In the distance, the sky was tinged with a faint fish-belly white.
The warriors of the Northern Frontier maintained their regular shifts, always on high alert. They knew they were guarding the northern gateway to the Dragon Kingdom, and if it were breached, the enemy could infiltrate unimpeded.
They were also aware that their Dragon King Army in the Northern Frontier was now the most renowned force in the world.
This was because they had accomplished countless tasks deemed impossible by others.
"Brother Xiao, as you instructed, we've given them no special treatment and integrated them into squads according to the normal schedule. After a month, they can generally keep up with our training intensity. They truly are elite disciples of the Misty Immortal Palace. Their bodies, nourished by innate true qi, recover much faster than ours."
Ye Chen recounted the events of the past month to Lin Xiao, then sighed with emotion.
"That's natural... Besides Di Qing, there's no one else, is there?" Lin Xiao asked.
If people like Di Qing were still around, more trouble would follow.
"Perhaps, but at least none have shown it yet. It's possible they're just keeping their thoughts to themselves due to their circumstances," Ye Chen speculated, not believing that the disciples of the Misty Immortal Palace would genuinely train alongside them without reservations.
"That should be the case."
Lin Xiao recalled the faces of the disciples he had seen earlier. A hint of relief seemed to be on their faces. They had sensed the cyborgs and were perhaps awed by their presence.
"In that case, have them conduct a live combat exercise. I want to see," Lin Xiao said. "Let's do it today."
"Alright."
Ye Chen immediately nodded, eager to witness their performance in a live exercise.
Soon, all the disciples of the Misty Immortal Palace received the news.
"Live combat exercise?"
Wu Zongshen was somewhat surprised by the announcement, but he soon found it agreeable. It was an excellent opportunity to gauge their progress alongside their fellow disciples.
He wanted to see how much their physical bodies had improved.
"I've been wanting to test these Northern Frontier soldiers for a while. Some of them I've disliked for ages!"
Someone immediately exclaimed.
"Yeah! I remember some people mocking us at the beginning, hmph!"
"Let them taste some hardship!"
Wu Zongshen rubbed his temples and then said, "Be mindful. You'll be in different teams, and you'll face your own fellow disciples."
"If you truly desire victory and self-improvement."
Before he could finish speaking, someone arrived to urge them to return to their teams. The exercise was about to begin.
"It seems... Senior Brother, I'll have to spar with you after a long time."
"Junior Brother, I couldn't ask for more."
...
Everyone returned to their teams. Lin Xiao certainly wouldn't have the disciples of the Misty Immortal Palace form a single team. If they did, there would be no need for an exercise; their overwhelming strength would solve many technical issues.
Now, it would be more interesting.
All teams were of equal strength, giving the exercise meaning.
However, Qi Tian had no intention of observing this exercise. He was still in his room, poring over the documents in his hands.