Prepare for Battle!

Hongxiu smiled playfully. "Naturally, we're going to wipe out these mortal beasts! This is both a test and a chance to get us used to the bloodshed at the frontier ahead of time!"

"So... prepare for battle, everyone!"

The brothers Tie Shan and Tie Zhu turned a little pale at her words. Clearly, they had not expected their journey to the frontier to be filled with such a direct and bloody trial right from the start!

They instinctively tightened their grips on their plain, unadorned weapons. Fine beads of sweat even appeared on their foreheads.

Zhou Tong gave a disdainful snort and swept a contemptuous glance over Dongfang Yueming, as if to say, "Kid, weren't you good at putting on airs just now? Let's see how calm you stay once you see blood!" He looked utterly unperturbed, clearly accustomed to such scenes and even somewhat eager to watch the show.

Time passed slowly in the rather oppressive atmosphere.

The train gradually slowed, finally coming to a stop with a slight shudder.

Tie Shan and Tie Zhu's breathing grew noticeably faster. They stared nervously at the tightly shut door, their palms slick with sweat.

Hongxiu's captivating eyes kept drifting toward Dongfang Yueming. Seeing that his expression remained calm and that he had only rested a hand on his saber hilt, she showed a flicker of appreciation in her eyes. Her breath fragrant as an orchid, she murmured, "Little brother Dongfang, are you ready? Don't disappoint your big sister."

Dongfang Yueming nodded slightly. The qi and blood in his body had already begun to circulate faster, and his gaze was sharp as a hawk's. He was ready to draw his saber at any moment.

A cold smile curled Zhou Tong's lips as he thought, Putting on an act! When the mortal beasts scare the guts out of you, let's see if you can keep that look on your face!

Clang!

With a heavy metallic scrape, the carriage doors slowly slid open to either side.

Immediately afterward, several muffled, rhythmic knocks came from outside, like a signal.

"We can go out now!" Zhou Tong was the first to stand. He straightened his robes and strode out with his head held high.

Hongxiu followed close behind, swaying her slender waist, and did not forget to look back and throw Dongfang Yueming a flirtatious glance. Tie Shan and Tie Zhu took a deep breath, exchanged a look, and followed them out. Dongfang Yueming brought up the rear, stepping out of the carriage with a calm gaze.

The moment he stepped outside, a smell of blood and earth, mixed with a musky stench peculiar to wild beasts, hit him in the face.

Before him lay a desolate expanse of Gobi, dotted with jagged, oddly shaped rocks. Low, rolling hills stretched across the horizon.

The special train had stopped in a relatively open area. Quite a few martial artists were also coming down from the other carriages, over a hundred in all. Every one of them looked grave, and their equipment varied. They were clearly newcomers or people seeking experience at the Beast Defense Frontier.

But the most striking sight lay in the distance!

Dust billowed across the horizon, blotting out the sky and sun! Countless dark shapes surged madly toward the train like a tide bursting through a breached dam! Savage howls and roars mingled into a wave of sound that made scalps tingle. Even from far away, their wild, bloodthirsty aura could be felt!

It was a beast tide made up of countless mortal beasts! Among them were plenty of enormous, ferocious wolves with bared fangs, as well as swift, agile shadow leopards. There were many kinds, and their numbers were staggering!

Just as everyone was shaken by the sight, a person in a standard gray uniform stood on a rise and shouted through a megaphone:

"Attention, all newcomers! Welcome to your first lesson at the Beast Defense Frontier!"

"See the beast tide ahead? That's your appetizer!"

"After killing a mortal beast, cut off its left ear yourself as proof! Remember, the left ear!"

"One low-level mortal beast's left ear is worth one military merit point! One mid-level mortal beast's left ear is worth three military merit points!"

"Military merit is the only standard for surviving here, exchanging for resources, and raising your status! If you want to live and grow stronger, pick up your weapons and earn the military merit that belongs to you!"

"Now, the free hunt begins!"

After listening to the announcement, Zhou Tong curled his lip and muttered, "Hmph, just one military merit point for a low-level mortal beast. How stingy!" There was a note of dissatisfaction in his voice, as though he felt the reward was beneath his strength as a Bone Forging Realm martial artist.

Dongfang Yueming, meanwhile, took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement surging in his heart. Yet it was as though his blood had been set alight, flowing imperceptibly faster through his veins.

This was the battle he had always longed for! This was the baptism on the road to becoming a powerhouse!

Zhou Tong caught sight of Dongfang Yueming's "forced calm," and a barely perceptible sneer curved his lips. Hmph, kid, your breathing's already uneven, and you're still pretending! Just don't piss your pants later! he thought smugly.

Just then, a terrifying pressure far beyond that of ordinary mortal beasts descended without warning!

At the front of the beast tide, an exceptionally enormous, rhinoceros-like beast let out a deafening roar. Its body was covered in thick black armor, and a single horn jutted from its head! The aura it gave off alone turned many Flesh Refining Realm martial artists deathly pale and left them struggling to breathe!

"A high-level mortal beast!" someone cried out involuntarily, eyes filled with fear.

But the fear did not spread. A burly figure leaped down from the top of the train and landed firmly before the ranks. His aura was as steady and imposing as a mountain, and his qi and blood blazed like a furnace. He was unmistakably a Blood Replacement Realm powerhouse!

He snorted coldly, and a massive axe appeared in his hand. Pointing it straight at the high-level mortal beast, he shouted, "Leave this beast to me! Everyone else, meet the enemy! Kill!"

The powerhouse's appearance instantly steadied everyone's nerves.

"Kill!"

Battle cries shook the heavens! Like arrows loosed from a bow, over a hundred martial artists charged to meet the surging beast tide! Blades and swords flashed into view, clashing with the mortal beasts' claws and fangs!

"Hee hee hee..." Hongxiu giggled, but her figure closed in on Dongfang Yueming like a ghost. Her breath fragrant as an orchid, she said, "Little brother Dongfang, I'm so scared. You have to protect me, all right~?"

Dongfang Yueming's gaze remained fixed on the beast tide ahead. He merely nodded slightly.

But he thought, Since you gave me some pointers earlier, it won't hurt to keep a bit of an eye on you. On the train, Hongxiu had indeed used casual conversation to unobtrusively tell him some basic facts and precautions concerning the Beast Defense Frontier. He remembered the favor.

Seeing him agree so readily, without the slightest hesitation or panic, Hongxiu showed a flicker of surprise in her lovely eyes.

She had thought that, faced with such a bloody and terrifying scene, this newly arrived "Dongfang Ri" would be at a loss even if his legs did not turn to jelly with fright. How could he possibly spare the attention to protect someone else?

It seemed that either he truly had confidence to spare, or... a newborn calf feared no tiger?

Hongxiu muttered to herself, finding this "Dongfang Ri" increasingly interesting.

Zhou Tong naturally noticed Hongxiu's affectionate attitude toward Dongfang Yueming as well. His face immediately darkened, and jealousy welled up in his heart.

That Hongxiu really is a temptress! he cursed inwardly. I'm a dignified Bone Forging Realm martial artist, yet she doesn't come and curry favor with me. Instead, she's so friendly with some greenhorn! Isn't his skin just a little fairer? Pretty boy!

Burning with jealousy, Zhou Tong vented his anger on the charging mortal beasts. With a loud shout, he sent his longsword flashing out in a streak of cold light. With a wet splat, he cleanly cut down a low-level mortal beast, a gale wolf, as it lunged at him!

"Hmph!" Zhou Tong smugly flicked the blood from his sword and immediately looked toward Dongfang Yueming, ready to see him flustered and overwhelmed, perhaps even knocked down by a mortal beast.

But the sight that met his eyes made his pupils contract slightly!