Let It Not Be Said...
There was a unanimous 'what!' from all those in Hal's area and almost every other person in the entire location which led Hal to believe this was not how it had been during last year's exam.
The broadcast had audio, so everyone in the coliseum heard the exclamation as did Elsa but she just continued speaking,
"While cultivators are selfish by nature as we need to be since the road to greatness is mostly personal, the Haron continent is at war with the Dystopian continent and even more than boosting individual strength is a need to build camaraderie.
Not to abandon your teammates. Squadmates, battle mates, whatever mates on the field of battle. To look out for your fellow human.
If you wish to showcase how good you are on your own, well, you will get your chance in the second stage of the Exams. Until then, work as a team or fail.
Of course, you can try again next year and be tagged a failure but the rules are not sure to have changed by then.