Jing River, the Yellow River's largest tributary.
Compared to the other rivers teeming with Demon Beasts, Jing River was far quieter—so quiet it felt lifeless.
Dark clouds hung low overhead, and the ceaseless rain chilled people to the bone. It was the sweltering heat of September, yet the area was bitterly cold.
The river lay perfectly still. Raindrops struck its surface like sugar sprinkled over thick porridge, swirling sluggishly before sinking into an unseen abyss.
There were no Dragon Kings in Jing River who had broken Heaven's laws and been beheaded, no Yuan Shoucheng, the diviner who could read Heaven's secrets, and no Wei Zheng, who had slain a dragon in a dream. There were only Yin Soldiers.
The walls of Ancient Capital stood on open ground three kilometers from the river. Behind them was the new recruit camp.
"Starting today, you'll be staying in this dorm."
The company clerk assigned to Xu Fang told him.
Like Ancient Capital No. 2 High School, which had been assigned to the Lintong Military Region, Gaoling Military Region also had students undergoing military training. They could easily squeeze in a bed for Xu Fang.
"Work hard. Yin Soldiers are more dangerous than ordinary undead, but the rewards are just as generous. Whether you get any is up to you."
Since Xu Fang had arrived in a military vehicle, the clerk instinctively assumed he was some rich kid with connections and couldn't help giving him a few extra words of advice.
"Thank you, comrade."
After seeing the clerk off, Xu Fang quickly made his bed.
He hadn't brought the expensive bedding Sun Rui Zhi had given him—the set that supposedly cost over a hundred thousand. He probably wouldn't be here long. If he left after just two nights, wouldn't all the trouble have been for nothing?
"New guy, what school are you from?" A head poked down from the upper bunk.
"Ancient Capital No. 2 High School."
"Didn't your school get sent off to kill Terracotta Army? What are you doing here... Oh, I get it. You must've done something wrong and gotten kicked out, right?"
Thinking his joke was hilarious, the man cackled like a duck for a while, only to find that Xu Fang didn't react at all.
His laughter died awkwardly. He was just about to say something to save face.
"Heh!" Xu Fang laughed.
The man was unnerved by that laugh. He had the feeling that, in Xu Fang's eyes, he'd become an unreasonable brat—not even worth arguing with.
"What're you laughing at?" The man abruptly sat up. "I'll have you know, I'm the vice Squad Leader of this company, and I'm at the second level of the Basic Class..."
Clang!
The dorm door swung open. The veteran Squad Leader stood in the doorway, and the vice Squad Leader's words caught in his throat. His face turned red as he choked them back.
......
Rumble!
Heavy clouds rolled and collided, producing bursts of muffled thunder.
On the city wall, two three-meter-tall "streetlamps" stood at intervals of a hundred paces, casting a crimson glow. The rain vanished as soon as it touched the light.
"A Light Element array and a Fire Element array. With power this strong, the patterns must be complicated." Xu Fang studied them, thinking like a forgemaster.
He reached a conclusion: he couldn't make one himself.
But if he could take it apart and inspect the core array inside, that would be great.
Whoosh—!
A flash of light streaked across the sky, and the city wall's alarm blared.
The Yin Wind howled more fiercely than before. Raindrops the size of beans pelted the ground, and the damp, icy air seeped into people's bones.
Splash!
Pale hands clutched the bank of the thick, sluggish Jing River. One "person" after another climbed out.
Their eyes were vacant, their faces pale and weary. They looked like wax figures drenched by the rain, yet each wore a full set of ancient military garments.
"Enemy attack—!"
Star Tracks streaked across the city wall, and a flood of powerful magic attacks surged toward the Yin Soldiers.
Xu Fang stood quietly in a corner. Like everyone else, he used Radiant Light to destroy a Yin Soldier, then summoned the Cloud Slaying Sword.
He channeled magic energy!
Only, the magic energy wasn't channeled into the Cloud Slaying Sword. It went into the sleeve gun hidden on his left forearm.
A star leapt into his hand. The small, black gun vanished from sight in Xu Fang's grip.
In his Spiritual World, the Golden Star Seed and the crimson Star Ring lit up at the same time. Solar Flame surged into the star, and the gun grew hotter and hotter.
Xu Fang raised both hands and aimed at a Yin Soldier in fine armor who was clearly a commander.
"Whoosh!!!"
With a sharp whistle, the Yin Soldier commander fell. A spiderweb pattern spread out from the bullet wound, and golden light burst from within him.
One shot, one kill.
Some people nearby noticed the astonishing sight and turned their heads. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the greatsword in Xu Fang's hand.
"...Hmph. So he's just a Magic Tool guy."
They made a sour remark, muttered a curse at the rich man's family, and didn't think much more of it.
Xu Fang smiled with satisfaction. The "Solar Flame Light Bullet" was no weaker than the "Solar Flame Light Slash." Most importantly, it was incredibly hard to notice.
If he used it to catch people off guard in the future, wouldn't it hit the mark every time?
Even the Golden Star Seed could sense Xu Fang's excitement. It spun with even greater vigor, and the abundant magic energy became a Star Track before slamming into the Yin Soldiers.
One, two... Remnant Souls appeared one after another, but none was the Spirit Essence Xu Fang wanted.
Woooooo—!!!
A horn sounded across the battlefield. Unlike the dignified, ancient sound of the Terracotta Army's horns, the Yin Soldiers' horn sounded like the wails of the dead—hoarse yet piercing.
Banners rose one after another, dancing in the gusting Yin Wind. Raindrops struck their fabric, turning into a curtain of black water across the sky.
Someone shouted, "It's a mental attack! Mind Element mages, move forward! Everyone else, fall back!"
Xu Fang couldn't figure out the Yin Soldiers' tactics and wasn't eager to fight. Without a word, he turned and left.
The next second, he froze.
Because he saw "himself"—from a bird's-eye view.
The city wall, the Military Mages, the Yin Soldiers... Everything he had seen before had disappeared.
"Damn it, I fell for it."
Xu Fang cursed under his breath. There was no doubt about it: he'd probably become a target after killing the Yin Soldier commander.
He pinched his thigh, but felt no pain. He tried to rouse the Star Seeds in his Spiritual World, but the rebellious little things were happily playing around, completely ignoring their father's calls.
Fine. When the soldiers came, he'd meet them; when the water came, he'd hold it back. Xu Fang wanted to see for himself what this supposedly astonishing "mental attack" was all about.
High above the school grounds, Xu Fang looked down at "himself."
Unlike the Xu Fang outside, this "Xu Fang" looked nothing like him except for having the same face.
In the wide drill ground,
A fence had been erected around the camp gate. Countless newly recruited soldiers streamed in, holding their name plaques and heading toward the military clerks' office. One long, melodious roll call followed another across the grounds.
"Xu Fang" wore crude armor and stood among the generals, looking up at the commanding general on the raised platform.
The commanding general was in high spirits. He held a long sword and spoke with grand conviction. "In this battle, all of you must fight bravely and kill the enemy, making our army's might known. Do not let your countrymen back home be put to shame. Drink every last drop of this wine, and then we march!"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone, including "Xu Fang," tilted their heads back and drained their bowls of wine. Then they knelt and kowtowed to their parents and fellow townspeople in farewell, before turning to march without hesitation.
The clang of metal and the robust air of the troops intertwined. Anyone could see that this was an army that had never known defeat.
Soldiers led over the steeds, and "Xu Fang" swung himself into the saddle.
Beside the commander's tent, soldiers sounded the long, melodious notes of a bull horn. Countless footsteps came and went, kicking up clouds of yellow dust across the drill ground.
Gray-yellow dust rose amid the neighing of horses and the clamor of weapons. An invisible, oppressive atmosphere gradually filled the air.
"The army marches!"
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