Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Thirty-Six: Never Fight a Battle Unprepared

These disciples were clearly handpicked by the three families; each one had a solemn expression and moved with methodical ease. Only Xiao Chong was pacing around in circles, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

"You fatso, why aren't you here yet? My life is largely in your hands."

"I'll settle accounts with you when I get out of here. I won't give you a single penny."

"Good brother, I'm begging you, if you don't come soon, it will really be too late."

Just as Xiao Chong was about to pop his eyes out, a small cloud boat suddenly flew in from afar. Before the cloud boat could come to a complete stop, the fat man jumped off the boat and ran to Xiao Chong's side.

"Good brother, you've finally come." Xiao Chong gripped the fat man's hand tightly, tears welling in his eyes, like a pair of lovers separated by life and death.

What kind of time is this to be showing off your bromance here?

With deep questions in his mind, the fat man struggled to pull his hand away and handed over a bulging backpack, saying, "Everything you asked for is ready, but time was too tight, which is why I'm a little late."

"It's just in time, not too late at all." Xiao Chong really wanted to give the other person a warm hug.

"What are these things? I've been looking at them for ages and I still don't understand." The fat man was very worried about his brother.

"You don't need to understand, you just need to know that these things can save my life."

"Young Master Chong, please take care." The fat man felt as if a small insect had flown into his eye, and tears kept streaming down his face uncontrollably.

He punched Xiao Chong hard in the chest and shoved him away, because the competition had already begun.

Xiao Chong turned back to the fifty-four participating disciples. Just as he boarded a giant cloud boat with them, he suddenly heard a choked sob behind him.

"Young Master Chong, remember to come back! Otherwise, I'll keep all that money for myself!"

The heat instantly filled Xiao Chong's chest, then flowed throughout his body, eventually turning into a sour and salty taste that slowly trickled out of his eyes and nose.

The cloud boat glided smoothly through the skies above Broken Soul Ridge. On board were fifty-four participating disciples, as well as three important personnel from various families responsible for oversight.

According to the rules of the hunting competition, the three families will jointly determine fifty-four different locations before the competition. Then, under the supervision of the heads of the three families, the participating disciples will be randomly sent to different locations.

From the moment they landed at Broken Soul Ridge, the hunt between them began. Some hunted the wild beasts of the ridge, becoming their prey. Others hunted disciples of other sects, becoming their prey themselves.

During the two weeks of the hunting competition, these disciples will receive no supplies or assistance. To survive in Broken Soul Ridge, they must rely entirely on their own abilities.

They can fight openly against disciples of other races, engage in shameless sneak attacks or assassinations, and even form teams with their own kind to fight together. They can even temporarily form alliances with disciples of other races just to survive.

In short, they will stop at nothing to kill, to survive, or to achieve final victory.

Xiao Chong was among the first to be placed in Broken Soul Ridge, but his location was near the center of Broken Soul Ridge, in a dense primeval forest.

Compared to the edge of Broken Soul Ridge, this place has more ferocious beasts, which are stronger and more dangerous. It can be said that there is danger everywhere.

But everything has two sides. Precisely because such places are too dangerous, it is rare to encounter enemies in the early stages of the competition.

Disciples from various clans, unless they are exceptionally strong, generally do not dare to enter alone. Only after a period of time, when several disciples of the same clan form a small team, will they venture deep into the heart of Broken Soul Ridge.

Xiao Chong was aware of this situation. Two days before the competition, he specifically asked the clan leader, Xiao Kaixin, about it. Although Xiao Kaixin had already considered him half-dead, he still gave him a detailed analysis. After all, he was a disciple of the Xiao family; it would be too embarrassing if he met with misfortune as soon as he entered.

After landing, Xiao Chong opened the backpack that Fatty had given him and quickly took out a map. It was a map of Broken Soul Ridge, which simply depicted the terrain within the ridge and roughly described the approximate activity range of some particularly powerful beasts.

In his previous life, Xiao Chong was always a prepared person. From the moment he learned that he was going to participate in the hunting competition, he had been planning for it.

Although he had never witnessed the specifics of the competition, based on his analysis of the rules, he felt that it was not much different from the special forces survival training he had received in his previous life.

The difference is that the disciples participating in the hunting competition have no external support, and the mortality rate is much higher than that of special forces training.

Of course, he had no experience as a special forces soldier, nor did he know the specific training subjects for special forces survival in the wild. But even if he hadn't eaten pork, hadn't he seen a pig run?

In my previous life, TV dramas of this genre were so ubiquitous that they were practically everywhere. Even though they were incomparable to the lives of real special forces soldiers, the general direction was always correct. Otherwise, they would have been rejected by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television during the censorship process.

After memorizing the map, Xiao Chong followed its directions and entered a relatively safe area with fewer ferocious beasts. He searched for a long time before finally finding a recessed section of the mountainside.

After plucking some branches and shrubs to cover himself, Xiao Chong sat down on the ground and rummaged through his backpack to find a small wooden box.

As the wooden box was opened, a pungent, spicy aroma wafted out, revealing a dark red pill covered in metallic patterns.

This pill was specially made by Fatty at Xiao Chong's request. It's called the Acupoint Opening Pill, and the formula comes from a simplified version of the "Dan Jing" (Classic of Alchemy) given to him by the Cauldron Spirit. Its greatest function is to help people open up the acupoints in their bodies during the early stages of martial arts training. Originally, it was intended for cultivators who focused on body refinement to expand their meridians and open their channels.

"It seems the alchemy skills of the Tianyun Continent are truly exceptionally poor. They've managed to turn a perfectly good pill into something that smells like pig swill!"

Watching the pill spinning endlessly in his palm, Xiao Chong muttered a few complaints to himself, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and swallowed it in one gulp.

He intends to unlock the body's acupoints during the hunting competition!