Cultivation: But Not a Game-Chapter 71 - 34: Consuming the Vermilion Fruit, Second Minor Examination
"Let’s hope I don’t screw up, or it’s over for me."
The minor test is still held at the same place, but this time there are nearly twice as many participants as last time. Many newcomers, after several months of cultivation, feel their strength has improved and decide to give it a try.
People like Gu Zhiqiu and Zhuang Zhuo have gathered dozens of Golden-winged Flying Centipedes, feeling confident and wanting to test their strength.
The rules remain the same as before, but due to the increased number of participants, the first phase has changed from three rounds to five rounds of combat, with at least four wins needed to advance to the next round.
However, this doesn’t concern Su Yu, as he ranked eighth in the last minor test and is a seeded player, hence skipping the first phase.
So he was now sitting on the stage, watching Gu Zhiqiu and others challenge below.
The large arena was divided into 108 small stages, with Gu Zhiqiu, Shi Ning, and Meng Chen all taking the stage simultaneously, while it was not yet Zhuang Zhuo’s turn.
As the bell rang, the match began, and his gaze fell on Gu Zhiqiu’s stage.
Even though they all refined some Golden-winged Flying Centipedes, Gu Zhiqiu had the most, and he practices the Ten Thousand Gu Spirit Gathering Scripture, which increases 30 points of Gu Insect Qi Blood, 10 points of Gu Insect attack, and 2 kilometers per hour speed with each level advanced.
Even with just thirty levels, it could enhance all Gu insects by an extra 900 Qi Blood, 300 attack, and 60 km/h speed.
The Golden-winged Flying Centipede, a Level 40 Elite Template Gu insect, is already very high in health and attack, becoming even stronger with these boosts.
Unexpectedly, Gu Zhiqiu didn’t first summon the Hundred Gu Banner and Golden-winged Flying Centipedes but the Fifth Tier Magical Treasure, the Hundred Gu Spirit Gathering Bag, containing 1,000 Level 12 Ink Ball Bees.
Originally fist-sized, the Ink Ball Bees swelled under the Heart Skill’s boost, forming a black cloud nearly an acre wide, rushing forward.
The Ink Ball Bees, which originally had just two or three hundred health and could be swatted easily, now saw their health soar to twelve hundred, with battle power increased more than tenfold.
They swarmed densely around the shield, gnawing frantically, rapidly depleting the protective shield and breaking through it within a minute.
An effective trick overwhelms everything.
His strategy faced no opposition at the lower levels. Few could withstand a thousand Gu insects with fighting prowess equal to thirty levels surrounding them.
Even if someone could withstand the Ink Ball Bees, Gu Zhiqiu still had forty-five Golden-winged Flying Centipedes, boasting seven to eight thousand health points and being hard to eliminate quickly.
He charged straight forward, winning five consecutive battles and successfully advancing.
Comparably, Zhuang Zhuo and others didn’t possess the same strength. They all practiced ordinary Qi Refining Heart Skills, and their Gu insects didn’t receive boosts, with only a dozen or so Golden-winged Flying Centipedes each, resulting in mixed wins and losses.
Most of the time, when defeat seemed imminent, they would consciously concede, but some losses were inevitable.
By the time they completed five rounds of combat, each had lost several Golden-winged Flying Centipedes.
Zhuang Zhuo, with three wins and two losses in five rounds, was effectively eliminated early. Returning to the audience seating, he couldn’t help but say to his companions:
"Damn, I still need to save money for an Advanced Gu Dao Qi Refining Heart Skill."
Su Yu said, surprised:
"Does Thousand Feather City not have one?"
"No, the Gu Dao Stream is a niche stream located mainly in the southwest corner of the Barbaric Mountains of Blue Mountain Island. Here in Thousand Feather City, besides the Poisonous Mist Swamp, there’s nowhere suitable for insect reproduction, so naturally, there aren’t any Gu Dao Sects, which results in fewer Daoist Scriptures on this aspect."
"What about in Xuanzhen Immortal City?"
"Xuanzhen Immortal City certainly has, but it’s too far. It takes over a month to travel back and forth, and I didn’t have much money before, so I haven’t gone."
"But this time, things are different."
Zhuang Zhuo smiled cheekily at Su Yu and said:
"If you can get second place, we could make quite a sum, and you could make the trip."
"I certainly won’t let you down!"
"Good luck!"
Time passed as they chatted, and soon the first round of challenges concluded, with a host announcing the start of the second round shortly after.
The arena quickly transformed from 108 stages to 4, as names were called one by one.
"Now, will the number 8 contestant and number 81 contestant please come to stage 1."
Zhuang Zhuo immediately reminded him:
"Mr. Su, it’s your turn."
Su Yu nodded and stood up. Before leaving, he glanced back at the podium, where many guild leaders had arrived, but Chu Yixue was absent, replaced by Chu Xiaoyu, who smiled and waved at him as he turned to look.
He waved back, and an invisible force enveloped him, teleporting him away.
As the eighth place in the last minor test, his number was eight.
The opponent on the stage was someone unfamiliar, not seen in the last test, evidently gaining major strength in the past three months despite being previously unknown.
This person seemed a bit tense upon seeing Su Yu, clasping his fists in a salute:
"Qi Bo, please offer me your guidance!"
"Su Yu, please offer me your guidance!"
As the countdown ended, Su Yu pointed his finger to send the Sun Concealing Sword through the air.
Qi Bo’s expression turned serious, and a Treasure Pearl above his head lowered its Treasure Light to protect him, while he summoned a mirror to immobilize Su Yu. He then brought forth a second magical treasure—a gourd—but before he could activate it, the Sun Concealing Sword light was already coming directly at him. The sword light, like a snake, coiled around the protective treasure, causing the Treasure Pearl to tremble violently and its defense to plummet.
"Holy crap!"
He was shocked and was about to inject mana into his treasure to bolster defense when, halfway through the second circle of the flying sword, it already pierced the defense.
With a flash of sword light, he couldn’t even expand his protective qi shield before being forced off the stage via teleportation.
"Stage 1, contestant number 8 wins!"
"Awesome, my man!"
Back in his seat, several people gave him big thumbs up.
Su Yu smiled without speaking.
At that moment, nearby and distant people were all surprised, looking at him and whispering among themselves, while his opponents had various reactions—some surprised, some understanding.
The battles that followed were similar to the first; regardless of the opponent, he would always prevail with a single sword.
After several rounds, he smoothly entered the top sixteen.
Unexpectedly, Gu Zhiqiu also made it into the top sixteen, defeating several in the top thirty-two of the previous contest in the previous rounds; the refined-level Qi Refining Heart Skill was truly terrifying.
"Now, will the number 8 contestant and number 4 contestant please come to stage 2."
Su Yu jumped onto the stage, facing Xu Lulu.
Before the countdown ended, she summoned a black gourd, which expanded rapidly and spewed out endless water, transforming the ground into a watery zone tens of meters deep in no time.
She stood on the water’s surface, gathering water to form thunder in her right hand.
"Gui Water Divine Thunder!"
"Sea Suppressing!"
An invisible wave broke open, stagnating the water under Xu Lulu, freezing the surging Gui Water Elite.
Startled, Xu Lulu quickly activated her magical treasure, yet today, the once seamlessly-compliant treasure felt cumbersome, as if frozen solid.
She hurriedly launched the Gui Water Divine Thunder in her hand, and with a ’boom,’ Su Yu remained unharmed.
"2200 damage." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
"Without the Sea Suppressing Pearl reducing it by 50%, it would have been 4400."
"Indeed, thunder skills are powerful."
Su Yu clicked his tongue, and the Sun Concealing Sword arc cut across the stage.
Xu Lulu gently tapped behind her head, where a great bell emerged, draping yellow light down for protection.
"Dong!"
"Dong!"
The sword light surrounded, the bell sound was sonorous, and the Treasure Light trembled violently.
This defensive bell, at least of the sixth-tier, boasted defensive capacities up to tens of thousands, usually able to stand firm against swarms of monsters, yet today, under this flying sword, it felt like a floating lily pad in the wind, shaking intensely.
"So strong, much stronger than the last time."
"I am no match."
Xu Lulu didn’t hesitate long; she quickly realized the reality and chose to concede after merely holding out for three seconds.
"Into the top eight."
Returning to his seat, he noticed Gu Zhiqiu was absent. Looking towards the stage, he found him on stage four, facing off against Cao Ze.
Both being in the summoning stream, one side had refined-level Dao skills that enhanced Gu insects with the Dao skill, making them more powerful, while the other had a strong alliance, with the Ten Thousand Crows Pot amassing thirty-six elite-tier Three-legged Fire Crows, upgraded over three months to an average level above 60.
With fire attributes, the Three-legged Fire Crows naturally countered Gu insects.
The countless Ink Ball Bees amassed to form a black cloud covering nearly an acre, seemingly menacing, yet under the fiery clouds summoned by the thirty-six Three-legged Fire Crows, they stood no chance. Continuous snapping and crackling sounded, and Ink Ball Bees were continually burned and fell.
Only the forty or so Golden-winged Flying Centipedes were strong enough to hold on for a while, but not for long.
In just two minutes of intense battle, over 20% of the Ink Ball Bees were lost.
Thankfully, the refined-level Dao skill granted 900 additional Qi Blood; otherwise, normal Ink Ball Bees would have been burnt to ash long ago.
The battle concluded, with Gu Zhiqiu stopping at the top sixteen.
