Chapter 196: Jungle Survival

Time flies, and before I knew it, the Four Saints Selection Tournament had been going on for nearly half a month.

The competition was fair yet brutal; those lacking in strength and skill were swiftly eliminated, transforming from contestants into mere spectators of this grand event.

With over a million participants, at least eighty percent had been filtered out in just half a month. Those who remained were not only strong contenders but also skilled individuals, shedding the label of being filler candidates.

The preliminary round for the “Earth Spirit Pulse” category that Hen and Miss Vilyric participated in was quite simple. It involved randomly gathering hundreds of contestants to sit together and complete a timed exam, akin to a test, with the top ten highest scores advancing.

Although the questions were noticeably more challenging than the entry-level ones at registration, overall, they were still quite standard. Miss Hen, being an expert in this field, had no trouble at all, and Miss Vilyric breezed through the selection as well.

However, to be honest, compared to the group combat format of the martial arts competition, this uncertain waiting and anxiety around the results felt rather new for the Priestess, who was used to controlling situations. Especially, for some unknown reason, that examiner had coincidentally placed her as the last of the ten finalists, giving Miss Vilyric quite a scare.

Though she didn’t expect to achieve any remarkable results, being eliminated in the first round would be quite embarrassing.

Now, both the literary and martial arts auditions had concluded, and next up was the more arduous qualifying competition.

Although there were less than three hundred thousand participants left for the martial arts qualifying round, if they proceeded with the old-fashioned one-on-one format, it would likely take over a month to finish, which was clearly too long.

This competition had unique circumstances, and it was said that the time for the fairy islands’ arrival had already been predetermined. Thus, the four countries had to find a way to compress the schedule, determining the winner as fairly and quickly as possible.

So, the format for this qualifying round had also undergone significant changes.

Outside Xingyuan City.

“Survival in the wild? Doesn’t that sound like a summer camp? Are the competition designers a bit off their rockers?”

Miss Vilyric casually flipped through the thin booklet of competition rules while throwing in her two cents, leaving the other two, who had gathered temporarily waiting for the match to start, looking quite helpless.

“They’ve probably been planning and designing this for a long time. Look, besides the competition rules, it lists various outdoor living supplies and catalogs of common tools. It would be tough to supply three hundred thousand people in a large forest for several days without prior preparation.”

Miss Hen, not participating in the martial arts event, remained in Xingyuan City. So, Miss Xiao Kong stepped up, volunteering to play the role of the team’s “think tank.” Following the direction of her cat paws, Miss Vilyric nodded slightly in agreement.

“This competition seems to have some merit. This vast forest, though not far from Xingyuan City, is one of the largest primitive forests within Dongyuanzhi Kingdom.”

“Not only does it have unpredictable wild environments, but the terrain here is also higher than the plains, making it a clearly marked natural competition venue that requires no upkeep costs.”

In those remote, uninhabited hills of the Ancient Spirit Realm, small evil demons and peculiar things often roamed among the primeval forests. If explained from a game perspective, they would be equivalent to randomly spawned wild monsters, perfectly adding difficulty to this competition without causing mass casualties.

The most intriguing part was that, although plenty of supplies had been prepped, according to the rules in this handbook, the officials would initially provide the contestants with a limited amount of basic supplies, and afterward, they would have to rely on finding resources within the forest for survival or exchange goods using “currency.”

This currency wouldn’t be the usual gold or silver circulating outside but rather a crucial item that everyone had yet couldn’t lose.

While it wasn’t explicitly stated in the rules, since the pamphlet clearly mentioned that “Crystal Jewels” could be used to exchange for any supplies, and each contestant would receive ten of these jewels alongside the basic supply distribution before entering the forest, the officials’ intentions became clear.

They were encouraging contestants to fight each other and plunder the Crystal Jewels from one another to secure their own living resources, with the jewels themselves representing contest qualifications. Losing all of them would result in immediate elimination, hence the contestants would certainly exert all their strength to fight for these.

A fierce jungle rule indeed! Even if the officials managed things well, many would likely perish in this competition. It seems that the Dongyuan Sacred Sect indeed adheres to the survival of the fittest approach.

One would need to survive in this primeval forest for a full five days, combating various outdoor environments and survival pressures while being wary of attacks from fellow competitors. This truly tested one’s overall abilities, not merely one’s realm or level.

To put it simply, one must not only know how to fight but also have a bit of brains.

“Let’s all take a look, figure out the rules first. We might end up separated, should I look for you? Or shall we rely on ourselves and play to our strengths?”

Murong Yun shook his head, speaking without hesitation.

“No need to worry about me; Miss Vilyric can act freely.”

“I won’t need it either. A mere contest organized by humans cannot trouble me!”

“Oh, really? …Alright then.”

Murong Yun and Miss Xiao Kong were both capable fighters, so Miss Vilyric wasn’t too worried about their safety. After a brief inquiry, she handed the instruction manual to Miss Cat Daughter and turned to look at the sea of people around them, continuously growing and almost endless, where a sense of anticipation welled up inside her.

Initially thinking it was just a formality, where disposing of a few small fries would suffice, she didn’t expect Dongyuanzhi Kingdom to come up with such a unique competition format. Survival in the wild, huh…

If she was right, there should be quite a bit of Lingyin Fairy Island’s influence behind this competition. Many designs and ideas were very advanced and couldn’t be deduced by the conventional logic of this world.

It felt like… there was another layer of meaning behind this competition format.

About an hour later, with the sun at its peak, the Eastern Yuan Guard arrived at the edges of the large forest, establishing several outposts. The contestants scattered around also began entering the forest in an orderly fashion under direction.

As expected, the order of entry into the forest had to strictly follow the number tags, so Miss Vilyric had to stagger her time with the other two and even go to different entry points of the outposts. In normal circumstances, it would be quite difficult for them to meet again in this vast forest.

Before entering the forest, the Eastern Yuan Guard conducted strict inspections of every contestant’s belongings. To ensure fairness, they were only allowed to carry necessary weapons and a small amount of supplies distributed by the officials. Other items, including space tools for storing goods, were temporarily held back and would be returned after the competition concluded.

This was the competition format, as well as a form of identity verification. Except for those with ulterior motives, normal individuals, even if reluctantly, could only follow the rules.

After all, the reputation of the Sacred Sect Alliance was well known, high in status, and with the fairy island’s assistance, contestants didn’t need to worry about their belongings being taken away. Thus, they entered the forest empty-handed.

Oh, of course, there was one exception for a certain former gamer who possessed a “backpack.”

   

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