As the saying goes: The bird that sticks its head out gets shot;
The rafter that protrudes rots first;
A man who stands above the shore will be crushed by the waves!
But I'm not here to be crushed by the waves, so why should I stick my neck out?
Tang Wen stood at the end of the line, head lowered, feeling reluctant.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed as General Zhou arrived with his entourage.
"Everyone, give it your best! If we win, each participant will receive 300 taels of silver, the chance to choose six Cultivation Methods from the camp, and six opportunities to study the Mountain-Cracking Cannon Fist Visualization Diagram! Even if we lose, as long as we prevent them from achieving six consecutive victories, you'll still receive one-sixth of the rewards!"
Whoosh!
General Zhou's promise worked like a charm.
The eyes of those preparing to step forward lit up.
Tang Wen also raised his head, his gaze sharp and determined: I'm definitely taking one of those spots!
Well, as the saying goes: When the time comes, you must act boldly.
A man who doesn't strive for greatness wastes the eight-foot body he was born with.
I still remember my youthful ambition to become the best in the world!
He hefted his bag of stones as if it were 300 taels of silver.
Each person would demonstrate one move.
The first archer stepped forward—three rapid shots.
The arrows flew in a triangular formation, thudding into the tree and embedding themselves over a foot deep.
"Next," Commander Zhao said without much reaction.
Zhang Lin stepped up, slashing with his blade. Sparks flew as the blade split the stone in two.
"Hmm, next."
Tang Wen glanced at the black longsword in Zhang Lin's hand, feeling it was no worse than his own. As expected of someone from a martial family.
Soon, only An Lei and Tang Wen remained.
An Lei's spear moved like a dragon, using finesse to lift a massive boulder weighing hundreds of pounds. With a flick of her spear, she sent it flying into the air, shattering it into pieces.
Zhang Lin silently lowered his head, muttering, "Who would dare marry her?"
"Not bad, Tang Wen. Your turn!"
Stepping to the front, Tang Wen bent down and picked up a few stones.
Throwing stones again?
General Zhou frowned slightly.
Commander Zhao's expression darkened. Had this kid made no progress?
Huh?
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
A series of sonic booms exploded in everyone's ears!
Three stones shot out like meteors from the sky, crashing into a massive tree dozens of meters away.
A deafening explosion followed as the tree was split in half at the waist, the residual heat causing it to burst into flames.
The scene fell into stunned silence. Nearby, coal miners, hearing the commotion, hurried over with buckets to put out the fire.
This place wasn't far from the coal mine, and a fire here would be disastrous.
Commander Zhao took a deep breath. "Are you even human?!"
General Zhou snapped out of his daze. "You're in! You'll go last, with Zhou Bing before you."
Last to go?
The anchor?
That's a lot of pressure.
General, actually, having Sister Bing go before me might be better. It could play to my strengths.
With the lineup decided, at 3 o'clock, both sides met as agreed on the arena.
The so-called arena was just a flat stretch of stone ground.
Tang Wen removed his outer armor, stuffing the food his sister had prepared into his inner armor.
Following the footsteps of Zhou Bing and the other four captains, he approached the middle-aged man sent by the Black Mountain Camp, who was tasked with verifying ages.
"The Flame Camp has quite a few young Martial Practitioners."
"23, 22, 21, 23, 23, and… huh?"
The middle-aged man took a few extra glances at the coldly beautiful Zhou Bing, but when he saw Tang Wen, he paused before saying, "17 years old?"
"A 17-year-old Martial Practitioner?"
"Zhou Bighead, your Flame Camp has some interesting talents!" Old Black Devil smirked, his eyes flickering with a hidden killing intent.
A genius from the Flame Camp was only a good genius if they were dead.
He didn't need to hint at anything explicitly.
This time, they came with the intent to kill.
A man walked out from the rear of the Black Mountain Battalion. He had an ordinary appearance, average height, and carried a giant shield half his size in one hand and a blood-red short spear in the other.
General Zhou personally examined his bones to determine his age: "Around 20 years old. You're still following the rules."
"Be careful, this spear thrower has considerable strength, and there might be something unusual about him. In a life-and-death fight, don't hold back," General Zhou turned his head and specifically transmitted his voice to Tang Wen and the others.
Both sides entered the arena.
Someone tossed a stone into the air, and in an instant, as the stone hit the ground, the duel began.
The captain of Hunting Team Two, wielding dual blades, charged straight at his opponent.
"Fall down!"
The opponent shouted, simultaneously thrusting his spear.
A bizarre situation unfolded—the captain of Team Two actually let out a yelp and fell face-first into the dirt.
The blood-red spear pierced through his back.
Instant kill!
The people of Flame Camp felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of icy water in the depths of winter.
"Old Black Devil! Are you playing dirty with me?!" General Zhou roared in fury, throwing a punch that shook the air.
Old Black Devil didn't dare to take it head-on!
He leaped off his horse, dodging the blow.
But the horse left behind was turned into a mist of blood.
"Damn it! Zhou Bighead, what the hell are you trying to do? Are we still following the rules? Prepare for war!"
In an instant, both sides were on the brink of conflict.
Commander Zhao issued a warning: "Everyone, stay put! Don't enter the arena without my orders. Team Two, carry your captain down!"
In just one encounter, a captain had been killed.
Commander Zhao was filled with rage but had no outlet for it.
Tang Wen snapped out of his daze, secretly hoping that the two sides would start fighting.
Although war was dangerous, it was still better than having to fight that Awakened.
The opposing side of four hundred men formed their battle lines!
On the Flame Camp side, the 11 hunting squads plus the hundred or so men guarding the coal mines, totaling around three hundred, also prepared for battle.
Both sides were elite forces.
If a fight broke out, Flame Camp would clearly be at a disadvantage.
Moreover, after years of conflict, the little trust they had managed to build would vanish the moment they clashed.
What would follow would be endless war.
"Fine! This time, Old Black Devil, you're in the right! Let's continue," General Zhou also didn't dare to rashly start a war.
Old Black Devil grinned ferociously: "Then send your men up, let's keep fighting!"
"Damn it!"
Gritting his teeth, Commander Zhao quickly instructed: "The man on the stage either has telekinetic abilities—you can think of it as him having invisible hands that can pull your legs from a distance—or he has an even more troublesome ability. Be careful with your defense, engage him in a prolonged fight, and if necessary, admit defeat in time. Don't push yourself."
Admitting defeat outright would be cowardice.
The Black Mountain Camp had produced such a monstrous genius—a 20-year-old who not only had the strength of a peak Martial Practitioner but also seemed to have awakened his abilities early!
This made his combat power no less than that of a Martial Master.
If they didn't take advantage of his youth and relative weakness to figure out his capabilities or eliminate him now, what would they do when he grew stronger in the future?
The situation was tricky. The captain of Hunting Team 7, who was originally scheduled to fight later, stepped up early.
He was short and stocky, clad in a 200-pound suit of plate armor, carrying a steel shield and wielding a single blade, stepping onto the arena like a tank.
"Hah! Dressed like an iron turtle, you think I can't kill you?"
The Awakened strode forward with his blood-red short spear, swinging it in a strike that hit the shield.
Clang!
The captain of Team 7 stepped back to block.
"Slip."
The Awakened called out.
With a thud, the captain of Team 7 suddenly lost his balance and fell to his knees.
But he reacted swiftly, immediately tucking his head behind his shield, using the Steel Shield and his armor to block the incoming attack.
Thud!
Blood splattered.
The short spear pierced through the armor on his shoulder, leaving a bloody hole.
The captain of Team 7 struggled to retreat.
"Split!"
The opponent shouted again.
As the captain of Team 7 was retreating, his back leg uncontrollably slipped, as if stepping on an invisible banana peel.
Crack, the armor strained.
His legs split wide apart.
"I surrender!" the captain of Team 7 dropped his single-edged sword and rolled on the ground, clutching his shield.
The opponent, as if he didn't hear, thrust his short spear with such speed that it left afterimages.
The clashing sounds of metal rang out continuously as the Steel Shield protecting the rolling captain of Team 7 was pierced with transparent holes.
"Enough!"
"Stop! He's already surrendered."
"Is that so? Heh. Sorry, I didn't hear that." The Awakened shrugged nonchalantly, with an arrogant expression.
He flicked the blood off his spear, spat at the captain of Team 7, and looked at Tang Wen and
the others: "You lucky turtles, who's next to die?"
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