The Datong Dynasty

On the Spirit Boat, Zeng Fan and the others sat cross-legged on the floor. This Spirit Boat was purely for travel, so there were no seats or rooms for people to rest. All the disciples gathered in one area; some closed their eyes to cultivate, while others chatted with fellow disciples.

After the Spirit Boat left the Five Mountains Sect's territory, it began to slowly accelerate. In Zeng Fan's eyes, the five giant mountains gradually became smaller. A protective shield also rose from the Spirit Boat, shielding the Body Tempering Realm disciples from the fierce winds. He patted Yuan Jin, who was looking into the distance. Yuan Jin turned back in confusion and saw Zeng Fan handing him a red pill, a Body Tempering Pill.

"What's this?" Yuan Jin took the pill and looked at Zeng Fan, his eyes questioning.

"A Body Tempering Pill, it speeds up cultivation. Taking this should allow you to break through to Body Tempering Blood. I suggest you eat it here and see if you can break through before we arrive."

Zeng Fan explained to Yuan Jin. He had already taken the Body Tempering Fruit, and the chance of breaking through by taking another one now wasn't high. It was good to have a spare for himself. He gave the remaining one to Yuan Jin to try and break through, which would make them safer when acting together.

Yuan Jin nodded, took the pill, and suddenly said, "You know, if I break through now, I'll have to kill two Demonic Beasts at the Body Tempering Blood realm. Wouldn't it be even better if I broke through after killing two Demonic Beasts at the Body Tempering Bone realm!"

Zeng Fan was a bit surprised. "Are you a genius, kid? You can even think of something like that!"

Just as they were about to discuss the feasibility of this plan, Wang Beichen lazily interrupted from the side.

"I advise you not to have that idea. You should seize any opportunity to improve your strength as quickly as possible. Once we get there, whatever we encounter will be beyond your control."

Yuan Jin slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot about the rich kid here. Your family must have told you about this situation. Hurry up and give us some details."

Wang Beichen glanced at Yuan Jin, clearly displeased with the "rich kid" moniker, but he didn't take it too seriously. Seeing everyone looking at him with curiosity, he couldn't help but cough a few times and slowly began to speak.

"You all know we're going to fight the Demonic Beasts, right?"

Everyone nodded.

"Do you know why we're fighting?"

Wang Beichen's expression turned slightly serious. Without waiting for their answers, he revealed the truth.

"The area where the Datong Dynasty is located is our sect's border, and borders are naturally established because there's an equally powerful force on the other side."

"But aren't we fighting Demonic Beasts?" Zeng Fan asked, then paused, an unbelievable thought emerging in his mind.

"The force on the other side was established by Demonic Beasts?"

Wang Beichen nodded slightly. "That's right. Opposite us is a force established by Demonic Beasts, called the Sky Demon Mountain Range. Demonic Beasts are different from us humans; they follow absolute survival of the fittest. Those intelligent Demonic Beasts, we can also call them the Demon Race. In the eyes of the Demon Race, ordinary Demonic Beasts that haven't developed intelligence aren't considered part of their race. And their reproduction rate is too fast, so every so often, the Sky Demon Mountain Range organizes a beast tide to attack cities, thereby consuming a portion of the ordinary Demonic Beasts."

Wang Beichen paused here, a hint of dread in his eyes. "Launching a beast tide also allows some Demonic Beasts to break through and gain intelligence, thus becoming part of the Demon Race. How do they break through? Heh heh, the flesh and blood of us cultivators are excellent supplements. The more Demonic Beasts eat, the faster they advance. So, if we fail on the battlefield, our fate will be to be torn apart and eaten."

As Wang Beichen finished speaking, a silence fell over the surroundings. Zeng Fan felt a chill surge from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. This trial was by no means simple. Every human cultivator on the battlefield was a prime supplement for the Demonic Beasts. How could they let such an opportunity pass? Once they met, it would be a fight to the death.

"Then why are you sending us out if the sect is so dangerous?" Wang An couldn't help but ask.

Wang Beichen glanced at him but was too lazy to explain. "Don't you see that I, a second-generation immortal, have to come to the battlefield too! There are certain rules that must be followed, and no one can defy them."

Yuan Jin patted Wang An's shoulder. "Cultivation is like this. Demonic Beasts want to eat people to advance, and we human cultivators also need to kill Demonic Beasts to hone ourselves. This is mutually understood. The sect doesn't raise trash."

Wang An froze, a bitter smile appearing on his lips. This was completely different from the immortal cultivation he had imagined. Except for him, Zeng Fan, Murong Xue, and Yuan Jin quickly accepted the reality. Zeng Fan, who had climbed the path to immortality step by step on his own, was not fazed by such matters. Yuan Jin and Murong Xue, who came from cultivation families, were mentally prepared for this.

"It seems I need to try and break through. That will give me a better chance of survival," Yuan Jin's eyes gradually became firm. He took out the Body Tempering Pill and swallowed it, then sat down to cultivate, diligently refining the medicinal power.

After hearing Wang Beichen's explanation, the others also felt the pressure and began to meditate, striving to accumulate more strength before reaching the Datong Dynasty.

Time flew by. After a day of flight, the Spirit Boat finally entered the Datong Dynasty's territory. However, the two Foundation Establishment cultivators only rested briefly in a city before ordering everyone to set off again for the dynasty's border.

As they were about to reach the border, Yuan Jin's breakthrough finally arrived. Zeng Fan was meditating, absorbing Spiritual Energy, when a strong fluctuation of Spiritual Energy appeared beside him. Zeng Fan opened his eyes and saw Yuan Jin with his brows tightly furrowed, his aura growing stronger. After reaching the peak of Body Tempering Bone Perfection, he paused for a moment before forcefully breaking through. The aura of Body Tempering Blood emanated from Yuan Jin.

Zeng Fan smiled. Yuan Jin had successfully broken through. This also alerted the surrounding disciples, who cast surprised glances. Someone actually broke through at such a time. However, they only marveled for a moment before losing interest. After all, they were nearing the border, and everyone's minds were filled with tension.

The aura around Yuan Jin began to slowly recede, finally retracting into his body. He let out a soft breath and grinned at Zeng Fan and the others, revealing his white teeth.

"Success!"

Murong Xue gave Yuan Jin a thumbs-up. Wang Beichen nodded faintly. Wang An seemed a little excited, as the higher his two older brothers' cultivation levels were, the more stable his own support would be.

"Everyone get ready! We're about to land!" Qian Dayou's voice came from the front of the Spirit Boat. Zeng Fan nodded at Yuan Jin, deciding to talk after they landed.

A city appeared before Zeng Fan and the others. In front of this city, a long pass stretched across the land, clearly the destination. However, the Spirit Boat was heading towards the city, presumably to allow everyone to rest inside.

The Spirit Boat slowly landed at the city gate, where a group of people were already waiting. Leading them was a middle-aged man with chiseled features and a long beard, dressed in a green Daoist robe. He was smiling as he watched the Spirit Boat descend.

Once all the disciples had gathered on the ground, the Spirit Boat slowly shrank and was finally put away by Qian Dayou. The man strode forward, laughter echoing from his mouth.

"Finally, your reinforcements have arrived. It's two junior brothers this time. Thank you for your hard work. I've already prepared a banquet in the city to welcome you."

"Senior Brother Sun Ze, you flatter me. We came on the sect's orders, so it's not hard work. Please also arrange for the disciples of the sect."

Qian Dayou cupped his hands towards the man before him. Lin Li also bowed to Sun Ze and remained silent. Sun Ze, knowing his temperament, gave a few instructions to his subordinates and then entered the city with Qian Dayou, chatting and laughing, while Lin Li followed silently behind.

After the three entered the city, Sun Ze's subordinate spoke to everyone, bowing. "Fellow Daoists, I am Cai Yi, the Marshal of the Datong Dynasty's forces. We have arranged accommodations in the city. Please enter the city in order to rest. If you have any needs, you can inform the soldiers at your accommodation. The conditions are somewhat harsh, so please bear with us. The formal trial will begin tomorrow."

Cai Yi waved his hand, and three generals stepped forward, leading cultivators of the Spirit Control, Spirit Gathering, and Body Tempering realms into the city to rest respectively.

Above Spirit Gathering was Spirit Control, and above Spirit Control was Foundation Establishment. Zeng Fan looked on; there were only a few dozen people. The leading general was very polite to them, as these people had a high chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, which would immediately elevate their status.

Next were the Spirit Gathering realm cultivators, numbering about a few hundred. The leader's attitude was ordinary, but these Spirit Gathering realm cultivators had nothing to complain about, as the aura emanating from him was clearly that of a Spirit Control realm expert. The strong were respected, and there was no need to be overly polite to them.

Finally, there were the numerous Body Tempering realm disciples, possibly over a thousand. The general didn't bother with pleasantries and waved his hand, leading the disciples obediently. They entered the city in a grand procession. After all, with a Spirit Control realm expert leading the way, who would dare to complain?

Zeng Fan and the others followed the crowd to the resting place arranged for the Body Tempering realm disciples, which was an inn with two people per room. As for the Earth Vein disciples, they each had their own room. Zeng Fan, naturally, shared with Yuan Jin. Having a place to stay was enough for him; he wasn't picky.

After a simple tidying up, Yuan Jin stretched his body and then frowned slightly.

"There's very little Spiritual Energy here, not comparable to being in the sect. Cultivating here will probably be a bit strenuous."

Zeng Fan had already prepared himself for this. The Spiritual Energy in the sect was condensed using formations. In this border region, with a war ongoing, there would naturally not be much Spiritual Energy.

Even so, Zeng Fan still sensed the sparse Spiritual Energy in the inn. It was possible that so many people cultivating had absorbed too much of it.

"It's better than nothing. We'll have to make more preparations, as we're setting out tomorrow," Zeng Fan said to Yuan Jin, turning his head.

"You're right." Seeing Zeng Fan already cross-legged in cultivation, Yuan Jin smiled and slowly closed his eyes, beginning to consolidate his recently broken-through realm.

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived silently. Golden sunlight streamed into the room. Yuan Jin and Zeng Fan opened their eyes simultaneously. The trial had begun!