Chapter 333: The Third Round of Assessment

Even though these were all the pride of their respective nations, there were times when they would stumble.

They were all vying for a breath of air, wanting to develop brand-new Pet Beasts.

However, these Pet Beasts had been studied repeatedly by people for many years, so naturally, it was not that easy for anyone to research a brand-new evolutionary path.

Thus, they researched for half a month, and the further they went, the more anxious they became; conversely, some contestants who felt their chances of winning were low followed normal cultivation methods, performed small-scale modifications, and after successfully evolving their Pet Beasts, they actually obtained high scores, thereby entering the third round.

Among the eliminated contestants was Ai Dongfang, who previously had the highest acclaim in Yan Country and was hailed as the "Little Su Qingxian."

He could be considered the new generation of Imperial Capital research, having developed multiple new evolutionary paths for Pet Beasts; originally, Ai Dongfang was a senior, and he had once participated in the global Researcher Competition and achieved impressive results.

Logically speaking, he should not have been able to participate again.

But Principal Maige directly defied public opinion and insisted on adding Ai Dongfang to the list of contestants.

His hair was a mess, his eyes were bloodshot, and after seeing his Bracelet fall off, he walked out of the Laboratory in a daze.

Ai Dongfang seemed to have fallen into a state of self-seclusion, able only to walk aimlessly like a walking corpse.

Even when Principal Maige called out to him from behind, he could not hear her.

Completely immersed in his own failure, the corners of his mouth kept muttering: "How is it wrong? How could it be like this?"

He brushed past Principal Maige.

"It seems this child has taken too heavy a blow."

Principal Maige watched his gradually receding back with immense worry.

She chased after him directly.

If she told Ai Dongfang the news that Ye Bai had developed two brand-new evolutionary paths, she wondered if this guy would be unable to handle the blow and faint on the spot.

One must know that Ai Dongfang was a proud and arrogant person; he had won the Imperial Capital University Research Professional Scholar Award multiple times in a row, and he prided himself on being no less than Academician Su Qingxian in research.

Given time, he was certain he could surpass Academician Su Qingxian.

The more talented a person is, the easier it is for them to get stuck in a dead end.

If Ai Dongfang could overcome that mental hurdle on his own, naturally there would be no problem.

It was just that Principal Maige felt Ai Dongfang would not be able to walk out of it so quickly.

Soon, two Beast Cards were sent back; the Judges had finished scoring.

Doctor Zhubinuo looked at the relevant test data for the Ice-Fire Rock with a face full of surprise.

The ice and fire energy within the Ice-Fire Rock had reached a weird balance.

This was the point that shocked Doctor Zhubinuo.

He had never seen a Pet Beast where ice and fire could coexist peacefully, especially since this Pet Beast was an evolutionary form of the Baobaoshi, which was known for explosions.

"Ye Bai is indeed very impressive; everyone underestimated him."

"Sure enough, not a single step was wasted."

Doctor Zhubinuo decided that once Ye Bai finished the third round of the assessment, he would talk to Ye Bai.

He would see if he could get Ye Bai to stay at Xinyue Daxue; after all, in international rankings, Xinyue Daxue was about the same as Imperial Capital University.

But the resources Ye Bai would receive at Xinyue Daxue would be greater.

If Ye Bai was unwilling, he planned to settle for second best and obtain the method for evolving a Baobaoshi into an Ice-Fire Rock.

As long as Ye Bai did not make an exorbitant demand, Doctor Zhubinuo would agree without hesitation.

Ye Bai had temporarily contracted the Ice-Fire Rock and the Life Rose via his Bracelet.

The Bracelet was like a Pet Beast Space, having temporarily opened up some space, and inside there were also dry rations and fresh water.

Just as Ye Bai had thought, the third round of the assessment should not be here; the most likely scenario was survival on a deserted island.

"Please, all contestants who passed the second round of the assessment, gather at the grand plaza immediately."

"We will announce the rules for the third round at the grand plaza."

The contestants who entered the third round walked out of the Laboratory one after another.

Their faces all revealed confident smiles, while they also kept their Beast Cards well-hidden, not letting others discover what Pet Beasts they had in their hands.

The contestants remaining in the Laboratory naturally would not know that Ye Bai had researched two brand-new evolutionary paths, directly crushing all the contestants.

To avoid affecting the contestants, the material used for the Laboratory was absolutely soundproof; except for the host being able to transmit sound into the Laboratory via broadcast, the contestants in the Laboratory did not know what was happening in the outside world.

Moreover, as soon as they walked out of the Laboratory, they were immediately taken to the plaza by staff members, so naturally, they had no opportunity to obtain more information.

Therefore, when the contestants gathered in the plaza, they only knew that they had passed the second round.

The contestants gathered in twos and threes, forming small teams.

Wherever there are people, there is naturally a world of conflict.

Ye Bai also saw the few contestants from Yan Country, but they were not very familiar with Ye Bai either, and they all looked at Ye Bai with vigilance, as if Ye Bai joining them would be like taking advantage of them.

He also tactfully did not walk toward these people, but stood in place watching the large screen in the plaza.

At this time, the host, wearing a red suit and looking somewhat repressed, walked to the front of the podium.

The Judges seemed to have all left.

"Greetings, everyone, contestants."

"Here, I want to congratulate you in advance for entering the third round."

"You are all powerful researchers."

"But the things you research need to go through the test of the outside world to count."

"The third round of the assessment is to have you survive for half a month on a deserted island not far from New York City."

After hearing the host's words, most of the contestants could not believe their ears.

What the hell, you want us researchers, who can't carry things on our shoulders or lift things with our hands, to participate in survival on a deserted island?

This isn't a joke, is it?

What if personal safety is compromised?

Many people's hearts began to lose courage.

At this moment, some people's faces were already turning dark; wasn't this just playing them for fools?

"That's right, the theme of the third round is elimination, also known as survival on a deserted island."

"This is also a new addition this year."

"Surely some will ask, during this time, how will my personal safety be guaranteed?"

At this moment, the host picked up a pitch-black Bracelet.

"This Bracelet is our latest high-tech, with functions similar to a Pet Beast Space."

"It comes with a protective shield; once you encounter danger, the shield will activate, and once it exceeds the strength the shield can withstand, an emergency transfer will be triggered."

"This is a Space Transfer set up by Smith, one of the Eight Kings of the Beautiful Country."

"Please rest assured, everyone; your safety will receive the highest level of protection."

"We will also dispatch experts to protect you in secret."

Hearing the host's words, Ye Bai rolled his eyes; he felt that doing this meant safety was not guaranteed at all.

What kind of bullshit is this?

Isn't this putting one's own life in the hands of others?

Every move is being monitored by someone.

His own grandstanding must have already attracted the attention of the Beautiful Country's intelligence agents.

What if they pull some tricks and he dies on the Huangdao?

This is the best way to eliminate dissidents.

However, these people surely do not know about his hidden methods.

Although the Bracelet can block the Pet Beast Space, Ye Bai possesses an auspicious beast like the Water Qilin Beast. It can help the Space Pelican break through the spatial blockade and appear outside the Pet Beast Space.

At that time, as long as the Space Pelican arrives outside the Pet Beast Space, using the Space Pelican as a positioning coordinate, Ye Bai will be able to release all his own Pet Beasts.

However, this is a last-resort method; once it is exposed that his Pet Beast Space has not been blocked, he might be disqualified from the competition immediately.

The Beautiful Country must have placed many cameras on that Huangdao.

Every move he makes could potentially be exposed under everyone's surveillance.

"Host, I do have a question."

"What will we eat on the Huangdao? What will we drink? Where will we sleep?"

"What tasks need to be completed?"

Someone immediately raised their hand to signal.

"What to eat on the Huangdao? What to drink? Where to sleep?"

"These three questions are very good; let me answer them for everyone."

"The location for the third round of assessment, although called a Huangdao, is actually a large island rich in resources."

"We have already stored three days of dry rations and fresh water in the Bracelet."

"You can search for ingredients, water, and resources there."

"As researchers, identifying species should be a basic skill."

"When you can no longer endure the harsh environment of the wilderness and want to forfeit, just communicate with the Bracelet, and the Bracelet will naturally transfer you out of the Huangdao."

At this moment, the host stopped speaking, seemingly leaving time for people to think.

"But in this case, the Pet Beast you originally cultivated will be reclaimed by us without compensation, and the resources you collected from the Huangdao will also become our property."

"Of course, if you encounter danger and are transferred out, your Pet Beast and collected resources will still be yours; of course, there is a very important prerequisite here: the contestant must survive on the Huangdao for more than five days."

"Otherwise, the Pet Beast and resources will also be reclaimed."

"The Bracelet has a built-in timer function; once five days have passed, the Bracelet will provide a reminder, which also means you can collect resources to your heart's content."

The host explained it very clearly.

If one forfeits automatically, they will lose everything, including the Pet Beast they worked hard to cultivate over the past half-month.

If one is ambushed or encounters danger and is transferred out, they must have survived for five days for the Pet Beast and resources to belong to them; otherwise, they will still be handed over without compensation.

"Has everyone understood?"

At this moment, the host grinned, revealing his neat, white teeth, and he pointed to the door on the side: "Of course, if you want to quit, you can bring it up now; the door is there, and you can leave."

Give me a break, this is a global broadcast; if he were to quit at this stage, he would definitely be mocked, and even if he returned to his home country, he wouldn't be able to hold his head up.

It would be better to go to the Huangdao and give it a shot.

Maybe there will be unexpected gains.

"Good, no one is quitting, right? Then I announce that the researchers present have officially entered the third round."

The Judges walked out from the back one after another.

Good grief, are they playing Naruto exams here?

Just now was the announcement of the news; now is the actual third round.

"Let me introduce to everyone what the third round of assessment is."

Zhubinuo Boshi picked up the Bracelet.

"Just as the host said, the third round of assessment is called elimination."

"Surviving on the Huangdao, you will encounter various different Exotic Beasts; combat has always been the basic way to test the strength of Pet Beasts."

"Especially the Pet Beasts you have cultivated over the past half-month."

"Every time you defeat a person, a red dot will appear on the Bracelet."

"The standard for the third round of assessment is to survive for half a month; we will use the red dots on the Bracelet, the amount of resources everyone collects, and the Exotic Beasts defeated on the Huangdao as assessment indicators."

Ye Bai raised his eyebrows.

Good grief, this is encouraging mutual slaughter to reduce the number of contestants.

"After a comprehensive evaluation, a final score will be given."

"The scores from the final three rounds of assessment will be ranked, and the top three contestants will take the champion, runner-up, and second runner-up positions."

Doctor Zhubinuo told everyone the rules of the assessment.

"Of course, we have also buried quite a few treasure chests on Huangdao."

"As long as the Bracelet is within about ten meters of a treasure chest, it will be detected by the Bracelet."

"Inside the treasure chests are resources for raising Pet Beasts, food, and clean water."

"There are even tents."

"The method to open a treasure chest is also very simple; just use the Bracelet to lightly touch the surface of the treasure chest, and it will open automatically."

"However, there is one point I must clarify for everyone: we have arranged Exotic Beasts to guard the treasure chests."

"Please do not let your guard down."

"Finally, I wish you all good fortune in your martial endeavors."

Everything Doctor Zhubinuo said was translated directly into various languages via earpieces.

Many people began to think, and classmates who had previously kept their distance from Ye Bai walked over with smiles on their faces.

They were likely thinking of forming alliances to eliminate opponents together.

Just at this moment, the sun in the sky was blocked by a huge black shadow.

Ye Bai looked up and saw that it was actually a large jet.

The jet spewed out a violent gale, and Ye Bai suddenly discovered that it seemed to be a living creature.

It was as if it had been possessed by an elemental-type Pet Beast.

A large opening appeared directly on the jet.

A howling tornado formed instantly; Ye Bai gave up resistance and was sucked directly into the body of the jet.

With a thud, he appeared on a luxurious seat.

The seatbelt fastened automatically.

An old male voice came over the broadcast.

Ye Bai's earpiece automatically translated it into the language of Yan Country.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning."

"I am Wales, the captain of the Hurricane jet."

"Next, my partner will lead you all to Huangdao."

"You will have a short one-hour rest period."

"Please be sure to watch the time to avoid any accidents."

Ye Bai smiled suddenly.

Emphasizing time like this definitely meant there was a problem.

Does it mean that after one hour, the plane will break apart on the spot, forcing everyone in the cabin to rely on their own unique abilities?

After all, the theme of the third round is elimination, isn't it? From the moment of entering the jet, the third round of assessment has already officially begun.

Ye Bai looked around; sure enough, there were no things like life jackets or parachutes.

It seems that landing safely on Huangdao is also part of the assessment.

(End of this chapter)