Strongest Replication

Chu Zhongtian didn't have to wait too long. The eunuch in charge of this matter quickly announced the rewards for this competition.    

As the eunuch announced the rewards, the people below couldn't help but suck in a deep breath.    

Only thetop ten would receive rewards in every Hunting Contest, and each reward wasextremely generous. This was also why the elite disciples of the threegreat families were so determined to win the contest.    

As long as one could get a spot in the top ten, they would receive a reward ten times or even a hundred times greater than what their family could ever give them.    

Also, the rewards this time around were particularly shocking and abundant.    

Tenth place: 100 low Level-10 spirit stones, and one low Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill.    

Ninth place: 1,000 low Level-10 spirit stones, one low Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, and one ten times refined weapon.    

Eighth place: 2,000 low Level-10 spirit stones, three low Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, one low Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, and one ten times refined weapon.    

Seventh place: 5,000 low Level-10 spirit stones, five low Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, two low Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, and one ten times refined weapon.    

Sixth place: 1,000 low Level-9 spirit stones, two intermediate Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, one intermediate Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, and one top-tier ten times refined weapon.    

Fifth place: 2,000 low Level-9 spirit stones, five intermediate Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, two intermediate Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, and one top-tier ten times refined weapon.    

Fourth place: 5,000 low Level-9 spirit stones, ten intermediate Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, three intermediate Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, and one top-tier ten times refined weapon.    

Honestly, the rewards for the tenth place were nothing spectacular and quite similar to last year's. However, the rewards for the ninth spot to the fourth spot were what actually drove the population crazy. The contestants were so excited after hearing the rewards that their eyes lit up like the sun.    

As for Liu Yongjun and Wang Chao, who could get into the top three, they were more concerned about the rewards to come.    

As soon as the eunuch announced the rewards for the top three spots, the atmosphere became silent. Even the sound of a needle dropping to the ground could be heard.    

If the previous rewards were generous, then the top three rewards were unreasonably, idiotically generous.    

Third place: 1,000 low Level-8 spirit stones, one advance Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, one advance Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, one top-tier ten times refined weapon, one top-tier armor, and a day inside Hidden Dragon Pavilion.    

Second place: 2,000 low Level-8 spirit stones, three advance Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, one advance Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, one top-tier ten times refined weapon, one top-tier armor, and two days inside Hidden Dragon Pavilion.    

The first place or the champion's spot also had similar dumbly unreasonable rewards.    

First place: 5,000 low Level-8 spirit stones, five advance Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, three advance Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, one top-tier ten times refined weapon, one top-tier armor, and three days inside Hidden Dragon Pavilion.    

After hearing the rewards for the top three, Chu Zhongtian couldn't help but suck in a deep breath.    

Low Level-8 spirit stones, advance Level-10 Qi Increasing Pill, advance Level-10 Heart Tranquilizing Pill, top-tier ten times refined weapon, and top-tier armor. These weren't rewards—these were treasures! Treasures that only an intermediate or above Body Refiner could use.    

'Had the royal family and the three great families struck gold recently?!'    

What Chu Zhongtian found even more unbelievable was that they were rewarding days in the Hidden Dragon Pavilion. 'Who does that?!'    

The HiddenDragon Pavilion was a cultivation secret realm unique to theroyal family. It was a heaven-defying treasure brought from outside by the founding king ofthe Qi Country, Qi Xinhao.    

The Hidden Dragon Pavilion only opened once every ten years, and only three people could enter at a time. The Hidden Dragon Pavilion signified two benefits for any cultivator.    

The first benefit was related to one's cultivation level. The spiritual Qi concentration inside the Hidden Dragon Pavilion was shockingly high. It didn't matter if you were a Level-1 Qi Refiner or a Level-9 Qi Refiner—one day inside could easily help you jump one minor level. Of course, if you were lucky and could stay inside long enough, you could even jump two minor levels. Inside, the lower your cultivation level, the faster your cultivation speed; the higher your level, the slower your cultivation speed.    

The second benefit was related to one's potential. In the Hidden Dragon Pavilion, besides the thick spiritual Qi, there was also a special energy that could improve a person's physique, strengthen their meridian, expand their dantian, and improve the purity of their spiritual power.    

The Hidden Dragon Pavilion could be called the top treasure of the royal family. In the past, only the direct descendants—not the sons and daughters of the concubines and branch families—of the royal family got the chance to enter the Hidden Dragon Pavilion. No matter how talented you were, you couldn't enter it.    

This time, the royal family was actually rewarding those spots to outsiders. This puzzled everyone. Could it be that the royal family was now so weak that they were willing to give up their family treasure?    

Although they were all puzzled, they kept their guesses in their heart. Chu Zhongtian turned his gaze to the 20 people from the royal family participating in the competition.    

'Qi Yiloong can easily get one spot. Still, the royal family isn't idiotic enough to reward the other two to some outsider. In other words, among those 20 participants, there are at least three to five top-tier hidden experts.'    

Thinking of this, Chu Zhongtian couldn't help but think about the two guys from the royal team who gave him a bad feeling. He feared that those two might end up being the hidden trump cards of the royal family.    

Initially, Chu Zhongtian only wanted to avoid Liu Yongjun, Wang Chao, and a few other Level-7 Qi Refining participants during the first half of the hunt. Now, he had two more to be cautious of.    

Given hiscurrent strength, he wasn't confident that he could defeat them. However, if hewere to break through and become a Level-4 Qi Refiner, he wasconfident that he could deal with them. It might not be an overwhelmingvictory, but he could at least stand his ground.    

Of course, if he could advance another level, defeating them wouldn't be a problem.    

After the eunuch left, the patriarch of the three great families went up to the stage to speak. The content was nothing more than extolment and encouragement. Therefore, Chu Zhongtian automatically blanked out their voices and began to adjust his psyche.    

After the patriarch of the three great families finished speaking, the hunt was officially on.    

The hunting grounds were nearly 20 miles away from the platform. The competition amongst the younger generation would officially begin once they were on their way.    

Onehundred specially made jade plates were randomly placed in differentlocations of the hunting ground. Some might be on the earth, some might beon the trees, and some might even be placed directly next to a strange beast.    

The sooner one arrived at the hunting grounds, the quicker they could collect a jade plate. Therefore, after the patriarch announced the official start of the contest, quite a few participants made a run for the hunting grounds    

Chu Zhongtian did not rush to the front; at the same time, he made sure he wasn't all the way back. Instead, he followed behind the Chu Family disciples and unhurriedly walked toward the hunting grounds.    

The Hunting Contest went on for a total of 15 days.    

Thecontestants had to stay on the hunting grounds within those fifteen days andcouldn't leave early. If they left early, it meant that they had given up andwere admitting defeat.    

First come, first served might seem like the hidden mechanic of this contest, but it was far from that. Only true experts could win in the end.    

Chu Zhongtian wasn't the only one opting for a leisurely journey; the members of the three great families and the royal family were also taking the unhurried approach. Hell, even the members of somewhat powerful families weren't running around like dogs.    

Twenty miles wasn't a long distance; then again, no sane human would call it small either.    

Among the participants in this contest, the weakest were Level-3 Qi Refiners, and the strongest were Level-7 Qi Refiners.    

Three hours later, Chu Zhongtian arrived at the hunting grounds with the Chu Family participants.