[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-15":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289313,4477,"Chapter 15: The Barbarian","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-15",15,"\u003Cp>The giant snakes on the four pillars simultaneously opened their mouths, spewing forth clouds of mist so faint it was nearly transparent; all the candidates’ awareness blurred, and when they regained clarity, they found themselves in a lush valley, surrounded by rolling hills and scattered patches of dense woodland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where Wei Yuan stood was near the foot of a hill, with open terrain ahead but noticeable undulations. Behind him rose a small hill about twenty zhang high—tall for this small realm—and it was the highest point in the immediate area. Military texts said this was a place every general must contest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan did not hesitate; he immediately sprinted up the hill to survey the surroundings. As he ran, a flash of light swept over him, and his original clothes transformed into a dark yellow training suit. At the summit, within his line of sight, he could still see dozens of other candidates, each separated by dozens of zhang—clearly, after entering the illusion, all candidates had been scattered randomly, appearing wherever the illusion chose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All candidates’ clothing came in two colors: either sky-blue or dark yellow, dividing them into teams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, several candidates were clad in armor, each of different styles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Wei Yuan’s eyes appeared a phantom treasure chest; one side held several sets of armor of varying designs, the other held various weapons. The armor and weapons looked no larger than a palm, but whenever Wei Yuan reached out to take one, it instantly became real, automatically fitting onto his body. On the lid of the chest were compartments, one holding a single elixir—this elixir replenished stamina and healed minor wounds, and when to use it was entirely up to the candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Wei Yuan could choose his gear, he saw twin pillars of light erupting to the north and south. Beneath each pillar stood a small hill—these were the two key positions each team must defend. If the enemy captured and held either position, that team would be declared defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With teams designated and key positions revealed, the candidates immediately moved; candidates in different colored garments began converging toward their respective key positions. Under the northern red pillar gathered only sky-blue-clad disciples; under the southern golden pillar, only dark-yellow-clad candidates. When candidates from opposing sides met en route, they typically exchanged cold glances, then passed without fighting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan watched for a moment and understood: this was exactly what Li Zhi had meant by “gathering the masses.” Li Zhi had selected his men before the martial test, organized them into a unit, and upon entering the illusion, immediately marched toward the southern key position to form a battle array and win by military discipline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Zhi was not the only capable one; the northern opponent was just as formidable, and even gathered more candidates—though no one knew how many spies from the opposing side lurked within each team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, both main forces completed their assembly, yet dozens of scattered candidates remained in the center of the arena, each looking bewildered. These were clearly like Wei Yuan—abandoned by both sides. Some quick-witted ones finally realized their situation and hurried toward the team matching their clothing color; most, however, still stood dumbly in the center, clueless what to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan did not immediately choose his armor or weapon; he intended to observe what both sides planned to do before deciding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This small hill was among the tallest in the vicinity, granting excellent visibility over most of the battlefield—only the main camps to the north and south remained obscured. Within this realm, human sight was limited; to see the enemy’s main camp deployment, one had to cross the central zone—clearly an intentional design of the illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hill Wei Yuan stood on lay at the western edge of the illusion; behind it stretched a dense forest, within which a glowing curtain rose—that was the illusion’s boundary. The north and south were dotted with rolling terrain, but in the flat central region stood a small elevated rise, several zhang higher than its surroundings—a position equally vital to contest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, ten or so candidates surged forth from each side, clad in light armor, agile and swift, spreading out in a fan formation as they advanced toward each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan watched from afar and confirmed what he had learned in military strategy: “These are scouts. Of course—both sides must first ascertain the terrain and enemy deployment before setting their strategy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When scouts from opposing sides met, they carefully sidestepped each other without direct combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rules of the martial test were vague, but one point was certain: the longer you survived, the higher your evaluation; if you died at the very start, anyone with half a brain knew their score would be abysmal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Wei Yuan observed the movements of both sides, a swift sky-blue figure dashed up the hill like a galloping horse. The sky-blue disciple was slight of build, clad in leather armor, wielding a long sword, and glaring at Wei Yuan with fierce intent. Clearly, seeing Wei Yuan unarmed and unarmored, he had decided to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan raised an eyebrow and watched the man calmly. He was still observing—but if someone came to die early, Wei Yuan had no objection to granting them that favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the man, seeing Wei Yuan stood a full head taller than himself, trembled inwardly and ultimately dared not strike. He shot Wei Yuan a venomous glare, then sprinted down the hill toward the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had the sky-blue candidate left than a dark-yellow-clad candidate climbed the hill. He too carried a long sword; upon seeing Wei Yuan’s clothing, he spoke politely: “Brother, if you haven’t joined a team yet, you should seek out Brother Li Zhi. With your bearing, you’d surely earn a place in his ranks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for Wei Yuan’s reply, he added, “Brother, take care,” and continued toward the north to scout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, four scouts from each side passed before Wei Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it—this hill was far too conspicuous; every scout passing nearby had to climb up and check. The sky-blue scouts naturally harbored murderous intent toward Wei Yuan; the dark-yellow ones weren’t much better. Yet upon seeing Wei Yuan’s size and build, both sides silently chose to ignore him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even counting the Red Tide Sect, the total recruitment slots amounted to only half the number of candidates; those like Wei Yuan, clearly without any team affiliation, were already eliminated before the test even began. Scouts, however, were still a position of sorts—ranked higher than common foot soldiers in the battle array—so each scout still believed he had a chance at selection and had no desire to waste time bickering with a commoner like Wei Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Wei Yuan felt he had observed enough. He summoned the equipment chest once more. Since the martial test began, Wei Yuan had seen over thirty candidates; nearly all carried a long sword. Zhang Sheng had once taught basic weapon knowledge, and his evaluation of the sword was: “The sword is the emperor’s weapon, elegant and dignified, but its symbolic weight outweighs its practical power. On a battlefield, anyone who uses a sword is an idiot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet clearly, most candidates favored the emperor’s weapon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Wei Yuan reached out and grasped a spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the spear left the chest, it instantly grew to twelve feet in length, its spearhead one and a half feet long, with two half-foot prongs extending from its junction with the shaft, forming a cross. The spearhead and shaft were forged as one, engraved with ancient, simple patterns—its material unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the spear entered his grip, Wei Yuan’s arm sank under its weight. The spear was extremely heavy—weighing dozens of jin; even with Wei Yuan’s physique, wielding it freely required at least six or seven tenths of his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1319,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e739d22f0ff9568b59e638d580d8b6ad94f8309cd18d76c0b5ff2e24c93012fc","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-16","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-14",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]