A mont later, everyone finished reading the rules and gathered to discuss their strategy.
"This trial is going to be very difficult. Everyone needs to be ntally prepared."
Shao Hong’s gaze swept over the group, his expression grave.
"Besides the barbarians, we also need to be wary of the other apprentices."
Guan Ling froze for a mont upon hearing this, then asked in surprise, "Why? The rules explicitly forbid apprentices from killing each other!"
"The rules only forbid killing other apprentices; they don’t say you can’t attack them!" Shao Hong said with a grim expression. "In past trials, the academy has always been strict and rciless in punishing those who violate the rules. However, they completely ignore any actions that don’t."
Hearing this, the others understood, and their expressions shifted slightly.
Indeed, the rules only stated you couldn’t kill other apprentices. They didn’t say you couldn’t fight.
That left a lot of room to maneuver.
For example... forcing soone to transfer their points through violence!
Jiang Weifang swallowed and whispered, "Maybe the Crystal Bracelets don’t have a function for transferring points?"
Shao Hong said aningfully, "It’s possible, but not likely. Do you really think the academy would be kind enough to disable that feature?"
’Of course not!’
The sa answer popped into everyone’s minds almost instantly.
High Tower Academy had always operated on the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, and it actively encouraged competition among students. The words "peaceful coexistence" simply didn’t exist in the academy’s dictionary.
Not to ntion, this trial had laid bare its cruelty from the very beginning.
You didn’t have to be a genius to figure out that the academy would most likely condone, or even encourage, apprentices to steal points from each other.
Shao Hong’s gaze was dark as he said, "Don’t underestimate the cruelty of the trial."
"Many people die in the trial every year, and it’s not always at the hands of the trial’s targets. I’m afraid so of those deaths are caused by other apprentices."
"After all, as long as you don’t do the deed yourself and you’re discreet about it, it doesn’t count as breaking the rules."
His words left everyone looking at each other, their faces heavy.
A Wizard had countless ways to kill soone indirectly!
"So, when you encounter other apprentices during the trial, you must be on high alert."
"Also, I suggest we form teams in groups of two or three. That way, we can look out for each other without hurting our hunting efficiency."
The group exchanged glances and nodded in agreent.
After all, the Star Spirit Society had been founded not just to exchange information and knowledge, but for the crucial purpose of mutual aid during trials. Naturally, no one would object at a ti like this.
Shao Hong glanced at Pei Ze and said, "Of course, anyone who teams up with and Pei Ze must pay a daily fee of three hundred contribution points or Three Hundred Gold Coins. Any objections?"
No one objected.
This had been discussed and agreed upon long ago.
Pei Ze and Shao Hong were both Second-level Wizard Apprentices, their strength far surpassing the others. It would be a disadvantage for them to team up with First-level Wizard Apprentices like the rest, so demanding compensation was perfectly reasonable.
Three hundred contribution points or Gold Coins was expensive, but if it ant passing the trial, it was well worth the price.
Having reached a consensus, the group stopped talking. They sat down cross-legged on the spot and closed their eyes to rest, conserving their energy for the battle to co.
Half an hour passed quickly.
Pei Ze, who was ditating with his eyes closed, suddenly felt sothing. He snapped his eyes open and was surprised to find that a seven-colored rainbow light had enveloped the Floating Battleship at so point.
As the light flickered, the distorted void outside the ship was faintly visible.
A sudden understanding dawned on Pei Ze.
’We’re passing through a planar barrier!’
After four or five breaths, the Floating Battleship shuddered violently and began to noticeably slow down.
At the sa ti, the rainbow light surrounding the ship slowly dissipated.
Pei Ze’s expression flickered. He stood up and walked to the edge of the deck to look out.
A deep, azure expanse instantly filled his vision.
On the vast ocean, rolling waves t the blue sky, forming a horizon that stretched to infinity.
A dark, raised silhouette stood silently on the horizon—clearly the trial island they were heading for.
A crack slowly opened in the dark clouds above the island, allowing a dim, white light to shine down upon it.
It gave off a sense of mysterious tranquility.
"Is that the trial island?"
The mbers of the Star Spirit Society had also co to the edge of the deck to gaze at the distant island.
"It looks huge."
"That’s normal. It has to accommodate over a hundred thousand people, after all."
As they drew closer, the full view of the island gradually ca into sight.
The island was oval-shaped, wide at one end and narrow at the other, sowhat resembling a whale. More than a third of its area was covered by forest.
Just as they were observing it, Ai Yuan’s authoritative voice rang out again.
"We have arrived at the destination. The trial begins now!"
The instant the last word was spoken, Pei Ze’s vision went black. When it cleared again, he found himself in a dense forest.
There was no one around. He was all alone, surrounded by towering ancient trees.
"A mass Teleportation Technique?"
Pei Ze clicked his tongue. ’And a random one at that. The Star Spirit Society’s plan to team up is probably ruined.’
On an island this vast, it wouldn’t be easy for them to find each other.
Just then, Pei Ze felt sothing strange on his wrist. He looked down and saw that a Crystal Bracelet had appeared on his left wrist at so unknown point.
"...The thods of an Official Wizard truly are mysterious and unpredictable."
This Crystal Bracelet was obviously the tool used for recording points.
Pei Ze placed a hand on the Crystal Bracelet and infused it with a sliver of Spiritual Power. Information on how to use the bracelet quickly flooded his mind.
The Crystal Bracelet could absorb the Soul Energy from dead barbarians and convert it into corresponding points.
In addition, the Crystal Bracelet had functions for transferring points (Soul Energy) and viewing a real-ti leaderboard.
"Just as I thought. I knew the academy wouldn’t be so kind."
Pei Ze could already imagine how fierce the coming competition would be.
After all, why go through the trouble of hunting barbarians when stealing soone else’s points was so much faster?
Especially since you could even check other people’s scores on the leaderboard.
This ant that the higher-ranked apprentices on the leaderboard would undoubtedly beco pri targets for others.
The trial had no rules about one-on-one duels.
No matter how powerful an apprentice was, they couldn’t fight off multiple opponents at once.
Of course, Pei Ze was an exception.
He wasn’t afraid of being outnumbered.
’Could there possibly be more of them than the two thousand Fog Crows inside Wuyu?’
Calming himself, Pei Ze casually activated the leaderboard on his Crystal Bracelet.
Countless thread-like azure lights instantly shot out from the bracelet’s surface, weaving together in the air to form lines of text.
Before long, a translucent, illusory leaderboard appeared before Pei Ze.
1st Place: Gu Lin, 5 Points
2nd Place: Jiang Jingwen, 3 Points
3rd Place: Huang Chen, 1 Point
...
"Soone’s already clashed with the barbarians?"
Pei Ze was a little surprised, but on second thought, it made sense.
A vessel as massive as the Floating Battleship stopping at the edge of the island would be impossible for the barbarians to miss, unless they were blind.
They had most likely prepared in advance, waiting to launch an attack the mont the Wizard Apprentices set foot on the island.
’I wonder how many people will be caught off guard and killed in this first wave of attacks?’
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Pei Ze’s expression suddenly shifted, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Speak of the devil."
The instant he finished muttering to himself, three sharp spears tore through the air from behind and to his side, whistling loudly as they aid for his forehead, neck, and chest!
Despite the surprise attack, Pei Ze’s expression remained unchanged. A Fine Steel Longsword materialized in his palm, and he spun around, swinging it in a series of lightning-fast motions.
In an instant, with three dull THUDS, the three spears were deflected almost simultaneously, clattering to the ground a short distance away.
At the sa ti, Pei Ze rapidly chanted a string of syllables, thrust out his empty hand, and gave a sharp tug.
THUMP!
With a muffled crash, a figure was flung out from behind a tree and slamd onto the ground. Its body was twisted into a grotesque angle as if struck by a heavy hamr, clearly dead.
Mage’s Hand!
"Kill!"
Seeing their ambush had failed, the attackers no longer hid themselves and charged out from behind the trees.
There were twelve attackers in total, all clad in simple clothes made of animal hides. They were tall and burly, with knotted muscles, exuding a savage and primitive aura.
Diluo Barbarians!
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