Chapter 8

When this woman was not smiling, she looked as dignified as a noblewoman in a history book, but when her expression became lively, there was an indescribable charm and allure.

At this moment, her voice and movements were extremely seductive, making some of the older children breathe more rapidly. However, the large men who served as helpers and enforcers all showed signs of fear, and even Long Hai's expression became noticeably unnatural.

Suddenly, Qian Ye recalled the two partners who had failed the exam and were beaten to death by her, and he felt a chill in his heart.

Next, Zhang Jing explained in detail the principles of elemental force cultivation and the basic methods of the Bingfa Jue.

The human body has nine major elemental force nodes, three of which are located in the lower abdomen, chest, and forehead, while the other six are in the hands, feet, and knees. Elemental force nodes are both the storage and the key points for absorbing elemental force.

Since the entire history of humanity is a history of war, the current ability level classification has a strong military flavor. After igniting the first elemental force node, one officially enters the ranks of combat soldiers, becoming a Level 1 combat soldier. Thereafter, each additional node ignited represents a promotion.

When all nine nodes are ignited, there is a chance to break through the first major bottleneck, successfully connecting all nodes to form an elemental force vortex. This is a qualitative leap! Such a person is a true strong individual, capable of directly confronting the dark races, and on the battlefield, they are the backbone, known as combat generals.

Since the Bingfa Jue is the basic cultivation method of the empire's military, its style is as fierce and domineering as its name suggests. Its greatest feature is rapid cultivation; once the first node is successfully ignited, the elemental force within the body will surge like a tide, layer upon layer, like waves crashing against the elemental force nodes.

Compared to the secret techniques of other noble families, the Bingfa Jue progresses extremely quickly in the early stages of cultivation, even potentially allowing one to break through their innate talent barriers. However, its drawback is also very obvious: the power of the elemental force tide is too great, causing damage to the cultivator's body, which becomes more evident the further one cultivates.

Therefore, no one has ever been able to reach the level of a combat general solely through the Bingfa Jue; to break through, one must switch cultivation methods in the later stages. This is why the technique is known as the "cannon fodder cultivation method."

But as Zhang Jing said, those who come to cultivate the Bingfa Jue, regardless of their status, all have their reasons for coming, and most do not live to reach Level 9, so why worry about it?

If someone truly has the talent to break through Level 9 and become a combat general, such a person naturally has endless opportunities, and will be eagerly recruited everywhere, without needing to worry about resources for later advancement.

Reflecting on it, the first year that Qian Ye and his group of children entered the training camp was spent using various methods to strengthen their bodies. Only a strong physique could withstand the fierce and domineering nature of the Bingfa Jue.

From that day on, Qian Ye's daily schedule included two additional hours of cultivation time in the afternoon and evening, but the amount of physical training and the learning of various knowledge and skills did not decrease at all. After hearing the new arrangements, the children who had survived the bloody training of the past year no longer looked relaxed, and their faces fell.

In the afternoon, the children were led to a small valley not far from the camp.

In the center of the valley was a hot spring emitting rolling heat, with dozens of thick metal pipes inserted into the spring, and the other ends connected together.

These metal pipes, over a meter in diameter, covered the entire valley like a spider web. Several ten-meter-tall machines of unknown purpose stood in the valley. These machines had no outer shells, and the smallest gears exposed were over a meter in diameter, interlocking through dense conveyor belts and metal chains.

Surrounding these machines were rows of metal longhouses. The outer walls of these longhouses were a bright yellow, seemingly covered in copper, with no signs of rust.

The children were divided into several teams, with ten people entering each metal longhouse. Inside the longhouses were individual, independent rooms, which were their cultivation rooms.

The cultivation rooms were quite small, with walls that were unusually thick. The inside was covered in copper rust, and the floor was a copper grate. Through the gaps, one could see a dark, bottomless pit below.

Qian Ye entered a small room in order. The room was empty, with no furniture, except for a small leather-covered cabinet in the corner by the door.

Qian Ye took off his shirt and pants and put them in the cabinet. Then he recalled the instructor's demonstration and sat cross-legged. Almost immediately, the door was pushed open.

A bare-chested, dark-skinned servant entered, opened a copper door on the wall, and ignited a small piece of dark wood, throwing it inside.

The black servant did not say a word and left, closing the door tightly.

With a sharp ringing of a bell, the cultivation room vibrated slightly, and the faint sound of machinery could be heard. Soon, a large amount of scalding steam poured in from the walls and ceiling, quickly filling the entire space.

Suddenly, a wisp of smoke escaped from the copper door about half a person's height on the wall. In the steam-filled room, the white smoke could be clearly seen, gradually spreading and eventually mixing completely with the steam. The room was filled with a strange fragrance.

In such a small space, the humidity suddenly increased, making it a bit stuffy. Qian Ye instinctively took a deep breath. Suddenly, he felt a surge of energy, as if he could faintly sense something lively and active in the surrounding void. It was similar to, yet different from, the green raindrops that fell on him during that crimson moonlit night.

This is elemental force resonance!

Qian Ye was overjoyed and quickly calmed his mind, silently reciting the Bingfa Jue. Indeed, something within his body seemed to awaken from its dormancy. The elemental force in the surrounding void became even more excited and active, being drawn into his body as if attracted.

Two hours passed quickly, and a clear bell rang in the valley, startling all the children out of their meditation.

Qian Ye slowly opened his eyes, feeling an immense sense of regret.

In just that afternoon, he had already condensed a strand of substantial elemental force within his body. Although it was still very small and barely perceptible, it was enough to make Qian Ye ecstatic. According to the description in the Bingfa Jue, being able to condense elemental force on the first day indicated exceptional talent, with the potential to cultivate to the advanced Level 7 combat soldier realm.

The incense in the copper door had burned out, and no more fragrance was emitted. Although the room was still filled with steam, Qian Ye's perception of the elemental force gradually became dull and vague.

This class was over.

Suddenly, the room was filled with the sound of machinery, and the walls began to vibrate. A strong suction force came from under the floor grates, and the steam disappeared in an instant. Then, with the creaking of gears and hinges, the heavy copper door of the cultivation room slowly lifted.

Qian Ye, without caring about his still damp underclothes, quickly put on his clothes and ran out of the cultivation room, heading to the designated area and standing in his team.

Long Hai appeared again, a somewhat cunning and cruel smile on his face. He slowly said, "You should have all experienced the benefits of 'Zhu Yan Xue' just now. You should know that such a small piece," he gestured with his finger, "is enough to buy over a dozen lives!"

Qian Ye had long known that the piece of wood was not ordinary, but he did not expect it to be so valuable.

However, the value of a dozen lives depends on how they are calculated. For children like Qian Ye, who grew up on a garbage dump, a dozen of them together might not even be worth a silver coin. Before meeting Lin Xitang, Qian Ye had only seen copper coins twice, one of which was missing a corner, and he had never seen a silver coin.

Long Hai paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "But from now on, you won't have such good fortune! Starting this week, all training subjects will be scored based on your performance, and there will be an assessment at the end of the week! The bottom half will not receive 'Zhu Yan Xue,' while the top half will receive double the amount. If you can rank in the top ten, congratulations, you will receive a third piece of 'Zhu Yan Xue'!"

The children's faces all changed, and their gazes towards their companions became wary.

Several gazes swept over Qian Ye but quickly moved on to others. Qian Ye was not particularly noticeable and had been at the back in previous training.

Thus, the first week passed quickly, and at the end of the week, Qian Ye ranked 75th, meaning he would not receive 'Zhu Yan Xue' for the entire week.

That night, when the rankings were announced, Qian Ye could not sleep.

He reflected on each of his training subjects. The Bingfa Jue was not included in the ranking, and in the knowledge courses overseen by Zhang Jing, Qian Ye always ranked at the top. However, the major part of the training was physical, and in these areas, Qian Ye lagged behind in almost every subject.

Qian Ye lay quietly on his back, staring at the ceiling, and gently touched the large scar on his chest. The malnutrition from living on the garbage dump had been mostly corrected by the camp's meals, but this scar made his constitution much weaker than that of a normal child.

Qian Ye now understood some of the words Gu Tuo Hai had said. This scar left a hidden danger, causing him pain whenever he overtrained, reducing his endurance and strength. Qian Ye could only rely on his much stronger willpower and put in more effort and sweat to barely keep up with the training.

However, the new rules were clearly designed to accelerate the elimination of half the people. The difference in cultivation speed with and without 'Zhu Yan Xue' was significant, and over time, the gap between the top and bottom groups would only widen.

As Qian Ye finally fell asleep from exhaustion, he thought about many things, but he never considered giving up. As long as he persisted, he would eventually see the next day and the faint light in the darkness.

Qian Ye had to gradually make up for his disadvantages, fighting for every subject and every point!

This week, Qian Ye trained with all his might, and his ranking improved, but only by one place.

Another week passed, and Qian Ye successfully broke the 70th place barrier, ranking 69th. However, in the third week, Qian Ye fell ill due to overtraining, and his ranking dropped to 93rd.

Perhaps the goddess of fate saw Qian Ye's struggle and efforts, and from the fourth week, the knowledge courses suddenly increased significantly.