Chapter 396 - 197: Good Teachers and Helpful Friends, the Phase 4 Mission
Chapter 396: Chapter 197: Good Teachers and Helpful Friends, the Phase 4 Mission
Dongfang Zhen and Zhang Daoxuan didn’t leave either, staying to keep him company.
As they watched him progress from fumbling and staggering to moving with gradual fluency, the two chatted idly about their plans for after the training camp.
The lingering rays of the setting sun streamed in through the holes and windows of the Martial Arts Hall, stretching the trio’s shadows out long.
"Tomorrow is the closing ceremony and the commissioning ceremony, huh."
Dongfang Zhen sat cross-legged on the floor, his chin resting in his hands. He watched Lin Ye struggle to control his form in midair and suddenly felt a wave of sentimentality.
"It feels like we just got here. These thirty days went by way too fast."
At his words, even Zhang Daoxuan, who was usually as calm as still water, showed a trace of wistfulness.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the Martial Arts Hall grew quiet.
The melancholy of their departure spread silently, like a thin evening mist.
For a Martial Artist, whose lifespan was far longer than an ordinary person’s, thirty days was but the blink of an eye.
But for the three of them, it had been long enough to forge a deep friendship.
From competing during the initial assessments, to sparring with each other, and now to sitting shoulder to shoulder.
They had witnessed each other’s growth and transformation together.
In the end, it was Dongfang Zhen who broke the sentimental mood with a carefree laugh.
"Geez! You’d think this was some tragic final farewell!"
"The training camp was just the beginning. It’s not like we’ll never see each other again!"
"Mr. Lin, have you picked a target Martial University yet?"
"Let me tell you, after tomorrow, you’ll be a minor celebrity in the province, at the very least!"
"You won’t even have to wait for the martial arts exam results to come out. I bet the admissions offices of several Martial Universities will blow up your phone, fighting to send you special recruitment offers!"
Lin Ye shook his head. He honestly hadn’t given much thought to which university he would attend.
Dongfang Zhen chuckled, puffing out his chest with a look of pride and longing.
"My goal is the Great Xia First Military Martial University—Longyin Academy!"
"It’s the most prestigious academy for all Martial Artists! And it’s the only one that never offers special recruitment! I don’t care if you’re the direct heir of some top-tier family or the national champion of the martial arts exam—if you can’t pass their independent admissions test, they’ll still reject you flat out!"
"So, for this next month, I don’t plan on just sitting around at home."
"I’m planning to go train in a real Celestial Abyss Rift, hone my Purple Thunder Monarch, and prepare for Longyin’s test."
"At my level, if you want to advance your Martial Arts Spirituality, the only way is to go to places where the laws of reality are most tightly interwoven with our world, or to face true life-and-death situations. Only then might you find that sliver of an opportunity for a breakthrough."
A fire burned in Dongfang Zhen’s eyes.
’A real Celestial Abyss Rift!’
Those words made Lin Ye’s heart pound.
’What do I need most right now?’
’Experience, skill points, resources that can make me stronger quickly!’
’And to me, a Celestial Abyss Rift is a place full of walking EXP packs and countless Source Crystals!’
Before Lin Ye could speak, Dongfang Zhen’s eyes suddenly lit up. He looked from Lin Ye to Zhang Daoxuan and extended an invitation.
"Hey! Speaking of which, the rift I’m going to is a low-intensity one that my family paid a hefty price to lease from the military. The safety rating isn’t low, but it’s definitely not high either."
"Plus, my family has safety devices similar to that spatial-folding one we got during our training in the Nirvana Tower. When I go in, they’ll definitely have experts protecting me from the shadows."
"So, what do you think? Interested in coming along for the adventure?"
"I’m in!"
Lin Ye answered almost without a moment’s hesitation.
Zhang Daoxuan looked at Lin Ye, then at Dongfang Zhen, and also gave a slight nod.
"Haha! See?"
Dongfang Zhen slapped his thigh in excitement.
"Looks like we’re sticking together after all! We were just talking about going our separate ways, and we’re already planning our next meet-up!"
At that very moment, the cold, familiar sound of the system prompt rang out in Lin Ye’s mind without warning.
[Ding! Host detected to be entering a genuine Celestial Abyss Rift!]
[Special Stage Mission has been issued!]
[Mission: Legacy of the Intelligent Mechanism!]
[Description: You are no longer weak. It is time to rally your forces and claim your own territory.]
[When you truly set foot upon the territory of the ruined wasteland, all living creatures shall know—this land has welcomed a new master.]
[Mission Objective: Enter Celestial Abyss Rift CN-51479, seize the primal ruin: Sigma, and claim the entire rift as your territory!]
[Mission Reward: 2,000,000 EXP, 40 Skill Points, Unlock New Stage: P4!]
For a split second, Lin Ye’s breath caught in his throat.
’The P4 Stage!’
’I only just completed the P3 Stage mission.’
Lin Ye had assumed he would have to wait until he entered university and made contact with the vast Martial Realm before the system would issue a mission for the P4 Stage.
’I never thought it would come so suddenly!’
’And that mission name...’
’It sounds like some kind of technologically advanced civilization’s ruins?’
’This Rift CN-51479... it must be the one Dongfang Zhen mentioned, the one his family controls, right?’
’If that’s the case, with Dongfang Zhen as our connection and his family’s experts providing protection from the shadows, wouldn’t that make this mission much, much easier?’
As if sensing that flicker of wishful thinking in his mind, the system prompt appeared once more.
[Warning: Host, please correct your attitude. Do not get ahead of yourself.]
[Based on a comprehensive analysis of the host’s current strength, with no external interference, the host’s survival rate upon merely approaching the outer perimeter of the Sigma Ruins is less than 10%!]
A chill went through Lin Ye.
The flicker of relief and secret joy he had just felt was instantly extinguished.
’As expected. I was treating the system too lightly.’
’From the Endgame Battle in the Ruined City during the P2 Stage to the Molten Demon Lord in the P3 Stage, every single stage mission the system has issued has been incredibly difficult.’
’Under normal circumstances, I’d have to risk my life just for the slimmest chance of victory.’
’The only exception was the P3 mission. Because of Yin Liulan—a powerhouse so strong she was practically a bug in the system—a high-difficulty mission was forcefully turned into a sure-win scenario, with her there to guarantee my safety.’
’Now it looks like the system plans to make up for it by doubling down on the difficulty for the P4 Stage!’
...
「The night passed without incident.」
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, all the surviving cadets of the Ninghai Qiming General Star Training Camp were already assembled in formation on the massive plaza in front of the entrance.
Every face wore an expression of either anticipation or nervousness.
Today was their commissioning day.
This meant they would become part of an elite few in Great Xia this year—top-tier geniuses who had obtained the rank of military officer before even truly stepping out into society.
From this day forward, their every word and deed would be tied to the honor of the Great Xia army.
Any accomplishments they achieved could be converted into tangible military merits.
In Great Xia, the two great Martial Halls, Xinhuo and Kunlun, were indeed hallowed grounds to which countless Martial Artists aspired.
But the force that truly brought stability to the world and suppressed the countless Celestial Abysses was, and always had been, the allied Martial Artist army—renowned as one of the strongest in the world!
Yin Liulan stood in a crisp field officer’s dress uniform, her epaulets glittering in the morning light.
She stood before them all, her expression stern and her gaze as sharp as a knife.
Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried clearly to every single person’s ears.
"Today is not just your graduation ceremony. More importantly, it is your commissioning ceremony."
"Shortly, a high-ranking official from the Ninghai Province Military District will arrive to personally bestow your commissions."
"Furthermore, seated among the guests of honor will be a true Martial Saint."
"All of you, look sharp and take this seriously!"
"Don’t say a word you shouldn’t, don’t make a move you shouldn’t. If any of you dare to embarrass me on an occasion like this, don’t blame me when I personally kick you off the stage!"
BOOM!
Those two words, "Martial Saint," were like a bombshell exploding in the minds of every cadet!
A wave of sharply stifled gasps swept through the ranks.
Everyone tensed up, their expressions shifting instantly from excitement and nervousness to a solemnity mixed with awe and terror.
’A Martial Saint!’
’Those are the chosen few who truly stand at the pinnacle of the martial path.’
’Most people could live their entire lives and never reach that realm.’
’And today, they were actually going to see a real Martial Saint in person?’
For a moment, everyone could feel their hearts pounding wildly, and they began to breathe with painstaking care.
"All personnel!"
"Fall in! Board the vehicles!"
At Yin Liulan’s command, everyone marched in perfect unison and boarded the dozens of military hover vehicles parked at the edge of the plaza.
The convoy slowly ascended, heading steadily toward the bustling Ninghai City below as it faced the rising sun.