Chapter 66 Chapter 66 "The Fifth Beastmaster Academy Team,...
The individual competition has concluded, and the teamwork trial will officially begin tomorrow. Please pay attention to the 200 players who have advanced. Group notifications and task details will be sent to your private email address shortly.
A message was sent to Jiang Qing's Lingtong, and she looked at the information on it.
In the second half of the semester, the frequency of people going outdoors decreased significantly, and the casualty rate also decreased.
Jiang Qing reasonably suspected that this was the real purpose of the five colleges' free-for-all trip, to encourage students to go out and play on the streets less by holding a competition.
......
The next morning, all 200 students who advanced to the second round gathered in the college's largest tactical simulation hall.
A huge light screen was suspended in the air, with a list of randomly grouped people scrolling rapidly on it.
"Don't be paired with Senior Renata. It's too stressful..."
Jiang Qing heard the person next to him clasped his hands together and prayed quietly.
Jiang Qing looked over in confusion. He had already passed the first round, so how could he still be a coward?
The man stared at the light screen.
Soon, the grouping results came out.
Jiang Qing came back to his senses and looked at his ranking.
Team number: 17
[Members: Huoqiushan (ranked 28th), Zhao Peng (ranked 39th), Jiang Qing (ranked 46th), Xu Weiran (ranked 101st), Sun Haoran (ranked 121st)]
There are five members in the group, three of whom she knows. Who is the last one, Sun Haoran?
She looked up in confusion, and a pair of eyes met hers.
Sun Haoran?
Jiang Qing looked at her a few more times, and then she walked around the crowd and came towards her.
Sun Haoran pushed up his glasses and introduced himself: "I'm Sun Haoran. Please give me your guidance. I will do my best to cooperate."
"Hello." Jiang Qing blinked.
Since people took the initiative to greet her, I think they know her, so there is no need to introduce myself in detail.
Sun Haoran naturally stood beside her.
But after a while, Zhao Peng, Huo Qiushan and Xu Weiran also came up, and the five of them formed a small group.
The team is assembled.
Jiang Qing looked at the few people calmly.
According to the list provided by the academy, the five of them are all combat-type. Among them, Huo Qiushan and Xu Weiran's spirit pets are mainly offensive attributes, Zhao Peng and she are defined as defensive attributes, and Sun Haoran is spiritual attribute.
Huo Qiushan and Xu Weiran are Earth-level beastmasters, while Zhao Peng, Sun Haoran and she are Human-level beastmasters.
The overall strength of all teams ranks in the middle.
At the same time, the huge screen announced the details of the second round of trials:
[Teamwork Trial: Go deep into the 'Mirkwood' simulated environment, obtain the 'Ancient Tree Heart' (0/3) in the core area, and successfully escort it back to the starting point.]
The rules are as follows:
【1. The mission is limited to 6 hours.】
[2. The Ancient Tree Heart is guarded by the powerful spirit beast, the Decaying Tree Demon (simulating Earth Rank 1 strength). A tactical response is required.]
[3. There are a large number of wild spirit beasts of level 5 to 8 in the dense forest, and they will actively attack.]
[4. If all team members are killed or fail to return within the time limit, the mission will fail.]
[5. The final score is based on multiple factors including task completion time, team coordination, resource consumption, and tactical application.]
[Tip: During the trial, different teams are allowed to cooperate, compete, and attack to a limited extent.]
The rules were so complete that Jiang Qing was almost moved to tears.
"A level one Earth-rank guardian spirit beast?" Sun Haoran gasped. "Isn't this too difficult?"
"Inter-team attacks are allowed..." Huo Qiushan frowned, "It seems that we not only have to deal with the monsters in the environment, but also have to guard against other teams."
"Why don't the rules specify when it starts?" Zhao Peng asked in confusion.
As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding light flashed and everyone was teleported into the sky.
The air was humid, the sun was blinding, and the wind was so fast it hurt my face.
Below was a tall shrub forest, filled with the smell of rotten leaves and soil, and the rustling and growling of unknown creatures could be heard from time to time.
“Fuck!”
"I'm not even ready yet!"
"Is it so sudden?"
Everyone fell rapidly from a great height.
When skydiving, people still bring a backpack. If you don’t prepare anything, you will lose blood if you fall.
Although I know this is a simulated competition and I won't really die, the pain is my own. Who knows if I fall from such a height, I will be eliminated directly.
“…”
"Zhu Tianba." Jiang Qing quickly formed seals to summon Zhu Tianba while assessing the surrounding situation.
Only a few people have flying spirit pets, but most people still summon their own spirit beasts to help take the blame.
Without Jiang Qing saying anything, Zhu Tianba opened a space crack and teleported the two of them safely to the ground.
There was no one else in the forest, not even her teammates.
Jiang Qing looked at Zhu Tianba again, and it quickly understood.
Four black cracks opened up collectively, and four people and four beasts walked out of them at the same time.
Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba cooperated smoothly, and the space rift accurately pulled the scattered teammates to their side in an instant.
The five people and four beasts landed safely, quickly gathered, and observed their surroundings vigilantly.
The Qingbao Spirit Snake from Huoqiu Mountain coiled around his shoulder, its tongue flickering as it sensed the energy fluctuations around it. "We've been randomly dispersed, and the other teams must have been as well. We must act quickly."
Xu Weiran's pearlescent clam floated in front of her, its shell slightly open, the pearl inside emitting a soft glow, ready to respond to any attack: "The map and the location of the tree heart are unknown, we need to scout first."
Sun Haoran closed his eyes for a moment, then pointed in a direction: "At three o'clock, three hundred meters away, there's a small group of Level 6 Ordinary Sharp-Toothed Boars foraging. It's not difficult to avoid them. The path ahead is relatively safe."
She then added, "My pet, Psylocke, can vaguely sense the direction of energy flow."
A butterfly with intricate eye-shaped patterns on its wings fluttered gently at her fingertips.
"Okay, let's maintain our formation and advance steadily," Jiang Qing ordered. "Save your energy and try to avoid unnecessary fighting."
The team began to move cautiously eastward.
Along the way, they relied on Sun Haoran's spirit butterfly reconnaissance and Zhu Tianba's dodging to cleverly avoid several groups of wild spirit beasts.
When encountering an unavoidable battle occasionally, they can rely on Zhao Peng and Xu Weiran's spirit pets to hold on, while the spirit snakes of Huoqiu Mountain are responsible for strangling, quickly resolving the battle and minimizing consumption.
After about two hours of marching, they encountered the first other team.
It is the 7th ranked team. The captain is a third-year senior, and the contracted beast is a ninth-level mortal "Gas Leopard".
The two sides met by a stream and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
"Jiang Qing?" The senior student had obviously heard of her name. "I heard that your White-Haired Scaled Pig's spatial ability is very tricky."
"Thank you, Senior." Jiang Qing remained alert. "There are three mission objectives. There's no need for us to clash now and waste time and energy."
The senior's eyes flickered, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.
He looked at the strict formation of Jiang Qing's team and their spirit pets in good condition, then glanced at the two tired team members behind him, and finally smiled: "That makes sense. We'll see in the core area."
He led the team to slowly retreat and leave in another direction.
"I was scared to death." Xu Weiran patted his chest, "I thought we were going to have a fight."
"They're not in as good shape as us. If a fight really happens, they'll be the ones to suffer," Sun Haoran analyzed. "Jiang Qing handled it very well."
"Keep going." Jiang Qing didn't dare to relax. "The closer we get to the core area, the more intense the competition will be."
Sure enough, the deeper we went, the more teams we encountered.
Some teams chose to warily avoid each other, while others engaged in small-scale conflicts, fighting for better routes or trying to weaken their competitors.
Thanks to their excellent reconnaissance and mobility, as well as Jiang Qing's decisive command, Team 17 narrowly avoided melee several times.
During this period, Zhu Tianba used space folding many times to lead the team to conduct short-distance collective teleportation, bypassing difficult terrain or ambushes, saving a lot of time.
After four hours of trekking and fighting, they finally approached the core area.
The trees here are taller and more twisted, the air is filled with disturbing decayed energy, and the pressure emanating from the "Corrupted Tree Demon" guarding the "Ancient Tree Heart" is already faintly perceptible.
"There's a battle ahead." Huo Qiushan, who was in charge of reconnaissance, received the message from Qingbao and warned.
The five of them immediately crept forward and hid behind a huge cluster of mushroom caps.
In an open space in the core area, three teams were engaged in a melee. Their targets were obviously the three ancient tree shadows in the center of the open space that emitted soft green light and seemed to be made of energy.
That is the carrier of the ancient tree heart in the mission target.
Guarding the ancient tree is a five-meter-tall giant beast made of rotten wood and twisted vines.
It's called the Corrupted Dryad.
A strange beast in the form of a plant.
The tree demon waved its vine tentacles like a giant python, each time with a force that should not be underestimated. At the same time, sharp roots would occasionally pierce out from the ground, making it difficult to defend against.
The three teams had to attack each other for the chance to get close to the ancient tree, while at the same time avoiding the attacks of the tree monsters. They looked very embarrassed. Many of their spirit pets were already injured, their light was dim, and they were obviously about to collapse.
"It's the 3rd, 11th, and 15th ranked teams," Zhao Peng murmured. "They're fighting fiercely, and the tree demon has been drawn to most of the firepower."
"Our chance has come." Jiang Qing's eyes lit up. "While the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. Wait until they consume another wave and the tree demon's attention is completely attracted. Then we will quickly advance and seize the tree heart."
"Tianba, get ready, you may need to make a long-distance space jump." Jiang Qing touched Zhu Tianba's head.
Zhu Tianba responded in a low voice: "Plenty of energy, no problem."
A few minutes later, the melee on the field reached a fever pitch.
The 15th-ranked team was the first to collapse. One of the team members' spirit pet was hit by the tree demon's vines and turned into white light and "died". They were forced to retreat and withdraw from the fight.
The 3rd and 11th teams also suffered heavy losses, and the status of their spirit pets plummeted.
Jiang Qing knew that the time to take action had come.
"Action!" Jiang Qing whispered.
"Armor, charge. Attract the tree monster's attention!" Zhao Peng called out and gave orders.
The Iron-clad Bull mooed and flew out from the Seal of Contract. Its body flashed with cold light and its brand-new armor gleamed brightly. With a "moo" sound, it flew towards the Decaying Tree Demon like a heavy tank.
"Zhu Guang, cover the attack." Xu Weiran commanded.
As everyone rushed forward.
Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba disappeared silently from their original places in an instant.
"Space folding, maximum distance."
The next moment, they appeared next to the shadow of an ancient tree emitting green light.
The diamond-shaped mark on Zhu Tianba's forehead burst out with a strong green light, and the power of space enveloped the shadow of the ancient tree, trying to forcibly peel it off and collect it.
There is no doubt that accidents happen.
The rotten tree demon that was originally attacking the Iron-Armored Bull seemed to sense that its core was touched. It let out a deafening roar, and a huge crack suddenly appeared on its main body. A dark shock wave as thick as ink instantly hit the position of Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba.
This attack came too fast and too suddenly, far exceeding the level of the first earth rank, and was obviously the "hidden killer move" of the simulation program.
Jiang Qing's pupils dilated, it was too late to dodge.
It was also unrealistic to release the golden shield while moving.
Needless to say, the golden light in Zhu Tianba's eyes suddenly increased, and he was able to do two things at the same time as continuing to collect the tree heart.
Zhu Tianba did not choose to defend himself, but instead madly compressed the powerful force of spatial suppression into a very small area in front of him, forming an absolute barrier that distorted space.
Bang--
The dark shock wave slammed hard into the space barrier.
The barrier trembled violently and a crack appeared.
The creations produced in a short period of time have not yet been polished in terms of their effects.
Zhu Tianba groaned, and the golden light around him became chaotic, obviously he was under tremendous pressure.
But this brief moment is enough.
With a soft "pop" sound, the first "ancient tree heart" was successfully collected, turning into a green light and sinking into Jiang Qing's wrist counter.
"Walk!"
The space folded again, and Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba disappeared on the spot in great danger. The dark shock wave destroyed the place where they had just stood.
"Retreat!" Jiang Qing gave the order without hesitation.
The Iron-Armored Bull and Clam quickly broke away from contact with the tree demon. The five-man team reunited and ran back the way they came without hesitation.
"They got it!" The two teams that were still fighting were shocked and angry. They wanted to stop it, but they were entangled again by the vines of the recovered Decaying Tree Demon. They could only watch Team 17 go away.
The return journey was equally rough.
Upon learning that the tree heart had been taken away, the other teams became furious and tried to intercept it.
Team 17 fought and retreated.
Zhao Peng and Xu Weiran were in the front, while Huo Qiushan was responsible for clearing the way. All three of them were covered in wounds.
Finally, after 5 hours and 47 minutes, Team 17, exhausted, successfully returned to the starting point with an "ancient tree heart".
[Team 17, mission accomplished, took 5 hours, 47 minutes, 22 seconds, and successfully captured an ancient tree heart.]
[Calculating teamwork score...]
[Rating: S-level]
Congratulations to all members of Team 17 for successfully advancing to the third round of the actual combat simulation.
The system's prompt sound is like the sound of nature.
The S-level rating means that they are only one step away from the main team.
Sun Haoran and Xu Weiran knew that they ranked too low in the first individual competition. Even if they narrowed the score gap a little in the second game, they were no longer able to join the main team.
Based on my current results, if I perform well in the third round, I can become the captain of a team.
This is already a great honor for both of them.
After a short break, the six-hour period was up, the competition was over, and the scores of all the teams were released.
There are a total of 40 teams, 3 teams received S-level rating, 5 teams received A-level rating, 12 teams received B-level rating, and all members of the remaining teams with rating C were eliminated.
The personnel who will enter the school team have been basically confirmed, which are the 100 people left now, and everyone’s competition goals are also very clear.
When they came out, the expressions on everyone's faces when they looked at the people around them were no longer friendly, but full of provocation.
......
After two days of rest and adjustment, the final 100 qualifiers entered the third and final round of selection.
Actual combat simulation melee.
Everyone was collectively teleported into a scaled-down "Battlefield of Ten Thousand Beasts" simulation environment.
The terrain here is complex, including forests, hills, swamps, deserts and other landforms. There are also some resource points and neutral beasts scattered around, and the simulated strength ranges from mortal level to earth level.
[Rules: Survive and fight in this environment for 72 hours.]
[Initial points per person: 100.]
[Defeat wild spirit beasts to gain corresponding points (5-30 points).]
【Defeat other contestants and take away half of their current points. 】
[Points can be exchanged for recovery potions, temporary buffs, etc. at supply points that appear randomly on the battlefield.]
[After 72 hours, the top 7 players ranked by points will become the main players and substitutes for the five colleges' scrimmage, and the 8th to 100th place players will become members of the school team.]
[If you die in battle (your points are reset to zero), you will be teleported away, but you will still retain your membership in the school team.]
[Reminder: This will be the ultimate test of your survivability, combat prowess, resource gathering abilities, and strategic vision. Please take this seriously.]
A flash of light passed, and the 100 contestants were randomly scattered in various corners of the battlefield.
Jiang Qing found himself in a dense jungle, with Zhu Tianba standing guard beside him vigilantly.
"Hide first, observe the environment, and collect resources." Jiang Qing made a decision immediately.
She and Zhu Tianba moved quietly with the help of the jungle terrain, and avoided some powerful wild beasts with the help of Zhu Tianba's perception. At the same time, they collected some familiar herbs and minerals for backup, which could be exchanged for a small amount of points at the supply point or used directly.
During this time, she also encountered other contestants.
Some choose to avoid vigilantly, while others take the initiative to attack.
Jiang Qing showed no mercy and directed Zhu Tianba to use his spatial ability to appear and disappear swiftly and his powerful control ability to quickly defeat several opponents, and his points steadily increased.
She tried to avoid prolonged fights to avoid attracting other coveters or powerful wild beasts.
As night falls, the temperature in the simulated battlefield drops sharply, visibility decreases, and the risk factor increases greatly.
Jiang Qing found a hidden cave, set up a simple early warning system, and took turns resting with Zhu Tianba.
That night, the sounds of battle and the roars of spirit beasts could be heard from time to time in various parts of the battlefield. It was obvious that many people chose to move at night or were forced to fight.
The next day, the competition became even more intense.
The standings in the standings are constantly changing.
Jiang Qing met Zhao Peng, and the two worked together briefly, ambushing a three-person team, dividing their points, and then quickly separated.
In this kind of melee, temporary cooperation is acceptable, but long-term teaming up will easily make you a target of public criticism.
She also saw the figures of Renata and Huo Qiushan. These people were like the gods of death on the battlefield. Their points were frighteningly high, and almost no one dared to provoke them.
Jiang Qing carefully avoided their activity area.
The next afternoon, Jiang Qing encountered a fierce battle.
She was ambushed by the 12th-ranked contestant, who had contracted a ninth-level mortal "Shadow Leopard" that was extremely skilled in sneak attacks and violent assaults.
In order to protect Jiang Qing, Zhu Tianba took a heavy blow from the Shadow Leopard and was seriously injured.
Jiang Qing was heartbroken, and ordered Zhu Tianba to use space tearing to severely damage the Shadow Leopard. In the end, he killed the opponent in a thrilling counterattack and won a lot of points, but Zhu Tianba's condition also became worse.
She had to spend a lot of points to exchange for high-level medicine and energy supplies at the supply point before Zhu Tianba could stabilize.
This made her realize that preserving the state was crucial.
On the last day, there were less than forty survivors, and the fight for points reached the most critical moment.
Jiang Qing has always maintained a top 20 position in the standings thanks to Gou Wang's strategy and Zhu Tianba's powerful attributes.
The final countdown began, everyone went crazy, and the final fight took place everywhere.
Jiang Qing hid in a swamp, holding his breath, listening to the fierce fighting sounds in the distance, and silently calculating the time.
Zhu Tianba lay beside her, his wounds had mostly healed, and he looked around with sharp eyes.
[72 hours have passed, and the actual combat simulation melee is over! ]
【All survivors will be teleported back to the lobby. 】
[Final points ranking is being calculated...]
The light flickered again, and Jiang Qing and Zhu Tianba returned to the familiar tactical hall.
Figures kept appearing around me, most of them were injured, and their expressions were either tired, excited, or depressed.
On the huge light screen, the final ranking is scrolling and calculating rapidly.
Everyone stared at the screen nervously.
The names on the screen scrolled quickly.
[1st place: Renata - points 2845]
[No. 2: ...]
[3rd place:......]
[4th place: Ma Chengyin - points 2251]
[No. 5:......]
[No. 6: ...]
[7th place: Huoqiu Mountain - points 1651]
[8th Place: Jiang Qing - Points 1265]
12th Place: Zhao Peng - Points: 1220
[15th Place: Meng Yanlang - Points 1190]
The top six were all members of the school guard or well-known third-year masters.
Jiang Qing, ranked eighth, is 386 points away from the bench.
Many people felt sorry for her, but Jiang Qing thought it was a good thing, as it would suddenly reduce a lot of pressure on her.
Eighth place is the best result she can achieve with her current strength and strategy.
[I declare,] the head teacher's voice echoed through the hall, [The Fifth Beastmaster Academy team is officially established!]
[Main players: Renata, Ma Chengying, ...]
Substitutes: Huo Qiushan, Chen Hao
[The remaining 92 people are members of the school team. They will go to the Ten Thousand Beasts Battlefield together to fight for the honor of the school!]
Applause and cheers instantly filled the hall.
Jiang Qing lowered her head and looked at Zhu Tianba, who was also looking up at her at her feet.
The bright light of the hall was reflected in Zhu Tianba's amber eyes, and he was a little confused about the humans' cheers.
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