by <unknown>
By the end of the second day, Li Yao’s business had already become very difficult to maintain.
Li Yao didn’t give a damn. He chose a rather warm and dry supply point and began… Sleeping!
While the other competitors were battling endlessly in the forest, being soaked in blood, gaining scars all over their bodies, and using up all their energy, Li Yao snored in deep sleep. He was conserving every last ounce of precious strength.
His name fell, sliding down on the ranking board. By noon of the third day, his name had dropped outside the top 100.
By the end of the third day, his ranking fell all the way down to 293rd.
Li Yao still didn’t give a damn… As long as his ranking was within the top 600, he would still enter the finals.
He was waiting for the finals to put on a good show!
“Pop!”
Li Yao opened a pressurized tin can in the supply point and ate big mouthfuls of food that he chewed over and over.
“BZZ! BZZ! BZZ!”
A strange vibration spread all throughout Devil Flood Dragon Island. Powerful restriction arrays had been initialized. The once vicious and fearsome Demon Beasts seemed to go fixed like statues. All of them turned rigid and motionless.
“Congratulations, Student Li Yao. You have entered into the final stage of the Limit Challenge Competition!”
“Please rest for three hours. All Demon Beasts will be shackled during this time period, they won’t attack you.”
“The finals will begin in three hours. There will be even more powerful Demon Beasts released onto the field during that time. At the same time, you will have 300 competitors as enemies and 299 competitors as allies. Good luck!”
The white Puji Critter orbited around Li Yao’s head dancing elegantly. It seemed to be happy for Li Yao.
A thousand or so beams of light rose from Devil Flood Dragon Island, flying towards the Distant Expanse.
Li Yao knew that those were the competitors who ranked below 600th place. None would have a chance at the finals.
The remaining 600 competitors on Devil Dragon Island were the powerful who managed to survive for three days and slew countless Demon Beasts!
The true battle just started from this moment!
Li Yao chuckled, keeping his head down and eating without a single worry in the world.
Right at this time, Small Ji’s pink antenna at the top of his head swayed slightly, casting a 3D figure in front of Li Yao. It was someone that Li Yao was familiar with.
“Headmaster Zhao!”
Li Yao was struck dumb. Appearing in front of him was the Headmaster of Crimson Nimbus Second, Zhao Shude, who was also a core member of the Crimson Nimbus Guild, a high-level Foundation Stage cultivator.
This ordinarily mysterious bigwig headmaster had a kind expression piled on his face. He repeatedly nodded his head as he spoke, “Student Li Yao, your performance has been outstanding. Speaking of which, have you thought about which university you want to attend?”
“Many thanks for the concern Headmaster Zhao. I’ve already made up my mind. I want to apply for Deep Sea University and become a Refiner!” Li Yao puffed up his chest.
“Deep Sea University is quite good. However, Star Nebula University also has quite a decent Artificing Department. Are you interested? If you want, I can represent the Crimson Nimbus Guild and have you sign an “Entrusted Education” contract. You won’t need to go through the entrance exams. You can directly enter Star Nebula University!”
Zhao Shude had spoken astonishing words.
Chapter 57: Three Options |
Li Yao’s eyes bulged wide. “Entrusted Education?”
After Headmaster Zhao explained for a moment, Li Yao knew the gist of it. “Entrusted Education” is a special collaborative effort between the cultivator guilds and the universities.
Simply speaking, if Li Yao signs this contract, then he would be considered an official member of the Crimson Nimbus Guild upon graduation from high school. Then, the Crimson Nimbus Guild will entrust him to a university for his education.
The Crimson Nimbus Guild will assume all responsibility for tuition fees and living expenses during that time. And once he graduates from university, he’ll directly get a job with a corporation of the Crimson Nimbus Guild.
This kind of education process for talented students can be said to be streamlined. As long as Li Yao signs the contract, he would live a life without worries and walk a road full of future promise!
Zhao Shude smiled as he spoke, “Our Crimson Nimbus Guild just established a new company last year called the Crimson Nimbus Real Estate. They specialize in developing new towns and cities on the frontier of the Federation. Building a single new city generates several times in profit, up to 10 times!”
“But Demon Beasts run wild on the frontier. It’s not necessarily safe. And since the area is desolate, it’s hard to bring in supplies.
“Therefore, we need hybrid-type talented people who possess great battle prowess and understand how to craft and maintain artifacts to respond to safety issues during periods of construction.
If you sign this contract, when you graduate, you will get a high-ranking position in the Crimson Nimbus Real Estate. It won’t take years before you become the second ‘Peng Hai’!”
The second Fiend Blade Peng Hai!
Li Yao’s heart surged and he was in high spirits, feeling his mood floating past the highest clouds.
Zhao Shude chuckled and continued speaking, “You’re very lucky, Student Li Yao. Did you know that even Elder Zhou of the Crimson Nimbus Guild considers you of complete importance? It was precisely under his arrangement that you are able to receive this ‘Entrusted Education’ Contract.”
“He’s a real bigwig. If you enter the Crimson Nimbus Guild, you will become one of Elder Zhou’s men. Your future will be boundless!”
“However, there’s no need for you to answer in a rush. Your performance has already stimulated the interest of several universities. There should be more people looking to contact you later. You might as well weigh the offers so that you won’t blame me for not giving you any options. Hahahaha!”
Zhao Shude waved his hand without waiting for Li Yao to respond and said, “In a word, give a good performance in the finals. Elder Zhou and I will be watching you. If you have any other conditions, there’s no harm in bringing them up. Crimson Nimbus Second won’t treat any genius unfairly!”
After speaking, the image flashed and Zhao Shude’s translucent figure changed to a white glow, disappearing in a flash.
Li Yao then took a deep haggard breath.
Oh MAN! He never thought he would actually attract the interest of the major players of the Crimson Nimbus Guild. He had the chance to step into the skies!
Is he going to agree to them or not?
While he was still hesitating, Small Ji’s antenna started to sway lightly to form a second virtual image. And this second image caused Li Yao’s heart to beat even faster.
“Professor Xie!”
Li Yao bowed to the virtual image of the purple-clothed old man with the utmost respect… Opposite from him was the Artificing Expert of Deep Sea University, Xie Tingxian!
Xie Tingxian chuckled.
“Student Li Yao, congratulations. You may not have the highest point ranking in this year’s competition, but you are the one who attracted the most eyes. I’ll get straight to the point. I’ve already sent competition recordings of you to our admissions office of Deep Sea University. What I’ve requested from our Admissions Office is for you to be specially enrolled as long as you enter the top 50 rankings in the finals of the competition! If you enter the top 100, then I’ll give you a preferential score treatment of 20 points! If you enter the top 200, then I’ll give you a preferential score treatment of 10 points! How is it? Doesn’t this count as good faith?”
“Really, I’m far too grateful, Professor Xie. I will do my best and fight my way to the top 50!” Li Yao spoke loudly.
&nbs
p; “Good. Right now’s the critical moment. I won’t bother your resting. Do your best to maintain a tranquil state of mind. Fight and bring out your best!” Xie Tingxian nodded towards him, chuckling as his figure faded in the hologram.
The instant Xie Tingxian faded away, another virtual image appeared with a jerk, seeming hotheaded and itching to get on with things. It forcefully squeezed into Li Yao’s line of sight.
“Ding… Ding Lingdang?” Li Yao went blank. It was that female T-rex.
Ding Lingdang sized Li Yao up and down with utterly scorching eyes. She spoke sternly, “Student Li Yao, you appear to have somewhat of a misunderstanding about the Grand Desolate War Institution… It’s true. Our school’s Combat Department is the strongest in the Federation!”
“But, we don’t have just empty handed ‘Body Practitioners’ in our Combat Department. We also have experts in bladed weapons and melee artifacts — Sword Cultivators. You come from Crimson Nimbus Second so you ought to know of a famous senior ‘Peng Hai’. He entered our Grand Desolate War Institution after graduation from high school and specialized in training in the usage of various melee artifacts. Later, he even won the nickname ‘Fiend Blade’. It’s okay if you don’t want to become a Body Practitioner. It would also be great if you can come to our Grand Desolate War Institution’s Combat Department to become a Sword Cultivator!”
The two words “Peng Hai” caused Li Yao to be stupefied for a second. A flame ignited in his eyes.
Upon seeing that Li Yao hadn’t immediately refused, Ding Lingdang became more lively as she spoke, “In brief, I feel that it is in your nature to become a battle-type cultivator. You’re extremely suited for the Combat Department of our Grand Desolate War Institution. As long as you can fight your way into the top 300 of the finals, I can give you special enrollment. And, all tuition fees will be waived and you will receive a giant scholarship! What do you think? Consider it over then, Student Li Yao!”
…...
Even until after Ding Lingdang’s virtual image faded in the air, Li Yao was still dazed. His heart undulated with emotion. It took a long time before he could calm down.
Three gold-paved roads unfolded before his eyes, extending completely straight. Each road led to the supreme apex of the world of cultivators.
In the end, which school ought he choose?
Li Yao sat cross-legged and calmly thought over the pros and cons of each of the three options.
Of the three options, the invitation from Ding Lingdang was clearly the most sincere.
With Li Yao’s actual strength, as long as he brings out his normal strength, fighting his way into the top 300 of the finals shouldn’t be that difficult. And, Fiend Blade Peng Hai graduated from the Combat Department of this Grand Desolate War Institution. Obviously, they did not just specialize in educating Body Practitioners, but also in Sword Cultivators. It matched with his own strengths.
However, after careful consideration, Li Yao still eliminated Grand Desolate War Institution first from his choices.
He promised his long-passed Old Man that he would become a Refiner for sure. Becoming a simple battle-type cultivator would be deviating from his dream.
And Headmaster Zhao’s conditions better align with his ambitions.
Although Star Nebula University’s Artificing Department wasn’t ranked as high as Deep Sea University’s, they were still able to craft treasures like the Spiritual Energy Particle Collider. Clearly, they had their own originalities.
This quite suited Li Yao’s liking, and all expenses would be covered by the Crimson Nimbus Guild. After graduation, he would get a job in a large company controlled by the Crimson Nimbus Guild. After a certain number of years, he would be able to experience a life of new cars, beautiful women, and luxurious villas. It was simply a path of instant success.
However, everything has their negatives. After dinner comes the reckoning. Once he signed the contract with the Crimson Nimbus Guild, he would become an official member of the Crimson Nimbus Guild. Any cultivation courses he would take would be determined by the Crimson Nimbus Guild. His future path of development would also be limited. He would be unable to have his own characteristics.
Since the Crimson Nimbus Guild is paying for everything, he will certainly be educated to be a concentrated cultivator that’s specialized for a certain job. Like being a cog in a big artifact machine. He would always be on board the Crimson Nimbus Guild’s chariot.
This was something Li Yao could not stand.
After considering everything over, Li Yao still resolutely settled on his initial aspiration. He will bring forth everything in the finals to fight his way into the top 50. He will attain special enrollment into Deep Sea University!
Even if he was unable to fight his way into the top 50, at least he would fight for that 20 points of preferential treatment, so that he would have a big advantage in the Entrance Exams.
Deep Sea University is his only choice!
“Let the finals begin! I can’t wait to get started!”
He watched the muddy yellow clouds above get snatched up by the giant bird-like Distant Expanse. Li Yao licked his lips and punched hard to the sky with a fist.
“Just wait a moment, and I will let you experience just how fearsome a shameless Refiner can be!”
Chapter 58: A Commander Appears |
At the moment, the Distant Expanse was bustling with unusual noise.
There were cultivators in the monitoring center and 2400 defeated competitors in the hall outside.
These youths were only upset for a short while before they fixed their attention raptly onto the giant hologram, waiting for the finals to begin.
After all, they would receive benefits to their future cultivation when witnessing numerous experts radiate like burning stars during exchanges of blows.
Three hours passed quickly under the gaze of the large crowd. The Limit Challenge Competition… Officially began!
“BOW! BOWOWOWOWOW!!”
The restriction arrays that covered Devil Flood Dragon Island were released. The Demon Beasts who had been restricted for three hours impatiently jumped forth. They used the craziest of snarls to vent the rage coming from the depths of their hearts.
“ROAR! ROAR ROAR!”
Responses came from underground, shouts mixed with tyrannical strength like muffled thunder.
Upon hearing the howls, the just-before majestic Demon Beasts began to reveal expressions of utter fear on their faces as their necks shrank.
At several hundred hidden points all around Devil Flood Dragon Island, countless transmission arrays began to flash.
Under the flickering radiance, powerful Demon Beasts with larger bodies, fiercer appearances, crueler expressions, and more violent auras were set free!
They stuck their heads out, observing their surroundings. Their noses shook as they took in the fresh meat scent in the air, the smell that soon caused them to go wild. They shook their heads and wagged their tails, bore their fangs and brandished their claws, and threw themselves into the depths of the forest!
And in front of each of the 600 competitors, their respective Puji Critters listed the 600 names of those who entered the finals.
The 600 people were divided into teams — Red and Blue. A blue or red glow also curled around the Puji Critters to show the teams.
At the same time, the communication channel of the competitors promptly changed. From this moment on, they can only send messages to their own team.
Li Yao skimmed through the 600 names at lightning speed and discovered that he was on the Red Team.
And that Helian Lie and Si Jiaxue were divided into the Blue Team. Surprisingly, the fellow Zheng Dongming had become his teammate.
“Helian Lie. Per your own words, Devil Flood Dragon Island is quite large and is quite small at the same time. I hope we won’t encounter each other!”
Li Yao did final a inspection on his artifacts and laughed with utter confidence.
He was equipped with
two short Progressive Daggers. They were smeared with sludge to form a blackness that won’t reflect light. They were like the fangs of a demon.
After sticking the daggers on his waist belt, he examined the myriad of improvised artifacts in his military pack. With a light leap, Li Yao entered the forest and faded away amongst the branches.
The intensity of the finals was a hundred times greater than that of the preliminaries!
Besides the several hundred powerful new Demon Beasts lurking in the forest, quite a few competitors were resting in groups together before they were suddenly split into two teams. The Puji Critters turned either red or blue.
Under each other's’ gazes, the opposing team members turned into “giant sacks of exp” filled with great amounts of points!
The just-laughing cheerful students engaged in bloody close handed slaughter in a flash!
In a short 5 minutes, 37 competitors were ejected from the competition, and their points were robbed by the competitors who “slain” them.
In the ranking board shown in the monitoring center, the top 100 names seemed to be changing every second!
“Everyone, don’t panic. We should organize ourselves and fight like the Federal Army! My name is Gao Ye and I come from a family of military. I’ve followed my father and uncles since young, learning the commander tactics of special forces. I possess extremely powerful computation and commanding abilities. Everyone, listen to my commands. Group onto my position! If you’re far away from me, group with the teammates by your side. Assemble into small battle squads!”
A sound suddenly rang out from the Blue Team’s communication channel.
The voice was somewhat hoarse but contained great confidence and powerful inspiration within. It caused people to automatically believe in those words.
Quite a few of the members of the Blue Team slightly hesitated, then subconsciously moved closer to Gao Ye’s coordinates.
“The commander for the Blue Team has appeared!” All the cultivators were in high spirits in the monitoring center.