As they neared the war base, its facilities became clear. Training chambers and dueling arenas dotted the landscape. Some cultivators drank and discussed their recent gains, while others sparred on the dueling platforms. It was a bustling, floating city dedicated to war.
“There are many unwritten rules at this war base. I don’t need to explain them; you’ll learn them as you stay longer. The only thing I must warn you about is to avoid gambling matches with other cultivators. While the Zixiao Starfield prohibits cultivators of the same faction from killing each other, sparring is allowed.”
“As you are new to the war base, many veteran soldiers will provoke you. It’s best to endure it, otherwise, you might suffer a great loss,” True Immortal Mu Shan said solemnly.
“Thank you for the reminder.” Zhang Fan nodded. He was aware of gambling matches, which typically occurred between cultivators of the same level.
The longer a cultivator survived in the Starry Sky Battlefield, the stronger they would become, even if their cultivation realm hadn’t advanced. This was due to constantly being on the edge of life and death, honing their combat awareness and divine abilities.
“Look, more new recruits are arriving. Two batches of new recruits in one day, that’s quite rare.”
“There’s even a cultivator in the Spirit Refining realm. Looks like another opportunity to make a quick profit,” a man as thin as a monkey observed Zhang Fan, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
“Iron Monkey, are you planning to scam another newbie? Be careful, you might run into someone tough one day,” someone warned him.
“Hmph, these newbies are all arrogant when they first enter the Starry Sky Battlefield. They don’t understand the brutality of war. I’m just making them pay for a lesson. What’s a little loss of treasure? If they encounter those guys from the Jiuyai Starfield in the star river, they’ll lose their lives,” Iron Monkey scoffed.
The arrival of Zhang Fan and his group clearly attracted attention. In the eyes of these veterans, new recruits were foolish and easy to exploit.
…
True Immortal Mu Shan led Zhang Fan and the others to the new recruit registration area, while explaining the most basic rules of the Starry Sky Battlefield. “In the Starry Sky Battlefield, to better quantify strength, we don’t divide by cultivation realms but by one to ten stars.”
“One to three stars are warriors. In the Starry Sky Battlefield, warriors have no right to act freely; they must join other squads and follow the captain’s orders.”
“Four to six stars are generals. Generals have the authority to form their own squads and act as captains. However, a squad must have at least five members to enter the star river. This is to ensure you have sufficient strength to deal with the dangers within.”
“Seven to nine stars can be enfeoffed as Marquises. The weakest of these Marquis-level powerhouses has reached the Divine Transformation realm, so they can act independently with fewer restrictions.”
“What about ten stars?” Blood Demon Dragon asked curiously.
“Ten stars?” True Immortal Mu Shan’s eyes held a hint of longing before he chuckled, shaking his head. “To receive a ten-star rating on the Starry Sky Battlefield means being able to fight against a Void Returning realm cultivator while being in the Divine Transformation realm. Such individuals are not born solely from battlefield experience.”
“Since this Starry Sky Battlefield was established, only a handful of cultivators have achieved a ten-star rating, barely enough to count on one hand.”
“Currently, in the Starry Sky Battlefield, including the cultivators from the Jiuyai Starfield to the west of the star river, there are only three cultivators with ten-star strength. And on our Zixiao Starfield side, there is only one, Fairy Ziling.”
“And she’s a woman? I wonder what she looks like,” Blood Demon Dragon muttered.
Mu Shan quickly stopped him. “You mustn’t speak such nonsense. If Fairy Ziling hears it, you’ll be in trouble.”
“What’s the big deal? Just ten stars. I’ll reach ten stars after a few years of training,” Blood Demon Dragon boasted.
Mu Shan smiled. Every cultivator who joined the Starry Sky Battlefield started with such ambition. But after a while, they would realize they were just ordinary members among tens of thousands of Divine Transformation cultivators, and it was as difficult as reaching the heavens to stand out.
“If you can reach ten stars, the Void Returning realm powerhouses of the Zixiao Starfield will personally grant you a title. You will then become a core figure of the Zixiao Starfield, and even Void Returning realm cultivators will treat you as an equal.”
“The Zixiao Starfield? I don’t care for it. My goal is the Central Star Domain,” Blood Demon Dragon declared proudly.
Mu Shan was speechless. He had met arrogant people before, but never anyone this arrogant.
The journey was silent. Under Mu Shan’s guidance, Zhang Fan and his group arrived at the new recruit registration area. Two new recruits were currently undergoing strength tests.
Beside a large screen, a cultivator in silver armor, of the Spirit Refining realm, stood. He glanced indifferently at Zhang Fan and the others before his gaze landed on Mu Shan. A smile appeared on his face, and he said, “Captain Mu Shan, it seems you’ve had good luck today, bringing in three new recruits.”
Mu Shan smiled and nodded. “This is True Immortal Qiongyu, who is responsible for updating soldier records and calculating merits. You will be dealing with True Immortal Qiongyu frequently in the future.”
“Greetings, True Immortal Qiongyu.”
True Immortal Qiongyu nodded slightly and then turned his gaze to the two new recruits. “Use your strongest attack on the screen. Whether it’s physical strength or divine abilities, it can convert it into a corresponding star rating.”
The two cultivators looked very similar, as if they were twins.
“Big brother, you go first.”
The other nodded, stepped forward, took out an immortal treasure sword, mobilized his vast mana and a large amount of sword rules, and fiercely slashed at the screen.
A dazzling sword light flashed in the void, finally striking the screen.
The power of this sword was terrifying, ranking among the top for a mid-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator, capable of cleaving a planet in half. However, when it struck the screen, the screen rippled like water, easily neutralizing the force.
“One-star warrior.”
Four large characters appeared on the screen, surprising Zhang Fan and the others. Such strength was only rated as a one-star warrior.
“Let me try again.”
The sword cultivator seemed dissatisfied with this rating. His mana surged, rules roiled, and he brewed a powerful divine ability.
True Immortal Mu Shan and True Immortal Qiongyu did not intervene, exchanged glances, and watched with smiles.
Firelight appeared on the immortal treasure. As the sword cultivator swung his hand, sharp sword energy burst forth from the immortal treasure, imbued with scorching light, and fiercely slashed at the screen.
The power of this sword attack approached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
However, the screen still displayed ‘One-star warrior,’ disheartening the sword cultivator.
The other sword cultivator had the same result. No matter what means he employed, the rating was consistently ‘One-star warrior.’
After the strength evaluation was complete, True Immortal Qiongyu proceeded to assign the two with their record classifications. After asking for their Dao names and other basic information, he issued their war tokens, thus completing the process.
…