This is the first time I've ever seen a free inn where people are forced to buy things. Qi Ling looked at the strange soup in front of her and couldn't tell what its ingredients were.
As for the others, they weren't fools either. Naturally, no one would be the first to drink such an obviously strange soup.
Seeing that no one was touching their food, the waiter said again, "What's wrong, esteemed guests? Don't waste this delicious tonic soup! Only by drinking this soup can you successfully reach the competition venue and achieve your desired results!"
Just then, a man suddenly stood up, drew his sword, and shouted, "Such an obvious trap! Do you think we're fools? This soup is clearly poisoned. I bet you're the enemy disguised as a waiter, trying to wipe us all out! What a pipe dream! I'll take your life right now!"
As he spoke, the man's figure seemed to flash like lightning, rapidly changing direction between the tables several times before arriving in front of the waiter. At the same time, the precious sword in his hand flashed with dazzling electric light, clearly indicating that he had added lightning power to his attack.
This man's strength should be among the top in the crowd, and his move was indeed incredibly amazing.
Surprisingly, the waiter, who had been all smiles until now, suddenly let out a cold laugh. Without making any moves, he simply reached out and grabbed the man's precious sword with his bare hands.
Then, with a crisp sound, the man's precious sword snapped in the hands of the waiter, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, flying backward and landing squarely back in his seat.
The waiter, who had just shown off his skills, now resumed his respectful smile and said, "Please don't misunderstand, everyone. I am indeed a staff member for this competition. Please don't panic."
"As for this soup, I'll be honest, it's poisonous! And very poisonous at that. But if you want to go to the competition venue, you have to drink this soup! Otherwise, you'll be disqualified from the competition!"
The waiter's bluntness caused everyone to hesitate again. Refusing the soup would disqualify them from the competition, but who knew what kind of poison it contained? What if they drank it and died instantly?
Seeing that no one was drinking the soup, the waiter said helplessly, "Please don't be so cautious, everyone. The toxin in this soup isn't a deadly poison, but rather a poison called ' Thousand-Day Drunkenness '!"
"As for its effects, those who drink this soup will be as if drunk, remaining in a drunken stupor for a thousand days, never to wake up! And the stronger the person, the weaker its effects will be."
Hearing this, everyone finally understood what the poison was for! Because they had to get to the competition venue within three days; otherwise, they would be disqualified from the competition.
Those who are not strong enough will fall asleep for more than the Thousand-Day Drunkenness time and be disqualified! Only those who are strong enough will be able to wake up within three days and go to the competition venue.
This can be considered the first round of qualification testing for all participants. One wonders how many other testing venues exist like this, and how many people will fail to qualify in this initial test.
Moreover, even if one can wake up within these three days, the treatment will vary depending on how long it takes to wake up. Being able to get to the competition venue earlier will allow for faster intelligence gathering and familiarization with the environment, which will naturally be more advantageous.
Looking at the nourishing soup in front of him, Qi Ling fell into deep thought. He was certain he would wake up within three days. After all, if even he was eliminated in the initial screening, the competition would be too strict.
However, Qi Ling was considering whether waking up too early would draw too much attention, which would contradict her stance of concealing her identity. Should she deliberately delay waking up for a day and wait until the next day?
More importantly, there are still Poison-Prohibition Domain within his own body. Whether these orally ingested toxins will even have any effect is another matter entirely. Does he really have to pretend to be asleep?
However, having witnessed the power the waiter had just displayed and the unintentional aura he released, it was clear that he was no ordinary person. If he wanted to continue participating in the competition, he had no choice but to drink the soup as he had instructed.
After all, no matter where you are, the one with the strongest fist always has the right to speak. Now that no one has a stronger fist than him, he naturally has to listen to what he has to say.
The man whose precious sword had just been broken by the waiter knew he had no other choice, so he gritted his teeth, picked up the bowl of soup, and drank it down. To his surprise, the soup was actually quite delicious, and he almost wanted another bowl.
Seeing that someone had started, the others also picked up their soup and began to drink it, including Qi Ling and Kurumi.
Seeing everyone pick up their bowls, the waiter said, "Please don't try anything funny. Anyone who doesn't drink or drinks very little will be disqualified! Trust in our abilities; there's absolutely no chance of cheating!"
With the waiter's kind reminder, everyone finished the soup in their bowls. Afterward, everyone felt a wave of dizziness and a strong drowsiness washed over them, causing them to involuntarily start yawning.
Looking at the people around her, Qi Ling felt a sense of foreboding. She wasn't sleepy at all; what was she going to do? Wouldn't this make her seem like a complete loner?
Left with no other choice, Qi Ling forced herself to yawn twice to show that she was absolutely not having any unusual reaction!
Afterwards, everyone went upstairs to their own rooms to rest. With such intense drowsiness, no one had the energy to continue.
Qi Ling pretended to be sleepy and was about to return to her room when she heard Kurumi say to her as Kurumi was about to part ways, "Goodnight. See you again when you wake up!"
In her own room, lying in bed, Qi Ling pondered this matter. Logically speaking, this initial screening should only eliminate those with truly poor skills, so anyone with decent abilities should be able to wake up on the first day.
Since he had decided to keep a low profile and choose to wake up on the second day, he would inevitably fall behind the top tier. As for Kurumi, although he had never witnessed her strength, Qi Ling felt that she should have woken up on the first day as well. How could they possibly meet again?
But Qi Ling had a vague feeling that things weren't so simple! Even if the two woke up on the same day, it couldn't be that the timing was exactly the same, could it? That would be too much of a coincidence.
So, as one day passed, and then another, Qi Ling stepped out of her room, only to see Kurumi also emerging from her own room, greeting her with her usual elegance. "Good morning! We meet again, as expected."
At this moment, Qi Ling's shock was unimaginable, but all she could say to Kurumi was, "Ah, good morning!"