A Special Welcome Ceremony

The carriage bound for Death Camp moved swiftly. Pulling it were horse-like spirit beasts, faster and more enduring than ordinary horses.

It would take a week to reach their destination, and Qian Yuxi did not idle away the time. The Spirit Douluo headmaster had given him three books and instructed him to finish them within the week.

Opening the first book, Spirit Beast Forest Survival Guide, Qian Yuxi's pupils contracted slightly. The book was quite comprehensive, detailing the weaknesses of various spirit beasts and even covering their methods of attack.

"Tsk... How come some idiots can't even copy things properly..."

Shaking his head lightly, Qian Yuxi continued reading the detailed annotations in the book. Time was short, and he had to make the most of it.

The carriage traveled onward. Qian Yuxi lifted the curtain to look outside from time to time, but he did not see a single town—not even a small village. The entire journey passed through uninhabited wilderness.

After an unknown amount of time, the carriage slowed. Qian Yuxi vaguely sensed that they had arrived. He closed his book and pulled aside the carriage curtain. Ahead of him stood a black city—or perhaps it could not truly be called a city, since it was far smaller than any city Qian Yuxi had ever seen.

Even its outer walls were only around twenty-five meters high. Yet as the carriage drew closer, those black walls gradually gave Qian Yuxi a sense of oppression. When he approached, he found that there was no name above the city gates.

However, Black Armor Soldiers with powerful auras stood atop the walls and at the gate. Their cultivation levels all appeared to be above three rings.

As the carriage neared the entrance, Qian Yuxi had barely stepped down when the murderous aura emanating from the Black Armor Soldiers and the hundreds of cold gazes fixed upon him brought immense pressure crashing down on him.

"Tch." Qian Yuxi snorted coldly, releasing the sacred, radiant aura of the Aurora Sacred Feather Bow. The pressure was instantly swept away.

This little fellow really had some skill.

The Spirit Saint responsible for escorting him turned back to glance at Qian Yuxi and nodded slightly. "Since Lord Radiant Feather took him as a disciple, it seems he does have genuine ability."

After showing a token to the Black Armor Soldiers, the two entered the city without incident.

There were all sorts of shops within the city, as well as places to eat and seek entertainment. Yet the entire city felt somewhat deserted. There were simply too few people.

Qian Yuxi observed everything closely and discovered that whether on the streets or inside the shops, nearly everyone besides the proprietors was a child or teenager, with varying degrees of Soul Power fluctuations emanating from them.

The gazes these children exchanged carried traces of hostility. But when they saw the black-clothed Spirit Saint and Qian Yuxi beside him, curiosity appeared on their faces.

"They're all here to take part in Death Camp training, just like you. In the future, they'll be your opponents, perhaps even your enemies," the black-clothed Spirit Saint explained. "Some come from families affiliated with Spirit Hall, some are from Spirit Hall Academy like you, and some are orphans taken in by Spirit Hall."

As they spoke, the two arrived at the center of the city, where there was an enormous plaza.

The black-clothed Spirit Saint then took a pouch from his person and tossed it to Qian Yuxi.

"This contains Death Camp's exclusive currency. Someone will tell you how to earn more later. My task is complete. I hope we meet again someday." With that, he walked toward the city gate under Qian Yuxi's astonished gaze, mounted the carriage, and left.

This really does have the feel of a proper devil training camp.

After musing over it for a moment, Qian Yuxi lowered his head and opened the pouch in his hand. It did not contain Gold Soul Coins, but white banknotes—ten in total.

Just as he was feeling lost, a tall, thin young man hurried toward him.

"Little brother, are you here to train too?"

"Yes." Qian Yuxi nodded. He knew nothing about this place yet, so perhaps he could learn something from this young man.

The young man pulled a small booklet from his clothes. "You've only just arrived, so there are plenty of rules here that you don't know. You can buy a copy of the Death Camp Manual from me. It'll help you quickly adapt to life here."

"How much?"

The young man held up five fingers and chuckled. "Not much. Just five White Spirit Tickets."

Do you take me for an idiot?

Qian Yuxi grumbled inwardly. He only had ten tickets in total, yet this young man wanted five of them. What an outrageous price.

"Uh... then two? One?"

Qian Yuxi did not even turn his head. The young man clearly saw him as an easy target because of his age and wanted to rip him off.

The young man's expression shifted, and his Soul Power stirred for a moment. After glancing at the Black Armor Soldiers atop the walls, he finally left unwillingly.

"What a sly fellow..."

He happened to be hungry as well, so Qian Yuxi entered the nearest noodle shop and looked over the menu. The prices were all marked in white or yellow banknotes. After ordering a bowl of noodles, he took out a white note to pay.

The noodle shop owner looked like an honest middle-aged man. Once the noodles were served, Qian Yuxi decided to ask him about the place first.

"Uncle, I just got here and don't know the rules. Could you tell me about them?"

The owner paused, then smiled. "The rules here are simple. Fighting isn't forbidden, but you can't kill anyone openly. As for the houses, you can move into any that are unoccupied. When training begins, a bell will ring to gather everyone."

"Alright, thank you." Qian Yuxi expressed his thanks.

The shop owner then asked, "Kid, where are you from? What's your name?"

"I..." Qian Yuxi was about to answer instinctively, but then he recalled the fifth key point in Personal Conduct and Team Awareness:

The world is dangerous. When you are unfamiliar with a place and cannot trust someone, never reveal your true identity.

"My name is Luoya. I'm from a family affiliated with Spirit Hall."

(Sorry, but since I wrote it, I can do whatever I want.)

The shop owner kindly warned him, "Kid, Death Camp training isn't something to take lightly. One careless mistake can get you killed, so you must be careful. We people here see plenty of lives and deaths every day."

Over the years, these ordinary people had seen countless young faces here. Yet those children had all lost their lives in the brutal training, or secretly died because of one matter or another.

"I understand. Thank you for the warning, Boss." Qian Yuxi answered with a smile, then began slurping up his noodles.

After finishing his meal, Qian Yuxi left the shop and began wandering around the city.

He noticed that many vacant houses had signs hanging outside stating that someone already lived there, while those without signs were all empty.

In the end, he chose a small building around five hundred meters from the main plaza. He hung a sign outside and wrote his name on it.

Having just arrived, he needed to keep a low profile. Staying away from those "friendly" neighbors might spare him plenty of trouble. Since training had not yet begun, he intended to settle in here for now.

However, before he had even warmed his seat, uninvited guests came knocking.

Three teenagers arrived, all around twelve years old, and barged straight into Qian Yuxi's house.

All three looked arrogant, and the leader was a slightly chubby boy.

He stared at Qian Yuxi. Soul Power erupted from his body as his eyes flickered, and he sneered, "Brat, this isn't a place for you. If you don't want to die, hurry home. Of course, before you leave, hand over that pouch of White Spirit Tickets."

That's quite a special welcome ceremony... Qian Yuxi sneered inwardly. From what he sensed, all three were Soul Grand Masters, though only the fat boy had reached the high rank. And they thought they could rob him with that?

The second half of keeping a low profile was making a high-profile move!

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Three spirit rings rose. The Aurora Sacred Feather Bow appeared in his hand, and while the three were still stunned, Qian Yuxi drew the bow. His second Thousand-Year Spirit Ring lit up!

Aurora Split!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The arrow he fired split into three, flying toward the trio. Their reactions were swift as well, and they each unleashed soul skills to block the attack.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Their Tool Martial Souls were forced back, while their Beast Martial Soul possession states were directly dispelled. They rolled several times and were sent flying out of the house.

The only one still able to speak was the fat boy. He shakily climbed to his feet, staring in terror at the golden light gathering in the house once more.

"Th... thirty-sixth-level Soul Elder..."

"Get lost!" Qian Yuxi's cold shout rang out from inside. The three teenagers were terrified out of their wits and fled, dragging their injured bodies along as they scrambled away.

A squad of Black Armor Soldiers passed outside and saw the three fleeing in disgrace, but they showed no reaction. Fighting was not forbidden here. As long as no one openly caused a death, they would not intervene.

Listening to the footsteps gradually fade away, Qian Yuxi finally withdrew the Aurora Sacred Feather Bow and smiled disdainfully.

Even Qian Renxue had less than a fifty-percent chance of defeating him at the same level. Could he not deal with these three brats?

He raised a hand and touched the bracelet Qian Renxue had asked Radiant Feather Douluo to pass on to him. Qian Yuxi's gaze softened. He stirred a thread of Soul Power at his fingertips and examined its contents.

Inside were plenty of dry rations, drinking water, and several wilderness survival tools—rope, hooks, a tent, a short sword...

"Xue'er, thank you."