Chapter 49

The door of the cabin was adorned with a facial recognition symbol array. A red light scanned Li Yao's face, emitting two crisp beeps, and the door clicked open.

Inside was a very simple small room, with only a single bed and a tiny bathroom, not even enough space for a desk.

However, Li Yao knew this was special treatment for them.

On the crystal warship, single rooms were a privilege for officers; ordinary sailors lived in four-person, six-person, or even eight-person rooms.

Li Yao grew up in the tomb of magical treasures, where he could sleep soundly even on a pile of garbage. To him, this environment was luxurious. He strode in, tossed his luggage into a corner, and threw himself onto the single bed with a satisfied sigh.

“Puchi puchi, puchi puchi, hello, Li Yao, I am your dedicated Puchi Beast No. 2899. You can call me 2899 or Little Ji.”

A plump, round, and adorable Puchi Beast struggled to move out from under the bed, startling Li Yao.

The white Puchi Beast flapped its wings with great effort, flying to mid-air and said,

“From now on, until the end of the competition, Little Ji will serve Li Yao. I will explain the rules of the competition, answer your questions, help you communicate with the observers from the ‘Nine Greats,’ and record your every move during the competition, transmitting it to the monitoring center. If you encounter a fatal danger, Little Ji will call for cultivators to save you. So, don’t look at Little Ji as just a silly creature; I am your competition helper!”

Li Yao stared at the white Puchi Beast for a long time, puzzled, and asked, “Little Ji, are you speaking on your own, or is someone controlling you?”

The white Puchi Beast flew around his head, happily saying,

“I am not speaking on my own, and no one is controlling me. I have the most advanced crystal brain system installed in my body, with hundreds of thousands of divine commands pre-inputted to allow me to respond in real-time to various situations. I was jointly developed by Deep Sea University and Tiandu Medical College, not an ordinary spirit beast, but the most advanced ‘crystal beast,’ which is a spirit beast controlled by a crystal brain!”

“Ah, I see, truly advanced. This way, it can enhance the intelligence of the spirit beast without worrying about it losing control like a demon beast!”

Li Yao became even more determined to apply to Deep Sea University and continued, “Then, Little Ji, please explain the rules of the Extreme Challenge Competition to me.”

“Sure.”

The white fur on the white Puchi Beast's head wiggled, and it extended a fleshy, pink tentacle, the tip of which was a shiny artificial crystal.

A beam of light shot out from the crystal, forming a huge holographic screen in front of Li Yao. A flash of spiritual light revealed the holographic image of Demon Python Island.

“The Extreme Challenge Competition is a long-standing traditional event in the Federation, aimed at selecting talented cultivators for the ‘Nine Greats’ and providing an opportunity for students who excel in practical combat but not in theoretical knowledge to stand out.”

“The Extreme Challenge Competition is held two months before the college entrance exam every year, with nearly a thousand test zones across the Federation, each with 3,000 participants.”

“Fuguo City and its surrounding areas are key cultivation centers in the Federation, producing many cultivation geniuses. Therefore, the environment of Test Zone 571 is also very dangerous, known as one of the ‘death zones.’”

“The 3,000 participants must survive for five days on Demon Python Island, which is infested with demon beasts—Li Yao, don’t underestimate Demon Python Island. This was the final battlefield of the Starlight Federation and the Eastern Extreme Demon Kingdom, where countless corpses are buried deep in the ocean, and the demonic aura is overwhelming!”

“The demon beasts on Demon Python Island have been feeding on demonic aura for years, making them more ferocious than demon beasts in other places.”

The white Puchi Beast flew in front of Li Yao, flapping its short, thick wings, and said happily, “The five-day Extreme Challenge Competition is divided into the preliminary and final rounds. The first three days are the preliminary round, and the last two days are the final round.”

“Tomorrow at 9:00 AM, 3,000 candidates will be thrown onto Demon Python Island. You will only be wearing the simplest, defenseless sports tank top and shorts, with no weapons, no food, no water, not even shoes. Each person will have only one Puchi Beast.”

“What you need to do is survive for three days under the attacks of countless demon beasts.”

“Of course, you won’t always be unarmed. On Demon Python Island, there are dozens of ‘supply points’ scattered around, stocked with a large number of magical treasure components and supplies. If you have the ability, you can assemble magical treasures to fight the demon beasts.”

The holographic screen zoomed in on Demon Python Island, turning semi-transparent, and the specific locations of dozens of supply points appeared.

The white Puchi Beast continued,

“The most important concept in the competition is ‘points.’ Points are the only indicator to determine your final ranking.”

“Killing demon beasts earns you points, and the more powerful the demon beast, the more points you get.”

“To test the candidates’ all-around abilities, there are many ways to earn points. For example, if you are a magical treasure expert, you can try to assemble and repair magical treasures. If you have a talent for alchemy, you can discover various herbs in the jungle. In short, any actions you take on Demon Python Island that demonstrate your cultivation talent will be converted into points.”

“Another important concept is ‘trading,’ which is a rule specifically set for participants who are not good at combat.”

“Points can be traded during the competition. For example, if you have a talent for making magical treasures and assemble ten flying swords at a supply point, you can trade these flying swords to participants who are good at combat. As long as both parties verbally agree on a price, the Puchi Beast will automatically transfer the points, so you don’t have to worry about the other party reneging. This way, the competition is also fair for non-combat participants.”

Li Yao raised his right hand and asked,

“Let me interrupt for a moment. I want to ask—will there be a risk to life for support-type participants who are not good at combat when adventuring on Demon Python Island?”

The white Puchi Beast wagged its fluffy little tail,

“Li Yao, please don’t worry. After the competition starts, there will be more than twenty cultivators patrolling the skies over Demon Python Island. A special coagulant capsule is also embedded in Little Ji’s body. Once a candidate is in mortal danger or their accumulated injuries reach a fatal level, Little Ji will automatically spray out the coagulant, enveloping the candidate and notifying the patrolling cultivators in the sky.”

“This coagulant is a very powerful magical treasure that can protect the candidate from all sides. The demon beasts on Demon Python Island cannot break it, so you can rest assured!”

“Moreover, during the competition, all participants will temporarily have the identity of ‘Federation Army soldiers.’ If any accidents occur, they will receive the best medical treatment and compensation, with no worries.”

Li Yao nodded. The Extreme Challenge Competition has been held for over a hundred sessions, with the most comprehensive safety measures in place. He had overthought it.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “This is the preliminary round—what are the rules for the final round?”