Special Elites

The Blood Trial's trial grounds divide participants into four grades, with the first three determined by one's own force amplitude or mental amplitude.

At the very bottom are those like Bai Yu, whose mental amplitude during testing barely reaches around 20 times—they receive only the basic rewards of an ordinary trial participant. Whether weapons or battle armor, they get at most top-grade second-tier items, and even Cosmic Crystals are limited to a single piece.

For such trial participants, even at the same grade, the vast gap in amplitude and equipment leaves them unable to contend with others.

They are truly there to fill the numbers; once the trial grounds open, they barely survive a few days.

Those like Mangu, whose force amplitude tests around 40 times, are considered excellent-grade trial participants. They can choose top-grade second-tier or low-grade third-tier weapons and armor based on their conditions, and in the first year of the trial, they receive ten Cosmic Crystals to boost their strength.

These individuals can scurry about for a while in the early stages of the trial grounds, but as time drags on, they too are doomed to be killed. Thus, they often seek out elite-grade trial participants and choose to become their attendants, hoping to improve their survival odds.

With luck, there's still a faint chance of walking out of the trial grounds alive.

As for elite-grade trial participants like Wu Sheng, they are the true contenders on the trial grounds' roster.

Their force amplitude or mental amplitude starts at 80 times, and the specially crafted mid-grade third-tier weapons they use can further amplify that amplitude by a threefold boost.

In an ordinary Blood Trial, such elite-grade trial participants often survive to the end, claiming their ultimate reward—ten thousand Cosmic Crystals.

But every Blood Trial, there are always a few trial grounds where, to compete for those "prizes," the major powers of the Blood Sun Tribe go mad, sparing no expense to send in their secretly trained special-grade elites.

These so-called special-grade elites are planetary-level experts who possess a domain.

A domain, in Wu Sheng's view, is a kind of "heaven-earth momentum"—a special ability that effectively integrates one's mental force, genetic energy, and even willpower.

As one's understanding of the domain deepens, some can even burn part of their soul to gain a temporary surge in power.

A planetary-level with a domain can claim invincibility within that realm.

Even for cosmic-level experts aiming to break through to domain lord, mastering a domain is an essential power.

Without the support of a domain, a cosmic-level expert cannot use "heaven-earth momentum" to integrate their mental force, genetic energy, and willpower into a unified whole, ultimately condensing their own life core.

Similarly, only through a domain can one touch the truth of the universe's operation—the fundamental laws.

Never mind that Wu Sheng is a special lifeform; as the weakest of special lifeforms, he can't even sense the so-called first layer of a domain, let alone the laws.

When he heard this fellow named Jin An say, "Our CKHX-3819 trial grounds has at least five or six special-grade elites," his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

"Looks like this so-called prize isn't so easy to claim. I wonder just how fierce the competition in my trial grounds will get?"

Wu Sheng sighed inwardly. This wasn't something he could control; whether one had a domain directly determined the final outcome of battle, and all of that depended on how those special-grade elites fought.

The boost from his own willpower only let him dominate among elite-grade trial participants—pitting it against domain holders was like smashing an egg against a rock.

Unless his willpower could rise another major realm!

But that was tough; even if his willpower reached the cosmic level, if he ran into special-grade elites who had broken through to the stellar level, he'd still only have the option to flee.

"So, Brother Wu Sheng, how about joining our Blood River Squad? I can recommend you to my captain—he's very eager to recruit a lone elite-grade trial participant like you."

Jin An wore a full smile, his expression sincere, seemingly unconcerned that Wu Sheng had wiped out the members of his Seventh Squad.

"Oh? And what benefits would I get from joining the Blood River Squad? Also, I'd like to know the general situation of this trial grounds' prize and the trial participants from other factions. Why don't you fill me in first?"

Wu Sheng smiled. Did you think a few basic facts about the trial grounds would make me blindly join your squad?

That's too naive!

If you don't lay out the benefits for me to compare, do you take me for a bargain?

"Uh, the prize for this trial grounds is actually a human woman from the distant human territory. She's at the third-tier celestial level, but she already has a domain and has even grasped the surface of some fundamental laws—extremely overpowered, far stronger than the special-grade elites trained by the major powers of our Blood Sun Tribe."

"Plus, she's human. If we can make use of her, whether it's infiltrating the human core or helping us relay information through the virtual universe, she'd be a great asset. That's why the major powers are all scrambling for her."

"As for the major powers in our CKHX-3819 trial grounds, there should be about six special-grade elites. As for elite-grade trial participants, there must be several hundred. Hmm, based on our Blood Sun City's estimates, it should be under five hundred, but three to four hundred is certain."

Jin An's face showed a hint of gloom as he spoke. In an ordinary Blood Trial, elite-grade trial participants usually numbered just over a hundred, and he'd have been confident in keeping his own life.

But this CKHX-3819 trial grounds he was in had become a meat grinder.

Even he had no confidence in walking out of the trial grounds alive.

"What? There's a human in this perilous place? And a super genius at that?"

Wu Sheng was genuinely shocked. He never expected to encounter a true fellow countryman so far away in the Prison Clan.

"Yeah, it's for her that those factions are throwing everything they've got. They say if the prize in another trial grounds weren't more attractive, the competition here would be even fiercer."

Jin An sighed, deeply dejected.

The attendants beside him were even more on the verge of tears. If there were three to four hundred elite-grade trial participants, what chance did they have? They were doomed to never walk out alive.

But when Wu Sheng asked his next question, they were completely stunned.

"Who is the special-grade elite from Blood Sun City?"

When Wu Sheng asked this, he thought that if possible, he'd be willing to join Blood Sun City. After all, within the Blood Sun Tribe, Blood Sun City was the largest faction, with local advantages that suited his development well.

If the special-grade elite in Blood Sun City was strong enough to hold the line, joining wouldn't be a bad move.

As for those three to four hundred elite-grade trial participants, they were divided among the major factions and would inevitably slaughter each other. That way, as long as he didn't act too recklessly, his chances of walking out of the trial grounds were decent.

"Uh, to compete for the biggest prize, the higher-ups have transferred all the special-grade elites away, so we don't have a single one here."

Jin An looked at Wu Sheng, a bit embarrassed.

"What? And you have the nerve to drag me into this? Do you think I'm stupid?"

Wu Sheng jumped straight up, glaring at Jin An with clear hostility.

For a split second, he even considered whether he should take down this outwardly honest but inwardly scheming bastard, hand his head over to some other faction, and use it as his own ticket in.

Likewise, when the Carp alien clan heard this, they stumbled as if they'd completely lost their backbone.

Without a top-tier elite leading them, wasn't Bloodsun City practically guaranteed to be wiped out? If they kept following along, they'd just be coasting toward death anyway.