Chapter 50

Xiao Ji said, "The preliminary round lasts for three days. After three days, the top six hundred candidates with the highest points can enter the final round!"

"The rest of the candidates will be cleared from the field and taken back to the Liao Yuan."

"The biggest difference in the final round is that powerful demonic beasts, which are imprisoned in the underground caves of Demon Dragon Island, will be released. These demonic beasts are not something ordinary high school students can handle!"

"If you can slay them, the points you gain will be much higher than those from slaying ordinary demonic beasts!"

"Furthermore, the six hundred candidates will be randomly divided into two teams, red and blue. The teams can attack each other freely. Once you 'kill' an opponent, which means forcing their Pujiju to spray protective gel, all of the opponent's points will be yours!"

"This means you not only have to fight the demonic beasts but also compete with other candidates!"

Li Yao felt a surge of excitement. Being able to enter the final round means each candidate carries a large number of points. Instead of going through the trouble of slaying demonic beasts, it might be better to attack the opposing candidates. Just one 'kill' could be equivalent to slaying dozens or even hundreds of demonic beasts.

This competition rule undoubtedly stirs up the intense fighting desire of young people, bringing out their full potential!

Xiao Ji continued, "The rules are roughly like this. After two days of the final round, the candidates who still survive will be ranked according to their points. The higher the rank, the more likely they are to be noticed by the observers from the 'Nine Greats.' The outstanding ones might even be 'specially recruited' without having to go through the college entrance exam, so, Li Yao, work hard!"

"Specially recruited!"

Li Yao's throat felt dry, and he licked his lips, asking, "Xiao Ji, how many students have been specially recruited in previous competitions?"

The white Pujiju tilted its head, thinking, and a faint "buzzing" sound came from deep within its body.

Li Yao recognized the sound of the crystal brain operating at high speed, probably collecting data.

After a moment, Xiao Ji said, "In the past three challenge competitions, on the 571st competition field, an average of fifty-one candidates have been specially recruited by the 'Nine Greats.' Even if not specially recruited, there is still a possibility of 'reduced score admission.'"

"What is 'reduced score admission?'" Li Yao asked.

"For example, if you have a talent in a certain area that is very suitable for a particular university, but your overall strength is not too strong, and your final points rank in the hundreds, or even if you encounter a very powerful demonic beast at the beginning of the final round and have to withdraw from the competition, it doesn't matter. As long as you are noticed by the observers from the 'Nine Greats,' they will sign a contract with you, giving you a discount of five points, ten points, or even twenty points on the college entrance exam!"

"Wow!"

This made Li Yao truly excited. The college entrance exam is like a thousand soldiers crossing a narrow bridge, "one more point, and you surpass a thousand people." This is not an exaggeration!

If he suddenly had a discount of ten to twenty points, the chances of getting into Deep Sea University would be greatly increased!

"Great, even if I can't make it into the top fifty out of three thousand and can't get the 'special recruitment' qualification, as long as I perform well and secure a five-point or ten-point 'reduced score admission' discount, it won't be a waste of this trip!"

Li Yao's mouth was dry, and he was incredibly excited, feeling boundless energy and boiling blood, wishing it were already the next morning so he could start the battle immediately.

"No, I need to calm down, go to sleep, and maintain my physical strength and energy. Tomorrow is the decisive moment!"

Li Yao lay on the bed, hands behind his head, forcing himself to sleep, but he couldn't fall asleep.

In his mind, he saw the scene of "Demon Blade Peng Hai" riding the Xuan Niao war shuttle in the sky above the playground.

That reckless, overwhelming dominance was deeply etched in his mind, unforgettable.

"Can I become the second Peng Hai?"

Li Yao opened his eyes wide, staring at the rust on the ceiling, tossing and turning, making the single bed creak.

...

While Li Yao was tossing and turning on his single bed, on the deck two levels above, Si Jiaxue was welcoming a special guest in another single room.

"Professor Xie, thank you so much for coming. I didn't expect you to come in person."

Si Jiaxue said respectfully, greeting the expert in artifact refinement from Deep Sea University, Professor Xie Tingxian.

"Little girl, just call me Grandpa Xie. There's no need to be so formal. Your grandpa and I have been friends for nearly a hundred years. When you were just born, I even held you in my arms, hahaha."

Xie Tingxian chuckled, then changed the subject, "Little girl, what brings you to Grandpa Xie? Just so you know, if it's about the competition, Grandpa Xie can't just let things slide!"

Si Jiaxue smiled faintly, "Grandpa Xie, my specialty is data calculation and analysis. I am likely to become a management-type cultivator in the future. The most famous artifact refinement department at Deep Sea University might not be suitable for me—so don't worry, I won't put you in a difficult position."

Xie Tingxian's face turned red, "Little girl, don't think I'm petty. Being an observer involves very complex relationships. Sometimes I have to say these things upfront."

Si Jiaxue nodded and took out a crystal brain from her backpack, handing it to him.

"I understand, Grandpa Xie. I asked you to come mainly to have you check this crystal brain. It's a relic from my grandmother, a 144-year-old antique. It broke a few days ago, and I had it repaired. Although it works fine now, I'm not sure if there are any hidden problems, so I want you to check it for me. Is it convenient?"

"Ah, I see, it's a small matter."

Xie Tingxian sighed with relief, his face relaxing as he casually glanced at the crystal brain. He exclaimed, "Ah," his eyes shining with interest.

"It's a Guangling 7-type tubular crystal brain from 144 years ago, a very rare antique. It's well-maintained, very good, very good. You said you had it repaired? These days, there aren't many people who can repair such old antiques. I should take a good look. If the internal structure is damaged, it would be a great pity!"

Xie Tingxian lightly waved his right hand, and without any spell, the crystal brain flew into his palm, spinning. Then, as if manipulated by an invisible hand, the components of the artifact began to detach from the main body, floating in the air, revealing the intricate internal structure of the tubular crystal brain.

"This is—"

Seeing the heat sink with obvious modern crystal brain cooling structure, yet seamlessly integrated with the classical style of the tubular crystal brain, Xie Tingxian was taken aback.

"What's wrong, Grandpa Xie? Is there a problem?" Si Jiaxue became nervous.

"Little girl, this is where you're wrong," Xie Tingxian drawled.

"What did I do wrong?"

Si Jiaxue was at a loss, a hint of confusion appearing on her fair face.

Xie Tingxian looked at her, seeing that she really didn't understand, and frowned.

"Little girl, your crystal brain was clearly repaired by a master."

"This master redesigned the heat sink structure with a very ingenious approach, and the assembly technique is also very skilled and perfect. It ensures the stability of the structure and the cooling efficiency, and also leaves room for future upgrades. Even more, it can add another heat sink to form a more efficient cooling group, increasing the performance of your crystal brain by more than 10%!"

"Such deep knowledge of antique crystal brains and such high skill must be from an artifact refiner."

"You should know that every artifact refiner has their own dignity and strong confidence in their work. You chose to have it repaired by someone, but then you don't trust them and bring it to me for inspection. This is a great insult to them!"

"If they find out, they will not only be angry with you but also with me. They might challenge me to see if I have the qualifications to inspect their work!"

"Is it that serious?" Si Jiaxue was startled.

"You're not an artifact refiner, so you don't know the rules. Every piece of work is the heart and soul of an artifact refiner, like their child, and they don't allow others to tamper with it! In such a situation, you should at least inform the person and get their permission before I can inspect it. Did you talk to them?"

Si Jiaxue shook her head, very confused.

"Ah, I was careless, thinking you just had it repaired casually. I didn't expect it to be a true master. This is a bit troublesome now," Xie Tingxian said, somewhat annoyed.

"But, but I did have it repaired casually. I asked a classmate," Si Jiaxue stammered.

"What, your classmate—a high school student?"