Lucy Lu shot a glance at Evan Chu before continuing, "This Hunting Tournament against Sea Dragon Academy is really a life-and-death battle. All students should be mentally prepared—danger and opportunity go hand in hand.
This is also a mission. Only if you complete it smoothly will you receive rewards from the academy when you return—the better your ranking, the better the reward!
"What kind of rewards?" a student asked.
"Ordinary Class students will have their monthly Starstone stipend changed—from one Starstone to three, provided you make it back alive.
Also, for those who rank in the top hundred, each place higher earns you one extra Starstone. If you make it into the top ten, you can get up to ninety Starstones."
Lucy Lu's words immediately sparked the students' interest. "Instructor Lu, why don't you tell us the rules for this tournament?"
"This time, the tournament is different from before. Every student in the academy must participate—even those in the weapon-smithing and alchemy classes. The only difference is the level of difficulty.
Inferior Class students only need to collect ten Magic Crystals to finish their task. Ordinary Class students need fifty Magic Crystals, while Elite Class students must gather at least two hundred to complete the mission."
"You've been talking for ages and still haven't gotten to the point. When did our pretty instructor learn to keep us in suspense?" one student complained impatiently.
Evan Chu didn't care much about these Magic Crystals—he already had his Starstone supply lined up. Still, he listened, if only to keep a low profile.
"Once you've completed your task, you can return through the teleport array. Of course, if you want to rank for extra rewards, you'll need to collect even more Magic Crystals. Your final placement depends entirely on how many Magic Crystals you bring back," Lucy Lu continued, her voice ringing out across the classroom.
Many students thought this sounded unfair. What if a group pooled all their Magic Crystals and handed them to one person? Who else could hope to win? Or what if the stronger students just robbed the weaker ones halfway through?
"I know what you're worried about. Since fairness is our top priority, the academy has a solution. See this red stone in my hand? This is how we keep things fair."
Evan Chu glanced at the red stone in Lucy Lu's palm. A faint ripple of energy shimmered across its surface—clearly, this was no ordinary rock.
"This is an extremely rare Redshine Stone. Inside, there's a small space, kind of like a storage belt, but it has a special ability—it records the owner's aura. If you put Magic Crystals inside, even if someone else steals them, they won't count for that person's score. When you finish your task, any leftover Magic Crystals in your Redshine Stone will be yours to keep."
So if you lack strength, finish your quota and get to the teleport point as fast as possible. If another student kills you on the way, you'll lose everything—opportunity and danger go hand in hand. I hope all of you can complete the task." As Lucy Lu finished, she gave Evan Chu a pointed look.
One last thing: only those who finish their quota can use the teleport point to return. If you haven't, don't think you can cheat the system. If you try, you'll be sent straight to the strongest monster beasts—and trust me, surviving that is next to impossible."
"Instructor Lucy, where do we complete the task? And what rank are the monster beasts we'll be facing?" a student asked immediately, voice trembling.
In the Heavenly Dragon Kingdom, there's a special Monster Beast Forest that only Heavenly Dragon Academy and Sea Dragon Academy can reach, thanks to their unique teleport arrays. For your safety, a peerless expert once cleared out all the highest-level beasts inside. Now, the strongest monsters you'll encounter are sixth- or seventh-rank.
Of course, after all these years, who knows if eighth- or ninth-rank beasts have appeared? But the teleport array only allows those below the eighth layer of the Earth Martial Realm to enter. If you run into real danger, even we can't help you.
"Instructor, can we just not go?" one student asked, voice quivering with fear.
"Sure—if you can beat me. Otherwise, you have no choice but to participate!" Lucy Lu replied sternly, her eyes sweeping the room. She hadn't expected so many cowards among her students.
At that, the classroom fell silent. Lucy Lu was an eighth-layer Earth Martial expert—who would dare challenge her?
"Now I'll hand out the Redshine Stones. Tomorrow morning, meet me at the academy's teleport array. Whether you live or die, win or lose, it's all up to your luck!" As she finished, a pile of Redshine Stones appeared on the podium.
Evan Chu's mind was racing. Entering the Monster Beast Forest was seriously dangerous. Roxanne Lin, Jenny Sima—they'd be at risk too. He had to protect them, and watch out for anyone in the academy who held a grudge against him, not to mention Sea Dragon Academy's top dogs. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
After receiving his Redshine Stone, Evan Chu left the classroom. "Evan Chu, once you enter the Monster Beast Forest, you're dead for sure!" Ryan Ouyang muttered darkly from the corner.
He'd wanted to see Roxanne Lin and Jenny Sima before leaving, but Evan Chu forced himself to hold back. If they met now, with a month apart looming, they'd probably get all mushy—and if he lost control and did something reckless that delayed his entry into the forest, it'd be more trouble than it was worth.
The next morning, the Martial Testing Ground at Heavenly Dragon Academy was already packed before Evan Chu even arrived. With such rich rewards on offer, everyone wanted a shot.
Evan Chu quickly found Roxanne Lin and the others. After a brief exchange, Dean Xavier's voice rang out over the crowd.
"Students, this tournament between Heavenly Dragon Academy and Sea Dragon Academy is your chance to bring glory to our academy. I hope you'll seize victory with everything you've got!
Of course, you'll need real strength to do that. In the Monster Beast Forest, you'll face countless monsters—and Sea Dragon Academy's disciples. What should you do if you run into them? Simple: kill! Wipe them out, leave no survivors!
Let me give you a tip—the fastest way to rack up Magic Crystals is to kill Sea Dragon Academy students. If you kill your own Heavenly Dragon classmates, their Magic Crystals won't count toward your score.
Sea Dragon Academy students carry Blueshine Stones, while you all have Redshine Stones. These stones were prepared specifically for this tournament. When you meet them, they'll try to kill you without hesitation—so you'd better do the same. No holding back!
The tournament lasts one month. Do your best to survive—we'll be waiting here for news of your victory! Now, follow me and enter the teleport array in order."
Dean Xavier rambled on for ages, making everyone restless. Finally, it was time to enter the teleport array, and the tension in the air was electric.
The teleport array was set up in one corner of the Martial Testing Ground—a massive circular platform with four gates. Each gate had a stone pedestal in front, with a huge groove carved into it, just like the ones on the Stellar Cultivation Chamber altars.
Dean Xavier walked up to the four gates, then took out dozens of high-grade Starstones and placed them one by one into the grooves on the pedestals. Instantly, waves of energy rippled through the gates.
"Elite Class students enter the first gate, Ordinary Class the second, Inferior Class the third, and the fourth is for the weapon-smithing and alchemy classes. Get moving! The teleport array burns through Starstones like crazy, so don't waste time!"
One by one, the students stepped through the gates and vanished. When Evan Chu crossed his assigned gate, he felt space twist violently around him—a crushing pressure bore down, but after a few breaths, it was gone. He found himself standing in a vast, primordial forest: the Monster Beast Forest, the real battlefield.