Chapter 303: Update Direction: Earth-Will Troops (Requesting Monthly Votes)

A detailed interpretation and outlook on the Battle Array function; perhaps a new model of future warfare is about to begin.

Poster: Night Is Coming.

Content:

Before detailing the Battle Array system, we must first discuss how it differs from current warfare models.

Before the Battle Array system went online, I saw players complain about a problem on the forum more than once.

Why is there no damage immunity mechanism in the game?

Even teammates in party mode can be accidentally injured by their own brothers, meaning the larger the scale of the warfare mode, the higher the probability of friendly fire.

I will use the "Formation Warfare Mode" established by the God King as an example.

He divides players of different schools by array roles; during each state of war, actions require players within the array to synchronize execution as much as possible. This is done not only for high-efficiency advancement but also to avoid friendly fire.

The more chaotic it is, the higher the possibility of wartime friendly fire.

The newly launched Battle Array system solves this problem; members within one's own Battle Array can be regarded as a single entity.

The output method does not start from the individual but releases power to the Battle Array, which then fires it out.

Players within the Battle Array cannot be accidentally injured by their own teammates.

In the old warfare system, players were essentially fighting individually, merely unifying combat rhythm through command.

The Battle Array system truly integrates the power of all players, connecting Blood, Spiritual Power, and Willpower in three layers to explode with multiplied attribute effects.

The Main Battle Array can increase the amplification effect of fused attributes by adding members and raising the Battle Array level.

Here, a point must be raised regarding the difference between Player Battle Arrays and the Back Tide Battle Arrays.

The Back Tide Battle Array is like a martial art; one must increase proficiency to become a module embedded within the array.

The content to be learned during this process is very extensive.

Blood entanglement, Willpower balance, position shifting, energy resonance... Brothers who have watched the battle array tutorial videos in the Hardcore Streamer's live room on the forum surely know what I am talking about.

Simply put, the usage requirements for the Back Tide Battle Array are very high.

Many guilds and warbands have attempted to learn the Back Tide Battle Array; successful cases are extremely rare, while the vast majority have failed.

The larger the scale, the higher the training cost.

The time and energy costs required are not proportional to the amplification effects brought by the Battle Array.

If the guild wants to add new members in the future, the new members must learn the Battle Array system from scratch to integrate into your group.

Our player faction does not have the setting of the Back Tide Legion training camp mass-producing assembly-line elite warriors, so we are destined to be unable to adapt to this system.

The Battle Arrays of the Back Tide system are only suitable for small-scale groups of friends and family who have decided not to add new members in the future.

The Player Battle Array launched this time, compared to the Back Tide Battle Array, is more like a prop activated upon meeting conditions.

Squad leaders, team leaders, and guild masters only need to activate the Battle Array brand within their bodies; a spreading array diagram will appear beneath their feet with multiple circular nodes. Other players only need to stand on the nodes to activate the Battle Array.

Subsequent connections such as Blood entanglement and Willpower fusion will be automatically advanced by the Battle Array.

It can be called a one-click convenient mode, skipping all tedious steps.

Everyone can refer to the Automatic Cultivation system; while other living beings outside work hard to cultivate and absorb energy to gain growth, we players only need to spend Shou Shou Jili to one-click AFK cultivate.

The Battle Array system is the same; both are convenient modes.

Next is my detailed interpretation of the Battle Array system and selection suggestions.

The Battle Array currently opens three Main Arrays: the 10-99 person array, the 100-999 person array, and the 1000-9999 person array.

Every Battle Array can increase its strength by upgrading the "Battle Array Brand"; initial Battle Arrays are all Level 1.

In a fixed team, only one player needs to purchase the Battle Array, and other players can share the Battle Array effects.

But this portion of the expense is extremely expensive.

The lowest-level Asura Rush Array at Level 1 requires 100,000 Shou Shou Jili to purchase; every subsequent upgrade costs 50,000 (upgrades only increase the Battle Array's attribute bonuses and do not provide capacity for more players).

For the choice of Main Array, players only need to select based on their team's number of members.

The core of the Battle Array system is attributes, not the Main Array.

The Battle Array can activate corresponding attribute bonuses only by following the Painful Painful Minghun combination schemes in the encyclopedia.

This is like the bond system in early games; achieving bonds activates traits.

Within Battle Array attributes, there are two types: passive attributes and active attributes. As long as the number of Star Pulse Slots provided by players in the Battle Array is sufficient to accommodate them, Battle Array attributes can be stacked infinitely.

The more Battle Array attributes activated, the stronger the power the Battle Array provides.

However, given the limited total number of Star Pulse Slots, one must reasonably consider which Battle Array attributes to prioritize activating.

Here, I strongly recommend the passive Battle Array attribute: Rakshasa Wrathful Form (Ten-Person Array condition: Qi x10, Ink Flame x10, Force x10).

The Hundred-Person Array's name is: Ghost God Heavenly Calamity.

The Thousand-Person Array's name is: Yama Prison Lord.

After these three Battle Array attributes are activated, they can turn the Battle Array into a Battle Array Dharma Image covering all members, integrating offense and defense, comparable to the Bao Jun Fa Image in group mode.

Subsequent "Dharma Images" can also be upgraded, greatly increasing defense and output capabilities.

Finally, an introduction to the Battle Array control mode.

In the testing space, I controlled the Battle Array from the squad leader's perspective; other units within the Battle Array did not interfere with my control operation.

The conclusion of the preliminary test is that once the Battle Array is formed, the "Array Opener" is the controller, and other members are merely charging accessories.

However, adhering to a rigorous attitude, I asked the Guide and received a completely different answer.

The Guide stated that the NPCs in the testing space have no settings for emotions, willpower, or wisdom; they are equivalent to a blank slate. Even if they form an array with me, they will not bring me any bonuses other than attributes and Painful Painful Minghun.

But opening a Battle Array with other players is different.

Other players within the Battle Array can also participate in the Battle Array's control, but they do not handle local control; rather, they control as one fused with other players.

Real players integrated into the Battle Array contribute not only Blood strength and Spiritual Power strength but also emotions, combat experience, willpower, and even subconscious combat reflexes.

These factors intertwine within the Battle Array, forming not a mode of one person commanding plus n people supplying energy, but the fusion of all members' consciousness within the Battle Array framework, forming a temporary "hive mind."

You can understand it as: once the Battle Array activates, everyone together creates a new combat persona.

Players' battle will, anger, calmness, and other emotions influence one another, ultimately forming a unified "Battle Array Emotion."

For instance, when everyone's blood boils, the Battle Array consciousness also boils with blood.

Individual weak points in willpower are compensated by those with firm will; if every player forming the array has strong willpower, the Battle Array consciousness will possess extremely strong willpower.

Players skilled at tanking damage will instinctively influence the array's blocking tendency, while assassin-type players may make the Battle Array consciousness' offensive maneuvers more flexible.

This fusion is not dominated by any single player's will, but is the result of the Battle Array adjusting autonomously.

The Guide states that if Battle Array members collaborate long-term, they can cultivate a unique "Battle Array Persona."

For example, a guild full of reckless brutes will have their released Battle Array form an aggressive, reckless fighting style; outsiders joining afterward must adapt to this "personality."

However, the testing space cannot experience this cluster-persona consciousness; I can only interpret it using the explanation provided by the Guide.

Final summary:

The Battle Array is not one person carrying the team; it is the brothers and friends within the array jointly becoming another, stronger version of oneself.

When the Battle Array is fully activated, the one controlling the array is you, is your teammates, and is even that unique existence formed by "you" merging into one.

What can be confirmed is that the Battle Array system will change future war patterns.

A war legion of one hundred thousand can merge into ten "Ten-Thousand-Person Battle Array Bodies," condensing the scale.

Whether the future is dominated by the Battle Array system, or the Battle Array system paired with the existing Array system, remains to be seen through practical combat tests conducted by the guild masters of the major guilds.

I believe the Array mode will most likely not be eliminated.

The Battle Array mode, while active, continuously consumes everyone's blood and spiritual energy; it is suitable for short-term bursts and for dealing with powerful enemies. If the enemy lacks combat units so powerful that individual units on our side cannot break their defense, the Battle Array will not be activated as a trump card.

Thus, the guide interpretation for this update ends here. Class dismissed!

Comments section:

Emperor Those Years:

Brother Black Night's interpretation is good; additionally, I'll supplement some content you didn't mention.

First, the Battle Array mode is not only suitable for players with teams; lone wolf players can also use it.

But it is only suitable for lone wolf players following the control-flow path.

Controlled pets, as long as they have been washed by the Purification System, can also become part of the Battle Array and provide stat bonuses after the array is formed.

The drawback is that non-player lifeforms cannot provide Star Pulse Slots; lone wolf players can only play the Main Array mode, and the number of Star Pulse Slots makes it difficult to form Battle Array attributes.

Relying solely on stat bonuses is usable, but the strength cannot compare to other players.

With this hundred thousand Shou Shou Jili, it would be more appropriate to equip a Rune Resonance Weapon or buy a Jin Hua Dan to upgrade the Painful Painful Minghun level.

Second, the mutual fusion of emotions within the Battle Array system also has certain drawbacks. Suppose your team has a coward who resists fighting; it will drag down the "Battle Array Persona's" combat will. Other members are adding water to the pool, while the coward is pumping it out. Therefore, fixed teams forming a Battle Array must check their teammates' personalities first. If the entire group are cowards, one dare not imagine how beautiful the scene would be; cowards forming an array combine into a super-coward, hahaha.

Finally, borrowing this post to recommend a Battle Array attribute: Demonic Flame Soaring Heaven (Passive, Active). This Battle Array attribute has explosive strength in practical combat tests.

Failed Eel: The Battle Array system is quite fun. Our small group is already pooling money, planning to clear the warehouse materials, spend three hundred thousand to buy a Hundred-Person Battle Array, and test the hunting intensity of the Battle Array mode. The only issue is endurance while the Battle Array is active; it feels like one must drink potions to sustain after running the array for a while, so it is only suitable for use during bursts.

Walking into Deep Spring: I cannot imagine what the cluster consciousness after forming an array actually is. Is it similar to the control in the ancient film "Pacific Rim"? Memory sharing? Or simply fusing into a new persona, then completely splitting after fusion ends, bringing no influence to other players... I lean more toward the second hypothesis.

Data Person: God King, hurry up and buy a few Thousand-Person Arrays; each Thousand-Person Array can accommodate up to 9,999 players. How much combat power would that increase? It would surely rub the Di Nian Bullies into the ground. The newbie village battlefield will finally be broken; the good days of the Di Nian Bullies are over; they are doomed!

After Black Night Approaches published the interpretation post, it attracted more players to participate in the Battle Array mode experience.

And after publishing the post, Black Night Approaches also jumped the interface to the event page.

Along with the launch of the Battle Array function, a dungeon-clearing event also arrived.

In the event, players must use their customized Battle Arrays to challenge different battlefields; teammates remain NPCs on the training ground.

It is divided into three modes: Ten-Person Match, Hundred-Person Match, and Thousand-Person Match.

The interface displays stages for each mode, all modified and created based on historical battles of various races.

For example, the first stage is the human race's historical battle: Beacon Fire at Changban Slope.

The scene map is a narrow mountain valley path; broken military flags are planted on the steep cliffs on both sides; broken weapons and shields are scattered on the ground; thick smoke rises from burning supply carts in the distance; and in the background visuals, one can faintly hear war drums.

The players' task is to protect the supply wagons, cross the terrain, and break out of the encirclement.

The fourth stage is the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

The scene map is the plaza before the imperial palace gates; bloodstains are not yet dry on the white marble tiles; in the pouring rain, the eyes of the bronze lion statues on both sides of the palace gate glow red; the enemy consists of guard troops in formation. The players' task is to cut through the enemy defense line and break into the imperial palace.

Others include the Red Cliff Fire Array, Chi You's Blood Battle, Ragnarok, and so on.

The difficulty coefficient will continuously increase as the challenge layers rise.

Before the challenge begins, players can freely change the Battle Array's attribute combinations; each player has three resurrection chances.

On the challenge map, one can also view the attributes of the enemy troop types on each map.

For example, the spearmen on the first stage map all possess the Pierce attribute; part of the damage dealt acts directly on the players, ignoring defense mechanisms.

Besides individual ability, the reasonable combination of Battle Array attributes is also a key factor in clearing the stage.

With curiosity, Black Night Approaches clicked "Start" on the screen interface.

After a brief sensation of weightlessness, the darkness dissipated.

Before his eyes appeared scorched earth, broken flags, and broken halberds leaning askew...

In the distance, thick smoke rose, splitting the setting sun into shattered crimson light spots; on the nearby earthen slope, a broken flag bearing the character "Zhao" rustled loudly in the wind.

Suddenly, the sound of hooves rolled over the earth like muffled thunder.

Continuous iron cavalry emerged from the dust and smoke; the cold light of their lances merged into a silver wave, sweeping toward the last defensive line where he stood.

"Kill!"

Amidst the earth-shattering cries of slaughter, the ground trembled.

Seeing this, Black Night Approaches decisively formed an array with his nine NPCs, preparing to meet the fierce battle.

But this is the first stage; the difficulty must not be high.

The only problem is that one of the enemy army's attributes is: infinite respawn.

Only by breaking out can you succeed in clearing the stage; standing your ground will inevitably lead to defeat once your stamina is exhausted.

……

Meng Yuan Chu Altar.

Just as players were testing and debating the newly launched formation system.

Qi Sheng also began a new round of future development planning.

He invested massive Shou Shou Jili into building the formation system, and will continue to invest Shou Shou Jili to refine the Formation Attributes Catalog.

The current ten-man formation, hundred-man formation, and thousand-man formation are merely in the initial stage.

In the future, formations measured in millions will be the baseline requirement for mainstream warfare, as seen in the scale of formations activated during clashes between the Ni Chao San Qi Legion and the Hun Gui Clan.

When a formation collapses, a million lives perish.

Consuming millions of warriors in a single war is entirely normal.

In the future, besides upgrading the main formation structure, the "Formation Attributes" Catalog must also continuously expand, giving players more combinations of formation attributes.

To meet the demands of different types of warfare.

The player armies he envisions must have no weaknesses at any level—they must be as adaptable as the Hei Chao System, capable of fighting effectively in any environment.

Therefore, research investment into the formation system must continue, and as formation strength increases, resource expenditure will surge exponentially.

But with the recent launch of the Monster System and the Formation System, the Shou Shou Jili reserves are now low.

He plans to temporarily put formation system research on hold and shift focus to developing a new feature.

This time, he tasked Jiu Yin and Chaowei to research: the application of "Shi."

Forum players already have a preliminary understanding of "Shi."

During the Ni Chao San Qi Training Camp, Instructor Shi Shi Xiuluo gave a detailed explanation of what "Shi" is, and had trainees watch Commander Futo personally unleash Shi.

The related video once trended on the forum.

Yet players remain completely clueless about cultivating "Shi."

They only know it is a kind of aura similar to pressure, using intangible force to enhance one's attacks, and even shatter an opponent's mental defenses through intimidation.

Its strength is influenced by the warrior's inner emotions and will.

But cultivating "Shi" is extraordinarily difficult.

Because Shi is a third form of energy, existing between matter and spirit—also called emotional power.

Under normal circumstances, emotional power only manifests its effect within an individual's life form (for plausibility, I've crafted this section with strict rigor).

If explained through modern life science, every emotional fluctuation triggers violent hormonal surges within the body.

When angry, adrenaline spikes, granting muscles explosive power; when enduring extreme pain, endorphins release to raise the pain threshold and unlock potential.

These emotional powers are essentially torrents of bioelectrical signals, yet remain trapped within the flesh-and-blood cage of the individual, affecting only oneself and exerting no influence on the outside world.

Like a sealed generator, no matter how strong the electricity, it can only light bulbs connected to it, never bulbs outside.

But "Shi" can break through this constraint.

It allows an individual's emotions to influence reality.

Under Shi's influence, when a warrior's emotion reaches its extreme, his life's magnetic field resonates with cosmic energy, forming a "Shi Field."

Like a boulder dropped into still water, ripples spread—his anger, battle intent, fear… can all transform into tangible energy impacts, pressuring the opponent's spirit and even damaging physical matter.

Anger can burn like fire, scorching the enemy's body.

Killing intent can freeze like ice, paralyzing the enemy's mind.

Battle intent can rage like a storm, shattering the enemy's will…

These are the actual combat manifestations of Shi after it is generated, turning emotion into a weapon.

Theoretically, any emotion can be refined into Shi.

Even one's own cowardice, if sufficiently "powerful," can become a force that disturbs the opponent, causing them to lay down their weapons and weep in sorrow.

The hardest part of cultivating Shi is that false emotions are useless—only genuine extreme emotions can break through the constraints.

Purifying emotion is already a difficult task.

Moreover, extreme emotions harm the cultivator themselves.

Using anger-based Shi, the cultivator must endure the agony of surging rage.

Using killing-based Shi, the cultivator must endure the agony of rising killing intent…

During Shi cultivation, cultivators often teeter on the brink of collapse, falling into a state of demonic deviation due to extreme emotional swings.

This is a cultivation journey where the cultivator dances with madness.

To avoid going mad, the cultivator must possess a mind capable of bearing their own emotional power.

This is a power so advanced it is considered "high-end" even in the Monster World, and the most mundane form of power closest to rule-based power.

Fundamentally, it is weaving one's own realm centered on the self, attempting to rewrite and influence everything within that environment.

For example, when a powerful figure erupts in rage, his sword intent, wrapped in boundless fury, unleashes flames of wrath that wither all vegetation for ten thousand li.

At this moment, emotion becomes a materialized force—not merely a spiritual shock or pressure.

Ordinary emotions are scattered fireflies; those who fully master Shi can use consciousness as a guide to gather countless flames of emotion into a blazing inferno radiating in all directions.

A cultivator guided by compassion can condense a purifying light that cleanses corruption.

Driving Shi with killing intent can unleash a storm of blood and gore.

The ultimate Shi is to replace Heaven's will with one's own heart, using personal emotion to reshape heaven and earth.

But without absolute rule-based logic, Shi can only achieve theoretical control—it cannot truly rewrite everything within the range of its emitted emotion.

One thing is certain: mastering Shi's application will elevate players' strength to new heights.

This is also the direction Qi Sheng intends to explore next: transforming "Shi" from a complex cultivation process into a templated system.

Just as Qi Sheng was preparing to connect with the hyper-dimensional consciousness to inquire about the specific production plan for "Momentum," the feedback from the Guidance suddenly surfaced in his mind.

The next second, Qi Sheng's consciousness leaped to the Tianyuan Domain node in the Di Zha Mountain Range.

On the platform atop the Xie Yan Gao Ta, the Di Nian Evil Spirit stood suspended in mid-air, surrounded by surging black mist.

The black tide runes carved into the ground lit up one by one, their eerie blue spiritual light flickering like breathing.

The black mist gathered at the center of the Gao Ta platform, twisting and condensing into a human shape, its outline blurred, like a shadow that would scatter at the slightest breeze.

Accompanied by a low hum, the shadow gradually solidified; rough armor appeared, and sharp claws drew forth from the void.

The black mist continued to surge, the shadow's body becoming increasingly refined, with runes crawling up the shoulder armor like living creatures.

Finally, a pair of blood-red eyes snapped open; darkness spread outward like a tide, and a massive scythe pierced through the black mist to sweep across, instantly cleaving the air.

Qi Sheng's consciousness secretly observed this unfamiliar figure.

He had not expected that while the player system's battle formation system went online, the Di Nian Evil Spirit had also made new progress.

It had actually created a brand-new troop type with its own inherent rule-based power, outside the Black Tide system.

After the analysis swept over it, what surprised him was that this was actually a Black Tide system troop possessing self-awareness... more accurately speaking, a Di Nian system troop.

Because this troop type was not part of the Black Tide troop sequence.

It was self-developed and generated by the Di Nian Evil Spirit and the Evil Eye.

However, creating independent self-awareness for a living being was clearly beyond the Di Nian Evil Spirit's capabilities.

Even the Lord of Extreme Bliss, who could reach the Ban Shen Jing realm, could not achieve this; this was also the reason it chose to mass-produce Extreme Bliss players through recruitment.

Let alone the rule-based power attached within the troop's body.

Driven by curiosity, Qi Sheng had the Guidance replay a series of actions taken by the Di Nian Evil Spirit prior to this, as seen in the "surveillance footage."

He wanted to see exactly how this new troop type, possessing both self-awareness and rule-based enhancement, was created.

(End of this chapter)