Blade Warrior Statue

The commotion caused by the Personal Score Rankings did not affect anyone in the Wandering Star Forest.

Whether it was the Blue Belt Esteemed Class's Qian Gongyu, the noble daughter of the Zhu Clan, Shang Xin Lei, or the Purple Sash Young Master of the Jie Family, Jie Yuanshao, they all had to run into the jungle to pick up trash.

They soon discovered the changes in the jungle. Aside from the area directly behind the shelter, the thick fog in every other direction had dispersed considerably. As a result, their exploration range had expanded from a hundred meters around the shelter to five hundred meters. Such a vast area could not possibly be searched carefully in half an hour. With the trees blocking their view and the terrain being complicated, they could only collect whatever they happened to see.

As the half hour was about to end, Jiang Shi finally ran out of the jungle. Shang Xin Lei and the other two had already been waiting for her in the courtyard. Most of what lay in the courtyard was wood and stone, along with some sulfur and crystals that Jie Yuanshao had picked up on the way. Yes, she had suddenly seen a large pile of sulfur and crystals appear on the ground, as if someone had deliberately thrown those resources there.

These were the rare resources Jiang Shi had mentioned. A trace of smugness showed on Jie Yuanshao's face as she waited for Jiang Shi to ask, so she could casually explain how she had found them. She was not particularly proud, of course. She had not put in any effort and had merely been lucky. Still, as the favored scion of heaven, a member of the Jiangnan Jie clan, it was only natural for her to receive Heaven's blessing...

Rustle, rustle—

Jiang Shi chose an empty patch of ground and dumped a heap of gemstones onto it. The gems were enormous, and together they piled up into a small mountain. Their dreamlike luster left the girls dazzled.

"Did you find a gemstone mine?" Shang Xin Lei suddenly asked.

"A mine?" Jie Yuanshao keenly picked up on the key word.

"The place where Xiao Yu and I first moved stones. I just went back and found that the stones had regenerated, and there was a stone mine inside. The stones were also the right size and only needed to be carried away." Shang Xin Lei pointed at another pile of stone that had been heaped into a small mountain. "Otherwise, I couldn't have collected so many stones in two quarters of an hour."

"That stone mine is vastly different from the surrounding jungle terrain. I was wondering then whether there might be other resource points where we could easily gather valuable resources."

"Your guess should be correct." Jiang Shi said calmly, "There probably aren't fixed resource points for wood, but the other resources should all have resource points that can be extensively mined. Where did that pile of sulfur and crystals come from?"

"I picked them up on the way." Jie Yuanshao drooped her head slightly. "I didn't find a resource point."

"I didn't find one either." Qian Gongyu raised her hand. "But I carried back lots of wood!"

"You all did very well." Jiang Shi glanced over the resources in the courtyard. "You've already exceeded my expectations."

There was no need to mention Qian Gongyu. After hearing Jiang Shi praise her, she was so happy that it was almost as if a tail had started wagging behind her. Smiles also appeared on the faces of Jie Yuanshao and Shang Xin Lei, but they soon felt that something was strange. Am I being praised by a black-belt guard?

Jiang Shi paid no attention to their thoughts. She crouched down and said, "There's still a little time before the next wave attacks. We must decide on a strategy as quickly as possible. Come over here."

When everyone went over, they found Jiang Shi drawing on the ground. Her drawing was quite ugly, with crooked, winding lines that looked like earthworms. Could a normal person really draw lines like that with their finger?

"Right now, we have 132 wood, 101 stone, 50 gemstones, 12 sulfur, and 12 crystals." Jiang Shi pointed at the first drawing. "This is a bunker. It requires 50 wood and 30 stone."

"This is a wooden crossbow. It requires 10 wood."

"This is a wall. It requires 20 stone."

"This is a catapult. It requires 10 wood and 20 stone, and multiple can be built."

"This is a Guardian Tree. After each wave is overcome, it provides 10 wood. It requires 50 wood."

"This is a Guardian Stone. After each wave is overcome, it provides 10 stone. It requires 50 stone."

"This is a Blade Warrior Statue. It requires 10 wood and 30 gemstones."

No one interrupted Jiang Shi. Everyone carefully remembered every word she said. The moment she finished, Jie Yuanshao asked, "What does the statue do? Can more than one be built?"

Jiang Shi said, "With every wave, it turns into a real Blade Warrior to fight for us. Even if it dies, it will only revert to a statue. Once it recovers, it can take the field again. Only one can be built."

"If the bunker is the house we're staying in, then building one is completely meaningless," Shang Xin Lei said. "The Small Wooden House we started with is enough."

The others nodded as well. They had come to undergo a trial, not to enjoy themselves. There was no need to waste resources improving their living conditions.

"You can understand it this way: only by raising the shelter's level can we build stronger structures, and the buildable area will also become larger." Jiang Shi said, "This courtyard can currently hold only twelve buildings, including walls."

"Then I understand." Shang Xin Lei said, "I suggest building walls, a Guardian Tree, a Guardian Stone, and a Blade Warrior Statue. Any remaining spaces should all be used for wooden crossbows."

"Agreed." Jie Yuanshao folded her arms over her chest. "For the sake of the future, the Guardian Tree and Guardian Stone are essential."

"I agree too." Qian Gongyu quickly added.

"If we don't build catapults, our damage will most likely be insufficient when we deal with the demon leader later. You'll need to fight and assist us as you did before." Jiang Shi said.

Jie Yuanshao exchanged a glance with Shang Xin Lei. They finally understood why Jiang Shi had consulted them this time.

Now that everyone had unanimously approved the construction plan, if they needed to fight later, it would no longer be Jiang Shi's personal request but their duty. Conversely, if Jiang Shi had made the decision alone and then asked them to fight, they would inevitably develop other opinions after enough repetitions.

Seeing that no one objected, Jiang Shi rose from the ground.

At that moment, everyone held their breath. Three pairs of eyes fixed tightly on Jiang Shi's every movement, trying to spot some clue. Although no one asked, they were all maddeningly curious. They wanted to know how Jiang Shi controlled the shelter and built new structures.

More importantly, if Jiang Shi could do it, did that mean they could do it too?

The result, however, was destined to disappoint them. They could only watch as Jiang Shi stood dazed for a while. Then the wood, stone, gemstones, sulfur, and crystals in the courtyard rose into the air on their own and clattered together, assembling themselves into various structures.

The most special were the Guardian Tree and Guardian Stone. After a large amount of wood gathered together, it suddenly melted into a tiny seed that fell into the courtyard soil. After several breaths, it transformed into a large tree that burst from the ground. It had no leaves, and a rope woven from straw was tied around its trunk. Although it looked even more inconspicuous than the other trees in the jungle, it made the courtyard seem less desolate.

The Guardian Stone was much the same. Enough stone to fill a house condensed into a huge stone roughly half a person tall. A rope woven from straw was wrapped around it as well, making it look so inviting that one wanted to sit down and rest.

The wall was nothing worth mentioning, but the Blade Warrior Statue opened their eyes as well. Sapphires and wood fused together like flowing water. First, the form of a Blade Warrior appeared. Then the sapphire flow froze like water turning to ice, fixing the Blade Warrior in place and transforming it into an angular sapphire statue.

"Huh?"

Shang Xin Lei and Jie Yuanshao exclaimed simultaneously, but before they could say anything, a shriek announced the arrival of the second demonic wave. Thick fog blanketed the jungle a hundred meters away. One demon after another ran through it, until the final one remained behind—a demon shaped like a gigantic bull.

"Raging Bull Demon!"

Jie Yuanshao's expression changed slightly. "That's a demon that appears in the Third Turn Secret Realm of the Zhou Kingdom. But the books say that most Defensive Tokens of the third turn can't withstand its full-force charge. It's an extremely dangerous demon even among third-turn creatures!"

"Moo—"

With an earth-shaking roar, a large group of little raging bulls emerged from the fog and charged toward the Stone House! When they entered the wooden crossbows' fifty-meter range, the nine wooden crossbows fired at once, shooting the raging bulls flat on their faces.

Yes, merely flat on their faces. As long as they were not shot in the head, the little raging bulls that took only one arrow could stand up again. They would not truly fall until they were hit by a second arrow.

Going from killing them with one arrow to needing two, even though the number of wooden crossbows had increased from six to nine, their killing efficiency had fallen by more than half.

Soon, the raging bulls had already reached the wall, while their numbers had decreased by less than a tenth!

It was not only because the wooden crossbows were killing too slowly. The number of raging bulls this time was also greater than the number of savage lizards before!

The four of them had already retreated into the Stone House. Seeing the situation, Shang Xin Lei's expression turned solemn. "We may have chosen wrong... If we had two catapults right now, things might be much better."

Qian Gongyu raised her fist and asked nervously, "Do we need to fight?"

"Wait."

The speaker was not Jiang Shi, but Jie Yuanshao. She stared intently at the shaking sapphire statue and said, "Let's watch a little longer."

Boom!

The statue exploded with a crash, and a sword-wielding warrior clad in heavy armor walked out of it. His armor was covered in rust, and the gaps between the plates were filled with barbs. His entire head was inside his helmet, which lacked even air holes or eye slits. Every movement he made caused his armor to clang. His feet sank deeply into the soil, as though he were a massive, heavy beast. He dragged two long, curved blades across the ground. He looked less like a warrior and more like a walking corpse.

"I knew I hadn't been mistaken..." Jie Yuanshao murmured. "If it's him..."

Thud!

The Blade Warrior suddenly leaped into the air. When he landed among the herd of raging bulls, a storm of flesh and blood erupted. Three nearby raging bulls were almost instantly chopped into pieces. The little raging bulls around him immediately turned their horns toward him and attacked, but he showed no fear. He fought while moving along the wall, and even when facing hundreds of raging bulls, he somehow did not fall into a disadvantage!

"That's the one from your family, isn't it?" Shang Xin Lei suddenly asked.

"Yes." Jie Yuanshao said, "I never expected to see it somewhere else..."

"May I ask... what are you talking about?" Qian Gongyu asked cautiously, then quickly added, "If it's inconvenient, forget I asked!"

"There's nothing inconvenient about it. I know this statue."

"Huh? You know it?"

"As long as someone is a member of the Jie Family, there should be no one who doesn't recognize him." Jie Yuanshao said indifferently, "He's the Demon King of the Iron Blood Graveyard Secret Realm—the Twin Blade General."