Director Liu found Qi Zhen and said, "This otherworldly space seems rather troublesome?"
He had noticed that this Monster Slaying Army squad had suffered rather heavy losses.
Qi Zhen lit another cigarette and said slowly, "I think its rating was a little too low."
They glanced at Director Liu and said, "Do you know what lineup their vanguard had? There were two Tier 3 monsters alone! Five Tier 2 monsters, and hundreds of other monsters! And the frightening part was that they weren't even from the same species!"
At that, Director Liu narrowed his eyes. "More than one species?"
If even the vanguard had such a lineup, how many powerful monsters were there inside the otherworldly space?
This danger level had already surpassed C-Class!
Qi Zhen said flatly, "If my guess is right, there are Tier 4 monsters inside."
Director Liu's expression turned grave as well. "In that case, you need reinforcements!"
Qi Zhen said slowly, "I've already notified the other squads. They're on their way."
"With danger like this, you still plan to let those brats go in?"
Director Liu turned to look at Fang Bai and the others in the distance, then said, "The higher-ups have already arranged it, so it can only be this way. Besides, as long as they don't venture deep into the otherworldly space, nothing should happen."
Qi Zhen shrugged. "Suit yourself. I already said it before—their lives and deaths are none of our concern."
Director Liu said calmly, "The martial academy doesn't raise useless trash."
Qi Zhen gave him a strange look. "Will you guard this place with us? If you make a move, I doubt even a B-Class otherworldly space would be a problem."
Director Liu said calmly, "I'm a civil official. I'm not good at fighting!"
Qi Zhen: "..."
After Qi Zhen left, the ease on Director Liu's face immediately vanished, replaced by a trace of anxiety. "This is getting troublesome. We'll have to ask the academy's experts to lend a hand!"
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello! Dean Qi, something terrible has happened!"
Elsewhere.
"I'm furious! Those guys are looking down on us!"
Qi Tian said angrily.
Fang Bai glanced at him. "Old Qi, they have a point. Let me ask you—have you ever killed a monster?"
Qi Tian's expression stiffened, and he said without much confidence, "Well, no."
Qi Tian looked at A Xiu and Xiao Yuan again. "You two haven't killed any either! None of us has!"
Xiao Yuan scratched his head and chuckled.
A Xiu merely gave him a calm look and said flatly, "I've killed people."
"..."
Qi Tian's face stiffened, and he silently edged closer to Fang Bai.
Girl, how could you say something that explosive in such a calm tone?
Fang Bai said seriously, "From now on, our assessment has already begun. If I'm right, Director Liu is the examiner. Whether we pass the assessment and join the martial academy is up to him. And right now, our lives could be in danger at any moment. We still need to be careful."
Qi Tian fell silent for a moment, then said, "You're the captain. You call the shots."
Fang Bai nodded and then looked at A Xiu.
She was the hardest one in the team to manage.
A Xiu hesitated briefly before nodding.
Only then did Fang Bai breathe a sigh of relief. He then said solemnly, "Now, I'll arrange our tactics."
"Once we enter the otherworldly space, we should try not to get separated. If we encounter monsters, Xiao Yuan will face them head-on, Old Qi will provide support, A Xiu will look for chances to launch sneak attacks, and I'll deliver the final blow!"
Qi Tian felt somewhat depressed after hearing that. "Looks like your task is the easiest."
Fang Bai rolled his eyes. "I'm the weakest, and I also have to deal with unexpected situations. That's reasonable, isn't it?"
Qi Tian shrugged. "Fine, then."
A Xiu nodded, indicating that she had no objections.
Xiao Yuan agreed as well. He had plenty of experience fighting wild beasts.
At that moment, Qi Tian hesitated before suddenly taking a porcelain bottle from his Space Ring.
He opened the stopper, poured out several pills, and distributed them to the others. "These are Revitalizing Pills refined by the pharmacists at my family's company. They can quickly restore Exotic Energy and stamina. Take them as you see fit."
Fang Bai accepted the black pills. No matter how he looked at them, they resembled oversized Liuwei Dihuang Pills.
But when he heard about their effects, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly looked at Qi Tian. "Old Qi, this is good stuff! Do you have any more?"
Qi Tian quickly shook his head. "No more! These are very precious! They cost tens of thousands each on the market!"
As he spoke, he casually covered his ring.
There were probably still dozens of bottles inside.
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Fang Bai nodded. "With this thing, we undoubtedly have another layer of insurance."
Ten minutes later, a soldier came over and informed Fang Bai and the others to prepare to set out.
Before leaving, Director Liu told them, "Your own safety comes first. Don't blindly risk your lives."
Qi Tian suddenly asked, "Director Liu, aren't you coming in with us?"
Director Liu smiled. "Of course I'm going in. But don't expect me to make a move unless your lives are in danger. However, if I do make a move, it means you've failed the assessment and will be expelled from the martial academy."
The group: "..."
Qi Tian rolled his eyes. "Then you'd better just be a lucky charm."
Qi Zhen's voice rang out. "Keep your spirits up, everyone! We're entering the otherworldly space!"
Everyone wore extremely grave expressions, mentally prepared for what lay ahead.
Fang Bai and the others felt nervous and thrilled, with a hint of excitement as well.
They were about to face a bloody world beyond peace!
As they approached the otherworldly space, Fang Bai and the others revealed stunned expressions.
They had felt nothing from afar, but standing before this massive vortex for real filled them with emotions too complicated to describe.
A light curtain covered the surface of the otherworldly space, making it impossible to see the scene within. Yet an aura that did not belong to this world rushed toward them!
The Monster Slaying Army soldiers seemed accustomed to this. They tightened their grips on their sabers, their expressions stern.
Vice Captain Fan Gang led several Tier 2 Martial Artists at the front of the group, and they were the first to vanish into the light curtain.
"Are we really going in?"
Qi Tian was a little shaken. It felt like knowing there was a cliff ahead and insisting on jumping anyway.
Fang Bai looked at him. "If you want to withdraw, you can."
Qi Tian struggled for a moment before gritting his teeth. "Damn it, let's do it!"
He no longer wanted to be an idle young master who achieved nothing and only knew how to enjoy wealth and glory! He wanted to live his own life too!
Soon, the group passed through the light curtain and arrived in a world cut off from reality.
As the blinding light faded, an endless forest came into view!
They were several hundred meters from the forest entrance, yet they could still sense the ancient age and massive thickness of those trees.
From time to time, enormous birds flew out from above the forest. Their bodies were so huge that they did not resemble any bird from the real world!
Almost the moment they stepped inside, everyone felt a crushing pressure. The sensation of death curled around their hearts, as though they might be buried here the next second.
"If you don't want to die, stay alert! There are dangers everywhere here. Something as small as a flower or blade of grass by the roadside could be deadly—perhaps even the air is poisonous!"
Qi Zhen spoke flatly, casting Fang Bai and the others an extra glance. Clearly, those words were meant for them.
Fang Bai and the others silently released their Exotic Energy and became vigilant.
The group headed deeper into the mountain range.
Director Liu followed among the crowd.
Fang Bai suddenly asked curiously, "Sir, how does humanity deal with these otherworldly spaces in the end?"
Director Liu looked at him, somewhat surprised by the question, but still answered, "Naturally, by occupying them. Haven't you noticed? The Exotic Energy in these worlds is extremely abundant. Martial artists can cultivate here and achieve twice the result with half the effort. And the Natural Treasures within cannot possibly be harvested completely by humans in a short time, so the only option is to occupy them!"
Fang Bai asked doubtfully, "What about the monsters inside?"
"Kill them! Kill the strongest monsters, and the lower-tier ones will no longer be worth fearing! Then open the space to the public and form an industrial chain. Civilian martial artists can enter the otherworldly spaces to train. The resources they obtain from killing monsters can be sold to the authorities if they cannot use them all, or exchanged for resources of equal value."
Director Liu narrowed his eyes. "At present, our country alone controls more than one hundred and thirty otherworldly spaces!"
"So many?!"
Fang Bai was somewhat shocked.
Humanity was already in a passive position against the monsters' invasion, yet they had still managed to occupy so many otherworldly spaces. How much manpower would that require to guard them?
Did Dragon Country truly have that many martial artists?
After all, the other side of the "wall" required an enormous amount of strength to support!
Director Liu seemed to understand what he was thinking and smiled faintly. "Kid, don't underestimate the foundation built over generations!"
Fang Bai nodded. "I see."
"However, the appearance of every otherworldly space brings enormous losses to humanity. It means many ordinary people die, and even martial artists have paid a tremendous price to occupy so many of these spaces. But it has to be done, because nurturing more and stronger martial artists requires an immense amount of resources. Only otherworldly spaces can provide such a foundation!"
Director Liu gazed at the distant mountain range and sighed. "It's all for humanity's future!"
Fang Bai fell silent.
Wasn't the sacrifice of the older generation meant to let the younger generation enjoy this hard-won peace?
How could there ever be peaceful years? It was only because someone carried the burden forward.
Just then, the main force came to a halt.
"Something's happening!"
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