48: Chapter 48 The First Victory of the Walled City

It had been less than a quarter of an hour since the leaderboard battle was locked, and the gray shells on the outer walls of the Furnace Cave Fortress hadn't even fully cooled yet.

Yet, Huo Beichuan's name had already pressed in upon them.

Second on the Freshman Leaderboard.

The Cracking-Armor Mountain Rhino path.

Among the freshmen of this year at Zhuixing Academy, he was firmly counted among those best at dismantling fortresses. To put it plainly, that path was about stacking heavy armor, ramming horns, and rock-crushing to the maximum thickness, then using the Mountain Rhinos to head-on crush the defensive lines others had painstakingly accumulated, layer by layer.

In the Black Well Outer Ring, just seeing that name caused the air pressure to drop a notch.

Shi Jiukui cursed first, his voice sounding rough.

"The academy really knows how to pick its timing. The fortress just rose, and they stuffed someone who specializes in dismantling fortresses over here."

Duan Chenzhou squatted by the wall, reaching out to touch the freshly compacted gray shell; his expression was not relaxed either.

"The outer wall hasn't fully settled yet. When hard-tanking Mountain Rhinos, the biggest fear is having it breached in the first round."

Zhong Xiaoqi stood at the wellhead, clutching her beehive. She glanced at the Brood Nursery Court, then looked at Lu Jin.

"If we really are going to fight this, Wu Fu's side must keep running."

"But once she starts, resources will drop like a leak. What we snatched back last night might not be enough for her to repair and fight at the same time."

Lu Jin stood at the heart of the fortress, his gaze sweeping from the War Nest Gate, to the Priest Well, and finally to the Brood Nursery Court.

They were both right.

This fortress had been formed.

But it had only just been formed.

It was like someone who had just had their bones set; they could stand and walk, but if you made them take a heavy punch right now, the parts that had just healed would be the first to crack.

Grey Pupil stood by the Priest Well, his grey eyes cold and heavy.

"If we can't hold this round, the walls will be ruined, the gate will be ruined, and the well will be damaged."

Wu Fu stood before the Brood Nursery Court, the nest-silk behind her swaying gently, one stroke after another.

"We can hold it."

"Resources must be allocated first."

"The fortress front line, the nest back line, and the injured rat return channel—these three ports cannot be confused."

She still spoke softly and briefly now.

But the awkwardness from when she had just opened her eyes was gone.

Lu Jin raised his hand, pressing a simplified battle map directly before them.

"In this round, we won't compete with him on outer wall thickness."

"What his path wants to hit most is to push the Mountain Rhinos to the gate and use their heavy horns to smash through the gate and wall in one go. If he gets into a rhythm, we'll have to trade half our new fortress to pay for it."

Shi Jiukui moved closer, looking at the battle map and asking, "Then how do you plan to receive it?"

Lu Jin pointed to the narrowest slope opening in front of the War Nest Gate.

"Let him enter the gate entrance, but don't let him enter the fortress."

"Don't fill the two sides of the outer wall. Open all fire troughs behind the gate. Grey Pupil, guard the Priest Well and press the fire into the gate bones and the slope troughs."

His fingertip pointed to the inner ring again.

"Wu Fu stays at the Brood Nursery Court; she is not allowed to move forward."

"She will only do three things today. Replenish the Nest-Paste Worker Rats, replenish the injured rats, and replenish the front-row gaps at the gate."

Wu Fu looked up at him.

"Which type to replenish?"

"First, replenish the Hard-Shell Rats guarding the gate, then the Burrowing Spear Rats." Lu Jin looked at her. "Can you do it?"

Wu Fu lowered her eyes, scanning the leftover armor plates from yesterday, the debris of the load-bearing beams, and the first round of seed paste pressed inside the deep chamber of the spore nest.

"I can try."

"The first batch won't be much."

"Enough for me to open the gate is fine." Lu Jin put away the battle map, his voice steadying further. "In this round, we don't need to raise the entire new line in one go. Just letting them hold for a bit, bite for a bit—that's enough."

The gong in the Black Well Outer Ring sounded quickly.

The public plane opened.

The map was called Rift Furnace Slope.

The name was easy to understand; in the middle was a gray-black rift, as if someone had split it with a single blade. On the left side of the rift was a high slope rock-fragment area, most suitable for placing catapults and controlling high ground; on the right was a long, narrow sand ridge path, suitable for heavy beasts to gain speed. In the center of the map was a low basin enclosed by semi-buried tracks and broken walls. Whoever pressed their God Realm projection into it had to defend that circle of territory.

Lu Jin's Furnace Cave Fortress landed in the center of the basin.

The outer wall formed a circle, with the War Nest Gate blocking the only large slope opening leading to the basin. The Gray-Vein Smelting Well sat heavy at the city's heart, the Priest Well pressed to the right, the Brood Nursery Court clung to the left, and several main underground channels connected the entire fortress tightly. From the outside, it didn't look large, but at a glance, one could tell that this place wasn't just a makeshift point, but possessed a real framework.

Once the high-altitude mirror platform pressed down, the entire academy erupted in an uproar.

"He really threw the entire new fortress up there?"

"He just built the fortress last night, and he dares to bring it out to fight today?"

"Huo Beichuan's Cracking-Armor Mountain Rhino path loves hitting these kinds of new walls."

On the other side, white light dispersed.

Huo Beichuan landed even harder than his name sounded.

He was tall with very broad shoulders, and he wore none of those flashy sponsored accessories, just a thick black protective band tied around his right arm. Standing behind him were four Cracking-Armor Mountain Rhinos, their skin as thick as if they were draped in two layers of gray rock armor, and the ramming horns on their foreheads were thick and short, clearly intended specifically for ramming gates and walls. Following behind the Mountain Rhinos were eight Rock-Crushing Throwers, carrying heavy stone baskets, skilled at smashing previously shattered stone fragments into wall cracks to expand the gaps. Further behind were six Heavy-Chain Drag-Hands, dragging thick black chains and wedge nails, waiting to drive them in the moment the wall cracked.

This was a complete fortress-dismantling line.

Huo Beichuan stood at the very front, looking at Lu Jin's fortress, first scanning the gate, then the wall, and finally looking at the Gray-Vein Smelting Well at the heart of the fortress.

"Your fortress rose quite quickly."

"However, you chose today to bring it out; you're a bit too bold."

Lu Jin stood behind the War Nest Gate, looking at him across half the slope opening.

"Since you're already here, don't beat around the bush."

Huo Beichuan nodded, his tone also very direct.

"Then I'll be clear."

"Your fortress just rose, the wall foundations haven't settled, and the gate bones are newly joined. Today, as long as I smash through the slope opening and send the chain nails in, you're finished this round."

He raised his finger and pointed at the circle of outer walls.

"If you withdraw the fortress now and concede this battle to avoid it, I can't be bothered to dismantle you."

"But if you still want to try, then today, in front of the whole academy, I will dismantle this new fortress of yours for you to see."

A pile of words was thrown over from the other side, but the Black Well side became quiet instead.

Lu Jin looked at him for two breaths, not rushing to reply.

"If you want to dismantle the fortress, you can."

"But you have to get in first."

Huo Beichuan stared at him and suddenly smiled.

"Fine."

"I like your kind, the ones who don't hide."

The referee's voice pressed down from high above.

"One main fortress position."

"Fortress breached, main well destroyed, main flag fallen—if any one of these is achieved, it is a loss."

"Battle damage scoring."

"Begin battle!"

As the gong sounded, Huo Beichuan moved first.

"Mountain Rhinos take the right ridge, ram the gate first."

"Throwers take the left high ground, first smash the fire troughs behind the gate."

"Heavy-Chain Hand follows in the second wave; as soon as the gate cracks, drive them straight in for me."

The four Cracking-Armor Mountain Rhinos started moving simultaneously.

Heavy.

Too heavy.

The moment their hooves stepped onto the sand ridge path, the entire slope resonated. The two leading Mountain Rhinos formed a wedge shape, their ramming horns lowered, aiming straight for the center of the War Nest Gate. The eight Rock-Crushing Throwers on the high left slope were not idle either, swinging heavy stones one after another, aiming them right at the wall foundations behind the gate and on both sides of the slope opening.

This was Huo Beichuan's terror.

He didn't beat around the bush with you.

And he wasn't afraid of others understanding.

He was just hard.

So hard that even if you knew where he was going to hit, it was very difficult to actually receive that blow.

The first round of heavy stones arrived in the blink of an eye.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three rock fragments smashed into the slope opening, and the segment of new wall on the far left exploded with a layer of gray shell on the spot. The two fire troughs behind the War Nest Gate were also shaken, as if a fire vein that had just been lit had been kicked in the head.

Zhong Xiaoqi's expression changed.

"His aim is too accurate. If you let him smash like this for two more rounds, the fire troughs behind the gate will get chaotic first."

Lu Jin didn't look up, only watching the two Mountain Rhinos getting closer and closer.

"Grey Pupil, stabilize the well first, don't rush to counter."

"Leave the left wall to the Work Rats, give up half a foot on the right slope."

Grey Pupil responded immediately.

"I will suppress the fire first. Give me ten breaths."

Wu Fu also spoke up, this time faster than before.

"Nest-Paste Worker Rats, move to the left wall."

"Clear half a foot on the right side of the slope opening; I know what you want to do."

Lu Jin looked at her then.

"Then keep up."

Once both sides connected, the work inside the fortress suddenly shifted.

Grey Pupil stood by the Priest Well, slamming his staff into the ground. The ball of gray-vein fire in the well sank down first, then sent wisps into the fire troughs behind the gate, forcefully pressing back the fire that had been disrupted by the heavy stones earlier. Over a dozen Nest-Paste Worker Rats ran frantically along the left wall, desperately smearing the white paste in their mouths onto the cracks. As soon as a layer of gray shell exploded, the next layer of white paste was already applied; it cracked fast, and it was smeared just as fast.

Huo Beichuan saw it, and his eyes brightened even more.

"That's it."

"If a fortress can't even receive the first round, it's no fun for me to dismantle."

He raised his hand and pressed down.

"First row, don't retreat, ram the main gate for me!"

Boom!

Two Cracking-Armor Mountain Rhinos crashed head-on into the War Nest Gate.

The entire slope opening felt like it had been flipped. The two ramming horns, like incisors, collided fiercely with the Mountain Rhinos' foreheads, exploding in a series of ear-piercing, teeth-gritting cracks. The War Nest Gate didn't open, but the horizontal troughs behind the gate bones and the wall foundations on both sides trembled. The few Red-Eyed Rats guarding behind the gate were shaken and slid half a step back on the spot.

Shi Jiukui watched from the outer ring, his palms tightening.

"And this is just the first ram?"

Instructor Wu Heng stared at the slope opening, his voice very low.

"This path of Huo Beichuan's is inherently one of the most ferocious head-on fortress-dismantling lines at the Apprentice God Realm Controller stage."

"If Lu Jin were still using those small holes and small walls like before to receive it, this blow would have pierced through long ago."

Inside the slope opening, the second ram followed immediately.

Huo Beichuan gave absolutely no time to catch a breath.

The two front-row Mountain Rhinos had just retreated half a step when the two behind them followed up. Ramming horns, rock fragments, heavy hooves—they forcefully squeezed the entire slope opening into a mountain that could push forward.

Even Lu Jin felt it this time.

The new fortress's gate was truly taking the pressure.

Grey Pupil didn't wait for him to speak, reporting the situation first.

"The gate bones can still hold for two rounds."

"The left wall shell is stable, but the right wall has already started shedding powder."

"If you let him push like this, after the third round, the gate will be forced to retreat."

Lu Jin swept his gaze, and the judgment came out immediately.

"Then let him think he's about to smash it open."

"Give up another half a foot on the right slope."

"Ambush Rats and Tunneling Rats, all go into the dark troughs under the gate."

"Fire Oil Throwers, don't hit the Mountain Rhino heads. Burn the slope under their front hooves and the chain-hands' feet for me."

As the order was given, the rhythm inside the fortress suddenly changed completely.

As that half-foot on the right slope was given up, the War Nest Gate looked like it had been pushed inward slightly. Huo Beichuan saw it at a glance and immediately raised his voice to order.

"The entrance is retreating."

"Third row press up, Heavy-Chain Hands move forward. As long as the entrance gives way another foot, drive the wedge nails in!"

This was clear.

And very useful.

The six Heavy-Chain Drag-Hands behind immediately pressed forward. They were waiting for this opportunity. Once the gate retreated inward, it wouldn't just be the chains being driven in; it would be the rhythm of the entire fortress.

What Lu Jin was waiting for was also them.

"Now."

The fire oil exploded first. The four balls of gray-red fire paste didn't hit the Mountain Rhino heads; they all smashed onto the sandy slope under their front hooves and the Heavy-Chain Hands' feet. As the fire spread, the slope surface slid first, and immediately following that, the dark troughs under the gate opened simultaneously.

Ten Tunneling Rats drilled out from underground, their claws digging at the layer of soil shell under the Mountain Rhinos' front hooves. Twelve Ambush Rats followed closely, sticking through the fire; they didn't bite the rhino heads, only the chain-hands' ankles and the wrists of those dragging the chains.

Huo Beichuan's expression changed for the first time.

"Back row, hold the chains! Don't let the bottom of the gate become empty!"

But he shouted half a beat too slow.

The leading Mountain Rhino was just about to deliver a third strike when its front hoof slipped by half an inch. Half an inch is usually nothing, but when the entire body weight is pressed onto a battering horn, half an inch is enough to throw it off balance.

"Crack."

The battering horn went off course.

The strike that was supposed to hit the center of the War Nest Gate ended up grazing the right side of the gate instead. The gate didn't crack, but the fire trench to the side was completely ignited by the glancing blow.

Grey Pupil's eyes went cold, and he slammed his priest staff down.

"Smelting Well, send fire!"

The Gray-Vein Smelting Well at the heart of the city sank with a boom, and a stream of grey-red fire surged along the main underground trench into the War Nest Gate. The row of hidden trenches on both sides of the gate's frame erupted with fire simultaneously, like two mouths opening against the ground, scorching the already slippery slope in front of the gate into a grey-red expanse.

Two heavy chain-wielders lost their footing first, sliding into the fire along with their black chains and rolling backward with screams.

The leading Mountain Rhino also suffered.

As soon as its front hoof sank and the battering horn went off course, the fire from the trench licked up along its leg armor. The Splitting-Armor Mountain Rhino had thick skin, so it wouldn't be burned through instantly, but the fire still bit into the gaps of its leg armor and the soft skin under its belly.

Huo Beichuan reacted quickly, raising his hand to press down.

"Left height, strike again!"

"Break that well behind the gate for me!"

The eight rock-shattering throwers on the left slope switched lines in unison.

This time, they weren't aiming for the gate; they started pelting the Priest Well and the outer ring of the Brood Nursery Court.

This was even more ruthless.

They were starting to realize that the most troublesome part of Lu Jin's city wasn't the gate, but the system behind it that could automatically receive fire, repair shells, and recover energy. As long as the well and the court were breached, no matter how tough the gate was, it would just be a dead end.

The first round of heavy stones crashed in, and the outer ring of the Brood Nursery Court instantly cracked open.

Two Nest-Paste Worker Rats were smashed into pulp.

Wu Fu stood in front of the court, a distinct coldness appearing in her milky-white eyes for the first time.

She didn't dodge or retreat; she simply raised her hand and pressed it against the Spore Nest Deep Chamber.

"Work Rats, replenish four."

"Hard-Shell Rats behind the gate, deploy six."

"Spear Rats, give me two rows first."

Lu Jin looked back at her.

"Are the materials enough?"

Wu Fu's voice was still soft, but her tone was firmer.

"Enough for me to replenish this round."

"Any more, and I'll have to dismantle the seeds."

"Replenish first." Lu Jin said it very decisively. "Win this round first; we can cultivate the seeds later."

The Brood Nursery Court opened completely.

Two deep nests bulged simultaneously, and layers of white membrane expanded outward. Behind the Work Rats that had just been plastering the wall, four new Nest-Paste Worker Rats quickly crawled out and ran toward the breach as soon as they landed. In the two deeper nest chambers, dull, grinding sounds rang out one after another, as if something harder was pushing from inside the shells.

The first batch to emerge were six new gate-guarding rats.

They were sturdier than the Red-Eyed Rats, with a layer of grey-white hard shell covering their chests and shoulders, and fragments of armor scraped from the Mountain Rhino's battering horn pressed on the outside. When they stood up, their spines were low and their heads were bowed; it was obvious they were specialized for bracing the gate and taking pressure.

Grey Pupil swept his gaze over them and immediately cleared the second row behind the gate for them.

"This row will guard the gate with me."

"You don't need to charge out. Just stand firm and don't retreat; that's enough."

The six new rats didn't make a sound; they lowered their heads and pushed up.

The next batch to emerge were two rows of thinner, faster Tunneling Rats.

Their forearms were fitted with short bone gauntlets, with grey-white spear-tips wedged into the ends. They weren't big and stayed low to the ground. As soon as they left the nest, they burrowed forward along the underground hidden trenches, specifically targeting the gaps under the Mountain Rhinos' legs and near the heavy chain-wielders' feet outside the gate.

Lu Jin only had to look once to know that these two lines were the right move.

The hard-shell row could eventually evolve into Bone-Armor Furnace Guards.

The row with spear-tipped foreclaws could eventually evolve into Burrowing Spear Rats.

Today was just the prototype.

But as long as the first formation held, there was room to grow.

Huo Beichuan clearly saw this too.

He stared at the Hard-Shell Rats that had just braced themselves behind the gate, his brow finally furrowing tightly.

"You really have a lot of things in this city."

Lu Jin looked at him across the fire line at the gate.

"Since you're tearing down my city, I have to give you something decent to handle."

Huo Beichuan nodded, his expression changing.

Before, he was just tearing down a new city.

Now, he was fighting a whole battle line that had begun to operate on its own. If this match dragged on, it would only become increasingly disadvantageous for him.

He raised his hand and directly pressed the Mountain Rhino bone seal on his chest, lighting it up.

"Final round."

"All four Rhinos, press together."

"Left height, smash that well behind the gate for me. Whoever charges in first gets the primary credit."

At this, the sidelines went quiet.

Four Splitting-Armor Mountain Rhinos pressing up at the same time was already the toughest frontal push Huo Beichuan's line could muster. The heavy chain-wielders followed closely behind, and the rock-shattering throwers were recklessly pelting the well position behind the gate, clearly intending to completely smash Lu Jin's new city in this round.

Lu Jin was waiting for this round too.

"Grey Pupil, fill the Priest Well to the brim for me."

"Wu Fu, don't skimp on materials in the city; replenish everything behind the gate."

"War Nest Gate, open half a leaf."

Shi Jiukui, standing on the outer ring, felt his scalp tingle upon hearing this.

"Open the gate now?"

Instructor Wu Heng's eyes, however, lit up instantly.

"He is deliberately leaving half the gate open."

"Only when the Mountain Rhinos charge in themselves will this gate truly bite down on them."

The gate really did open half a leaf.

The War Nest Gate slid inward by half a foot, not swinging outward. To the people outside, it looked as if the gate frame had finally been loosened, and they could even see a section of the newly ignited underground fire trench behind it.

Huo Beichuan's eyes sharpened, and he pressed his hand down on the spot.

"Charge in!"

The four Mountain Rhinos charged forward in a frenzy. But just as they were halfway through the gate, the horizontal fire trench behind the gate, which had been hidden the whole time, exploded.

"Boom!"

The fire sent by the Gray-Vein Smelting Well in this round was fiercer than all previous rounds. The fire no longer just burned along the edge of the gate; it rolled upward directly along the ground trench, enveloping the undersides and front legs of all four Mountain Rhinos.

At the same time, the hidden trenches at the base of the gate opened completely.

Two rows of newly emerged Spear Rats drilled out from the ground, stabbing at the Mountain Rhinos' softest underbellies and the insides of their hind legs. They weren't strong enough to pierce through in one hit, but they were fast and numerous. As soon as one row finished stabbing, the second row immediately followed up, specifically targeting the soft spots first licked open by the fire.

The six Hard-Shell Rats behind the gate also pushed up.

They didn't pounce on the Mountain Rhinos' heads; they just latched onto the battering horns and chest armor, forcing the momentum of the two leading Mountain Rhinos to slow down by half a beat.

Half a beat was enough.

Grey Pupil's priest staff slammed down, and the dozens of faith lines around the Priest Well were instantly filled.

"Lock the gate shut for me; don't let them retreat!"

The battering horns on both sides of the War Nest Gate vibrated simultaneously, and the half-open gate frame slammed shut toward the center.

Of the four Mountain Rhinos, the first two were stuck in the gate, and the rear two were blocked at the slope entrance. The entire battle line was bitten to death by the War Nest Gate.

Huo Beichuan's expression finally changed completely.

"Retreat first!"

"Pull out those two inside the gate first; don't let them get stuck to death in there!"

But it was too late to retreat now.

The two Mountain Rhinos inside the gate had burning front legs, were suffering stabs to their bellies, and had Hard-Shell Rats latched onto their heads. The two outside were blocked by their own men and couldn't retreat at all. The rock-shattering throwers on the left slope tried to intervene, but they were swarmed in the face by Copper Needle Bees that Zhong Xiaoqi had already deployed, ruining their vision completely.

Lu Jin stepped to the very front behind the gate, his voice steady and clear.

"Now you should understand."

"I didn't open this city today just for you to tear it down at will."

"Since you've charged in, you can leave your armor and bones behind."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Cart-pulling Rats and Ambush Rats pressed up simultaneously.

They dragged away corpses and armor fragments.

They bit through chains and leg tendons.

The two Mountain Rhinos inside the gate finally couldn't hold on; one knelt first, and the other followed, tilting over. Once they fell, the city-tearing line behind them completely broke at the waist. The heavy chain-wielders were blocked outside by the fire trenches and Spear Rats, and the throwers were scattered by Copper Needle Bees and fire oil; the entire heavy pressure line could no longer form a single strike.

The high-altitude score pillar lit up almost simultaneously.

[ Huo Beichuan: Main gate breakthrough failed ]

[ Battle damage too heavy ]

[ Lu Jin: This match score + 37 ]

[ Real-time ranking change ]

[ Lu Jin: 8th → 5th ]

The whole academy was in an uproar.

"Fifth?"

"He took his new city's first battle and directly pushed the second-place player down?"

"This is more than just knowing how to fight. He has really raised his God Realm into a battle line!"

Huo Beichuan stood on the slope, his chest heaving heavily, but his expression didn't crumble. He stared for a long time at the six Hard-Shell Rats, the two rows of Spear Rats, and the Smelting Well at the heart of the city, which was still glowing with fire, before finally pressing out the bone seal in his hand.

He didn't make any more harsh threats.

He just looked at Lu Jin, his voice much deeper than before the battle.

"I accept my defeat in today's match."

"Your city is not a dead city. The gate, the well, and the nest move in unison; the longer the fight, the smoother it runs. I couldn't tear it down anymore."

Lu Jin replied calmly.

"Your line is very tough."

"If I hadn't finished setting up my city today, I would have lost this match."

Huo Beichuan nodded, didn't say anything more, and turned to leave.

As he walked away, the rigid pressure that had been hanging over the slope finally dissipated.

Lu Jin, however, did not relax.

He first checked the battle damage.

Two of the three Hard-Shell Rats were dead, and the remaining one had its chest shell cracked halfway.

Five of the two rows of Spear Rats were lost.

Three more Nest-Paste Worker Rats were gone.

The right outer wall was smashed open at one corner by rock-shattering stones, and the outer ring of the Brood Nursery Court was also cracked in one section.

He had won, yes. But this had also tested the limits of the new city.

Grey Pupil walked over, carrying his priest staff, with grey fire still clinging to his shoulder.

"After this battle, the gate has proven itself."

"The damage to the walls can also be repaired."

"But if we face this kind of heavy pressure line in the next match, the front row needs to be thicker, and the spear rows need to be longer."

Wu Fu also walked out from the Brood Nursery Court.

She looked down at the pile of armor fragments, Mountain Rhino breastbones, and scorched leg armor at the gate, and for the first time, a faint light appeared in her milky-white eyes.

"These armor fragments and bones can all be fed in."

"If we run into something tougher in the next round, I can make the front row look much better."

Lu Jin looked at the pile of fresh spoils at the gate, and in his mind, he firmly noted these two lines.

Bone-Armor Furnace Guard, Burrowing Spear Rat.

The path had already emerged.

On the high corridor, Instructor Gu watched the final settlement without leaving immediately.

A fellow instructor asked him in a low voice: "Can this match be considered stable?"

Instructor Gu looked at the fire trench behind the gate that hadn't completely extinguished yet, his tone very flat.

"To perform like this in a new city's first battle is already stable enough."

"You should all have an idea of how to arrange the academy team's reserve list from here on out."

Just as he finished speaking, a light sound of footsteps came from the end of the corridor in the Black Well Outer Ring.

Ning Yanqiu, dressed in black with two Frost Crows perched on her shoulders, walked straight toward them, holding a black-silver long token in her hand.

She stopped in front of Lu Jin, first glancing at the Furnace Cave Fortress that had just finished its first battle, then looking at him.

"The academy team recruitment order has come down."

"Instructor Gu asked me to bring this to you first."