Chapter 18

In the Imperial Army, there was an unwritten rule: if one reached the rank of Second-Class Warrior before the age of eighteen, they could join the Special Forces. However, the top few units within the Special Forces only recruited Second-Class Warriors who were under seventeen. This was just the minimum threshold; many other conditions had to be met to be considered for these elite units of the Empire.

Qianye was already sixteen.

Igniting nodes, consolidating strength, and preparing for the graduation exam all required time. If he only reached the rank of Second-Class Warrior just before turning seventeen, Qianye would likely find it difficult to secure a place in the Special Forces.

Graduates of the Netherworld Training Camp almost always served in the Imperial Army for a few years before pursuing their own paths. From the moment he stepped into the training camp, Qianye had secretly resolved to not only survive but also to join the top-tier, or at least the first-class, Special Forces.

Only by doing so did Qianye feel he would not disgrace the surname Lin he would receive.

Qianye was not lacking in talent, but the old injury had almost ruined everything! However, in this world of war and turmoil, everyone only cared about the results, not the process.

Qianye was already sixteen and had not yet broken through to the Second-Class Warrior rank—this was the result. And tonight, he was determined to change this result!

Under the moonlight, Qianye's original energy began to surge, gradually forming a tide. He then pushed through the scarred area with great difficulty, starting to impact the node barrier.

Wave after wave of original energy tides continuously formed, bringing with them unbearable pain. However, Qianye's mind was a blank, calmly waiting for the result.

After the seventeenth wave of original energy tide passed, the eighteenth wave finally arrived!

Qianye's face was pale, and sweat poured down his body. Under the powerful backlash of the original energy and the intense pain, his body trembled continuously. Each wave of original energy made Qianye feel as if he were dying and being reborn!

In an instant, from the first wave to the ninth, when the ninth wave fiercely struck the node barrier, Qianye heard a crisp sound. The originally indestructible barrier, under the extremely powerful impact of the original energy, began to crack, and its destruction was imminent!

The tide slowly receded, and the original energy returned to calm. Qianye's mind finally relaxed, and then his vision went black, and he fainted.

When Qianye woke up, it was already two days later.

He opened his eyes to see the familiar classroom, and beneath him was a cold metal table, clearly indicating that Shentu had saved him again.

"Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous!" This old man, who never cared about living things, actually scolded Qianye like this.

Shentu's medical skills were indeed formidable. Qianye had forcibly endured eighteen waves of original energy tides, causing widespread damage to his internal organs. Shentu managed to heal these injuries without leaving any hidden problems. Regardless of how Shentu scolded him, Qianye now felt only gratitude.

With the eighteen waves of original energy tides as a foundation, a month later, Qianye finally ignited a node and became a Second-Class Warrior.

After becoming a Second-Class Warrior, most people would awaken an ability related to original energy. Some lucky individuals could choose from several abilities. Qianye, who originally had extraordinary talent, had the right to choose. He could select one from Heavy Bullet, Original Energy Leap, and Dual Shot.

Qianye did not think much and directly chose Heavy Bullet.

Heavy Bullet was a common ability, specifically for original energy firearms. When this ability was activated, it could fire a shot with much greater power than usual, approximately one and a half times the power of a regular shot.

After igniting the second original energy node, Qianye found that the original energy generated from this node was particularly fierce and difficult to control. In such a situation, Heavy Bullet, which focused solely on power, was the most suitable ability for him.

After another two months of careful preparation, Qianye applied to take the graduation exam of the training camp. As he walked towards the Grand Canyon, he carried a basic combat dagger and a strange rifle on his back.

This was an original energy rifle. Although it was the simplest and most basic model, it was still an original energy rifle!

During the graduation exam, the training camp would only provide each student with a dagger and prohibit the carrying of any other equipment. However, equipment that students made by hand was an exception, and anything could be brought into the exam.

Qianye's perfect scores in all knowledge courses finally paid off. Starting from the most basic material processing, he managed to manufacture an original energy rifle on his own! Although it was the simplest and most primitive original energy rifle, the energy compression device could only store one original energy bullet.

Thus, Qianye became the first student in thirty years to take the graduation exam with an original energy rifle.

The Crystal Lizard was indeed a formidable opponent, but that was for students armed with crude daggers. From a distance of a hundred meters, Qianye began to charge the original energy rifle, aimed, activated Heavy Bullet, and fired.

A fiery red light shot out from the muzzle, directly blasting off a large part of the Crystal Lizard's head!

It was that simple. No one had stipulated that original energy firearms could not be used, as long as you could make them. Moreover, Qianye's shot was particularly powerful, enhanced by Heavy Bullet, equivalent to a Third-Class Warrior's attack.

Three months after his sixteenth birthday, Qianye finally graduated from the Netherworld Training Camp.

The news of Qianye's graduation quickly spread. A few days later, Shiy Yan arrived at the entrance of the valley where the training camp was located, driving a heavy truck.

In a blink, Qianye had spent nine years in the Netherworld Training Camp.

At this time, Qianye was 1.85 meters tall, not much shorter than the towering Shiy Yan. His body did not have the bulging muscles like Shiy Yan's, but he was not at all slender. His build was well-proportioned and slender, with every line full of tension.

Shiy Yan still looked the same, but there were a few more signs of age around his eyes and brows, making one suddenly realize the ruthlessness of time.

Seeing Qianye, Shiy Yan's usually expressionless face lit up. He raised his hand as if to habitually pat Qianye's head, then heavily punched Qianye's chest, praising, "Good boy! You finally made it out alive! Come here, let me take a good look at you!"

Qianye's features were pure and clear, still very handsome. However, he did not even flinch when he took Shiy Yan's punch, making Shiy Yan even happier, his face contorting into a smile.

Shiy Yan called out to Qianye and jumped into the cab of the heavy truck. This soldier, who rarely smiled, had a particular fondness for this rugged and robust vehicle.

After Qianye got in the truck, Shiy Yan drove off at high speed.

In the cab, Shiy Yan said, "General Lin heard that you graduated and was very pleased. He immediately sent me to pick you up. Unfortunately, General Lin is currently stationed in the western border of the Empire and is completely tied up, so you probably won't see him for a while."

"What's happening in the western border?" Qianye asked.

"Two provinces have rebelled and want to secede. It's not a big deal, but it's a bit troublesome to handle. These rebels are very cunning; they always hide in civilian homes to conceal their identities."

"Rebels?" Qianye had never heard this term before.

Shiy Yan said with disgust, "They're just a bunch of ignorant fools! The Empire is fully engaged in the war against the dark races, and these guys not only refuse to fight on the front lines but also constantly cause trouble in the rear. Want to overthrow the Empire? Ha, the Empire has been established for 1,200 years and now has 300 provinces spanning four continents. How could these clowns possibly bring it down?"

Qianye listened quietly. If two provinces could tie down Lin Xitang in the west, then the rebels were certainly not as weak as Shiy Yan described.

Shiy Yan drove in silence for a while before saying somewhat heavily, "The rebels are very troublesome. As I mentioned, they often hide among ordinary civilians, and the people in those two provinces are very ignorant. Many would rather be executed along with their relatives than refuse to protect the rebels. General Lin can't do anything about them for now, and they think they have the upper hand. Humph, these fools, what do they know! General Lin just doesn't want to harm innocent civilians, so he hasn't used the iron-fisted approach, which is why the conflict has been prolonged."

After a long pause, Shiy Yan exhaled heavily, "This won't last much longer. If there's no progress in a while, General Lin will be replaced, and the new commander will be from another faction. Whichever general it is, the two provinces will be drenched in blood!"

Qianye suddenly felt an inexplicable heaviness. If even Shiy Yan had to describe it as a bloodbath, how many people would die?

In the Netherworld Training Camp, Qianye had killed people and no longer considered human life as something to be taken lightly. However, compared to these famous generals of the Empire, Qianye was still far from their level. Even if he became a top-tier assassin in the future, the number of people he would kill, combined with the dark races, would probably not match a single order from these generals.

The heavy truck sped along the road.

"Qianye!" Shiy Yan suddenly said.

"Uh?"

"Tomorrow happens to be the day the Imperial Army starts recruiting. I'll take you to the assessment. Perform well; two of the five elite corps of the Empire will have examiners present. If you do well, you'll have a chance to join!"

"I'll do my best!"

Shiy Yan suddenly sighed and said, "I hope you can join the elite corps and one day become a famous general of the Empire! General Lin has too many enemies in the military."

Hearing this, Qianye's heart suddenly sank.

Shiy Yan took something out of his pocket and handed it to Qianye, saying, "This is from General Lin."

Qianye took it and found it was a neatly folded special piece of paper with a pattern on it. When unfolded, it read "Lin Qianye" in bold, powerful handwriting. However, the edges of the paper were slightly frayed, the creases seemed to have been there for years, and the ink was a bit faded.

"That was written by General Lin nine years ago," Shiy Yan seemed to know what Qianye was thinking.

"Nine years ago?" Qianye found it hard to believe. Nine years ago, wasn't that when he first entered the Netherworld Training Camp?

"When General Lin sent me to take you to the Netherworld, he said you would definitely come back alive," Shiy Yan said with a smile.

The heavy truck continued its journey and arrived at a dirigible base late at night. A cargo airship was just docking, and Shiy Yan drove the truck onto it.

The airship made a simple resupply and began its return journey in the early hours of the morning.

Destination: Xiangyang.

This largest military-industrial city on the Qin continent ranked third in the entire Empire.

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