"Gather your energy."
"Hah!"
The scorching sun shone down on the big training field. The temperature was already 57 degrees Celsius, and it was not even the hottest summer yet.
It was normal though. The weather in Iron-Blooded City required one's imagination to adapt to it.
The young members of the Starfire Brigade had been in the city for almost two years, so they had developed a rich imagination of the weather in the city.
The standard armor had a special coating that allowed it to change color according to the environment.
It weighed 300 kgs and could change into a composite bow, a spear, a pair of blades, or even a climbing tool according to the way they fought. It was the new standard weapon, the Volley Spear.
All of them served as a boost to the high temperature.
Just think about it. If a normal person from the old civilization were to wear a suit of metal in such a high temperature, the heat would be so intense that they would be cooked alive, would they not?
Although the Air Rifle was a good item, and its weight of 300 kilograms wasn't a burden to everyone, it was definitely torture to hold it for 40 minutes under such a high temperature. Not even the slightest change in the angle of the Air Rifle's tip could be considered a slight torture.
However, it was not something to be grumbled about. Extreme training was part of the Starfire Brigade's routine training. If they could not even endure that, would they still deserve to be assigned a number?
As for the standard armor and the Volley Spear, they were not a burden at all. As a matter of fact, the equipment of the Starfire Brigade was the best in the whole of Iron-Blooded City.
Whether it was the standard armor or the Volley Spear, they were the newest weapons in Iron-Blooded City. It was said that they were designed by a mysterious young genius, but due to the lack of materials and funds, only the Starfire Brigade was equipped.
As for how good the armor and the Volley Spear were, only the members of the Starfire Brigade knew.
However, during the training, it was inevitable that some members would grumble. Why didn't the higher-ups of Iron-Blooded City open up the remaining functions of the armor and the Volley Spear?
Fine, forget about the remaining functions of the Volley Spear. Speaking of which, it was rather useless and strange.
After all, the members of the Starfire Brigade were provided with standard military rations during their missions, so they were not too keen on turning their weapons into cooking utensils when necessary.
It was said that the design of the Volley Spear was based on the feelings of the young genius. Since it was related to feelings, it was hard to comment on it.
However, this standard-issue armor named 'Cloud Soaring Armor' could be equipped with a small Universal Source Rock, and it would have the function of adjusting the temperature. Why didn't he use it?
Especially under this kind of temperature!
The higher-ups of Iron-Blooded City probably would not answer the questions, but there were rumors that the city purposely kept the functions to themselves. This was because a certain general had once said that fighting was not enjoyable!
XaSa took a deep breath, got rid of those distracting thoughts in his mind, and began to concentrate on gathering his Qi.
As the sound of Qi gathering echoed throughout the training ground, something that looked like a wooden stake rose in front of everyone.
As a matter of fact, Iron-Blooded City had invested a huge sum of money into the training poles. They used the strongest memory metal of the Purple Moon era and used a top-secret technique to create them. The training poles were specially made for rank 3 and above Purple Moon Warriors.
Why would Starfire Brigade be able to use it? There was no need to elaborate on this reason.
"Full power — strike!" The instructor's voice echoed in the training ground again.
"Roar!" All the members of the Starfire Brigade roared in unison and hurled the air spears in their hands at the training pole.
The air spear had a certain degree of elasticity, and the strike also contained a great deal of technique. It was not purely brute force, but a skillful strike that allowed the air spear to vibrate at a high speed. Then, the force of the vibration was combined with one's own strength to strike the training pole.
It was said that Iron-Blooded City had developed a set of spear techniques based on the spear techniques passed down from ancient Huaxia.
Anyone who had been on the battlefield before knew that heavy weapons were the best against an army of thousands and thousands of men and horses. At least, it could ensure an effective damage output.
However, the downside of heavy weapons was that it would waste energy when used for a long period of time. After weighing the pros and cons, a spear of moderate weight became the first choice. Spear techniques were a must for every member of the Starfire Brigade.
After a single strike, the training pole in front of XaSa cracked open. The crack extended from the top all the way to a third of the training pole.
When he saw the result, XaSa sighed in his heart.
However, before he could dwell on it, the instructor's voice echoed in the training field again. "Full power, second strike!"
Everyone's spear wielding posture changed again. This time, they thrust their spears at the training pole with all their might.
"Full power, third strike."
"Fourth strike."
....
The instructor's voice was like a war drum on the battlefield, one after another, urging the members to move forward without giving them a chance to catch their breath.
No one dared to slack off either. The results of the weekly spear training would be recorded and it would affect many things in the following week.
The standard 21 strikes that consumed a lot of stamina were completed in a mere three minutes. The training pole that cost a lot of money was restored to its original state miraculously before it shrunk back into the ground.
At the same time, a projection appeared in front of the team with many names listed on it.
Without a doubt, Liszt's name was still at the first place.
After five minutes, when everyone had a clear look at their ranking, Liszt's figure appeared in the projection again.
As the first place, according to the usual practice, the scene of him training his spear technique would be broadcasted.
It was glory.
Wasn't glory the most important thing to a soldier? The teenagers present had been in the Starfire Brigade for two years and were destined to grow from teenagers to young adults. The concept of glory as a soldier had long been implanted in their hearts.
XaSa's eyes glimmered. On the screen, Liszt's every strike was so powerful that he could only destroy one-third of the training pole with all his might. Under Liszt's spear, the pole was destroyed directly and thoroughly.
"Every strike is stronger than the last. Looks like Liszt's training pole will be upgraded again." XaSa's face was filled with admiration. Everyone had worked hard to catch up to Liszt and used the level two training pole. Who would have thought that Liszt would leave everyone behind with his strength again?
Of course, Han Xing was not in the training this time. Who knew what kind of result he would get? Maybe he could use the level three training pole?
Even if he disliked Han Xing, he had to admit that he was Liszt's biggest rival and had the ability to go against Liszt!
Fortunately, that guy was locked up for 15 days. Even his annoying team members were locked up for 7 days …
With that thought in mind, XaSa was strangely happy. Even though he did not have any personal grudges with Han Xing, he rejected him just because Han Xing was Liszt's rival.
However, it was not hard to understand. It was the mentality of a bootlicker. It seemed like the more he showed his teeth to Han Xing, the more Liszt would look up to him.
"Unpack." Liszt's shooting training soon ended and the three hours of extreme physical training for the day came to an end.
After unpacking and disbanding on the spot, the teenagers finally welcomed the most relaxing evening of the day.
They had an hour of free time before the meal.
Noises and teasing filled the training ground. The teenagers who were dismissed quickly formed small groups according to their relationship. They put their arms around each other's shoulders and enjoyed the most precious time of the day.
Without a doubt, Liszt had the most people around him.
XaSa spent a long time squeezing his way into the middle of the crowd. He did not have the courage to talk to Liszt directly. Instead, he looked at Hank with a flattering smile. "Brother Hank, can I go to the canteen and reserve a seat for you?"
There were a total of 3,000 top geniuses in the Starfire Brigade, but the canteen prepared for them only had 1,000 seats.
The meals were divided into three batches. Although the quality of the food was basically the same, the meat was mainly Level 1 vicious beast meat and the drinking water was Level 2 drinking water. There were also all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Although it was not extravagant enough to use vicious plants as ingredients, it was still the kind that was full of energy.
However, the difference in taste was huge.
The first batch would be made by chefs who were good at cooking. The chefs would ensure that the nutrition would not be lost and the food would be delicious.
The second batch would be made by normal chefs, so the food would not be tasty.
As for the third batch, it would be treated like military rations. The vicious beast meat would be dried while the fruits and vegetables would not be processed. All they had to do was wash them clean.
The young geniuses complained about this arrangement at first, but after a few days, they realized that complaining was useless. This was because this kind of hidden competition was everywhere, including the bed to sleep on.
After all, geniuses could not be treated in the same way as ordinary troops. During their growth period, competition was the most important. When natural selection arrived and a few top-notch leaders were chosen, they would naturally form a team, a very terrifying team!
It was because of this rule that XaSa had the chance to flatter Tang Ling. Other than that, he would also get the chance to eat in the first batch.
After all, other than Han Xing's team, who else would be stupid enough to snatch Liszt's seat in the name of reserving a seat for him?
On top of that, Han Xing was still grounded!
XaSa's flattering smile turned even more humble. He took it as a sign that even the higher-ups of Iron-Blooded City were siding with Liszt.
However, Liszt ignored XaSa.
He smiled amiably and seemed to be discussing something with the leader of the second unit. However, in the eyes of some of the geniuses, the smile felt weird every time they saw it because the curve of the smile reminded them of the smile on his last day.
Why would Liszt imitate him? Or did he not even realize that he was imitating him?
However, no one reminded Liszt about it. The situation was stronger than the person, and talking about it would obviously offend Liszt.
Hank stood beside Liszt and looked at XaSa. He suppressed the disgust in his heart and said calmly and politely, "Then, I'll have to trouble you. We might be a little late."
"No matter how late we are, it's fine," XaSa replied excitedly. He squeezed out of the crowd and ran towards the cafeteria.
It meant that in the next hour, XaSa would have to sit in the cafeteria like an idiot during his precious free time.
But what did it matter? There were too many people who wanted to reserve a seat for Liszt, and the opportunity did not come by often.
Watching XaSa leave, Hank could not hold back the disgust in his eyes. Following Liszt's strong rise in the past two years, especially after he established his position as the top young genius on the God of War Path, there were more and more despicable people around him.
Everyone knew these despicable people were not reliable. If Liszt lost his power, they would turn on him faster than flipping a page.
However, Liszt did not care.
"A king needs to rise. Whether it's sincere or not, as long as he can gain the support of the people, it's fine.
With more support, the Path of King will slowly form. "
Liszt's words made sense. Becoming a king was Liszt's biggest wish in life, so Hank had to protect him.
Even though his ambition was almost killed by Tang Ling, God seemed to be on Liszt's side. However, the heavens seemed to be on Liszt's side. Now that Tang Ling was dead, the ambition that came back from the ashes burned even brighter.
However, was it a good thing for Liszt to show his edge so early and not cover it up? Hank was really thinking for Liszt. He could not help but frown at the thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Liszt's voice interrupted Hank's thoughts.
"Nothing. It was too noisy just now." Hank did not voice his thoughts. Liszt might not be calm enough to listen to his words at the moment, so it was the same for him.
"It's fine. The annoying flies are gone." Liszt scratched his ear nonchalantly.
All he had to do was show a trace of impatience and the flies would fly away. He enjoyed the feeling.
Is this how the control of a king is?
As expected, the group of people around Liszt had left. Only the young geniuses from the hero families followed Liszt a dozen meters away from him.
The only one who was qualified to walk side by side with Liszt and be inseparable was Hank.
"Where are we going?" Hank asked naturally. As usual, Liszt would not waste a single minute. He wanted to make the most of every minute and second to grow stronger. Only a few people knew that unless it was absolutely necessary, Liszt did not have the freedom to rest for an hour.
Although he seemed to be a little arrogant these days, he did not lose his rationality and wisdom.
However, Liszt's cultivation content was different every day, which was why Hank asked the question.
Liszt smiled at Hank's question. He strode forward and Hank quickly caught up.
"Something unexpected happened today. I want to take a break," Liszt said.
"How about the bathing place?" Hank simply asked. The bathing place was indeed the favorite place of the young geniuses in Starfire Brigade.
There was a natural hot spring there that could relieve fatigue, recover stamina, and even speed up the recovery of injuries.
Other than that, the bathing place was equipped with steam machines from the old civilization. There was also an entertainment room where the young geniuses could enjoy some entertainment from the old civilization like video games, chess games, and some ball games.
"What's so interesting about that place? It's just a waste of time. "Liszt was not satisfied with Hank's answer, so he raised a brow.
"So?" Hank already had the answer in his heart, but he did not want to say it out loud.
"Let's visit an old friend." Liszt smiled. Han Xing had been locked up for seven days. He had been busy all this while, so it would be rude of him not to visit his old friend.
"I want to go to the library." Hank frowned. He was not interested in visiting his old friend.
"What? You're not satisfied with my way of doing things? "Liszt was a little upset.
"I don't mind, but with your current strength, you really don't have to suppress him like this." Hank was more direct. Only he dared to speak to Liszt like that.
Even so, Liszt showed a dissatisfied expression. He went quiet for a while before he said, "Hank, can you keep your useless kindness to yourself? A king isn't an idiot who only knows how to flex his muscles. He must know how to scheme. What's wrong with training himself on a stumbling block? "
Should I be right? Hank could not refute Tang Ling's words, so he said, "You're right, but I'm really not interested in facing Han Xing. If I have the time, I'd rather go to the library. "
Liszt's eyes were burning with anger, but he calmed down when he saw Hank's green eyes.
He knew Hank would never betray him, and as a king, he had to leave a soft spot in his heart for someone he could trust.
"Alright, you can go." Liszt suppressed his dissatisfaction.
Hank nodded and wanted to leave.
At that moment, Liszt stopped Hank. "Hold on. You should find some time to contact a flying dragon."
"Mm." Hank nodded and left.
The flying dragon had undoubtedly become an important chess piece in Liszt's grand plan. Liszt did not place much importance on the flying dragon at first, and there was always a thorn in his heart. The flying dragon and Tang Ling used to have an unknown connection in the past.
Fortunately, Tang Ling was already dead. Regardless of what kind of connections he had when he was alive, they would all disappear with his death.
Otherwise, Liszt would have a headache after the flying dragon unleashed its immense potential because he could not place too much trust in the flying dragon.
Fortunately, the heavens were on his side. With Tang Ling's death, many problems seemed to be solved and his life became smoother.
Maybe Tang Ling's existence was a test from the heavens! On top of that, it was also a reminder for him to stay clear-headed at all times because the path of a king would never be smooth.
**
Han Xing licked his dry lips and sat on the floor with his knees bent.
The room he was in was not small. It was around seven to eight square meters, but there was a blue light surrounding him.
The blue light's range was limited, and within the limited range, Han Xing could not stand straight, lie down, or even sit up straight.
This was the so-called confinement room. It forced a person to stay in a pressurized position at all times. In the Purple Moon era, a normal room could no longer confine evolved humans, let alone a Purple Moon Warrior.
Therefore, the confinement blue light appeared.
Han Xing smiled bitterly. He was impressed that Iron-Blooded City would put so much effort into this kind of punishment and come up with such a torturous thing.
Apart from giving Han Xing immense pressure, he would whip Han Xing ten times every three hours.
There was no doubt about the power of the whip. It could definitely hurt Han Xing who was already a rank 3 Purple Moon Warrior. Of course, the damage would not be severe as Han Xing would recover quickly with his self-healing ability, but the pain on his body would be unavoidable.
The scariest thing was that the blue light would block the light source. Others could see Han Xing clearly, but Han Xing could only see darkness in the blue light.
In short, no matter how advanced the technology of the punishment room was, it was still derived from the confinement room of the old civilization.
It was said that only a handful of people could survive seven days in the old civilization's confinement room, and those who stayed longer than seven days would be tortured to the point of losing their minds.
Furthermore, there was no whipping punishment.
"Sharpen your will." Li Lie was the one who imprisoned Han Xing. Before Han Xing left, he said something profound to him.
His words and the 30 minutes of blue light removal every day became the motivation for Han Xing to persevere.
Iron-Blooded City was still worried about the young geniuses, so they set aside 30 minutes to remove the blue light in case something happened to them.
"Is my free time coming to an end?" Han Xing's uniform was torn, no doubt caused by the whipping.
But other than being able to maintain their dignity, they were not allowed to bring anything with them when they were locked up, not even a timer.
Han Xing was not Tang Ling. He did not have Precise Instinct, so all he could do in the dark was estimate the time.
Tap, tap, tap. Footsteps approached him from afar.
At first, Han Xing was delighted when he heard the footsteps.
During the 30 minutes of free time, someone would bring him food and water, and Han Xing had to solve all his problems within the 30 minutes.
Regardless, the footsteps meant that his free time was coming to an end.
However, as the footsteps got closer, Han Xing's expression changed and he was enraged.
He could tell that the footsteps belonged to Liszt.
How ironic. They were enemies that could never be reconciled, yet they were so familiar with each other that they would never mistake the other's footsteps.
The person who came was Liszt. As the best and most outstanding soldier of Starfire, he had a lot of special privileges, including access to the confinement room. Iron-Blooded City was a practical place.
Looking at Han Xing in the blue light, Liszt curled his lips into a mocking smile and an uncontrollable sense of hatred in his eyes.
It could not be helped. Whenever he saw Han Xing, he would think of Tang Ling and the humiliation and anxiety that Tang Ling had inflicted on him.
"I'm jealous of you. At least you're safe here," Liszt said with a mocking tone.
Right after Liszt's words, the darkness before Han Xing's eyes vanished. The blue light that shrouded him turned into a dot of light and gathered above Han Xing's head.
"I've really underestimated you. I didn't expect you to be so despicable as to mess around with 30 minutes of free time. Do you really care about me that much?" Han Xing raised his head. The sudden burst of light made his eyes uncomfortable. He shielded his eyes and narrowed them. Even so, he still wanted to mock Liszt a little.
The rules would not change. The 30 minutes of free time per day would not be increased due to any special circumstances.
Liszt's visit would be counted into his free time, and with his special privileges, he could visit Han Xing for 20 minutes.
He would only give Han Xing 10 minutes of free time.
"Care about you?" Liszt was not bothered by Han Xing's mockery. Instead, he found it funny.
"You should know that only a dead Tang Ling can scare me. As for you, what right do you have to do that? " Liszt deliberately emphasized the word 'die', then gently tidied up his collar, looking very leisurely.
Han Xing stood up. He wanted to stretch his stiff body, but when he heard the words' a dead Tang Ling ', he obviously paused and looked furious.
Soon enough, Han Xing calmed down.
It had been two and a half years, and he had almost accepted the fact. Going against Liszt had become a norm, and he was no longer as easily affected by this as he used to be.
Maybe Han Xing's calm reaction bored Liszt, so he started to pace back and forth in front of the iron bars of the cell. "Yes, what right do you have to do that? A little trick and you'll fall for it.
How does it feel to lie in the snow for three days and three nights? "
Han Xing stretched his body in silence. He did not want to waste his precious free time because of someone like Liszt.
"I don't think it matters to you, do it? You're a bull after all. You might not have a brain, but you have muscles. "
Han Xing inhaled deeply and did not care about Liszt at all.
"I don't think it matters to you, but what about your teammates? They were dragged down by a captain like you. Not only did they waste three days and three nights in the snow, but they were also grounded for seven days.
"Actually, for us right now, every minute is precious. Is there a better growth period than this? You wasted ten days of your teammates' time because of your stupidity. It's all because of your stupidity, "Liszt said casually.
However, Han Xing had stopped moving. His eyes were burning with rage as he glared at Liszt.
Liszt did not care as he continued, "You can't argue with me, can you? You shouldn't care anyway since it's not the first time your teammates have been suppressed and dragged down because of you. I'm the one who suppressed you, so it's not a secret … "
Liszt paused for a while before he shook his head and pouted. He then looked at Han Xing and said softly, "But what can you do? It's bad enough that you've been stuck in the snow, and now you have to drag others down. Without him, you're just a dog. I'm not lying to you. "
"Shut up!" Han Xing was completely enraged. He dashed to the iron bars and tried to grab Liszt by the collar.
However, Liszt stepped back in time and dodged Han Xing. Burning with rage, Han Xing pulled the iron bars in front of him. The iron bars were not going to hold him.
Liszt's eyes were filled with a cold smile as he watched the scene.
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