Chapter 79

The massive amount of food the whale swallowed was all converted into the purest energy, continuously nourishing Li Yao's body, reinvigorating every parched cell, making them strong and vibrant with life.

"In the next month, I will train intensively, striving to recover to my peak condition. This year's college entrance exam, I will give it my all!"

Li Yao clenched his fist and swung it forcefully, and the air instantly crackled with the sound of tearing silk. A faint white ripple appeared where his fist had swept, slowly spreading out.

This white ripple made Ding Lingdang's eyes light up. "Do you have confidence in getting into the 'Nine Greats'?"

Li Yao fell silent for a moment, clenching his fist even tighter. "My spirit root is torn, and its development is only 7%. If you give me a year, I have confidence in recovering to 70%, or even pushing to over 90%—the realm of supreme strength! But a month is too short. To be honest, I don't have the confidence to win."

"However, even if there's only a 1% chance, I will put in 100% effort to fight—whether I win or lose, I'll only know after I've tried. Giving up without trying is not my style!"

"Very well, I knew it, you are destined to be part of our Great Wasteland Combat Academy!"

Ding Lingdang made no effort to hide the "ravenous" light in her eyes, as if she wanted to swallow Li Yao whole.

Li Yao was taken aback—Deep Sea University had abandoned him, and Chixiao No. 2 High School had forced him to drop out. He never expected that Ding Lingdang would still represent the Great Wasteland Combat Academy and extend an invitation to him!

Li Yao was puzzled. "My spirit root development is only 7%, and in the eyes of most people, I have become a 'waste.' Your Great Wasteland Combat Academy still sees potential in me?"

Ding Lingdang looked straight at him, earnestly saying, "When we first met, I told you that the Federation has nine elite universities, eight of which cultivate cultivators, while our Great Wasteland Combat Academy—only cultivates true warriors! This is not an exaggeration but the fundamental principle of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy!"

Ding Lingdang plopped down next to Li Yao and began to tell him about the history of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy.

Li Yao then learned that the Great Wasteland Combat Academy was very different from the other eight elite universities.

The other elite universities, except for the Federation's First Military Academy, were founded at the beginning of the Federation by various cultivation sects, with the purpose of cultivating cultivators and providing new blood to the sects.

From the start, they followed an elite route, typical of the "academic school."

The purpose of the Federation's First Military Academy was also similar, to cultivate cultivators for the military.

Therefore, these eight universities placed great importance on students' cultivation potential, especially the development of their spirit roots, and even a small difference was unacceptable.

The Great Wasteland Combat Academy, however, was different. It was spontaneously established by independent cultivators and civilian warriors in the demon beast wasteland, a true "wild path."

—In the northern part of the Federation, spanning millions of square kilometers, the natural environment is extremely harsh, with endless yellow sand and vast deserts, but beneath the ground lies a rich resource of minerals and crystal ore. Over the centuries, countless adventurers have come here to seek their fortune, settle down, and thrive.

However, this area is the most ravaged by demon beasts in the Tianyuan Realm, with as many demon beasts as the "Eastern Demon Kingdom" of old.

According to the speculations of many experts in the cultivation world, in the depths of the Great Wasteland in the extreme north of the Federation, there exist countless spatial rifts that lead to a vast world controlled by the demon race—the Blood Demon Realm!

The Great Wasteland is the border between the Tianyuan Realm and the Blood Demon Realm, and powerful demon beasts and demons from the Blood Demon Realm can continuously enter the Tianyuan Realm through these spatial rifts.

The Great Wasteland has thus become the eternal front line of the Starlight Federation, with continuous warfare for centuries, earning it the name "Demon Beast Wasteland"!

Despite the Federation's military stationing heavy troops in the Great Wasteland and various cultivation sects forming hunting teams to enter the wasteland to slay demons, the vast expanse of the Great Wasteland means there are many areas that the military and cultivation sects cannot reach.

The humans living in the Great Wasteland are always at risk of encountering demon beasts. After hundreds of years of natural selection, those who survive are all fearless, fierce, and powerful!

Survival of the fittest, the strong survive. After countless battles with demon beasts, these powerful individuals have become as fierce as the demon beasts themselves. Even ordinary people with poor innate talent, after surviving hundreds of bloody battles, might still become cultivators!

To survive, these powerful individuals naturally gathered together, passing on their combat experience to their peers.

At first, it was just simple "martial arts exchange meetings" and "hunting experience lectures," informal gatherings where people would sit around, roasting demon beast meat, and practicing martial arts and sharing experiences.

Over time, this evolved into an organization called the Great Wasteland Combat Academy. Some of the powerful individuals who were injured in battles with demon beasts and could no longer fight on the front lines would teach martial arts and combat experience to the young in this organization.

After centuries of development, through the hundred years of bloody battles with demon beasts, more and more powerful humans emerged in the Great Wasteland, even high-level cultivators. The strength and teaching level of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy continued to improve, eventually ranking among the "Nine Greats"!

As one of the "Nine Greats," the Great Wasteland Combat Academy still maintains its rugged, brutal, and combat-focused traditions. The criteria for selecting students are also different from the other "Eight Greats."

To become a cultivator, one needs a 100% developed spirit root and to awaken it.

However, to become a warrior, it doesn't need to be so complicated. Even if the spirit root development is only 1%, as long as one can still clench their fist, as long as their blood can still boil, and as long as they can face the roar of a powerful demon beast and charge forward without flinching—this is enough!

The Great Wasteland Combat Academy does not cultivate cultivators, it only cultivates warriors!

Ding Lingdang stared intently at Li Yao, earnestly saying:

"You just woke up, and I don't yet know to what extent your body can recover, so I can't give you any guarantees now. But please believe in the sincerity of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy. Li Yao, if you agree, in the next month, I hope to closely observe your training, further confirm your recovery status, and try to secure the best possible conditions for you. The 'special recruitment' period has passed, making it difficult to arrange, but 'reduced score admission' should be possible. I will do my best to secure the highest possible reduced score admission for you!"

Li Yao was finally moved.

The style of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy was completely different from that of Deep Sea University.

Ding Lingdang exuded a unique charm different from Xie Tingxian, a charm that, once a goal is set, she would persist until the end, never giving up halfway.

It made one's blood boil, wanting to fight alongside her, to the bitter end!

"How about it, Li Yao, I see the fire in your eyes, you are already moved, right! Be a man, be straightforward, in the next month, let's work together to create an unprecedented miracle, let those who look down on you regret it! Then we will enter the Great Wasteland Combat Academy's Combat Department in style, becoming a warrior who commands the winds and the waves, okay!"

Ding Lingdang was full of passion, completely burning!

Li Yao also became excited, slamming his fist and growling, "No!"

"Huh?" Ding Lingdang blinked, her expression blank, "What did you say?"

"No, I won't enter the Great Wasteland Combat Academy's Combat Department." Li Yao repeated seriously.

Ding Lingdang's beautiful face fell completely:

"Hey, Li Yao, we had a great time eating and chatting, and I told you about the glorious history of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy. The fire in your eyes was surging, you were clearly very interested, but to reject it so decisively at the end!"

"Interest is one thing, enjoyment is another, and the surging fire is another, but dreams—cannot be used as a bargaining chip!"

Li Yao looked straight into Ding Lingdang's beautiful eyes, solemnly saying, "Sister Ling, I am very grateful for everything you have done for me in the past month. When everyone else didn't believe in me and gave up on me, only your Great Wasteland Combat Academy still believed in me and saw me as a promising talent—this 'belief' is the most precious and invaluable treasure to me at this moment!"

"The founding history and philosophy of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy are indeed very much to my liking. You should have seen my background; I come from a tomb of magical artifacts, a small garbage worm, struggling to survive at the bottom from a young age, a true grassroots. A person like me is naturally suited for the Great Wasteland Combat Academy!"

"However, I must become an artifact master, not only is it my dream, but it is also a promise to my deceased loved ones!"

"The Combat Department of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy is the strongest in the Federation. I believe that many young people who yearn to become the strongest warriors are working as hard as I am to chase their dreams and strive to enter the Combat Department of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy."

"If I were to give up my dream of becoming an artifact master because of 'gratitude,' 'trust,' or 'compatibility,' and unwillingly enter the Combat Department of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy—this would be an insult to my dream, an insult to the Combat Department of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy, and an insult to the countless students who are working hard to get into the Combat Department of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy!"

"Therefore, I am very sorry, I cannot choose the Combat Department of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy. My first choice is still the Artifact Department of Deep Sea University!"

"As for the trust and help of the Great Wasteland Combat Academy, I will remember it all. When I become an artifact master and achieve success, I will definitely repay everything you have done for me."

"But once a dream is set, it must be pursued, and no one can change my path!"

Ding Lingdang listened to him quietly, her expression somewhat melancholy: "So determined? Not even 1% for the Great Wasteland Combat Academy?"

Li Yao hesitated for a moment.

For some reason, Xie Tingxian's slightly hesitant face and Ding Lingdang's voracious eating earlier flashed through his mind.

Just as he was about to nod resolutely, Ding Lingdang laughed heartily, revealing a row of white teeth: "You hesitated, so I still have 1% chance, right? I remember 'someone' said that even if there's only a 1% chance, they will put in 100% effort to fight, and it doesn't matter whether they win or lose after fighting, but giving up without fighting is not their style!"

"Very well, very well, those words resonate with me, I think the same way!"

"You not agreeing now is fine. In the next month, I will stick to you like glue, and the Great Wasteland Combat Academy will offer the most attractive conditions to let you fully understand our sincerity!"

"Unless I see you fill in 'Deep Sea University Artifact Department' on your college entrance exam application in a month, I will also persist until the end, never giving up!"

"Why?"

Li Yao really couldn't understand. He wasn't a narcissist and couldn't see what about him was worth Ding Lingdang's such persistence, not giving up!

Ding Lingdang stood up from the flame wings, spread her arms, and lightly stepped forward, swaying to the front of the Crimson Flame Combat Shuttle, standing on a solidified flame with her big toe.

Under the blood-red sunset, she looked like a beautiful goddess.

She squinted her eyes, fully enjoying the warmth of the sunset, and after a long silence, just as Li Yao thought she wouldn't answer, she slowly spoke:

"Because I see myself in you."

"What do you mean?" Li Yao was thoroughly confused.

But this time, Ding Lingdang just smiled faintly and refused to answer no matter how much Li Yao pressed her.

She stood there quietly, watching the changing scenery, her eyes somewhat lost, as if lost in distant memories.