The White Tiger Domain's True Enemy: Ruin Sha
Lu Ping sighed. "Little B, you'll always be with me."
He was indeed somewhat surprised; this Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator clearly harbored a great prejudice against the people of the Azure Dragon Domain.
However, Lu Ping came here to farm materials.
The front lines are dangerous, but military achievements come even faster.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You picked up the cast iron badge, put it back into your Storage Ring, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the assembly point of the new recruit camp.]
[A cold snort came from behind you, belonging to the Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator.]
"Another useless piece of trash who won't live past a month."
[You walk into the ranks of the recruits.]
[There are already over a hundred people standing here, all unlucky souls assigned to the outpost.]
[Just then.]
Formation Command Token chilling fluctuation emanated from the tallest sword tower at West-Suppressing Sword Pass.
The air in the entire square seemed to freeze.
[All the Sword Cultivators of the White Tiger Hall, whether Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation, stopped what they were doing and knelt down on one knee in unison.]
[The sound of armor plates clashing together filled the air.]
"Greetings, Sword Master!"
[The sound waves were deafening, soaring straight into the sky.]
[You mingled among the new recruits, and like them, you knelt down on one knee.]
[Just then, you suddenly felt a gaze fall upon you from above.]
That gaze was devoid of any emotion, yet it seemed to pierce through your very bones and see into your very soul.
[You subconsciously look up at the sword tower.]
A figure stands behind the railing.
[The man was dressed in pure white armor, tall and slender; even from miles away, one could still sense his aloofness and sharpness, as if he were above the heavens and earth.]
[The person wore a Silver-White Mask on their face.]
[You couldn't see that person's face clearly, but are you sure that the White Tiger Sword Lord was just looking at you?]
[Although an Integrated Body Great Talent shouldn't be paying attention to a mere Golden Core like you.]
There are tens of thousands of people in the square; you are just an insignificant one among them.
[But you don't think that's an illusion.]
[The White Tiger Sword Lord, I really did glance at you.]
[Although that glance was very brief, it was gone the instant you looked up.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Keep your eyes down, lower your head even further, and pretend you're invisible.]
[B: Suddenly raising his head, he met the gaze of the White Tiger Sword Lord, revealing a smile that was three parts indifferent, three parts mocking, and four parts nonchalant.]
[C: Raises both hands above her head to form a heart shape and shouts, "Sword Master, look at me! Choose me for online dating, I'm super sweet!"]
Lu Ping looked at Little C, wanting nothing more than for it to finish its shift.
No, Little B and Little C are cut from the same cloth.
Little A, you're the only one who's honest, hardworking, and reliable.
Host, you are my favorite!
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[Salty Fish, in effect.]
[Your heartbeat is steady, your Dao Heart is as firm as a rock, and you show no sign of anything amiss.]
You lowered your head, staring intently at the gray floor tile at your feet.
[A moment later, the figure on the sword tower disappeared.]
The Sword Cultivators in the square then stood up and resumed their previous busy work.
[A Golden Core Late Stage Sword Cultivator clad in black armor walks up to your formation.]
"I am your team leader, He Zhantao."
"Enough with the chit-chat. Black Moon Gorge outpost is short of men, medicine, and lives."
"Keep up!"
[He Zhantao turned and left, not giving you a chance to ask questions at all.]
[You hundred-plus new recruits weren't even given time to rest before being dragged out of West-Suppressing Sword Pass.]
[Upon leaving the city gate.]
[The White Tiger Token at your waist is slightly warm.]
The Sha Soul Crystals within the White Tiger Token are being consumed rapidly.
The wind that blew against my face carried a strong stench of blood and decay.
The ground beneath my feet was barren, covered only in grayish-white sand and gravel.
[Occasionally, one can see a broken sword blade stuck in the ground.]
The team moved swiftly across the wasteland.
[Without Flying Boats, we rely entirely on our two legs to travel. Flying on swords in mid-air would make us easy targets for the Ruin Sha.]
[Observe as you walk.]
[Of these hundred-plus new recruits, most were at the Foundation Establishment Realm, with only a dozen or so at the Golden Core Early Stage.]
[He Zhantao walked at the front, his hand resting on his sword hilt, his Divine Sense scanning the surroundings.]
[Four veterans walked on either side and at the rear of the column, more like escorts than protectors.]
The sky gradually darkened.
[The gray fog began to thicken, reducing visibility to less than a hundred feet; even Divine Sense was somewhat suppressed.]
[A dozen or so semi-transparent black shadows appeared and disappeared in the gray mist.]
[They had no physical form, only an upper body; their lower body was a billowing cloud of black smoke.]
[The facial features were blurry; only three dark holes were visible.]
[This is the Wandering Sha.]
[The lowest level of existence in the Western Extremity Ruin Sha, with strength only equivalent to Qi Refining Stage Human Race.]
[The greatest enemy of the White Tiger Domain is the Ruin Sha.]
[The million Sword Cultivators of the White Tiger Hall have been stationed here year-round to suppress these monsters formed from death energy, Killing Intent, and fragments of souls.]
[These are collectively called Ruin Sha.]
"Form ranks!"
He Zhantao stopped in his tracks.
[The four veterans quickly spread out, taking up four positions.]
[But you realize they don't seem to intend to protect the new recruits in the middle.]
[It's more like they've put up a perimeter cordon, keeping you new recruits "enclosed" in one place.]
[One veteran didn't even draw his sword; he simply rested his hand on the hilt, a mocking smile playing on his lips.]
[A dozen or so Wandering Sha burst forth from the gray mist, heading straight for the crowd.]
[A Foundation Establishment Realm recruit snorted coldly, his longsword instantly unleashing three sharp, fiery sword flowers, aimed straight at the face of the foremost Wandering Sha.]
However, a bizarre scene unfolded.
[The fiery sword flower, powerful enough to pierce through metal and stone, pierced directly through Wandering Sha's body, like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without causing the slightest obstruction.]
[The Wandering Sha pounced on the recruit's Azure Wood Spirit Shield.]
[The moment the black smoke touched the spirit shield, it emitted a teeth-grinding "sizzling" sound.]
The recruit's face paled as he felt a chilling aura of death creep through his spiritual shield, striking his very soul. He stumbled back two steps, crashing into the person behind him.
"What the hell? My Law Technique didn't work!"
"Don't push! Whose flying sword grazed me!"
The crowd instantly erupted into chaos.
[A Wandering Sha is pushed into front of you by the crowd.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Push the Wandering Sha away, continue to observe, and see what's going on.]
[B: "I’ll Make Three Points" to control the situation, then frantically throws Spirit Stones to trigger "I'm the Client," and then unleashes the Star River Myriad Blades, shredding the Wandering Sha and the veterans watching the show into dust, letting them know what a technically skilled mastermind is!]
[C: Grabbing the black smoke from the Wandering Sha, he raised the Recording Stone and shouted: "You let new employees come into contact with highly dangerous and toxic substances without pre-job Safety Training? Where are your personal protective equipment! You didn't even provide an N95 Defensive Formation? I'm going to file a formal complaint with the White Tiger Domain Safety Supervision Bureau and the Labor Arbitration Committee against your illegal employment practices!"]