Chapter 398: The Final Trial Begins! Shocking Rewards!

Chapter 398: The Final Trial Begins! Shocking Rewards!

The sky was a vast expanse of blue, the sun dazzling and the temperature scorching. Yet, these did not dampen the fervent excitement of a significant portion of the crowd.

This day was a highly anticipated event, as the final trial of the profession assessment was about to commence.

All young beastmasters in the Dragon Nation under the age of twenty-four and below the Monarch rank would gather here for a final ranking.

Who among the younger generation would be crowned the true number one?

Undoubtedly, this title was even more thrilling than the rewards, which were sure to be impressive.

Therefore, even after the provincial exams ended and a full seven days of waiting, when the final trial began, and over two hundred participants from various provinces and top academies across the nation assembled,

They still dominated the headlines at the fastest speed, capturing the attention of the public.

In the days leading up to this event, discussions about the final trial from all sides never ceased.

The focus of these discussions was primarily on who had the strongest abilities and who had a chance to claim the top spot.

The loudest debates were not about the low-key and mysterious Ye Zhou, the top-ranked student from the Mole Capital Academy, nor Chen Zhan, the seemingly humble but innately arrogant top student from the Capital City Academy.

Instead, it was Su Ping who was the center of attention.

Indeed, Su Ping was the youngest among the over two hundred participants, but the discussions about his chances of winning the championship were intense.

The reason was simple: the hundred swords unleashed during the provincial exams were incredibly shocking and terrifying.

Additionally, the insights and research on the origami man, as well as the appearance of the super skill and the Zhou Tian Five Elements Body, sparked extensive debates.

Of course, some believed that Su Ping's skill had a lengthy 'preparation' time, which might be a disadvantage in the arena.

Once in the arena, opponents would surely find ways to counter it.

Whether he could fully utilize the skill at that moment was uncertain.

Moreover, the live stream that abruptly ended without incident was constantly on everyone's mind.

The public was extremely concerned about Su Ping's well-being.

Although many had captured photos of Su Ping, proving that the genius breeder was unharmed,

Whether he could participate in the upcoming final trial was still uncertain in the eyes of many.

Online speculations never ceased, and keyboard warriors continued to voice their opinions, unaffected by any indirect hints.

And today, on the first day of the final trial, the truth would be revealed!

This was an enormous venue, occupying a vast area, several times larger than the Heart of Ten Thousand Souls.

Beneath the main hall were dozens of equally spacious arenas.

However, the division of these arenas was not ordinary, as faint illusions filled the space ripples, indicating the use of special technology.

Simultaneously, a familiar face appeared on the giant screen:

"Hello, viewers watching the live stream, and welcome to those of you here at the venue! I am your host, Liu Xun, honored to host this final stage of the young beastmasters' assessment, where we will witness the prowess of our Dragon Nation's rising beastmasters! Let's wish them good luck, but before that, I will introduce the rules."

The charming host, one of the top national hosts, did not elicit any dislike.

After a brief pause, Liu Xun continued:

"There are a total of two hundred and sixty participants in this final trial, including one hundred and eighty contestants from the top ten of each province and eight selected from the advanced beastmaster academies.

Therefore, the competition will be divided into two rounds.

The first round is the preliminary round, where two hundred and sixty contestants will engage in beastmaster duels with ten opponents consecutively!

There will be ten consecutive beastmaster duels, with a five-minute break in between. No medical or recovery assistance will be provided by the officials.

Only those who achieve eight or more victories in these ten duels will qualify for the second round of the elimination tournament.

To ensure fairness, opponents will be assigned pseudo-randomly, and the top-ranked contestants from each province will not face each other prematurely..."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the venue and watching the live stream gasped in shock.

Although the officials had previously announced the format of the final trial, the competition rules had not been disclosed.

Based on speculations, it was known that this would be an arena-based confrontation, a true test of the beastmasters' individual combat abilities.

However, no one expected the first round's rules to be so harsh: ten consecutive battles against completely different random opponents?

Elimination after three losses?

In other words, there was only a three-loss margin in these consecutive battles.

If one exceeded three losses, they would not even qualify for the second round of the elimination tournament?

"Isn't this too difficult? Only a five-minute break? And no recovery or treatment provided? Doesn't this favor pets with recovery abilities?"

Some expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangement, while others agreed:

"There are almost three hundred participants! If each battle is fought individually, how long will it take?"

"Exactly. The young beastmasters' assessment is about finding the best among the rising generation from all aspects. Recovery pets are not favored in combat, so it's good that they can showcase their utility now."

"But if one fails once, won't it be challenging to turn things around? Or what if the injuries are severe?"

Some considered this aspect: if recovery was hindered, and the battles were too intense, even if one won the current match, it would be challenging to endure the subsequent continuous battles.

"So, when facing a difficult opponent, one can choose to concede to preserve strength. This young beastmasters' assessment is not just about combat abilities but also the beastmasters' judgment and wisdom!"

Not only were all the viewers surprised, but even the contestants who had arrived at the waiting room, ready to enter the arena, furrowed their brows.

No wonder the officials haven't announced the competition rules yet; they've been preparing something like this?

Su Ping's expression remained calm. In fact, if he wanted to, he could have found out about this earlier, but there was no need.

"Interesting, I'm looking forward to it," said a familiar voice beside Su Ping.

Su Ping turned his head curiously. It was Ye Zhou, whom he hadn't seen since arriving in the capital.

Su Ping raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here? Are we in the same rest area?"

Ye Zhou smiled, "Of course, I came here to find you. How's your preparation going these days?"

"It's going well. I can easily take first place, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Ye Zhou carefully examined Su Ping from head to toe, "Wow, you're so arrogant? It seems you're very confident. Since that's the case, don't blame me for what I'm about to do. My move might just be used on you!"

"Hmm?" Su Ping gave him a suspicious glance, "What move?"

"Hehe, you'll find out later."

This guy was being mysterious.

Su Ping rolled his eyes and didn't bother to respond. His calm gaze remained on the floating TV in the rest area, where the host was continuing, "The second round of elimination battles will be determined by a draw. Simultaneously, the opponents will be decided based on the first round's battle situation and provincial ranking!"

"The top twenty will receive rewards, including one self-selected Imperial Beastmaster resource of their choice! Additionally, they will become honorary directors of the local Beastmaster Association..."

As expected, when the beautiful host, Liu Xun, spoke again, revealing the final rewards, all the contestants who were initially nervous about the competition format became excited and started discussing enthusiastically.

The value of an Imperial Beastmaster resource didn't need to be stated.

Not to mention, there was also a position as an honorary director of the Beastmaster Association.

Even if it was just a local position, it was still at the provincial level. Only Monarch Rank Beastmasters, and among them, the stronger ones, could have the privilege of being an honorary director.

The privileges and social status they would enjoy were unimaginable.

It would also provide substantial benefits for their future development.

However, this wasn't the end. "If you can improve your ranking and make it into the top ten, in addition to the top twenty rewards, you will also receive an additional reward from the officials. You can choose a cub of an Imperial Beastmaster beast of your choice within the specified range..."

This sentence once again caused all the contestants in the rest areas to look at each other in surprise, and then they burst into unimaginable enthusiasm and discussion.

A cub of an Imperial Beastmaster beast?

No Beastmaster could refuse such an offer!

A cub of this level was no longer a treasure measured by value.

Moreover, those who could reach this level were mostly at the peak of Overlord Rank, just one step away from advancing to Monarch Rank.

Many didn't even have a suitable beast as their fourth pet yet.

A cub of an Imperial Beastmaster?

But before everyone could calm down, Liu Xun spoke again, "If you geniuses can enter the top five and secure a position in the top five rankings, in addition to the top ten rewards, you will have the option to change your reward to a dragon pet. These five dragons offered as rewards are all extraordinary."

Dragon!

In the Eastern country named after the dragon, the power of dragons was unquestionable.

They were the most representative beasts of honor and status, without exception.

In Dragon Nation, no Beastmaster could resist the temptation of dragons!

Even Su Ping, who initially had no intention of contracting a dragon as a pet, eventually became interested after continuous exposure and made a promise with the Candle Dragon to take a look at that mutated dragon pet.

Su Ping had never forgotten his initial unrealistic ambition.

Why couldn't there be a Dragon Heart in the Heart of Ten Thousand Souls? Moreover, the experience gained from interacting with dragons in the Ten Thousand Beast Records was countless times more than that gained from ordinary beasts.

The experience gained from dragons was equivalent to universal experience, which was extraordinarily beneficial for Su Ping's research on other beasts.

However, compared to the shock and joy felt by the others who were determined to secure a spot in the top five, Su Ping wasn't as excited.

There was no way; others didn't know, but he had found out long ago.

There had been speculations about the competition rewards on the official website.

Some rumors had also been circulating online.

But aside from that, Qin Xiaoxue had already mentioned it to him yesterday when they were chatting casually. She said that the reward for the top five would include a dragon.

Obviously, the information from Master Sang Sheng was reliable.

She even mentioned what the five dragons offered as rewards were.

In addition to the Crystal Dragon that Master Zhu Hong had mentioned, a space-type giant dragon, there were four more:

The Frost Dragon, a dual-attribute dragon of the Wind and Ice elements, from the Four Seas Dragon Palace;

The Iron Dragon, a special gold-type giant dragon from the Earth Valley;

The Ghost Dragon, a Necromancer-type dragon from the Burial Ground;

And the last one was relatively ordinary but still exceptional, a Fire and Earth dual-attribute Lava Giant Dragon from the Five-Colored Dragon City.

The other element-type dragons and the Crystal Dragon didn't need further explanation. That Iron Dragon was quite interesting.

Among the conventional element dragons, the gold-type dragons were the rarest.

This Iron Dragon was one of them, relatively weak in energy manipulation but with an incredibly powerful physical strength!

Maybe he should find a way to get one later?

Even Ye Zhou beside him raised his eyebrows and then sighed, "It's a pity there's no time-type dragon. If there was, it would be perfect."

Su Ping glanced at him and smiled, "There actually is."

"Hmm?" This time, Ye Zhou was surprised, "What do you mean?"

Su Ping smiled, imitating Ye Zhou's previous attitude, "You'll find out later."

Ye Zhou rolled his eyes.

Su Ping didn't pay attention to him anymore. The beautiful host on the screen continued, "Among the top five, those with higher rankings will have priority in choosing their dragon pets. Additionally, those who make it into the top three will receive a special resource, the Spiritual Fire Seed, which can help Beastmasters awaken their second talent, it is an incredibly rare treasure!"

"The first place, in addition to all the rewards mentioned, will also receive a special mysterious reward!"

Here, Liu Xun paused to build up the suspense, blinking her eyes, and then continued, "Next, let me introduce the judges for this vocational assessment final exam!"

The screen switched to three people sitting on a high platform.

Just like the Jianghai Province exam, there were three people, but it was evident that these three were even more formidable.

"The first is the Vice President of the Capital Advanced Beastmaster Academy, Lu Guangming!"

The camera showed a middle-aged man with a hint of scholarly aura.

The man waved at the camera and smiled.

Su Ping glanced at him, and the voice in his ear spoke again:

"This Vice President Lu is no ordinary person. He's young and has a promising future. It's rumored that he might replace Yuan Sheng as the new president of the Capital Advanced Academy. Hey, Su, you're so well-connected, do you know him?"

Su Ping nodded and then shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Ye Zhou asked curiously.

"He knows me, but I don't know him," Su Ping said indifferently.

"???"

Ye Zhou pursed his lips, thinking, 'This guy is really something.'

He continued with his questioning spirit: "He knows you? How does he know you?"

"When I first arrived in the Capital, he came to me and asked for my help with something," Su Ping said, looking at the elegant figure on the screen.

"What did he want? Did you agree? Of course, you don't have to tell me if it's inconvenient." Ye Zhou glanced at the people in the rest area who were looking their way.

Su Ping shook his head:

"It's not a big deal. He visited me and wanted me to give a speech at the Capital Academy after the finals. But I didn't have the time, and I'm not good at public speaking, so I declined."

Ye Zhou gave him a strange look:

"You're not good at it? Isn't public speaking all about showing off? I thought you were a master at it."

Su Ping glared at him:

"You asked. I'm just stating the facts."

Ye Zhou nodded: "Okay, I was being nosy."

The camera then focused on the next person.

This person was even younger than Vice President Lu.

"The second is Zhang Lan, the Vice President of the Mechanic Engineers Association. The entire arena's mechanical simulation environment was set up by the Mechanic Engineers Association..."

"Wow, they're all big shots. In recent years, the Mechanic Engineers Association has been the most prominent and important association under the Beastmaster Association. That famous Kuang Sheng is known as one of the strongest Holy Spirit Beastmasters in Dragon Nation, and this Zhang Lan is said to be the most trusted..."

Ye Zhou continued his admiration from the side.

Then, he looked at the unperturbed Su Ping and asked curiously again:

"What about this one? Do you know him?"

Su Ping looked at him and nodded:

"Yes, I know him a bit better."

"How do you know him?" Ye Zhou asked curiously again.

Ye Zhou was quite the gossip, wasn't he? But Su Ping didn't hide anything and replied:

"Before, Senior Kuang Sheng brought him to meet me once, and then took me to the Mechanic Engineers Association to help them with a mechanical experiment.

Yesterday, he called me and said that my idea for the experiment has already doubled the success rate, and there's still room for improvement.

He said that Senior Kuang Sheng invited me to become a director of their Mechanic Engineers Association. But I don't know much about mechanical beasts apart from that experiment, so I politely declined."

If someone else had said this, Ye Zhou would have smacked them on the back of their head and asked, "What are you bragging about?"

But he couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious at Su Ping's tone.

Experiment?

What kind of mechanical association experiment could lead to Senior Kuang Sheng personally inviting someone like him, who was only half-decent?

He didn't understand, but he also knew that since it involved an experiment, he couldn't ask further.

Meanwhile, the live broadcast finally focused on the last commentator.

"The third is Wang Shengtian, the chairman of Yuan Qi Company. This time, the company sponsored the professional assessment's advertising and provided some of the rewards..."

"Yuan Qi Company? The company that became famous for selling Yuan Qi Elixir and is involved in multiple beast breeding industries?

It's rumored that Yuan Qi Company's assets are richer than any provincial Beastmaster Association! He's the biggest moneybags in the Capital!"

Ye Zhou admired from the side.

Su Ping also nodded:

"That's about right. But Yuan Qi Company's resources and wealth come mainly from their large-scale industry layout and a greater number of mid-to-low-level resources and beast channels. However, the circulation of Monarch Rank and Emperor Rank high-level resources and beasts should be less.

Their main advantage lies in finished magic potions and corresponding special resources."

Ye Zhou looked at him: "How do you know?"

"This chairman came to me before, and I chatted with him a bit. He wanted to do some business with Peace Cloud Company.

Of course, that's the stated reason, but after he came, he kept trying to introduce me to his granddaughter. This old man is quite traditional."

Su Ping seemed to recall something and sighed.

Ye Zhou was suspicious: "He wants you to marry his granddaughter? That's quite traditional, but Yuan Qi Company is rich! And it's rumored that they have connections everywhere, not inferior to most Holy Spirit Beastmaster families!

Moreover, the genetic optimization of these big families is usually good, so the family's women shouldn't be too bad. Actually, you wouldn't lose out..."

Su Ping glared at him again:

"Marry his granddaughter? That's not it. This old man, following some traditional culture in Dragon Nation, said that his granddaughter wouldn't mind being a concubine. And he'd even give me a few maids as a dowry."

"Huh?"

Ye Zhou blinked, feeling a bit dazed for a moment, unable to process what Su Ping said.

After a while, when Ye Zhou finally digested Su Ping's words, Su Ping was already walking towards the rest area door, looking at the still-dazed Ye Zhou and said:

"Why are you still standing there? The contestants are entering."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end