General-Selecting Platform, Guardian Spirit, One Grain of Sand, One Soldier

"The Essentials of the Military Classics? It seems to be Original Edition projection, but why are there so many volumes?"

The fact that this book, written by Qiu Yan, appears here raises suspicions. What's even stranger is that, as the author, he discovered an invisible barrier in the middle, blurring his spiritual connection with the classic text, yet he could still sense it.

Puzzled, Qiu Yan's gaze fell upon the front of the platform, where three words were clearly written—

General-Selecting Platform!

These three characters, with their straight horizontal and vertical strokes and slender lines, clearly appear to have been carved with a sharp blade. Every stroke exudes a lingering aura of sharpness.

Just as Qiu Yan was about to probe further, or even get closer, a voice rang in his ear—

"Which Continent are you from?"

These words came on the wind, exactly the same as the previous one. When they reached Qiu Yan's ears, he did not respond immediately. Instead, he frowned, his senses sweeping over his surroundings to investigate the source of the sound.

But upon closer inspection, it was discovered that while one's consciousness still retained the level of Nature Cultivation, the physical body was only at the Foundation Establishment Peak.

"Hmm? This body is just like flesh and blood, with all the muscles, bones, and skin intact. The pulse, heartbeat, and breathing are normal, but I remember when I fell down, I was just a wisp of consciousness, and the physical body was formed from sand." The sand was exposed to the sun, and the heat inside was flowing and releasing within the flesh and blood, gradually threatening the consciousness.

Qiu Yan was not Soul Split. Instead, Qiu Yan recalled the events that had happened before. More than a hundred guesses flashed through his mind. Using the Incense Faith of the Divine Spirit Body, he summarized and analyzed the meanings and came to many conclusions. Among them, the most likely ones came to mind.

"Consciousness travels through the starry sky, and what it sees along the way may just be an illusion, but it could also be real stars. This place right now may no longer be part of the Eastern Radiance Continent. This can be inferred from the words of that voice."

Thinking of that voice, Qiu Yan's attention swept around again, and he felt the limitations of his Fleshly Body and consciousness.

"This body is not my original Fleshly Body, but a sham formed by the connection of consciousness to this place. From a purely physiological point of view, it is a complete human body. I just don't know if it is simply simulating the body's reaction to consciousness."

Although his flesh and blood were intact, Qiu Yan was not deceived. He was still trying to figure out his situation. With a slight movement of his consciousness, he immediately discovered that in the distance, his original Fleshly Body, Divine Soul Yin Spirit, Golden Core were still lying dormant and being nurtured.

"If it truly is a case of consciousness crossing over to this place, there must be a reason. It must be a hidden secret of the Military World. In that case, the Military Contest and trials within that Military World are all preparations for the chosen ones to come here."

Feeling the connection between his consciousness and his avatar, Qiu Yan vaguely sensed that his previously burned consciousness was more easily merging with this body. Moreover, because he had experienced such a test, his consciousness's resistance to the burning sensation had increased to a higher level.

This illusory body, though possessing flesh and bones, is essentially formed from sand. Exposed to the scorching Blazing Sun, the sand contains fire energy, which gathers and envelops and permeates Qiu Yan's consciousness. Although it appears normal, the fire energy within has not dissipated and comes into contact with Qiu Yan's consciousness, bringing a burning sensation. However, compared to the previous trials, it is far less intense.

A normal person, having gone through the previous trials and gained experience, could immediately suppress this anger. However, Qiu Yan, with a change of mind, restrained his anger and wanted to investigate it carefully. But the anger seemed to have a spirit, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Huh?"

Qiu Yan's senses had long since covered the surroundings, yet he couldn't discern the source of the fire.

"This place is truly strange. Upon arrival, a false form materialized, and then the field of vision widened, allowing visibility for miles without blurring. There were also sounds of unknown origin and fiery energy of unknown destination..."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan simply withdrew that perception.

The reason he frowned upon hearing the sound was because he couldn't find its source. Now, as he pondered and investigated, he found nothing.

After Qiu Yan withdrew his senses, the previous voice reappeared—

"Don't bother looking, you won't find me. I am the Guardian Spirit of this Sand Battlefield. I have no physical form, but nothing on this Sand Battlefield can escape my eyes."

"Guardian Spirit?" Hearing this name, Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes and asked, "You said this is Sand Battlefield, but as far as I know, this Sand Battlefield is not such a simple place."

Upon hearing the name "Sand Battlefield, "Qiu Yan's first thought was naturally the simple meaning behind the word. However, noticing the surrounding scenery, the word "Scholar Forest" suddenly flashed through his mind, prompting him to tentatively ask.

In truth, he knew nothing of the secrets of this Sand Battlefield, let alone what was simple or not. However, he agreed with the Guardian Spirit's words, and the spirit continued, "It's good that you know. There are at least a hundred disciples of Military School strategists gathered here this time, from more than a dozen different Continent. By the way, you still haven't told me which Continent you came from."

Upon hearing the question, Qiu Yan had a flurry of thoughts. Combining the other person's words with the surrounding environment, he quickly analyzed whether he should tell the truth.

In a flash, the Three Bodies minds raced, and finally a conclusion was reached.

"I come from the East Flower Continent," Qiu Yan said truthfully, awaiting the other party's response.

"East Flower Continent, among all these Continent, what is its position and what are its characteristics? Perhaps we can find clues from this so-called Guardian Spirit's words. He casually mentioned more than a hundred people from more than a dozen Continent. If he asks everyone he meets about their origins, he must have made comparisons in his mind."

"East Flower Continent? The Karma have not yet turned, you are telling the truth!" Unexpectedly, when this name was uttered, the voice of the Guardian Spirit trembled slightly, like a bowstring being plucked, and a tremor appeared in his voice.

"Hmm?" Qiu Yan detected a hint of fear in the voice.

However, the other party clearly didn't want to express it, glossing over the matter. "Alright, no matter where you come from, you've come here for that newly completed Military Canon, right? Go now. Whether you can obtain a copy of the Original Spirit depends on your fate. After all, this classic is not yet fully formed. Although it has power now, it's less than one-tenth of what it would be when it's complete."

As soon as the words fell, the sound dissipated. Suddenly, waves of sand rolled up on the sand not far from Qiu Yan, forming a circle that completely enveloped him. Then, it was as if an invisible barrier shattered around him, and scorching air rushed in!

"Hmm? I see. There was a restriction here that temporarily isolated me from the outside world, but now it's broken. So that means..."

Qiu Yan turned his gaze and swept across a ten-mile radius, where he saw a series of figures. All of them looked over as if they had just noticed Qiu Yan.

"Someone else is coming?"

"He's a new face."

"Are they also here to fight for that Original Spirit?"

Despite the distance, the sounds of the crowd's discussions carried unhindered by the heatwave. This strange Sand Battlefield, with its different Principle of sight and sound compared to other places, revealed a great deal of information in the words of those people.

Qiu Yan remained calm, sensing a connection between himself and the Original Edition of the "Essentials of the Military Classics" on the General-Selecting Platform. His consciousness subtly stirred, about to draw them over. The painstaking efforts conveyed by these books merged seamlessly with his own consciousness, becoming identical to the original copy located in the East Flower Continent!

"Oh? They're exactly the same as the original. That's interesting. I wonder what secrets are hidden here."

As Qiu Yan pondered, his senses expanded, and he noticed that after the invisible barrier shattered, he had actually established a connection with the surrounding sand. Hidden within each grain of sand were individual consciousnesses, and he could vaguely sense the auras of Qiu Yi and the other soldiers.

"Could it be..." he was thinking when suddenly a thought struck him. He narrowed his eyes and turned to look behind him.

Behind him, a burly man with a full beard strode over. He was clad in armor, with a long sword at his waist, and walked with a powerful and imposing air, giving off the aura of a great general.

Dust and sand swirled around the giant, and within each grain of dust flickered a spark of consciousness, circling him like soldiers surrounding their commander.

"Young man, judging from your appearance, you're new here?" The burly man with a thick beard approached, acting as if they were old friends, and said with a smile, "Would you like me to tell you about the situation on this Sand Battlefield?"

"Oh?" A cold glint flashed in Qiu Yan's eyes. "May I ask how you are addressed?"

"Of course, of course. I am Yuchi Leiting, the Northern Expeditionary General of the Two-Sided Continent Tang-Pining Dynasty."

Yuchi Leiting spoke, he glanced at Qiu Yan's attire and raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, why are you wearing Confucianism robes? Human Path the Hundred Schools of Thought, while the Military School may not be the only one remaining, it still has a place to stand, and the Sand Battlefield is one of them. As long as the brilliance of the Military Canon shines, it can radiate to other Continent, preventing the Confucianism School from monopolizing the limelight. So why abandon armor for robes?"

His words revealed a sense of pride, but he quickly changed the subject. "However, the infiltration of Confucianism and Legalism has greatly constrained the Human Path dynasty, causing our Military School to show signs of decline in various Continent. In addition, the birth of Military School -Human Dao Canon is becoming increasingly rare, which is why we are at a slight disadvantage. But this is only temporary. Aren't new classics being born now? You came here for that Original Spirit, but you are surrounded by armies, and there murderous intent everywhere. Why don't we form an alliance?"

"Original Spirit? The Allied Forces?" Qiu Yan pondered the meaning, about to speak, when another voice rang out—

"Yuchi Leiting, don't try to find another scapegoat. This struggle for the Original Spirit isn't as simple as you think. Rather than harming others, we should form a sincere alliance. This Original Spirit isn't complete yet; once it's fully formed, it might even become a Sage Spirit, illuminating all continents! How can we afford to try to take shortcuts again?" (To be continued...)