163: Chapter 163 Breaking Through a Million-Strong Army

He sat back in his chair, watching the flickering candlelight, as if he could see the countless lords across this vast continent tossing and turning this night, each harboring their own secret agendas.

The drama of Alliance and betrayal would play out in every corner.

The tranquility had been completely shattered; blood and fire were about to become the main theme.

"My blade has long been thirsty!"

Lin Tian chuckled softly, his smile devoid of fear, filled only with a restless eagerness and cold determination to embark on a true journey.

"This is more like it. Stop hiding your true strength; show what you've really got. Let's see who can stand until the end in this first wave after the server merge—those who remain standing... are the true winners!"

The first light of dawn had yet to fully disperse the deep blue of the night, but Lin Tian had already opened his eyes.

There was no trace of morning laziness; his eyes were startlingly clear in the dim room, as if silent flames were burning within them.

The massive loot seized yesterday was still piled in the warehouse, exuding temptation.

And the cold notification sound of the Heavenly Dao still echoed in his ears; time waited for no one, and wealth that wasn't converted into strength was just a pile of stone that would invite disaster.

"Get to work!"

He rose nimbly, washed up quickly, reviewed the plan he had pondered all night one last time, and strode toward the militia recruitment altar.

The first order of business: strengthen the troops and expand the army!

Turn yesterday's spoils into the cold light on today's blades.

He first summoned that magical [mirror of replication].

The surface of the mirror shimmered, reflecting his calm face.

With a shift of his thoughts, massive amounts of Spirit Crystals began to be consumed rapidly.

Correspondingly, the quantity of Five Elements crystals began to pile up at a speed that made his heart race.

The sharpness of Gold, the vitality of Wood, the suppleness of Water...

Various colored radiances flowed and condensed before the mirror, like the most generous gift.

"Now that I'm well-off, I need to be generous with my spending."

A hint of a smile played on Lin Tian's lips, but his eyes were sharp as knives.

He began to operate, his movements swift and precise, as if he had rehearsed them a thousand times.

"Fusion, Golden Armored Spearman, replenish to twenty thousand!"

"Fusion, Pale Moon Hunter, replenish to twenty thousand!"

"Fusion, Earth Spirit Guards, replenish to twenty thousand!"

...

Various Materials fused with the soldiers under the activation of Lin Tian's talent.

Amidst the flashing lights, squads of well-equipped, imposing Epic-grade soldiers were continuously fused into existence.

Twenty thousand! Twenty thousand! Another twenty thousand!

The five core troop types, like five pillars supporting the sky, instantly increased in number to a new height.

The uniform clanking of armor and the soft clinking of weapons filled the morning air with the scent of iron and blood.

And that wasn't all.

Epic troops were the sharp blades, but Excellent troops were the torso that formed the military formation.

Lin Tian walked toward the ten towering [recruitment altars].

Spirit Crystals poured out like a dam bursting, and the light on the altars flickered like breathing.

"Recruit, male...!"

"Recruit, female...!"

Large batches of Militia were recruited and underwent Fusion Evolution.

Batch after batch of Excellent-grade soldiers, clad in fine armor and wielding weapons, marched out.

Their eyes might not have been as piercing as the Epic troops, but they were strictly disciplined and possessed a coherent Aura.

A full five hundred thousand Excellent soldiers!

Like tributaries flowing into a great river, they quickly filled the newly opened, massive drill ground in the middle district outside Lin Tian City.

It was a sea of black, endless, with only the cold light of weapons forming a frigid ocean.

Next, he recruited two hundred thousand Dayuan Steeds and fused them into Dragon-Blood Steeds.

Two hundred thousand heavy infantry were successfully paired with the freshly minted two hundred thousand Dragon-Blood Steeds.

As the heavy infantry mounted up and held their long spears, a sense of oppression like an iron torrent naturally arose.

Two hundred thousand heavy armored Dragon cavalry were thus formed!

In just one morning, the military strength of Lin Tian City had undergone a heaven-shaking change.

One hundred thousand Epic troops all equipped with warhorses, and one million Excellent troops (including two hundred thousand heavy armored Dragon cavalry).

Total military strength broke through 1.2 million!

And the quality was extremely high.

On the drill ground, Evil Qi soared to the heavens, making even the rising sun seem to dim slightly.

"This is what an 'army' should look like."

Lin Tian stood on the wall of the inner city, overlooking the boundless military formation below, a surge of heroic spirit rising in his chest.

But this heroic spirit was quickly replaced by more practical considerations; the territory was too small and was about to become overcrowded again.

"Spend money! Expand the territory!"

He didn't hesitate, activating the mirror of replication again, this time targeting the mountains of stone.

Spirit Crystals were spent like water, and the exchanged stone was all used for the construction of the city wall.

With the original territory as the center, another city wall was built in a circle outward!

A fourth city wall, five meters high, three meters thick, and stretching endlessly, rose from the ground at a speed visible to the naked eye!

This wall extended all the way to the east, its edge almost touching the west bank of that wide river, encompassing a large area of fertile river plains.

"Now it's much more spacious."

Lin Tian nodded with satisfaction as he watched the massive wall taking shape rapidly.

"Otherwise, with so many people squeezed inside, it would be a struggle just to turn around."

With great wealth comes greater responsibility for defense.

He selected a portion from the new recruits and mixed them with experienced veterans to form a 100,000-strong standing patrol and garrison legion.

They would be responsible for the daily vigilance and defense of this newly added, vast territory and city wall.

By the time all this was done, it was already past ten in the morning.

Riding Chiyan, he flew quickly around the now much emptier territory, and Lin Tian let out a long breath; the morning's fatigue seemed to have been dispelled by this scene full of power.

But he knew this was just the beginning.

"With a strong foundation and a large territory, it's time to deal with that 'thorn'."

He turned his gaze to the southeast, his eyes becoming deep.

With this crazy city expansion, the southeast border of the territory was now very close to the strange spatial anomaly point discovered earlier.

That place, which constantly leaked Polluted Monsterss, was like a poisonous thorn stuck in his flesh; if he didn't pull it out, he wouldn't be able to sleep or eat in peace.

"The highest priority is to solve it."

Lin Tian decided secretly.

The goal for the rest of the day was to take the Void Ranger, who were most sensitive to spatial fluctuations, to thoroughly Inspect and even attempt to solve this problem.

Breakfast was a rushed affair; hot wheat porridge and crispy, fragrant meat pies went down, dispelling the last trace of the morning chill and replenishing the energy his body needed.

Lin Tian pushed away the bowl, wiped his mouth, and his eyes no longer held any leisure, leaving only a focus as sharp as an unsheathed blade.

"Set off!"

The command was concise and powerful.

He mounted Chiyan, who had been waiting outside.

Chiyan sensed its master's Battle Intent, the flames on its four hooves flared up, and it let out a crisp neigh mixed with Dragon might.