Chapter 34: Tank Infantry

Explained several times,

After confirming Jiang Ding understood most of it and had him record using the built-in microcomputer in his camouflage combat suit, Zhang Ding left.

He was needed by the Qi Refining squad.

After answering questions, Jiang Ding suddenly grasped the Lesser Concealment Art, instinctively channeling qi through his meridians to form intricate structures.

It flowed perfectly, with no sudden collapse of any spell structure.

Jiang Ding’s mind stirred; he controlled the military drone built into his camouflage suit, projecting its viewpoint onto himself.

Nothing found.

He searched everywhere—he could see Li Junhao, Sun Xiao, and others; even magnified, he could spot freckles on their faces—but not a single person named Jiang Ding.

Training paper dummies, mass-produced by the cultivation industry, had no offensive power but could simulate the speed and movements of various enemies, costing dozens of times more than standard targets.

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“(214, 22) sector, volley fire.”

Training with early-stage Qi Refining cultivators and late-stage Qi Refining cultivators are vastly different.

Boom~ Boom-boom~ From the horizon came the heavy roar of tank engines; a swarm of mustard-colored, camouflaged steel fortresses advanced from afar—over a dozen, charging in formation, with a crushing, overwhelming momentum.

Next, enemy types changed continuously, growing stronger.

“So strong?”

The tank moved off; Sun Xiao and six classmates followed behind, marching in perfect parallel alignment, a standard military formation.

Another sheet of paper representing a defensive artifact fluttered through the air, barely deflecting a bullet headed for him—he barely survived, and the defensive artifact instantly broke.

Jiang Ding frowned.

“First squad, you follow Hua Bing’s tank.”

Zhang Ding pointed.

The paper dummy representing a Qi Refining cultivator shattered instantly—early-to-mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators’ shields were thinner than paper against a heavy machine gun.

A top-grade special artifact, woven and inscribed with a first-tier Concealment Array, must be used in tandem with the Lesser Concealment Art; when cultivated to minor mastery, it can obscure detection by the spiritual sense of a Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivator and partially mask scans from the tank’s built-in first-tier infantry radar.

Of course, only against mortals.

Someone complained on the public channel: “Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators aren’t this alert—they only have a spiritual sense range of thirty to forty meters, which doesn’t help at all.”

He didn’t know how long it had been.

Carefully experiencing the Lesser Concealment Art enhanced by reconnaissance camouflage, insights flooded his mind; many spell structures he’d previously found obscure and hard to grasp suddenly became clear through comparison.

Jiang Ding sent a command; the military drone repeatedly scanned the small area with micro-radar waves, and after a full minute, a faint humanoid silhouette appeared at a firing position.

!.

A group of paper dummies radiating pure martial qi moved slowly but in great numbers, wielding cold weapons—swords, spears, halberds, bows—and surrounded from all sides.

Bang! Bang!

“Just remember one thing: outsiders have nothing to do with us. Whether it’s enemies on the battlefield or civilians blocking your path—kill them all.”

“Six accompanying infantry, responsible for using heavy machine gun firenets to disrupt formations, eliminate hostile martial artists and low-level cultivators with poor mobility, and assist the tank in eliminating high-value targets with firenets, or use firenets to drain the spiritual power of ultra-high-value targets.”

He noticed Hua Bing, seated cross-legged atop the tank, made a hand seal; threads of pale blue wind appeared around Sun Xiao and the others, instantly making their steps lighter.

At present, within a cultivator’s spiritual sense range, under the combined use of the sect’s spirit-particle radar and the Electromagnetic Sensory Wave Art, this invisibility made no practical difference.

Sun Xiao’s six men spread out, forming two small triangular formations on the flanks and rear, each spaced twenty meters apart.

Zhang Ding said coldly: “Outsider cultivators have an immense gap between mortal and immortal ranks—‘ Louyi ’ is too gentle a term. Both orthodox and demonic sects have examples of forcing large numbers of mortal martial artists into service, even extending to the elderly, weak, women, and children, whom they crudely mass-produce into zombies and wraiths to drain our ammunition reserves.”

“Not necessarily. According to battlefield footage, mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators with this kind of instinctive survival warning still occasionally appear.” He looked closer—each tank’s hatch had a Qi Refining-class classmate seated cross-legged atop it.

Jiang Ding and the observing students no longer relied on their eyes; they focused on their military drones’ viewpoints. At four to five kilometers, twelve paper dummies suddenly emerged from the ground, hiding among trees and grass, moving cautiously and perfectly mimicking a mid-stage outsider Qi Refining cultivator leading eleven early-stage cultivators in battle.

“Yes!”

The suit he wore was no ordinary infantry camouflage—it was terrifying when combined with the Lesser Concealment Art.

“The scenario is exaggerated,”

Instantly, the drone’s view was drowned in sixty rounds of heavy machine gun bullets with faint anti-artifact properties; trees cracked and splintered, wood chips flying everywhere.

The paper dummies moved away faster.

Jiang Ding and the others watched intently.

【Recon Soldier-1 Camouflage】

Jiang Ding did not join the discussion; he watched the paper dummy with intense focus.

Only the mid-stage Qi Refining dummy, alert from the start, dodged most of the bullets.

First-tier Wind Rush Art, group formation enhancement.

Jiang Ding had a sudden insight.

“Yes!”

“Good.”

“This point also needs attention.”

The crowd couldn’t help cheering.

This masterful display of group spellcasting revealed her exceptional casting skill—even outsider sect Golden Core Dichuan disciples might not achieve this.

“Good!”

Sun Xiao and the others fired without hesitation, ten rounds in rapid succession.

Hua Bing’s cold voice echoed through the First Squad’s communication channel; Jiang Ding and the others could hear it but could not reply—it was for observation and learning only.

Two bursts of high-angle/low-angle vehicle-mounted artillery fire rang out—rapid, precise bursts—perfectly blocking the mid-stage paper dummy’s path; all rounds hit, reducing it to scattered paper shreds.

“Battle formation!” Zhang Ding shouted.

Many students looked pained.

Sun Xiao and the others shouted back, faces tinged with excitement.

Zhang Ding also praised on the public channel: “Qi Refining students possess spiritual sense; their calculation and observation abilities far surpass ordinary students. You must use them—to predict gaps in the squad’s firenet, anticipate where enemies might flee, etc.”

Zhang Ding jumped down from a tank and clapped his hands: “Today’s lesson is on tanks and accompanying infantry. The tank’s role is cover, fire support, and pinpoint elimination.”

Jiang Ding paused, then understood the reason.

“All assemble.”

A cultivator who could achieve this level of setup was, without question, an elite.

In those words, he heard bloodshed as vast as mountains and seas.

But he couldn’t say anything—Zhang Ding’s statement violated the sect’s political correctness of unity between mortals and cultivators. If reported, he’d face trouble too; yet it was done with good intent.

Hua Bing’s squad advanced, overcoming every obstacle.

A twelve-man squad of mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators appeared—most could use invisibility and earth-digging spells—but Hua Bing easily detected them with the tank’s first-tier spirit-particle radar, then obliterated them with tank shells and concentrated fire from anti-air artillery and heavy machine guns.

(End of Chapter)