The last one was Deustchland, and its strength was also the weakest. Three were mid-stage Innate Stage and two were at the initial-stage.

"Forty contestants, and each one of them is blessed with outstanding talent. I believe that in the near future, they will definitely become important figures on Earth!"

Wu Tianbao praised them. It came from the bottom of his heart.

Those who could participate in the International Martial Arts Tournament would, at the very least, be at peak Innate Stage in the future. There was a 30% chance that they would reach the King Stage, and there might even be one or two that could reach peak King Stage!

Peak King Stage experts, the strongest experts below venerables, were also extremely rare.

Out of the eight countries, there were only five peak King Stage experts on the stage. This also proved that only five countries had peak King Stage experts. That was enough to show how rare it was.

"Next, let's invite each of the eight nations to send out a representative." Wu tianbao smiled and said, "Tomorrow will be the first match. There will be four rounds of matches on that day and the groups will be separated into winners and losers. Now, it's time to draw lots to choose the opponents of each nation!"

Everyone's faces froze. This segment could be considered the most important one.

None of Ye Lingchen's group said anything. Although it was only drawing lots, the pressure they had to bear was also enormous. The opponent was the most crucial factor in winning or losing.

"Ye Lingchen, you're the youngest. You'll go up and draw the lots." Sun Hongtao said.

Ye Lingchen nodded and walked onto the stage. Everyone stood still.

Wu Tianbao said loudly, "Now, let's invite the five judges on the stage to host the draw for everyone!"

The five peak King Stage hosts represented absolute fairness. No one could do anything under the nose of Peak King Stage martial artists.

Below the stage, regardless of the contestants or team leaders, their mood was also elevated.

"We must get Deutschland!" Jing Shan could not help but pray.

Deutschland was placed last in the previous tournament and they did not have any special techniques. They were definitely the softest targets on the scene, and the difficulty was the lowest.

If they drew a strong opponent in the first round, that was obviously a very bad thing. That was because the competition was a rotation system. If the first round was too exhausting, or even injured, then the second round would be directly at a disadvantage. If this continued, it would be hard to get a good ranking.

Not only Jing Shan was praying, but the people from other countries were also praying.

What kind of opponent he would meet in the first round would have a great impact on the rest of the competition.

In a fight between two strong opponents, the biggest possibility was that both sides would be injured, which would benefit the people behind them.

Ye Lingchen and the other seven contestants stood on the stage. In front of them was a transparent box with eight lots in it.

Someone laughed and said, "These eight long lots are marked with four numbers: 1-4. Those with the same numbers will be the opponents and also the order of appearance. You guys can choose for yourselves."

Ye Lingchen casually walked up and took one of them calmly.

The other seven people did not hesitate and each picked one.

The arena instantly quieted down, everyone was looking forward to the first round of battle.

...

"Stick Nation! Stick Nation!"

While everyone was silently opening the lots, they heard ye Lingchen muttering.

This made the faces of the people from the Stick Nation to turn gloomy. They stared at Ye Lingchen with even more animosity.

Ye Lingchen's action was too arrogant. Was he looking down on us because victory was in his grasp?

A light laugh was heard. It was in fluent English, "Ye Lingchen from China, I would like to fight with you in the first round."

It was the youngest participant other than Ye Lingchen, Kevin, who was twenty one years old.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you are not afraid of losing face, last year's champion will lose the first round this year," Ye lingchen shrugged and said lightly.

Kevin was not angry either. He continued, "In the International Martial Arts Tournament, we have always been number one and have never lost. You are too arrogant. I don't like it."

Ye Lingchen laughed, "Me too!"

As he spoke, Wu Tianbao opened his mouth, and his voice was heard by everyone.

"The first round, Tintu vs England!

"The second round, Hellas vs Sun Nation!

"The third round, China vs Stick Nation!

"The fourth round, Murica vs Deutschland!

"Tomorrow morning at 8am sharp, the International Martial Arts Tournament will officially begin!"

Martial artists did not like to follow formalities. The process of the opening ceremony was very simple, but it still took a full hour and a half. In the end, they just gave a few closing remarks before it ended.

...

"Hehe, Ye Lingchen, your wish is granted!" Jae-Sik Kim smiled coldly at Ye Lingchen. "You'll definitely regret it."

"Hahaha, the second from the bottom actually has the nerve to say such blatant words? I'm dying of laughter." Jing Shan laughed with extreme sarcasm.

The people from the Stick Nation departed with a cold snort.

Following that, everyone's attention was naturally on their opponents, and there was also a lot of discussion about the drawing of lots.

For Murica to actually draw against Deutschland, this undoubtedly made everyone curse in their hearts, and at the same time, they were envious, jealous, and resentful.

The first against the last. There was no doubt about the outcome. Moreover, Murica could also preserve their strength fully.

On Ye Lingchen's side, everyone also let out a slight sigh of relief.

The Stick Nation was only the second from the bottom. It was unlikely that they would be strong. Moreover, they had a grudge against him to begin with. Therefore, they welcomed the opportunity to teach him a lesson.

Lin Xi analyzed, "The three strongest people in the Stick Nation are the last disciples of three King Stage martial artists. They're all at Jae-Sik Kim's level. However, with their resources, it would be difficult for them to train two mid-stage Innate Stage martial artists. Us five mid-stage Innate Stage martial artists have a clear advantage in strength. We can win with a steady and conservative fight!"

"Those people are not very powerful. They're quite arrogant. Those who don't know would think that they are really powerful." Jing Shan said with a smile.

Right then, Sun Hongtao said in a low voice, "Don't be careless! This year, the Stick Nation is a bit different. They are too confident! Clearly, they have some tricks up their sleeves."

"They're all at mid-stage Innate Stage." Ye Lingchen suddenly said.

"What?" Everyone was shocked.

Sun Hongtao also looked at Ye Lingchen in disbelief and asked, "How did you know?"

Ye Lingchen's expression didn't change as he said, "My senses are quite sharp, and I can roughly estimate a person's strength. They're indeed all at mid-stage Innate Stagel."

If he had not seen through the Stick Nation's strength, everyone would have suffered a great loss if they had been careless.

"This will be difficult." Sun Hongtao's brows were tightly knitted and there was a trace of uneasiness in his eyes. "They came prepared this time, ready to amaze the world.

"Last year, their last disciple's strength was lacking so he did not participate. This year, not only did he come take part, but he also chose two mid-stage Innate Stage martial artists to participate in the competition at all costs. His strength is completely different from last year. He's definitely a formidable opponent!"

The Stick Nation had been holding back all this while, waiting for a good opportunity.

This time, not only did they want to avenge the humiliation of Sung-Yoon Lee, their main goal was to become the champion of the International Martial Arts Tournament. Once they became the champion, with the help of the resources, the strength of their country's martial artists would naturally skyrocket.

They were keeping a low profile, just to shock everyone when they make their move!