Boarding the Train!

Everyone's eyes went wide and their mouths fell open, as though they had witnessed the most unbelievable sight!

The lean, muscular man who had been showing off moments ago looked as though he had seen a ghost! The expression on his face froze instantly!

Even the expressionless middle-aged military officer sprang to his feet, his eyes full of shock and disbelief!

He stared fixedly at Dongfang Yueming and the stone lock in his hand, which seemed as light as air!

One hand! He had lifted the Greater Flesh Refining stone lock with ease!

Th-this was at least the strength of Peak Greater Flesh Refining, perhaps even... close to perfection?!

This kid... was actually this terrifying?!

The officer swallowed hard, and the way he looked at Dongfang Yueming changed completely! Not a trace of doubt or contempt remained, replaced by gravity and respect!

He sat back down, studied Dongfang Yueming for a few moments, then said in a deep voice, "Very good! Your strength is sufficient!"

As he quickly registered the information, he warned him in a serious tone, "At the Beast Defense Frontier, dragons and snakes mingle, and you'll find all kinds of people! There are warriors who don't fear death, but there are also sinister, cunning villains! Strength is the foundation of survival there, but caution is just as important!"

"Remember, there, status and background mean nothing, and there's no arguing about right and wrong. Everything comes down to military merit! Military merit is your life! It's also the only way you can obtain any resources!"

Once he had finished registering him, the officer took out an oddly shaped wrist terminal with a metallic sheen and handed it to Dongfang Yueming.

"This is your military merit recording terminal. It will record all the military merit you earn by killing ferocious beasts and completing missions at the frontier. With this terminal and the military merit it holds, you can exchange for anything you want at the frontier's exchange office-cultivation techniques, pills, weapons, status... as long as you have enough merit!"

There was a hint of inexplicable fervor in the officer's voice.

Military merit! On that bloody land, it meant everything!

Dongfang Yueming took the heavy military merit recording terminal. It was cold to the touch, and a faint trace of blood seemed to linger on it.

"Military merit can be exchanged for everything..." He repeated the words silently in his heart, his eyes gradually growing fervent!

Cultivation techniques! Pills! Divine weapons! Status!

Wasn't this exactly what he had dreamed of?!

The Beast Defense Frontier! Looks like I've come to the right place!

"Thank you for the guidance." Dongfang Yueming nodded solemnly to the middle-aged officer, then put the terminal on his wrist, turned, and left.

After he left, the men at the registration point who had mocked him before looked at his retreating back in an entirely different light!

The contempt and ridicule were gone, replaced by shock, wariness, and even a hint of... concealed greed!

"Good heavens! What crack in a rock did that monster of a kid spring from?! He's so young, yet he has such terrifying strength!"

"Peak Greater Flesh Refining? Maybe even perfection? He's definitely a genius!"

"Hmph, so what if he's a genius?" someone said sourly. "At the Beast Defense Frontier, nobody cares whether you're a genius! All that matters there are fists and military merit!"

"That's right! And..." another man with a sinister gaze said in a low voice, "a genius like him, successful at a young age and showing off his sharp edge, is most likely to attract jealousy and hatred! Who knows how many resentful fellows are waiting for a chance to step on him, or even... take his place!"

"Heh heh, the Beast Defense Frontier is a fine place for geniuses to fall..."

Dongfang Yueming did not hear these malicious remarks, and even if he had, he probably would not have cared.

As he walked, he fiddled with the oddly shaped terminal on his wrist.

The terminal's screen displayed his basic information and his military merit points, initially set at "0." The interface was simple and clear, and it seemed to have a function for connecting to the military's internal network.

"All that matters are the terminal and military merit..." Dongfang Yueming was thoughtful. "If there's no strict identity verification when exchanging for resources, wouldn't that mean... some people make a point of stealing other people's terminals and military merit?"

The possibility made his heart tighten. It seemed the cruelty and danger of the Beast Defense Frontier came from far more than the ferocious beasts themselves!

He soon arrived at the special train station responsible for transporting people to the Beast Defense Frontier.

The train was built entirely of heavy alloy, with narrow windows and a grim, killing air.

After verifying his identity with the terminal, Dongfang Yueming boarded the train.

He was assigned to a relatively secluded small compartment. When he pushed open the door, four people were already sitting inside.

By the window sat a woman in red with an exceptionally beautiful face and a voluptuous figure. She was listlessly playing with a crimson dagger, her alluring gaze carrying a hint of danger.

Opposite her sat a pair of burly, honest-looking middle-aged brothers. Both wore leather armor covered in patches, and their auras were steady, like those of experienced beast hunters.

On the other side was a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache and an arrogant expression. Dressed in relatively splendid martial attire, he sat with his eyes closed, resting, disdainful of everything around him as though he were a cut above the rest.

Dongfang Yueming's entrance broke the somewhat dreary atmosphere in the compartment.

The woman in red studied him with interest, a playful smile curling at the corners of her mouth.

The honest-looking brothers nodded at him in a friendly manner.

The arrogant middle-aged man did not even open his eyes.

Without betraying his feelings, Dongfang Yueming found an empty seat and sat down, silently observing the "travel companions" who would soon be accompanying him.

This journey probably would not be a peaceful one.