Xu Feng was truly taken aback this time. Never once did he expect to meet a fellow contestant who was a player.
Simultaneously, when Xu Feng discovered the player, they also discovered him.
A look of astonishment also filled their expression.
"I didn't expect another player would be capable of entering this competition," the player was quite extroverted, having approached him and made a comment.
Xu Feng smiled and said, "I also didn't expect to encounter another player here."
The player was currently covered from top to bottom in dark clothes, but from their mana fluctuation, Xu Feng could easily deduce they were definitely a player.
It was a similar method in which Razor and Brutus used to identify him and Carmen as "immortals".
The fact that the other player also realized he was a player meant their comprehension skills were quite good, especially when they managed to arrive at Paradise Plains on their own.
"Shall we add each other as friends?" The player suggested. "Don't take it as if I'm trying to investigate you. It's just that having a competent friend is better than having a competent enemy."
Chuckling, Xu Feng liked their personality as he agreed wholeheartedly. If possible, he didn't wish to make enemies who are competent unless there were no other options.
"Very well, let's add each other then." By agreeing to add each other, they would then learn a bit about others after some keyword searching.
After all, to be eligible to come here means that they must have their own individual achievement.
Sure enough, once the player became his friend list, Xu Feng realized the player was a female, and not just any typical female player, but a fame blacksmith. Aside from Fiona Forgefire who was an NPC blacksmith, there were other known blacksmiths, especially player ones.
And in front of him was one of those famous blacksmith Professionist in his past timeline, Crimson Heart.
He never expected to encounter Crimson Heart in Paradise Plains.
While Xu Feng was astonished by her name, Crimson Heart was equally stunned to realize the player in front of her was Lin Feng.
"So you're that Lin Feng who had made one of the branches of the Reaver Guild to suffer hard." Crimson Heart smirked.
Xu Feng nodded, not a bit surprised that she had recognized his name from the get-go.
His actions might have been done at Star Falls City, but the Reaver Guild was spread far and wide. Additionally, there were spies from all sorts of players in the guild itself, especially those who loved to gather intelligence and sell them.
Therefore, based on Crimson Heart's capability in obtaining a participation slot meant that she was up to date regarding the news circulating in the Divine World.
"I merely cause a bit of trouble for them, but it's nothing much compared to you." Xu Feng said, giving a subtle meaning that she wasn't so simple either.
If his recollection was correct, Crimson Heart should have been at Luminaris City.
To teleport from Star Falls City to Luminaris City, a whopping 15 gold coins were required, given the extremely long distance.
The chance of them ever meeting early had never crossed his mind, but thanks to her ability to snagged a participation slot, they encountered each other here.
Could it be fate or merely a coincidence?
"Anyway, I'm not going to go easy on you, so I hope that you can actually pass the preliminary round." Crimson Heart said, turned around and left.
'You might have been famous in the past, but that doesn't mean my chance of winning is any less.' Xu Feng inwardly exclaimed.
He was indeed astonished by her presence, but his objective remained the same. He didn't study hard just to get disqualified in the preliminary round.
Time slowly passed by, and soon, numerous elderly NPCs arrived at the scene.
"All respective Professionist must enter their section now. The preliminary test will begin shortly and your progress is going to be broadcast live to the audiences!" One of the elderly folk announced softly.
Despite its soft voice though, the sound reverberated every nook and cranny, ensuring every contestant were able to hear clearly.
After the announcement, everyone, including Xu Feng went to their respective sections.
Meanwhile, outside in the audience, an Emcee stepped on the stage and shouted, "Hello everyone. I know you all have been waiting for a long time, but now we shall commence the preliminary test."
Once the Emcee finished his announcement, the people started cheering loudly.
"Woo, finally we get to see the competition!"
"Who are you scouting for?"
"Heh, obviously I'm scouting all the good Professionists."
While the crowd went into an uproar, with most discussing and conversing which kind of Professionists they wished to scout, Carmen's eyes remained locked at section 4.
'Eh, that female is a player?' Carmen was alarmed upon seeing another player competing alongside Xu Feng.
Of course, Carmen didn't doubt Xu Feng would win. It was just that she was slightly taken aback. After all, Xu Feng had mentioned to her how difficult it was to obtain a participation slot.
Glancing at the screen and seeing the display name, Carmen took a mental note.
'Crimson Heart, this female player needs to be investigated.' She squinted her eyes and decided to do some search.
Meanwhile, Xu Feng remained oblivious to her thoughts as his eyes focused on the conductor for their test.
Unsurprisingly, it was a female elder conductor, breaking the typical stereotype that elderly men or male dominant occupations were the only ones in the Profession.
"I'm Yaren and your conductor for the preliminary test which is based on your knowledge regarding the blacksmith Profession." Yaren introduced herself and pointed at the numerous empty seats.
"All of you will find a seat to take this test on your own. And remember, I despise cheaters."
As soon as Yaren finished her words, everyone stared at the empty seats.
Upon some basic calculation, one could deduce that there weren't enough seating.
The atmosphere turned silent, with nearly every contestant in Section B glancing at each other.