Chapter 57

Li Yao's eyes widened: "Entrusted training?"

Principal Zhao explained, and Li Yao finally understood — "entrusted training" was a special form of cooperation between cultivation sects and universities.

In simple terms, if Li Yao was willing to sign such a contract, from the moment he graduated high school, he would be an official disciple of the Crimson Sky Sect, and the sect would send him to a university for training.

All tuition and daily expenses during this period would be covered by the Crimson Sky Sect, and after graduation, he would directly enter a company under the sect's umbrella to work!

This talent cultivation model was a one-stop service. As long as Li Yao signed the contract, he would be on a path of no worries and a bright future!

Zhao Shude smiled and said, "Our Crimson Sky Sect established a new company called 'Crimson Sky Real Estate' just two years ago, specializing in developing new towns on the border of the Federation. Once a new town is built, the profit is several times, even dozens of times, the initial investment!"

"But the border region is infested with demonic beasts, making it unsafe, and the area is desolate with poor logistics!"

"Therefore, we need talents with strong combat capabilities and knowledge of magical artifact manufacturing and maintenance to handle security issues during the construction period."

"If you sign the contract, after graduation, you will be a senior employee of Crimson Sky Real Estate. In a few years, you will be the next 'Peng Hai'!"

The next "Demon Blade Peng Hai"!

Li Yao's heart raced, his spirit soaring, his thoughts drifting far away.

Zhao Shude smiled slightly and continued, "You are very lucky, Li Yao. Do you know that even Elder Zhou of the Crimson Sky Sect values you highly? It was his arrangement that led to this 'entrusted training' contract for you."

"He is a true big shot. If you join the Crimson Sky Sect, you will be part of Elder Zhou's faction, and your future will be boundless!"

"However, you don't need to rush into a decision. Your performance has already caught the attention of several universities. Soon, someone else will come to you. You can compare your options to avoid regretting not having a choice later. Hahaha!"

Without waiting for Li Yao's response, Zhao Shude waved his hand and said, "In any case, perform well in the finals. Both I and Elder Zhou are watching you. If you have any conditions, feel free to bring them up. The Crimson Sky Sect will not let any talent down!"

As he spoke, the image flickered, and Zhao Shude's translucent figure turned into a white light and vanished.

Li Yao finally took a deep breath.

Goodness, he never expected to attract the attention of a big shot from the Crimson Sky Sect, with the chance to rise to the top in one step!

Should he agree?

He was still hesitating when Xiao Ji's tentacles gently swayed again, revealing a second translucent figure. This figure made Li Yao's heart beat even faster.

"Professor Xie!"

Li Yao bowed respectfully to the purple-robed old man in the translucent figure — he was none other than Xie Tingxian, the alchemy expert from Deep Sea University!

Xie Tingxian smiled and said, "Congratulations, Li Yao. In this year's competition, your ranking might not be the highest, but you are the most eye-catching. I won't beat around the bush. I have already sent your competition video to the admissions office of Deep Sea University. My requirement is that as long as you make it into the top fifty in the finals, I will secure a special admission slot for you! If you make it into the top hundred, I will get a '20-point reduction' benefit! If you make it into the top two hundred, I will get a '10-point reduction'! How does that sound, sincere enough?"

"Thank you so much, Professor Xie! I will definitely work hard to make it into the top fifty!" Li Yao said loudly.

"Good, this is a critical moment. I won't disturb your rest. Try to maintain a calm mindset and strive to perform at your best!" Xie Tingxian nodded at him and smiled, disappearing from the screen.

As Xie Tingxian vanished, another translucent figure, as if impatient, forcefully intruded into Li Yao's field of vision.

"Ding... Ding Lingdang?" Li Yao was taken aback. It was that female tyrannosaurus.

Ding Lingdang looked at him with a burning gaze, then said seriously, "Li Yao, you seem to have a misunderstanding about the Great Wasteland Combat Academy — yes, our 'Combat Department' is the strongest in the Federation!"

"But in the Combat Department, it's not just about bare-handed 'body cultivators.' There are also 'sword cultivators' skilled in weapons and close-combat magical artifacts. Since you come from Crimson Sky No. 2 High School, you must know that your school has a senior named 'Peng Hai.' After graduating from high school, he entered our Great Wasteland Combat Academy, specializing in the use of various close-combat magical artifacts. He later earned the title of 'Demon Blade'! If you don't want to be a body cultivator, that's fine. You can join our Combat Department as a 'sword cultivator,' which is also a great choice!"

The name "Peng Hai" made Li Yao pause, his eyes blazing with fire.

Seeing that he didn't reject her on the spot, Ding Lingdang's eyes became even more spirited, and she said, "To cut a long story short, I think you are a natural combat cultivator, very suitable for our Great Wasteland Combat Academy's Combat Department. As long as you can make it into the top three hundred in the finals, I will secure a special admission slot for you, with full tuition waiver and a large scholarship! How about it, Li Yao? Consider it!"

...

Even after Ding Lingdang's translucent figure disappeared into the air, Li Yao was still dizzy and his heart was racing, unable to calm down for a long time.

Before his eyes, it seemed like three golden paths stretched straight ahead, leading all the way to the pinnacle of the cultivation world!

Which university should he choose?

Li Yao sat cross-legged, calmly pondering the pros and cons of the three options.

Among the three choices, Ding Lingdang's invitation was clearly the most sincere.

With Li Yao's strength, as long as he performed normally, making it into the top three hundred in the finals shouldn't be too difficult. Moreover, Demon Blade Peng Hai graduated from the Combat Department of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy, indicating that this department wasn't just for body cultivators but also excelled in training 'sword cultivators,' which aligned with his strengths.

However, after careful consideration, Li Yao still ruled out the Great Wasteland Combat Academy first.

He had promised his deceased father that he would become an alchemy master. A pure combat cultivator deviated from his ideal.

The conditions offered by Principal Zhao were more in line with his aspirations.

The alchemy department of Nebula University, though not as highly ranked as Deep Sea University, could still produce treasures like the "Spirit Particle Collider," indicating its unique strengths.

This aligned well with Li Yao's interests, and all expenses would be covered by the Crimson Sky Sect. After graduation, he would directly enter a large company under the sect's umbrella, and in a few years, he could live a life of luxury with fancy cars, beautiful women, and a luxurious villa, a true rise to the top.

However, everything has its price. Once he signed a contract with the Crimson Sky Sect, he would be an official disciple of the sect, and the sect would decide what courses he would take. His future development path would be limited, and he wouldn't have the freedom to choose.

Since the Crimson Sky Sect was investing, they would certainly train him to be a specialized cultivator suitable for a specific job, like a component in a large magical artifact, a screw, forever bound to the sect's war chariot.

This was something Li Yao could not tolerate.

After much deliberation, Li Yao remained firm in his original intention. He would give his all in the finals, aiming to make it into the top fifty and secure a special admission slot at Deep Sea University!

Even if he couldn't make it into the top fifty, he would at least secure a 20-point reduction to improve his college entrance exam conditions.

Deep Sea University was his only choice!

"The finals are about to start, I can hardly wait!"

Looking at the distant Liao Yuan, which loomed like a giant bird in the dim clouds, Li Yao licked his lips and punched the sky.

"Wait and see, I'll show you just how terrifying an alchemy master can be when they get shameless!"