Lord of the Sky City

Regarding the whispers and conspiratorial exchanges of the other contestants, Rocky didn't pay much attention. He knew they were discussing him and even understood that some might be plotting something, but none of that mattered to him.

Rocky was well aware of why he had come to compete in the Arena. He wasn't there to make friends or engage in idle gossip; he had three clear objectives for his participation.

First was to earn money. Whether through the competition's rewards or the betting around it, as long as he could win the matches, he could earn a substantial amount of money.

Second was to test the combat abilities of the White Demon Armor. The basic tests for the White Demon Armor were already completed and its performance was quite satisfactory. The next step was to verify the Armor's combat abilities through real and intense competition.

Third was to hone his own skills. The competitions in the Arena were brutal and dangerous, but they also presented a great opportunity to refine his abilities. Thus, besides earning money and testing the Armor, Rocky hoped to strengthen his own capabilities through the competition.

These three goals outlined his purpose for participating in the competition. Beyond these, he didn't need to consider anything else. As for how others viewed him, he cared even less; he simply preferred to keep a low profile.

In this situation, Rocky quietly stayed in the resting hall, avoiding any contact with other competitors, resembling a proud eagle perched atop a tree branch.

Unlike him, Liliya and Monte were constantly looking around, keenly observing the other contestants in the hall.

Their vigilance was partly for Rocky's safety. Following a previous assassination attempt, each time they went out, Liliya and Monte would be on high alert, always ready for someone who might dare to make a reckless move.

Additionally, they were helping Rocky to scope out his opponents in advance.

As mentioned before, as the City Lord, Rocky didn't need to handle everything personally. Liliya and the others would take care of many things for him, such as collecting intelligence on the opponents beforehand.

Upon learning that the format of the preliminary competition was a melee, although Rocky seemed unconcerned, Liliya and the others didn't idle because of his calmness. On the contrary, they continued gathering information on the opponents through various channels. Therefore, Rocky already knew which nine competitors he would face in the preliminaries, thanks to Liliya's efforts.

Following her gaze, Liliya soon spotted a towering brute in the crowd.

This towering brute was extremely noticeable among the contestants because his physique was so formidable, almost matching Monte's beastly size as a Beastman, which was hard not to draw attention.

Known as Powerful Peter, he was one of Rocky's opponents in the preliminary contest.

Powerful Peter was just an ordinary resident of Eternal City, but he possessed natural monstrous strength. It was said that without wearing any Void Magic Armor, he could defeat ordinary warriors easily, so his abilities were somewhat formidable. More importantly, this was his third time participating in the preliminary contests of the Arena!

The Arena's preliminary contests were held quarterly. The victor would gain a Rank and qualify for the rank competitions, while the losers would be eliminated and could only sign up again for the next preliminary contest, provided they survived the match.

And Powerful Peter was a contestant who had participated in multiple preliminary contests. But one shouldn't underestimate him just because he had been eliminated several times before.

According to information Liliya gathered from various sources, Powerful Peter persisted in participating in the preliminaries and faced elimination repeatedly. Partly because he was a civilian lacking his own Void Magic Armor—though the Arena provided Armor, it couldn't be operated as efficiently as by a true Void Magic Warrior—leading to his successive defeats; another reason was simply bad luck. Every time he participated in the preliminaries, Powerful Peter found himself pitted against very strong opponents. These opponents were so formidable that after defeating him, they ascended to high Ranks.

All things considered, Powerful Peter was definitely an opponent worth noting. Having participated in numerous preliminaries, he had become quite familiar with operating the Armor. Combined with his experience from previous competitions, he would definitely pose a threat to Rocky.
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After glancing at Powerful Peter, Liliya turned her head towards another side and immediately noticed three men.

From their posture, demeanor, and the aura they exuded, it was clear they were trained warriors or soldiers. Interestingly, these three men looked almost identical!

Triples brothers!

Jeff, Jerry, and Jess were not only triplet brothers but also soldiers from a Sky City. However, their city had fallen, and they had since moved to Eternal City, currently working as guards for a local nobleman.

They were also Rocky's competitors, deserving more attention than Powerful Peter because they were experienced soldiers with far stronger combat abilities than ordinary people. Moreover, in a melee, the three collaborating would undoubtedly have a higher chance of winning than others. Even Rocky, if facing their combined attack, would struggle to prevail.