8: sublimation

Dawn broke, and a thin mist slowly drifted through the forest.

On the training ground, soldiers uniformly swung their long blades, their shouts rising and falling in unison.

Mu Yang stood at the front of the formation, continuously issuing commands.

"Sheathe blades, strike, steady your center of gravity..."

The soldiers, drenched in sweat, repeated the movements in perfect synchronization, their long blades cutting through the air with a series of whistles.

On a distant outpost, Zhui Yun, with a longbow on his back, led a patrol team, his sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings.

"My Lord, the fog is quite thick today; visibility might be limited if we go out."

Bai Xiao, standing nearby, spoke.

"Hm, we'll set off after breakfast. Today, we need to explore south and see if we can get out of the forest."

"But before that, there's something I need to confirm."

'Evolution Points' were what Su Jin's talent used. Yesterday, it was at 0, but this morning, it had surprisingly become 165, which perfectly matched the population count in his territory, excluding himself.

He immediately realized that these mysterious "Evolution Points" were probably closely related to his subjects, and he needed to quickly figure out their purpose and effect.

After a moment of thought, he called Stone Rock to bring a Tie Jia Bu Bing (Iron Armor Infantry), and once they stood still, he scanned them back and forth.

"Sure enough, the Bronze rank still can't undergo Sublimation. It seems it's not related to the troop type, only to the rank. A Tie Jia Bu Bing (Iron Armor Infantry) of the Upper Black Iron rank, however, can."

"I don't know if the conditions aren't met yet, or if it's simply not enough Evolution Points."

Su Jin furrowed his brow. He decided to test the effect of Sublimation first, to prepare for the future.

"What's your name?" Su Jin asked the Tie Jia Bu Bing (Iron Armor Infantry).

"My Lord, my name is Tieshan," the Tie Jia Bu Bing (Iron Armor Infantry) replied, his voice a little muffled.

"Tieshan, stand in front of me."

Tieshan stepped forward as instructed, stopping in front of Su Jin.

"I shall bestow power upon you," Su Jin declared, his tone solemn.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of excitement flashed in Tieshan's eyes. He immediately knelt on one knee and said, "I swear to protect My Lord with my life!"

"Very good, feel the power I bestow upon you," Su Jin said, placing his left hand on Tieshan's helmet.

"Sublimation."

His left hand's back suddenly lit up with a brilliant glow, like the rising sun, instantly enveloping Tieshan.

At the same time, several vague advancement directions appeared in Su Jin's Heart Mirror, including "Heavy Shield Guards." Without hesitation, he chose it, vaguely feeling that Tieshan's compatibility with the Heavy Shield Guards seemed the best.

As Su Jin made his choice, the light enveloping Tieshan became even more dazzling, like a giant cocoon of light, encasing him within.

Su Jin watched the light cocoon with interest, as if awaiting a surprise about to hatch.

Beside him, Stone Rock's eyes were wide, his mouth nearly forming an "O" shape. He looked at Tieshan, enveloped in light, his eyes filled with envy.

'I want to become stronger too!' Stone Rock silently clenched his fists, secretly vowing to work even harder to earn My Lord's recognition soon. Then, like Tieshan, he would gain even greater power to protect My Lord!

"Crack..."

A faint cracking sound was heard, and a crack appeared on the light cocoon. Immediately after, the crack spread rapidly, covering the entire light cocoon like a spiderweb.

"Bang!"

The light cocoon suddenly burst, and tiny fragments of light slowly faded in the sunlight. A brand new Tieshan appeared before them.

[Tieshan ★ Elite ★ Heavy Shield Guards (Bronze - Upper)]

[Level: Tier 1]

[Skills: Copper Wall Iron Wall, Shield Reverse Impact, Resonance Shield Strike (releases a shockwave after charging, dealing 50% of defense value as blunt damage to enemies within a 10-meter straight line)]

"Hm, he actually advanced to 'Bronze - Upper' rank."

Su Jin looked at the refreshed Tieshan, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Promoting to Elite, and gaining an extra skill compared to a normal Bronze rank, this is a bit beyond expectations. Everyone is Bronze rank, but you're cheating... How am I going to explain later why my soldiers are so strong?"

He checked his Evolution Points; 100 were gone. It seemed that advancing from Black Iron to Bronze required 100 Evolution Points.

Su Jin nodded with satisfaction.

"How do you feel?"

"I feel... great!"

Tieshan grinned, moving his body, his bones making a "crack, crack" sound.

Beside him, Stone Rock was practically drooling with envy. He looked at Tieshan longingly, wishing he could take his place.

Bai Xiao remained expressionless, merely placing his hand on his sword hilt.

Su Jin keenly noticed the subtle shift in atmosphere. He cleared his throat, breaking the silence: "Tieshan, you'll come with us later. We'll test the effects in real combat."

"Yes, My Lord!" Tieshan straightened his chest and responded loudly.

"In the future, everyone will have a chance," Su Jin looked around, his gaze sweeping over every expectant face, "As long as you perform well, I guarantee that each of you will become stronger!"

"Thank you, My Lord!" Everyone responded in unison, their voices filled with unconcealed excitement and joy.

He recruited today's vagrants and assigned Li Yi to arrange them.

Then he had Stone Rock lead a portion of the soldiers to stay behind.

Afterward, Su Jin led the main force grandly towards the south of the territory...

The group moved through the dense forest, their footsteps on the thick fallen leaves making a "rustling" sound.

"Lord, there are soul fluctuations ahead."

Bai Xiao suddenly spoke, his voice cold.

"Oh?"

Su Jin raised an eyebrow. He knew Bai Xiao's "Heart Mirror" skill could sense soul fluctuations, so it seemed he had discovered something.

"Quite a few. From what I can sense, they don't seem like wild beasts."

Bai Xiao continued, a hint of doubt in his tone.

"Let's go take a look."

Su Jin made a decisive decision and gave the order.

The team quickened their pace, heading in the direction Bai Xiao had sensed.

Passing through a dense thicket, the sight before them made everyone gasp.

Not far ahead, a group of Goblins were moving about in a camp. They were short, green-skinned, and armed with crude weapons, numbering over a hundred.

"It's a Goblin army."

Zhui Yun said in a low voice, a hint of vigilance in his tone.

"It seems that guy in the channel yesterday wasn't lying; these things really do come in hordes."

Su Jin thought to himself, recalling the information he had seen in the Lord's channel yesterday.

"Lord, these Goblins seem to be patrolling."

Zhui Yun observed the Goblins' movements, analyzing calmly.

"Hm, it seems the fog today is affecting them; they haven't noticed us yet."

Su Jin nodded. He noticed a few Goblins looking around, clearly on alert.

"Prepare for battle, and directly crush them."

Su Jin ordered, his voice low.

The soldiers heard the command and quickly formed their ranks.

Halberd Warriors in front, Heavy Shield Guards closely behind, archers at the rear.

"Fire arrows."

At Su Jin's command, the archers fired in unison, their movements swift and precise. Arrows rained down on the Goblins, emitting a piercing shriek...

The Goblins on alert hadn't even reacted before they were struck in vital areas by arrows, crying out in agony and falling to the ground.

"Charge!"

Mu Yang roared, leading the Halberd Warriors to charge into the still-confused Goblin army.

Tieshan also led the Heavy Shield Guards closely behind him.

And while Bai Xiao started later, he instantly overtook the Halberd Warriors in front.

"Soul Cry Slash," Bai Xiao whispered, swinging his longsword, and a crescent-shaped azure spiritual energy slash shot out.

"Puff, puff, puff!" Several Goblins were hit by the spiritual energy slash and were instantly cut to pieces.

Zhui Yun led the archers, advancing and continuing to shoot.

Su Jin watched the battle before him, thinking to himself, "These Goblins seem even weaker than I imagined."

[Small Goblin (Black Iron - Lower)]

[Level: Tier 1]

[Skill: Swarm]

[Description: The weakest of the Goblins, they disrupt formations by throwing stones and making suicidal charges. Their death causes mass panic.]

[Big Goblin (Black Iron - Upper)]

[Level: Tier 3]

[Skill: Shield Bash]

[Description: Evolved from experienced Small Goblins, they are physically strong and possess basic tactical awareness.]