Lu Fei touched his chin and asked curiously, "Can any item be exchanged?"
The robot answered affirmatively, "Any item."
Lu Fei couldn't help but gasp. Now he understood why so many beast tamers were eager to join the Dark Ranking. In the world of beast tamers, the need for items was even more important than their own lives. However, as the beast taming industry flourished, it was almost trending towards everyone becoming a beast tamer.
Because of this, precious items were consumed at an extremely fast rate, leading to the near depletion of many rare materials. But the robot's answer just now made Lu Fei's jaw drop. What kind of confidence and foundation did that represent?
Lu Fei stopped thinking about impractical things. With his current points, he couldn't exchange anything here. He'd better honestly improve his strength and slowly accumulate points.
Thus, Lu Fei left the Dark Ranking space.
As soon as he left the Dark Ranking and regained his senses, Lu Fei saw a bearded head facing him. Lu Fei was startled and retreated repeatedly.
The man snorted, straightened his back, and his mouth reeked of alcohol.
"Young master, why did you take so long to get out?"
After a long absence, Lu Fei also greeted him with a smile.
The drunkard pouted and sighed, "Alas, I still couldn't find that golden contract beast when I went out. On the way, I met that artificial human who came here that day. He invited me to his home. Since I could eat and drink for free, I gladly accepted. I stayed for a few days and then came back."
Lu Fei asked with some surprise,
"The Fifth Councilor invited you to his home?"
The drunkard nodded. "Heh heh, ever since I met him last time, I left him with a mystery. This guy is very curious and insisted I tell him. But after I told him the truth, he broke down emotionally, and his machine parts exploded everywhere. It was quite scary, so I just slipped away."
Lu Fei frowned, somewhat bewildered. What did that mean? What was the meaning of having a mental breakdown and machine parts exploding everywhere? But if he couldn't figure it out, then so be it. These important figures always spoke in such profound and mysterious ways.
The drunkard suddenly said, "Kid, during the time I was away, did you go into the Dark Ranking to compete by yourself?"
Lu Fei nodded, "I was bored, so I went in to spar with people."
The drunkard didn't comment. He took a swig of wine and said leisurely, "You're really brave. With your soul level, if you accidentally burst your spiritual hub, don't come crying."
Lu Fei smiled and moved behind the drunkard, giving him a shoulder rub. "With the carefully prepared medicinal soup from an elder like you, why would I have any accidents?"
The drunkard scoffed, "Don't try to butter me up. I'm not joking with you. You do have ambition, but forcing growth is not a good thing either. It can lead to premature withering."
Lu Fei remembered something and asked, "Young master, there's a ranking within the Dark Ranking, you know that, right?"
The drunkard rolled his eyes. "Why do you think it's called the Dark Ranking? If it wasn't a ranking, why would it be called the Dark Ranking?"
Lu Fei scratched his head and said listlessly, "Then what are your points? What's your rank?"
The drunkard walked directly into the house and said casually, "I haven't played for too long, I forgot."
Lu Fei was somewhat speechless.
The drunkard continued, "By the way, your phone has been ringing non-stop. It seems someone is looking for you."
Lu Fei said "Oh," and picked up his phone. It was his homeroom teacher.
On the vast plain.
Hundreds of students had already gathered.
Compared to yesterday's assessment, the number of participants had halved.
The candidates who were eliminated early either encountered contract beasts they couldn't defeat and chose to seek outside help, or they were unlucky and didn't exit the forest within the specified time.
However, among the remaining hundreds of students, not everyone was overjoyed. The dejected ones were in the vast majority.
After all, their rankings and scores were displayed on the leaderboard.
Whether they passed the assessment was clear at a glance.
Candidates who didn't make it onto the list were naturally depressed.
Amidst the crowd, the Jibai team calmly checked the leaderboard.
A clear space had been left around them.
The nearest candidates were seven or eight meters away from them.
It wasn't due to estrangement or rejection, but out of reverence for the strong and talented.
The Jibai team was the chosen team of Cangzhen Beast Taming Academy. The other was the Jihai team. The members of both teams were regarded as idols and role models by the academy students, and their goals to improve.
And the most eye-catching member of this team was undoubtedly their captain, Bai Qianqian, the favored daughter of Cangzhen Beast Taming Academy.
Bai Qianqian's appearance was elegant and refined. Her simple tight-fitting attire accentuated her graceful curves, and her neat ponytail also gave her a clean and sharp look.
She ignored the surrounding gazes and focused on checking the names of the top ten on the leaderboard.
Tenth place: Jiang Feng
Ninth place: Jiang Cao
Third place: Zhou Tao
Second place: Li Mo
And the first place was herself.
Bai Qianqian was not surprised by this result. In terms of strength alone, the top ten were not significantly different from her. However, in wilderness survival trials, luck was a very important factor in addition to strength.
This made her think of that ordinary-looking young man who always managed to create surprises and unexpected events, the young man who was originally unknown but suddenly became famous overnight.
"Captain, according to this ranking, you will definitely have a spot in this year's academy competition!"
A familiar voice called out to her. The speaker was Chen Fan, a member of the Jibai team who had invited Lu Fei that day. He was still wearing goggles and dressed in sportswear.
Bai Qianqian responded with a lukewarm "Mm," and then said, "Jiang Cao is currently ranked ninth. As long as there are no major mistakes from now on, securing a spot shouldn't be a problem."
Behind Bai Qianqian, a boy with feminine features smiled sweetly, a riot of color.
Then, Bai Qianqian looked at Chen Fan again and reminded him, "Don't be so flippant. You're currently ranked twelfth. With a little more effort, you have a great chance of entering the top ten."
Chen Fan pouted and said, "If it were just a bo1 battle, I'd be confident of entering the top ten. But the upcoming battles are bo3, and my [Manjia Elephant] can't even win three consecutive matches."
Bai Qianqian sighed in exasperation.
"I told you long ago not to just cultivate one contract beast."
Chen Fan sighed and retreated behind the crowd.
Bai Qianqian's gaze shifted to her side. Not far away stood several students wearing black team uniforms. Like them, there was an empty space around where they stood. Many people surrounded them, taking pictures with their phones, or crossing their arms with faces full of admiration.
The Jihai team.