Chapter 176


    The golden silkworms were like young children. They needed to be close to their mother to remain


    calm.


    Currently, the dormancy period for the golden silkworms was ten days. After ten days, if the victor did


    not return to the military base, they would die on Ophidian Ind.


    Jonathanmented inwardly. Prior to this, he had ingested a Supreme Nascent Pill. Thus, his body was


    immune to poisons. However, the golden silkworms were exempt from the effects of the pill. They were


    not poisonous because they were parasites that consumed people from the insides of their bodies,


    thereby rendering the effects of the Supreme Nascent Pill useless.


    The moment the golden silkworms were ingested, the person was stepping on a path of no return.


    There was no turning back.


    However, it waspletely up to their own volition whether to take them or not.


    Lah surveyed the crowd before her. In a cold voice devoid of any emotions, she announced, “Those


    who wish to participate, step forward and ingest the golden silkworms. Those who are unwilling to do


    so will be eliminated. We will arrange for a military aircraft to take dropouts back home.”


    Simon was the first to step forward and swallow the golden silkworm.


    He was followed by Lesley, and the third to step forward was Elijah.


    It was going to be a life and death situation, with only one victor emerging amongst them.


    The candidates had alreadye so far, and many of them carried the pride of their families on the


    line. Thus, they could not afford to back down. There were nine of them, but there could only be one


    winner who emerged victoriously.


    Even a tactful person like Chester stepped forward to consume the golden silkworms.


    The people who have made it thus far were all exceptional people who were lofty and prideful. It was


    simply shameful and uneptable to back down without even trying. It was a joke to even suggest


    dropping out.


    Naturally, among the eleven candidates, not every one of them was unafraid of death. William and


    Landyn exchanged nces with each other before simultaneously announcing their withdrawal from


    the battle.


    Lah said ndly, “Go back to your dorms. Arrangements will be made to send you home.”


    Both William and Landyn heaved sighs of relief. It wasn''t an easy decision, but they felt like a heavy


    burden had been lifted from their shoulders. Their hearts also felt much at ease. The two of them


    bowed at Lah, then turned and walked away.


    After their departure, the rest of the candidates quickly consumed the golden silkworms.


    Finally, Jonathan and Catherine were the only ones left.


    At that moment, Jonathan was still stuck in a dilemma.


    It wasn''t that he had no intention of dropping out. However, Mabel had such high expectations for him.


    Old. Mr. Harrington also expected great things from him.


    These expectations ced upon him were like invincible shackles that bound him, making him unable


    to break free.


    He felt that if he were to quit, he would be a colossal joke.


    But what if he proceeded to the next stage?


    Would he be pit against Catherine in a battle of life and death?


    That was impossible. He would be unable to live with himself if he did such a thing.


    Moreover, Catherine was too naive. He was afraid that she would fall prey to the more cunning and


    sinister candidates.


    Jonathan couldn''t bear to stand by and watch her die.


    Therefore, the best possible solution was for Catherine to drop out now.


    However, Jonathan wasn''t sure how to broach the subject.


    It would be too selfish to force her to quit just because of his personal reasons.


    From the point of view of an outsider, it would seem like Jonathan was afraid topete with


    Catherine, thus forcing her to quit in order to ensure his victory.


    Jonathan stood rooted to the spot as countless thoughts ran through his mind.


    Catherine nced at Jonathan, perplexed.


    Lah and the other candidates also turned to look at Jonathan and Catherine.


    “If the two of you won''t consume the golden silkworms, I''m going to assume you''re quitting,” Lah said


    calmly.


    Jonathan was unable to speak.


    Faced with their silence, Lah said, “Go back to your dorms. Someone will send you hometer on.”


    “No, I will do it!” Catherine finally reacted. Without giving Jonathan a second look, she strode forward.


    She stood before Lah and quickly swallowed the golden silkworms.


    Jonathan wanted to stop her, but in the end, he could not bring himself to say the words.


    “Catherine, please give up.” It was so simple, and yet try as he might, he could not muster the courage


    to utter those four words.


    “What about you?” Lah looked at Jonathan.


    He saw that Catherine had already swallowed the worms, and his inner turmoil vanished. There was no


    turning back.


    He sighed to himself. Fine, Old Mr. Harrington. I''ll protect Catherine with my life. Consider this me


    paying off my debt to you.


    As soon as he made up his mind, Jonathan no longer wavered. He strode to Lah, grabbed the


    golden silkworms, and swallowed them in one gulp.


    The moment the parasites entered his body, they instantly sought out his intestines and attached


    themselves.


    Even if he went for surgery, Jonathan knew he wasn''t going to be able to get the parasites out.


    Because once the golden silkworms awakened, they would move about freely within the body.


    There was no cultivation technique that could suppress this type of parasite.


    “Good!” After Lah made sure all the candidates who were proceeding had ingested the worms, she


    dered, “The elimination roundsts a total of ten days. On the morning of the tenth day, we will send


    a military aircraft to pick you up. The victor needs to collect the heads of the nine other candidates. If


    they fail to obtain the heads, it will be considered a mission failure, and our military aircraft will


    automatically turn back.”


    Such brutal rules! It could be said it was perversely barbaric, almost.


    However, there was nothing they could do.


    The candidates had entered the tournament willingly. Therefore, they would have to abide by the rules.


    Following the briefing, the candidates were split into two military aircraft. The military aircraft took off


    once the candidates were seated.


    Lah did not follow.


    Jonathan could not help but look at Catherine as the aircraft soared into the air.


    Catherine''s expression remained calm, there wasn''t a single trace of apprehension on her face.


    Jonathan''s heart ached. Oh, Catherine, when you chose to participate in the tournament, did you think


    of what it would mean for us? Perhaps you won''t care even if I died.


    Nheless, Jonathan wasn''t one to dwell on sentiments. After allowing himself to wallow for a brief


    moment, he immediately gathered his thoughts and made himself calm down.


    There were a total of nine candidates and four of them were seated in Jonathan''s aircraft.


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    They were Chester, Elijah, Catherine, and Jonathan himself.


    The atmosphere was strangely tense.


    Chester and Elijah remained eerily silent, but that was to be expected. None of them had foreseen an


    elimination round.


    They had intended to form a team of four and work together to clear the round, but their ns had


    been foiled by the conditions as only one person could win.


    It no longer mattered if the four of them were a team, for they had to kill the other three to pass.


    At that moment, a gulf had formed, and even Chester and Elijah kept their guards up around each


    other.


    All of a sudden, Chester broke the stagnant silence. He coughed and smiled wryly. “Jonathan, Elijah, I


    have something to say.”


    Jonathan had already managed to regain hisposure. Smiling, he said. “Sure, go ahead!”


    Elijah looked at Chester wordlessly.


    Chester continued, “Without a doubt, our biggest enemy is Simon. It doesn''t matter if the four of us


    have to fight each otherter on. Our chances of winning will be greater if we work together and take


    care of them first. What do you think?”


    Elijah stared at Chester. “What do you mean?” he asked.


    “With me as the team leader, I''m suggesting we hunt down the other candidates first. After we kill the


    others, we can go our separate ways,” Chester said.


    Elijah pondered for a moment before agreeing. “Okay!”


    Jonathan nced at Chester. Each one of them was harboring their own ulterior motives, but Chester''s


    suggestion wasn''t a bad idea.


    Jonathan did not trust Chester and Elijah anyway, thus, he had no choice but to wait and see how


    things would unfold. “Okay,” he said.


    “I will be the team leader. Are you all okay with that?” Chester asked.


    “All right!” Jonathan said.


    Elijah agreed.


    Naturally, Catherine had no objections.


    After deciding on their battle n, the four of them began to quietly cultivate, and the cabin fell into


    silence.


    The military aircraft weaved through the clouds.


    Focusing internally, Jonathan could sense the golden silkworms inside himself.


    The parasites were currently nestled in his duodenum, unmoving. They were currently in a dormant


    state.


    Jonathan could move the vitality in his body freely, but it wasn''t possible for him to relocate his organs.


    Thus, he was really helpless against the golden silkworms.


    Hemented at the Divine Realm''s ability to make so many experts endure humiliation in order to join


    the ranks. To have countless people giving up their dignity, and risking life and death, just for one spot.


    Was it worth it?


    Jonathan felt that he was forced to participate in the Divine Realm''s test due to unavoidable


    circumstances. The Divine Realm was the ce where the most experts and the most talented people


    were gathered. It contained unimaginable glory, enticing people who practiced Destino Art to


    participate.


    For ordinary students, getting into prestigious universities was their pride and joy.


    For fighters who wished to join the Divine Realm, this was their equivalent, or perhaps regarded as an


    even higher existence than the prestigious universities. The conditions to get in were much more brutal.


    It was eleven o''clock in the morning. After flying for about three hours, the aircraft finallynded on a


    small tropical ind near Norham.


    Ophidian Ind was surrounded by the endless sea on all sides. From the view of the military aircraft


    above, they could see that the ind was entirely covered by green foliage, and it almost made them


    think it was a primeval forest.


    The sunlight beat down fiercely on the beach.


    Coming in from the winter of Yaleview, Jonathan and the other candidates felt as if they had traversed


    two seasons.


    Fortunately, they had been prepared and left their thick military coats on board the aircraft. The coats


    would have been a liability.


    They were here to kill each other, perhaps it would have been better not toe.


    Just then, a cool breeze blew in from the ocean.


    The military aircraft immediately left the moment the candidates got off.


    From this moment onward, the brutal elimination round officially began, and it was time to start the


    bloodshed.


    There were five people in Simon''s group. They clustered far away, seemingly without the intention to


    approach Jonathan''s group. The two groups stood thirty meters apart, both surveying each other from


    afar as the scent of the salty sea brine permeated the air.


    “Simon has always been more of a lone wolf who refuses to work with others. I reckon they will soon


    fight it out. I say we wait for them to cull their own numbers before making our move,” Chester


    suggested after a moment of observing Simon''s group.


    Jonathan nodded. He saw no reason to object to Chester''s suggestion.


    Elijah agreed.


    Just as they were about to move away, something happened within the other group.


    A cry of pain pierced through the air from the direction of Simon''s group, and it was immediately


    punctuated by a loud roar.


    Jonathan''s sharp eyes immediately spotted the corpse lying on the ground. That person was killed by


    Simon. “Everyone, kill him!” The remaining three candidates went after Simon.


    The moment they made their move, Simon turned tail and fled. He nimbly made his way toward the


    jungle, his speed so fast that they could only see an afterimage.


    Soon, Simon escaped into the jungle with the three candidates hot on his heels.


    Simon was obviously a person that acted fast. Casting aside caution, he had made his kill the moment


    they got off the military aircraft, seemingly without any n in mind.