The Barbarian's Tool

The giant snakes on the four pillars simultaneously opened their mouths, spewing out clouds of mist so faint they were almost transparent. All the examinees' consciousnesses blurred, and when they regained clarity, they found themselves in a lush valley surrounded by rolling hills and scattered dense woodlands.

Wei Yuan stood near the foot of a hill. The terrain ahead was quite open but also had noticeable undulations. The small hill behind him was about twenty zhang high, making it the tallest in this small area and the highest point in the vicinity. As the Art of War states, this would be a strategically vital location.

Without hesitation, Wei Yuan immediately ran up the small hill to get a clear view of the surrounding situation. During his run, his body flashed with light, and his original clothes transformed into a set of dark yellow Strong Suits. Upon reaching the hilltop, Wei Yuan could see dozens of other examinees within his field of vision, each separated by tens of zhang. It seemed that after entering the Illusion Realm, all examinees were dispersed, appearing in unpredictable locations.

All examinees' clothes were divided into two colors, either sky blue or dark yellow, dividing them into teams based on their attire.

At this moment, several examinees suddenly acquired armor of various styles.

A phantom Treasure Chest appeared before Wei Yuan. On one side of the chest were several sets of armor in different styles, and on the other were various weapons. The armor and weapons appeared to be only palm-sized, but as soon as Wei Yuan reached out to take them, they would transform into real objects and equip themselves. The chest lid also had compartments containing Pills. These Pills could restore stamina and heal minor injuries, and when to use them was entirely up to the examinee.

Before Wei Yuan could choose his equipment, he saw two pillars of light shoot up into the sky from the north and south. Beneath each pillar of light was a small mountain; these were the key locations each team needed to defend. If a key location was captured and held by the opposing team, that team would be judged to have lost.

Teams were divided, key locations appeared, and the examinees immediately sprang into action. Examinees in different colored clothing began to gather at their respective key locations. Disciples in blue gathered under the red pillar of light in the north, while examinees in yellow gathered under the golden pillar of light in the south. When examinees from opposing sides met along the way, they mostly just exchanged cold glances before passing each other, refraining from fighting mid-journey.

After observing for a while, Wei Yuan understood this was what Li Zhi had called the "Way of Gathering." Li Zhi had selected his people before the Martial Assessment, organized his team, and upon entering the Illusion Realm, they immediately gathered at the southern key location to form up and decide victory using the Military Formation.

However, Li Zhi wasn't the only talented individual. The opponent in the north was no less formidable than Li Zhi, and they had even gathered more examinees. It remained to be seen how many opposing members were hidden within each team.

In the blink of an eye, the main forces of both sides completed their assembly. However, dozens of scattered examinees remained in the center of the field, each looking bewildered. These individuals, like Wei Yuan, were clearly abandoned by both sides. Some of the more quick-witted ones finally realized what was happening and quickly moved towards the team corresponding to their clothing color. Most, however, still stood foolishly in the middle, unsure of what to do.

Wei Yuan did not immediately select his weapon or armor, intending to observe what both sides planned to do before making his decision.

This small hill was relatively tall in the vicinity, offering a good vantage point to see most of the battlefield. Only the main camps of the north and south were unclear. Within this realm, the field of vision was limited; one had to cross the central area to see the enemy's camp deployment, which seemed to be an intentional setup by the Illusion Realm.

The hill where Wei Yuan stood was located at the western edge of the Illusion Realm. Behind it was a dense forest, and within the forest, a rising light screen could be seen—the boundary of the Illusion Realm. The north and south were mostly mountainous and undulating, while the central area featured a flat terrain with a small elevation several zhang higher than the surrounding area, also a strategically vital location.

At this moment, about ten examinees each rushed out from the north and south. They wore light armor, moved with agility, and spread out in a fan shape, moving towards each other.

Wei Yuan watched from afar and verified with his knowledge of the Art of War: "These must be scouts. Yes, both sides need to first understand the terrain, environment, and the opponent's deployment before setting their strategy."

When the scouts from both sides occasionally met, they cautiously passed each other, avoiding direct confrontation.

The rules of the Martial Assessment were vague, but one thing was certain: the longer one survived, the higher the evaluation. If one died right at the beginning, anyone with a brain would know their score wouldn't be high.

As Wei Yuan watched the movements of both sides, a swift blue figure, like a galloping horse, charged onto the hilltop. This disciple in blue was small in stature, wore Leather Armor, and carried a long sword, looking fiercely at Wei Yuan. Clearly, seeing that Wei Yuan had no weapon or armor yet, the disciple had murderous intent.

Wei Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly and calmly watched the person. He was still observing, but if someone came to court death early, Wei Yuan wouldn't mind sending them on their way.

However, as the person looked at Wei Yuan, who was a head taller than him, his heart trembled. He ultimately did not dare to attack, merely glared fiercely at Wei Yuan before descending the hill and heading south to scout.

As soon as the blue-clad examinee left, another yellow-clad examinee climbed onto the hilltop. That person also carried a long sword. Seeing Wei Yuan's attire, he politely said, "Senior Brother, if you don't have a team yet, you might consider meeting Senior Brother Li Zhi. With your bearing, you should be able to secure a position in the team."

Without waiting for Wei Yuan's reply, the person said, "Senior Brother, take care," and continued north to scout.

In a short while, Wei Yuan had seen four scouts from each side pass by.

There was no way around it; this small hill was too conspicuous. Scouts passing nearby had to come up and take a look. Naturally, the Green Team members all harbored killing intent towards Wei Yuan. The Yellow Team members weren't much better. However, after seeing Wei Yuan's height and build, both sides' scouts tacitly chose to ignore him.

Even including the Crimson Tide Sect in this unified examination, the recruitment quota was only half the total number of examinees. Those like Wei Yuan, who clearly didn't even have a team, were already considered eliminated. Scouts, more or less, held a position, one level higher than the common soldiers in the military formation. Therefore, the scouts felt their chances were still viable and none of them wanted to get entangled with a commoner like Wei Yuan at this time.

At this point, Wei Yuan felt he had observed enough, so he summoned the equipment Treasure Chest again. From the start of the Martial Assessment until now, Wei Yuan had seen over thirty examinees, and eight or nine out of ten were carrying a long sword. Zhang Sheng had once taught basic weapon knowledge, in which the sword was evaluated as: "The sword is the instrument of the Son of Heaven, possessing both beauty and majesty, but its symbolic meaning outweighs its actual power. When ordinary people fight on the battlefield, anyone who uses a sword is an idiot."

However, it was clear that the vast majority of examinees favored the Son of Heaven's instrument.

So, Wei Yuan reached out and grabbed the Long Spear.

As the spear left the Treasure Chest, it immediately became about twelve feet long, with a blade measuring a foot and a half. Two half-foot-long branches extended from where the blade met the shaft, forming a cross shape. The spearhead and shaft were integrated, and the entire weapon was engraved with ancient patterns. Its material was unknown.

As the Long Spear entered his grasp, Wei Yuan's arm felt heavy. This spear was quite heavy, weighing dozens of pounds. For Wei Yuan's physique, wielding it freely would require sixty to seventy percent of his strength.