Military Ranks Edict, the World's First Founding

"Interesting!"

As soon as Qiu Yan finished speaking, a voice entered his ears. It was the same voice that had told him some things when he first arrived here, claiming to be the Guardian Spirit of the Sand Battlefield.

"I never expected you to be the author who recently condensed the Original Edition. It's truly interesting that Donghua has produced such..." He wanted to express his feelings, but he stopped halfway through his sentence and then glossed over the matter, "Since you've already written the classic, why bother coming to this Sand Battlefield for a ceremony to nurture it for a few years? Once this classic is understood, you can naturally go Depths of the Army without going through any more troubles."

"Nurturing the classics? Being comprehended by others? Depths of the Army?"

Qiu Yan did not pursue the part of the Guardian Spirit that was omitted, as he had already guessed it. However, he was quite concerned about some of the information revealed in it.

"Nurturing classic texts implies revision and improvement. During my recent travels in the Northern Frontier, in addition to collecting geographical information, I have also been refining the organizational structure. Even classic texts that have already been completed can still be improved, which is normal. Nothing in this world is perfect; striving for excellence is the right path."

My thoughts raced like lightning, but then my perspective suddenly shifted.

"As for the phrase 'being comprehended by others,' it's easy to understand. The content and spirit contained in classical texts are the condensation of one's heart and soul. Even if some people read them and gain some insights, they may not be able to fully comprehend them. However, when the Guardian Spirit put forward this concept, it was not referring to the comprehension of people in the mortal world, but rather to how, on this Sand Battlefield, the Original Edition spirit of the classical texts is obtained by others, integrated into their consciousness, and then slowly comprehended."

Having refined and integrated the two Original Spirit into his consciousness, Qiu Yan was quite familiar with this method. He knew that he could directly absorb the Original Edition content and infuse it into his memory. However, this did not mean that he had comprehended it. The same principle applies to reading and memorizing. If you memorize something hastily, you often only know what it is but not why it is so. You can memorize it but cannot understand it.

Original Spirit was just ordinary. When integrated into consciousness and memory, it could operate Original Spirit. In the mortal world, it might only affect a person's thoughts and power. But in this world, it could directly manifest as a form of Divine Ability.

Indeed, this is precisely the third point that Qiu Yan is focusing on.

"The Depths of the Army? If I'm not mistaken, this Sand Battlefield is part of the Military Ranks World. The Military World' itself suggests a connection to Military School, similar to the concept of a 'Scholar Forest World.' I wonder if there's a connection between the two. Structurally, the Military Ranks World seems to be a progressive system. From the Guardian Spirit's words, it's clear the Sand Battlefield is just the outer perimeter. The depths of that Military Ranks World must hold a different world, but getting in won't be easy..."

As he pondered, his gaze swept across his surroundings. What he saw was a swirling sandstorm, with each grain of sand transforming into soldiers, battling the sand Military Momentum controlled by the descendant of Military School strategist.

The ability to conjure soldiers from sand is almost supernatural, bordering on Divine Ability, seemingly distorting reality. However, there is actually a reason behind it.

"This place is similar to the Scholar Forest World. It seems normal, and even the flesh and blood of this fake body feel no different from the real thing. But in reality, it is just a virtual world composed of consciousness and thoughts. Only in this way can it bear external consciousness. Only in this way can these grains of sand change with thoughts and display Military Momentum. The supernatural Divine Ability of the Original Spirit and the creation of Creation from Nothing are also due to this."

Thinking of this, he waved his hand and grabbed a few grains of sand from the boiling dust, and the consciousness contained within them immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

These consciousnesses originated from Ran Lian, Fu Yong, Zhang Fei, and others. They were drawn in by Qiu Yan and brought here directly by the connection of Karma. They were thrown into the sand and gravel, and just now, they experienced the feeling of fighting on the Sand Battlefield together with the sand.

Because of Qiu Yan's deliberate arrangement, they did not charge into battle, but were positioned at the back of the gravel, not on the front line where close combat was imminent. It seemed that there was not much danger, but even so, as soldiers fell one by one and the killing intent was overwhelming, the atmosphere of the Sand Battlefield still infected their will, making them feel the feeling of going into battle, whether excited or fearful.

The advance and retreat of troops Qi Manifestation, which can best mobilize people's emotions and influence their thoughts. After a battle, it is as if one has walked on the edge of life and death, which is similar to a spiritual cleansing and a transformation of one's State of Mind.

At this moment, the consciousness within a few grains of sand, immersed in this restless emotion, was caught by Qiu Yan, fell to his feet, and merged into the yellow sand that covered the ground.

At this moment, the Guardian Spirit spoke again, "You brought a bit of consciousness from outside without going through the ritual, which is a violation of the rules. However, Military School Grandmaster from other Continent often use their own scriptures to open passages so that their disciples can come and train. There's nothing wrong with that. Half of the people here came here using this method."

Qiu Yan stopped what he was doing and asked casually, "You've been mentioning rituals since earlier. What exactly do you mean by ritual?"

The Guardian Spirit seemed to have nothing to hide. "The Military School strategists of your Continent should know about this matter, but judging from your tone and appearance, you have clearly come alone, which is not surprising. The so-called ritual is not mysterious at all. It is actually a method of separating consciousness by using the Sage Statue and the paper that carries the power of Blank Divine Power."

"Sage Statue? Paper used to hold blank statues of gods?"

Qiu Yan's heart skipped a beat. All sorts of memories and information in his mind suddenly connected, his thoughts swirling, and he was about to touch upon a secret. Then, he remembered the essay Metropolitan Examination during the imperial examination. His thoughts permeated the exam paper, and that paper also had the qualities of Sage Paper, but it was different in essence. At the time, he thought it was because his realm was not high enough.

However, in that moment of intense emotion, Donghua's physical body changed again. The Heart Demon Fragment suddenly throbbed, calming his soul and instantly bringing his thoughts to a standstill.

Are you trying to manipulate my thoughts and ideas?

Qiu Yan immediately realized that what the Guardian Spirit said, though seemingly straightforward, was actually meant to startle him and influence his emotions and thoughts.

"As expected of someone who has studied books and classics, even with only consciousness and no soul to suppress one's Fortune, one's emotions are not so easily stirred." The Guardian Spirit responded without finding it strange.

Qiu Yan didn't pursue the matter further, seemingly suppressing his dissatisfaction, and instead asked, "From what you're saying, even souls can come to the Military Ranks World?"

The Guardian Spirit said, "The Sand Battlefield here can only contain will. In the depths of the Military Ranks World, one needs to condense a soul. I believe you will be going there soon, and you will know then."

"In that case, why not tell Qiu how to get there?"

"What's difficult for others is easy for you." The Guardian Spirit truly spoke his mind. "The Military Ranks World is divided into multiple layers, with the Sand Battlefield being the outermost layer. To enter the depths, one must pass the general's inspection."

Qiu Yan nodded, then turned his gaze to a high platform several miles away.

The Guardian Spirit said, "That's right, but not everyone can go. The General-Selecting Platform will condense dozens of Original Spirit from the ancient texts that appear in its star-sky Continent, using them as initial seeds, and then distribute them. Only those who obtain the Original Seed are qualified to step onto the high platform, determine the winner, and then advance further..."

"So, the fewer people who obtain the Original Spirit, the greater their chance of winning. The best outcome would be for one person to possess it all!" Qiu Yan frowned upon hearing this, finding it problematic. "Wouldn't this create bullies like Lu Hu? Moreover, once the Original Spirit is obtained, it can be used, causing the strong to become stronger and the weak to become weaker."

Unexpectedly, the Guardian Spirit said, "This is the true Correct Principle of heaven and earth. Where in the world is there true fairness? If we can't even fight for what we Original Edition had, why bother going Depths of the Army? Even if we go, it will ultimately be in vain. It's as if we've wasted our memories and Fortune to benefit others."

"Oh?" Qiu Yan gleaned a lot of information from the other party's words again. "This situation isn't a loophole, but rather something deliberately created. Could it be that they're using a method of raising Gu poison to select the strongest individuals and send them Depths of the Army?"

"Not bad," the Guardian Spirit's voice was slightly lighter, seemingly pleased that Qiu Yan had figured out the reasoning. "Actually, this is also a test. Even if you are at a disadvantage, you are not necessarily unable to defeat the strong. Even if you are at a disadvantage in terms of strength, there are still many methods you can use. While the strong occupy a lot of resources, they also create a lot of opponents. Whether to form alliances or not depends entirely on your own methods. If you don't even have this much ability, going there will be a waste of time."

"What do you mean by the loss of memory and Fortune?" Qiu Yan asked at the opportune moment.

"This involves the laws and decrees enacted when this world was founded. As a mere guardian, I cannot tell you. However, there is something I can reveal as a reward for defeating Lu Hu."

"What is it?" Qiu Yan's heart skipped a beat. He spoke, but his mind was already on the five words "when the world was founded"—

Could it be...?

"Lu Hu went so far as to extract his consciousness and lock dozens of Original Spirit within his stone body. This kind of behavior is not encouraged in the Military Ranks World, so you can release those Original Spirit through Military Conquest with him! As for whether you enjoy them yourself or share them with others, that's entirely up to you."

"Is that even possible? Why didn't you announce it before?"

"I am the Guardian Spirit. Why should I tell you if no one asks? It is only because you have the qualifications to be appointed that I reveal this to you. Now listen closely..."

A few breaths later, the Guardian Spirit's voice faded away. Qiu Yan glanced at the chaotic scene before him and took a step forward.

As dozens of Original Spirit attacks struck the crowd, the situation became increasingly chaotic. However, Qiu Yan had no intention of maintaining Order. He took a step forward and headed towards the distance of the Sand Battlefield, the very spot where Lu Hu had fallen. (To be continued...)