The O'Brien Empire is a martial nation, with a much higher proportion of warriors than mages, although mages are not very common in other countries either.
Jason and his group were having a meal Chiyan City.
Since the Twin-Headed Silver Dragon Ivan was still at level nine and couldn't shrink his body, everyone lost interest in exploring Chiyan City.
Jason just went into town and bought some local specialties and food. Linda also roasted a wild boar, which is enough for a meal.
"Let's take a stroll around the foot of War God Mountain this afternoon, and then where to go?" Veronica asked.
Having spent several months exploring the Northwest Province of the O'Brien Empire, I now feel that other places aren't particularly interesting, except for a few famous tourist attractions that are worth visiting.
"The Bosha Dike is on the border between the O'Brien Empire and the Yulan Empire," Jason said.
The Bosha Dike is a sealed passage to the Gebados Plane, and one of the few places in the O'Brien Empire worth Jason's special trip.
Veronica nodded. "Yes, the place where the War God and the High Priest made peace back then? It's definitely worth a visit."
Just then, a Golden Griffon circled and landed in front of Jason and his companions.
"You lot are here to compete for a spot as a disciple of the War God Sect, aren't you?" A man carrying a long spear sat atop the Golden Griffon.
The man appeared to be a young man, but cultivators cannot determine age from appearance. Jason sensed that the man was Ninth-level Warrior, of the light attribute, and the Golden Griffon beneath him was also Level Nine Magical Beast.
The Twin-Headed Silver Dragon is also level nine; no wonder the other side considers Jason and his group as peers.
"Oh? We are travelers who arrived in the O'Brien Empire a few days ago. We wonder if the War God Sect's nominal disciple quota you mentioned refers to the War God himself recruiting disciples?" Jason asked politely.
"Haven't you heard?" the young man asked, puzzled. "The War God Sect recruits disciples every hundred years, mostly as nominal disciples. However, if someone has exceptional talent, the War God will accept them as an inner disciple. Preparations for this began a year ago, and the news has already spread widely across the continent. Anyone above level seven can participate, but the War God generally prefers promising young geniuses."
"Although they will most likely be accepted as nominal disciples, they will still receive guidance from the Saint-level Domain of the War God Sect, making it a highly sought-after opportunity. Many older, powerful individuals will also take this chance to participate in the arena battles and spar with their peers. It can be said to be a grand event for warriors."
Jason and Veronica exchanged a glance. "Excuse me, where do you all hold your events?"
Jason had left town in a hurry to buy things and hadn't noticed any events taking place there.
"It will take place around Chiyan City, starting in ten days. There's no fixed area; it will continue for three months without any specific criteria, as everyone's cultivation time is different. The Saint-level experts of the War God Sect will conceal their identities, observe the warriors' talent and strength, and select qualified individuals. The final selection will be made by the War God."
"Ten days from now? Shall we take a look around too?" Jason asked his wife.
"OK."
Upon seeing this, the young man laughed heartily, "We'll have a friendly spar later."
Ten days is enough time for Jason and his group to explore other places first.
There were already many tourists at the foot of War God Mountain. Most of them had come to Chiyan City in advance to watch the arena battles and then made a pilgrimage to War God Mountain. After all, the War God was a deity, and although he did not establish a proper church, he still had quite a few believers.
There are many powerful magical beasts here, some belonging to War God disciples of the War God Mountain, and some to tourists.
Even so, Veronica's Twin-Headed Silver Dragon was enough to attract a lot of attention. Fortunately, there were many powerful people here, and level eight Level Nine Magical Beast were common, so it didn't attract a crowd.
At this moment, a burly man dressed plainly and carrying a greatsword blocked their way.
"Dragonblood Warrior? I didn't expect that after three hundred years, the Baruch Clan would produce another Dragonblood Warrior." The burly man's gaze held a scrutinizing quality.
"You've mistaken me for someone else," Veronica said calmly.
"I won't mistake you; after all, I had my arm severed by Dragonblood Warrior from the Baruch Clan back then." The burly man was certain. "You're already level nine; you'll reach the Saint-level as soon as you transform. Let's have a fight."
"I told you, my surname isn't Baruch, and I'm not Dragonblood Warrior."
"Oh?"
"Your Excellency," Jason stepped in front of his wife, "I am Jason Rhein, and this is my wife, Veronica. We have no connection with the Baruch Clan."
"The Rhine Clan's Saint-level, and a Dragonblood Warrior who doesn't belong to the Baruch Clan? Interesting. In that case, I'll limit my Battle-qi to level nine, and we'll have a fight." The burly man was obviously referring to Veronica.
"This is War God Mountain!" Jason reminded him.
"I am Yanos, the fifteenth direct disciple of the War God."
"Hmm!" A murmur arose from the surroundings. The guards maintaining order noticed the unusual activity and, upon seeing it was Yanos, quickly asked the tourists to keep their distance.
Jason felt Veronica pat his shoulder.
"No problem." Veronica had already drawn her longsword.
"His fighting spirit hasn't broken with the Baruch Clan." Jason sighed inwardly, taking a step back with his three magical beasts.
The news that Yanos had just said Veronica was Dragonblood Warrior had already spread among the crowd, and many of the War God's disciples gathered around after hearing it—they were very familiar with Yanos, but many had never seen Dragonblood Warrior before.
Yanos held a long staff, and earth-attribute Battle-qi surged forth.
Veronica attacked first, her body swirling with Fire Element. Her burning longsword clashed with her staff, creating a powerful sonic boom.
Even a level nine Battle-qi is enough to unleash the combat power of Early-stage Saint-level cultivator.
The two retreated immediately upon contact; they had merely been testing each other's strength.
Jason realized that Yanos was practicing Earth Travel Technique. It seemed that all the Earth Attribute Saint-level in the War God Sect practiced this Profound Mysteries, possibly because they were of the same lineage.
While Earth Travel Technique primarily increases speed, the ability to merge the body with Essence of the Earth also enhances the practitioner's attack and defense capabilities, as well as some stealth abilities. It's similar to Water Body Technique, just with a different emphasis.
Most of the War God's personal disciples were selected at the eighth or ninth level, while whether they could break through the bottleneck of the Saint-level depended on their personal circumstances, and their achievements after reaching the Saint-level also varied from person to person.
Yanos is considered one of the more conventional disciples, consistently ranking in the third tier of the Peak Saint. His current strength might be slightly greater than that of Haydson in the original work.
With a flash, bearing the unique characteristics of Earth Travel Technique, Yanos appeared in front of Veronica.
Veronica had previously heard Jason mention this wondrous Profound Mysteries within the Profound Mysteries of earth attributes. Although surprised, she did not hesitate and immediately slashed at it with her sword.
The Essence of the Earth Battle-qi shield was shattered, and the longsword and staff clashed, neither gaining the upper hand.
Veronica's comprehension of Profound Mysteries is somewhat lacking, but the explosive nature of Fire Element means that Veronica, who has cultivated Fire Body Technique and Fire Element, is not bad in attack and can completely break through the opponent's defense. However, her speed and defense are much worse.
Yanos's figure flashed around Veronica, constantly maneuvering using his speed advantage.
However, Veronica was not without options. With her Fire Element Battle-qi originating from Veronica, endless waves of fire spread out in all directions.
In the blink of an eye, a hundred-meter radius was filled with a world of flames, and Yanos was enveloped within it. In this world of flames, Veronica's figure was everywhere, along with her burning longsword. Veronica, with only level nine Battle-qi qi, could only extend this Flame Domain to a hundred meters. If she were Saint-level, she could cover at least five hundred meters.
There are many records and Floating Shadow of the battle between the War God and the High Priest on the Yulan Continent. As a result, many Saint-level have imitated the "Elemental Essence" derived from the God's Domain, and many Saint-level on the Yulan Continent have embarked on the path of "Elemental Essence".
Veronica's mastery of the Fire Element perfectly aligns with this path.
Yanos naturally had a way to deal with the cultivation paths taken by the many Saint-level on the continent.
His figure flashed rapidly as he continuously clashed with Veronica, who was composed of fiery Battle-qi.
The fierce battle lasted for ten minutes. Finally, Veronica's Battle-qi gave out, and her Flame Domain dissipated, revealing the two figures locked in a standoff.
Veronica had several wounds on her body, from which bright red blood seeped.
The downside of the Flame Domain is that it consumes a lot of energy; even a level nine Veronica can only last for a maximum of ten minutes.
"You've lost, Dragonblood Warrior." Yanos raised his club, seemingly ready to kill.
Jason appeared before his wife in a flash. "Sir, my wife is not a member of the Baruch Clan, and you have no mortal feud with the Baruch Clan. How about we become friends today?"
"Hmph, friend? You'd better have the ability to be my friend!" Yanos said arrogantly.
"Huh?" Jason looked at Yanos, whose battle Battle-qi was surging around him and who was no longer suppressing his Saint-level strength. "The people from the War God Sect are really—"
"You're courting death," Jason thought to himself.
When reading the original novel, Jason didn't have a good impression of the people on the O'Brien Empire's side. Whether it was Haydson or Olivier, they were both ruthless when they gained power, as well as those Martial War God Sect disciples who were protective of their own and arrogant.
Jason also drew his weapon. The surrounding people unconsciously dispersed, and several disciples of the War God Sect who had originally been watching the spectacle stood in front of the tourists.
"Let me see what kind of power the mysterious Rhine Clan has!" Yanos had already appeared.
Jason simply raised his Battle-qi shield.
Even among the top-tier defensive shields of the Peak Saint, which were considered extremely impressive, the shield, wreathed in biting frost, collided with the long staff, and the massive recoil sent Yanos flying.
Jason used Profound Mystery of Roundness, round technique to deflect all the force, without any impact spreading to the surroundings—the powerful figures around him could all see that Jason was demonstrating his strength in a silent way!
Yanos had fallen back to his original spot, had bloodshot eyes, seemingly unwilling to give up.
Jason transformed into a bolt of lightning and appeared in front of Yanos.
Taken aback, Yanos used his Earth Travel Technique to retreat in a flash, but Jason followed him like a shadow.
Jason raised his blade and slashed upwards, the aura of death easily breaking through the opponent's shield and entering his body, causing Yanos's soul to relax briefly. The cold blade directly shattered the Battle-qi shield that had lost its control.
The terrifying speed made it impossible for those around to see any details.
"Ah!" With a scream, Yanos's right arm was severed—
On the Bosha Dike, Jason and Veronica strolled along like other tourists.
As for Linda and the others, they went to play in the deeper water further away.
The levee stands at the most turbulent point of the Yulan River, blocking the rushing water from flowing down from above.
A strong wind on the embankment dispelled the summer heat, and the vast river shimmered with light, stretching as far as the eye could see, creating a sense of the sea and sky merging into one.
"I thought there would be a lot of tourists, after all, it's a famous tourist attraction on the mainland," Jason remarked.
The tourists nearby, unable to discern Jason's strength, casually remarked, "They've all gone to Chiyan City to watch the arena battles. After all, the War God is selecting his disciples—a grand event that happens only once every hundred years!"
"Oh, I've heard of that, but we don't want to go."
Judging from their appearance and attire, the man assumed they were mages who disliked fighting. "It's fine if they don't go. I don't like getting involved in that kind of excitement either. The rooms in Chiyan City are probably already full; if we go now, we'll just have to pitch a tent in the wilderness."
Jason nodded. "Let's try some carp from near the Bosha Dike first, then we'll go home."