54: Chapter 54 The Battle for Military Training Spots

As soon as the qualification battle list was revealed, the four members of Zhuixing were scheduled for the only military training ticket battle in Zone E-7.

On the Black-Silver Main Mirror, the characters appeared heavy.

[Zone E-7 Qualification Battle]

[Zhuixing Divine Academy Reserve Team 1 vs. Xuan He Divine Academy Reserve Team 1]

[The winner of this match will directly obtain priority qualification for border military training]

In the residential area's meeting room, even the air felt heavier than usual.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan turned the light screen to its brightest setting, and his first words were very blunt.

"This match isn't about the spectacle or the limelight."

"Win, and the Military Court will open a crack in their door for you. Lose, and you'll have to wait in line like everyone else."

With a tap of his hand, the battle map for the Xuanhe Reserve Team 1 immediately lit up.

At the very front was Liu Chenqing.

He is the captain of Xuanhe's reserve team this year, on the verge of becoming a peak Apprentice God Realm Controller, and he follows the Petrified Wood Antler Deer line. The Petrified Wood Antler Deer is easy to understand: it's a heavy-charging beast covered in wood armor with great strength; the more it rams, the more it can take root in the ground. It doesn't charge as brutally as a Shield Bear, but once it stops, root walls grow outward from beneath its feet, sealing off the entire line more and more tightly.

On the right side of the battle map, Lin Zhezhi's name was also lit up.

He still follows the Wood-Feathered Leaping Ape line, specializing in flanking and cutting into the backline.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan brushed over the other two members in just two sentences.

"One raises Spore-powder Flower Bees, responsible for suppressing low altitudes, blurring vision, and slowing down the rhythm."

"The other guards the Main Vine Rooting Position, constantly providing Liu Chenqing and Lin Zhezhi with bridges, roots, and blockades."

At this point, it was very clear how this Xuanhe team would fight.

The Horned Deer pushes from the front.

The Leaping Apes exploit gaps to cut into the rear.

The Flower Bees seal the air and suppress vision.

The Main Vine stays in the back, constantly reinforcing their paths.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan glanced at the four of them, his voice growing even deeper.

"The strength of this Xuanhe team doesn't lie in killing you in one bite."

"They will first cover the field with their paths and then trap you to death. You take a step back, and they grow a wall. You're half a beat slow, and they seal an opening. Once they've truly tightened the entire map, it will be very difficult to turn the tide."

Qiao Ye crossed his arms and spoke first.

"Then let's not let them grow their walls."

"Give those two Horned Deer on the center line to me. I'll hold the front today."

Wen Zhao followed up.

"I'll burn the Flower Bees."

"But let me say this upfront: as long as those Spore-Pollen Bees stay low, I can't burn them while simultaneously setting the entire root network on fire. You have to leave me a window."

Ning Yanqiu stood before the battle map, her finger lightly tapping the high ridge on the left.

"I'll take the first look at the sky."

"Once the spore-pollen descends, I'll force it higher. If Lin Zhezhi still wants to cut in from the side, we need to see him half a step earlier."

After she finished, she looked at Lu Jin.

"How do you plan to deploy the fortress this time?"

Lu Jin looked at the battle map, his gaze landing on the abandoned trench on the right.

"I won't deploy the entire fortress this time."

"I'll disassemble the gate, half-walls, furnace core, and half-pond into a Deployment Set."

A Deployment Set was easy to understand.

It meant taking the most combat-effective parts of the entire Furnace Cave Fortress, loading them onto carts, delivering them to the desired location, and assembling them on the spot. This consumed fewer materials and allowed for faster positioning.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan's expression shifted.

"You've set your sights on the right trench?"

"Yes," Lu Jin nodded. "This map is called the Rift Battlefield. There's a rubble-strewn main platform in the middle, a high ridge on the left, and an abandoned trench on the right. Both backlines have a military training flag core. These cores are energy cores used by the Military Court to simulate frontline camp flags. Whoever breaks the opponent's flag core first wins."

At this point, his finger tapped lightly below the right trench.

"There's a layer of old maintenance tunnels under the right trench; the soil isn't deep and the paths are narrow. Large groups of troops can't pass, but rats can."

"As long as I establish a gate in the right trench, this line can push directly from the front field to the opponent's backline."

Ning Yanqiu watched for a moment and then nodded.

"Fine."

"The moment you raise your hand, I'll suppress the air for you."

The sentence was very short.

But Lu Jin already understood.

There was no need to break it down further.

After the previous matches they had fought, this level of coordination had already been established.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan didn't delay any longer and finally revealed the top layer of the spectator stands.

People were sitting in the Military Court spectator seats today.

A middle-aged man in a dark gray military uniform stood with one hand on the railing. His shoulders were terrifyingly broad, and his face was expressionless, like a piece of black iron that had been left by a furnace for too long.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan said only one thing.

"Instructor Han Tiecheng."

"He's the one who will be handling the military training list later."

For a moment, no one in the room spoke.

This was no longer just a qualification on paper.

The person above was truly watching.

Instructor Gu Pingchuan closed the light screen and made the final decision.

"Ning Yanqiu takes the first look, Lu Jin handles the second step."

"Qiao Ye holds the center, Wen Zhao burns the flanks."

"In today's match, don't any of you think about fighting your own segment. The four of you will push forward as one single line; if the line doesn't break, you will win."

The Rift Battlefield match began in the afternoon.

This map was heavier than the Sky Island and felt more like a map the Military Court would use to select people.

The center was the rubble main platform, the left was a high ridge that could suppress the air, and the right was a long abandoned trench. Old maintenance tunnels were buried beneath the trench; they were usually invisible, only showing a few collapse openings when the match reached the middle stage. Each backline had a military training flag core, which was encased in a protective shell.

Winning was simple.

Fight your way across and smash the opponent's flag core.

But once the fighting started, no one would think it was simple.

When Lu Jin and the others entered the field, the four from Xuanhe were already standing ready.

Liu Chenqing stood in the very center, with two Petrified Wood Antler Deer pawing at the ground by his feet. Those creatures were covered in dark brown wood armor, and the pair of horns on their foreheads was as thick as tree roots; one look was enough to know they were built for frontal ramming.

Lin Zhezhi stood at the back right, and the long-armed Leaping Apes behind him had already begun swinging back and forth on vine ropes.

Looking up into the air, about twenty Spore-powder Flower Bees were already flying. Those bees weren't large, but a clump of pale yellow pollen hung from their abdomens; once they flew low and scattered it, it was very easy to blur vision and slow down movements.

On the back slope further in, there also stood a Green Vine Main Disk that was half a head taller than a person.

That was the backbone of this Xuanhe team.

Paths grew from it, and walls rose from it.

Liu Chenqing looked at the Zhuixing side and spoke first.

"I watched the replay of your joint training last night, and I also saw Lu Jin's Sky Island match today."

"The four of you are coordinating well now."

When he said this, his voice wasn't loud, and his attitude was very steady.

"But this is a qualification battle."

"You want the military training tickets, and so do we."

"So don't hold back."

Standing behind the War Nest Gate deployment rack, Lu Jin replied calmly.

"I never planned to."

Liu Chenqing nodded and then directly issued his orders.

"Horned Deer, push the center."

"Flower Bees, suppress low."

"Lin Zhezhi, watch the right trench. Lu Jin's line will definitely try to open a side gap today."

The referee's white light fell.

"Qualification battle, begin!"

Xuanhe began by tightening the entire map.

The two Petrified Wood Antler Deer pressed forward from the center line. As soon as their feet touched the ground, thin roots immediately arched out from the rubble platform in circles. Those roots didn't grow fast, but once they hit a gap in the rubble, they would quickly connect into a shallow wall.

The Spore-powder Flower Bees in the air also simultaneously pressed lower.

Clumps of pale yellow pollen fell down, first blurring the left ridge and then covering the center platform, clearly intending to ruin the vision of both Ning Yanqiu and Wen Zhao.

Lin Zhezhi's side was even more direct.

Six Leaping Apes lunged out along the broken beams by the right trench, specifically targeting Zhuixing's deployment racks and bone carriages.

This tactic was very standard.

First, push the front.

Then, seal the air.

Finally, cut the flanks, leaving you with nowhere to turn.

Ning Yanqiu immediately raised her hand.

"The left ridge is mine."

"Wen Zhao, push the Flower Bees up two yards; don't let them stick to Qiao Ye's head."

The Frost Crows pulled up together, and the mirror light lifted along the left ridge.

The layer of pollen in mid-air was suddenly pushed by a cold wind, floating half a level higher. Wen Zhao's fire bees immediately dove in, and a sweep of fire instantly burned the front three clumps of pollen into white smoke.

Qiao Ye wasn't idle either.

"Three bears, take the middle."

"I'll intercept the Horned Deer first. Lu Jin, don't worry about me on your right trench; I'll pin down the center line for you today."

The three Black-horned Shield Bears pushed forward and collided head-on with the two Petrified Wood Antler Deer.

Boom!

The center platform shook instantly.

The Horned Deer's momentum wasn't as brutal as the Shield Bears', but the root walls followed too quickly. By the second collision, a half-foot-high wall of wood roots had already appeared before Qiao Ye's feet, forcing his three bears back a small step.

Qiao Ye gritted his teeth and cursed.

"These things are so annoying."

Seeing the root walls rising, Wen Zhao immediately shifted her fire to burn them.

But as soon as her fire bees pressed down, the swarm of Spore-powder Flower Bees in the air lunged again. As the pollen blurred everything, the reach of her fire lines immediately shortened.

From her high vantage point, Ning Yanqiu understood instantly.

"They aren't trying to kill us first in this match."

"They want to pin us in place and seal us off layer by layer."

Lu Jin nodded.

"Then don't let them finish the seal."

"Right trench, move the carts."

Two Black Shield Bone Carriages were pushed forward simultaneously.

The carts weren't loaded with ordinary material boxes.

The left cart carried the War Nest Gate and a segment of low wall, while the right cart held a Gray-Veined Furnace Core, a Priest Well, and a half-filled Breeding Nest. Behind the carts, eight Cart-pulling Rats bit onto bone ropes and dragged them along. The entire Deployment Set slid down the right trench, looking like a small, not-yet-grown fortress being forcibly dragged to the edge of the field.

This was exactly what Lin Zhezhi had been waiting for.

"Leaping Apes, suppress the right trench!"

"Overturn his carts first!"

Six Leaping Apes pounced down together.

They didn't go for the people; they went for the carts first.

Their long arms reached out, specifically grabbing at the cart roofs and bone ropes, intending to dismantle the Deployment Set right there on the path.

Lu Jin's voice was even faster.

"Grey Pupil, press the fire troughs down."

"Spear rats, out of the trench! Don't kill them; break their hands first."

The shallow trench beside the right trench suddenly split open.

Twelve Burrowing Spear Rats drilled out from the collapse openings together, specifically stabbing at the wrists and ankles of the Leaping Apes as they grabbed the carts. At the same time, the sacrificial staff in Grey Pupil's hand tapped down, and half a fire trough lit up along the right trench.

The fire wasn't large.

But it was positioned exactly where the Leaping Apes were landing on the rubble.

Lin Zhezhi's face darkened.

"Retreat half a step!"

He was fast enough with that command.

But he was still half a beat slow.

One Leaping Ape had its palm pierced by a spear rat, and another's foot stepped onto the edge of the fire; it twisted in pain and tumbled off the edge of the trench on the spot.

The white light of judgment flashed, taking one out immediately.

A sudden uproar broke out in front of the spectator stands.

"He even calculated the openings beside the deployment carts?"

"There really are tunnels under the right trench!"

"This guy checks the underground wherever he goes."

But things weren't easy for the Zhuixing side either.

The two Petrified Wood Antler Deer on the center line were becoming more stable as they rammed, and the root walls had already grown to the legs of Qiao Ye's bears. Because Wen Zhao was burning the root walls, her fire bees were spread too thin, and the swarm of Spore-powder Flower Bees in the air was slowly pressing back.

As soon as the Master Crow on Ning Yanqiu's shoulder struck down two flower bees, three more clumps of yellow pollen appeared by the left ridge.

Her voice suddenly sank.

"They are fighting for control of the air."

"Give Xuanhe ten more breaths, and Wen Zhao's fire will be dragged to death by them."

Qiao Ye also started cursing from the center platform.

"If I keep holding here, my bears' legs are going to be entangled by roots!"

The situation was already very clear.

What this Xuanhe team wanted was these ten breaths.

Once ten breaths passed, the four members of Zhuixing would be pinned in place together. By then, even if the Deployment Set in the right trench was delivered, it would only be a dead fortress.

Looking at the two bone carriages still sliding forward in the right trench, Lu Jin finally gave the order.

"Ning Yanqiu, tilt your mirror three feet to the right."

"Wen Zhao, stop burning the root walls; put all fire pressure on the air."

"Qiao Ye, retreat half a step on the center line and let the Horned Deer in a bit."

The three sentences were spoken very quickly.

But when many people below the stage heard them, their expressions changed.

Retreating half a step on the center line at this time was equivalent to giving the Horned Deer an opening.

Qiao Ye also frowned.

"Are you sure?"

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Lu Jin only replied with two words.

"Confirmed."

Qiao Ye did not ask again.

The three Shield Bears simultaneously sank back half a step.

At that half-step, Liu Chenqing's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Horned Deer, pursue!"

"Root Wall, seal off the Central Platform!"

The two Sinkwood Horned Deer immediately pushed forward.

They thought Qiao Ye couldn't hold on anymore and wanted to take advantage of this half-step to swallow the entire Central Platform in one go. Anyone could see that this was Xuanhe Academy's smoothest push.

This was exactly what Lu Jin had been waiting for.

"Now."

Ning Yanqiu raised her hand and pressed down.

The mirror light bent diagonally from the left beam, landing right above the Central Platform. The swarm of Spore-powder Flower Bees, just about to dive down, were struck by this cold brightness. Their wings turned white, and their movements slowed by half a beat on the spot.

Wen Zhao had been waiting for this half-beat.

"Fire Bees, pounce!"

Rows of Fire Bees dove headlong into that patch of depressed yellow pollen.

Whoosh!

The air seemed to catch fire all at once.

Yellow pollen was most afraid of open flames.

As the fire swept through, the dozen or so Spore-powder Flower Bees in the lead were burned into a mass of bright red. With the opening in the air cleared, Ning Yanqiu's Frost Crow immediately pressed down, forcing the remaining flower bees back to the high ground.

At the same time, the center line changed as well.

Although Qiao Ye had retreated half a step, the shoulder line of the three Shield Bears had not broken.

As the two Horned Deer truly pushed in, the Black-horned Shield Bears suddenly turned sideways in unison, turning the front of the Central Platform into an angled opening. Liu Chenqing's two Horned Deer had charged too straight, and were actually diverted nearly half a zhang to the left by this angled opening.

It was just this small half-zhang.

The two delivery carriages in the right trench had arrived.

Lu Jin slammed his palm downward.

"Drop the city."

The left carriage opened first. The War Nest Gate and half a section of low wall rose up with a boom along the slope of the right trench, perfectly wedging into the defensive return path at Xuanhe's right rear. The right carriage followed closely, scattering. The Gray-Vein Furnace Core, the Priest Well, and the half-pool Nursery were pressed in all at once. The exit of the right trench, which had been empty ground, suddenly sprouted a small, gray-black Furnace Cave side city.

Simply put, a delivery is slamming your hardest-hitting half directly onto the opponent's lower back.

The stands completely erupted.

"The city was actually delivered!"

"He dropped a side city directly onto Xuanhe's lower back!"

For the first time, Liu Chenqing's expression truly darkened.

"Lin Zhezhi, return to defend!"

But Lin Zhezhi was already entangled by the fire and Burrowing Spear Rats in the right trench, and he was a step too slow to turn back.

What was even more troublesome was that Wu Fu had already moved.

She stood behind the half-pool, pressing three strands of nest silk into it simultaneously. The ball of white paste in the pool bulged, and four Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rats and six Nest-Paste Worker Rats tumbled out one after another.

The Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rats pushed directly to the front of the War Nest Gate, stabilizing the newly landed small city.

The Nest-Paste Worker Rats pasted the low wall and the trench opening, and in the blink of an eye, they had plastered the outer shell of the new city into a sturdy structure.

This side city in the right trench had come alive.

Xuanhe's backfield was instantly pinned down.

Liu Chenqing still wanted to stabilize.

"Don't panic!"

"Main Vine, reinforce the roots to the right trench, Horned Deer, keep pushing the center, Flower Bees, turn back and burn that side city!"

This judgment was correct.

He still wanted to rely on the Main Vine to reconnect the two ends.

But Lu Jin had already left a third move for him.

"Red-Eyes, go down the trench."

Hearing this, Grey Pupil's gray eyes sank. He didn't waste a word, slamming his priest staff hard against the collapsed opening of the right trench.

The thin layer of soil beneath the collapse immediately cracked open. A swarm of Red-Eyed Rats, which had been pent up in the maintenance tunnels, finally charged out.

These things were different from ordinary Gray-tailed Burrowing Rats. Their eyes were redder, their tempers more volatile, and once they bit something, they wouldn't let go. They weren't usually used because they were too easy to lose control. But once released into such narrow trenches and backfield bottlenecks, they were faster than anyone.

Someone in the stands stood up on the spot.

"Red-Eyed Rats?"

"He actually brought these things to the competition zone!"

Liu Chenqing's expression changed instantly.

He had intended to have the Main Vine reinforce the roots in the right trench, but as the swarm of Red-Eyed Rats rushed up along the collapse, the first things they bit were the thin roots sent out by the Main Vine. Once the thin roots were severed, the reinforcement path to the backfield instantly slowed down.

What was even more fatal was that they didn't charge at the front at all. They all crawled backward along the maintenance tunnels and trench walls, heading straight for Xuanhe's military training flag core.

Xuanhe's backfield was thrown into chaos.

Lin Zhezhi had just returned halfway when he heard shouts from behind.

"Flag Core!"

"There's a rat tide in the back!"

He turned his head sharply. A gap had already been bitten open in the ring of root walls on Xuanhe's back slope, and a dozen Red-Eyed Rats were drilling inside, with more Gray-tailed Burrowing Rats and Burrowing Spear Rats following behind, pushing their way up.

With this, the situation had completely turned around.

Ning Yanqiu didn't need Lu Jin to remind her; the mirror light directly suppressed the air space of Xuanhe, locking the swarm of flower bees that still wanted to turn back to save the rear in mid-air.

Wen Zhao also took this opportunity to send the second column of Fire Bees into the back slope.

"Burn the Flag Core's outer shell!"

As the Fire Bees dove in, the wooden shell outside Xuanhe's Flag Core immediately began to smoke.

Qiao Ye, watching this scene from the center line, immediately pushed the three Shield Bears forward.

"Liu Chenqing, your back is on fire!"

"Leave this center line to me today!"

The two Sinkwood Horned Deer had already been diverted by that angled opening, and at this point, it was too late to turn them back.

Qiao Ye's three Shield Bears pushed hard, their black hooves stomping heavily, instantly cracking a section of the root wall. Wen Zhao diverted half a column of Fire Bees to follow up, burning the cracked root wall to nothing.

The center line was broken.

Liu Chenqing gritted his teeth, wanting to turn back. But Lu Jin gave him no chance to regroup.

"Qiao Ye, push him to death."

"Ning Yanqiu, seal the high beams."

"Wen Zhao, feed the fire to the back slope."

"Wu Fu, reinforce the second column for me."

Orders came one after another.

The white paste in Wu Fu's half-pool bulged again, and the second column of Hard-Shelled Gatekeeper Rats and Nest-Paste Worker Rats tumbled out, thickening the side city in the right trench more and more. Grey Pupil sent the fire from the Priest Well all the way into the right trench, burning the trench entrance into a deadly line of fire.

Xuanhe's entire team was suddenly twisted into two halves.

The Horned Deer and Liu Chenqing in front were pinned firmly on the Central Platform by Qiao Ye. The Main Vine, Flag Core, and Lin Zhezhi in the back were completely surrounded by the side city in the right trench and the rat tide.

At this point, the outcome was actually very clear.

Liu Chenqing still wanted to make one last struggle.

He raised his hand and sent both Horned Deer forward together, hoping to forcefully smash through Qiao Ye's front and then charge all the way from the Central Platform into Zhuixing Academy's backfield.

This move was indeed ruthless. The shoulder armor of the leading Shield Bear cracked on the spot, and Qiao Ye was shaken back half a foot.

But that was as far as it went. Lu Jin had been watching this point all along.

"Open the gate."

The War Nest Gate of the side city in the right trench suddenly opened. A dozen Red-Eyed Rats and Burrowing Spear Rats rushed out from Xuanhe's back slope in one breath, first pouncing on the Flag Core, then on the Main Vine. Wen Zhao's column of Fire Bees pressed in at the same time, the fire drilling into the gap bitten open by the Red-Eyed Rats.

Snap!

The outer shell of the military training flag core shattered first.

Immediately after, the gray-white main core of the flag inside flashed once, then shattered with a boom.

The white light of the high-altitude adjudication pressed down on the spot.

[Zone E-7 Qualification Match]

[Zhuixing Divine Academy Reserve Group One, Victory]

[Border Military Training Priority Qualification: Zhuixing Divine Academy]

[Battle Evaluation: Team Formation, Side City Delivery, Backfield Cutoff]

The entire Zone E-7 main venue was silent for a split second. Then, it completely erupted.

"They won!"

"Zhuixing really snatched the spot!"

"These four people have formed a line!"

"That side city in the right trench was too ruthless; Xuanhe's backfield was pinned to death!"

High above the main mirror, the Military Court viewing seats finally stirred.

For the first time, a look of satisfaction appeared on Instructor Han Tiecheng's face, which had been motionless all along.

He watched the rat tide and gray fire in the arena that hadn't completely dispersed yet, and spat out only one sentence.

"Not bad."

Instructor Gu Pingchuan, standing below, heard these three words, and the cold hardness he had been suppressing in his eyes finally eased a little.

This evaluation was short. But coming from Instructor Han Tiecheng, it was already heavy enough.

On the other side, the people from Cangting and Beiyue Academy hadn't left either.

Ji Mingxiao stared at the Red-Eyed Rat Tide in the main mirror for a long time before speaking to the person behind him.

"Extract that Red-Eye segment separately."

"I want the rat output speed, the root-biting efficiency, and the loss-of-control threshold."

The Beiyue Academy side was even more direct. The scribe recording behind Young Master Pei Tiange had already circled the four characters "Red-Eyed Rat Tide" separately.

From this moment on, the strong teams in the competition zone finally began to truly take these Red-Eyed Rats seriously.

In the arena, Liu Chenqing stood before the shattered Flag Core, silent for several breaths, before looking at Lu Jin.

"I concede this match."

"That half-step on the center line was you letting me, the city in the right trench was you delivering it, and the rat tide in the back was you hiding it in advance."

"I thought earlier that you would still rely on a weird trick to turn things around today."

"It wasn't until the end that I understood. You are leading a team."

Lu Jin looked at him and replied calmly.

"Your team is quite stable."

"If I had been half a beat slower today, and that city in the right trench hadn't been delivered, this qualification wouldn't have ended up in Zhuixing Academy's hands."

Liu Chenqing nodded, said nothing more, and turned to gather his team.

On the Zhuixing Academy side, Qiao Ye sat down on the rubble with a thud, first pulling off his cracked shoulder armor, grimacing in pain, and then laughed.

"This was worth it."

"I almost went numb in the legs pushing the center line today, but it wasn't for nothing."

Wen Zhao collected the remaining Fire Bees one by one and let out a breath.

"You have the nerve to complain."

"If that fire of mine in the air had been a second slower, you would have been tied up and killed by the Root Wall long ago."

Ning Yanqiu dropped down from the high beam, the Frost Crow on her shoulder folding its wings, her tone as steady as ever.

"In today's match, not one of the four of us dragged the team down."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Lu Jin.

"That move in the right trench was beautifully executed."

Lu Jin nodded.

"Your mirror suppression was also quite accurate."

Ning Yanqiu didn't say anything more, only responding softly. But Qiao Ye and Wen Zhao could both see it. These two were speaking shorter and shorter now, not because they had nothing to say. It was because many things no longer needed to be said a second time.

The competition staff quickly came down to clear the field. The shattered Flag Core, the burned-through Root Walls, the broken bone cables, and the charred residue all over the ground were cleared to the sidelines in batches. The Military Court recorders also began to go down to take samples, preparing to fully archive this match.

Lu Jin had also intended to gather his team. But just as he walked to the ring of waste roots on Xuanhe's back slope, his footsteps suddenly stopped.

Underneath that patch of burned-black Root Wall, there was a small thing that wasn't quite right. It looked like a stone. But it didn't look like a stone either.

It was only the size of a fingernail, with gray-black scorch marks on the edges, but in the center, there was a dirty, dark spot bulging out. The dark spot didn't look like mud, nor did it look like blood; it looked as if something was slowly seeping out from inside, sticking to the surface bit by bit.

Lu Jin crouched down and reached out to pick it up. The moment it was in his hand, Grey Pupil's voice sank in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Don't touch this thing for too long."

Wu Fu also spoke at the same time, her voice lighter than usual.

"It's hungry."

Lu Jin lowered his head to look at the small thing stained with the strange dark spot, his eyes sinking bit by bit. This didn't look like an ordinary fragment. And it certainly didn't look like the clean materials that should be in the competition diagram.

The wind of the Rift Valley battlefield was still blowing. The small object with the dark spot in his palm, however, seemed alive, shrinking ever so slightly.