The Selection Tournament Begins

Ji Hongbin snorted.

"So your twenty thousand-plus points were earned through trickery.

You can't keep relying on tricks. You still need to train harder and be more dependable. Don't waste your thoughts on all sorts of messy nonsense."

There was a great deal of luck involved in taking shortcuts. In his opinion, it was unreliable.

Yin Tianfan snapped:

"What do you mean by messy nonsense?

This is called calmness, wisdom, adaptability, and quick thinking. You wouldn't understand.

You failed to get into the Inner Court because you were too rigid. All you knew was how to train like an idiot."

"Heh, still better than certain people who got expelled outright..."

Ji Hongbin shot back.

Then the two began bickering, digging up each other's embarrassing history.

Nan Xuanyu and the other two could only eat in silence while letting the two teachers argue.

They were already used to it.

"Wait, teachers, did you both study at Shrek Academy before?"

Qian Lei caught the key point and asked.

"Yes!"

After receiving Yin Tianfan's confirmation, he and Liu Feng were both greatly shocked.

Afterward, Yin Tianfan began telling the story of how he had been expelled.

With a few embellishments added.

His purpose was to lure Nan Xuanyu into choosing Shrek Academy's Interstellar Command Department.

But Nan Xuanyu remained unmoved. He needed to think carefully before making a decision.

Once they had eaten and heard Yin Tianfan's story, Nan Xuanyu and the other two found an excuse to slip away.

They truly did not want to listen to the two teachers squabble anymore.

At last, it was time to claim their rewards.

Filled with excitement, Nan Xuanyu, Qian Lei, and Liu Feng entered the Simulation Pods once more.

Led by Mu Chongtian, they appeared in the training room.

Ling Yiyi was already waiting there with a smile.

"Congratulations on taking first place in the Federation-wide preliminary selection.

This time, you have won great honor for Tianluo Star."

Ling Yiyi said with a smile.

"First in the entire Federation?"

Mu Chongtian cried out in shock, his eyes widening as his whole body trembled.

Ling Yiyi nodded.

In truth, they could have admitted the three of them directly.

But word had come down from above that they still wanted to see how the three performed afterward.

After receiving Ling Yiyi's confirmation, Nan Xuanyu, the other two, and Mu Chongtian were all thrilled.

Ling Yiyi smiled faintly.

"Alright, prepare for the draw."

She pressed her right hand through the air, and a pink door of light appeared.

The three walked through the light door, and a huge wheel appeared before them.

At that moment, the wheel was spinning at high speed.

"You may now run around the wheel once and choose your positions. Stand where you choose.

When the wheel stops spinning, your prizes will appear.

Once you have chosen a spot, you will no longer be able to move."

Ling Yiyi's voice rang out.

So this was how the lucky wheel worked?

The three nodded, entered the wheel, and began running.

Very quickly, Qian Lei chose to stop.

A flash of light appeared, and a purple halo instantly formed beneath his feet.

A pleasant female voice followed:

"All Soul Ring cultivation increases by five hundred years."

He let out a cheer. This reward was excellent.

As Nan Xuanyu ran, he released powerful Spiritual Power, trying to see the rewards on the wheel clearly.

"Liu Feng, stop."

Seizing an opportunity, he had Liu Feng stop.

"Produced by the Spirit Pagoda: one two-thousand-year Silver Moon Wolf right arm Soul Bone.

Includes the Soul Skill, Silver Edge."

The voice rang out again, and Liu Feng's face filled with excitement.

To a Soul Master, a Soul Bone was even more important than a Soul Ring.

Soul Bones were mainly divided into six types: Head Soul Bone, torso bone, left arm bone, right arm bone, left leg bone, and right leg bone.

Once a person possessed a Soul Bone in any of those positions, it would greatly enhance that part of the body while also granting a Soul Skill.

What he had received was an artificial Soul Bone.

The amount of money required for one was astronomical.

An ordinary Soul Master could not afford one on their own.

He had never expected to receive one. His luck was truly good.

It was simply an unexpected windfall.

"Reward: one entry into the beginner Spirit Ascension Platform."

Nan Xuanyu quickly came to a stop.

He received his own reward.

He was rather excited as well.

Within the Spirit Ascension Platform, as long as he killed the virtual Soul Beasts inside and acquired their energy,

the age of both his Soul Rings and Soul Bones could increase.

He was greatly looking forward to this trip to the Spirit Ascension Platform.

Having received their rewards, the three happily left the Simulation Pods.

After leaving, Liu Feng absorbed that Soul Bone, and his strength improved once again.

Not long after, the selection tournament began, still taking place inside the Simulation Pods.

A broadcast specifically announced the rules:

First, participants would act in teams. Each team would be randomly teleported to a corner of the Star Dou Great Forest.

The Star Dou Great Forest was simulated.

The competing teams had to hunt as many high-level Soul Beasts as possible to earn more points.

Second, teams could kill each other.

Killing another team would earn half of that team's points.

A team that was killed would have its final score reduced to half its original points.

Third, the selection tournament assessment would last seven days.

The selection tournament would end after seven days, and each team's score would be calculated.

Once the rules had been announced and everything was ready, the participants were teleported into the simulated Star Dou Great Forest.

"Which way do we go?"

The area where Nan Xuanyu and the other two appeared was surrounded by dense, towering trees, and they could not find their bearings.

"In this Star Dou Great Forest, there are four most important things: going deeper into the forest, hunting stronger Soul Beasts, killing other teams, and surviving until the end.

Next, we should scout the area first, get a feel for the forest and the strength of the Soul Beasts here, then head deeper in."

Nan Xuanyu quickly made his decision.

"Alright, we'll listen to you!"

Qian Lei and Liu Feng nodded, choosing to trust him unconditionally and follow his command.

The Star Dou Great Forest was divided into the outer region, mixed region, core region, and the Fierce Beast region at the very center.

They guessed that the place where the three of them stood was, at most, the mixed region.

After discussing it, the three began scouting.

Qian Lei opened the Summoning Gate, intending to summon a Soul Beast to scout ahead.

A deep roar sounded, and a fiery red figure crawled out of the Summoning Gate.

It was an Earthfire Dragon Lizard.

It was roughly five meters long, covered entirely in crimson scales, with spikes along its back and a massive head.

Its entire body radiated scorching heat, and smoke even drifted from its mouth.

It belonged to a type of Earth Dragon.

Its defensive ability was average, but its attacks had a relatively wide range, and it could spit fireballs.

Qian Lei waved his hand, and the Earthfire Dragon Lizard immediately began moving.

It cleared the way ahead.

The three walked side by side, with Qian Lei in the middle.

Now, Nan Xuanyu only needed to activate the Ancestral Dragon Bloodline to enhance Liu Feng within a certain range.

There was no need for contact.

They did not know how far they had traveled when the Earthfire Dragon Lizard's summoning time was about to end.

Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred.

The Earthfire Dragon Lizard, which had been charging forward with its head down, was entangled by a thick vine.

The Earthfire Dragon Lizard's scales turned bright red, piece by piece.

A piercing sizzling sound followed.

The vine wrapped around its body immediately turned yellow and withered.

The Earthfire Dragon Lizard quickly lunged forward.

Its summoning time soon ran out, and the Earthfire Dragon Lizard vanished into the Summoning Gate.

Qian Lei recovered his Soul Power, then after some time, summoned another Soul Beast to continue forward and keep scouting.

By now, his cultivation, Soul Ring age, and Spiritual Power had all improved considerably.

His recovery time had shortened, and the number of summons he could use in a short period had increased.

The stronger his Spiritual Power, the easier summoning became.

"Danger."

As the three walked, they came across a Golden Silk Demon Ape and a Palm Bear locked in battle.

The three temporarily stopped moving.