At 10 a.m., under the transportation of a fleet of buses, the participating students arrived at the South City District·Bottomless Demon Spirit Realm.
Although this place is open to society’s Demon Tamers, it is a real military base, heavily guarded.
The hundred-man team that Du Yu was part of was assigned to the eastern camp area - the eastern entrance of Bottomless.
Teams of students lined up to swipe their IDs, confirming registration and identity information, and receiving electronic equipment.
At the front of the queue, a Demon Spirit Soldier paced back and forth, loudly explaining the precautions after entering Bottomless: "Do not replenish your Demon Breath in Bottomless, as you are likely to be invaded by Cold Qi, and your Demon Pet may become irritable and aggressive!"
"Consider the Demon Breath in your body as a consumable, allocate it reasonably to achieve better results!"
"Don’t seek quick success and instant benefits, don’t damage your body’s functions for a competition, affecting your future prospects. Don’t fight alone; teamwork and cooperation yield better results..."
Listening to the soldier’s patient advice, Du Yu queued up to the table, opened his ID, and placed it on the card reader.
With a light "beep," several soldiers behind the table couldn’t help but be startled as they looked at the tablet displaying Du Yu’s student card, and they couldn’t resist glancing up at Du Yu.
Du Yu appeared well-behaved and remained motionless.
A young soldier couldn’t help but sigh lightly, "What a kid, only awakened for just over two months, and this little ID card... is really impressive, huh?"
"Du Yu." Another soldier tapped the mouse, mumbling under his breath.
On Du Yu’s student card, beside his name, two particularly eye-catching ring icons were displayed.
An ancient Bronze Ring and a weathered Dark Silver Ring!
The soldiers knew very well that Du Yu was a Paper Crane Disciple, which meant he only awakened on June 7, and today was August 15!
Others might never obtain even one Library Ring in their lifetime, but this kid just awakened and already has two Library Rings!
According to the conversion rules for unofficial students to official ones proclaimed by the Demon Spirit Academy, acquiring a Library Ring is, in fact, just for show.
And Du Yu’s two rings could even allow him to drop out from the Demon Spirit Academy and reenroll on a whim!
The soldiers’ reaction was considered quite composed, given that Du Yu’s achievements were completely otherworldly...
Li Mengnan curiously peeked around, "Is there a problem? Silly Du Yu, did we register?"
"Registered." The soldier replied, handing the ID back to Du Yu with great respect, "Go equip yourself. We look forward to your performance."
Du Yu nodded, walked to a nearby table, and while receiving a mini camera, he felt the stares directed at him.
This was too uncomfortable...
He wished to keep a low profile, attracting less attention, which would be more beneficial for survival in the long run.
Unfortunately, when at the Library headquarters, Old Demon Gong merely mentioned his name, directly putting Du Yu on the "grill."
Damn Old Demon Gong, must have been born to curb me, Sixth Brother Du...
The distant soldier’s advice continued: "Mortal-level Demon Beast 1~10 points, Earth-level Demon Beast 50~100 points. Plan your Demon Breath storage wisely. If you can’t hold on, press the camera button promptly, and we’ll proceed with a rescue promptly."
Li Mengnan hurriedly caught up to Du Yu with the equipment received, whispering, "Second Brother, the rules say there’s a Demon Beast Commander on the third underground floor worth a thousand points!
Moreover, defeating it would mean the end of the competition."
Du Yu whispered, "A thousand points; killing it would basically mean first place."
Li Mengnan’s bright eyes shone with excitement, the thrill of kindred spirits!
She leaned closer to Du Yu’s ear, "Exactly, given the contestants’ strength levels, the Library wouldn’t assign a Celestial-level Monster Beast Commander."
Du Yu’s ear tingled slightly, and he took the chance to nod while moving his ear away.
Their greatest confidence was Hu Xiaoyan.
As long as it’s Earth-level, whether at the Peak or not, just watch as Xiaoyan blows you away!
Du Yu whispered, "After we go down, follow my lead, assess the situation, and let’s head straight for the third floor."
"Mm-hmm." Li Mengnan whispered back, securing her camera and testing the small headlamp on her forehead.
Seeing Li Mengnan’s reaction, Du Yu knew she hadn’t fully grasped the meaning of "heading straight to the third floor."
Since Master Qing had offered guidance yesterday, Du Yu knew beforehand about today’s competition arena. After reviewing information all day, he had memorized the routes of the underground labyrinth’s top three floors...
With their plan set, the two blended into the lineup for entrance, where stone steps descended ahead, and the stone gate at the entrance remained firmly closed.
The Demon Spirit Realm·Bottomless was a massive natural sinkhole, with a mouth diameter measurable in kilometers.
And here, the Bottomless had been developed and perfected, serving as a perennial training ground for the troops, with multi-tiered underground palaces constructed within.
"Toot-toot! Toot!" A soldier blew the whistle, loudly stating, "Everyone, pay attention, get ready, and depart at any time!"
The stone gate leading underground slowly opened, emitting deep sounds.
The students were composed and did not act rashly; only a few students ventured down.
But after descending just a few steps, they were forced back.
The chilly aura, carrying a musty smell, rushed towards them, making even the depths of summer feel bone-chillingly cold!