It rained in the Demon-cloud Ridge in the day when the assessment ended.
The fighting had grown to an unprecedented level of brutality in this day. Even the persistent rain couldn’t wash away the thick blood on the ground.
Every trainee of the Bloodthirsty Camp was conducting his or her final kill.
On the other hand, a group of drillmasters of the Bloodthirsty Camp had already arrived at the imperial Reshahar Army’s camp. They looked far into the Demon-cloud Ridge shrouded in rain and waited quietly.
“How many trainees have been eliminated?” asked Dong Lu, who was abnormally tall and strong, like a mountain.
“One hundred and seventeen. More than half of them got eliminated because they were driven to desperation and had to break through the Martial Realm. As for the rest, most gave the distress signals.
Beside him, Song Ling quickly offered a precise number. “The only thing that is uncertain is how many trainees end up being killed in the Demon-cloud Ridge.”
Dong Lu frowned and sighed, “It’s a great loss.”
Song Ling thought for a moment and said, “This session of trainees have done very well, at least better than our session then.”
Apparently, Song Ling, a colonel, had also taken part in training in the Bloodthirsty Camp before!
Dong Lu suddenly asked, “How many trainees did Camp 39 lose?”
Song Ling answered, “Seventeen trainees has been eliminated. As for the rest ten, it’s hard to say how many are dead.”
Dong Lu frowned. A total of 237 trainees from eight camps came for the assessment, but there were now 17 eliminated only in Camp 39. The elimination rate was quite high.
It could be speculated that the situation would be pretty much the same in the other seven camps.
“I’m afraid there will be less than 50 trainees who can come back for the following training,” Dong Lu had a light sigh.
Song Ling gave a cold humph, “The result is already extraordinary. In the past, only 23 trainees could make it back at last.”
Dong Lu grinned, “That’s true.”
“By the way, there is quiet a surprising lad in this session,” said Song Ling suddenly when something occurred to him.
“Who?”
“Lin Xun.”
After a concise explanation of the bloody battle happening on the volcano several days ago, Song Ling then said in an exclamatory way, “It looks that Lin’s fighting capability is not weaker than that of the top ones, including Bai Lingshi, Zhao Yin, Lee Duxing and Zhangsun Heng.”
“Uh, it’s this brat,” Dong Lu giggled, with a weird expression shown around his lips.
“What, have you also noticed that he’s special?” Song Ling couldn’t help but ask.
“Well, he is special indeed. On his first day in the Bloodthirsty Camp, this brat was among ones with cultivation of bottom level and almost no one thought highly of him.”
Dong Lu fell into reminiscence, “But as time went on, the boy showed remarkable potential. Every time he was looked down upon, he was able to prove himself with the fact and rendered a lot of people stunned.”
“The rarest part of him is that he never acts by the common sense. Seemingly a low-profile and harmless person, he, in fact, had a merciless heart. Quite a few trainees in the Bloodthirsty Camp fell prey to his plots.”
“I have once heard Chief Shu commented that Lin was horribly smart, shrewd, and unpredictable; thus it was the hardest to judge what kind of achievement such a person would make later on,” Dong Lu sighed with emotion.
“Chief Shu should think so highly of this boy?” Song Ling was shocked. In his memory, Shu Sanqi was the kind of person who never judged without proof.
“This is surely not only pure praise.”
Dong Lu gave Song Ling a meaningful look, “You should know that such an unpredictable person can also be the unruliest.”
Song Ling suddenly fell into silence. It took a long time before he gave a silent nod of approval.
There was a noise in the distance, and many soldiers of the Reshahar Army couldn’t help exclaiming.
Both surprised, Dong Lu and Song Ling looked up and saw an elegant figure walking in the misty rain towards the camp.
In a white dress, she boasted a kind of otherworldly beauty, with black hair hanging down to her waist. She walked in the rain, like a faery coming out of the painting. Her pure and ethereal aura attracted all the eyes present.
Bai Lingshi!
She should be the first trainee who returned from the assessment!
“This girl has a talent property called “Starshine Eternal”. Being the first one to come back, she must have been very confident in her military merits. If there is no accident, she will probably rank first of this assessment.”
Song Ling seemed to be thinking about something.
Beside him, Dong Lu nodded, “This girl is really great. I heard that she will be specially admitted to the Green-deer School when the assessment in the Bloodthirsty Camp finished.”
There was a hint of subtle complexity in Song’s expression, “This is what they call the ‘God-chosen One’. Her road of cultivation is destined to be different from others’.
After returning, Bai Lingshi just waited there silently.
Only less than an hour was left before the end of the assessment. When it finally ended, the military merits would be evaluated and final grades would be decided on the basis of military merits.
It didn’t take long before another figure emerged in the distance. It got a slender figure and a pair of radiant eyes. It strutted in a dignified manner and had an aura of pride. It was Zhao Yin.
His arrival again attracted much attention, which aroused a restrained smile around the corner of his lips.
But when he saw the graceful figure of Bai Lingshi, Zhao Yin squinted his eyes and sighed helplessly. He came to Bai Lingshi and said, “I didn’t expect to be a bit inferior to you.”
Her face was still calm. She said, “The returning time isn’t going to determine the final ranking.”
Zhao Yin smiled, “No need to be modest. I know that were it not for absolute confidence in your military merits, you wouldn’t have returned in advance.”
Bai Lingshi overlooked the Demon-cloud Ridge, as if unwilling to continue this topic.
“That is?”
“Lee Duxing! How is he in such a state?”
All of a sudden, the crowd was in an uproar, which attracted the attention of Bai Lingshi and Zhao Yin. In the light rain, a gaunt figure was walking from the distance, with his long hair disheveled and clothes ragged. There was even blood flowing around his stomach, shoulders and legs.
Looked at from afar, he was like a wounded wolf returning from the battlefield in silence.
Bai Lingshi and Zhao Yin both squinted their eyes. Lee Duxing was of mysterious background. There were quite a few rumors about his origin but no one could tell their authenticity.
But anyway, in the eyes of people like Bai Lingshi and Zhao Yin, there were only a few trainees whom they could sense pressure from in the Bloodthirsty Camp; and Lee Duxing was one.
Though he came back severely wounded and seemed battered and lonely at the moment, neither of them treated him with contempt.
“Lee Duxing this lad is a loner, crazy about the art of swords. Such people’s road of cultivation can just be described as ‘Not crazy, not alive’,” Dong Lu made a comment.
In surprise, Song Ling asked, “Do you know a lot about this lad?”
Dong Lu shook his head, “This is what all drillmasters of the Bloodthirsty Camp think. Don’t you think he is like the past Harum-scarum Shiao?”
Song Ling’s pupils contracted. Harum-scarum Shiao!
A famous sword king of several hundred years ago occurred to Song who was in a trance. He recalled that the king, with a single sword, broke in the Empire of the Dark alone and killed thirteen Archliches in a ferocious way.
Harum-scarum Shiao!
He was the legendary King of Sword!
His glorious deeds were widely eulogized in the empire and he was revered by countless practitioners.
“Each person has his own road of cultivation. Lee Duxing is still too young. Even though he has the same aura and way of doing things as Harum-scarum Shiao, it’s hard to say whether he will have the same terrible capability as Harum-scarum Shiao later on,” Song Ling said after consideration.
Dong Lu smiled and made no comment.
Following Lee Duxing’s return, trainees, including Zhangsun Heng, Gong Ming, Shi Yu and Ning Meng, all came back in succession.
Within half an hour, more than 30 trainees had gathered in the camp.
It had already been enough to prove how powerful these trainees were since they were able to return safely instead of being eliminated.
“Why has Lin Xun not come back?” Song Ling suddenly frowned.
“Just be patient and wait. Isn’t the assessment over, right?” Dong Lu was also a little worried. There could be only two explanations for Lin’s late return. He might be fighting against the enemies to earn more military merits in the remaining time.
Or... He might have been killed!
Shi Yu and Ning Meng were quarrelling over a bet.
“Toy boy, hurry up with one thousand imperial gold coins. I’m sure to win this time!”
“Idiot, you will know in tears how stupid to say such words when the military merits are evaluated.”
“Aargh, then I’ll wait and see whether your military merits can make me cry!”
They were quarrelling when Shi Yu raised his brow suddenly and said, “Where is Lin Xun?”
Stunned, Ning Meng glanced around and grunted, “Couldn’t this guy already be eliminated?”
Shi Yu sneered, “Take it easy. Lin Xun is much more powerful than you. How could he be eliminated before you?”
Finished speaking, Shi Yu frowned and murmured, “There is only ten minutes left. Why hasn’t this guy showed up until now?”
Ning Meng also lost the interest in the quarrel with Shi Yu.
As time went on, more than ten trainees came back. But Lin Xun was not seen, which made both Shi Yu and Ning Meng somewhat concerned.
“You seem to be waiting for someone.”
In the near region, Zhao Yin acutely noticed that Bai Lingshi looked up at the distant Demon-cloud Ridge now and then, as if she was waiting for someone.
“I’m thinking that Lin Xun should not be sifted out judging from his capability,” Bai Lingshi said casually.
“Lin Xun?”
Out of surprise, Zhao Yin laughed, “So, you are waiting for this guy. I heard you’ve made a promise to have a fight with Lin when he reaches the ninth-level of Martial Realm. I’m curious why you did this?”
Bai Lingshi answered plainly, “You don’t understand.”
A touch of imperceptible maliciousness emerged in Zhao’s eyes. He soon sighed, “But in any case, he hasn’t returned till now. I’m afraid something has already happened to...”
Before he finished his words, he found Bai Lingshi suddenly turned her head and locked her eyes on a certain direction in the distance. And almost at the same time, a series of voices were heard.
“Lin Xun is finally back.”
“This guy should have not been eliminated. He’s really tough.”
“Haha, but he’s not back until the final minutes. It’s probably because he doesn’t get enough military merits.”
With these discussions, Lin’s tall and graceful figure appeared from the misty rain in the distance.