Selection Trials: Survival Challenge

A vast expanse of white snow.

A group of people trudged along the icy plains with great difficulty.

"Remember, do not use the power of heaven and earth that you possess; use the power of flesh and blood. Otherwise, you will easily attract the great terror of this snowfield!" The mountain chief said as he led the group forward.

Gao Linzhi followed in the middle, but he didn't seem to feel anything.

As for the others, since they cannot use the Mysterious Energy, it's as if the Mysterious Energy within their bodies has been lost; at this moment, they have become mere mortals.

Everyone followed the headmaster closely.

Gao Linzhi also followed the group.

But as they walked, suddenly, another group of players appeared ahead.

Above their heads were a bunch of IDs, all labeled "Region 2" or "Region 1," almost all single-digit service regions.

Gao Linzhi was slightly surprised.

At that moment, the headmaster pointed at the newcomer and suddenly laughed, "Haha, everyone, don't worry."

"These are people trained by our Daoist Academy in other places."

Gao Linzhi then realized that they had brought over players from the older servers as well.

I just wonder if these veteran players also "died" their way through.

I wonder what skills they all possess.

The players on the other side also looked at Gao Linzhi and the others with some curiosity.

"Players from the new server also have the ability to get here?" someone asked curiously.

"Yes, to get here, one's physical and mental strength must be at least over a thousand, and they must possess extraordinary talent. The new server has only been open for a few months, right?"

However, there were quite a lot of them. Gao Linzhi took a closer look and found that there were as many as 250 people.

Upon seeing these people, the headmaster said, "You all stand together and line up."

Everyone quickly suppressed their doubts.

As the saying goes, scriptures should not be lightly transmitted, and laws should not be lightly granted.

"The scriptures must be passed on to virtuous people."

At that moment, a player whispered, "What a coincidence, my name is Li Youde, just pass it on to me."

Gao Linzhi was speechless.

The headmaster also looked at that person, and suddenly a red light flashed in his eyes.

That guy, who always liked to whisper like he did back in school, immediately covered his head with his hands and exploded!

Then the guy revived on the same spot.

This time, however, he looked terrified and dared not make any more jokes.

The headmaster didn't even glance at him again, and said directly, "In short, only those with both virtue and ability can learn it."

"You should understand one thing: just like the mushrooms in your world, it's impossible for a street thug to control that button."

"Those who can wield powerful martial arts must be carefully selected; only virtuous individuals can possess them."

"Otherwise, it will only lead to the destruction of the group."

"In other words, the strongest military force of any group that has survived to this day will be in the hands of a virtuous person."

"Otherwise, this group would have self-destructed and wouldn't have survived to this day."

Gao Linzhi nodded.

Don't let the rebels' low moral standards fool you; they have a decent understanding of right and wrong.

"The magic we are about to impart to you will be the most supreme and mysterious art in the world."

"What you want to gain is not only to make contributions, but also to be tested on your character, abilities, and intelligence."

"These three are indispensable; all three must be present simultaneously in order to receive our supreme magic."

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up.

They didn't feel that this was making things difficult for them.

Because it's like that everywhere.

In fact, they had already guessed that this would happen.

"You have made many contributions to the Daoist Academy in the past."

"But it only grants me the qualification to study."

"Now we need to conduct a selection process to determine who among you will ultimately receive the instruction."

And at this time...

The Game System has displayed a notification.

"The Rebel Army Faction's Daoist Academy is preparing to select 5 people from 254 to teach advanced or higher-level skills."

"It is expected to upgrade your current 5 to 10 highest-level skills by two levels."

"From beginner to advanced, and from intermediate to Expert Level."

"From advanced to Master Level."

"The highest level will not exceed Master Level."

Upon seeing this, Gao Linzhi became extremely excited.

It's important to know that there are only six levels of skills: beginner, intermediate, advanced, Expert Level, Master Level, and Grandmaster Level.

Now the other side is going to give them two levels of skills all at once!

In other words, the most cost-effective approach is to upgrade 10 skills to the Expert Level, and take advantage of this opportunity to instantly reach the Master Level.

Gao Linzhi, on the other hand, profited.

Because he had taken classes before, and he learned almost every skill available on the market.

At this moment, he possessed at least 15 skills that had reached the Expert Level.

Of course, these are all relatively simple skills.

Even so, the simplest skill becomes incredibly powerful once you reach the master level.

An ordinary person, once they acquire Master Level Skill, even if you are an 80-year-old man, can still be admired and gain fame, fortune, and beautiful women.

This is Master Level skill; it can change the fate of an ordinary person's life in an instant.

The attributes alone can increase by hundreds of points.

For this reason alone, Gao Linzhi will definitely pass the test and strive to learn these top-level skills.

"Alright everyone, the competition is about to begin."

Then, the headmaster waved his hand, and the 254 people immediately felt the mysterious power within them completely disappear.

This means that their extraordinary physical and mental strength are gone.

Of course, Gao Linzhi didn't feel anything at this moment.

After all, he was using a puppet body and was not directly controlled.

Of course, there are still some effects, namely that he cannot use magic-type skills.

Fortunately, his Substitute Puppet was made with the best materials.

The headmaster, however, seemed not to make any distinction between the two.

Not long after.

Just as everyone began to descend into chaos.

The headmaster began, "The wise are without doubt, the brave are without fear, and the benevolent are invincible."

"This first test will examine your wisdom, courage, and benevolence."

That sounds very high-class.

However, considering the Daoist Academy's practices, Gao Linzhi said there must be something wrong here.

Then he saw a vast expanse of snow and suddenly sat up on the ground.

The area in front of everyone immediately turned into a gray blur.

No one can see anyone else.

The headmaster started giving them questions.

"Alright, now you're going to do a survival exercise on the ice plains."

"You must survive for more than a month, without your supernatural powers, in the vast snow, relying on your wisdom, virtue, and courage."

"If you can't hold on, just say so, and we'll rescue you immediately."

"After all, you are all important people who support us."

"Even if we don't have the opportunity to learn supreme magic this time, there's no need to be discouraged."

There will be more opportunities in the future.

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded slightly.

They weren't too worried about it.

After all, in their view, what the other party said made sense. The imperial court was still in power, and the other party wouldn't be so quick to abandon them after using them.

However, Gao Linzhi understood perfectly well: Don't forget how the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was destroyed.

Gao Linzhi looked around at the heavy snow and realized that it didn't seem to affect him much.

At this point, the headmaster had already disappeared.

The others had already gathered in twos and threes, following their usual habits and familiar relationships.

"Listen to me, everyone, the snowstorm is too severe."

"We'll lose heat very quickly. We must first build an icehouse out of ice and snow to prevent rapid heat loss," someone shouted.

"Everyone, stand back to back and get moving!"

Soon, some people demonstrated their extraordinary organizational skills.

The others agreed with what the other person said.

Those who can come here are naturally all extraordinary.

There may be some spoiled brats, but they won't be many.

They were not to be outdone, after all, the number of spots was limited.

Many people are trying to win over acquaintances.

They began by expanding outwards, building upon their existing teams.

Before long, Gao Linzhi looked around and saw that the group of 254 people had quickly split into three factions.

There are also some who are independent individuals, not affiliated with any particular party.

The three factions are Team One from the East, Team One from the West, and Team One from the South.

The Eastern team has about 80 people, the Western team has 70 people, and the Southern team has 80 people.

The rest were all casual diners.

They don't want to team up with anyone.

One by one, the lone individuals silently left the main group and began digging tunnels.

Although they have lost the Mysterious Energy and the physical enhancement, their physical strength is still quite high.

After all, they've all undergone a lot of training.

And at this time...

Someone shouted at Gao Linzhi:

"Brother, join us! Let's survive together!"

Gao Linzhi looked at the other party and saw that three people were forming a team there.

He shook his head and said, "No, I'd rather live alone."

Gao Linzhi then quickly began digging a large snow pit in the ground.

Using the ice and snow, he quickly built an ice and snow house that was half-buried underground.

He didn't actually feel cold.

So, he's basically cheating.

But everyone else is struggling to survive.

Time passed quickly.

These people are very efficient.

They built cellars and icehouses in just half a day to withstand the heavy snow.

Although they lost their superhuman powers, their physical abilities remained excellent.

They were all very strong.

But after these guys finished building their houses, every single one of them immediately discovered some terrible things.

Food!

Gao Linzhi was also looking for food.

First of all, this is a desolate, icy wasteland.

Survival requires food and warmth.

The blizzard kept falling, making it extremely difficult to find food.

Even without snow, food is hard to find here.

The only possibility is to dig it out from the ground.

Elsewhere, there was no food at all.

Anyway, Gao Linzhi didn't care.

He knew that food might be hidden beneath this icy tundra, but it was all a matter of luck.

After all, finding clues about food in a snow-covered landscape is extremely difficult.

Sure enough, others had thought of this as well.

They continued digging for food.

As expected, someone dug up some moss and humus from the ground.

These are all organic substances, and organic substances can provide energy.

Gao Linzhi disposed of these things appropriately.

Of course, this Substitute Puppet doesn't actually have to worry about eating.

He was just putting on an act for others.

But for the others to survive, they would need to actually eat these things.

Some people suddenly felt they couldn't hold back any longer.

"Where would we find food in this freezing weather?"

"We need to go out and look for a river nearby, or for seals, or any kind of sea fish."

"We need to find something to eat!"

"We can't really eat dirt, can we?"

Needless to say, they wasted their time and found nothing.

And at this time...

More and more people are realizing that the food they're looking for is right under their feet.

These are the only foods available on the ice sheet right now.

Since it's an ice field, the ice and snow act as a natural refrigerator.

Soon, others began digging downwards in the same way.

Needless to say, all they found was soil and moss, with maybe a few remaining bones.

At this point, someone couldn't help but complain, "We've come all this way just to eat this dirt and moss? Isn't that ridiculous?"

"I won't eat it, I'd rather starve than eat it."

Many people are waiting silently.

They did indeed choose to starve rather than eat.

Some people even tried to wander around in search of food.

Many people, however, simply stayed there, preferring death to eating dirt.

Time, on the other hand, passes by day by day.

These people finally began to realize they were in trouble.

That means they really will starve to death.

"Damn it, are we really going to have to eat dirt?" Everyone looked around.

They certainly didn't want to be eliminated so easily, thus paving the way for others.

They also dreamed of acquiring extraordinary skills so they could have the freedom to eat beef.

They want others to die, as that aligns with their thoughts and interests.

These people looked at each other.

They were getting hungrier and hungrier.

There is no shortage of water.

After all, there's plenty of ice and snow.

And fuel is also available.

Those were frozen logs dug out of the ground, along with moss.

Although digging them up is somewhat difficult, at least their basic physical condition and gaming skills are still intact.

Although the mountain chief sealed their Mysterious Energy, many of their game skills can still be effective.

After all, that's a realm of rules that even the headmaster can't reach.

Suddenly someone said, "Since we don't want to eat that dirt, then we can only eat meat."

"Yes, we can only eat meat now."

Everyone had already thought of this.

It all comes down to who breaks the deadlock first.

"There are over 200 people here. If we just stick with it for a month, it's actually quite simple."

"Let's do the math, it weighs over 100 pounds, it should definitely survive."

"Moreover, this place is covered in ice and snow, so there's no shortage of water and no worry about it rotting."

Of course, their biggest difficulty was the selection criteria for the headmaster.

Would doing that kind of thing lead to their complete failure?

After all, the other party needs to be a person of virtue.

They immediately turned their attention to the others.

Just as I expected.

When Gao Linzhi saw this, he couldn't help but sneer.

These guys have all gone through a rigorous selection process to get to this point.

What moral compass or ethical standards would they have?

They don't care about morality or ethics; they only have one thought: to get rid of the other party.

So these people will follow in their ancestors' footsteps.

So, when the 8th day arrived, these people finally couldn't bear it any longer.

They started to...

The ugliness between them was truly on full display.

And others started doing the same thing.

Only a very small number of people choose to remain aloof like Gao Linzhi.

Finally, someone started to focus their Gao Linzhi.

Gao Linzhi looked at the two people who had come before him.

They just happen to be Feng Qi and Luo Shao, those two fools.

The other person was so hungry they were almost blind.

"Damn it, I've never experienced this hunger before."

"Yes, I've only ever been too full; I've never been hungry."

"I have to eat it..."

They stared at Gao Linzhi.

Because they were from the same area, they felt that Gao Linzhi was much weaker than the people from the old district.