Border of the Pure Land

A gale struck their faces, mingled with a mass of dust.

It smeared both of their faces.

The two bowls of porridge were no longer drinkable.

"This really isn't human."

Some of the new soldiers finally got angry, "Are you doing this to disgust us on purpose?"

"Cut it out, our conditions are already not too bad. If you were assigned to a place like Nepal or Congo, that would be truly miserable. You'd get a mouthful of dust just from drinking water, and there's freakin' mutated mosquitoes as big as your face and spiders to match! Compared to that, we've just arrived at a town on the outskirts of the city; our living conditions are pretty good."

An experienced brother spoke, "At least our hardships here, though tough, won't kill us if there are no accidents, but those hellish places are a different story."

"Shush, don't complain arbitrarily."

Another person said, "Who knows, maybe some officers are observing us."

"Brother Lu..."

He Sai wanted to cry but had no tears.

Lu Bu'er couldn't hold back anymore, his expression gradually turning fierce.

The cold voice of the drone sounded again, "Emergency announcement, a large number of Specter Fiends are attacking Wuzhen from the Giant Peak Mountains. All new soldiers, please rush to the battlefield immediately!"

The new soldiers had their morale blown to pieces, each grabbing their weapons.

Lu Bu'er clenched his teeth, "Charge, to kill the Specter Fiends!"

"This is messing with our heads, right? Charge, let's fight them!"

He Sai's face also contorted in rage, his anger and despair having reached the limit!

·

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That day, the new soldiers finally faced the challenge before their awakening. They left the camp they had just set up, passed through the old town, and reached the wilderness at the foot of the mountain.

The empty highway had been closed off, old power lines crisscrossed the sky; fog enshrouded the towering mountains, obscuring everything.

The dark plains roared with howling winds and the mist spread with the breeze. They could see the military's blockade line and the sandbag emplacements piled up like little hills.

"This is our military post?"

Lu Bu'er murmured to himself.

He Sai huddled his neck, feeling a bit scared.

But for the newer generation, this was nothing new. Many retired soldiers would re-enter zones near the Land of the Departed as adventurers to hunt Specter Fiends. Television programs about such expeditions were commonplace, akin to a modern version of wilderness survival shows.

They witnessed the ground in the darkness suddenly trembling, as if a massive monster was rampaging through the soil in the mountains, causing the ground to collapse wherever it passed!

An aging middle-aged officer holding a walkie-talkie, his voice echoing through the drone over the ruins, said, "Worthless fools, open your eyes wide and see. This is a high-level Specter Fiend. The Tree of Life Kabbalah has brought not only the power of evolution, but also a change to the ecosystem and environment of this planet. Many prehistoric extinct creatures have returned, like this monster."

"Its name is Earth Dragon, currently one of the greatest threats to city safety... Of course, not something you lot could handle."

He paused, "Major Yuan Qing, please take over."

A helicopter swooped overhead, and a person dropped down!

Everyone expected a fearless warrior like Lü Bu to descend from the heavens.

But unexpectedly, it turned out to be a woman.

And she looked to be barely in her twenties.

"Leave the Earth Dragon to me. You all handle the rest of the small fry!"

The hoarse female voice echoed in the wind, "It seems that new recruits have come to the front today, and I can only give you one piece of advice. To deal with Specter Fiends, you must overcome the fear in your heart and awaken the most primitive brutality in your bones, you have to be more ferocious than them. If you can't do this, then you'd better retire early and go home to find your mother, it's still not too late."

At that moment, a scorching flash of light lit up the sky!

"What is that?"

He Sai was stunned.

Lu Bu'er raised her head and caught sight of the dark figure descending from the sky in that very glance.

The female officer's chestnut short hair fluttered in the cold wind, her enchanting and delicate face bore a trace of wildness, as intricate patterns spread like a matrix across her skin, reaching out until it engulfed the Iron Bow in her hand, both the bow and arrow began to roar restlessly, radiating brilliant light!

With a thunderous boom, the Iron Bow seemed to undergo a metamorphosis, streaming with blazing flames!

"This is the gift that Cocoon Breakers receive on the path of evolution, the power bestowed upon us by the Divine Tree, in the First Origin Realm, we consolidate destiny. In the Second Glory Realm, we master Techniques. In the Third Victory Realm, we control Soul Blades. But for you, all this is far too remote," she said.

The middle-aged instructor's voice was cold, not hiding his condescending attitude toward the soldiers.

He stood in the camp, showcasing his own abilities.

He cut his own wrist, and the wound emitted a blue glow.

In just a moment, it healed itself.

"This is destiny, different categories, different attributes, different abilities," he explained.

He continued, "This is Technique."

He placed his hand on the ground, and countless vines broke through the soil!

"Destiny is like your internal skills, Technique is like your moves," the instructor stated coldly.

"As for the Soul Blade, look up!" he commanded.

The night sky was suddenly illuminated.

"Die for me!"

Major Yuan Qing in mid-air nocked her arrow on the bow, the burning arrow shot out like a musket firing, resembling a meteor dragging its fiery tail as it plummeted to the earth, roaring incessantly!

A mushroom cloud burst forth in the smoke, accompanied by the wailing of a giant beast.

What's more, more than a dozen scorching flashes of light lit up the sky!

The devastating arrows rained down like thunder.

"Major Yuan Qing is mighty!"

"Is this the power of the Third Realm, is the Victory Realm really so strong?"

"Nonsense, Major Yuan Qing's destiny has always been exceptional, coupled with that Iron Bow named 'Blazing Specter,' even the tough-skinned Earth Dragon can't withstand it," someone retorted.

The soldiers cheered exuberantly in the wilderness.

"So cool."

Clearly, He Sai's soul of being in awe was awakened.

Lu Bu'er silently contemplated the scene, these were all things that had never appeared during the initial tests, the real transcendent abilities that Evolvers wielded.

This was a supernatural force, powerful enough to change the world.

What man hasn't fantasized about having superpowers in his youth?

Now, this door had just opened before them.

In the most spectacular way.

And what was most exciting was that they too could possess that kind of power!