The giant snakes on the four pillars opened their mouths at the same time, spewing out clouds of fog that looked almost transparent and causing every candidate’s consciousness to blur for a moment. When they came to their senses again, they realized that they were standing in a lush green valley surrounded by rolling hills and dotted with patches of dense woodland.

Wei Yuan found himself standing near the base of the mountain. Ahead of him, there was a somewhat open terrain that showed distinct undulations. Behind him, there was a small, twenty zhang tall hill—which was considered tall in this tiny world—that he immediately identified as the closest vantage point he could find in his immediate vicinity.

As a book on the arts of war would say, it was exactly the kind of strategic location that was fiercely contested among warlords. Thus, Wei Yuan wasted no time in racing up the hill to get a clear view of his surroundings. As he ran, a flash of light enveloped his body, and his clothes transformed into a set of dark yellow-colored combat wear.

He looked around after he ran to the top of the hill. There were dozens of candidates around him, all of them tens of zhang away from each other. It would seem that they were randomly scattered across the illusory realm as soon as they entered it, and none of the candidates knew where they were going to end up.

Everyone’s clothes had changed into two colors: sky blue or dark yellow. That was how they knew which team they belonged to.

It was at this moment armor suddenly appeared around a couple candidates’ bodies. None of the styles were the same.

An illusory chest had appeared in front of Wei Yuan as well. One side of the chest held several different types of armor, whereas the other side was filled up with all sorts of weapons.

Both the armor and the weapons looked to be palm-sized at best, but they automatically transformed into real objects and equipped themselves to his body when he grabbed them.

There was a compartment on the chest lid containing a single pill as well. The pill could replenish one’s stamina and heal minor injuries. It was entirely up to the candidate when they wished to use it.

Wei Yuan was still choosing his equipment when he saw a pair of pillars of light shot into the sky from the north and the south at the same time. Directly beneath each light pillar was a small mountain. It must be the bases the teams were expected to defend. If one team’s base was conquered and successfully held by the opposition, then they would lose.

The teams had been divided, and the base had appeared. Thus, the exam candidates sprang into action and started moving toward their assigned bases. The candidates gathering under the red light pillar to the north wore sky blue, whereas those gathering under the golden light pillar to the south wore yellow. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Sometimes, candidates belonging to different teams would cross paths with each other. However, they mostly exchanged cold stares with each other before passing each other by, refraining from engaging in combat.

Wei Yuan watched for a bit and understood what Lee Zhi meant by the martial test being “a test of one’s ability to rally strength”. Lee Zhi had chosen his men before the martial test had even begun and assigned them into units. As soon as they entered the illusory realm, they immediately gathered at the south and organized themselves. The plan was to overcome all opposition as an army.

However, Lee Zhi wasn’t the only capable person among the candidates. In fact, Wei Yuan noticed that the northern team slightly outnumbered the southern team. But of course, this was just what it looked like on the surface. After all, both sides had “spies” in the other group.

It didn’t take long for the two main forces to take form at all. However, there were still dozens of candidates standing at the center of the exam ground looking bewildered and confused. They were clearly in the same predicament as Wei Yuan—they were all people that had been abandoned by their own sides.

The quick-witted ones eventually figured out what was going on and hurriedly rushed off to join the team corresponding to their colors. Most, however, were still standing dumbly in the middle and had no idea what they were supposed to do.

Wei Yuan didn’t pick his weapon or armor immediately. He wanted to see what the two major forces were doing first before making a decision.

The hill he was standing on was a good vantage point. He could see most of the battlefield except the two bases without trouble. In this world, a human’s range of vision was limited. They couldn’t see the enemy’s headquarters unless they crossed over the middle section. It was probably an intentional design of the illusory realm.

Wei Yuan’s hill was near the edge of the west side of the illusory realm. Behind the hill was a dense forest with a wall of light that stretched into the sky. The wall was the border of the illusory realm. There were many high grounds in the north and the south, but the center boasted an upland that was several zhang taller than its surroundings. It was obviously a highly strategic location that the two forces were probably going to claim at all cost.

It was at this moment a dozen or so candidates burst forth from the north and the south. Clad in light armor and moving with agile grace, they were fanning out in a wide arc and moving toward each other.

Wei Yuan nodded when he saw this from a far distance. It was as the military strategy he learned claimed. “These must be the scouts. Yes, both sides want to figure out the terrain and the enemy’s deployment first before deciding on a strategy.”

Sometimes, opposing scouts would run into each other. However, they warily passed each other by without fighting. Although the rules of the martial test were pretty vague, there was one thing everyone was certain about: the longer you lived, the higher your score would be. Anyone with even a speck of brain in their skulls knew that their score would be lousy if they died at the very beginning of the test.

Wei Yuan was still watching their movements when suddenly, a blue silhouette dashed all the way to the top of his hill as swiftly as a horse. He was a scrawny youngster wearing light armor and wielding a sword with a fierce look. Clearly, the youngster had grown bloodthirsty upon noticing his unarmed and defenseless state.

His eyebrows arched up a little as he met his would-be attacker’s gaze head-on. He was still observing the battlefield, but if the youngster wanted to die early, he had no problem complying with his wishes.

However, nothing of the sort happened. The youngster noticed that his target was a whole head taller than him and had to hide a shiver. In the end, he merely threw him a baleful glare before running down the hill and continuing toward the south.

The blue shirt youngster had just taken his leave when a yellow shirt youngster wielding a sword ran up the hill. When he noticed Wei Yuan’s shirt color, he said courteously, “You can meet with Senior Brother Lee Zhi if you still don’t have a team yet. With your stature, you can probably earn a good spot in his team.”

The yellow shirt youngster did not wait for an answer. He said, “Take care, Senior Brother,” before continuing toward the north.

Four scouts had passed through Wei Yuan’s hill in just a matter of moments. It couldn’t be helped. The hill was so conspicuous that any scout passing through the area had to take a look. The scouts from the blue team gave him murderous looks, and honestly, the yellow team’s reactions weren’t much better. However, they all chose to retreat when they noticed his size.

Even if the Scarlet Tide Sect were included in this unified exam, the quota would still only amount to half the total number of candidates. Those who clearly didn’t have a squad like Wei Yuan were considered to be preemptively eliminated. On the other hand, they were scouts. It wasn’t a lofty position at all, but it was still one rank higher than your foot soldiers. They all believed they had a good chance to earn their spots as well. Naturally, no one wanted to tangle with someone they thought was already eliminated at this juncture.

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan believed he had seen most of what he needed to see and resummoned his equipment chest. He had encountered over thirty candidates since the martial test began, and most of them were wielding swords. Zhang Sheng had taught him the basics of wielding weapons before, and his opinion of swords was this: The sword is the vessel of the Son of Heaven, and there is no denying that there is an air of elegance and dignity to it. However, its symbolic significance outweighs its actual power. Anyone who wields a sword on the battlefield of ordinary mortals is a fool.

Clearly though, the large majority of the candidates desired the vessel of the Son of Heaven.

Wei Yuan reached out and grabbed a spear. It grew to the length of one zhang and two chi[1] as soon as it left the chest. The spear blade measured one and a half chi with two half-chi long branches extending from the point where it joined the shaft, forming a cross. The spearhead and the shaft were seamlessly integrated, and ancient, intricate patterns were carved to its whole surface. He didn’t know what material it was made of.

Wei Yuan’s arms dipped as soon as he grabbed the spear. It was at least tens of catties heavy. Even for his size, he would need to exert between sixty and seventy percent of his strength to wield it freely.

1. 4 meters long. ☜