The child's ambition was quite grand, but the master he wished to apprentice himself to was currently engaged in a fierce battle within the arena. Two more days had passed, marking the fourth day since their arrival.
Over these four days, Meng Huai’s ranking had climbed to eighth place. Progressing further was becoming increasingly difficult, not due to a lack of skill, but due to a shortage of luck.
In the past two days, the star beasts here had been decimated. Whether it was due to some form of communication among the star beasts, they seemed to have gone into hiding. Finding them had become exceedingly arduous, causing the rankings to stagnate.
Meng Huai had no choice but to proceed towards the finish line. It was important to remember that reaching the finish line also awarded bonus points. The first place received ten thousand points, second place received five thousand, third to fifth place received three thousand, and sixth to tenth place received one thousand.
Therefore, securing first place would dramatically alter the point standings. However, reaching the finish line was no easy feat. The destination was typically guarded by high-difficulty obstacles, meaning the bonus points were not easily obtained.
As one moved closer to the finish line, the number of people encountered increased. Although the starting points varied, the paths leading to the finish line converged, and inevitably, one would encounter others when nearing the end.
As it happened, Meng Huai encountered Ju Yiqiu again.
She walked up and greeted her, "How's it going? How many points have you accumulated?"
Ju Yiqiu was visibly delighted to see Meng Huai. She had initially expected to merely survive for a day and would have been content with that. However, to her surprise, she hadn't been eliminated even on the fourth day; she felt incredibly fortunate.
But of course, it wasn't solely due to luck. She also had the talismans by her side, which had enhanced her abilities. It was indeed fortunate that she hadn't encountered any high-level star beasts.
Ju Yiqiu joyfully exclaimed, "Wow, Meng Huai, you're amazing! You must have over a hundred thousand points by now, right? How many star beasts have you slain! I can't even imagine it. But I also have over three thousand points, and I’ve been helping our team! Thanks to your talismans!"
With these words, the viewers in the live broadcast finally understood the origin of the talismans!
Meanwhile, the members of Ju Yiqiu's team, who had initially paid little attention to Meng Huai, quickly shifted their gaze when Ju Yiqiu mentioned Meng Huai having a hundred thousand points. After all, her team consisted of men, and Meng Huai, being such a beautiful girl, naturally drew their eyes.
However, upon hearing Ju Yiqiu reveal that the talismans were a gift from Meng Huai, their attention zeroed in on Meng Huai. At this point, their gazes were no longer those of admiration for a beautiful woman but rather of longing for the talismans.
One person voiced the question first, "Classmate Meng? Should I address you as Classmate Meng?"
Seeing Ju Yiqiu nod, he knew his address was correct, as she did indeed have the surname Meng. He continued, "Classmate Meng, do you have any more of these talismans?"
Meng Huai looked at the expectant gazes of the group and nodded, saying, "Yes."
Upon hearing Meng Huai's clear affirmative, another person couldn't contain their eagerness and asked, "Classmate Meng, may I ask if I can buy a few from you? Those that go 'pala-pala' and emit lightning."
This person had even described the type of talisman, and Meng Huai chuckled at their description, "Those are called the Five-Thunder Talismans. You can buy them, but the Five-Thunder Talismans are quite expensive."
Expensive! How could expense be a barrier!
"No problem, how much? I'll buy five! I can transfer the money, we can do a transfer!"
Fearing that Meng Huai might change her mind, the person quickly offered to pay. Theoretically, there shouldn't be any internet access during the test, and the smart devices could only display point rankings. But with advanced technology, money transfers could be made without an internet connection, which greatly benefited Meng Huai at this moment.
"Alright, one hundred thousand per talisman."
Upon hearing this, the person who thought it would be expensive was surprised to find it was only a hundred thousand each. The price of mech energy was similar, but mechs had cannons that could miss their targets. This so-called Five-Thunder Talisman, however, he had witnessed its effects. It would follow the intended target, ensuring a hit.
Meng Huai shared the incantation for activating the talisman with him, and the person silently recited it a few times, memorizing it.
Seeing their companion take the initiative, the others couldn't resist. They chimed in, "Classmate Meng, I want the one that creates wind, the one that can blow the star beasts away."
"I want the one that can immobilize star beasts for two seconds."
"I want..."
After quite a bit of trading, Meng Huai's previously empty wallet was showing signs of bulging again due to the sales of her talismans.
However, this entire scene was witnessed by the audience. The viewers were unsure whether to be shocked that these talismans came from this peculiar individual who didn't use mechs, or to be astonished by the participants' thought process of spending money to buy weapons during the test!
In the office managing the live broadcast at the Imperial Military Academy, the staff cautiously observed Professor Fu's expression, fearing he might order the elimination of Meng Huai and the other students at any moment. However, upon reconsideration, they realized the test rules didn't prohibit trading, and the staff breathed a sigh of relief.
Afraid of angering Professor Fu, they felt like fish caught in a crossfire.
Yet, this was not the most significant event. The buying and selling of talismans were, after all, intended to facilitate the test and showcase one's abilities. The following scene finally provoked Professor Fu's anger.
He slammed his hand on the table, "Absurd! Utterly absurd!"
It turned out that after killing a star beast, Meng Huai had proceeded to roast it over a fire. Seeing this, Ju Yiqiu cautioned, "Meng Huai, these star beasts are not edible. They're poisonous."
Meng Huai freed one hand and waved it dismissively, telling her, "Don't worry, I've eaten several in the past two days, and nothing happened."
As she spoke, she took out two bottles of seasoning from her pocket and sprinkled it on the meat.
Ju Yiqiu didn't understand Meng Huai's words. Hearing that Meng Huai had eaten many, she quickly stepped forward to feel Meng Huai's arms and legs, and then looked at her face, confirming she was unharmed before feeling relieved.
"But how can nothing happen? Even a single bite could cause severe dizziness."
As Ju Yiqiu pondered this question, Meng Huai provided the answer.
"I took an antidote pill. For a week, I can consume star beast meat without any issues."
When everyone heard this, the news that an item could be consumed to allow the eating of star beast meat seemed like the greatest news ever!
At this moment, the few people surrounded Meng Huai again, asking, "Are you selling it?"
"Classmate Meng, how can I buy this pill?"
"I want it, I want it! Can you sell some of that barbecue seasoning?"
"You little trickster! Classmate Meng, I want some too, I want some too!"
Meng Huai felt that making money in this era wasn't so difficult after all.
"One thousand per pill, and it only guarantees that you won't have problems consuming star beast meat for a week!"