Tiandu City's Brocade Dragon Camp
The city walls of Tiandu City were seven or eight zhang thick. Through the walls, Yi Yun finally saw the vast interior of the city.
The main street of Tiandu is wide enough for ten Unicorn Giant Rhinoceros to walk side by side, and is lined with various shops, inns, Training Ground, and martial arts arenas!
The shops here sell items including Savage Bone Relic, Divine Weapons, and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!
Various treasures, priceless!
Many inns specifically for martial artists to rest have their own Spirit Gathering Array that collect the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, making them excellent Training Ground. The cost of one night's stay can be enough for an ordinary person to live on for several lifetimes.
As for the martial arts arena, it is filled with experts from all over the Divine Kingdom. Some come to the arena to earn resources and rewards, while others come purely to hone their skills and break through in battle!
Along the way, Yi Yun felt that Tiandu City had opened up a brand new world for him, and the shock was truly extraordinary!
The Tiandu City was enormous, with a vast urban area and numerous buildings, large enough to accommodate a large army.
The Brocade Dragon Guard's garrison alone stretched for over twenty miles, including dormitories and barracks. With other Training Ground, the area it occupied was even larger, yet it was easily contained within the city of Tiandu City.
Before even entering the Brocade Dragon Guard camp, Yi Yun could see a surge of energy rising into the sky from the camp!
This vital energy was vast and overwhelming, blowing away even the clouds in the sky.
That was a chilling, masculine, and murderous aura! Even from this distance, Yi Yun felt the powerful pressure emanating from this aura, which shook him to his core.
"Drink! Ha!"
From afar, Yi Yun could hear the soldiers' shouts during their drills; the shouts were deafening and made one's eardrums tingle.
And then there were the cracking of joints and the creaking of tendons; all these sounds combined together. Even the birds and eagles in the sky dared not fly over the camp.
"So, this is the Brocade Dragon Guard's Heavenly Capital Camp! Let's go in!"
After undergoing a rigorous check at the gate, the group entered the camp. Inside, there were guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps. The soldiers guarding the camp were even more imposing than the soldiers guarding the gates of Tiandu City.
On the main road of the camp, cartloads of animal meat were being transported in.
All of this meat comes from ferocious beasts, many of which are larger than elephants. If one of these beasts were given to ordinary people and made into cured meat, it would take a family of three ten years to finish it.
However, in the Brocade Dragon Guard camp, these people practiced martial arts and skills, which consumed a great deal of energy. They were also skilled in the Elephant Swallowing Art, so a ferocious beast the size of an elephant was nothing to them.
Looking around, Yi Yun saw a long line of people transporting grain sacks, meat, and vegetables, stretching for miles. It was truly a magnificent sight!
The fighting strength of an army can be glimpsed simply from its diet!
"Have your sister and servants wait here. They are not allowed into the military camp. The commander of the Brocade Dragon Guard in Tiandu is General Yan. All soldiers selected as elite Brocade Dragon Guard must first meet General Yan. Besides Yunhuang, many other places in the Divine Kingdom have also selected new recruits. At that time, a new recruit assembly should be held in the Brocade Dragon Guard camp."
"Oh?"
Yi Yun's heart stirred. It seemed that only a small portion of the many warriors selected in this Divine Kingdom Grand Selection had arrived in Tiandu City. The other recruits had been dispersed to various parts of the Divine Kingdom.
Indeed, the Brocade Dragon Guard of the Tai'a Divine Kingdom has so many garrisons; which garrison doesn't need new recruits?
"How many new recruits have come to the Tian Du Brocade Dragon Guard camp this time?"
Yi Yun asked casually.
"There are probably one or two thousand people, but only one or two hundred of them are considered elites."
Only the elite are allowed to meet Yan Menglong. In Zhang Tan's team this time, besides Yi Yun, Hu Ya is also qualified.
Hu Ya was taciturn and didn't say much along the way. He and Yi Yun followed Zhang Tan through rows of heavily guarded soldiers and arrived at the drill ground in front of the soldiers' camp.
At the entrance to the training ground stood General Yan's personal guards, each one like a steel sculpture, standing there motionless.
Yi Yun and Hu Ya passed the identity verification and entered the training ground, where dozens of people were already waiting.
These people, without exception, were all young men. They were all full of energy and their eyes shone brightly, clearly indicating that they were no ordinary people!
These people are all young warriors who passed the Divine Kingdom Grand Selection!
Looking at the clothing of these people, a considerable portion of it was extremely luxurious. These clothes were not just for looks; some were made of silkworm silk, which was impervious to water and fire and could protect against ordinary sword and knife cuts.
Some people carried valuable weapons, far more precious than the Wild Goose Wing Saber that Yi Yun carried.
"These people... are not from Yunhuang!" Yi Yun suddenly realized that this Divine Kingdom Grand Selection was not only open to Yunhuang, but also to many people from other parts of the Divine Kingdom.
They are all outstanding young talents from all over the Kingdom of God!
Yi Yun saw that these people were gathered around a huge animal skin drum, and he didn't know what they were doing.
The arrival of Yi Yun, Zhang Tan, and Hu Ya immediately attracted the attention of many people.
"Haha! Isn't this Commander Zhang!" Just as Zhang Tan led Yi Yun and Hu Ya onto the square, a burly man walked towards them. The man was wearing gleaming golden armor, and he had taken off his helmet and was holding it in his arms. He looked extremely imposing.
However, he has ears that are much larger than normal, making him look slightly comical.
Behind this burly man with large ears were six well-dressed teenagers.
"Commander Liu!" Zhang Tan clasped his hands in a fist salute, chuckled, and licked his lips.
Yi Yun felt that when Zhang Tan and the big-eared, burly man made eye contact, sparks seemed to fly between their gazes.
In the military, everyone works together on the battlefield, but off the battlefield, the two different teams are really competing with each other!
In peacetime training and drills, and in battle, we must exert all our strength and strive to be the best!
For soldiers, the glory of the collective is their pride!
Therefore, when the commanders of the Brocade Dragon Guard meet, they always try to outdo each other in terms of imposing manner.
"Tsk! Commander Zhang went to Yunhuang to recruit soldiers, huh? This greenhorn must have been recruited from Yunhuang..."
The burly man with big ears pointed at Hu Ya, ignoring Yi Yun. Mainly because Yi Yun was wearing Flying Fish Robe and carrying Wild Goose Wing Saber, he really didn't look like a young man from the Great Wilderness.
Hu Ya, on the other hand, possessed a wildness reminiscent of wolves and leopards, much like someone who came from the Great Wilderness.
Therefore, the big-eared, burly man assumed that Yi Yun was a young master who had come to the Brocade Dragon Guard camp with Zhang Tan.
Zhang Tan remained silent, and the burly man with large ears continued, "A few days ago, I went to Nanjun in Jingzhou and selected quite a few promising talents from the major Lineage there!"
"Speaking of the great Lineage of Nanjun in Jingzhou, they are truly outstanding. I only regret that there aren't enough spots available, and many good talents cannot be selected. It's such a pity." As the big-eared strong man spoke, he gestured to the few young men behind him. Clearly, these were the soldiers he had selected. They were indeed distinguished by their appearance and restrained demeanor, and were obviously young talents.
"These six lads are now all elite members of the Brocade Dragon Guard! Once they pass basic training and join my Sky Wolf Camp, they'll all be my elite soldiers!"
According to the unspoken rules of the Brocade Dragon Guard, whoever selects the soldiers will serve under their command in the future.
This is similar to the Imperial Examination system, where the examiner who admits a candidate becomes that candidate's protégé.
Therefore, all the major commanders are secretly competing with each other.
The disciples selected will become your soldiers in the future; how can you not be devoted to them?
Zhang Tan, who went to Yunhuang, actually suffered a great loss, as the level of geniuses in Yunhuang was far inferior.
As for the big-eared, burly man, going to a prominent Lineage in Nanjun, Jingzhou, would be a lucrative post.
The big-eared, burly man was also a seasoned veteran. He and Zhang Tan had been secretly competing for many years. This time, he got his revenge and humiliated Zhang Tan, so he was naturally pleased.
In particular, Zhang Tan only selected Hu Ya as an elite member, focusing solely on quantity rather than quality, and Zhang Tan was completely outmatched.
Zhang Tan chuckled, stroked his chin, and said, "Liu Da'er, you don't need to brag to me here. Those six are indeed good! But they might not be as good as the two I chose! It's about quality, not quantity!"
Zhang Tan was confident in his judgment. Yi Yun was a given, and even Hu Ya had his merits. Along the way, Zhang Tan had been observing Hu Ya, and there were some things about the kid that suited his taste.
"Two?"
Liu Da'er was taken aback. He had thought that Zhang Tan had only chosen one, but he didn't expect him to say that he had chosen two.
One is Hu Ya, and the other...
He looked at Yi Yun beside Zhang Tan in surprise. Was this young master also a new recruit that Zhang Tan had brought from Yunhuang?
How could that be... his clothes...
Liu Da'er had noticed Yi Yun's Flying Fish Robe long ago. As a soldier of the Divine Kingdom, Liu Da'er was very sensitive to the clothing worn by warriors of different Noble Title. How could he not notice the Flying Fish Robe?
Despite the six boys following him being dressed in fine clothes, the fabric of which was even more valuable than the Flying Fish Robe, it was all for naught!
The prestige of clothing lies in the meaning it represents.
Wealthy businessmen can wear priceless clothes just as often, but they are far less respected.
"He's wearing Flying Fish Robe and has already been granted the title of National Scholar! The new recruit you brought from Yunhuang has actually been granted the title of National Scholar?"
Liu Da'er was stunned. He simply couldn't believe that Yi Yun, a nobleman and a National Scholar, would go to Yunhuang.
That could only mean that Zhang Tan selected Yi Yun and then petitioned the higher-ups of the Brocade Dragon Guard to appoint him as National Scholar!
Liu Da'er is just a National Scholar, but now he's almost on equal footing with this little brat next to Zhang Tan!
This made Liu Da'er very uncomfortable.
I selected six new recruits, each one a dragon among men, but I didn't even report to headquarters to bestow any titles upon them. Yet you, selecting soldiers in that godforsaken place of Yunhuang, actually bestowed upon them the title of National Scholar !
[Congratulations to Luo Luo and Su Yin, fellow readers of Zhenwu's book, on their successful relationship! Due to strong protests from other group members, a new group rule has been established: no secret dating behind the group owner's back, and no showing affection in front of single people (╯‵□′)╯┻━┻]
...(To be continued~^~)