"Of course." Li Xiu unexpectedly agreed without hesitation, extending his hand to shake hands with the burly man.
The burly man obviously did not expect Li Xiu to agree so readily and was momentarily taken aback.
In the instant their hands clasped together, the numbers on both of their wristbands lit up, rapidly changing to become the numbers originally belonging to the other.
Li Xiu's original number was 49, which changed to 3, while the number on the burly man's wristband became 49.
Seeing the number on the wristband, the burly man, who had been somewhat perplexed and uneasy, immediately showed a look of glee.
"Not bad, kid, securing number 49 is better than some experienced veterans," the burly man said with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Li Xiu asked, puzzled.
"These numbers are the Trial Ground's assessment of the Trial Takers' physical aptitude, which means among all the participants, your physical aptitude is ranked 49. This number was only visible to you before the exchange," the previously silent Ruoruo spoke up suddenly.
"A preliminary ranking? That's quite an interesting design," Li Xiu remarked, examining his wristband with interest.
"Seems like ignorance truly is bliss. You don't even understand what this means; you probably have no idea how you'll die," Ruoruo shook her head secretly, seeing Li Xiu still unconcerned like an innocent curious child.
With such a vast difference in physical aptitude, any resistance in the test confrontation would be utterly futile, akin to being at someone else's mercy.
The Trial Ground is no sports arena where friendship comes before competition; it's a contest of life, death, wealth, and power, with many people resorting to any means necessary to win.
Although this trial allows both group members a chance to escape unharmed, if there's a chance to win two rewards, who would willingly give up the additional reward?
"Kid, remember my name, I'm Zhao Lie." The burly man leaned his face toward Li Xiu, smiling oddly, "Perhaps you've never heard of this name, but I can tell you that I used to be a football player and was once the top scorer in a certain country's top league."
"Does this mean you're really good at controlling the ball? If we team up, we can easily win rewards together," Li Xiu said with a smile.
Upon hearing such naive remarks, Zhao Lie burst into laughter, speaking in a near-twisted voice, "I'll get both rewards, and you can just die, enjoy the little time you have left."
Many people around cast sympathetic glances towards Li Xiu. A person with a physical aptitude far exceeding his, who was also a professional football player, made it seem like Li Xiu had no hope, merely waiting for his end.
While selecting teammates, most people chose those with rankings close to their own or people they were already familiar with, only opting for unknown teammates with significantly different rankings when absolutely necessary.
Li Xiu didn't take Zhao Lie's threat to heart, carefully observing everything within the Trial Ground.
The Trial Ground appeared to be an ancient arena, with nothing particularly distinctive about it. However, when Li Xiu attempted to reach into the arena with his hand, he discovered there seemed to be an invisible barrier, separating the stands from the trial area.
The six hundred seconds quickly passed, and whether voluntarily or reluctantly, everyone had found their teammates.
As the countdown ended, the wristbands of two people suddenly lit up, and they appeared in the arena out of thin air—one in front of the goal, and the other behind the football.
An apparently frail woman stood in front of the goal, appearing to be in her late twenties or early thirties. Why she chose to come to such a place was unknown.
"Husband, kick it slowly and carefully," the woman shouted to the man positioned to kick the ball; surprisingly, the man was her husband.
"Okay, try to stay close to me and don't let the ball accidentally roll in," the middle-aged man said to his wife.
The woman quickly moved forward, trying to get closer to the football to avoid any mishaps during their coordination.
As the woman got closer to her husband, unexpectedly, the middle-aged man suddenly lifted his leg and kicked the football with all his might.
Due to the proximity and lack of psychological preparedness, the woman did not react at all.
The football flew past her with a gust of air, leaving her stunned, wide-eyed, and full of disbelief.
"I can't stay in this cursed place any longer. If I stay, I'll go insane. By winning two rewards, I can leave this place. I have to get out... have to survive..." The middle-aged man roared as he watched the airborne football, his face twisting in extreme anguish.
Bang!
The next second, a dramatic scene unfolded. Perhaps using too much force or due to his lack of ball control, the football struck the goalpost and bounced out, failing to enter the goal.
"Ball failed to enter the goal. Offense judged unsuccessful, awarded zero points; defense failed to touch the ball, also judged unsuccessful, awarded zero points."
The synthesized electronic voice rang out again, causing a heavy feeling in everyone's heart. Originally, people thought that if the ball didn't go in, the woman might score one point. But not having touched the ball would still result in a failed defense judgment, significantly increasing the defense's chance of failure.
The couple remained stunned, their wristbands glowing once more as their positions were swapped— the man becoming the goalkeeper and the woman now taking the striker's position.
The ball, which had flown out, returned to the center of the cross mark, initiating the second shot test.
The man was the first to react, his eyes glaring fiercely, his face contorting as he rushed toward the ball in front of the woman, shouting, "You'll never score, give me the ball, I can't die..."
Although many inwardly despised this scoundrel of a husband, everyone understood that the woman was too frail and delicate, her strength impossible to rival against that scoundrel.
Just as everyone thought the scoundrel was about to win, the woman suddenly kicked the ball away.
Only, the direction she kicked the ball wasn't toward the goal but in the opposite direction.
Watching the middle-aged man chase the ball like a dog scrambling for a bone, her eyes were full of irony and sadness.
Under such rules, as long as the man didn't touch the ball, he would also be judged as having scored no points.
"Ball failed to enter the goal. Offense judged unsuccessful, awarded zero points; defense failed to touch the ball, also judged unsuccessful, awarded zero points. Trial ends, both sides score zero, clearing begins..."
Bang! Bang!
The middle-aged man failed to catch up to the football; the wristbands on both his and the woman's wrists exploded, blowing them to smithereens, their blood and scattered remains splattered all over.
Witnessing this gruesome scene, all hearts were shrouded in a shadow, and those who had initially chosen to team up with familiar people started feeling restless and less confident than before.
"Alas!" Li Xiu sighed softly, though for whom he sighed remained unknown.
On the stands, two beams of light shone again, and another pair was transported into the Trial Ground.
Once everyone saw clearly, they realized the people entering the trial this time were none other than Li Xiu and Zhao Lie.
They were the pair with the greatest ranking disparity among all the teams.
Li Xiu appeared in the goalkeeper's position, while Zhao Lie was at the kicker's spot.