The next day, the competition schedule arrived as expected.

Jiang Guiju's absence left no room for choices among the participants in the second round.

However, Li Pu didn't think there was anything to worry about; it was just that the other three were slightly nervous.

There were a total of 219 teams participating in the second round; only the top 100 would advance to the next.

At this moment, the four of them followed the main group of contestants into the convention hall.

The arena from yesterday had completely vanished, replaced by many large and small screens.

"Strange, wasn't it said that the second round is an outdoor competition?"

"The competition is about to start, why are we still gathering here?"

Wu Guinan quietly expressed his confusion.

"Even if we set off now for the nearest outdoor venue, it would take more than an hour."

Chang Shoushang appeared to be more familiar with the situation.

Each Southwest Star Cup uses different venues, mostly located around Zhongdu City.

The organizers have the contestants undergo a survival challenge outdoors for up to five days, surviving while completing related tasks.

[Ahem, attention all contestants]

[Ahem, attention all contestants]

At this moment, a voice suddenly echoed inside the hall.

[Hello everyone, I am the chief referee of this Southwest Star Cup]

[I am here to explain the rules of this round of competition to you]

"The person is over there."

As the voice continued, Wang Nuonuo saw a small floating platform slowly descending from the center of the hall.

The platform stopped when it was still 2 meters above the ground, and then all the screens lit up simultaneously.

A burly middle-aged man appeared on the screen.

He was the chief referee on the platform.

[The venue for this round's outdoor competition is an alternate world — the Little Five Elements Realm]

This statement immediately caused an uproar.

"This is quite grand, actually holding the competition in an alternate world!"

"I remember the last time the competition was in an alternate world was about ten years ago."

"No wonder the organizers invited so many participants from other regions, they were planning a big event."

"Does anyone know much about the Five Elements Realm?"

People immediately began discussing among themselves.

There are many alternate worlds connected to Blue Star, the Five Elements Realm is not particularly famous.

However, through Wang Nuonuo's explanation, Li Pu and his team gained some understanding.

In reality, the Five Elements Realm is a very balanced alternate world.

Its natural environment is quite similar to Blue Star, quite harmonious.

The only difference is that the so-called "life force" in the Five Elements Realm is more abundant, giving rise to many magical beasts and natural treasures.

"Many magic beasts", this point was very attractive to Li Pu.

[Everyone, please be quiet]

[Allow me to introduce this instance]

Once the buzz subsided, the chief referee took out an instance crystal the size of a watermelon.

Such a large instance crystal was something many people were seeing for the first time in their lives.

However, everyone merely showed expressions of surprise, and no one interrupted the chief referee's explanation.

[The entry requirement for this instance is summoners and their summoned beasts who have had no more than two contracts]

[The level of magical beasts inside is roughly within your capacity to handle]

[The maximum number of participants allowed is 300]

This entry requirement was something all entrants met, as it was the requirement to participate in the Southwest Star Cup.

No one would foolishly conduct three contracts during the competition and lose eligibility to compete.

The chief referee continued to explain.

Although the crystal is so large, it's actually just a one-time instance crystal.

Once opened today, it will automatically destroy itself five days later.

By then, all contestants still in the instance will be ejected.

Their task is to collect the crystals from the Five Elements Beasts while ensuring their own safety.

There are five types of Five Elements Beasts in the instance: gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. Collecting 4 crystals from each, totaling 20, completes the task.

The top 100 teams that complete the collection task first will advance to the next round.

[Furthermore, mutual competition is allowed in this round, but no harm should come to the summoner]

[Violators will have their qualifications withdrawn and be sent to the relevant department]

As the chief referee spoke, he gestured to a certain area.

[Yoo~]

A fist-sized orb of light floated to his side.

[There are many variables in the instance, which might contain unexpected dangers]

[Therefore, the competition has prepared this, a safety charm beast]

[Now, please start binding yours]

Upon his words, many small orbs of light floated out.

[Yoo~]xN

Each orb of light corresponded to a contestant, and Li Pu was no exception. As soon as he stretched out his hand, the orb floated into his palm.

The safety charm beast wasn't really a summoned or magical beast.

Its essence is somewhat like a weapon specifically for summoners.

These safety charm beasts issued by the competition have two functions; the first is a camera function.

Through special principles, they can capture contestants' activities in the instance and project them on the screens in the hall.

This is both for the convenience of the audience and for supervising the contestants. If necessary, the contestants can also communicate with the referees outside the instance via it.

Additionally, the referee team can use it to monitor each team's crystal count in real-time. Once the collection task is completed, they note the time as the score.

The second function is protection.

In the event of an emergency, breaking the light orb will eject them from the instance immediately.

[Moreover, this instance will use random teleportation to send the contestants]

[Each team's interval is 1 minute]

[The order of teleportation is determined by the completion time of the previous round's arena battles]

[You now have 10 minutes to discuss, starting teleportation in 10 minutes]

After detailing all the particulars, the chief referee announced the commencement into the instance.

Buzz...

As he activated the instance crystal, a 5-meter-high light gate stood in the center of the hall.

Li Pu and his team's performance in the previous round was quite decent, completing the battle relatively quickly.

So they were placed around the 20th in order, meaning about 10% of the contestants would enter the instance before them.

The discussion time, aside from strategizing, was mainly used for alliances.

The students from Xidu University, including Li Pu, naturally formed an alliance.

Regardless of the alliance's strength, Xidu University advanced has 13 teams, considered a significant force.

Additionally, Zhongdu University had 15 teams, 10 teams from invited contestants outside the Southern District, and the remaining 181 comprised smaller colleges' students or social individuals.

With a 10-minute discussion time and an interval of 1 minute between the preceding 20 teams, Li Pu and his team had 30 minutes until their turn.

"It's our turn, let's go."

Standing in front of the light gate, Li Pu waved his hand.

...

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