Autumn, year 9962 of the Yulan Calendar.
The bleak autumn wind swept across the fields of Yanhe Village, whipping up withered yellow grass and carrying a chill through the entire village. Today was the day the Duchy had ordered young men of eligible age to enlist.
In the clearing at the center of the village, ten young men stood in a neat line. All were villagers who had passed the recruitment screening and qualified for enlistment. Each stood tall and straight, and nine had already successfully reached the First-Level Warrior realm. They were sturdy and spirited, brimming with the vitality unique to youth.
But they were still young, their faces boyish. The oldest was only nineteen, and the youngest had just turned eighteen. Apprehension and anticipation for their unknown military lives mingled in their eyes, along with reluctance to leave their hometown and concern for their families. They stood with straight backs, quietly awaiting the military escort.
Before long, a cloud of dust suddenly rose over the distant main road. Three exceptionally powerful horses with glossy coats galloped toward them amid the rapid, heavy pounding of hooves.
The three soldiers sitting upright in their saddles wore thick, sturdy leather armor, its surface still bearing scattered marks left by battle. A cold, murderous aura honed through long experience on the battlefield surrounded them. Their eyes were sharp as blades, and a casual sweep of their gazes made the young men instinctively tense, even their breathing growing quieter.
The officer in the lead wore a stern expression. His indifferent gaze swept over the ten men lined up before him, lingering briefly on them as he inwardly shook his head and sighed.
First-Level Warriors across the board, with mediocre talent and nothing outstanding about them. With strength like this, they would be nothing more than another batch of cannon fodder sent to die on a battlefield engulfed in war.
No unnecessary expression crossed his face. His voice was calm and indifferent, yet carried the unquestionable authority unique to a soldier. Every word reached their ears clearly. "I am the officer responsible for escorting you to report at the barracks. You will leave with me immediately."
With that, he took a yellowed roll book from inside his clothing. His fingertips rapidly turned its pages as he read out name after name at great speed. The roll call was brisk and efficient, taking no more than half an incense stick's time, without a single unnecessary pleasantry.
After calling every name, the officer looked up and swept a stern gaze over them. His tone abruptly grew forceful. "From here on, you will run behind my warhorse the entire way. No falling behind, and no stopping! The journey is two hundred and sixty li. This is your first test of whether you can make it into the barracks. Do you all understand?"
Without waiting for their collective reply, the officer snapped his wrist, pulling the reins taut. His horse threw back its head and let out a long neigh, then its hooves flew as it shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow. The two soldiers followed close behind, and the three warhorses raised billowing dust as they raced down the main road.
"Quick! Keep up!"
Someone shouted, and the ten young men of Yanhe Village dared not delay for even an instant. They hurriedly broke into a run, chasing with all their strength in the direction the horses had gone.
At first, everyone seemed to have boundless strength. Their strides were light and powerful, and they could just barely keep pace with the horses while maintaining a reasonably orderly formation. But as time passed, the sun gradually climbed overhead, bringing unbearable heat. As the distance grew, sweat soon soaked their coarse clothes and streamed down their foreheads and cheeks, blurring their vision.
More and more of them began to exhaust their strength. Their breathing became rapid and labored, their legs felt as heavy as lead, and their steps gradually slowed. By the time they had run nearly two hundred li, almost everyone had reached their physical limit. Their chests heaved violently, every breath burned with pain, and their legs trembled, sore and weak. Every step demanded all their strength and brought unbearable suffering.
Their formation fell into complete disarray. They gritted their teeth and struggled on, their faces flushed and their eyes filled with exhaustion and despair. Their legs no longer seemed to belong to them, and they felt unable to run another step.
Just as everyone was on the verge of collapse and about to give up, a surging force suddenly rose within Xiaoshitou at the rear of the group, crashing and racing wildly through every part of his body.
He clenched his teeth, his lips pale. Drawing on the unyielding tenacity etched into his bones in his previous life, he mustered the very last of his strength and surged forward!
Bang-
A faint sound, like an invisible barrier breaking, rang clearly in his heart.
The next second, Xiaoshitou suddenly felt his entire body grow light. His unbearably heavy, aching, powerless body instantly became light and nimble. His muscles tightened with strength as a force several times more powerful than before rapidly grew and surged within him. His aura climbed steadily, and he firmly entered a whole new realm!
Driven to the brink by this punishing run, he had broken through his own shackles and successfully advanced to a Second-Level Warrior!
For the other young men, the remaining sixty li were undoubtedly a living hell. Every step felt like treading on the tips of knives. Their legs were completely numb, and only sheer willpower kept them going. At any moment, their vision might go black and they might collapse.
Xiaoshitou, however, had just completed his breakthrough and seemed utterly transformed. His strides were light and steady, his breathing even and deep. Running looked as effortless for him as a leisurely stroll, without the slightest sign of exhaustion. He easily left his struggling companions behind, running swiftly and steadily, always close behind the warhorses without falling back at all.
After another long stretch, just as everyone was nearly spent and utterly exhausted, a magnificent, heavily fortified military camp appeared before them.
The camp's tall gates stood before them, its thick walls towering high, while the Duchy's flags fluttered from their poles. The instant they stepped through the gates, a strong smell of gunpowder smoke and an iron-blooded air of deadly severity struck them, rushing into their nostrils.
Inside the camp, soldiers stood in orderly ranks. Ringing sounds of training and earthshaking battle cries rose one after another. The atmosphere was solemn and tense, yet vigorous energy and strict discipline were evident everywhere, instantly inspiring awe and discouraging any unruly noise.
The officer leading their escort reined in his horse and signaled for them to rest where they were. Then he turned and left to report to the camp's main tent.
Unable to hold on any longer, the young men slumped to the ground, gasping for breath. Yet they could not hide the amazement in their eyes as they curiously surveyed the unfamiliar, imposing camp.
Before long, a clear, piercing whistle suddenly split the air.
"Assemble! All recruits, assemble immediately!"
Recruits from the surrounding villages struggled to their feet and hurriedly gathered in a fluster. At a rough glance, there were as many as five hundred of them. They wore all manner of clothing, and their eyes were filled with curiosity, apprehension, and unease as they whispered among themselves.
Just then, a burly, imposing middle-aged man clad in thick, heavy armor strode onto the raised platform. His gaze was blazing, his eyes sharp as an eagle's as he slowly surveyed the gathering. A powerful air of natural authority instantly enveloped the entire assembly. The noisy crowd immediately fell so silent that a pin could have been heard dropping.
"All you recruits, listen carefully!"
The middle-aged man's voice rang out like a great bell, strong and forceful, reaching every corner of the camp. "I am Kelan Kai, a centurion of this camp! Starting today, you will officially begin five years of military service. This place will be a turning point in your lives. Whether you sink or rise will depend entirely on you!"
Next, Kelan Kai loudly explained the camp's ironclad rules and its strength-based promotion system, his tone impassioned. "The strength of the Duchy's warriors is divided into six major levels! First- through Fifth-Level Warriors correspond to ordinary soldiers, elite soldiers, five-man squad leaders, ten-man squad leaders, and centurions! Anyone who breaks through their limits and reaches the Sixth-Level Warrior realm can be promoted directly to assistant general and become a pillar of the army. You will even have a chance to obtain Battle Qi cultivation methods that countless people dream of, and soar to greatness in a single step!"
He paused, his gaze passing over every recruit as he warned them with utter solemnity, "In this camp, and on the battlefield, strength and military merit are everything! If you want to distinguish yourselves and bring honor to your ancestors, if you want to survive, you must fight the enemy bravely, earn military merit, and hone your strength day and night! This is your only way forward. Remember it well!"
The impassioned speech stirred all five hundred recruits, setting their blood aflame. Most of their earlier apprehension faded, and fighting spirit kindled in their eyes. Thunderous applause and shouts instantly erupted throughout the gathering.
Once the speech ended, the soldiers responsible for assigning tents stepped forward. They allocated all the recruits to their tents according to their performance during the run and their individual strength.
After a night's rest, the truly brutal, rigorous military training would begin tomorrow.
Xiaoshitou stood among the recruits, his aura steady and calm and his gaze utterly resolute. He showed not the slightest panic, only certainty and determination toward the future.
He knew clearly that, now that he had said goodbye to Yanhe Village and entered this military camp, his true trials in this other world had only just begun.