The match, a third general

With that, he was the first to rise and leave the office.

A few minutes later.

Led by Zhou Zheng, the group arrived at the battle area on the third floor.

"Beep!"

As the elevator doors opened, a spacious hall appeared before them.

The entire floor was divided by pillars into sixteen sections, with quite a few people gathered around the edges of each one.

In the middle of these sections was a specially designed arena, where several players were controlling their units in battle.

Chapter 34: The match, a third general

The three of them found the battle area a novel sight.

This was their first time seeing other players summon units in the real world.

The players on the stage seemed to be beginners, though, and the fights were amateurish.

A common three-star goblin was fighting a common two-star zombie. The two sides traded blows, one clawing while the other punched.

On the other side, a two-star goblin assassin fought a three-star stone golem. The goblin's dagger repeatedly struck its opponent's body with metallic clangs, but only chipped off a few fragments of stone.

"The third floor is the beginner battle area. Everyone here is a newcomer below Tier Two."

Zhou Zheng turned and explained, "If you want to challenge stronger opponents later, you can go to the intermediate area on the seventh floor or the advanced area on the eighth. You can also earn contribution points if you win."

Shen Xing nodded slightly, silently filing away the information. Then he asked, "Brother Zhou Zheng, who are our opponents this time?"

"They haven't been decided yet. I'll go make the arrangements," Zhou Zheng replied, then added, "Oh, and be careful in this match."

"All three of you have already raised elite units, so you're among the best of your tier, but your opponents aren't to be underestimated either."

"After all, none of the players qualified to compete for a spot in the Mist Void Realm are weak."

"So make sure you give it your all, or you might come to grief in an easy fight."

Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi both grew serious.

A thoughtful look also appeared on Shen Xing's face.

Give it my all?

Then if I bring out Hellscream and Gorehowl, my two three-star generals, I should be able to win, right?

A few minutes later, Zhou Zheng returned from the registration desk and handed them a document.

"It's arranged. Your match should start in about two and a half hours. This is the information on your opponents."

Qin Lang took it and immediately held it out in front of Shen Xing. The three of them huddled together to look.

Just as Zhou Zheng had said, those qualified to compete for a spot in the Mist Void Realm were the best among the newcomers.

Their three opponents all had elite one-star units, according to information from about four days ago.

But... if that's all my opponents have, it seems I won't need to bring out both generals?

"Brother Zhou, could we enter the game and make some more preparations during the wait?" Shen Xing suddenly asked.

"We need to make some more preparations too."

Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi raised their hands at the same time.

"Of course." Zhou Zheng nodded. "Your opponents are very strong. It's wise to make more preparations before the match."

"There are dedicated lounges in the battle area. Follow me."

With that, Zhou Zheng led them through the battle area and into a private room.

Not only was it furnished with a sofa, but there were also plenty of snacks on the coffee table.

Qin Lang set down his shoulder bag and took out the three pairs of black glasses.

They had brought them from home that morning in case something came up and they needed to log into the game.

Of course, it wouldn't have mattered even if they hadn't brought the glasses.

According to the forums, it didn't matter whether they used glasses, a phone, or a computer. Those were merely mediums for entering the game.

What mattered most was the Flower of Mist on each player's wrist. That was the true core that connected them to the game.

Once players grew stronger and became extraordinary or even expert-level lords, they would no longer need to rely on those external objects.

They could simply connect their consciousness to the Flower of Mist and enter the game whenever they wanted.

As Shen Xing put on his glasses, the scene before his eyes flashed.

A blazing bonfire, rows of black wooden huts, thick mist churning all around...

[Arrow tower level 1 construction complete...]

[Arrow tower level 1...]

A series of system notifications flashed before his eyes.

Shen Xing looked around and saw that his territory had changed considerably once again.

Eight arrow towers stood in pairs to the east, south, west, and north of the village. A dangerous glow gathered at the arrow ports on their tops.

A path paved with bluestone slabs stretched from the bonfire all the way to the village entrance.

The piles of building materials were also gone. The orcs had chopped them all into lumber and stacked it neatly.

At that moment, loud snores came from the wooden huts.

The orcs had worked overtime all night and were exhausted. Most of them had gone to sleep.

Only Da Hou and a few orcs had stayed behind to patrol around the village.

Shen Xing didn't wake them. There were no monsters attacking, and he wasn't planning to explore the mist, so he let the orcs rest and recover their strength.

"Da Hou, come here."

He beckoned to an orc in the distance whose arms were particularly thick.

Da Hou was the third elite creature in the territory. Although he was only one-star, his combat power was excellent.

After all, he had also undergone [Life-Sacrifice Evolution] once, giving him 10 more agility than others of the same tier!

In a fight against opponents of the same tier, he could handle two against one.

And now, Shen Xing would grant him a second Life-Sacrifice Evolution!

Of course, Hellscream and Gorehowl were both stronger than Da Hou.

As elite three-star orcs who had also awakened innate abilities, their combat power far surpassed that of other three-star units!

Judging by the information on their opponents, unless they could produce level 9 boss units, there was almost no question how this battle would end.

But that was impossible.

According to Zhou Zheng, there were only a handful of Tier One lords in all of Jiangcheng who could raise boss-level units.

Experts of that caliber didn't need to compete with them for a spot. They were selected in advance.

Of course, Shen Xing had no intention of sending out Hellscream or Gorehowl either, because they would attract a little too much attention.

After all, he had been in the game for less than a week, and he was neither a big spender nor the child of a lord.

Raising three-star units so quickly would inevitably attract attention.

"Boss!" Da Hou approached with steady strides, loyalty shining in his beastly eyes.

Shen Xing nodded and, without wasting words, activated his innate ability.

"Hum!"

A beam of red light fell on the orc.

Within the light, Da Hou's body began to change rapidly. The muscles all over his body crackled as if they were being restructured.

His already powerful arms in particular swelled even larger!

They looked like two enormous tree stumps stuck to either side of his body, completely out of proportion with his frame.

Most remarkably, his weapon also changed.

A pitch-black iron axe appeared in his previously empty left hand, turning him into a dual wielder.

[Advancement successful! 'Da Hou's' potential has increased to elite ★★!]

[Attribute increases from this evolution: strength +13, spirit +5, agility +18 (additional +10), constitution +7]

[Skill awakened: Dual Axe Mastery (passive)]

"Huh? Dual Axe Mastery. Another new advancement path?"

Shen Xing had noticed that the units in his territory could evolve in all sorts of unusual directions.

Unlike those in other territories, where most units had fixed advancement paths.

He knew this was because of [Life-Sacrifice Evolution]. The additional attribute bonuses had changed the direction of their evolution.

Of course, this change was a good thing.

After all, special advancement paths like these were often stronger than ordinary ones.

He took a look at Da Hou's newly activated skill.

[Dual Axe Mastery (passive): When fighting with two axes, attack speed +25%, strength +15%.]

Strong.

Da Hou's arm strength was already astonishing, and his slashes were fast and fierce.

Now he had another battle axe and had awakened this passive ability, allowing him to make the most of his advantage once again.

With that, he had gained another general besides Hellscream and Gorehowl!

Next, Shen Xing made some animal traps in his territory and absorbed a few Soul Stones.

However, because he had already reached level 5, he would need to absorb ten Soul Stones and spend seven or eight hours to reach level 6.

There certainly wasn't enough time for that now.

He took off his glasses and exited the game, returning his view to the lounge.

Qin Lang and Xu Jiayi were still wearing their glasses and lying on the sofa, apparently still making preparations in the game.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the lounge.

Zhou Zheng, clad in a gray windbreaker, stood with another middle-aged man, watching Shen Xing and the others from a distance.

"Are these the three newcomers you met last time?" the middle-aged man asked quietly.

"Yes, Director Liu."