Establishing a Foothold in the Army

Lin Jin narrowed his eyes slightly. "Please give your orders, sir!"

Since he had come to this perilous battlefield—the Vanguard Camp, known as cannon fodder—he had been fully prepared from the moment he set out.

Lin Jin knew very well that he was not here to sightsee, much less to take a vacation.

If he wanted to grow stronger, he had to accept challenges and endure every kind of hardship.

All he could do now was face challenges without fear and press forward bravely.

"Oh, you've got some spirit." Lei Ke regarded him with newfound respect.

Lei Ke then pointed at a pile of heavy stone locks by the edge of the training ground. "See those? If you want me to take you in, prove your worth. I don't want to be collecting the bodies of useless people."

"So, lift a hundred-jin stone lock over your head with both hands and run ten laps around the training ground. If you can't finish, leave on your own."

"Of course, I'm not deliberately making things difficult for you. Every recruit gets the same treatment here."

Seeing the pile of stone locks, many of the other recruits went pale.

Clearly, it had left quite a shadow on their minds.

Naturally, quite a few of them began whispering among themselves.

"He looks like he's only six or seven. What could he possibly have done to be sent to the army's most dangerous Vanguard Camp at such a young age?"

"Who knows? But it must have been serious. Otherwise, there's no way someone his age could pass the Centurion's rules."

"Exactly. That stone lock weighs a hundred jin. Forget a six-year-old—even a frail adult might not be able to run ten laps with it."

"Fine!" Lin Jin ignored their chatter and walked toward the pile of stone locks in the direction Lei Ke had pointed.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Jin took a deep breath, bent down, and gripped the handles of the stone lock with both hands.

"Up!" Lin Jin shouted in a low voice, veins bulging across his tiny arms.

With the Immortal Demon Armor Martial Soul's Innate Full Soul Power, along with the Five-Hundred-Year Soul Ring he had obtained half a month ago—

Lin Jin's raw physical strength was already no weaker than that of a strong adult.

The hundred-jin stone lock was swiftly and steadily raised above Lin Jin's head.

The training ground was roughly the size of a basketball court. Without needing anyone to lead him, Lin Jin lifted the stone lock and began running along its edge.

"How is that possible?!" All the recruits widened their eyes, staring in disbelief at the thin, small figure carrying the enormous stone lock.

In his hands, the stone lock seemed as light as nothing!

"Hm?" As a Battle Soul Master and Soul Elder, Lei Ke could only conclude that Lin Jin was a Soul Master.

Otherwise, a six-year-old child could never have lifted a stone lock heavier than himself.

Lin Jin's expression remained calm as he ran steadily with the stone lock held overhead.

Before everyone's eyes, Lin Jin completed lap after lap.

About an hour later, after finishing the tenth lap, Lin Jin returned to Lei Ke, gasping for breath.

"Reporting to the Centurion, I have completed your task."

"Kid, your name is Lin Jin, right? Interesting." Lei Ke's voice was still rough, but the contempt from before had vanished. "Looks like you're not some useless brat who only knows how to pull strings. Starting today, you're one of my men."

"Fall in!"

"Yes!" Lin Jin answered and calmly walked into the recruits' formation.

Standing at the end of the line, he could feel all kinds of gazes coming from every direction—curiosity, wariness, and resentment.

He knew this was only the beginning.

Lifting a stone lock could only prove that he was strong. In this Vanguard Camp of blood and fire, if he wanted to truly earn respect, he would have to prove himself on the battlefield with his enemies' blood.

After training ended that day, Lin Jin was assigned to a cramped barracks room shared by ten people.

The others in the room were all children of commoners from the Northern Border, most of them around twenty years old.

That made Lin Jin stand out all the more.

That evening, just as Lin Jin was preparing to fetch water, a tall, burly recruit from the same room blocked his path with two others.

"Kid, you've got some strength if you can lift that stone lock." The burly recruit crossed his arms and looked down at Lin Jin. "But according to our room's rules, newcomers handle fetching water, sweeping the floor, and cleaning the latrine. Got it?"

This was an old soldiers' "tradition" in the barracks—a way to put newly arrived, well-connected recruits in their place.

Lin Jin raised his head. His black eyes appeared especially calm in the dim light.

He said nothing and merely looked at the other man quietly.

The burly recruit began to feel uneasy under his gaze. Embarrassed and angered, he reached out to shove him. "I'm talking to you. Are you deaf?"

Just as his hand was about to touch Lin Jin's shoulder!

Lin Jin moved.

Like lightning, he shot out his left hand, precisely seized the man's wrist, and twisted it.

There was no fluctuation of soul power—only pure physical strength and skill.

The burly recruit felt an immense force surge through his wrist, numbing half his body.

His eyes widened in shock. He tried to break free, only to discover that the other boy's seemingly frail arm possessed astonishing strength.

"You...!" The tall, burly recruit was both shocked and furious.

Lin Jin raised his head, his gaze as cold as the frigid wind of the Northern Border.

Looking at him, he said slowly, word by word, "I came here to kill enemies and charge into battle, not to run errands for you."

Lin Jin's voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable certainty.

The tall recruit's scalp prickled under his gaze, while the pain in his arm made sweat bead across his forehead.

He clenched his other hand into a fist and wanted to strike, but the moment he met Lin Jin's utterly unruffled eyes, he forcibly stopped himself.

He had no doubt that if he made a move, the consequences would be unpleasant.

"I... I won't stoop to the level of a little kid!" The tall recruit blustered, shaking himself free before leaving in disgrace with his two lackeys.

Lin Jin watched them leave without pursuing the matter further, then continued on to fetch water.

But just after leaving the barracks and turning the corner, he ran into Centurion Lei Ke.

"Lin Jin, this is how it is in the barracks. Strength is revered here," Lei Ke said slowly. "I hope you get used to it."

"Centurion, I'm fine," Lin Jin replied calmly.

"Fine? Kid, you really know how to keep your composure." He paused, his gaze sweeping over Lin Jin's stance, which had remained as steady as a rock even during the conflict. "But brute strength and ruthlessness alone won't keep you alive for long in the Vanguard Camp."

Carrying the water bucket, Lin Jin listened quietly without arguing.

Lei Ke changed the subject, his tone turning probing. "You could lift a hundred-jin Stone Lock and run ten laps, and you easily subdued that fool Tie Shan... You're already a Soul Master, aren't you?"

"A level thirteen Soul Master," Lin Jin continued.

"Good... very good!" The scar on Lei Ke's face seemed to twitch with excitement. "I never expected to pick up a treasure like you under my command! A six-year-old Soul Master... Hahaha!"

It was no wonder Lei Ke was excited. Soul Masters held an incomparably lofty status on Douluo Continent. How could an ordinary Soul Master possibly be willing to suffer in the barracks?

What was more, having one more Soul Master among his soldiers meant a little more assurance.

"But I'm even more curious. With your soul power at level thirteen at six years old, a genius with Innate Full Soul Power, you should have been in an academy. Just how did you offend His Highness the Crown Prince to be assigned to the Vanguard Camp?"