724: Refining, Dragon Qi, and Expanding Territory

As Lu Wenqiang and the other three donned their armor and flew into the sky, picking and choosing among the Dragon group, the Expeditionary Force warriors on the training ground, realizing what was happening, became incredibly excited.

'Those giant Dragons in the sky are really for us!'

'My military merits should be enough for a third-class honor. I wonder if I can choose a Dragon.'

'Darn it, my military merits are just a bit short. Otherwise, I could have been decorated this time and maybe even gotten a Dragon. But then again, the Commander brought back so many Dragons; he shouldn't just be showing them to us, right? Not enough military merits means no honor, but can I fantasize about the Commander giving me a Dragon?'

The Expeditionary Force warriors watched He Guoqiang and the other four picking and choosing among the giant Dragon group in the sky, their eyes red with envy.

Behind the Expeditionary Force formation, the Lizardmen warriors turned their gaze to Xi Li, the commander of the Lizardmen legion.

'Are we Lizardmen, merely an auxiliary legion of the Expeditionary Force, worthy of possessing such powerful Dragons?'

The Lizardmen were still fantasizing when the next moment, a voice from the inspection platform made their cold blood boil.

"Xi Li."

Four-Armed Lizardmen Xi Li looked at Yang Dian with some confusion.

He subconsciously opened his mouth, mimicking the five people before, and responded with a slight hoarseness:

"Here!"

He couldn't hear what Yang Dian said later, or whose names he called out.

In a daze, he only heard Yang Dian calling out a string of names, and each "Here!" seemed to come from beyond the heavens.

Finally, four words deeply embedded themselves in his Soul:

"Step forward, come to the stage."

He took a stiff step.

The blood throughout his body began to flow again.

Subconsciously looking up at the high platform, Xi Li saw the man he revered as a god nodding kindly at him.

He looked around.

The excitement of his fellow Lizardmen behind him.

The encouraging and envious gazes of his Huaxia comrades in front of him, all came into view simultaneously.

In a trance.

He didn't know how he moved his stiff Lizardmen legs.

He only knew that by the time he came back to his senses, he had already jogged onto the inspection platform with his Human Race comrades.

He had arrived on this high platform, which represented honor.

Then he heard the man he sincerely admired, the one he was willing to die for, say something, and take out a medal representing his achievements from a tray and pin it to his chest.

Looking at the red medal on his chest, tears immediately poured down like a silver stream.

He didn't know why he was crying.

Perhaps it was because of the medal itself.

Perhaps it was because of the supreme honor the medal represented.

Or perhaps it was because of the feeling of being acknowledged, which made him feel that he, and the Lizardmen Race, had completely integrated into the big family of Huaxia, and he would no longer feel inferior because his appearance was different from that of the Huaxia Human Race.

In short, tears flowed incessantly, pouring down completely out of his control.

He then thought of the Lizardmen who had advanced one after another on the battlefield, not knowing whether it was to repay a debt of gratitude or to demonstrate the value of the Lizardmen Race.

'We...'

'...have been acknowledged, haven't we?'

Yang Dian, who had just finished awarding second-class honor medals to the remaining 36 warriors, returned to Xi Li's front and patted his arm:

"You're a grown man, why are you still crying?"

Xi Li opened his mouth to say something.

But it would have been better if he hadn't opened his mouth.

Once he did, it wasn't just tears, but also snot and saliva that gushed out uncontrollably.

Realizing his current state, Xi Li immediately put all four of his hands over his face, letting out a faint "whimper."

Yang Dian was stunned for a moment.

He thought that Xi Li was only a little over 10 years old now. If he were in Huaxia, he would still be a high school or college student. Yet, he had already endured an unknown period of enslavement by Six-Armed Lizardmen and Eight-Armed Lizardman, and had continuously watched his fellow tribesmen die in battle, experiencing several close calls with death.

So his expression became even more gentle:

"Good child."

"You've worked hard."

Hearing Yang Dian's comforting words, Xi Li finally came back to his senses.

He realized that he was standing on the high platform, being awarded by Yang Dian, and receiving the attention of all Expeditionary Force warriors.

So the Spark where his Soul resided burned brightly, merging with his Soul.

His blood and Qi circulated rapidly, and after forcibly controlling his facial expressions, he released his four hands from his face, stood at attention, and saluted Yang Dian:

"Serve the people."

Yang Dian nodded at Xi Li again, then waved his hand, scattering 37 'Cultivate-aiding Artifacts' in front of everyone.

"Drip blood to recognize them as your masters, then go into the sky and choose a Dragon."

Xi Li's body still trembled uncontrollably a couple of times.

"I... I get one too?"

"Silly child." Yang Dian feigned anger:

"Are you not a warrior of our Expeditionary Force?"

"No, no..." Xi Li quickly waved his hands:

"That's not what I meant."

As he spoke, he cut a large wound on his fingertip, and blood poured onto the obscure and mysterious Star Core as if it were free.

'This foolish boy.'

As the thought just arose in Yang Dian's mind, the Star Core had already transformed into a streak of light and drilled into Xi Li's body.

As some energy overflowed, the large wound on his hand began to recover at a visible speed, and within two blinks of an eye, not even a mark could be seen.

After a long while, Xi Li, whose Mental Energy was not strong enough, finished receiving the information contained within the 'Cultivate-aiding Artifact', and then felt many gazes falling upon him from the side.

Subconsciously turning his head, he realized it was his comrades who had also been awarded second-class honor with him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Zhao Wenxiang, who stood beside him, spoke first:

"Awake now?"

"We were just waiting for you."

"Now that you're awake, let's go choose Dragons in the sky together. Everyone else is still waiting for the Commander to award them."

Xi Li subconsciously turned his head.

On the training ground, the gazes of the other Expeditionary Force warriors were all on him.

However, their gazes held no urgency, only sincere goodwill and acknowledgment.

His heart, which beat much slower than a Human Race's, thumped rapidly a few times, and with blood rushing to his head, Xi Li nodded forcefully twice:

"Mm."

As his voice fell, he, Zhao Yongxiang beside him, and the others, simultaneously communicated with their intelligent brains to don their armor.

Countless metal parts surged from their wristbands, assembling into gauntlets, breastplates, and leg armor along their arms and torsos with "clanking" sounds.

Finally, the face armor closed, and the lights in their eyes lit up.

Then, thirty-seven war machines simultaneously saluted Yang Dian, then ascended together, flying towards the Dragon group, whose wing-flapping frequency had become uniform under the influence of the Expeditionary Force.

Watching Zhao Wenxiang, Xi Li, and others fly into the Dragon group, Yang Dian spoke again:

"Yu Zihao, Gou Guangxin, Ren Yueru, Guan Chunsheng, Lian Ji Liang..."

...After awarding medals to the third-class honor recipients, Yang Dian took two more steps forward to the front of the inspection platform, looking at the remaining Expeditionary Force officers and soldiers who were full of envy, and said:

"Watching others receive awards on stage while you can only watch from below, are you envious?"

The Expeditionary Force warriors exchanged glances, then, without concealing their envy, said in unison:

"Envious!"

"It's good that you know envy."

"Then do you know what you need to do if you want to be awarded like them?"

The warriors exchanged glances, flames burning brightly in their eyes.

"Expand our territory!"

"Well said!"

Yang Dian waved his hand, and over five thousand Cultivate-aiding Artifacts fell in front of everyone like flowers scattered by a celestial maiden.

"Honor must be exchanged for military achievements."

"But resources for improving strength can be advanced to you first."

"Refine them, bond with a Dragon."

"In seven days, we will march on Niuru and expand our territory!"

...