Nearly ten thousand people lined up and passed through the light gate one by one. After each person went through, their personal Optical Computer was granted access to the Virtual Universe System.
The Cosmic Rank troops moved extremely quickly. It didn't take long for everyone to be granted access.
Zhu Ang glanced down at his Optical Computer, which displayed the access permissions granted to this batch of Cosmic Rank warriors.
He shook his head slightly and said with some disappointment, "I thought at least five percent of you would be elites. I didn't expect there to be only 338. Still, some of you have considerable potential. As long as you survive the first few battles, you should have no trouble growing into elites..."
"Everyone, follow me." Zhu Ang floated to the front of the line and entered a passageway.
Bai Muye checked his permissions. As expected, he was classified as an "elite."
The line traveled several thousand kilometers before arriving at a vast hall, three or four thousand kilometers in diameter.
Eleven watery portals hung in the air above the hall. They presumably corresponded to the eleven Outer Battlefields.
"Wars between races involve an immense number of warriors of every rank. There are eleven battlefields in total, all outside Human Territory, which is why they're called the Outer Battlefields."
Zhu Ang pointed to one of the portals. "This leads to the Seventh Battlefield, a secret realm roughly 1.1 million light-years in diameter. There are 100 Barracks Bases in the Seventh Battlefield. We're sending you to Barracks Base 049. Everyone, enter the portal."
The watery portal was one kilometer wide and one kilometer tall, large enough to accommodate many people at once. Nearly ten thousand Cosmic Rank warriors filed through in rows.
Bai Muye stepped through the portal and arrived at a God Kingdom transfer station. He took another step, and the space before him shifted.
Once they had their feet on solid ground, everyone fell into formation of their own accord. Seven World Lords stood before them.
Zhu Ang emerged last and flew straight toward the seven World Lords.
When they saw Zhu Ang, the seven World Lords greeted him one after another. They belonged to different legions, but Zhu Ang was clearly well-known among them.
"Brother Zhu Ang, why was your leave so short this time..."
"I had no choice. The Army Lord summoned me, so I had to cut my leave short. It was on my way, so I took on the babysitting duty and brought this bunch of rookies here..."
"How are the new recruits this time?"
"Not bad. I did my best and brought over every promising recruit I could find. Ghost Hand in the Third Battlefield was about ready to turn against me..."
Their conversation was confined to a certain area, so the Cosmic Rank warriors below couldn't hear them. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhu Ang turned to face the assembled troops.
"Barracks Base 049 has hundreds of legions. Eight of them need reinforcements this time, and you'll be divided among those eight."
He flashed over to one corner of the square.
"Those whose Optical Computers show that they've been assigned to the Dongluo Legion, assemble below me."
Bai Muye glanced down at the message that had just appeared on his Bracer Computer. It read: You will be assigned to the "Dongluo" Legion.
He shot into the air with more than a thousand others and flew toward Zhu Ang.
After nodding to the other World Lords in farewell, Zhu Ang wrapped the group in his World Force and carried them away at high speed.
Once they'd left the square, Zhu Ang's voice reached everyone within the range of his World Force. It no longer sounded as stern as before.
"All right, you're all members of the same legion now. I expect some of you have plenty of questions. You may ask them now..."
"Sir, will we be issued weapons and battle suits?"
A Cosmic Rank warrior who looked rather shabby asked timidly. He was clearly from a God Kingdom. The battle suit he wore was only Rank Two, and it was hard to tell whether it belonged to him or he'd "borrowed" it.
"You have to provide your own weapons and battle suits. If you want better equipment, exchange Military Merit for it. Next question."
"Sir, will we be serving under you?" another Cosmic Rank warrior asked.
"I have quotas for ten Domain Lords and a hundred Cosmic Rank warriors under my command. Whether you end up under me depends on your luck." Zhu Ang was growing impatient. "Ask something useful. Next."
"Sir, when will we fight our first battle?" Bai Muye finally couldn't help asking.
"Good question." Zhu Ang looked at him. "Luoluobai Muye, right?"
"Yes." Bai Muye was surprised. "You know my name, sir?"
"I have permission to watch duels in the Martial Arena, so I drop by to watch when I have time," Zhu Ang said, treating him noticeably better. He clearly remembered Bai Muye's strength. "You're quite good for someone at the Cosmic Rank..."
"Of course!" One of the thousand or so warriors had also been assigned to the forty-ninth floor before. The man whose record had been second only to Bai Muye said proudly, "He's the 49 War God!"
The other Cosmic Rank warriors, who didn't know what he meant, hurriedly pressed him for details. He launched into a long explanation of Bai Muye's impressive record.
Zhu Ang shot him a sideways glance and said coolly, "You'd better not use that nickname again. Our legion belongs to Barracks Base 049 in the Seventh Battlefield, and that camp is full of hidden experts. If you dare call yourself the 49 War God, heh..."
He gave a cold laugh, then added with obvious pride, "If anyone deserves to be called a War God, it's the Army Lord at Barracks Base 049..."
Bai Muye immediately clasped his hands toward those around him. "Brothers, don't get me in trouble. Forget what this brother just said..."
The Cosmic Rank warriors around him burst into laughter, and the mood improved considerably.
"As for your question..." Zhu Ang shook his head. "I can't answer that. It depends on the Army Lord's plans. We might fight soon, or we might have to wait a few years..."
"Sir, how is Military Merit calculated for Cosmic Rank warriors? How much do we need to earn before we can retire?" another Cosmic Rank warrior asked.
"During battle, you must keep the Virtual Universe monitoring system active. You'll earn one Military Merit for every Cosmic Rank enemy you kill on your own. If you kill one with your comrades, the Virtual Universe will divide the credit among you. Once you've accumulated 100 Military Merit, you can choose to retire..."
The warrior who'd asked paled. Accumulating 100 Military Merit meant killing a hundred Cosmic Rank enemies!
"Of course, unlike those who only reach the Outer Battlefield at the World Lord Rank, you Cosmic Rank warriors don't need to accumulate a certain amount of Military Merit before you can access the exchange. As soon as you earn Military Merit, you can return to the base and exchange it for whatever you like."
"Military Merit is worth a lot. 100,000 Military Merit equals one Hunyuan Unit... What's a Hunyuan Unit? One Hunyuan Unit equals one trillion Cosmic Coins! So one Military Merit is worth ten million Cosmic Coins. Doesn't that make Alien Race enemies seem valuable?"
The eyes of every Cosmic Rank warrior, Bai Muye included, lit up. Apart from those who had genuinely come seeking a breakthrough through life-and-death struggles, how many had volunteered for the Outer Battlefield? Now, each Cosmic Rank enemy they killed would earn them ten million Cosmic Coins. No wonder their blood was racing; they could hardly wait to rush onto the battlefield.
Zhu Ang moved quickly. In just a few words, he had carried the Cosmic Rank warriors to a military camp. It was called a camp, but it was actually a vast complex of buildings, nearly a hundred kilometers long and wide. The tallest building stood at its center, towering more than ten kilometers high.
Each legion had 100 World Lords, 1,000 Domain Lords, and 10,000 Cosmic Rank warriors. That meant a legion had a little over ten thousand members in total, and it was often below full strength.
The Dongluo Legion was currently understaffed. Over several centuries of fighting, more than a thousand Cosmic Rank warriors had died, along with dozens of Domain Lords. Dongluo, the legion's Immortal Army Lord, had only just led the legion back to Barracks Base 049.
A line of Domain Lords was already waiting at the entrance to the Dongluo Military Camp. When Zhu Ang brought the new arrivals down to the ground, they bowed in unison. "General!"
"Mm. The new recruits are here. Assign them yourselves!"
He flashed away and vanished.
Before you continue