Chapter 82: Against-Tide Reserve Trainees (Third Update)

Emperor's Tomb Mountain Range.

The originally raging Black Tide began to contract its front lines, returning to a huddled state of nurturing evil spirits.

The appearance of the Iron Soul Warriors clearly caused a significant mental shock to the Earth-Will Evil Spirit, making him change his expansion strategy.

Yet the player legion had no intention of letting the Black Tide go, advancing toward the Abyss Domain node and other domain nodes.

At this moment, in the Blood-Red Plains region.

Suddenly, a pitch-black rift tore open in the sky, and a figure emerged from the spatial vortex.

The arriving figure was humanoid, bald, nearly three meters tall; covering its body was not skin, but a layer of scales glowing with a faint blue light, its appearance extremely domineering.

After descending into the Blood-Red Plains region, its gaze suddenly swept toward the southwest, and in a flash of movement, it vanished from the spot.

Several kilometers away.

Duan Xing chewed on Anger-Horn meat, holding a Spirit Ore in his hand, attempting to assemble a communication crystal.

But his clumsy technique failed several times in a row.

This attempt was no exception.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering, the Spirit Ore in Duan Xing's hand broke, its structure completely collapsing.

Looking at the crystal in his hand, Duan Xing couldn't help but sigh.

Just then, he suddenly sensed a strong energy fluctuation approaching.

He immediately placed his hand on the energy core connected to his heart on his left chest, preparing to enter combat mode.

But before he could turn the energy core, a burly figure appeared before him.

This made Duan Xing startle, but when he saw the figure of the arriver, the caution in his eyes turned to surprise, followed by a touch of shame.

"Elder You." Duan Xing stood up and said respectfully.

The burly man standing before him was the chief examiner responsible for this trial, and also the highest authority of the reserve legion he belonged to.

"Duan Xing, where is the Evil Crystal?"

Facing Elder You's inquiry, Duan Xing felt awkward; after taking a deep breath, he said with a Solemn tone:

"Elder You, my trial encountered an unexpected problem..."

Before Duan Xing could finish, the expressionless Elder You interrupted his explanation:

"I don't want to know the reason. I'm asking you, where is the Evil Crystal?"

"My trial failed."

"As the strongest newcomer of the new generation of the Tianfu Clan, the strongest seed of the reserves, you tell me your trial failed?"

"Yes, I failed." Facing Elder You, Duan Xing said respectfully.

"Not only did you fail, but obviously your shuttle is lost too."

"Yes." Duan Xing lowered his head, like a child admitting a mistake before his parents.

"If it weren't for my acquaintance with your Laozu Sect, I wouldn't have come to fetch you this time. Come back with me to prepare for the second assessment."

As Elder You spoke, he raised his right hand and placed it on Duan Xing's shoulder.

Realizing Elder You intended to take him back, Duan Xing immediately spoke:

"Elder You, wait."

Seeing Elder You look at him with a puzzled expression, Duan Xing began to explain his investigation findings after arriving in this area, focusing on the player faction, a power possessing mysterious abilities.

After listening to his account, a thoughtful expression appeared in Elder You's eyes:

"If the player faction truly has the potential you describe, we could try inviting them to join the Against-Tide Legion, but it would require using your Tianfu Clan's extra quota."

"Very well, use my Tianfu Clan's quota."

"You are the future of the Tianfu Clan; such a precious quota, and you give it away like this?"

"For the Against-Tide."

Seeing the determination in Duan Xing's eyes, a smile appeared at the corner of Elder You's mouth:

"I will wait here. Go select ten members of the player faction to join the first term of the reserve training camp. If they can prove their potential in the training camp, I will consider inviting this racial faction to join the Against-Tide."

"Thank you, Elder, for your trust. I will go immediately."

Hearing Elder You agree, Duan Xing nodded respectfully, then transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the distance.

Scanning continuously along the way.

Duan Xing's figure finally landed before a small player squad.

This ten-person player squad was none other than the Grind-Emperor Group players Duan Xing was relatively familiar with.

They were also the group with the fastest power growth speed among the player race in Duan Xing's eyes.

Seeing Duan Xing, Li Zheng and others who were hunting were startled first, then smiles they couldn't suppress burst forth on their faces.

"God of Wealth, you old sir are... coming empty-handed?" Chi Tu, who had wanted to greet, stopped halfway and thought to get to the point.

Veins throbbing on his forehead, Duan Xing forcibly suppressed the urge to punch the other to death and said in a calm tone:

"Do you remember me telling you before about joining the Against-Tide Legion?"

"I remember." Li Zheng, the leader, immediately nodded.

"I have ten invitation quotas in hand. I now formally invite you to join the first term of the reserve training camp of the Against-Tide Legion. Are you interested?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng was about to reply when a Challenger notification sounded in his mind:

【Challenger Notification: Special Mission "Against-Tide Warrior" triggered】

Mission Requirement: Join the Against-Tide Legion reserve test and pass the assessment.

Mission Reward: Distributed according to reserve assessment progress; completing the assessment will yield generous rewards.

At this moment, the mastermind behind the scenes learned through observation that Duan Xing intended to recruit Li Zheng and other players into the Reverse Tide Legion.

Qi Sheng decisively released the quest before Li Zheng could give a clear answer.

The reason for doing so was precisely to use the grind-heavy player group to investigate the Reverse Tide Legion and probe the true nature of this faction.

Being on the same Pale Continent, whether the Reverse Tide Legion was an enemy or a friend was extremely important in his eyes.

This would determine the direction of his future strategies.

Li Zheng and others, having received the quest notification, did not disappoint him; amidst Duan Xing's puzzled expression, they suddenly and strongly declared their desire to join the Reverse Tide Legion.

This was completely different from their perfunctory attitude during previous exchanges.

Facing the strange and erratic thought processes of the Player Race members, Duan Xing, who had already prepared his speech, was caught off guard.

However, regarding the Player Race members' agreement, Duan Xing was also deeply delighted in his heart.

Through days of observation, he saw the Player Race possessed immense growth potential; if their performance could be approved by those above, the Reverse Tide Legion would gain a new faction with boundless potential.

"Let us depart now." Saying this, Duan Xing's figure slowly hovered in the air.

"Where are we going? We cannot fly; can we just walk there?"

Duan Xing:...

Several minutes later, Elder You followed Duan Xing to Li Zheng and the others, raised his hand and waved; instantly, an invisible force enveloped Li Zheng and the group, carrying them flying toward a swirling spatial black hole in the distant sky.

During the journey, Li Zheng and the others communicated via voice channel about the destination of this trip.

When the conversation turned to how to explain the issue of logging off and returning to reality after entering the Reserve Training Camp, the Guide's voice suddenly interjected:

Guide: It can be explained. Your bodies are drawn by the power of the Clan Land; you will be teleported back to the Clan Land at certain specific times, and then re-teleported back at some unknown time node.

Game Grinders: Is it really okay to explain it like that?

Guide: It is fine. They cannot find any flaws, nor can they prove it by any means.

Killing Intent Stirs: Then let's explain it that way; I'll give a heads-up beforehand.

Amidst the casual chat, the grind-heavy player group followed Elder You through a five-colored spatial tunnel.

The scene presented before their eyes was Like a Fairyland.

Falling snow nearly obscured their vision; in the distance stood towering, majestic white snow mountains, and at the foot of the mountains, a small city could faintly be seen.

A biting cold wind howled in their ears; the blurred city silhouette gradually became clear as their view drew closer, with the staggered buildings forming a sharp contrast against the snow mountains encircling the city.

At the city's edge, a crystal-clear river winding its way could be seen; it remained unfrozen despite the severe cold of the snow valley, with light water vapor constantly rising from its surface, intertwining with the snowflakes and blurring the boundary between Heaven and Earth Realm.

Looking up at the sky.

Li Zheng was surprised to discover that a golden sun floated in the sky here, rather than the Evil Moon outside.

This proved that this area had not yet been occupied by the terrifying Black Tide.

The view suddenly dropped at this moment, flying toward the small city.

Before their figures even landed, several streaks of light rushed toward them from all directions of the city.

"Elder You."

The instant they landed, several figures respectfully greeted Elder You.

Elder You nodded in acknowledgment at this moment, then looked at Duan Xing beside him:

"Familiarize them with this place, then return with me to Black Valley; they will stay here to undergo training."

"Yes."

Duan Xing respectfully nodded, then led Li Zheng and the others toward a corner of the city.

Along the way, Duan Xing introduced the origin of this city.

The city is named Snow Valley; it is one of the Phase One training camps for the new generation warriors of the Reverse Tide Legion; there are 500 other similar Phase One training camps.

Only warriors who pass the Phase One training assessment here are qualified to enter the Phase Two training camp.

The training for Reserve Warriors is divided into five phases; only Reserve Warriors who pass all assessments and complete the trial missions are qualified to officially become warriors of the Reverse Tide Legion.

Listening to Duan Xing's introduction, Li Zheng and the others curiously surveyed the surrounding environment.

The architectural style here was completely different from that on Earth; its most prominent feature was its grand scale and majestic appearance, lacking streamlined aesthetics, consisting entirely of vertical lines, and using black stone as the building material.

Solemn, heavy, and simple—these were Li Zheng and the others' most direct impressions of the buildings in the city.

After an hour of travel, they followed Duan Xing to a black-painted bungalow; Duan Xing turned around at this moment:

"You will live here from now on; specific training requirements will be taught by dedicated instructors... but before leaving, I must warn you of several necessary conditions for survival here."

"First, the training camp recruits a batch of trainees every 15 days; they are all new-generation elites selected from various races. To stand out, you must work hard enough to complete all tasks assigned by the combat instructors; otherwise, you will be eliminated during the training period."

"Second, when interacting with new-generation members of other races, do not show any weakness; you must be more fierce and warlike than them. This place advocates survival of the fittest and encourages trainees to compete with each other, so the weak will inevitably suffer bullying. This is the unchanging law of the training camp; even if you are not a match, you must bravely fight, at least to show the combat instructors your courage, not cowardly retreat."

"Finally, hold your bottom line. Although the training camp encourages trainees to compete and fight, lives must never be lost; the consequences of violating taboos are extremely severe."

"In the training camp, you are competitors, but someday in the future, you will be comrades fighting together on the battlefield."

Having spoken, Duan Xing reached out and patted Li Zheng's shoulder:

"I believe you can pass the training; I will be waiting for you in the Reverse Tide Legion."

As the words fell, Duan Xing transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the direction where Elder You was located.

After Li Zheng and the others exchanged glances, they entered the room one after another.

Inside the bungalow were ten wooden beds and a wooden storage cabinet; nothing else was present.

During the waiting process, Li Zheng summoned the forum interface and posted a thread.

In the thread, he described how he triggered the quest and arrived at the Reverse Tide Legion.

Upon learning this news, players eagerly requested Li Zheng to start streaming, hoping to understand the situation of the Reverse Tide Legion through his perspective.

Li Zheng did not disappoint the forum players either; he decisively activated the streaming mode, thinking there might be extra donation revenue.

Time passed while waiting.

An hour passed.

A figure entered the room.

The arriving figure stood nearly two meters tall, possessed a humanoid body structure, and had muscles as rough and angular as rocks.

Its most prominent feature was a string of energy beads embedded in its neck, flashing intermittently in rhythm with its breathing.

Analysis information floated into view.

【Instructor Kuang Sha (Backflow Legion)】:

Hunting Rank: 97

Target Introduction: An outstanding warrior of the Nine-Ring Clan, a "Spear"-rank warrior of the Backflow Legion, currently serving at Backflow Legion Training Camp No. 323 as the Chief Combat Instructor, responsible for training new-generation reserve cadets of all clans.

Instructor Kuang Sha's Hunting Rank commanded Li Zheng and the others' deep respect.

They also realized just how powerful the Backflow Legion's foundation truly was.

God of Wealth was merely a reserve warrior, yet his strength level had already reached 53; the strength of a formal warrior like Instructor Kuang Sha was indeed even greater.

Scanning Li Zheng and the others with his gaze, Instructor Kuang Sha frowned slightly:

"I do not understand why Broken Star strongly recommended you to enter the Backflow Legion, but since you are here, all rules are set by me. From now on, you must execute my words unconditionally; even if I order you to die, you must do so without hesitation."

As he spoke, Instructor Kuang Sha raised his hand; the black bracelet on his wrist lit up, and a green information stone appeared in his hand.

"The next batch of test personnel will arrive tomorrow. I need to first understand and record your situations in detail, as well as relevant information about the clans behind you... Next, I ask, you answer." Having finished speaking, Instructor Kuang Sha pressed the information stone in his hand and began asking for detailed information from Li Zheng and the others.

During this, when he heard Li Zheng say that their bodies would be pulled by the alien homeland, causing unstable returns, Instructor Kuang Sha appeared very surprised, simply nodding to indicate:

"I will report your special circumstances. Continue with the following Q&A."

After recording all the information, Instructor Kuang Sha began introducing the rules here and the supporting facilities, including the cafeteria, training grounds, repair rooms, and so on.

Among them, he specifically mentioned the taboos Broken Star had spoken of.

Competition and brawling among new-generation members of all clans are permitted within the training camp; the repair room can treat any injury, and even limb loss has specialized training physicians for repair and treatment, but death during a fight is strictly forbidden. If a member of another clan is killed, the perpetrator will be executed immediately.

Listening to Instructor Kuang Sha's explanation, Li Zheng and the others were very cooperative, fearing that provoking the instructor would prevent subsequent missions from unfolding.

After finishing the introduction, Instructor Kuang Sha stated that new recruit training would begin tomorrow, told them to wait here for now, then turned and left.

Early the next morning.

Li Zheng and the others, still in deep sleep, were awakened by Instructor Kuang Sha's roar:

"Get up! Assemble at the training grounds!"

"Damn it, why are you roaring? Don't you have any manners..."

Sha Xin, who had voiced the complaint, had not finished speaking before Li Zheng and Chi Tu rushed in from both sides and firmly covered his mouth.

"Instructor, we'll be there immediately."

At that moment, Instructor Kuang Sha stomped his foot violently; instantly, an invisible air current struck Li Zheng and the others, sending them flying and smashing them against the wall:

"In three minutes, I want to see you at the training grounds."

Having spoken, he turned and left.

"Sha Xin, are you crazy? You almost got us killed."

Now awake, Sha Xin looked embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly:

"Brothers, I was wrong. My brain wasn't working after being woken up. Sorry, sorry."

After quickly tidying the messy room, they sprinted toward the training grounds at a hundred-meter dash speed.

As soon as they entered the grounds, they noticed dozens of figures had appeared on the field.

These newly arrived cadets all possessed humanoid body structures, but differed greatly in specific appearance.

There were burly cadets with heads resembling oxen and humanoid bodies.

There were cadets with four arms growing from their backs, their bodies covered in complex symbols.

There were cadets whose lower halves were entirely tentacles while their upper halves were indistinguishable from humans, and so on.

At this time, Instructor Kuang Sha, responsible for the Snow Valley Training Camp, stood before these cadets, waiting for the new recruits to assemble one by one.

Seeing this, Li Zheng and the others decisively moved to the rear of the line and stood firm.

While waiting, the sky continuously tore open spatial vortices, and new recruits joined the training camp under the leadership of their clan elders.

During this period, Li Zheng and the others curiously observed the nearby cadets, using Analysis to view their introduction information.

They discovered that the Hunting Ranks of this batch of new recruits were all above 30; their strength could only be considered bottom-tier.

Game Grinders: Brothers, God of Wealth said these cadets would bully us. Looking at their Hunting Ranks, it seems we can't beat them.

Sha Xin Moved: Damn, are we going to get beaten up crazily like the Explorers?

So Poor I Eat Dirt: Didn't God of Wealth say that even if we can't win, we must fight desperately? At least we can't lose in spirit, or we'll be despised by the instructor and other academies, making it even harder to survive here later.

Leopard Head Zero Recharge: Should we strike first and take the initiative to start a fight, making them think we're fierce and hard to bully?

Hearing Zero Recharge's suggestion, everyone turned their gaze toward him.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Just as Li Zheng and the others were preparing to voice their opinions on this idea, an alien cadet standing beside Li Zheng suddenly turned his head to look at them:

"Hey, which clan are you from? You look very weak."

The speaking cadet had four eyes, and the gaze directed at them was openly disdainful.

Focusing his gaze, identity analysis information appeared.

【Seeing Gui Tong】:

Hunting Rank: 41

Target analysis: An outstanding new-generation member of the Four-Pupil Clan, possessing powerful consciousness perception and mental manipulation abilities. The four pupils each harbor a different bloodline talent, divided into the Eye of Insight, the Eye of Illusion, the Eye of Elements, and the Eye of Resonance.

"Sss, the provoking bastard has a very high hunting level. What should we do, brothers?"

"Don't give him the time of day. If he dares to provoke, he thinks we're easy to bully. We definitely can't give him a good face, or he'll only get bolder."

"Bullying starting already? That's way too fast. The training hasn't even begun, and they're already ramping up the intensity for us."

Just then, Gui Tong spoke up again, interrupting the voice channel exchange between Li Zheng and the others:

"Hey, we're asking you a question. Which clan are you from? Why haven't we seen you before?"

Realizing the provokers had arrived, Li Zheng replied with a cold expression:

"You're asking me?"

"Yes, asking you and your companions. What clan are you?"

"I am sleep-deprived."

After Li Zheng gave his answer with a smile, Chi Tu and the others quickly followed suit:

"I am wage-deprived."

"I am battery-deprived."

"I am nutrition-deprived."

"I am Shou Shou Jili-deprived."

(End of this chapter)