked, buildings had collapsed. Structures composed of blue bricks and timber stood in disarray—some roof beams had crumbled, others walls had fallen. Between the dark, decaying wood and stone, lush green wild grasses had sprouted in thick patches. "Is this the scene of the second stage?" Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, at the same time sensing the presence of his Yin Shi, now just three meters away. During the first stage, the deceased No. 1 had been "shielded" by the realm, and as the host, he had been unable to perceive her presence. Now, however, she had returned. Additionally, his light-colored suit had vanished, restored to his pajamas. A voice from his ears announced the realm's prompt: 【The Age of Major Complaints!】 【Realm Introduction: Once, a powerful general led the imperial cavalry to conquer cities and expand territory, achieving remarkable military successes. Yet, due to his rising influence, he became a target of envy among courtiers and feared by the monarch. The ministers and the weak ruler conspired to file false charges against him, resulting in his imprisonment.】 【The general, pleading his innocence, died in prison, and before his death, he cast a curse: Anyone entering this city shall die from the power of complaints.】 【Game Rules: Each player may file a complaint once every ten minutes. A successful complaint refreshes the function. A failed complaint seals it for thirty minutes.】 】 【Reporting Method: The spirit of the general hovers above the ruins of the ancient city. The reporter must shout the "report content" and the "reason for reporting" to the sky. The general's spirit will then evaluate the report. If successful, the general will shoot an arrow at the reported individual, deducting three points from their score. If unsuccessful, the general will shoot an arrow at the reporter, deducting one point from their score.】 【Note 1: The general's armor was left behind in the ancient city, with its components scattered across various locations. Every 30 minutes, one of the components will glow with a radiant light. Collect all components to complete the armor and defeat your enemies.】 【Note 2: Each player may equip only one component of the armor. By defeating or eliminating one opponent, a player unlocks the wearing rights for one component.】 【Note 3: Please note that violations of laws or moral misconduct (excluding combat or killing) are not permitted within the ancient city.】 【Note 4: By eliminating a contestant, you may claim their accumulated points.】 【Winning Condition: Advance to the final two players.】 The ambient narration has concluded. In the dim sky, a figure solidifies from a mass of black mist—tall enough to reach a hundred zhang, clad in military attire, holding a powerful bow, standing proudly beneath the heavens, above the ancient city. Whether one is anywhere within the city, this figure is always visible. Zhang Yuanqing pondered, digesting the副本 information. "This is a personal combat instance—no, a small-team combat mode. When only two players remain, they will form alliances, pairing up into four groups." "Out-of-combat support, reporting, and armor systems. The armor is easy to find, similar to drop supplies, appearing once every thirty minutes; each appearance typically triggers a major battle." "The reporting function, however, is less intuitive and shouldn't be used haphazardly. A single mistake not only incurs a point penalty but also seals the reporting function for half an hour." "Heh, the rule allowing eliminated players to claim points from their teammates—this rule has directly made me a target of criticism. How can I form alliances now? Shall I have to fight solo?" Zhang Yuanqing gritted his teeth. …… Dozens of li away, by the riverbank, Yuan Ting led the Yin Shi, hiding behind a fallen wall, frowning: "Down to just two people, that's it—then we can form an alliance?" "The Five Elements Alliance won't be able to form an alliance. Let's go to Sun Miao Miao and Zhao Chenghuang instead. Hmm, Zhao Chenghuang is rather eccentric—he's not exactly the ideal alliance partner. Let's go to Sun Miao Miao. If she refuses to ally with me, I'll go directly to Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn, even though he currently has the highest points." Yuan Ting listed Yuan Shǐ Tianzūn as a backup. "First, let's wait for the armor to appear and see if we can secure one. The armor's functions should be quite good." …… The main road of the ancient city. Tianxia Guihuo leaned against the wall, arms folded, gazing at the hundred-zhang-long spirit floating in the sky, thinking: "Killing or injuring people isn't reported as an issue, but within the quest, besides killing, what other violations of rules or regulations can one commit His eyes lit up instantly, grasping the essence of the rule—lure others into making mistakes, then report them! "There are many ways to report, but my points are down to just ten, leaving no room for experimentation." With zero points, a player is eliminated. Among the eight contestants, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn has fifty points, while the others have only ten. The gap is significant. Tian Xia Gui Huo's sturdy face broke into a smile. "Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn is out of the running—he won't have any allies, and everyone in the副本 wants to eliminate him." The player with the highest points receives a powerful item; the one who holds the item competes for the championship title. To win, one must eliminate Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn. Tian Xia Gui Huo felt a moment of satisfaction at this, then shifted focus to consider alliances: "Among the seven of us, the one who can't sing and Qing Song Zi are mid-to-lower in combat strength and in their ability to navigate the副本. I, on the other hand, excel at navigating the副本—these two are easily within my reach to bring on board." The top three contenders are extremely difficult to win over—even if forced into alliances, they remain wary and reluctant to yield the initiative to me... As for the Prime Immortal, the Unification of the World under Fire has absolutely no intention of forming an alliance with him. Whoever allies with the Prime Immortal becomes the target of attack. "An alliance?" Zhao Chenghuang, accompanied by his shadow corpse, walked through the ruins, waiting for the radiance of the divine treasure to appear while simultaneously searching for the other contestants. His shadow corpse had been fully restored by his grandfather's personal intervention; otherwise, with his Taiyin energy nurturing it, it would have taken at least ten to fifteen days. Although Zhao Chenghuang still possessed other shadow corpses, they were utterly insignificant compared to those of the transcendent stage. The reporting function seems rather underutilized and difficult to leverage, but for an alliance, selecting Sun Miao-miao would be a viable option. Together, the first and third-ranked contenders could effectively dominate the others. "But with this, Sun Miaomiao and I will inevitably be jointly attacked by the other competitors. Yuan Ting is from the Taidamen, so I can leverage external interests to create a scenario of three against five." Zhao Chenguang furrowed his brows. Though he was confident, he couldn't be certain of a victory against the three Taidamen players facing off against five from the Wuxing Alliance. "It's not necessary to make the situation immediately clear-cut. The Taidamen have fewer players, but their strength lies in their numbers being fewer; the Wuxing Alliance has more players, yet their greatest weakness is a lack of unity." "Oh, and Master Yuanshishen has the highest points..." Zhao Chenguang smiled, having formed a plan. ... At this very moment, outside the arena. The crystal round mirror displayed the scene, now divided into eight even sections, each representing one of the eight competitors. "This quest is quite interesting—full of rules, yet chaotic, with so many resources to draw upon. I'm really looking forward to the battles among the eight finalists." "Many rules?" All nonsense. Clearing this stage is simple—just head straight to the city center and start fighting. If you'd like to take your time, gather your armor first, then engage. The one speaking clearly has the demeanor of a Fire Master. The audience discussed while watching the footage. Compared to the first stage's more solitary challenge, the second stage's large-scale battles were far more engaging—no longer a one-man show by the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, but a dynamic clash of wits and strategies among the eight contestants. After reviewing the rules, many viewers began to feel sorry for the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign. "Oh, how unlucky the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign is! After finally passing the first stage, he's now an enemy in the second one." "It seems his luck has been consistently poor—he started under a hellish scenario and stayed there throughout." "And the reporting system is so underwhelming—where else could one possibly break the rules in such a setting? The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign's points advantage simply doesn't matter. "Everyone started discussing the rules: 'This stage is called the "Age of Major Reports." The name itself shows that the reporting function is the decisive weapon—success will depend on who can fully exploit its potential. The better you use it, the more opponents you can eliminate without even engaging in battle.' 'I think you can only make a reasonable report by intentionally causing your opponent to make a mistake. But all the players making it to the top eight are seasoned pros—so who will actually be tricked?' 'Look here—many players only watched their spirits once and then stopped paying attention. Clearly, they all consider the reporting feature to be underwhelming.' 'Hm, what is the Master Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn planning to do?' ... After pondering for a long time, Zhang Yuanqing had a sudden idea and thought of a way to test the effectiveness of reporting. He immediately walked over to Yin Shi, knelt down halfway, and pulled down Yin Shi's pants. Then, he raised his head, looked up at the sky, and declared loudly: 'I, Master Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn, am making an official report—Spirit No. One is publicly exposed in the nude. The reason: it's a breach of decor 【Ping! The complaint has been successfully filed. The target was not an on-field contestant—this is a target error, and thus no penalty will be imposed.】 Ah, so it is... Zhang Yuanqing stroked his chin, further clarifying the rules. The target of the complaint must be an on-field contestant. If the target is incorrect, no penalty is applied. After a moment's reflection, he recalled another point and immediately walked to the wall, summoning a spectral corpse to stand beside him. Then, he withdrew his Sea-Stabilizing Needle from his crotch and released a steady stream. As the clear stream flowed with a gentle rush, Zhang Yuanqing used the wall and the spectral corpse to shield his form, while directing the corpse to gaze steadily at his formidable weapon. Since he had just taken a quick shower upon waking, the volume was modest, and the process concluded within just a few seconds. After finishing, he retracted the needle and declared proudly to the heavens: "I, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn, hereby file a formal complaint against Yuan Shǐ Tian Zūn for urinating casually in public—my grounds: a breach of public morality." "I, Yuan Shǐ Tian Zū Amidst the ruins, beneath the sky, the towering spirit slowly turned his gaze toward Zhang Yuanqing. Then, he raised his bow, drew the string, and the bow itself instantly bloomed like a full moon. "Whoosh!" A black-energy arrow coalesced and shot toward Zhang Yuanqing. The arrow glided through the dark sky, tracing the path of a falling meteor. At the same time, Zhang Yuanqing heard the in-game notification: 【Ping! Report submitted successfully.】 【Ping! You have been reported by the Prime Immortal. Three points deducted. Reason: Urinating casually on the ground.】 【Ping! Report submitted successfully. The reported target was not among the initial entrants. This constitutes a target error; no penalty applied.】 "Interesting," Zhang Yuanqing smiled. He had now deduced several rules: First, one could report oneself. Second, one could unbutton the other's pants and report them for exposing their lower body. Third, one could voluntarily expose one's own lower body to others and report them. "As long as this happens, regardless of the truth, it's all treated as a one-size-fits-all case. Truly the age of reporting has arrived." He made this attempt because the introduction of the副本 inspired him. It clearly stated that the general had died under false accusations—deliberate, not based on facts. That meant the act of filing false accusations was very likely part of the curse. Indeed, it worked. …… "Someone succeeded in making a successful accusation? Who?" The seven contestants simultaneously raised their heads, stunned, gazing at the overcast sky, their eyes still reflecting the fleeting arrows. So quickly? Only just entered the副本, and already someone had successfully accused one of their opponents—how had they managed that? The seven contestants immediately felt a surge of anxiety and urgency. …… The arena. The audience seats were full, yet utterly silent, as if the entire room had been plunged into stillness.