57: Chapter 57 Barrier

Lei Qianjue walked in front, leading Li Zhengyang as they traversed the air.

Li Zhengyang had just advanced to the Martial Emperor Rank and had not yet had the chance to learn a flight martial art.

A Martial Venerable's speed was fast.

From the building complex in the heart of the military district to a continuous mountain range.

They flew for about half an hour.

On the horizon ahead, a wall appeared.

Li Zhengyang was stunned.

The word "wall" was not accurate enough.

It was a gigantic barrier that stretched beyond sight.

It was nearly a hundred meters high, its surface shimmering with a dull metallic luster, covered in fine textures.

The surface of the barrier was engraved with dense array patterns, similar to the ones in the Marrow Cleansing Pool, but on a scale incomparably larger.

Each array pattern pulsed slightly, releasing energy fluctuations.

These fluctuations superimposed on each other, forming an invisible barrier.

Lei Qianjue stopped a hundred meters in front of the wall, hovering with his hands behind his back.

Li Zhengyang landed beside him, staring at the wall.

"What is this?"

"Nine Heavens Profound Iron combined with Boundary Suppressing Stone; the entire wall was forged by three hundred and sixty grandmasters of array formations working together."

Lei Qianjue's tone was filled with pride.

"Construction began at the founding of Great Xia, and it has been nearly a hundred years to this day."

A hundred years.

Li Zhengyang digested this number.

"What is this wall used for?"

Lei Qianjue did not answer immediately.

He turned around, facing the direction they had come from.

"The land you see, from the military district to Fortress No. 7, from Fortress No. 13 to that small town in your hometown, is the current territory of Great Xia."

He paused for a moment.

"It only accounts for one-tenth of the original territory."

Li Zhengyang's breathing faltered for a beat.

"One-tenth?"

"The other side of the wall is the true ancestral land of Great Xia."

Lei Qianjue turned back, looking at the hundred-meter barrier.

"A hundred years ago, the first Demon Tide surged out from the Abyss Rift, and the entire continent's ecology was completely overturned within three years. The human race was forced to abandon ninety percent of its territory and retreat behind the wall."

Li Zhengyang looked at the giant wall and thought of a question.

"But there are demon beasts inside the wall too; is this wall really useful?"

This was something he could not understand.

The third and fourth-rank demon beasts he had killed at the fortress, the Rock-Spine Beasts he had cut down on North Mountain, were all inside the wall.

Could it be that this wall had loopholes?

"Yes, there are demon beasts inside the wall."

Lei Qianjue nodded, "We let them in on purpose."

"On purpose?"

Li Zhengyang was still confused.

"Every year, the military periodically introduces controllable demon beast populations from outside the wall."

Lei Qianjue explained.

"The quantity, rank, and distribution area are all precisely calculated."

"Why?"

"Do you think a martial artist who only hits sandbags on the training ground from childhood can fight in a war?"

Li Zhengyang did not speak.

He recalled his first experience killing a demon beast; there was nothing in his mind but instinct.

He remembered his classmates at the Martial Arts Technical College who had studied theory for three years without ever touching a living creature.

"Martial artists cannot lack actual combat experience."

Lei Qianjue continued, "The demon beasts inside the wall are whetstones. From first to fifth rank, they progress layer by layer, providing a combat environment for martial artists at different stages, with the mortality rate controlled within an acceptable range."

"Those things you killed at the fortress are all part of this system."

Li Zhengyang recalled the areas on the outskirts of the fortress with "No Entry" signs, and the hunting bounties divided by difficulty.

It was all designed.

A complete system for raising soldiers.

"What about the Dragon Emperor at Black Wind Pass?"

"That belongs to a special situation."

Lei Qianjue's expression was slightly awkward.

"The space rifts outside the wall are unstable, and occasionally high-rank individuals penetrate through the rifts."

"That beast, the Dragon Emperor, tore open the space barrier directly from the Abyss Rift and forced its way in."

"An invasion of this level might not even happen once in ten years."

Li Zhengyang nodded, finally understanding.

He turned his head to look at the wall again.

The hundred-meter barrier stood before him, the pulsing light of the array patterns even and stable.

"What is the situation outside the wall?"

"A living hell."

Lei Qianjue said these four words.

"Demon beasts below the fifth rank are overwhelming, and sixth and seventh-rank ones occupy the core zones of major areas. There are even things deeper inside that we cannot even name."

"In nearly a hundred years, the human race has only reclaimed less than five percent of the lost territory."

Li Zhengyang was silent for a few seconds.

"Why is the reclamation speed so slow?"

"Lack of people."

Lei Qianjue replied with two words.

He turned around, facing Li Zhengyang directly.

"There are no more than ten thousand powerhouses at the Martial Emperor Rank and above in the entire Great Xia, and those above the Martial Venerable Rank are pitifully few."

"And those at the Martial Saint or Martial Emperor level cannot take the initiative to attack; they need to stabilize the lifeline within Great Xia."

"Therefore," Lei Qianjue stared at him solemnly, "I didn't bring you here today for a tour."

Li Zhengyang met his gaze.

"Great Xia has a department specifically responsible for combat outside the wall, named the 'Pojun Division'."

"All members are at least at the Martial King Rank, directly under the supreme command of the military."

"They have only one mission: fight our way out and reclaim the territory."

"Every inch of reclaimed land means one more fraction of survival space for humanity."

"Every high-rank demon beast killed means one less layer of pressure on the defensive line."

Lei Qianjue paused for a beat.

"The current registered personnel of the Pojun Division is one thousand."

Li Zhengyang did not respond immediately.

He looked at the wall, not thinking about national righteousness or saving the world.

He was doing the math.

"What's the pay like?"

Lei Qianjue: "..."

"I mean, for the demon beasts killed outside the wall, who gets the beast cores?"

Lei Qianjue stared at him for three seconds, then laughed.

"The demon beasts outside the wall are generally above the sixth rank. A sixth-rank beast core has a recycling price of five hundred thousand each. Seventh-rank ones are two million."

"If you can kill an eighth-rank one, a single beast core is ten million."

Li Zhengyang licked his lips.

"Where do I sign the employment paperwork?"

Lei Qianjue took out a token from his chest, black in color, with two words engraved on it: Pojun.

"Take this. Report to the military supreme command in three days, and someone will familiarize you with the situation outside the wall."

Li Zhengyang took the token and flipped it over.

On the back was an engraved line of numbers: 1001.

He tucked the token into his pocket and took another look at the hundred-meter-high giant wall.

On the other side of the wall was ninety percent of the lost territory.

And also the overwhelming number of high-rank demon beasts.

Li Zhengyang clenched his fist.

The dark golden patterns flashed and vanished.

"Three days is too long."

He turned to look at Lei Qianjue: "Can I go tomorrow?"

...