69: Chapter 69 The Azure Dragon Guard is Established!

Receiving the vast consciousness transmitted from the Starry Sky Ancient Tree, Lin Yunfei immediately began to ponder.

"Objects of creation, tempering the origin? These things are all items that can only be encountered by chance and never sought!"

His gaze immediately turned to the rear of the divine kingdom, to that Private Herb Garden which had undergone heaven-reversing changes due to the world's advancement.

As the will of the Creator descended, the scenery of the deepest part of the herb garden instantly mirrored in his mind.

There, directly beneath a spiritual energy vortex, a thick vine, dark red throughout and coiling like a horned dragon on the crystallized soil, was exuding a soul-shaking, majestic vitality.

The root system of this vine plunged deep underground, faintly establishing a marvelous energy circulation with the distant Dragon Transformation Pool.

At the very top of the vine, dozens of strange fruits, only the size of a fist, entirely azure-green in color and covered with scale-like patterns on their surface, were emitting an alluring, exotic fragrance.

Around the fruits, faint sounds of dragon roars could be vaguely heard.

A line of light blue system prompt boxes emerged on Lin Yunfei's retina.

[Name]: azure dragon fruit (Tier 2 mutated spiritual fruit)

[Efficacy]: Contains a trace of thin ancient dragon vein aura. After consumption, it can vastly temper vital blood, elevate the origin strength of the physical body, and reshape mortal foundations and bones.

"Hahaha! Heaven helps me!"

"The azure dragon fruit combined with the Dragon Transformation Pool might have miraculous effects!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yunfei's majestic divine voice resounded through heaven and earth once again, like rolling thunder.

"Xi!"

"This subordinate is here!" High Priest Xi responded respectfully, his posture ethereal, like the most devout believer of a deity.

"Immediately go to the depths of the Private Herb Garden and harvest the azure dragon fruit on that vine! Combine it with the mutated spiritual herbs in the herb garden, supplement it with the divine kingdom's origin spiritual liquid, brew the body-tempering treasure medicine, and distribute it to all the water-governing backbones!"

"Right, remember to bring one for Leader Yan Er!"

"As you command, great Creator!"

Xi's tone carried a bit of excitement. Leader Yan Er was the old patriarch he had always admired, and upon learning that the latter had not broken through to Tier 2 and his potential had been fully stimulated, he was also secretly anxious for him in his heart!

Xi transformed into a stream of light, rapidly rushing toward the herb garden.

Before long, a huge bronze stone tripod was set up in the center of the tribe, with scorching spiritual fire burning beneath the tripod.

As one azure dragon fruit after another and a large number of mutated spiritual herbs were thrown into the tripod, the originally clear spiritual liquid instantly boiled, turning into a pot of dark red medicinal liquid as thick as magma.

An incomparably overbearing exotic fragrance instantly permeated the entire Calamity Divine Kingdom!

"All water-governing backbones, form up!"

Leader Yan Er roared, his voice sounding like a giant bell and chime.

Thousands of elite soldiers did not hesitate at all, quickly forming a neat phalanx. Even the hundreds of soldiers who had been severely injured on the periphery of the Dragon Transformation Pool earlier were now supported by their companions, gritting their teeth and straightening their bodies. In their eyes, there was no fear, only a thirst for power; the young soldiers yearned to establish meritorious deeds!

"Grant the medicine!"

High Priest Xi waved his bone staff, and streams of dark red medicinal liquid soared into the air like water dragons, drawing graceful arcs in the sky before accurately falling into the mouths of every single soldier.

The moment the medicinal liquid entered the throat.

"Boom!!!"

Within the bodies of the thousands of soldiers, it was as if an active volcano had been detonated simultaneously!

"Roar—!!!"

Deafening roars soared into the air, shooting straight up into the clouds.

The violent medicinal power rampaged through their bodies, resembling miniature ancient giant dragons biting and tearing at their meridians and bones. Their blood boiled, rolling violently like boiling water.

This pain was by no means inferior to being hacked into a thousand pieces!

Yet, not a single person flinched.

Visibly to the naked eye, the muscles on their bodies began to expand crazily, lumps of granite-like muscles bulging high, stretching their already sturdy bodies even larger.

Even more shocking was that on the surface of their originally wheat-colored skin, a faint phantom layer of azure scales vaguely emerged!

Especially the hundred-odd people who had been heavily injured earlier; the wounds on their body surfaces rapidly healed under the overbearing vitality of the azure dragon fruit, and beneath the shedding dead skin, newborn skin that was tougher and emitted a metallic luster grew out.

The origin of their physical bodies was undergoing a heaven-reversing qualitative change!

The shackles of the mortal body were forcefully ripped apart!

After a full half-hour, that chilling metamorphosis gradually subsided.

When the thousands of soldiers opened their eyes once again, their pupils were already filled with an unhideable wildness and overbearingness.

Even just standing there, they exuded a suffocatingly terrifying sense of oppression. The cultivation of the late Tier 1 stage coupled with the physical body remodeled by the azure dragon fruit allowed them to undergo a complete rebirth.

"Very good."

Lin Yunfei sat high up in the clouds, nodding in satisfaction. "Yushi, reopen the Dragon Transformation Pool trial!"

"Yes!"

Yushi acted once again, waving his water blade, drawing out the pool water from the periphery of the Dragon Transformation Pool, and mobilizing river water to dilute it to an appropriate concentration.

This time.

"Enter the pool!"

At Leader Yan Er's command, the thousands of reborn soldiers leapt fearlessly into the light blue pool water like fierce tigers coming down the mountain.

"Hiss!!!"

The sounds of drawing in cold breaths rose and fell one after another in the pool water.

Pain! It was still the bone-deep pain!

The ancient dragon might and calamity power contained in the Dragon Transformation Pool were like countless steel knives, still crazily scouring their physical bodies.

However!

This time, their skin did not crack again, and their flesh and blood did not collapse again!

The formidable origin bestowed upon them by the azure dragon fruit was like an indestructible suit of armor, tightly resisting this overbearing erosion. The azure scale phantoms appearing on the surface of their bodies actually began to become increasingly solid under the scouring of the pool water.

"Hold on! All of you, hold on firmly for me!"

Leader Yan Er stood by the pool, roaring at the top of his lungs.

The soldiers gritted their teeth, letting the pool water scrape their bones and wash their marrow like steel knives. Amidst the continuous alternation of destruction and rebirth, their physical bodies were growing crazily strong at a rate that defied common sense!

Time ticked away second by second.

At this moment, the divine kingdom's tenfold time flow rate displayed its terrifying advantage.

Only a single day had passed in the outside world.

Yet the trial in the Dragon Transformation Pool had already lasted for a full ten days!

Amidst this cruel polishing of ten days, the gap among the thousands of soldiers gradually became apparent.

Some soldiers reached their physical limits after persisting for three days and had to leave the pool to rest; while some uniquely gifted soldiers with even more tenacious willpower could grit their teeth and persist for five days, seven days, or even longer!

High above the sky, Lin Yunfei quietly observed all this, a flash of inspiration sparking in his mind.

"A truly invincible army must never be stagnant water. There must be a strict hierarchy and a cruel competition mechanism to maintain an inexhaustible combat effectiveness."

He immediately descended the Creator's oracle.

"Transmit my decree!"

The mighty divine voice was like a nine-heavens thunderclap, causing all the soldiers who were gritting their teeth and persisting to suddenly perk up.

"Starting from today, this exclusive guard is officially bestowed the name—[Azure Dragon Guards]!"

"The Azure Dragon Guards asks not of origin nor looks at seniority; only the strong shall occupy it!"

"With the Dragon Transformation Pool trial as the core evaluation standard! The longer one can persist in the pool, and the higher the concentration of pool water one can withstand, the higher their status will be!"

Lin Yunfei's voice was filled with boundless majesty and fatal incitement.

"I will bestow upon you brand new names and glory based on your performance in the Dragon Transformation Pool!"

"The strongest shall be bestowed the name Commander Qing Yi! The next, Qing Er! And so on!"

"Those ranked in the top one hundred shall be centurions, commanding one hundred men! Those in the top ten shall be thousand-man commanders, who can enjoy a higher concentration of Dragon Transformation Pool water and possess the privilege of prioritizing the mobilization of the divine kingdom's resources!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire Dragon Transformation Pool instantly boiled!

Names, in this wasteland world, often represented an irreplaceable glory and recognition.

And being personally bestowed a name by the Creator was even their supreme belief and lifelong pursuit!

"Kill!!!"

A burly man who had originally reached his limit suddenly had his eyes turn completely crimson after hearing these words. He let out a beast-like roar, forcefully swallowing back the blood that surged up to his throat, and firmly nailed himself in the pool, unwilling to back down even half a step.

"I want to be a thousand-man commander! I want to be called Commander Qing Yi!"

"Bullshit! Commander Qing Yi is mine! Whoever dares to fight me for it, I will twist off his head!"

The wildfire of competition was instantly and thoroughly ignited within the chests of all the Azure Dragon Guardss!

Yushi stood mid-air, looking at this group of soldiers below who seemed as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and couldn't help but draw in a cold breath.

The Creator's methods were truly terrifying to this extent!!

The shores of the Dragon Transformation Pool in the back practically turned into a crazy meat grinder.

Every day, people reached their limits and were carried out, but as long as they recovered even a shred of strength, they would crazily leap back into the pool.

What's more, feeling that the diluted pool water on the outermost periphery wasn't strong enough, in order to compete for a higher ranking, they actually proactively applied to Yushi, requesting to enter the higher concentration area for body-tempering!

The jungle law of survival of the fittest was vividly and thoroughly portrayed here.

On the other side, Xi called out to Leader Yan Er, who was just about to leave...