Chapter 111: Elite Selection Tournament
"The academy has always followed a voluntary principle. Participation in the selection tournament is optional. Those who are willing to join—meet me at the square at the foot of the mountain."
"You have half an hour to decide."
After saying this, Qin Ming didn't wait to see how the students would react and directly left the classroom.
He was quite helpless. Due to the unique nature of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, most of the students here were either wealthy or of noble status. As a teacher from a common background, he truly couldn't afford to offend them.
Some of these students were not only beyond his reach—even the three Education Committee members wouldn't dare offend them.
All he could do was fulfill his duties properly.
However, there were two things he didn't mention: the teachers secretly assigned to evaluate them were not only responsible for scoring but also for ensuring the students' safety.
Of course, once a hidden protector made a move, it also meant that the student in question had been eliminated.
As Qin Ming left, the students became even more unruly.
Meng Yiran turned to Dugu Yan beside her and asked,
"Yan-yan Jie, should we participate?"
Dugu Yan nodded firmly, clenching her small fist.
"Of course we're joining! If I want to become a woman like the Pope of Spirit Hall, I have to grow stronger!"
Meng Yiran immediately put on a look of admiration.
"Wow, Yan-yan Jie, you're so charming!"
Dugu Yan raised her chin proudly.
"Hahaha, of course. Do you even know who I am?"
Watching from the side, Ye Lingling couldn't help but feel speechless.
At the foot of the mountain where Heaven Dou Royal Academy was located—
A wide square stretched out before them. Groups of students, led by their respective teachers, gathered one after another.
A rough estimate put the number at just over a hundred.
It might sound like a lot, but compared to the academy's massive student population, it was actually very few.
It could only be said that many of these students were too accustomed to a life of luxury and were unwilling to take risks by participating in something like the Elite Selection Tournament.
At that moment, three elderly men with distinct appearances slowly descended from the mountain peak and landed not far from the crowd.
They were the three members of the academy's Education Committee.
The chief, Meng Shenji, revealed a trace of satisfaction on his aged face as he spoke slowly:
"Regardless of your results, the fact that you dare to participate and challenge yourselves already makes you warriors!"
"I look forward to your outstanding performances in the selection tournament!"
For a noble academy like this, having this many participants was already quite commendable.
Then Meng Shenji waved his hand.
"Alright, board the carriages. Let's depart!"
Only then did Dugu Yan notice that, at some unknown time, luxurious carriages had already been parked in a corner of the square.
There was even a squad of armored Spirit Masters assigned to escort them.
After all, every student present came from influential families. If anything went wrong, the committee would have a hard time answering for it.
Following Meng Shenji's command, everyone—including Dugu Yan's trio—boarded the carriages in an orderly manner.
The convoy soon set off, heading toward the Hunting Soul Forest.
The Hunting Soul Forest had likely developed from wild Spirit Beast habitats similar to the Star Dou Forest.
Members of Spirit Hall had cleared out the stronger Spirit Beasts, leaving behind only those at the hundred-year and thousand-year levels, which were then raised in controlled conditions over generations.
Because of this, it was almost impossible to encounter ten-thousand-year Spirit Beasts in the Hunting Soul Forest.
Even if a thousand-year Spirit Beast managed to evolve, it wouldn't survive long before being eliminated by Spirit Hall's patrol forces.
Additionally, due to generations of domestication, most Spirit Beasts in the Hunting Soul Forest were far less ferocious than those in the wild.
This resulted in relatively low-quality Spirit Beasts, making the forest an unpopular choice for Spirit Masters with strong backgrounds.
Of course, there were exceptions.
For instance, the Mandala Snake that Tang San encountered in the original story—not only was it vicious by nature, but it was also extremely powerful.
Creatures like that were rare in the Hunting Soul Forest, but not nonexistent.
Inside the carriage—
Meng Yiran, seated to Dugu Yan's left, hugged her arm and said,
"Yan-yan Jie, Teacher Qin Ming said we could form teams. Let's form a team, the three of us."
Dugu Yan rolled her eyes and flicked Meng Yiran's nose lightly.
"Do you even need to say that? I wouldn't feel at ease if you two weren't with me."
Meng Yiran pouted, rubbing her nose.
"Who are you calling a little girl? You're only slightly older than me!"
Ye Lingling watched their playful exchange with a helpless expression.
After a while, when they finally calmed down, she spoke:
"Let's discuss our plan. Surviving three days in the Hunting Soul Forest isn't a problem. The real challenge is getting a high score—we'll probably need to hunt Spirit Beasts."
Although the academy's requirement was simply to survive for three days, that was only the minimum.
To achieve good results, they had to take action.
"Ah, Lingling, don't worry about it," Dugu Yan said with a mischievous grin, gesturing teasingly at Ye Lingling's chest.
"With Ranran and me here, you just focus on healing us."
Ye Lingling flushed red and spat lightly in embarrassment.
Seeing Dugu Yan's confidence, she didn't argue further.
She knew that Dugu Yan and Meng Yiran possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and with their Spirit Power already above rank thirty, they would have little trouble surviving in the relatively tame Hunting Soul Forest.
The distance between Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Hunting Soul Forest wasn't far.
In less than an hour, the convoy arrived at the forest entrance.
Dugu Yan excitedly pulled Meng Yiran and Ye Lingling off the carriage.
During the ride, most students had already formed their teams.
At the forest entrance, basic survival supplies were laid out. Many students had already collected their provisions and entered the forest.
Dugu Yan's group didn't linger. After each taking a set of supplies, they also stepped into the Hunting Soul Forest.
Once inside, all the noise seemed to vanish.
The air was fresh, bringing a sense of calm and clarity.
Dozens of three-person teams moved deeper into the forest, each heading in different directions.
From the moment they entered, they were no longer classmates—but competitors.
Naturally, no one would act together.
After entering the forest, Dugu Yan dropped her playful demeanor and became alert.
After thinking for a moment, she said:
"It's still early. Let's find a place to stay for the night first. We'll act tomorrow."
She raised her brows slightly, her eyes gleaming with a different kind of light.
"Tomorrow and the day after—two days is more than enough for us to hunt Spirit Beasts."
At night, many Spirit Beasts became active.
They wouldn't even need to search—chances were, the Spirit Beasts would come to them.
So there was no need to rush.
T/N: I will post super randomly now but worry not every time I post it's either 3 chapter to 5 chapters and I will post always in a week and will not always be gone for weeks