Chapter 473 – Tianyuan Has Sacrificed Too Much

Vajra was a seasoned Lord, possessing a city and commanding over two thousand elite soldiers.

In the eyes of many, he was a successful individual, a prominent figure. However, within the Pioneer Group and the Warzone, he was merely an ordinary Pioneer Lord.

When he went to the Great Warzone, he couldn’t even become a general. Most of the time, he served in ordinary Warzones, starting as a minor officer, slowly accumulating merits and enhancing his strength.

“Shattered Isle is a new Warzone, and new Warzones have their advantages. Earning Contribution Points and military merits is much easier here than in old Warzones. In the old Warzones, battles aren’t this frequent.”

Of course, new Warzones also had many disadvantages, such as less secure defensive zones and too few cultivation structures within the Warzone. The supporting facilities couldn’t compare at all to those in old Warzones.

This also led to fewer Lords responding to the Alliance’s call.

Some Pioneer Lords and Pioneers came here because Alliance Lords had the obligation to defend against external threats. Within a year, they must at least dispatch a corps to serve for a period in a Warzone or an outer stronghold.

But Vajra Lord was different.

He was a frequent visitor to Warzones, but this time he still resolutely chose Shattered Isle, this land of Rebirth.

It needed him more.

“As people, we can’t always think about benefits and cost-effectiveness. We must also do what needs to be done.”

“Besides, if the Shattered Isle Warzone falls and the monster army floods into the Twilight Great Domain, how can our territories survive? Taixuan is the root, and we are the leaves. But if the root is gone, we leaves will wither too.”

He, Vajra, was at least a Macho Man. He had to step up.

“Ahem, of course, defending our homeland and pursuing our own interests aren’t mutually exclusive.”

Returning to the Camp, Vajra Lord opened the exchange list through the terminal equipment here.

He needed to exchange for some cultivation items.

He had gained quite a few Contribution Points these days, and he thought he could afford to be a bit more generous.

Suddenly, Vajra’s eyes widened.

He had habitually intended to flip past the first page of the exchange catalog, skipping the ‘Warzone Specials’ that still lacked high-grade goods, but he abruptly froze.

His gaze focused on the top of the first page, on an exchange item marked with a “pinned” label.

[Epic Evolution Opportunity]!

Epic!

“Am I seeing this right?”

Vajra rubbed his eyes. “An opportunity to evolve an Outstanding Three-Star unit to Epic?”

It wasn’t that such Treasures were completely absent on the Alliance platform.

However, they usually came with restrictions. For example, evolution potions suitable for sub-Dragon species; burial pits for evolving ghost-type units; widely applicable but highly risky Bloodline implantation…

Vajra Lord had only heard of these but never seen them.

Such Treasures might exist, but as a One-Star Pioneer Lord, he didn’t have the qualification to exchange for them.

And now…

“Is this real?”

“Does this opportunity come from Tianyuan Lord?”

Based on common sense, Vajra Lord found it hard to believe, even though the Taixuan exchange platform was highly reliable and almost never featured fake items.

But if this opportunity came from Tianyuan Lord…

It wasn’t that he trusted Tianyuan.

Tianyuan was the commander, but after all, he was also a newcomer, a young man. What Vajra trusted was his own eyes.He had already witnessed the peerless fierce generals of Tianyuan Territory dominating the battlefield.

The Legendary Realm commanders were like gods and immortals—he couldn’t comprehend their level and dared not make presumptuous guesses. But Tianyuan Territory also had numerous Fourth Order commanders who were rising to prominence.

Grass Branch, who wielded grass as a sword;

Deng Long, who could transform into a giant dragon;

Zhou Yi, whose arrows never missed their mark;

Kibi, who turned blood into a cloak;

They possessed extraordinarily powerful strength that put many other experts of the same rank to shame.

Pioneer Lords like Vajra weren’t foolish—they had long speculated that these Tianyuan commanders were all Epic lifeforms, and even among Epics, they were exceptionally talented. Many were already certain that Deng Long was a Dragon Swordmaster and Zhou Yi was the Polar Star Arrow.

“Does Lord Tianyuan possess some kind of innate talent that can stimulate bloodlines and promote evolution?”

“Many of the top-tier existences standing at the pinnacle of the Alliance more or less master some methods related to evolution. In fact, those who lack such capabilities cannot reach the absolute peak.”

The Cold Moon City Lord could train high-tier troops like ‘Moon Sword Immortals,’ while simultaneously using certain methods to enhance and purify their bloodlines, elevating them to Epic status.

Within Grand Duke Beiting’s territory, legend spoke of a miraculous Bloodline Tempering Pool where high-tier professionals could enter and, through repeated tempering, shed their mortal bodies and ascend to Epic rank.

The Xixiang City Lord possessed a set of bloodline battle formations. Commanders who regularly used these formations could advance further, even achieving Epic status.

The Nirvana Secret Realm, one of Taixuan’s famous secret realms, was guarded by a mysterious existence who wielded great power and had cultivated and brought forth one Epic after another.

Counting them all, there were actually quite a few places and methods within the Alliance capable of nurturing Epic lifeforms.

It’s just that these methods had nothing to do with ordinary lords like them.

But now,

“Lord Tianyuan has actually produced evolution methods and listed them as incentive treasures in the warzone’s exchange items?”

“Such evolution not only comes at great cost but also requires enormous time and effort. How could Lord Tianyuan be willing to part with it?”

Contribution Points were precious, but Epic lifeforms were supreme treasures that couldn’t even be bought with Contribution Points.

Putting himself in Tianyuan’s position, Vajra Lord knew he wouldn’t be willing to make such sacrifices.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly understood, “Lord Tianyuan… Commander Tianyuan has sacrificed too much for the entire Shattered Isle Warzone!”

…

“I’ve really sacrificed too much”

Lord Mu sighed with emotion.

He had actually wanted to try using the Hand of Evolution for a long time, but previously, neither his status nor his power were quite suitable.

Now, at least evolving a few Epic lifeforms wouldn’t seem too exaggerated.

Even if he didn’t reveal this capability, outsiders could more or less guess that he possessed some methods for evolutionary cultivation and combat enhancement.

“The real question now is how many powerful experts will be attracted by this ‘evolution opportunity’ exchange, and what level should I control the evolutionary miracles at.”

Shortly after the treasure exchange list was updated, Mu Yuan received calls from many acquaintances.

Tyrant Dragon Lord said, “Brother, Brother Yuan! Are dragon-type troops within the eligible range? Can I reserve a cultivation slot for Crimson Dragonkin? Never mind, never mind, I’ll immediately bring all the elites from my territory over and work hard to earn a huge amount.”Azure Mountain Lord inquired, “Can your cultivation methods be applied to epic lifeforms? For instance, helping an epic lifeform advance further?”

Mu Yuan pondered briefly.

Azure Mountain Lord continued, “I’m willing to pay ten times the price, though I understand the difficulties involved. If it’s truly impossible, just consider my question unasked.”

“But regarding these cultivation slots you’ve listed—shouldn’t there be some restrictions? We can’t let wealthy lords with abundant Contribution Points claim all five slots. That would contradict your original intention of strengthening the warzone’s forces through this effort.”

This was something Mu Yuan had already considered.

“No need to worry. I’ve implemented a restriction where each territory can only redeem one slot. Additionally, aside from the first redeemer, any subsequent lords wishing to claim a slot must not only have sufficient Contribution Points but also ensure that over half of those points were earned in the Shattered Isle Warzone.”

“As for your question about advancing epic lifeforms further…”

He hesitated, his expression uncertain, as if grappling with unspeakable difficulties.

After a long pause, he finally said, “I can only say it’s possible. However, cultivating a two-star epic lifeform requires exponentially greater effort and cost compared to ordinary epics.”

“Understood, understood.”

Azure Mountain Lord replied.

Such methods were inherently heaven-defying, akin to divining the heavens—carrying immense costs that could even shorten one’s lifespan or prove fatal.

The fact that Tianyuan Lord had offered five cultivation slots indicated he would need to devote tremendous energy to this endeavor for a long time to come.

He had already sacrificed too much and certainly couldn’t spare additional time or effort.

But…

The fact that Tianyuan hadn’t outright refused meant he possessed the capability to achieve this goal—it was merely a matter of the prohibitive cost involved.

Now the question became: Could Azure Mountain Lord offer something valuable enough to persuade Tianyuan?

He was still pondering this when he departed.

At his current stage, however, he couldn’t afford it.

Being relatively young, he had invested most of his resources into training troops and commanders, leaving him with limited reserves.

Even Tyrant Dragon Lord, who already had a Legendary Realm general, faced similar financial constraints.

They simply couldn’t gather enough Contribution Points.

Many lords remained watchful.

Mu Yuan received the news the next morning: a Pioneer Lord had spent a fortune to redeem one of the cultivation evolution opportunities he had listed.

Vajra Lord.

A veteran Pioneer Lord who, despite being only Fourth Order, had fought in multiple warzones for years.

“I am Vajra. Commander, you can call me Little Jin or Little Gang.”

The three-meter-tall Vajra Lord stood before Mu Yuan, wearing an embarrassed smile.

Mu Yuan: “…”

He said, “Lord Vajra, let’s get straight to the point. I believe you’re eager to begin.”

After a pause, he added, “I’ll need to conduct a specific assessment to confirm whether your target individual meets the requirements. As for Contribution Point payment and guarantees, that will be handled by official Pioneer Group personnel. Is that acceptable?”

“No problem, no problem.”

Vajra Lord replied in his rumbling voice.

He waved behind him, and a tower-like figure even more imposing than Vajra Lord came striding forward.

The ground seemed to tremble.Mu Yuan examined the burly man who wore no armor, his mostly exposed body appearing as if cast from steel.

“This is the Outstanding Three-Star soldier type, Vajra Warrior, correct?”

“Yes, yes! Can you cultivate him?”

The Vajra Lord was unusually tense.

He hadn’t been this nervous even when he obtained slots for the Dragon Court Land to recruit soldiers there.

After all, back then he only had two slots and hadn’t expected to recruit epic-tier beings—his goal was merely powerful high-tier draconic soldiers.

Now, this directly determined whether he would have one or not.

If successful, his general would have the potential to become legendary.

When that time came, he too would be a Legendary Lord, and wouldn’t acquiring contributions and merits be ten times easier than now? Even bankrupting himself would be worth it!

“This Vajra Warrior… can be cultivated!”

After observing and contemplating for over ten seconds, Mu Yuan finally spoke.

He continued, “I’ll use special abilities and some treasures to stimulate and purify your Vajra Warrior’s potential. The entire cultivation process will last about one to two days. During this time, keep your Vajra Warrior in a state similar to his usual secluded cultivation and have him cooperate with me.”

Like Duke Beiting’s Bloodline Tempering Pool, which could fully temper bloodlines in just two to three days.

Or like the legends of the Nirvana Secret Realm, where creating an epic-tier being could be done in just a few hours—but creating too many epic beings would damage one’s Origin power. After Deadbone advanced to legendary tier, he only cultivated a few undead dragons.

One to two days seemed appropriate.

Any longer would cause delays.

If instantly completing evolution wasn’t so absurd and unrealistic, he wouldn’t even want to drag it out this long.

It was just evolving an ordinary epic-tier being, after all.

Soon, with official notarization, Mu Yuan signed a contract with the Vajra Lord. The Vajra Lord transferred a total of 1,000,000 Contribution Points to the official account.

Mu Yuan brought the Vajra Lord and his warrior to the newly established Outstanding-tier Miracle Building ‘Breakthrough Dojo’ in Red Mountain City.

This was naturally invested and built by the Pioneer Group.

While the Shattered Isle Warzone couldn’t compare to older warzones—this was an objective fact—it couldn’t lack basic cultivation and recovery buildings.

The Breakthrough Dojo was one of them.

Mu Yuan’s evolution service contained almost no padding.

It included the evolution ritual array that Isloria… no, Tianyuan City had repeatedly tested and refined, some auxiliary materials, and his Hand of Evolution.

Several Starlight Scholars stationed in Red Mountain City quickly prepared the venue.

Such an esoteric, impressively complex evolution site made bystanders feel they were getting their money’s worth.

Evolution truly wasn’t easy.

The Tianyuan Lord had sacrificed too much.

…

After the Vajra Lord departed, Mu Yuan had the Vajra Warrior step onto the evolution platform.

Under the combined effects of the platform, Miracle Building, and auxiliary treasures, the Vajra Warrior soon entered an immersive cultivation state.

Intricate light patterns spread across the platform, forming a barrier that enclosed the Vajra Warrior.

Mu Yuan approached.

His palm shimmered with the miraculous power of evolution.

He frowned slightly.

“As expected, evolving others’ soldiers is far more difficult than evolving my own.”

When evolving his own soldiers, he only needed a thought, manipulating evolutionary power as naturally as instinct.

But now, he had to manually control the evolutionary energy, extending it precisely toward the Vajra Warrior not far away.The power of evolution inevitably dissipated continuously as it scattered.

It was as if the Vajra Warrior before him wasn’t a suitable target for evolution. Mu Yuan was merely enveloping the area with the power of evolutionary miracle.

Not only did this process consume several times, even over ten times more energy, but the evolution time was also significantly longer than under normal circumstances.

A full…

Half an hour!

This was too long, but Mu Yuan still needed to slack off for a while.

After scattering the evolution power, he noticed the Vajra Warrior had already undergone slight changes.

It seemed he could output power ‘multiple times’ in ‘short durations’.

Mu Yuan noted down the experience and, after releasing a few more strands of miracle power, left the Breakthrough Dojo.

Of course, he couldn’t stay here forever.

…

“Step~!”

Passing through the starlit gate, Mu Yuan stepped onto solid ground.

Here, numerous Watchtowers and Arrow Towers stood tall, including many Advanced Watchtowers.

This was the western edge of the Ten Directions Island Region, adjacent to the passage to the Shattered Isle Region, and also part of the Shattered Isle Warzone. Naturally, it wasn’t lacking in Advanced Watchtowers and other necessary defensive structures.

The surprise attack was planned to launch in three days, with strong reinforcements already on their way.

However, Mu Yuan still needed more power.

「Evolution Power: 1.55M」

He could still evolve one more Legendary.

The surprise attack was only the beginning. After establishing their foothold in the Shattered Isle Region, how to defend it was also a concern for him as the commander.

So then…

…

“This should bring it to the critical point, ready for evolution.

“All in all, the evolution power consumed is about 45,000. I’ve indeed sacrificed too much.

“Isloria, you must use our newly acquired Contribution Points wisely.”

“Already planning it,” Isloria said helplessly. “This sum is substantial, but our territory’s expenses are even greater. If we use these Contribution Points to purchase Legendary Realm breakthrough Treasures, and only the main materials at that, we can only buy about twenty-something sets.”

If buying complete packages, even fewer could be acquired.

These Contribution Points were both plentiful and scarce.

She felt melancholic.

“I’m already conducting research on reducing breakthrough costs, but before I produce results, many will likely face Legendary breakthroughs. You can’t have our territory’s Elites take risks during breakthroughs, Lord. We must spend when necessary, and we need to prepare for this expense.”

Isloria had many considerations, but Lord Mu only needed to focus on evolution.

At this moment.

In Red Mountain City, the Vajra City Lord, who had just finished his shift and was resting, came to the street outside the Breakthrough Dojo. He glanced from afar, paced back and forth, glanced again, and continued pacing.

Even though only a single day had passed since he sent the Vajra Warrior for cultivation.

It felt as if countless days and nights had gone by, unbearably long.

“Will it succeed?”

“Tianyuan Lord said there’s a certain failure probability. I wouldn’t be so unlucky to encounter it, would I?”

“Will it succeed…”

He murmured.

Suddenly, a heavenly prompt sound “dinged” in the Vajra Lord’s ears.

An important message popped up.

「Your Hero ‘A Li’ has obtained a special Opportunity. His Bloodline has been refined and he has been promoted to an Epic lifeform.」

The Vajra Lord wept with joy.

He cried and laughed uncontrollably on the street, like a child over three meters tall.This swept through like a hurricane, engulfing the entire city, the entire dusk, the entire Taixuan.

“Have you heard? As long as you serve in the Shattered Isle Warzone and accumulate merit by slaying monsters, you’ll have a chance to obtain an epic Opportunity.”

“Brothers, we must consider whether this is the only chance of our lifetime.”

…

In Red Mountain City, Rain Dust Lord sat with her legs crossed, her mouth slightly agape.

“I had already thought that with Tianyuan’s status and potential, he wouldn’t peddle some scam—yet I stubbornly refused to believe it! I clearly had ample Contribution Points, I clearly could have secured this spot!”

“How foolish I was, truly foolish!”

(End of Chapter)