The Yingyin Ship flew through the Dark Universe at thirty times the speed of light for nearly two days before finally reaching a star belt.
After the ship emerged from the Dark Universe, all the team members disembarked. Kailun also took out a brand-new ship.
"Haha, Cao Benqi, you've just arrived at the Outer-Region Battlefield, so you don't know this yet. Around here, a more advanced ship isn't necessarily better. Most of the time, these ordinary ships are more useful. Most importantly, they're cheap. Even if one gets wrecked, it doesn't hurt," Kailun explained.
"That's right, Cao Benqi. This C-Class Ship might not be very fast, but if we were ambushed while riding the captain's Yingyin Ship, any damage could cost tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of Hunyuan Units to repair. Who knows how long the captain had to fight on the battlefield to save up for this ship? He treasures it.
"After a single mission, our spoils and Military Merit combined might only be worth a few hundred Hunyuan Units. If we had to spend tens of thousands of Hunyuan Units on repairs, that would be a terrible deal. It's better to ride these C-Class Ships. Even several thousand of them aren't worth much. They're absolutely top-tier in terms of value for money," Lan Ying explained.
Throughout the journey, whenever they encountered something new or unusual, she explained it to Qin Cang. In just two days, Qin Cang had gained a basic understanding of the Outer-Region Battlefield's customs and rules for survival.
"Lan Ying is right. C-Class Ships are considerably slower, but their cost makes them a much better fit for the way we fight. That's why I ordered ten thousand of them at once, and the whole lot cost less than one Hunyuan Unit.
"These ships only have basic flight capabilities and no attack or defense systems. They're practically made for the Outer-Region Battlefield. Plenty of squads order a bunch of them. They might slow you down a little on one or two missions, but over the long run, they're definitely more cost-effective than always using F-Class Ships," Kailun said with a smile. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone came to the Outer-Region Battlefield to cultivate, and cultivation required resources. Resources were built up little by little.
Qin Cang approved of this approach. Making money meant keeping an eye on the books. C-Class Ships cost less, but did almost as good a job. Why not use them?
"Don't worry, Captain. I understand. Maybe before long, I'll be ordering a bunch of cheap ships like these too."
"Haha, no problem. We're all here for cultivation resources. We'll reach our destination after another day aboard this C-Class Ship. Once we've been through a battle there, you'll understand the benefits of using one," Kailun said with a smile.
"That's right, Cao Benqi. Your first battle since joining the Outer-Region Battlefield is coming up. Are you excited?" Lan Ying asked with a smile. She was clearly curious about the true strength of someone with a Military Merit quota of one billion World Lords. Was he really comparable to an Immortal God?
"I'm not excited, but I am looking forward to it. It'd be best if I could kill an Immortal God right away. That would help me build up my Military Merit faster." Qin Cang really was eager for battle. He had been stifled in the Human Territory for so long. No matter how good he was at cultivating his mind, the Yan God Clan's fighting instincts ran deep.
Besides, according to King Gale, only through battle could one uncover the secrets of genetic evolution. So, while he still cultivated his mind, Qin Cang had never shied away from fighting. If anything, the prospect of battle stirred a faint excitement in him.
"Great, Cao Benqi. Let's have a contest, then. We'll place a bet and see who kills the fastest. What do you say?" Lie Feng had never gotten over the matter of Qin Cang's ten billion Military Merit. Still, he was confident that in a head-on fight, Qin Cang wouldn't be much stronger than him.
"That's right, Cao Benqi. The place we're headed usually doesn't have any particularly powerful enemies. Most of them are squads like ours. Even if we can't win, we should be able to escape. Let's see who kills the fastest. I might not be especially strong, but with Beast Taming, I can kill enemies at a terrifying speed," Kuin chimed in, clearly interested in the wager.
This sort of thing was common on the Outer-Region Battlefield, and Qin Cang knew why: a little friendly competition could bring out more of a person's potential. Lan Ying had told him that the others often bet on who would kill the most enemies during a mission. Now that Qin Cang had joined them, they simply wanted to invite him in and add another stake to the pot.
Of course, the bet wasn't large. It was just one Hunyuan Unit each. Everyone would put in one, and whoever killed the most enemies would take the whole pot.
Until now, Lie Feng and Kuin had usually won the bets. They were both strong overall. Although neither could beat Lan Ying one-on-one, she specialized in illusions, while Lie Feng and Kuin's fighting styles were better suited to battles where several groups fought their way out.
"You guys would die if you didn't compete with each other every day, wouldn't you? Why drag Cao Benqi into your silly bet?" Lan Ying said helplessly.
"It's fine. It's only one Hunyuan Unit. I'm in. Let's see who gets the most kills. Don't go backing out if you lose," Qin Cang agreed without hesitation. One Hunyuan Unit was no big deal.
"Haha, I knew Cao Benqi wasn't stingy. How about this: when we get back to the Barracks Base next time, whoever wins the most can treat everyone to drinks!" Kuin laughed. He was delighted that Qin Cang had joined the bet, and immediately opened a bottle of new wine to pour for everyone.
Qin Cang was growing fonder of the team's atmosphere. Drinking, fighting, killing enemies—maybe this was the kind of life he had always wanted. Had he been too repressed before?
"Come on, brothers. How can we drink that when I've got something better? Take a look at this!" Qin Cang took out a bottle of Falling Flame Wine. He had swiped it from Marquis Yanxing a few days earlier, when he went home. It was quite famous among the Marquis-level powerhouses, and wasn't too expensive. It was just right for the occasion.
"This is the good stuff. We should have a drink to celebrate my first mission."
"I had no idea you had something this good, Cao Benqi. Why didn't you bring it out sooner?"
Falling Flame Wine had a spicy kick, but for the World Lord ninth-level powerhouses present, it was nothing special. It wouldn't get them drunk, either, so it was perfect for the occasion.
And so, aboard a C-Class Ship, an Immortal God and five World Lord Generals laughed and drank as they headed for the battlefield.
A day later, Qin Cang and the others finally reached their destination: the Ice Sand Snow Plain.
It was a stretch of land about thirty billion kilometers in diameter, almost entirely covered in ice and snow. Everywhere they looked, all they saw was white.
Since the Ice Sand Snow Plain wasn't very large, there were generally no Marquis-level powerhouses venturing there. Most of the teams were like Qin Cang's: one Immortal leading several World Lord Generals. Others were made up entirely of World Lords.
For Kailun, the Ice Sand Snow Plain was an excellent place to lead a new team member into battle for the first time. The enemies wouldn't be especially strong, and the rewards weren't too poor, either.
"Attention, everyone! We're leaving the Dark Universe. Prepare for combat!"
The slaughter began!
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