Tank Infantry

After explaining it several times,

and confirming that Jiang Ding understood most of it, then having him use the miniature computer built into his camouflage combat uniform to record it, Zhang Dingjun left.

The Qi Refining squad still needed him.

After a round of answers, Jiang Ding suddenly saw the light regarding the Minor Breath Concealment Technique. Instinctively, he circulated the inner power through his meridians, forming one complex structure after another.

It was incomparably smooth; none of the spell structures suddenly collapsed.

Jiang Ding's heart stirred. He controlled the Military Drone that came with his camouflage uniform and projected its viewpoint onto himself.

Nothing.

After searching around, he could see Li Junhao, Sun Xiao, and the others. After zooming in, he could even see the freckles on their faces, yet he could not find anyone named Jiang Ding.

Jiang Ding sent an order. The Military Drone repeatedly scanned this small area with miniature Radar Waves, and only after a full minute did a blurry humanoid phantom appear at a firing position.

This strong?

Jiang Ding froze for a moment, then understood why.

[Reconnaissance Camouflage-1]

High-grade special magical artifact. Woven and inscribed with a first-grade Breath Concealment Array; must be used together with the Minor Breath Concealment Technique. Once cultivated to minor mastery, it could conceal one from the Spiritual Sense Scan of a Ninth Level Qi Refining cultivator, and could also, to a certain extent, evade the scans of the first-grade Infantry Radar built into tanks.

The set he wore was not ordinary camouflage for cannon-fodder infantry. Used together with the Minor Breath Concealment Technique, it was simply terrifying.

Of course, that was only against mortals.

At present, within a cultivator's spiritual sense range, under the scouting of Immortal Sect cultivators controlling the Spirit Particle Radar built into tanks in conjunction with the Electromagnetic Induction Wave Technique, this concealment was little different from having none at all.

Jiang Ding came to a realization.

As he carefully experienced the Minor Breath Concealment Technique under the enhancement of the Reconnaissance Camouflage, countless insights immediately surged into his mind. Many spell structures that had seemed obscure and difficult, which he could only imitate by rote, now revealed their principles through comparison and understanding.

He did not know how much time passed.

Boom~

Boom boom~

From the horizon came the heavy roar of tank engines. Steel fortresses clad in sandy-yellow camouflage rolled in from afar, more than ten of them, charging in formation with the momentum of mountains collapsing and seas overturning.

Looking closer, a Qi Refining Realm student sat cross-legged atop every tank hatch.

"All personnel, assemble."

Zhang Dingjun jumped down from one tank and clapped his hands. "Today's lesson is tanks and accompanying infantry. Tanks are for cover, fire support, and targeted kills."

"There are six accompanying infantrymen. They are responsible for using Heavy Machine Gun fire nets to destroy formations, clear hostile martial artists and low-level cultivators with poor mobility, assist tanks in eliminating high-value targets with fire nets, or use fire nets to help wear down the mana of extremely high-value targets."

"First squad, you will follow Hua Bing's tank."

Zhang Dingjun pointed.

"Yes!"

Sun Xiao and the others answered loudly, excitement flashing across their faces.

Training alongside a Qi Refining Early Stage cultivator and training alongside a Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator were worlds apart.

The tank drove away. Sun Xiao and the other six students followed behind it, moving parallel to the tank without the slightest deviation—a standard marching formation.

Jiang Ding and the others watched with rapt attention.

He noticed Hua Bing, seated cross-legged atop the tank, form a hand seal. Wisps of azure breeze appeared around Sun Xiao and the others, and their footsteps immediately grew much lighter.

First-grade Gale Technique, a group military formation enhancement.

That skilled display of a group spell showed her superb casting technique. Even the Direct Disciples of Golden Core sects in the Outer Realm might not be capable of such a thing.

"Battle formation!" Zhang Dingjun shouted.

The six people behind the tank spread out, forming two small triangular formations at its flanks and rear, each separated by over twenty meters.

Jiang Ding and the other observing students no longer watched with their naked eyes. Instead, they focused on the viewpoints of their respective Military Drones.

Four or five kilometers away, twelve paper figures suddenly rose from the ground. Hidden among the trees and grass, they moved cautiously, vividly imitating an Outer Realm Qi Refining Mid Stage cultivator leading eleven Qi Refining Early Stage cultivators into battle.

Training paper dummies, products of industrialized cultivation manufacturing. They possessed no offensive power, but could simulate the speed and movements of all kinds of enemies, costing dozens of times more than ordinary targets.

"Area (214,22), fire a volley."

Hua Bing's cool voice sounded in the first squad's communication channel. Jiang Ding and the others could receive it as well, but could not speak; it was for observation and learning.

"Yes!"

Sun Xiao's group of six fired into the area without any delay, unleashing ten rounds in rapid succession.

In an instant, from the drone's viewpoint, sixty Heavy Machine Gun Bullets carrying a faint Law-Breaking Attribute drowned that patch of forest. Trees snapped with cracks, wood chips flying everywhere.

The paper figures representing Qi Refining cultivators were blown to pieces in an instant—the shields of Qi Refining Early and Mid Stage cultivators were thinner than paper before Heavy Machine Guns.

Only the paper figure bearing the aura of a Qi Refining Mid Stage cultivator was alert beforehand and dodged most of the bullets.

Another sheet representing a Defensive Magical Artifact fluttered into the air, barely deflecting a bullet that was about to hit him. He survived by sheer luck, but the Defensive Magical Artifact was instantly scrapped.

The paper figure fled the area even faster.

"The script is exaggerated,"

someone complained over the public channel. "Qi Refining Mid Stage cultivators aren't that alert. Their spiritual sense only extends thirty or forty meters at most; it's hardly useful for anything."

"Not necessarily. According to battlefield footage, Qi Refining Mid Stage cultivators with this kind of instinctive warning at the brink of life and death do appear from time to time."

Jiang Ding did not join the discussion. He stared intently at that paper figure.

A cultivator capable of such a setup could be considered an elite no matter what.

Bang bang!

Two shots rang out from a vehicle-mounted dual-purpose magical artifact machine gun. They were urgent single shots, precisely sealing off the Qi Refining Mid Stage paper figure's unavoidable path. Both struck, blasting it into paper scraps that filled the sky.

"Good!"

The crowd could not help cheering.

"Not bad."

Zhang Dingjun also praised them over the public channel. "Qi Refining Stage students possess spiritual sense, calculation, and observation abilities far beyond ordinary students, so you must make use of them. Predict gaps in the squad's fire encirclement, where enemies might flee, and so on."

After that, the enemy types kept changing, growing stronger.

There were paper figures all bearing the aura of martial artists. They moved slowly, but there were many of them, wielding sabers, spears, swords, halberds, bows, and other cold weapons as they surrounded them from every direction.

"This is also something you need to watch out for."

Zhang Dingjun said coldly, "Among Outer Realm cultivators, the gap between immortals and mortals is enormous. Even ants are not enough to describe it. Cultivators of both righteous and demonic paths have examples of driving large numbers of mortal martial artists before them. They are not even limited to martial artists—old people, the weak, women, and children can be simply processed in batches into monsters like zombies and wandering souls, used to exhaust our ammunition reserves."

Many students showed expressions of reluctance.

"You only need to remember one thing: people of the Outer Realm have nothing to do with us. Not to mention enemies on the battlefield—even civilians, if they stand in your way, what is wrong with killing them all?"

Jiang Ding frowned.

Within those words, he heard a bloodiness as vast as mountains and seas.

But he could not say anything. Zhang Dingjun's words did not conform to the Immortal Sect's political correctness of immortals and mortals as one. If someone reported him, Zhang Dingjun would also face some trouble. It was all well-intentioned.

Hua Bing's squad cut through every obstacle in its path.

There was a twelve-man squad composed entirely of Qi Refining Mid Stage cultivators. Most of them could use spells such as invisibility and earth escape, yet Hua Bing still easily scanned them out with the first-grade Spirit Particle Radar built into the tank, then annihilated them with Tank Cannon bombardment and concentrated fire from anti-air magical artifact machine guns and Heavy Machine Guns.