Chapter 438 – Legends Gather, Strong Ones Emerge

On Mu Yuan’s sixth day in the Great Warzone, several core mandatory training programs commenced.

As a Lord, he brought Dolai along to observe.

In the distance, about a dozen spectator figures were vaguely visible—likely Lords who had come to see their officers take the ‘civil service examinations.’

Of course, there were even more Lords among those awaiting assessment.

“Today’s mandatory training programs—they say our performance will be factored into the overall evaluation. We can’t afford to lose!”

A Fourth-Order Expert who had trained diligently for two months in the Recruit Training Camp clenched their fist in determination.

Soon, the recruits awaiting assessment filed into the venue one after another. The crowd grew, and among them were many familiar faces to the recruits.

At that moment, a tall young man with crimson short hair resembling blazing flames strode over.

His arrival immediately drew many gazes.

“That’s Red Hair Chai Shizheng, who once ranked in the top hundred of the Dragon Gate List. He possesses incredibly powerful flame manipulation abilities—even with a mortal body, he can slightly control the fire elemental particles in the world.”

“Hmm, I’ve sparred with him before. He’s a formidable opponent. But since the recruit assessment doesn’t include combat, we might not necessarily lose to him.”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A brawny man with a giant-like physique strode in, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

An indescribable pressure swept over the area, forcing several Third-Order Warlord Tiers to stagger backward.

Such a distinctive physical trait… immediately, someone recognized the man’s identity.

“It’s the Behemoth Lord!”

“The Behemoth Lord? I don’t recall seeing him on the Dragon Gate List.”

“Not being on the Dragon Gate List doesn’t mean he lacks Dragon Gate-level combat prowess. Just look at the Behemoth Lord’s intimidating presence—it’s clear he’s a top-tier expert. Moreover…”

A seasoned Lord interjected, “The Behemoth Lord actually has a very impressive track record, though most people aren’t aware of it.”

“A year ago, during the Dragon Court selection process, the Behemoth Lord nearly made it into our Taixuan representative team. In fact, if the Tianyuan Lord hadn’t emerged so suddenly, the Behemoth would have been selected. He only narrowly lost to Tianyuan.”

This revelation from the Lord made everyone take notice.

Lords who could represent Taixuan in battles were hailed as Rising Star Lords, and there were only a handful of them.

Many of today’s prominent figures were once Rising Star Lords, underscoring the prestige of the title.

Moreover, the Behemoth Lord had lost to Tianyuan himself.

A young woman carrying a crescent-shaped weapon also entered with the crowd.

Her features were delicate and elegant, her figure slender, but in a place like the Recruit Training Camp, appearances meant little. Compared to Red Hair and the Behemoth, she seemed rather unremarkable.

However, the young woman had also spent over a month in the training camp and had sparred with several experts.

Upon her arrival, both the Behemoth and Red Hair cast glances her way.

“That’s Crescent Moon An Qianqian, ranked 39th on the Dragon Gate List. She isn’t from a Lord background, but her background is said to be quite impressive. The crescent-shaped weapon she carries is considered a quasi-epic divine artifact.”

“Setting aside her background and equipment, Crescent Moon An Qianqian’s combat skills are still terrifying. No one on the Dragon Gate List is there by chance.”In the eyes of most Training Ground experts, Crescent Moon, Red Hair, and the Behemoth Lord were considered highly competitive contenders among this year’s “civil service examination” participants.

They ranked just below the handful of Legendary Realm figures.

“This year’s assessment actually has two other formidable competitors,” someone whispered mysteriously.

“Who?”

“Look over there.”

A veteran expert pointed into the distance where two figures stood out.

One sat cross-legged with closed eyes, surrounded by swirling clouds of brownish-red mist;

The other performed one-finger handstand push-ups with complete disregard for their surroundings, though such behavior wasn’t particularly unusual in this venue.

“According to my reliable sources, those two come from Tianyuan Territory.”

“Tianyuan Territory? That Tianyuan?!”

“Exactly. This time, Tianyuan Lord has sent two core generals to our Cold Valley Mountain Warzone. Fortunately, Tianyuan Lord himself hasn’t joined the fray, otherwise we wouldn’t even need to compete. But even so… the generals under Tianyuan Lord absolutely cannot be underestimated.”

“Well, at least Tianyuan Lord’s subordinate who has reached the Legendary Realm, the Lord of Netherworld, isn’t present. That’s some good news.”

Just then, a long-haired woman wearing fiery red robes with a crimson mark between her eyebrows strode briskly past the examination hall entrance.

She didn’t deliberately release her aura.

But her Legendary Realm status was already an open secret.

Legendary Realm expert – Blazing Flame.

For a fleeting moment, it felt as if the pressure of a Legendary expert was overwhelming, making it hard to breathe.

This was merely an illusion.

Legendary Realm experts stood far above them – there was no competing with such figures anyway, so they could essentially be excluded from consideration. Fourth-Order experts like Crescent Moon, Behemoth Lord, and Red Hair were the truly challenging, powerful competitors worth worrying about.

How many Legendary Realm experts could there be? No need to worry.

Some thought this way.

Suddenly, a vast aura surged from afar as a silver-armored expert descended from the sky.

“Is that a Training Ground instructor?”

“This Legendary Realm expert seems to be just another recruit like us!”

“A recruit… and a powerful one at that?!”

The appearance of this Legendary Realm expert wasn’t the conclusion, but merely the beginning.

Another expert riding a crimson dragon-horned warhorse also arrived through the air.

The newcomer bid farewell to their lord before stepping into the training ground.

“That appearance…” a veteran expert’s eyes narrowed, “It’s the epic unit ‘Dragonblood Royal Cavalry’!”

A fierce general who moved as one with their mount, flowing with the blood of golden dragons, peerless on the battlefield.

Was he Legendary, or Epic?

And this was considered a recruit?!

“Not only that…” The Behemoth Lord gazed toward the distant figure who had escorted the Dragonblood Royal Cavalry.

“It’s Soaring Dragon Lord.”

Dragon Rise Lord, originally named Wang Longteng, was Duke Beiting’s eldest son.

Compared to the renowned Duke Beiting, Wang Longteng’s battle achievements weren’t particularly impressive, but he remained among the top contenders of his generation of lords.

“Rumors say Soaring Dragon Lord himself has broken through to the Legendary Realm, and now he commands an epic peerless general. He’s about to rise rapidly.”

Soon, more Legendary Realm experts arrived one after another.

Compared to the prominent Fourth-Order experts, these Legendary figures were relatively unknown, but through some distinctive markings on their persons, people still managed to identify several of them.

“That’s the White Shark Group emblem. Could this powerful expert hail from White Shark City?”

“A cyclops… actually an epic giant! Which lord’s subordinate is this?””The Azure Grey Bird? No, these are the Wind King’s Wings! An epic-tier flying unit, the Wind King’s Wings are renowned as the fastest among their peers. They are the true masters of wind.”

“And that one over there? She radiates an overwhelming Holy Light energy, likely originating from a nun or priestess background? A Holy Light High Priest perhaps?”

“No, I suspect she’s an epic-tier Holy Light Sage, one who commands the Holy Light itself. Haven’t you noticed? Among this newly arrived group of Legendary Realm experts, half are epic-tier, and the remaining half are most likely epic-tier as well. Only epic-tier beings can cultivate straight to the Legendary Realm without undergoing any trials or tempering.”

“Indeed, we’ve seen several epic-tier dragons appear – the Evil Eye Dragon, Earth Dragon, Burning Steel Dragon… This is practically an epic-tier gathering! But… aren’t we supposed to be at a Recruit Training Camp?”

“Kid, use your brain. If not for the arrival of these extraordinary ‘recruits’ who exceed normal standards, why would the Great Warzone offer several direct promotions to ‘Regional Commander’ positions in a mere recruit assessment? ‘Regional Commander’ is a military rank only below ‘Commander’, ‘Vice-Commander’, and ‘Garrison General’ – already mid-to-high ranking positions in the Great Warzone.”

…

In the distance, Mu Yuan watched these Legendary Realm experts with some surprise.

“Is this what represents the Great Warzone’s caliber?”

With a single glance, aside from Uta and Rakshasa, he preliminarily estimated twenty-two Legendary Realm experts.

The reason it was an estimate was that he couldn’t rule out the possibility that some who arrived earlier were also in the Legendary Realm.

However, he was certain about the number of epic-tier experts present.

Twenty-six in total.

Among the twenty-two Legendary Realm experts, three were not epic-tier.

Meanwhile, some seemingly ordinary Fourth-Order experts surprisingly revealed epic-tier stature.

Stature.

Among these epic-tier beings present, there were several whose specific unit types he couldn’t determine. Yet he remained absolutely certain they were all epic-tier.

This was intuition.

Unshakably firm intuition.

…

“This year’s Legendary Realm recruits outnumber last year’s.”

“This shows our Taixuan is thriving.”

“But the Crimson Mist is drawing closer too. No one knows when the next great calamity will erupt.”

“Don’t worry too much. Let’s just focus on our duties. Come, it’s time to teach these recruits a lesson.”

Three training camp instructors stepped through spatial ripples to appear in the venue.

The three stood with hands behind their backs, looking down at everyone.

The one in the center was a silver-haired youth, likely the head instructor or chief examiner.

Mu Yuan recognized this person.

His days of studying materials hadn’t been in vain.

“One of the Garrison Generals of the Cold Valley Mountain Warzone, the Ice Fist Lord.”

The three instructors who emerged didn’t engage in pleasantries or announce any training or assessment rules.

After the Ice Fist Lord simply said “Training begins,” an instructor to his right stepped forward.

The next moment,

A vast, enormous, sky-obscuring flame domain spread out, enveloping both heaven and earth, transforming the entire area into a scorching red that baked everything within.

“A domain with a radius exceeding ten thousand meters!”

“This instructor’s aura still places him in the first stage of Legendary Realm, the Heaven-Earth Realm. Yet he’s climbed so far beyond the peak.”

Five thousand meters was considered the peak.

Naturally, progressing beyond that became increasingly difficult.At the ten-thousand-meter level, breaking through to the Soul Realm was practically guaranteed. This instructor hadn’t broken through yet because he wanted to further consolidate his foundation and aim for greater heights.

Wherever he went, he would be considered a prodigy.

Rakshasa and Uta were likely no match for him.

The Great Warzone truly produced exceptional talents one after another.

When the terrifying ten-thousand-meter Domain descended, some Legendary Realm experts instinctively tried to deploy their own Domains. Using Domain against Domain was their ingrained experience and instinct honed through countless battles.

But the Legends suddenly realized they couldn’t expand their Domains, as if locked by some kind of rule.

“Resisting Domains – this is your first training lesson.”

“In the Great Warzone, encountering Legendary Realm opponents isn’t just probable – it’s inevitable. Ordinary soldiers must learn to maintain their strength as much as possible under Domain influence. Even Legendary Realm experts must be able to preserve their combat effectiveness when facing stronger or multiple Domains.”

“Abandon your Domains! Use your own power to resist Domains! Show me what you’re made of, recruits!”

A third-tier warrior immediately turned pale, swaying unsteadily within the flames.

Too weak!

The instructor naturally understood that most third-tier troops couldn’t withstand such Domain suppression. But does that mean they shouldn’t resist? When truly facing enemies, do you have any choice?

The recruits from this training camp would become at least basic-level commanders after graduation. As commanders, they must remain composed – if commanders panic, wouldn’t their soldiers collapse into chaos?

If they can’t even withstand this level of Domain pressure, how can they talk about fighting?

“Take him out.”

“Take him out.”

“Take him out.”

Within mere dozens of seconds, several strong individuals had fainted and were carried away for treatment.

However, their training camp careers ended here. This place didn’t keep mediocrities who couldn’t even pass the first phase. During intense battles and critical situations, the collapse of a small defensive line could trigger chain reactions.

Such people weren’t suitable for the frontlines.

After a while, the training officer began increasing the pressure of his dispersed Domain.

Flames billowed, crimson clouds pressing down upon the city.

“This training method seems worth referencing.”

Mu Yuan contemplated.

The training officer wasn’t simply enveloping them with his Domain – it contained various techniques. His Domain’s pressure came in wave after wave like tides, capable of greatly squeezing the trainees’ potential.

Dolai’s Domain radius wasn’t small either – it could definitely train others using this method.

As for Dolai itself, it could practice Domain application too.

Killing two birds with one stone.

Mu Yuan looked forward to continuing to freeload… learn some training techniques.

Meanwhile, people in the training ground were gradually reaching their limits.

During training, Domains couldn’t be used, and they couldn’t manipulate natural forces. However, recruits could still employ some auxiliary methods to enhance their resistance.

Some condensed water shields. While these couldn’t block the Domain’s pressure, they could isolate the flames’ scorching heat, providing some relief.

Others operated cultivation methods, silently stabilizing their mental states.

Some had energy steaming around them, transforming into full-body battle armor.

Everyone employed their own methods, gritting their teeth.

But there were others…

‘Flesh Shackles, lock lock lock lock lock.’

Uta’s Flesh Shackles could either be severed to unleash potential beyond his limits, or self-sealed – the more he sealed, the weaker his power became.During his daily cultivation, Uta remained in a self-sealed state rather than his conventional form.

Finding the pressure of the Domain insufficiently intense, he layered additional seals upon himself until the force finally reached a satisfactory level.

Time ticked steadily by.

The training instructor continued to gradually amplify the might of his Domain, his endurance proving remarkably formidable.

After half an hour, the Domain showed no signs of weakening, only growing increasingly potent.

By this point, the vast majority of Fourth-Order Experts had already lost consciousness, with only a handful still holding on.

Among them were Giant Elephant, Red Hair, and Crescent Moon.

However, they too were nearing their limits, unable to spare any attention for anything else.

Even some Legendary Realm existences were far from comfortable, forced to concentrate fully on resisting the Domain’s pressure.

“Twenty-four Legendary Realm cultivators in total.”

Observers outside the field could clearly distinguish who had reached the Legendary Realm and who had not.

Wang Longteng glanced toward two figures in a particular spot.

He had long been aware of their identities.

“The two generals sent by the Tianyuan Lord are indeed… at the Legendary Realm.”

“And one of them appears quite at ease, still sitting calmly.”

It was Rakshasa.

The instructors carefully noted everyone’s performance.

They nodded at times, shaking their heads at others.

“The first Domain training session concludes here. Those who endured the initial phase have passed. Those who persisted until the final phase receive an excellent evaluation.”

Head Instructor Ice Fist announced.

The instructor beside him promptly withdrew the Domain, discreetly wiping sweat from his forehead when no one was looking.

Several Fourth-Order Experts who had held out until the end immediately collapsed to the ground upon hearing this.

“Rest for three hours. We will commence the second phase of training then.”

(End of Chapter)