The Yagu Dynasty! A Surprise for the Other Races!

At dusk, a military SUV left Qingcheng and headed toward Dingcheng on the East China border.

Wei Yuan drove personally, taking Yi Tian along as he escorted Wan Jiang to the border garrison.

If anyone had seen the man in charge of all East China personally chauffeuring two teenagers, their jaws would have dropped.

Dingcheng was called a city, but it looked more like a fortress built for war.

Rune cannons, metal storms, and other weapons formed an outer defensive line atop steel-like walls. Fighting Eagle patrol aircraft monitored the border from the night sky, watching for enemy activity...

Once they entered Dingcheng, they found the entire city devoid of everyday life.

What surprised Yi Tian even more was that the figures walking Dingcheng's streets at dusk were neither merchants nor residents returning home, but members of several other races!

Three-meter-tall Giant Lizardmen with lizard heads, humanoid Red Sand Scorpions with scorpion tails and hands like bone blades, Half-Dragons with wings spreading from their backs...

This was clearly a Great Xia city. Why were there other races here?!

Noticing Yi Tian's confusion, Wan Jiang, a Dingcheng native, sighed and explained:

"There are no Great Xia civilians left in Dingcheng now."

"Twenty-five years ago, demons invaded Blue Star in full force. The whole world was attacked from every direction..."

"Then some other races took advantage of the chaos, invading Blue Star through otherworld passages to seize our land. Many small countries were wiped out outright!"

"That was when the [Yagu Dynasty] seized Dingcheng."

"The Yagu Dynasty?"

"That's right. The otherworld passage in Dingcheng connects to another world larger than Blue Star, and the Yagu Dynasty rules that world."

"They have Yagu Dragonkin as their monarchs and rule over dozens of other races. Their strength is terrifying!"

"All the other races you see here are subjects of the Yagu Dynasty."

Only then did Yi Tian recall what he knew about otherworld passages...

When the Otherworld passages first appeared, class holders had thought they were much like dungeon entrances.

Only after entering did they discover that the passages went both ways!

Other races from the Otherworld could descend upon Blue Star through them, while Blue Star's class holders could use them to visit the Otherworld.

Some friendly races, such as Elfkind, Dwarfkind, and Machinekind, lived peacefully alongside humans, trading and exchanging resources.

Far more of them, however, were dangerous and warlike!

They used every means available to seize Blue Star's land and plunder its resources. The Yagu Dynasty was one of them!

They treated Blue Star like a delicacy ripe for the taking, scrambling to sink their teeth into it!

"If Dingcheng was already occupied, why establish the border here?"

Yi Tian was puzzled. This was supposed to be Great Xia's border, yet he could see plenty of other races right outside the car.

Still, he was not afraid. Wei Yuan was here, after all.

As a level 74 Astral Soul Master with a legendary class, Wei Yuan was among Blue Star's strongest combatants.

Wan Jiang grew even more excited at the question. "I heard that Commander Wei Yuan, who was still a special squad captain back then, fought his way into the Yagu Dynasty to reclaim Dingcheng!"

"He fought all the way from southern Dingcheng to Yagu Royal City for three days and nights! He killed three hundred royal Dragonkin..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Wei Yuan immediately interrupted him from the driver's seat. "Respect history. Don't make things up!"

"Three hundred royal Dragonkin would be enough to conquer all twenty-two countries in the world!"

Wan Jiang sheepishly shut his mouth, though his admiration for Wei Yuan was plain to see.

Then Wei Yuan began explaining himself, seemingly lost in recollection:

"Dingcheng is a strategic stronghold in East China, easy to defend and hard to attack. We had to reclaim it to protect the cities behind it."

"If those other races wanted to profit from our battle against the demons and seize Great Xia's territory..."

"Then we had to make them understand: if we suffered, no one else would get off easy!"

"Back then, Great Xia voluntarily abandoned twelve defensive lines in East China. We stopped fighting the demons and committed everything to attacking the Yagu Dynasty and hunting down the Yagu Royal Clan!"

"Even if we lost a thousand men to kill eight hundred enemies, we had to terrify the other races and make them afraid to invade us again!"

"In the end, after I killed the third royal Dragonkin, our two peoples reached a peace agreement. The Yagu Dynasty agreed to return Dingcheng..."

Wei Yuan spoke with easy nonchalance.

But Yi Tian could tell that, under the combined threat of demons and other races, every step Great Xia took had been fraught with danger!

One careless move could have cost them everything!

Still, compared with the circumstances of other countries, Great Xia's gamble had clearly paid off!

A century ago, when other races descended upon countries around the world, some nations offered treasures and ceded territory in hopes of forming alliances with them.

Some had even willingly bowed in submission, hoping to gain the protection of powerful races.

Without exception, almost all those countries had vanished into history.

Peace sought through struggle endured; peace sought through compromise perished!

Even so, the immense threat posed by the Yagu Dynasty was clear.

After all, other races could still set foot on Great Xia's soil.

If Great Xia had possessed sufficient strength, not a single one of its people would have allowed other races to live in its cities!

Great Xia and Wei Yuan must have already done everything they could at the time.

The SUV passed through the city and arrived outside a heavily guarded military camp, where two rows of Great Xia border troops signaled for them to stop for inspection.

When the soldiers approached and recognized Wei Yuan, they solemnly saluted and let them through.

After driving farther to a training ground, Wei Yuan spotted the person he had come to find. Yi Tian also got out and looked toward the bustling center of the grounds.

An alloy fence enclosed a fighting platform in the spacious training grounds.

On it, a Great Xia border recruit was locked in a fierce battle with a Lizardman from the Yagu Dynasty!

The spectators cheering below included not only Great Xia's border troops, but also a sizable number of other races from the Yagu Dynasty!

"Get him, Fang! Beat that fucking alien!"

"Fang, try going for his center!"

"@#￥%&*)...!"

The fighting was heated, and so was the shouting on both sides.

Yi Tian could not understand a single word the Yagu Dynasty's races were shouting, however.

"There are other races even inside the military camp?"

An ordinary high school student like Yi Tian's former self had known very little about the actual situation on Great Xia's border.

"No. Those are the Yagu Dynasty's own border troops."

"Remember the peace agreement between Great Xia and the Yagu Dynasty?"

Wei Yuan motioned for Yi Tian and Wan Jiang to follow him, explaining as they walked:

"The agreement stipulated that our two peoples would cease hostilities and fight the demons together."

"Dingcheng would be returned to Great Xia, but half of it would be placed under the Yagu Dynasty's administration."

"Our two peoples would coexist peacefully, maintain friendly relations, and each station troops in Dingcheng to fight the demons together."

"Peacefully? Friendly relations?"

Although demons that devoured living beings were the common enemy of the Human Race and every other race, the idea that these two peoples could truly unite...

Yi Tian doubted anyone would believe it!

Wei Yuan simply made his explanation more explicit:

"The Yagu Dynasty hasn't abandoned its ambitions. They want an opportunity to seize Great Xia's territory and plunder Blue Star's resources... Most other races think the same way."

"As for Great Xia, we still need their strength to fight the demons, reduce casualties among class holders, and ease the pressure on our country."

They were using one another while maneuvering behind the scenes!

Yi Tian understood.

Ultimately, though, it was because Great Xia and its class holders had limited strength. Otherwise, why would they need to keep up this pretense with other races?

Being forced to surrender half of Dingcheng was already a concession Great Xia had made out of necessity.

Now Yi Tian understood. With both sides' border troops stationed in the same city, friction, duels, and covert rivalry were inevitable.

A crash rang out from the platform as the recruit called Fang was thrown more than ten meters by the Lizardman, suffering a crushing defeat.

"Fuck! These damned Lizardmen are like lumps of shit-stinking and tough!"

"Come on, recruits! Can't you win even once?"

"Next! Next..."

After the recruit's defeat, the border troops below were noticeably less enthusiastic.

Just then, Wei Yuan led Yi Tian and Wan Jiang toward a fairly high-ranking officer, who looked surprised to see him.

"Elder Wei! What brings you here?"

"You keep complaining that the border troops need talent, so I've brought you someone."

Wei Yuan smiled. "Wan Jiang, you'll be staying with the Vanguard Regiment from now on."

"Yes, sir!"

Wan Jiang gazed at the border camp with longing, his heart swelling with ambition. The dream he had pursued so doggedly for three years had finally come true!

"Greetings, Commander!"

The Vanguard Regiment commander's eyes lit up. Anyone Wei Yuan personally called talented had to be exceptional!

"Excellent! We're holding a New Recruit Martial Arts Tournament against the Yagu Dynasty's border recruits right now!"

"Everyone's level is locked at 1 on the platform. It all comes down to practical combat ability and how well you use your talents and skills. Five consecutive victories make you a winner. Do you dare give it a try?"

Wan Jiang had been watching the platform for some time and could barely wait. "Of course I do!"

"Commander, boss, I'm off!"

Yi Tian nodded, wondering, Would this border New Recruit Martial Arts Tournament count as an honor?

Hearing Wan Jiang's words, the Vanguard Regiment commander gave Yi Tian a suspicious look...

Boss?

Wei Yuan chuckled beside him and explained by way of introduction, "I'm only responsible for bringing Wan Jiang to camp..."

"This student, Yi Tian, was the one who found him and recognized his talent. It wouldn't be wrong to call Wan Jiang one of his people."

A student... The Vanguard Regiment commander froze.

He did not know Yi Tian's background, but letting a student recommend talent to the military seemed rather absurd!

His optimism about Wan Jiang turned to irritation, and he frowned deeply.

"Elder Wei, this..."

Before he could finish, a burst of wild cheering erupted around the platform!

On the platform, the Lizardman's claws sliced through the air. Wan Jiang swiftly sidestepped, drove a kick into its knee, and threw a heavy punch as it lost its balance!

"Armybreaker!"

[Armybreaker: A highly destructive single-target skill. Channels sinew-tearing, bone-breaking force into a weapon or the user's fists and feet, dealing massive strength damage that ignores defense and intimidating nearby enemies.]

The damage from a legendary skill was staggering!

With a boom, Wan Jiang's punch drove the Lizardman's body into the ground like a boulder smashing a bird. It failed to get back up for a long time.

The fight had ended in barely two seconds!

"Holy shit! That was smooth! Where did this recruit come from?"

"Whose soldier is this? He's unbelievably fierce!"

"%!...&%#￥&...%!"

This time, Yi Tian did not need to understand their language to know the other races below were probably swearing.

The Vanguard Regiment commander's eyes widened to the size of brass bells.

Having frequently faced other races, he knew that the Yagu Dynasty's other races all possessed faint traces of Dragonkin blood. Their naturally powerful physiques far surpassed those of the Human Race.

Yet Wan Jiang had just defeated one instantly!

With his wealth of battlefield experience, the commander had clearly seen that effortless sidestep, the kick to the knee, and the final heavy punch...

This was undoubtedly a talent with exceptional combat proficiency and class abilities!

What a find!

The Vanguard Regiment commander's expression instantly changed from anger to delight, and he even smiled with a hint of flattery.

"Well now, Yi Tian, do you have any other talented people working for you? Send a few more to our Vanguard Regiment!"

"You have no idea how hard we have it. Our Vanguard Regiment holds back demons in the north and still has to guard against the other races..."

Yi Tian: "..."

The tournament required five consecutive battles, but Wei Yuan and Yi Tian left after watching the first.

With the stats of a legendary class and Wan Jiang's combat proficiency, Yi Tian had plenty of confidence in him.

Besides, those assigned to border duty had limited bloodlines and abilities. The Yagu Dynasty's royal Dragonkin were the opponents truly worth watching out for.

It was late, and the [Management Log] would refresh at midnight.

Once again, Wei Yuan drove Yi Tian back.

On this trip, Wei Yuan seemed intent on teaching Yi Tian more about the conflict with other races.

"Today's border troop tournament was actually a microcosm of the contest between Great Xia and the Yagu Dynasty."

As he drove, he continued, "The peace agreement has a second clause: [Natural selection, survival of the fittest]!"

"Every five years, our two peoples hold a competition between their newcomers."

"The competition consists of five one-on-one duels and one team battle in a secret realm."

"The outcome determines ownership of East China's resource-producing secret realms for the next five years, and even... control over territory!"

Surprised, Yi Tian said, "So if we win, we can win back the other half of Dingcheng!"

"More than that. In theory, we could even win control over the Yagu Dynasty's home world..."

Wei Yuan smiled helplessly. "Unfortunately, we've never won."

"Never won? But we haven't lost any more territory, have we?"

"We can't lose any more territory. So every year, we surrender control of small secret realms instead of accepting the penalty for losing the competition."

Secret realms were divided into three sizes: small, medium, and large. They produced resources for class holder advancement, equipment materials, skill traits, and more!

For Qingcheng, the output of five small secret realms was enough to support the entire city!

"Then what about us...?"

"Great Xia gave up twenty-seven small secret realms to preserve its territory."

Admittedly, giving up some territory and population might have made life easier for Great Xia...

But who would make that decision? Who would be abandoned?

They were all citizens of Great Xia!

Twenty-seven small secret realms. That meant any further losses might shake Great Xia's very foundations.

Yi Tian was deeply curious. "Is the Yagu Dynasty really that powerful?"

"Great Xia has only two hundred years of supernatural history, while the Yagu Dynasty has at least several thousand. Its foundations run deep."

"What's more, the strength of the Yagu Dragonkin is determined by the quality of their bloodlines. To preserve those bloodlines, the royal clan marries close relatives. Even fathers having children with their daughters and grandfathers with their granddaughters are commonplace."

"That ensures every generation of their royal clan has powerful bloodlines..."

For humans to grow stronger, they needed more than a decade of struggle, blood, and sweat, honing their techniques and building up attributes and skills. They also had to rely on luck during their class-change rituals.

By comparison, the Yagu Dragonkin's approach of having children with close relatives really was much simpler.

It would have been hard not to lose.

Wei Yuan sounded somewhat relieved. "Luckily, you appeared this year and brought East China some hope."

"Otherwise, we might have had to stake our nation's fate against the Yagu Dynasty again this year..."

But Yi Tian wanted more than just "some hope." His ambitions were far bolder:

"I wonder how much of a dividend I'd get if we won the Race Championship against the Yagu Royal Clan?"

If we drove them out later, or launched a counterattack against the Yagu Dynasty, the honor dividends...

The car returned to Qingcheng and pulled up outside a building with a sign reading "Green Mountain Apartments."

This was the new residence Wei Yuan had arranged for Yi Tian. Both the living conditions and the defensive measures were far better than at his previous home.

"Oh, right. Take these."

Wei Yuan handed Yi Tian several spherical items:

[Barrier Sphere: Epic item. Upon use, deploys a 5 × 5 × 5 m Concealment Barrier that blocks entry, probing, and other external interference.]

"If you awaken again, you can deploy a barrier to conceal the awakening's pillar of light..."

"If other races, extremist organizations, or hostile nations discover the awakening of a high-quality class, it could very well expose you to unnecessary danger."

Yi Tian gladly accepted them. Having been educated in his previous life, he naturally understood the wisdom of keeping a low profile until the time was right.

A smile appeared on Wei Yuan's refined face. "I hope the Race Championship in half a month gives the other races a 'surprise'!"

The two exchanged a glance.

Both broke into knowing smiles.