87: Did Chapter 87 ring?

Eastern frontier, 7th Legion recruit reporting station.

The air was permeated with dust and a faint, lingering scent of blood.

The massive temporary camp was built against the mountain with flags fluttering. Recruits in various outfits formed winding lines, waiting for registration and assignment.

The military service System of the Great Xia Dynasty was mainly divided into three types.

First, mandatory conscription for those who had reached the age of eighteen; this was the largest in number and formed the main body of the army.

The benefits were average, training was arduous, and the casualty rate was the highest.

Second, enlistment from higher Beast Tamer academies.

These students received systematic training in beast taming and combat in the academy, their strength far exceeding that of ordinary recruits. Upon enlistment, they were officer reserves, with a high starting point and many resource allocations; they were the elite class in the army.

Third, social recruitment like Xia Youchu.

This was usually aimed at Loose Cultivators or members of a Family with a certain level of strength or special skills. The entry threshold varied, and benefits were assessed based on their strength.

Due to the frequent activities of the Peng Clan on the eastern frontier recently and the tight battle lines, the conditions for this conscription were relaxed quite a bit.

Those like Xia Youchu, who dropped out of high school but possessed the Yuan Master Realm, were also included in the recruitment scope.

Xia Youchu stood quietly in the social recruitment line. A simple tight-fitting outfit outlined her slender figure, yet she carried an air of coldness that kept strangers at a distance.

Beside her, Ling Tian lay prone like a small dark golden metal hill. If not for him constantly activating Gravity Control, his weight would definitely have caused him to sink directly into the ground.

The surrounding Beast Tamers all consciously kept their distance.

Although the size of a War Beast did not represent its strength.

But this War Beast was freaking chewing on Earth Rank Yuan Power alloy!

Even a full-force strike from a Yuan Spirit powerhouse couldn't shake this stuff in the slightest, but this guy was chewing it like chewing gum!

Was this the legendary Iron-Eating Beast?

Ling Tian chewed unconsciously.

He closed his eyes, appearing to be napping, but was actually silently digesting what he had previously devoured, while simultaneously feeling the brand new power brought by the metamorphosis of the Atomic Furnace within his body.

The brief contact with the Yuan Emperor powerhouse Yin Jiuzhu, and especially General Qin Feng, made him truly feel the terror of a higher level.

If a Yuan King level was Tyson, then a Yuan Emperor was freaking Ultraman Taro!

He must improve his strength as soon as possible!

Chew, chew, chew...

Just as Ling Tian was immersed in his thoughts, a burst of noise and laughter came from the nearby academy special recruitment line.

Several young people wearing gorgeous academy uniforms were surrounding a proud-looking young man like stars surrounding the moon.

Their Auras were not weak, all around the third or fourth star of the Yuan Master Realm, and they were followed by various War Beasts, all of decent quality, at least of Silver-grade Aptitude.

"Young Master Zhou, with your cultivation at the sixth star of the Yuan Master Realm, plus the Silver High Grade Demon Emperor Lie Feng Eagle, how could you not be a Centurion upon joining the army?" A follower said obsequiously.

The young man called Young Master Zhou, Zhou Kai, waved his hand with feigned restraint: "Centurion? Your perspective is too small. My goal is at least a Chiliarch! I heard the fighting on the front line is intense; it is the perfect time for us to make contributions!"

His gaze swept over the ordinary recruits nearby who were dressed plainly and mostly only at the Yuan Practitioner Realm, his eyes filled with undisguised superiority.

These mud-legged peasants would probably be cannon fodder once they hit the battlefield.

They were simply not people from the same world as us elites from the academies.

His gaze was quickly attracted by the cold and beautiful figure in the social recruitment line.

Xia Youchu's appearance and temperament, even in this chaotic recruit camp, stood out like a crane in a flock of chickens.

Zhou Kai's eyes lit up, and he walked straight towards Xia Youchu with a few followers.

"Fellow student, are you here to join the army too?"

"You don't look very old, but your strength is quite good. I am Zhou Kai from the Tianfeng Beast Tamer Academy, and my father is the City Lord of Wind Roar City. May I ask your name? Which academy are you from? Perhaps we can look out for each other."

He glanced at Ling Tian lying on the ground, frowned, but didn't pay much attention.

In his view, although this War Beast had a huge body and a ferocious appearance, its Aura seemed very restrained, and there was nothing special about it.

Moreover, it looked lazy, lying on the ground and chewing constantly; could it be the type that eats grass?

It was probably the type that looked good but wasn't useful.

A War Beast wasn't powerful just because it was big.

Xia Youchu didn't even lift her eyelids, still recalling the detailed information about the Shattered Star Gorge Secret Realm from her previous life in her mind.

The number of the recruit company that got swept in, the name of the commanding officer, and the approximate location when the Secret Realm opened kept surfacing in her mind.

Seeing Xia Youchu completely ignoring him, the smile on Zhou Kai's Face stiffened, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

A follower behind him immediately stepped forward and said in a sarcastic tone: "Hey! Our Young Master Zhou is talking to you! Are you deaf? Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Our Young Master Zhou is a top student from Tianfeng Academy; it is your honor that he took the initiative to talk to you!"

Another follower also sneered: "Exactly, and bringing a silly big War Beast, lying there like a dead turtle, who are you trying to scare?"

Ling Tian's huge ears moved slightly, he slowly opened his eyes, his cold vertical pupils swept over those noisy flies, and then he lazily closed them again.

Forget it, just a few kids, no need to pay attention.

Chew, chew, chew...

Seeing that neither Xia Youchu nor her War Beast reacted, Zhou Kai felt that he was losing Face.

He snorted coldly, his tone threatening: "Fellow student, when you are out and about, having more friends means more paths. If you are so unappreciative, I am afraid you will have a hard time in the army later."

He reached out, seemingly wanting to pat Xia Youchu on the shoulder.

"Get lost."

Xia Youchu finally spoke, her voice cold, like the wind in the twelfth lunar month.

She still didn't look at Zhou Kai, but the sudden chill she emitted caused Zhou Kai's reaching hand to freeze in mid-air.

Zhou Kai's expression darkened completely.

He didn't expect this woman to be so disrespectful of his Face!

"Refusing a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

Zhou Kai was furious from embarrassment and gave a look to his followers behind him.

Those followers understood and immediately commanded their War Beasts to step forward, faintly surrounding Xia Youchu and Ling Tian in the middle.

A baring-fanged Wind Wolf, a circling and chirping Iron Claw Eagle, and a Poison-Patterned Python flicking its tongue.

Although they were only Silver-grade War Beasts, they were aggressive, and the power fluctuations of the Yuan Master level locked onto Xia Youchu.

The recruits queuing around were attracted by the commotion here, looking over one after another, with worried expressions on their Faces.

"It's that group of Zhou Kai... They are bullying newcomers again."

"That girl is going to be unlucky; Zhou Kai's father is the City Lord, and he has connections in the army..."

"Why isn't her War Beast moving? Scared stupid?"

Xia Youchu frowned slightly.

She didn't want to cause trouble. The advantage of a Rebirth was foresight; any unnecessary conflict could trigger the butterfly effect, causing the future to deviate from its track.

But there were always some flies that insisted on bumping into your Face.

Just as she was considering how to handle it.

Ling Tian, who was lying down, opened his eyes again.

This time, there was no laziness in his eyes, only a hint of impatience at being disturbed.

Showing off?

I'll make you fly!

[Nebula]!

Hum—!

A cloud of ink-thick black mist spread out from Ling Tian as the center without warning, instantly enveloping Zhou Kai, his followers, and their showy War Beasts!

Within the Dark Star Cloud Domain, light was distorted, the air was as sticky as glue, and gravity instantly surged dozens of times!

"What's going on?!"

"My body... so heavy!!"

Zhou Kai and the others' expressions changed drastically, feeling as if they had fallen into a boundless quagmire. Forget about moving, even standing was extremely difficult!

Their War Beasts were even worse off; the Wind Wolf whined and was pressed to the ground, the Iron Claw Eagle fell like a stone, and the Poison-Patterned Python was almost flattened by its own weight!

Immediately after, something even more terrifying happened to them!

Under the effect of that eerie black cloud, their bodies, along with their War Beasts, actually started to float uncontrollably!

Like being in zero gravity, they hovered half a meter above the ground!

Flailing their limbs, but having nowhere to exert force!

Wanting to mobilize their Yuan Power to break free, they found that their Yuan Power was extremely sluggish in that black cloud, difficult to mobilize!

"Put me down!!"

"Help!!"

Zhou Kai and the others were scared to the point of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, screaming in terror in the air, no longer having any of their previous arrogance.

All the recruits who saw this scene opened their mouths wide, dumbfounded!

What kind of ability is this?!

A Domain?!

No, it's not that exaggerated.

But controlling this kind of power at the Yuan Master level is also quite exaggerated, alright!

"Stop!!"

A roar came.

A middle-aged officer wearing standard armor and with a dark Face walked over quickly with a team of patrol soldiers.

He was Company Commander Wang Tie of the 3rd Company of the Recruit Camp, responsible for discipline in this area, known as the "Black-Faced King of Hell," famous for his strict governance.

Seeing the situation on the scene, especially those academy-style recruits spinning and screaming in the air, Wang Tie's Face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"What kind of behavior is this! This is a military camp, how can you cause such chaos!!"

His sharp gaze swept over Xia Youchu and the prone Ling Tian, and finally landed on the human spinning tops in the air, saying sternly: "Hurry up and put them down!"

Xia Youchu glanced at Ling Tian.

Ling Tian curled his lips, and with a thought, the Dark Star Cloud dissipated.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Zhou Kai and the others fell from mid-air like dumplings, hitting the ground, battered and in a sorry state.

"Company Commander Wang! Company Commander Wang, you must uphold justice for us!"

As soon as Zhou Kai landed, he scrambled to Wang Tie, pointing at Xia Youchu and Ling Tian, accusing them with tears and snot:

"It's this woman! And her War Beast! They attacked us without reason! Look at what they did to us and our War Beasts! This is malicious assault! Violating military discipline! They must be severely punished!!"

His followers also scrambled up, following suit.

Wang Tie looked at Xia Youchu with a gloomy Face: "Do you have anything to say?"

Xia Youchu's expression was calm, pointing at Zhou Kai and the others: "They came over to harass me first, provoked me with words, and commanded their War Beasts to try to surround and attack me. My War Beast was just defending itself."

"You're lying! It was clearly you who looked down on us first!" Zhou Kai screamed.

"Exactly! We just wanted to get to know you, and she made her War Beast attack!"

Wang Tie looked at the two sides, each sticking to their own version, and frowned.

He actually roughly guessed what was going on.

This group of academy-style troublemakers like Zhou Kai, relying on their Family background and strength, often caused trouble in the recruit camp.

But the military camp emphasizes discipline, and fighting is wrong.

He habitually planned to punish both sides equally, to establish his authority first.

"Humph! It takes two to tango!"

Wang Tie snorted coldly, his eyes sweeping strictly over Xia Youchu and Zhou Kai and the others, "Regardless of who is right or wrong, fighting privately in the military camp is a violation of military discipline!"

"You!"

He pointed at Xia Youchu, "Indulging your War Beast to attack comrades, punishment..."

Before he finished speaking.

Slap!

A crisp and loud slapping sound rang out abruptly!

Wang Tie's eyes widened, feeling the surrounding scene receding, and scenes of a revolving lantern appearing before his eyes!

What is this?!

What happened?

Wang Tie covered his Face, feeling as if he had been through the gates of hell.

At this moment, a wisp of Mental Energy exploded in the Void Realm, and a clear voice echoed in everyone's ears:

"Did it ring?"