49: Chapter 49 Changes in the Recruitment Altar

However, this time, the feedback from the altar was completely different from before!

It was no longer just a surge of energy after receiving instructions, but a gentle, agile, and even slightly indescribable flow of consciousness that carried a hint of "emotion," tapping lightly against his mind through his palm. There was no specific language, yet it clearly conveyed several "options" and pieces of information:

Recruitment quantity: Can be specified.

Gender selection: Optional.

"Gender selection?" Lin Tian was stunned at first, but then remembered standing in front of the altar a few days ago, looking at the "imbalanced" new recruit squad, and jokingly complaining, "Big Brother System, could you release a gender-specification card in the future?"

It was just a casual remark at the time, but now the altar had actually "heard" it and even "updated" this feature?

Lin Tian stood in place, his expression becoming extremely colorful, from astonishment to realization, and then to a wry smile. "Good grief... you've become sentient, haven't you? You can actually 'listen to user feedback and actively update features'?" He muttered to the altar, as if speaking to a living object, "Then what about when I said, could I recruit for free... why didn't you update that too?"

The altar naturally did not respond, but the shimmering light seemed to flicker slightly, whether by coincidence or some form of being "speechless."

"Fine, progress is always good." Lin Tian quickly accepted this "surprise." He immediately felt this was a good thing, rubbing his chin as he looked at the "Gender selection" option, quickly planning in his mind. "Archers and Priests need females, while Spirit Guards and Spearmen should be primarily male... that's the plan!"

Concentrating his spirit, he poured his thoughts in:

Specified recruitment: Female × 1872

Specified recruitment: Male × 3202

Spirit Crystals consumed: 5074

Hum!

The altar erupted with an unprecedented, gentle yet vast radiance! The light no longer surged indiscriminately as before, but vaguely divided into two streams of light with different hues; one appeared lighter and more agile, while the other was relatively steady and heavy. Each was gestating figures of different genders.

A moment later, the radiance dissipated, and on the open ground in front of the altar stood two massive, clearly separated squads. On the left were 1872 female soldiers, and on the right were 3202 male soldiers. Although they were still sallow, emaciated, and ragged, the gender ratio completely met expectations!

"Amazing!" Lin Tian exclaimed, filled with curiosity and anticipation for this increasingly "intelligent" altar. He vaguely felt that as his territory grew and his unit types broke through, this altar that had granted him his initial power seemed to be "growing" in sync.

There was no time to delve into the secrets of the altar; there were more important things at hand. Lin Tian had all the new recruits form ranks quickly, joining the veterans to form an even larger and more magnificent military formation. Sunlight shone down on the six thousand-plus people, and an atmosphere of solemnity and anticipation permeated the air.

Under the gaze of all the soldiers, Lin Tian said loudly, "Before we begin today's Fusion, we must first make up for a regret and complete a belated, yet destined-to-be-glorious, Fusion Evolution!"

He turned his gaze to the very front of the array, to the figure standing as steady as a mountain. "Lin Yan, step forward!"

Lin Yan, clad in heavy yellow-black Spirit Guard armor, stepped out with firm, silent strides. He knelt on one knee before the altar, facing Lin Tian and with his back to the army. His stone-like face was calm and unruffled, but his slightly clenched hands revealed a hint of inner turmoil.

Lin Tian walked up to him and carefully took out the geothermal xuanhuang mother stone. The moment the stone appeared, the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier. A vast, ancient aura of the earth, capable of bearing all things, permeated the area. The mysterious veins on the stone and the pulsing halo at its core attracted everyone's gaze.

"Lin Yan," Lin Tian's voice was steady and powerful, carrying across the entire field, "Yesterday, when the Red Sun shone in the sky and the Profound Moon hung in the void, you were the only one guarding the front, yet you did not receive an evolution with the others. It was not that I forgot, but that ordinary things are not worthy of you, my most solid bulwark! I once said I would find the most fitting treasure for you. Last night, I obtained this wondrous stone—the geothermal xuanhuang mother stone, which gathers the essence of the earth's veins over a thousand years and bears the weight of the mountains and rivers!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the entire army before finally returning to Lin Yan: "Today, with this treasure of the earth, I grant you rebirth to forge you into a general who will guard the mountains and rivers forever! I apologize for making you wait last time."

Lin Yan raised his head; the gaze behind his rock-like eye sockets was as firm as bedrock. His voice was deep and resonant, carrying not a hint of resentment, only absolute trust: "Lord, you are too kind. Lin Yan believes in you. No matter when the evolution comes, I and the Profound Rock Guards behind me will always be the mountain at the very front of the territory, the thickest shield."

His words were few, but each carried the weight of a thousand jin, the perfect reflection of his consistently silent, resilient, and unwavering loyal character.

"Good!" Lin Tian said no more, communicating with his talent in his mind. White light surged again from his palm, softly yet irresistibly wrapping around the geothermal xuanhuang mother stone, slowly pushing it toward Lin Yan's chest.

This time, the scene of the Fusion was completely different from the fiery intensity of Lin Feng or the holiness of Lin Yin.

The moment the mother stone touched the rock armor on Lin Yan's chest.

"Thump!"

A dull, grand heartbeat, as if coming from the depths of the earth, resonated in the bottom of everyone's heart! It was not heard through the ears, but acted directly upon the soul, making one involuntarily feel a reverence for the earth that stemmed from the bloodline.

With Lin Yan as the center, a huge, complex magic circle glowing with earthy yellow light suddenly lit up on the ground beneath his feet! The patterns of the circle were ancient and vast, like a naturally formed map of deep mountain earth veins.

Immediately following, strands of pure, heavy, and tangible earthy yellow earth vein energy, like summoned dragons, rose from the edges of the magic circle and from deep within the earth. They circled and intertwined, quickly wrapping Lin Yan into a thick cocoon of light over three meters in diameter, with the light and shadows of earth veins constantly flowing across it!

On the surface of the light cocoon, phantom images of mountains and rivers and patterns of the earth flickered uncertainly, and a low roar like rocks growing and grinding came from within. The vast and majestic earth vein energy poured in madly, not only enhancing Lin Yan himself but also seeming to connect and bind him to the land beneath his feet at a deeper level!

An artistic conception of "Immovable as a Mountain, bearing all things" permeated the area, making everyone who saw this scene feel an inexplicable sense of peace and stability.

This process lasted for about ten seconds, and every second felt like a thousand jin of force was being poured in.

Finally, the earth vein energy began to recede, and the light cocoon turned from solid to ethereal, slowly dissipating.

A brand new, even more towering figure stood proudly!

Just as Lin Tian was fully focused, mobilizing his talent power to guide the Fusion of the geothermal xuanhuang mother stone with Lin Yan, an extremely subtle, fleeting sense of abnormality, like a ripple caused by a small pebble thrown into a calm lake, gently stirred the depths of his soul.

That feeling did not come from the majestic external earth vein energy, nor from the vibrations triggered by Lin Yan's transformation, but from within himself—that core ability which had been intertwined with his life since he arrived on the Eternal Continent and was regarded as his foundation.

It was as if some invisible change had occurred. But in the grand radiance and energy tides of the Fusion ceremony, this feeling was so weak that it was almost ignored.