Chapter 82: Nether Black Tide Reserve Trainee (Third Update)

Emperor Tomb Mountain Range.

The Black Black Tide, which had been rampaging, began to contract its battle lines, returning to its huddled state of nurturing evil spirits.

The appearance of the Iron Soul Warriors clearly dealt a significant mental shock to the Earth-Nian Evil Spirit, causing it to change its expansion strategy.

The player legions, however, had no intention of letting the Black Black Tide off the hook, advancing toward the Abyssal Domain Node and other domain nodes.

At this moment, in the region of the Blood-Colored Plain.

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

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

After descending upon the Blood-Colored Plain region, its gaze abruptly swept toward the southwest, and with a flicker of its form, it vanished from the spot.

Several kilometers away.

Duan Xing chewed on Angry Horn meat while holding a piece of spiritual ore in his hand, attempting to assemble a communication crystal stone.

But his clumsy technique resulted in failure after several attempts.

This attempt was no exception.

Accompanied by a crisp shattering sound, the spiritual ore in Duan Xing's hand broke apart, its structure completely collapsing.

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

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

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

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

This startled Duan Xing, but when he clearly saw the identity of the arrival, the caution in his eyes turned to surprise, followed by a hint of shame.

"Elder You," Duan Xing said, standing up respectfully.

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

"Duan Xing, where is the Evil Crystal?"

Facing Elder You's inquiry, Duan Xing felt embarrassed in his heart; after taking a deep breath, he spoke with a grave tone:

"Elder You, an unexpected problem occurred during my trial..."

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

"I do not wish to know the reason; I am asking you where the Evil Crystal is."

"My trial has failed."

"As the strongest newcomer of the new generation of the Heavenly Talisman Clan, the strongest seed of the reserves, you are telling me your trial failed?"

"Yes, I have failed," Duan Xing replied respectfully to Elder You.

"Not only did you fail, but clearly, you also lost your shuttle craft."

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

"If it were not for my friendship with your ancestor, I would not have come to retrieve you this time; follow me back to prepare for the secondary assessment."

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

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

"Elder You, wait."

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

After listening to his account, a trace of contemplation appeared in Elder You's eyes:

"If the Player Clan truly has as much potential as you say, we could try inviting them to join the Nether Black Tide Legion, but it will require using your Heavenly Talisman Clan's additional quota."

"Good, let us use my Heavenly Talisman Clan's quota."

"You are the future of the Heavenly Talisman Clan; such a precious quota, and you are giving it away just like that?"

"For the Nether Black Tide."

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

"I will wait for you here; go select ten members of the Player Clan to join the first phase training camp of the reserves. If they can prove their potential within the training camp, I will consider inviting this racial faction to join the Nether Black Tide."

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

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

Continuously scanning 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 whom Duan Xing was relatively familiar with.

They were also the batch within the Player Clan that Duan Xing viewed as having the fastest growth in strength.

Seeing Duan Xing, Li Zheng and the others, who were hunting, were first startled, but then smiles could not be suppressed from blooming on their faces.

"God of Wealth, honored elder, you have come... empty-handed?" Chi Tu, who had intended to greet him, stopped halfway through his sentence to get straight to the point.

Veins throbbed on his forehead; Duan Xing barely suppressed the urge to punch the other party to death, speaking in a calm tone:

"Do you remember what I previously told you about joining the Nether Black Tide Legion?"

"We remember," Li Zheng, who was at the head, nodded immediately.

"I have ten invitation quotas in hand; I now formally invite you to join the first phase training camp of the Nether Black Tide Legion reserves. Are you interested?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zheng was just about to answer when he heard the Challenger Prompt ring out in his mind:

[Challenger Prompt: Special Quest "Nether Black Tide Warrior" triggered]

Quest Requirement: Join the Nether Black Tide Legion reserve test and pass the assessment.

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

At this moment, behind the scenes, having observed through surveillance that Duan Xing wanted to recruit Li Zheng and the other players into the Nether Black Tide Legion.

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

The reason for doing so was precisely to use the Grind Emperor Group players to understand the Nether Black Tide Legion and investigate the background of this faction.

Both being on the Pale Continent, whether the Nether Black Tide Legion was an enemy or a friend was, in his view, extremely important.

This would determine the direction of his subsequent arrangements.

Li Zheng and the others, having received the quest prompt, did not disappoint him; amidst Duan Xing's puzzled expression, they suddenly expressed a strong desire to join the Nether Black Tide Legion.

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

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

But regarding the Player Clan members' agreement, Duan Xing was also extremely delighted in his heart.

Through these days of observation, he saw that the Player Clan possessed enormous growth potential; if their performance could be recognized by those above, the Nether Black Tide Legion would gain a new faction with boundless potential.

"Let us depart immediately." Speaking thus, Duan Xing's figure slowly hovered into the air.

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

Duan Xing: ...

A few minutes later, Elder You followed Duan Xing to where Li Zheng and the others stood; raising his hand and waving, an invisible force instantly enveloped Li Zheng and the rest, flying them toward a rotating spatial black hole in the distant sky.

During this time, Li Zheng and the others communicated in their voice channel regarding the destination of this journey.

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; say that your bodies are drawn by the power of your clan lands, causing you to be teleported back to the clan lands at certain specific times, and then teleported back again at some unknown time node.

Game Brick Mover: Is there no problem with saying it like that?

Guide: No problem; they cannot find any flaws, nor can they prove it through any means.

Killing Intent Stirred: Then let us explain it that way; let us give them a heads-up in advance.

Amidst casual chat, the Grind Emperor Group players followed Elder You through a colorful spatial tunnel.

The scene presented before their eyes was like a fairyland.

Swirling heavy snow nearly obscured vision; in the distance stood towering white snow mountains, and at the foot of the mountains, a small city could vaguely be seen.

A biting cold wind whistled beside their ears; the blurred outline of the city gradually became clear as their vision drew nearer, with the well-arranged architectural clusters forming a sharp contrast against the snow mountains surrounding the city.

At the city's edge, they also saw a clear, bottomless river winding and flowing; it remained unfrozen amidst the severe cold of the snow valley, with light water vapor constantly rising from the river surface, intertwining with snowflakes, blurring the boundary between heaven and earth.

Raising their heads to look at the sky.

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

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

Their vision abruptly descended at this moment, flying toward the small city.

Before their figures had even touched the ground, several streaks of light rushed toward them from various directions within 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:

"Take them to familiarize themselves with this place, then return with me to Black Valley; they will remain here to undergo training."

"Yes."

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

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

The city was named Snow Valley; it was one of the first-phase training camps for the new generation of warriors of the Nether Black Tide Legion, and there were another 500 similar first-phase training camps.

Only warriors who passed the first-phase training assessment here would be qualified to enter the second-phase training camp.

The training for reserve warriors is divided into five phases; only those who pass all assessments and complete the trial missions qualify to officially become warriors of the Counter-Black Tide Legion.

Listening to Seeing Duan Xing's introduction, Li Zheng and the others curiously scanned their surroundings.

The architectural style here was completely different from Earth's; its most prominent features were its massive scale and majestic appearance, lacking any streamlined beauty, composed entirely of vertical lines and constructed from black stone.

Solemn, heavy, and simple—this was the most immediate impression Li Zheng and the others had of the city's buildings.

After an hour's journey, they followed Seeing Duan Xing to a pitch-black single-story building, where Seeing Duan Xing turned around:

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

"First, the training camp recruits a new batch of trainees every fifteen days. They are elite newcomers selected from various clans. To stand out, you must work hard enough to complete all tasks assigned by the combat instructors; otherwise, you will be eliminated during training."

"Second, when interacting with new generation members of other races, never show weakness. You must be fiercer and more combative than them. This place adheres to survival of the fittest and encourages competition among trainees, so the weak will inevitably be bullied. This is an unchanging law of the training camp. Even if you are not a match for your opponent, you must fight bravely, at least letting the combat instructors see your courage rather than cowardly retreat."

"Finally, hold the line. Although the training camp encourages competitive fighting among trainees, taking lives is strictly forbidden. The consequences of violating this taboo are extremely severe."

"In the training camp, you are competitors, but one day in the future, you will be comrades-in-arms stepping onto the battlefield together."

With that, Seeing Duan Xing reached out and patted Li Zheng on the shoulder:

"I believe you can pass the training. I will wait for you in the Counter-Black Tide Legion."

As his voice faded, Seeing Duan Xing transformed into a streak of light and flew toward where Elder You was located.

After exchanging glances, Li Zheng and the others entered the room one by one.

Inside the single-story building were ten wooden beds and a wooden storage cabinet; Chucizhiwai ，there was nothing else.

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

In the post, he described how he triggered a mission and arrived at the Counter-Black Tide Legion.

Upon learning this news, players Fenfen requested Li Zheng to start a live stream, hoping to understand the situation within the Counter-Black Tide Legion through his perspective.

Li Zheng did not disappoint the forum players; he decisively activated live stream Cultivation Mode, thinking there might be extra tipping revenue.

Time passed in the wait.

An hour later.

A figure entered the room.

The arriving figure stood nearly two meters tall, possessing a humanoid body structure, with muscles as rough and angular as rock.

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

Analysis information appeared.

[Instructor Kuang Sha (Counter-Black Tide Legion)]:

Hunting Level: 97

Target Introduction: An outstanding warrior of the Nine-Ring Clan, a "Thorn"-class warrior of the Counter-Black Tide Legion, currently serving at Counter-Black Tide Legion Training Camp No. 323 as the Chief Combat Instructor, responsible for cultivating new generation reserve trainees from various races.

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

They also realized just how profound the foundation of the Counter-Black Tide Legion truly was.

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

Sweeping his gaze over Li Zheng and the others, Instructor Kuang Sha frowned slightly:

"I do not understand why Seeing Duan Xing strongly recommended you to join the Counter-Black Tide Legion, but since you are here, I set all the rules. From now on, you must execute my orders unconditionally. Even if I order you to die, you must do so without hesitation."

As he spoke, Instructor Kuang Sha raised his hand, illuminating a black bracelet on his wrist, and a green information stone suddenly appeared in his grasp.

"The next batch of test subjects will arrive tomorrow. I need to thoroughly understand and record your situations, as well as relevant information about the clans behind you... Next, I ask, you answer." Finishing his words, Instructor Kuang Sha pressed the information stone in his hand and began questioning Li Zheng and the others for detailed information.

During this, upon hearing Li Zheng say their bodies were being pulled by extraterritorial clan lands, causing unstable returns, Instructor Kuang Sha appeared extremely surprised, then nodded casually, stating:

"I will report your special situation. Let us continue with the following questions and answers."

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

Among these, he specifically highlighted the taboos mentioned by Seeing Duan Xing.

Fighting and brawling among new generation members of various races were permitted within the training camp. The repair rooms could treat all injuries; even missing limbs could be restored by specialized training physicians. However, casualties during fights were strictly forbidden. If a member of another race was killed, the perpetrator would be immediately executed.

Listening to Instructor Kuang Sha's explanation, Li Zheng and the others maintained a very cooperative attitude, fearing that angering the instructor would prevent subsequent missions from proceeding.

After the introduction concluded, 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 asleep, were startled awake by Instructor Kuang Sha's roar:

"Get up, assemble at the training grounds!"

"Damn it, what are you roaring about? Do you have any decency..."

Before Kill Heart could finish his complaint, Li Zheng and Eat Dirt lunged from both sides, firmly clamping his mouth shut.

"Instructor, we will be there immediately."

At that moment, Instructor Kuang Sha stomped his foot fiercely, instantly sending an invisible current of air that blasted Li Zheng and the others against the wall:

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

With that, he turned and left.

"Kill Heart, are you crazy? You nearly got us killed."

Now fully awake, Kill Heart wore an embarrassed expression, waving his hands repeatedly:

"Brothers, my mistake. I was woken up and my brain wasn't working. Sorry, sorry."

After quickly tidying the messy room, they sprinted at full speed toward the training grounds.

As soon as they entered the grounds, they noticed dozens of additional figures already present.

These newly arrived trainees all possessed humanoid body structures, yet differed greatly in their specific appearances.

There were burly trainees with ox-head-like heads and humanoid torsos.

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

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

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

Seeing this, Li Zheng and the others decisively moved to the rear of the formation and stood still.

As they waited, space vortices continuously tore open in the sky, and new trainees joined the camp led by seniors from their own clans.

During this period, Li Zheng and the others curiously scanned the nearby trainees, using analysis to observe their introductory information.

They discovered that the Hunting Levels of this batch of new trainees were all above level 30; their own strength could only be considered the very bottom.

Game Brick-Moving Party: Brothers, God of Wealth said the trainees here would bully us. Looking at their Hunting Levels, it seems we can't beat them.

Kill Heart Moved: Damn, aren't we going to get beaten mercilessly just like the Explorers?

Poor Enough to 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 looked down upon by the instructor and other trainees, making it even harder to survive here.

Leopard Head Zero Charge: Should we strike first and provoke a fight, making them think we are vicious and not easy to bully?

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

"Did I say something wrong?"

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

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

The speaking trainee had four eyes, and the contempt in his gaze as he looked at them was completely unhidden.

Focus sharpened, and identity analysis information appeared.

[Seeing Gui Tong]:

Hunting Level: 41

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

"Hiss, this troublemaking idiot has such a high Hunting Level. Brothers, what do we do?"

"Ignore him. He only picked a fight because he thinks we're easy to bully. We definitely can't give him a good look, or he'll just push his luck."

"Is the bullying starting already? That's too fast. We haven't even begun training, and they're already ramping up the intensity on us."

Just then, Seeing Gui Tong spoke again, interrupting Li Zheng and the others' voice channel communication:

"Hey, I'm talking to you. Which clan are you from? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Realizing the troublemaker had arrived, Li Zheng stated with an indifferent expression:

"You're asking me?"

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

"I am Sleep Deprived."

After Li Zheng smiled and gave his answer, Eat Dirt and the others immediately followed suit:

"I am Wage Deprived."

"I am Battery Deprived."

"I am Nutrition Deprived."

"I am Sacrificial Power Deprived."

(End of Chapter)