Chapter 156: Discovery
Chapter 156: Discovery
Time flew by like flowing water.
In the blink of an eye, another year had passed.
This year, Fang Xing led a leisurely life.
His true self at Blue Star University hadn't encountered any troubles and even firmly maintained his position at the top of the battle rankings.
Perhaps Warden Shinto had noticed his bizarre assortment of exchanges and, realizing his eccentric ideas were detrimental to his potential, lost interest.
As for his clone, it received abundant support from the Celestial Sword Sect and focused solely on cultivating at Golden Peak, preparing to refine his spirit sword and external elixir while also changing his cultivation technique.
"Time truly flies. I'm already 23 years old..."
"When the fifth year of university starts, it'll be time for internships. Warden Shinto might very well be waiting for this day..."
Fang Xing glanced at his attributes:
Fifth Realm: Outer Scene (211/400)
Dragon-Tiger Power Stance: 422/800 (Grandmaster)
...
"There has also been significant progress in my realm. With the Dragon-Tiger Power Stance more than halfway complete, I should be able to reach perfection within the next two to three years. The secret arts for refining Qi and the Minor Yin Evil Qi are already prepared... With the support of the Celestial Sword Sect's commerce and outer court, collecting the True Solar Qi won't be difficult... Before graduating from university, I'll definitely be able to refine a Golden Core, and not just an ordinary one."
"At that time, I'll be directly accepted into the graduate program..."
Fang Xing closed his eyes, silently observing his cultivation in the cultivation world, deep in thought.
In fact, after cultivating the Dragon-Tiger Power Stance to the halfway point and continuously strengthening his domain power, he had discovered something unusual.
In the cultivation world, his true self could vaguely sense the spiritual energy in the void as well!
"Domain power is, in essence, a form of 'control' over the surrounding space..."
"Moreover, I have a cultivation clone, so I already know what spiritual energy is..."
"With these two conditions, it's normal that I can vaguely sense spiritual energy... Once I develop my domain power to its peak, I might even be able to perceive spiritual energy clearly... If I achieve the Golden Core realm, who knows, I might even be able to forcibly capture spiritual energy with my psychic power and refine it into my body... Even without a spiritual root!"
Once his martial arts prowess reached a sufficiently high level, he would be able to achieve this!
Of course, forcibly capturing spiritual energy and refining it would undoubtedly be less efficient than having a spiritual root.
However, the shackles that prevented Blue Star warriors from cultivating spiritual power would be completely broken.
And perhaps, as his realm deepened even further in the future, there might be even more unexpected developments.
This was the dawn of the 'Immortal Martial' path!
"My path to becoming a Martial God might very well culminate in the Immortal Martial realm..."
Fang Xing was by no means short-sighted.
Even though he had chosen the martial path, he wouldn't be content with merely becoming a Martial God.
"Is this the essence of the three thousand grand paths, leading to the same destination?"
Fang Xing closed his eyes and began to cultivate silently.
...
Soon, the summer vacation flew by, and it was time for the start of the fifth year of university.
Fang Xing contacted his friends and also received greeting messages from Xia Long and Lu Guoming.
It was clear that they were all aware of the dangers of the fifth-year internship.
The Federation's conscription system was a guarantee for war, and it was difficult to escape.
Even university students, when they reached their fifth-year internships, would mostly be arranged to experience the battlefield.
[Ding! You have a new email!]
At this moment, Fang Xing received an email.
"Has the arrangement for the fifth-year internship come?"
He casually opened it: "As expected, it's in the battlefield of the virtual space, and I'll have to fight in the secret realm... I'll need to inform Pan Xiong later. Hmm? The location of the battlefield is there?"
Fang Xing transformed into a stream of light and flew directly out of the dormitory to find Pan Xiong.
Pan Xiong still looked like a little boy with red lips and white teeth. Seeing Fang Xing's internship information, he smiled and said, "How do you feel about it?"
"What must come will come."
Fang Xing's expression was calm.
With his golden finger, even in the secret realm, he had a way out! This had already been proven during the Hundred Stars Joint Exam.
That was his greatest source of confidence.
"Very good. After you join the military camp, the Federation will definitely bestow a military rank upon you... Then you can directly gain military merits, and there are still quite a few good things on the Federation's merit list, including treasures that can speed up the cultivation of Outer Scene martial artists."
Pan Xiong smiled, "Although Blue Star University has the best gravity room and other supporting facilities, as well as martial arts secret medicines... Some special military medicines are also quite good."
He had high hopes for Fang Xing and didn't mind giving him a few pointers: "Also, remember... You're an intern, not a real soldier. Before accepting a mission, you have the right to back out... But once you accept a mission and enter the secret realm battlefield, you will be subject to military law, and disobedience or retreat in the face of the enemy... will get you killed!"
Pan Xiong had been teaching for many years and had seen countless geniuses.
He knew that some geniuses, despite their extraordinary talents and invincibility in arena battles, performed poorly on the actual battlefield.
Now that the Federation had developed virtual reality technology, the situation might be a little better, but this issue still persisted.
After all, the entrants knew that they would never truly die in the virtual space.
But on the battlefield, they faced death at every moment, endured immense mental pressure, and constantly faced the mental pollution of the Evil God's minions. The weak-willed might easily crumble...
If Fang Xing performed poorly on the battlefield, no matter how talented he was, he wouldn't be worth the investment.
The Federation needed warriors who could truly fight against high-ranking clans, demigods, and even charge towards the main body of the extradimensional evil gods!
If one couldn't perform in actual combat, then as a martial artist, they were completely useless!
"I understand."
Fang Xing nodded solemnly.
...
Several days later.
After sorting out his equipment, Fang Xing strapped on a dual-shoulder backpack and specially equipped himself with the Ghost Head Blade, a treasure-level item. He then made his way to the Earth-Moon Elevator.
After swiping his card, he waited silently as the elevator swiftly ascended, transporting him to the Moon God.
[Ding! Intern Fang Xing, please follow the directions to the Z225 Military Camp in the Virtual Space!]
The reminder from the Omnibrain immediately sounded.
It was like the grand administrator of the entire Federation, managing everything on Blue Star in minute detail.
"A military camp in the virtual battlefield is actually on the Moon God?"
Fang Xing was a little surprised, but he still followed the map and made his way to a certain military camp on the Moon God.
At this moment, there were also some other fifth-year interns like him, gathering in twos and threes at this location.
'The virtual space is a space that overlaps with the real world but is completely unrelated to it... It is controlled by the extradimensional evil gods, allowing them to bypass the Federation's heavily guarded defenses and directly infiltrate the heart of the Federation with their clans.'
'To launch a counter-attack, one must also enter the virtual space and send warriors to break through one secret realm after another, which are also known as space bubbles!'
'Therefore, the location of the military camp doesn't matter, as long as the secret realm is locked on, they will be 'transported' into the battlefield.'
'But for a smooth ambush, the military camps in the virtual space are definitely spread across the Blue Star Federation, and I guess I've been assigned to the one closest to me?'
As Fang Xing entered the military camp, a sense of danger immediately arose in his heart.
'The Omnibrain must have granted me temporary access rights. Otherwise, an ordinary person trespassing here might have already been shot dead...'
Fang Xing scanned the area and saw numerous silver-white high-rises, resembling a crowded beehive.
In a large square, there was a screen of light displaying constantly changing pale blue characters: "Battle Merit Ranking, First Place—Soaring Dragon Squad!"
Fang Xing glanced at it a few times and realized it was some sort of leaderboard, immediately losing interest.
Such rankings and fame were all illusions, gimmicks to deceive and motivate hot-blooded youths to fight to the death.
It would be incredibly difficult to get him excited about such things.
'On the other hand, the Merit Exchange List behind it is a little interesting...'
Fang Xing looked at the exchange list and found that besides many martial arts secret medicines, there were also all sorts of strange items.
"A villa in the Jiangnan District, covering an area of 782 square meters, with a total area of 3,590 square meters, price: 100 military merits! Seems quite cheap..."
As he was studying the list, the Omnibrain had already sent over a bunch of disciplinary rules and internship guidelines.
The most important thing was a reminder:
[You have entered the Z225 Military Camp and have been granted the rank of Provisional Second Lieutenant!]
"Second Lieutenant? Although it's provisional, once I officially enlist, I can immediately get a permanent commission..."
Fang Xing's eyes lit up, "My high school classmates, they started as lower privates, and many of them remained lower privates even after they retired. A few rare ones made it to middle private, and upper privates are rarely seen..."
He looked at the detailed explanation and found that 'martial artists' and 'Blue Star University interns' had military rank bonuses.
With several cumulative bonuses, this was the result.
"Boss, over here!"
In the square, a hirsute and mature-looking ape, resembling an instructor, was enthusiastically waving his hand.
"Little Song..."
Upon seeing Song Jin Gang, Fang Xing walked over and greeted him.
After so many years, Song Jin Gang had finally barely broken through to the Outer Scene and, with the help of university resources, developed his 'Vajra Body' (Indestructible Body) ability to a certain level.
Such strength was no longer considered weak among the interns.
Of course, in Fang Xing's opinion, the 'Adamantine Body' ability was just so-so, and even at its peak, it would only be comparable to his 'Dragon Elephant Vajra Indestructible Mystical Power'.
"I knew the boss would definitely be here."
Song Jin Gang said, "I've already inquired about it. We interns will undergo a month of military training first, and then we'll really go to the battlefield... We're encouraged to form squads and work together."
He was a little excited but also a little nervous.
"Oh? What's the specific process?"
Fang Xing asked.
"The high-level military of the Federation will capture intelligence on the secret realms in the virtual space and release it in the form of missions... Once a mission is accepted, you will need to immediately enter the 'space cabin' and be transported to the locked-on secret realm... We will definitely be the first line of defense, and if we fail, there will be other regular army camps as the second line of defense... But by then, we will basically be wiped out..."
Song Jin Gang's face turned pale, "Interns must accept a mission once a month or directly drop out and return to school for disciplinary action..."
The battlefield internship was a privilege given to university students, allowing them to adapt to the cruelty of the battlefield in advance.
But in any era, deserters would inevitably face severe punishment!
(End of Chapter)
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