Chapter 92: Secretly Offering a Helping Hand (Second Update)

Two days later.

The training grounds.

Li Zheng and his brothers from the Liver Emperor Group were once again engaged in wall-smashing training.

The treatment in the Restoration Chamber had recovered their stamina and energy, yet the sensations of hunger and exhaustion continued to haunt their hearts.

The late-night great battle had already persisted for two days.

The degree of suffering was climbing in a straight line.

While tormenting the Po Luo Clan, they clearly could not escape it themselves.

It belonged to the category of injuring the enemy by a thousand while damaging oneself by five hundred.

But once the extracurricular training project was activated, clearly there was no way to hold back.

It was just like the Dark Forest Law; you could not judge whether the other party would launch a night raid, so you inevitably had to make preparations for confrontation in advance, maintaining a high state of mental alertness throughout and not daring to fall asleep easily.

The situation at the Shuigu Training Camp was the same.

They also did not dare to gamble on whether there would be a surprise attack at night and needed to be ready for combat at any time.

But rather than keeping their spirits tense while waiting for a possible fierce battle, it was better to happily kill their way over and fight a round.

Therefore, the late-night great battle was unavoidable.

The only solution to the problem was for one side to swallow their pride and admit cowardice, giving the other party a step down.

But those who could enter the training camp were all elites within their clans; they all had pride in their hearts, and most importantly, while it was fine to lose Iron Face personally when away from home, they absolutely could not lose Iron Face for their clans.

It was precisely under this kind of complex emotional tug-of-war that the new recruits from both training camps had not bowed their heads.

During normal training hours, they all put on an attitude of eagerly anticipating the next round of mutual beatdowns.

But only they themselves knew the bitterness in their hearts.

This was a battle they had to push through even if it meant gritting their teeth.

At this moment, from Li Zheng's perspective.

While swinging his stone hammer to smash the wall, a miniaturized forum page hovered on the left side of his vision, which he manipulated with his consciousness to scroll through and read.

From time to time, he would chime in with a couple of comments in posts that interested him.

This was one of his few sources of joy inside the training camp.

From the posts published by players on the forum, it could be discovered that recently, a rampant insect Black Tide had appeared back home, with players, the insect Black Tide, and the terrifying Black Black Tide fighting fiercely.

The three parties were engaged in a passionate melee.

The most outrageous part was that both the insect Black Tide and the terrifying Black Black Tide were growth-type factions.

Their intensity was steadily increasing amidst the rampant sweeping.

Fortunately, the players' growth speed was slightly ahead of the Black Black Tide and the insect Black Tide, and the presidents of the major guilds on the forum were already plotting offensive tactics for the next domain node.

He and his brothers from the Liver Emperor Group were in the training camp and naturally could not go forward to join the battle, so they could only use their mouths to offer a few suggestions they deemed feasible.

Among all kinds of information, what made him happiest was that Night Falls, a friend he had known on the forum for a long time, had returned.

Before this, he had heard that Night Falls had decomposed his own Star Vein, sold all the Sacrificial Power obtained to "God King," the president of the Divine Hall Guild, and he had worried whether he had encountered trouble in the real world.

But judging from his recent active postings and his behavior of posting to collect Sacrificial Power, the trouble had clearly passed.

While scrolling through the posts, Li Zheng's hands did not stop.

He swung the stone hammer, smashing it against the crystal wall again and again; the tiger's mouth of his hand split under the impact, oozing threads of blood.

He had long been accustomed to this.

As long as it was not death, the Restoration Chamber in the training camp and the healers could cure all injuries.

He no longer cared about minor wounds and pains.

The pain brought by the daily mutual beatdowns with the new recruits of the Shuigu Training Camp was far more painful than knocking on the wall.

Time passed, and suddenly a clap of thunder from the sky attracted the attention of Li Zheng and the others.

They saw a spatial vortex suddenly tear open above the training camp, and after a shuttle appeared, it landed directly in the center of the training grounds.

Accompanied by the opening of the cabin door, the visiting new generation members of the Ice Fracture Clan arrived under the leadership of their clan elder.

The exhausted Li Zheng and the others immediately stopped their hands, struggled to straighten their bodies, and looked up toward the Ice Fracture Clan members, especially the figure at the front with a youthful Iron Face.

This youth looked to be about fifteen years old; his skin was like freshly fallen snow, pure and flawless, he kept a head of smooth ice-blue long hair, his eyes were like two pure sapphires, the robes on his body were embroidered with complex and exquisite ice flower patterns that shimmered with a faint silver-blue luster under the light, he exuded an otherworldly temperament, yet between his eyebrows, an overbearing arrogance was hard to conceal.

[Bing Xue (Ice Fracture Clan)]:

Hunting Rank: 29

Target Introduction: A direct descendant of the Ice Fracture Clan, one of the ten royal clans of the Counter-Black Tide Legion, possessing the racial talent to manipulate extreme cold power.

After viewing the analysis information, Li Zheng paid no more attention and continued to bury his head in knocking on the wall.

Before the arrival of the Ice Fracture Clan, Instructor Kuang Sha had already informed them in advance that descendants of royal clans would be coming to observe and study in these days.

They were different from the trainees in their training camp.

The Ice Fracture Clan was only observing and would not participate in any training.

Because the age of this batch of Ice Fracture Clan trainees was relatively low, they had not yet reached the standard to enter the training camp.

According to Kuang Sha's explanation, this batch of Ice Fracture Clan new generation members who appeared to be over ten years old were actually only just eight years old.

And the purpose of the visit was also to understand in advance the training challenges they would need to Iron Face in the future and make psychological preparations.

"I leave the juniors of my clan in your hands for these few days; I will come to pick them up in three days."

After a brief exchange with Kuang Sha, the clan elder of the Ice Fracture Clan turned and left.

The newcomers of the Ice Fracture Clan were arranged to stand aside and watch them knock on the wall.

As the time approached for the meal, Li Zheng and the others, under Kuang Sha's leadership, went to the Restoration Chamber to undergo thorough restoration treatment for their bodies, and then proceeded to the cafeteria.

But this time, Kuang Sha did not let them enter the cafeteria first; instead, he required the descendants of the Ice Fracture Clan to enter first.

As for the reason, Kuang Sha had already given an explanation on the way here.

He stated that the Ice Fracture Clan were descendants of royal clans, and their elders were all glorious warriors who had fought in blood on the main battlefront.

Every royal clan warrior had established brilliant military merits for the Counter-Black Tide Legion's vow to recover their homeland.

It could be said that the thousands of clans able to enjoy a stable life in the rear under the protection of the Counter-Black Tide Legion was precisely what the royal clan warriors had exchanged for with their lives on the front lines.

Therefore, their descendants should enjoy special treatment.

In the future, this batch of new generation Ice Fracture Clan members would also bear the glory of the royal clan and become the core main force warriors of the Counter-Black Tide Legion.

After explaining the reason, Kuang Sha also stated:

"If you want your future clan descendants to possess such treatment, then strive to grow and fight on the battlefield to win a higher starting point for growth for future generations."

Regarding this decision, the trainees from the Four-Eye Clan, Po Luo Clan, and others had no dissatisfaction whatsoever.

Clearly, they had all heard of the Ice Fracture Clan, and the expressions on their faces as they looked at the new generation of the Ice Fracture Clan carried a hint of respect.

Li Zheng and the others, however, were indifferent.

Let whoever eat whoever, but these bastards from the Shuigu Training Camp definitely would not be able to swallow a single bite.

Rubbing their fists together, Li Zheng and the others were already prepared to beat the new recruits of the Shuigu Training Camp until they vomited bitterness.

At this moment, Li Zheng turned his head to look at E Luo, who was at the front of the Shuigu Training Camp, and found that E Luo was also looking at him; their gazes met, and E Luo glared fiercely at him.

In response, Li Zheng returned a smile, baring his white teeth:

"What the hell are you looking at your grandpa for? Do you need another beating?"

E Luo was about to reply when Kuang Sha's voice came:

"Everyone go in."

Entering the dining hall in a single file, Li Zheng discovered that the Ice Fracture Clan had already sat at tables in the corner and begun eating.

At this moment, he turned his head to look at Gui Tong by his side:

"Tong Zi, let's start."

Gui Tong nodded expressionlessly, leaped forward, and pounced on E Luo, who was at the front of the Shuigu Clan, making him the target of the challenge.

The cafeteria great battle was about to erupt.

During this, a scene occurred that left Li Zheng and the others dumbfounded.

A new recruit of the Iron Iron Face Clan collided with a food stall during the mutual beatdown, and a new recruit of the Brass Clan pressed his head onto the ground; when he opened his mouth to shout, a piece of spiritual food went into his mouth.

Before the members of the Brass Clan could act, the clansmen of the Iron Iron Face Clan new recruit acted first; they grabbed their fallen clansman and forcibly dug the food out of his mouth, and during this, the clansmen all wore expressions of constipation, as if the unintentional bite taken by their clansman made them feel a loss of Iron Face.

"So ruthless; regarding clan Iron Face, these beasts value it more than their own lives."

"Tsk tsk, I'm afraid swallowing it just now would have been even worse; they'd have to punch him hard several times in the stomach, forcing him to vomit out the bitter water along with it."

"I don't understand; since they are so ruthless, why did this Iron Iron Face Clan submit to the Po Luo Clan?"

"Are you stupid? Because this isn't the rule of their Shuigu Training Camp at all; it was a rule formulated for us Xuegu Training Camp on the road, just like our current cooperation with the Four-Eye Clan; formulating this rule was to give us a warning shot, do you really think it's all harmony inside their own training camp?"

"Stop talking nonsense, continue fighting!"

After the brief interlude, the melee resumed.

The new generation members of the Ice Fracture Clan, who were eating quietly, were also stunned dumbfounded upon seeing this scene.

Just at this moment, a piece of roasted meat flew out from the melee and landed directly on the food plate of a new generation member of the Ice Fracture Clan.

Slap!

The roasted meat smashed onto the food plate, and the ten new generation members of the Ice Fracture Clan present suddenly stood up, looking at both sides of the melee with eyes as if they wanted to eat people.

Slap!

Another piece of spiritual food flew over, landing on the wall beside a dining table, splashing meat juice everywhere.

"Everyone sit down and eat," Kuang Sha said expressionlessly while standing to the side.

"With this kind of noise, how can we eat?" Bing Xue, who was at the front, asked Kuang Sha with a cold gaze.

"Of course we eat sitting down. Do you expect me to teach you how to eat?" Kuang Sha crossed his arms over his chest and replied without even turning his head.

The moment his words fell, a spirit vegetable root dripping with broth flew through the air, landing near the dining table, splashing broth onto the luxurious robes of the Ice Crack Clan members.

"We are descendants of the Ice Crack Clan," Bing Xue said, looking at Kuang Sha with a heavy voice.

"This is the training camp. You are here to observe camp life, not to enjoy gourmet meals. What you see here is the tone of our training camp: if you can eat, eat; if you cannot, then do not. Allowing you to enter early to eat was only out of respect for your elders." Facing Bing Xue's pressure, Kuang Sha showed not the slightest intention of yielding.

"According to the regu..."

"Enough. Here, I am the rule."

"I do not accept this, ..." Before Bing Xue could finish, Kuang Sha strode toward the cafeteria exit, clearly unwilling to listen to any more of Bing Xue's nonsense.

The battle in the cafeteria continued.

Having gone without food for many days, many new recruits were vomiting bitter fluids from the mutual beatings, yet every strike remained exceptionally vicious.

"Everyone, stop!"

Just then, Bing Xue's roar rang out, drawing the attention of everyone present.

After a brief silence, the group fighting resumed, with no one intending to pay attention to this bunch of brats.

This made Bing Xue so angry his teeth itched, and he immediately roared again:

"You bunch of despicable low-tier races, surviving under our clan's protection, yet instead of being grateful..."

Before he could finish, a meat steak covered in sauce flew through the air.

It struck Bing Xue's Iron Face with pinpoint accuracy, the splashing sauce causing him to instinctively squint his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, his pure sapphire-like gaze could not hide his incomprehensible shock.

"You bastard, can't you see we are busy? Who has time to listen to your speech?" Eating Dirt, his Iron Face black and blue, pointed at Bing Xue and cursed, then reached out to a Night Eagle Clan recruit standing nearby, smearing the sauce from his hand onto the other's clothes.

This action stunned everyone present, and the group fight instantly halted.

Although they were unwilling to deal with the Ice Crack Clan, they clearly understood the clan's status within the Counter-Black Tide Legion; Eating Dirt's behavior was nothing short of public humiliation.

This could no longer be described as brave.

It was simply asking for death.

"Do you know how much trouble your actions will bring to our clansmen?" Gui Tong looked at Eating Dirt, his tone grave as he spoke in a low voice.

Hearing these words, Li Zheng and the others, who had felt slightly tense due to the solemn atmosphere, laughed.

In their eyes, this trouble posed no threat whatsoever.

Even slaughtering an entire clan was not a major issue in their view.

"Kill!"

Bing Xue's roar sounded at that moment, and he led nine other clansmen to pounce on Eating Dirt.

Seeing this, Li Zheng decisively stepped forward twice to stand before Eating Dirt, lifted his leg, and kicked Bing Xue precisely in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

"Brothers, beat them up too!"

Under the incredulous gazes of the other races, the Player Clan recruits began brawling with the Ice Crack Clan members.

This scene left both Gui Tong and Po Luo dumbfounded.

They had witnessed the Player Clan's courage with their own eyes over these past few days; although they refused to admit it verbally, they were already convinced in their hearts.

Yet they never expected the Player Clan to be far more courageous than they had imagined.

Not only did they actively provoke others, but they also dared to lay hands on and beat members of the Ice Crack Clan's new generation; this was simply joking with their own futures.

Outside the cafeteria, Kuang Sha, who had observed this scene, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, yet he did not enter the cafeteria to stop it.

The training camp's rules were iron laws; he would not change them for any race.

As long as no one starved to death, brawling in the cafeteria fell within the scope of the rules; even the Ice Crack Clan had no authority to change this.

Allowing the Ice Crack Clan to eat first was an act of reverence for their elders who had fought in blood on the front lines; this was already the limit permitted by the rules, and no other regulations could possibly be altered.

"Chief, are we really ignoring this?" An instructor standing beside Kuang Sha, while using his perceptual consciousness to observe the situation inside the cafeteria, could not help but ask.

"It is good to blunt their sharpness. In the process of growth, one must always experience some setbacks. Before I became a formal warrior, I trained alongside a batch of royal clan members; they were initially just as arrogant as these children, but after experiencing many setbacks together, they reined in their edges... This is a process one must inevitably undergo before growing into a warrior."

Speaking thus, Kuang Sha turned his head to look at his subordinate:

"I can completely understand their arrogance. Since they could remember, the education they received was the history of their racial glory; knowing the brilliant achievements created by their clan's elders, who could not feel proud of that? If it were me, I would also be proud. But this pride must be tempered by setbacks before it can become the fearless and powerful driving force for them on the battlefield... As for now, this current pride is more like a form of affectation."

"I understand." After listening to Kuang Sha's explanation, the subordinate nodded, then could not help but add:

"Then what about the Player Clan?"

"They are people brought by Elder You. Do you think the Ice Crack Clan can hold Elder You accountable?"

Inside the cafeteria.

The all-out melee had turned into a brawl between Li Zheng and his group against the Ice Crack Clan members.

The expressions of the new recruits from the other races could not hide their shock.

However, in terms of strength, Li Zheng and his group were clearly inferior to the Ice Crack Clan members by a significant margin.

The average hunting level of the Ice Crack Clan's new generation was level 25, and they were not wearing suppression bracelets that limited their power; this gap in physical quality placed Li Zheng and his group at a disadvantage.

Their only advantage lay in brawling techniques.

After more than ten days of high-intensity brawling training, Li Zheng and his group had learned many fighting techniques.

Eye-gouging, groin-grabbing, low kicks... various dirty tricks emerged endlessly, inflicting a dual blow on the Ice Crack recruits both physically and mentally.

The Ice Crack Clan members were beaten to the verge of an emotional breakdown.

In order to resolve the fight quickly, the Ice Crack Clan members chose to release their racial abilities, raising their hands to condense extreme cold power.

Every subsequent punch landing on Li Zheng and his group made them shudder involuntarily; they could clearly feel a rush of utmost yin cold qi surging into their bodies, slowing their movements, and exhaling mist of ice from their nostrils with every breath.

Seeing this scene, Gui Tong and Po Luo exchanged a glance, a tacit understanding forming in their hearts.

For the future of their clans, they would not join the battle to help the Player Clan beat the Ice Crack Clan.

But they could provide assistance through some indirect methods.

At that moment, Gui Tong pounced on Po Luo; Po Luo seized the opportunity to grab Gui Tong's arm, twisted his hips, turned around, and violently flung Gui Tong toward an Ice Crack clansman who was condensing ice-cold power.

Slap!

This Ice Crack clansman was knocked to the ground by Gui Tong, the ice-cold power in his hand dissipating; immediately after, Gui Tong decisively helped the Ice Crack clansman up, repeatedly apologizing, then pointed his finger at Po Luo, gritting his teeth as he whispered a few words, before pouncing on Po Luo again to engage him in a tangled fight.

After many days of group fighting, a tacit understanding had formed among the various races.

Seeing Gui Tong and Po Luo's behavior, they realized the hidden purpose behind their actions.

After a brief silence, the melee erupted once more.

However, during the melee, all races were observing the fight between the Player Clan and the Ice Crack Clan.

Once they noticed the Player Clan falling behind in the brawl, they would devise ways to provide help, creating various accidents.

Their main strategy was to secretly extend a helping hand.

Although they found this bunch of beasts from the Player Clan extremely annoying, they found the new generation of the Ice Crack Clan even more irritating.

If the Player Clan were beasts, then the Ice Crack Clan were arrogant beasts, even more detestable than ordinary beasts.

Three days later.

A shuttle tore through space and descended upon the training grounds.

As the hatch opened, the figure of the Ice Crack Clan Elder appeared.

But when he stepped out of the hatch with a smile on his Iron Face and looked at his clansmen standing beside the training formation, his smile abruptly froze.

He saw that the cheeks of his clan's new generation were sunken, their cheekbones protruding, their skin clinging tightly to their skeletons, and their originally smooth blue long hair had become utterly disheveled.

Especially their eyes, which had lost their former luster, now appeared hollow; their gazes stared fixedly at a snow tree not far away, the corners of their mouths unconsciously slightly open. Under perceptual vision, saliva gathered at their parched lips, and occasionally they swallowed lightly due to the dryness rising from deep within their throats.

Their hands unconsciously overlapped over their abdomens, as if trying to press down hard on the emptiness surging from within.

Do they want to eat the tree?!

This was the thought that suddenly floated into the Ice Crack Clan Elder's mind after his observation.

Just then, Bing Xue, who was at the front, turned his head to look at him; after his lusterless eyes met the Elder's gaze, complex emotions surfaced within them.

Surprise, expectation, bitterness, grievance, resentment, joy... various complex emotions intertwined, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

At this moment, Kuang Sha approached the Ice Crack Clan Elder and bowed respectfully:

"Ice Crack Clan Elder."

"What is... what happened?" Looking at his aggrieved junior clansmen, the Ice Crack Clan Elder looked at Kuang Sha with an expression of astonishment.

Facing the inquiry, Kuang Sha turned his head to glance at the Ice Crack Clan's new generation, organized his words, and explained:

"They do not like to eat; I tried to persuade them..."

(End of Chapter)