Chapter 247 – Rock City and Ultimate Sublimation

“This type of armored train is reportedly independently developed by the Taixuan Alliance. It boasts large passenger capacity and high stability, capable of operating reliably even during the Crimson Mist disaster months.”

“Of course, if the disaster month enters its most intense phase, when entire frontline strongholds are besieged by waves, even armored trains cannot reach them.”

“Judging by its appearance, the one before us is undoubtedly the Blackwater Serpent Model III train.”

Isloria glanced at it a few times and stated with certainty.

She had read many extracurricular books, adhering to the principle that more is better—studying both useful and useless materials before recording them into her Starlight Orb System.

Essentially serving as a human library.

Though currently, it’s still a library under construction.

Dolai, on the other hand, could only utter a few exclamations of “Wow, cool! Wow, cool!” without saying anything else.

Mu Yuan was also very curious about this new mode of transportation, the armored train.

However, compared to a ‘newbie’ like him, others were quite familiar with armored trains. Most players relied on them for intercity travel.

Otherwise, how would ordinary players have the strength or time to travel to other regions?

During wartime, the Taixuan Alliance used armored trains to continuously transport supplies and reinforcements from the interior to frontline strongholds like Stone Ridge Town.

Soon, it was time for departure.

Except for the fortunate Azure Grey Bird, which Mu Yuan stored in his Lord space, Deadbone, Dolai, and the others bought tickets and boarded the train.

After all, this was a train shuttling to and from the frontline, so the interior had no decorations—everything was purely functional.

Dolai was quite excited before boarding, but its little face fell as soon as it got on.

The seats were hard, and the noise around was incessant. These, Dolai could ignore, but…

It stared intently at the windows, unable to hide its disappointment.

Rather than windows, they were more like shooting ports—very narrow openings, with countless steel bars and armor welded outside, encasing the entire carriage tightly.

It was completely different from the trains on Blue Star!

Though Dolai had never ridden a train on Blue Star either.

“This is normal. The top priority of an armored train is safety. All comforts and scenery take a backseat to security.”

Mu Yuan said.

In fact, the interior of the armored train was not just uncomfortable—it was also filled with various smells of blood and other unpleasant odors. But players were either already accustomed to it or couldn’t smell anything because they controlled their Eternal World bodies through mediums.

Mu Yuan wasn’t exactly used to the smell, but he could tolerate it.

After all, he was a man who had rummaged through piles of corpses for Soul Sand.

The armored train moved quickly.

During the Crimson Mist disaster months, taking the train was much faster, easier, and safer than flying and fighting along the way.

However, the constant clattering of gunfire and the thudding of monsters hitting the train echoed incessantly.

Mu Yuan saw a monster splat against the armor on his side of the train. The carriage didn’t even shake, clearly indicating the high safety rating of the armored train. The scenario he imagined—where the train breaks down, forcing a stop and a fierce battle against monster hordes—likely wouldn’t happen.

Some veteran players picked up bows or firearms, resting them on the shooting ports, and fired pop pop pop toward the outside.Bored, Dolai also stretched one of its fingers thin and long, inserting it into a firing port to shoot out flames with a “biubiubiu” sound.

Mu Yuan and Deadbone sat in their seats, but idleness was not an option. They simply grabbed two Soul Crystals and began cultivating.

Meanwhile, Isloria’s eyes darted around, seemingly taking notes.

Over a dozen hours later, the armored train arrived at Boulder City.

…

Beep~ Panshi East Station has been reached. Please disembark in an orderly manner, paying attention to your personal belongings and accompanying troop types.

Beep~ Boulder City welcomes your arrival.

Boulder City boasts simple and honest folkways, hospitable local residents, a dazzling array of specialty products, and…

Since they entered by train, Mu Yuan couldn’t view Boulder City’s magnificent and grand City Walls from the outside. However, by looking outward from within the city, he could still catch a glimpse of them.

Standing beneath the walls, people seemed as insignificant as ants.

The walls stood dozens of meters high, with an invisible barrier reaching straight into the sky deployed above them.

No flying monsters could cross the walls to plunge into the city.

“With such walls as Guardian, one can truly feel safe and secure.”

Mu Yuan was envious.

Undead General nodded, setting a small goal: to have their own territory build such walls as well.

Not only were the walls majestic, but Boulder City itself was incredibly prosperous, with various tall buildings standing closely together, wide roads, and alchemical vehicles shuttling back and forth.

Pedestrians came and went on the streets, yet it was impossible to distinguish which were players and which were local residents.

Because even among players, many here did not carry Sabers or Swords but wore casual clothing when going out, just like in cities on Blue Star. However, the local customs here were somewhat more robust than those on Blue Star.

Some wore leisure attire, others were fully armed, and still others were followed by a group of heavily muscled troop types.

All kinds of people blended together as one.

“One can’t tell at all that this place is also located at the front line.”

Mu Yuan marveled.

Boulder City was indeed at the front line—this territory had been established for quite some time. North of Boulder City, countless subsequent territories had emerged.

However, to the west of Boulder City lay one of the famous perilous lands rooted within the Taixuan Alliance—the Gloomy Forest.

No new player territories would emerge in such high-risk areas as the Gloomy Forest. Naturally, Boulder City served as a frontline city, the Taixuan Alliance’s gateway facing the Gloomy Forest.

It closely monitored the movements of the monster forces within.

Following the flow of people, Mu Yuan, two humans, one skeleton, and one slime emerged from Panshi East Station. Night had already fallen, but the city was brightly lit. Dolai used its pocket money to buy various snacks all along the way.

“Here, for you. This is for the Lord, this is for Brother Deadbone, and this is for Isloria.”

Isloria thought to herself, since they were already here and accompanied by Dolai—a human-shaped storage truck—wouldn’t it be a waste not to purchase some equipment to bring back?

She requested a sum of funds from the Lord and then disappeared into the crowd to go shopping.

As for Deadbone…

Undead General silently stood guard by his Lord’s side, vigilant of the passersby.

“Deadbone is still the most worry-free and cost-effective.”

Mu Yuan thought to himself.

They stayed up all night, conducting inspections everywhere.

Soon, it was the next day. Mu Yuan brought Deadbone and the others, along with a bird, and headed to the ‘Ascension Arena’ in the Inner City.This venue is the highest-level breakthrough facility within Boulder City. According to its description, its core is an outstanding-grade structure, and the Boulder City Lord has further enhanced it by setting up various ritual arrays and equipment, granting it extremely powerful amplification effects.

The Ascension Arena is also available for outsiders to use, though the price is…

Even the rental cost for a secondary breakthrough chamber inside is exorbitantly high for a single day.

“Even so, the breakthrough chambers in the Ascension Arena are often fully booked, and without connections, it’s difficult to secure a spot on many occasions,” Isloria shared the information she had gathered last night.

Mu Yuan expressed indifference.

They didn’t need to use these breakthrough chambers anyway, so no matter how expensive they were, it had nothing to do with him.

What intrigued him was that this observation of a Legendary Realm breakthrough was reportedly organized by the Boulder City Lord, who clearly had a knack for business. A large crowd had gathered outside the Ascension Arena as well. Even if most were just there for the spectacle and only one-tenth would purchase tickets to enter, the ticket revenue alone was…

Tsk tsk.

Mu Someone would never admit he was envious.

“Brother Mu?”

“So you’ve also come to observe and learn.”

A familiar voice rang out as Tan Moumou emerged from the crowd.

Tan Moumou glanced around Mu Yuan but didn’t see the black-haired female CEO. Instead, he saw a group of three retainers—one male and two females.

The male warrior was clad in black full-body armor, rather inconspicuous; the female mage was shrouded in a large cloak, her hood pulled up, only vaguely revealing that she had long black hair.

Based on their attire, he guessed they were Brother Mu’s retainers.

Tan Moumou had also brought two or three retainers with him. For this trip to Boulder City, he had even hired two veteran players as escorts, though he had let them roam freely after arriving in the city.

Mu Yuan was currently using his original template, so it wasn’t surprising that he was recognized.

Not only Tan Moumou, but he also spotted another familiar face.

Lord Zhou Ye, who had visited his territory a few days ago, and Liu Miumiu, accompanied by Princess Chunshui Feixi.

…

“Did I just feel a familiar gaze?”

Liu Miumiu turned around.

But all she saw was a surging crowd, with no familiar figures in sight.

She shook her head and said to Princess Chunshui Feixi, “Although we’re still far from the Legendary Realm, it’s always beneficial to seize such an opportunity to observe.”

Mainly, she had heard that many acquaintances were attending, and she couldn’t afford to be too idle herself.

…

What Mu Yuan hadn’t expected was that Frog-Selling Bro had also come to join the excitement.

“After all, the chance to witness the Legendary Realm with our own eyes is extremely rare. If we miss this one, we might never get another opportunity in our lifetime,” Frog-Selling Bro said with a laugh.

But the fact that a mere ranger player was willing to spend Soul Crystals to enter made Tan Moumou take notice.

“Thanks to Brother Mu, my position in the merchant guild has risen quite quickly,” he said, referring to the Remnant Soul trade.

After a pause, Frog-Selling Bro added, “You probably don’t know much about breaking through to the Legendary Realm, right? Before coming here, I made a point to ask around.”

“Between Fourth-Tier Peak Completion and the Legendary Realm lies a chasm as vast as the heavens. To bridge it, the breakthrough candidate must burn themselves—their energy, spirit, will, and even their life force—to enter a state of ‘Ultimate Sublimation.’ Only then do they have a slight chance to touch the gate standing tall among the clouds.”

“The entire breakthrough process requires staking everything they have—it’s all or nothing.””So in ancient times, once a Legend advancement failed, there was only the path of death. But in modern times, by setting up rituals and matching auxiliary potions, the risks can be greatly reduced, and failure doesn’t necessarily mean death.”

Mu Yuan actually knew this information.

Tan Moumou, on the other hand, looked quite surprised—this was too advanced for him.

“But isn’t it said that as long as one possesses the three Legend elements, they can definitely cross the Legend chasm?”

Frog-Selling Bro shook his head, “It’s only a high probability, not a certainty. Moreover, among the three Legend elements, only ‘Domain’ and ‘Willpower Light’ have specific standards, while ‘Limitless Body’ doesn’t have a clear boundary—it varies from person to person.”

“Very few experts actually possess all three Legend elements. Among the several experts preparing for a breakthrough this time, I’ve heard that most actually don’t have them. Precisely because of this, they need to rely on this ‘Ascension Arena’ to use external forces to help themselves enter the state of ultimate sublimation. There are indeed experts who have advanced to Legend through this external force breakthrough method.”

“Experts with all three elements don’t need external assistance—they can enter the state of ultimate sublimation on their own. But if they break through in this Ascension Arena, I imagine it would be even more certain.”

Frog-Selling Bro shook his head at the end, “I heard all this from friends, and it sounds like a fantasy tale to me.”

“But I think most people here are just like us, joining in for the excitement, wanting to witness the birth of a Legend. Those who came with the genuine intention to observe and learn are probably… very few.”

Mu Yuan: “…”

Could it be that only I am the pure learner here?

Second update…

(End of chapter)