Chapter Ninety-Nine: Ancient Battlefield Instance

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Ancient Battlefield Instance

Judging solely by her appearance now, Ying Ying did not look like a general at all. She seemed more like the girl next door. Yet the strength she had displayed moments ago far surpassed his own, and Xia Zheng could not help but feel deep admiration.

“Camilla, the leader of the Professional Alliance, certainly knows how to play her hand, and her vision is exceptional. Through this tournament, she has completely made a name for herself in the Federation. She has also changed public perception of the awakened more than a little. The only trouble is that she has brought the Bluehaven City authorities an enormous amount of supervision pressure lately, which is enough to make anyone weary,” Ying Ying said, ordering a table full of desserts and cold drinks. Xia Zheng ordered milk tea, while she chose iced coffee.

While complaining to Xia Zheng, she kept stuffing dessert into her mouth. Xia Zheng was astonished; that amount of sweets looked enough for two or three people. Could it be that a girl’s dessert appetite really was this frightening?

“Don’t you think that’s a bit too sweet?” Xia Zheng reminded her kindly.

A piece of baked cake she was about to eat paused at her lips. Ying Ying gave a mysterious smile. “Girls have a separate stomach just for dessert.”

With that, she swallowed it in one bite. Xia Zheng even felt a bit uncomfortable in his throat just watching; it looked far too sweet.

As they chatted, the conversation soon turned back to Xia Zheng’s troubles. After hearing him out, Ying Ying’s eyes lit up.

“You’re worried that your cultivation causes too much destruction?”

“Yes. I’m currently living in Shanglin Garden in the north of the city. The environment there is beautiful, but whenever I cultivate, I have to hold back and can’t fully let loose, so I came out to clear my head,” Xia Zheng said bitterly, setting down the half-finished milk tea.

“You should have said so earlier. Our military headquarters has advanced training rooms, even level-seven ones,” Ying Ying said mysteriously.

When Xia Zheng heard this, he was immediately envious. What did level seven mean? It represented the highest-grade training room available, one that could withstand the full-force destruction of an SSS-class awakened or a disaster-level bloodkin.

“Um...” Xia Zheng considered his words carefully. He had previously had a falling-out with the military, and after refusing their special recruitment offer, he had apparently offended some people.

Ying Ying, however, did not think much of it. “A level-seven training room... of course I can’t take you there...” Hearing that, Xia Zheng felt a little disappointed.

“But... I can take you to try the challenge gate instead,” Ying Ying said again with a hint of mystery.

“The challenge gate?” Xia Zheng asked curiously. What kind of place was that?

Ying Ying led Xia Zheng out of the restaurant. By then, there had been some commotion on the street; the two thugs they had just subdued had been taken away by special patrol troops who had arrived in several military vehicles, prompting no small amount of speculation from onlookers.

Following Ying Ying to the parking area at the corner, Xia Zheng got into a camouflage military off-road vehicle. Watching the petite and adorable Ying Ying drive such a muscular-looking beast of a vehicle, Xia Zheng could not shake the feeling of a strong, almost adorable contrast.

The military base was located to the east. The drive took about half an hour, mostly because the roads were crowded and traffic was slow.

The vehicle appeared to have some kind of identity-recognition equipment, so when they arrived at the front of the base, they were quickly cleared through without obstruction. The guards on duty saluted one after another, showing just how much prestige and charisma this young major general possessed.

Only then did Xia Zheng fully reconcile the image of a general with this girl-like woman.

Once inside the base, the vehicle sped up. About ten minutes later, they arrived in front of what looked like a long-neglected warehouse. Yet the sentries standing on both sides were all elite soldiers, so this must have been an important area.

“Come on, I’ll show you this gate. It’s been around for many years. The equipment is a little old, but it’s still maintained fairly well,” Ying Ying said after parking the car, motioning for Xia Zheng to get out.

The two walked up to the “warehouse,” and the eyes of the two guards immediately brightened. They saluted Ying Ying first, their gaze filled with both respect and a trace of admiration. Then their eyes turned like knives toward Xia Zheng beside her, clearly unfriendly.

“Greetings, General. May I ask who this is?” one of the sentries asked.

Ying Ying pointed at Xia Zheng. “He’s a friend of mine. I brought him here to experience this place. That’s all right, isn’t it?”

“If he is the general’s friend, then you have the authority, General. However, I will record today’s events in the log for filing,” the sentry replied.

“No matter. That’s the rule; I understand,” Ying Ying said, not at all angry. She brought Xia Zheng forward and had the guards open the warehouse doors. Soon, amid a dull rumbling, the seemingly old warehouse gate slowly opened.

Inside it was like a deep black hole, filled with mysterious energy. Nothing could be discerned from the outside alone.

“Come on. This is the challenge gate of our military, also known as the Ancient Battlefield,” Ying Ying said, stepping in first. Xia Zheng immediately followed. The moment he entered the black void, he felt dizzy and weightless, as if the entire space around him had shifted.

But the sensation lasted only two or three seconds before quickly ending.

When Xia Zheng regained clarity from his daze, a vivid and striking scene lay before his eyes.

The dark red horizon carried a heavy, oppressive weight, as though the heavens themselves were about to collapse.

On the land engulfed in smoke and fire, the sounds of slaughter and screams rose one after another, chilling the soul.

Fifty meters directly ahead of him stood four great battle banners fluttering in the wind: dark green, deep blue, blood red, and white.

“Xia Zheng, this kind of gate, similar to a game instance, was specially created by the military to temper promising recruits. It cost an astonishing amount of money. It recreates the four classic battles from eleven years ago, when the bloodkin captured Evernight City and human forces fought desperately to retake the territory and establish the Evernight Outpost. Each battle banner represents a chapter, and each chapter has several stages. If you can clear them, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the history and some of the truth behind the first full-scale war between humanity and the bloodkin. It will also be tremendously beneficial to your growth,” Ying Ying said, appearing beside Xia Zheng at some point to introduce the instance before him.

After Chairman He Shunhua recruited Xia Zheng into the association, he had specially spoken with several vice chairmen and the ten deacons about him, hoping that when they encountered Xia Zheng, they would be willing to help him. In particular, he wanted them to provide tempering and aid his growth. Even if they could not do that, they should at least avoid targeting him. Ying Ying had accepted this favor from Chairman He, which was why she brought Xia Zheng here.

Xia Zheng’s heart surged with emotion. He had not expected the military to be capable of forging such a heavily historical, story-driven instance. His understanding of the military had deepened at once.

General Song Xinghui and Major Philina were the only two soldiers he knew well and had a good relationship with. Now this Major General Ying Ying had likewise won his gratitude and respect.

“Thank you, General, for giving me such an opportunity. May I ask whether I can clear this instance with my current strength?” Xia Zheng asked, somewhat uncertainly.

Ying Ying gestured for Xia Zheng to follow her. The two arrived in front of one of the battle banners—the dark green one.

“The overall difficulty of the instance can be adjusted. Your current rank is B, but based on the analysis of your recent combat performance, your actual fighting strength should be at A. So when the time comes, I’ll set the upper limit of the instance difficulty to S,” Ying Ying said, then manipulated some menu interfaces in the air. Xia Zheng could not quite understand the screens before her.

Although Xia Zheng very much wanted to ask why it had to be S, since she had made the decision, she must have had her reasons.

“Do you want me to lower the difficulty?” Ying Ying asked, glancing at him.

Xia Zheng shook his head. “No. I want to test my limits too.”

“Good. That’s more like a man. Unlike some people, who always make excuses for themselves, saying starting easy and working up is more scientific. To me, that’s just cowardice.” Xia Zheng had no idea who the “some people” in the female general’s mouth were, and he did not dare ask.

When Ying Ying finished the operation, a desolate, weighty male voice with a deep resonance echoed through the entire space: “Current instance difficulty: S. Battle difficulty adjusts dynamically, highest S, lowest B+.”

“All right. You still have less than seventy-two hours to undergo training in the instance. Here, you can release yourself to your heart’s content without worrying that excessive destructive power will damage the surroundings. The battlefield has self-repair functions and can withstand the destruction of a disaster-level bloodkin, so don’t worry,” Ying Ying said, about to leave. Then she suddenly remembered something and turned back.

She told him, “This place has no communication signal. You have companions outside, right? I’ll contact them for you so they don’t think you’ve gone missing.”

“Oh, right. Thank you, General.” Xia Zheng then gave her his girlfriend’s name and phone number.

“Hmph. You’re still growing. Don’t get too attached to beauty,” Ying Ying said, recognizing the name at a glance, after all, Nalan Cheng’s reputation was considerable as well.

Xia Zheng smiled awkwardly and did not bother explaining further. After Ying Ying left, he slowly walked up to the first battle banner.