Chapter 123: The Limit

Lant’s insidious intentions gradually became apparent to He Chen. As time passed, the fighting spirit and mental energy of the group noticeably diminished at varying degrees—and quite rapidly. In contrast, the “Earth Puppet Demon Worms” remained calm, standing side by side like four immortal statues, seemingly eternal. If not for the lively mud puppets emerging one after another, baring their teeth and claws, they might have been mistaken for lifeless objects.

The mental energy required to summon a four-star magical beast was only slightly more than that needed for summoning a four-star ordinary spell. For the six-star “Earth Puppet Demon Worms,” this was naturally no challenge.

As long as the opponents refrained from attacking them proactively, these creatures were content to maintain the status quo, steadily draining the mental energy of the group of human mercenaries. Occasionally, they would even assist the Soul Extinguishing Mercenary Corps by summoning several humanoid four-star mud puppets, then suddenly unleashing one or two puppet beasts, faster and clearly more powerful than the former.

These puppets were much tougher and posed several times the threat. Each time they appeared, members of the Soul Extinguishing Corps would be momentarily flustered until Xu Wen or He Chen personally intervened to settle matters—usually within ten minutes.

Yet, some were beginning to falter.

“Captain, I can’t continue. My mental energy isn’t enough to summon two spells anymore,” said Gong Yan, an earth-element mage who frequently cast Sand Flowing Technique, which consumed a great deal of mana.

“Rest where you are!” Xu Wen commanded, casting a golden flame fire wheel and turning back to answer He Chen.

He Chen was startled. “But—”

“No buts! This is what they call extreme training. Hurry and sit in the rear to recover your mental energy!”

Xu Wen’s tone brooked no argument. He Chen said no more, swallowed a revitalizing pill, and retreated to the back, settling into a meditative posture.

“Bai Xi, Jiao Long, Kong Yue, Ailin… fall back to the rear to restore stamina. Leo! You hold on a little longer,” Xu Wen ordered, noticing that everyone was pushing themselves to the brink of exhaustion. If more people didn’t rotate out soon, the entire team would lose their combat effectiveness.

“Senior Brother He, you should rest too. We’ll temporarily take over the rear,” they reassured.

Everyone was by now familiar with the strength of the mud puppets. Although withdrawing a few would increase the pressure on those remaining, it was not yet life-threatening.

“That’s fine,” He Chen acknowledged the issue, cast a completed spell, nodded, and without hesitation, withdrew to the rear.

At last, Xu Wen managed to rotate out ten people.

Four warriors were left to hold the line, alongside one beast tamer, one archer, three mages, and a priest. Of those eleven remaining, only Xu Wen and Leo were in relatively good shape. Leo’s higher cultivation level and role as a magic swordsman endowed him with superior endurance in battle. Xu Wen, on the other hand, owed his stamina to the nearly perfected Chaos Sea of Consciousness, the Amethyst Jade Pendant that accelerated his recovery even beyond Leo’s, and the Lingering Flame Ring, which provided a thirty percent mental energy reserve.

The three warriors formed a defensive line, with Leo shouldering most of the defense. The six mages took turns using spells to harass the mud puppets; those without disruption spells resorted to offensive magic to hinder them. The entire firepower pressure rested on Xu Wen’s shoulders.

He switched the golden flame fire wheel to the Golden Serpent Dance!

Attacking three mud puppets simultaneously, leaving one for others to handle, they endured several rounds of tense confrontations—calamities often arose but were narrowly averted.

However, this placed a heavy burden on Xu Wen.

The concentration required for the Golden Serpent Dance demanded every second be seized without pause.

The three shockwave attacks could not afford the slightest error, lest the entire team plunge into a new crisis. Mental energy could not slacken; under full exertion, mana poured out like a floodgate unleashed. Yet this intense focus allowed Xu Wen to experience a rare urgency seldom felt during routine training. The chanting transformed pressure into momentum, becoming smoother, more familiar, and faster.

The Chaos Sea of Consciousness seemed to respond in kind.

Constantly absorbing the surrounding elements and converting them into mana that replenished the sea, each expenditure of mana brought a subtle restoration of mental energy. This uplifted his spirits, urging him to commence the next chant without delay—a sensation truly exquisite.

But this rhythm was soon shattered.

Two mages simultaneously exhausted their mana and collapsed to the ground.

Auxiliary attacks halted instantly. A pale-faced warrior suddenly faced overwhelming pressure as a mud puppet broke free from a trap and struck him from behind, sending him flying. The defensive line showed signs of collapse.

Leo roared fiercely, erupting with sudden force.

He rapidly pushed back two mud puppets before him. Spinning, he unleashed a sweeping arc of earth-colored sword energy, pursuing two mud puppets attempting to ambush warriors nearby. His movements were noticeably swifter than before.

Boom! Boom!

The mud puppets were blasted away.

Exhausted after the effort, Leo staggered, barely maintaining his footing. Yet in his eyes flickered an inexplicable ecstasy.

“Fall back!” He Chen promptly led replacements forward to take over positions.

Leo, along with several mages and warriors, were sent to the rear to rest. Only Xu Wen remained on the front line.

“I can still hold on a while longer,” Xu Wen declared.

Unwilling to forgo the rare experience of pushing his limits, he stood firm and continued the Golden Serpent Dance. Though his mana was nearly depleted, the palpable sense of improvement compelled him to stay.

Only when he could no longer summon the Golden Serpent Dance did Xu Wen cast a golden flame fire wheel, then turned to retreat, pale-faced, taking a revitalizing pill and hastening his mana recovery.

“I enjoy training like this,” he murmured.

Just then, Leo’s calm voice came over.

Xu Wen glanced at him and smiled.

“The Blood Alliance certainly has its unique approach to training. Fighting relentlessly under pressure, continuously draining stamina and mental energy—this is far more effective than ordinary training. The Earth Puppet Demon Worms are especially distinctive. No wonder even former royal mercenaries recommend training here.”

“Yes, I can feel it too. The harder it gets toward the end, the greater the pressure, and the more our potential is unleashed. The longer we endure this battle, the more we gain!”

“Exactly.”

Xu Wen began to regard Leo with newfound respect.

Though Leo rarely spoke since joining the mercenary corps, his dedication to training was fanatical and focused, and his insight was remarkable.

“Really! I just felt the same!” The warrior who had narrowly escaped chimed in.

“That’s right. We must recover quickly and hold on as long as possible. The difficulty will only increase. This so-called extreme training won’t be easy to survive,” another agreed.

Everyone nodded silently, focusing entirely on restoring their depleted mental energy.

He Chen and the others had only rested briefly; after a few minutes, some began to falter again. Xu Wen and Leo simultaneously rose to replace those nearing mana exhaustion, swiftly regaining their rhythm. That elusive sensation of disappearance returned.

“These new recruits have good potential,” one of two figures standing quietly about a hundred meters from the battlefield observed, watching the Soul Extinguishing Mercenary Corps’ fight with quiet conversation.

The first, wearing gauntlets and evidently a battle master, nodded subtly.

“Judging by their tactics and awkward handling of the Earth Puppet Demon Worms, this is probably their first time undergoing such training.”

He smiled wryly at this. “Among twenty-one people, only one is a five-star magic swordsman. Sustaining the summoning shock of four Earth Puppet Demon Worms is already quite challenging. They’ve managed to hold out this long—let’s increase the pressure on our guys later.”

“True. Compared to that fellow over there, we’ve been far too cautious,” the other agreed.

Not long after they left, distant cries of agony and chaotic commotion rose from another training ground.

Lant shook his head helplessly, withdrawing his gaze.

These twenty-one youngsters here were the most gifted and talented youth of the Qingyun Empire, including a freakishly talented individual. Ordinary recruits wouldn’t have lasted this long.

“Looks like there’s work to be done over there.”

Indeed, the other side had much to handle, but here, the oppressive, tense atmosphere only thickened.

Rotation frequency quickened. The Earth Puppet Demon Worms seemed to grow impatient.

Besides the beast-type mud puppets, finally, one summoned a six-star “Earth Dragon”—not a flying type, but a giant lizard with formidable combat power.

It thundered forward with momentum surpassing the combined force of several beast-type mud puppets. Two warriors were flung aside unconscious by its whip-like strikes.

Fortunately, the Earth Dragon’s summoning cost the Puppet Demons dearly, causing a temporary pause in their summoning.

Nonetheless, the appearance of this single Earth Dragon, combined with several agile mud puppets, shattered the defensive line formed by Leo and his comrades.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

In addition to its six-star combat prowess, the Earth Dragon wielded earth-element magic.

“All out!” He Chen shouted.

“Concentrate firepower—take down the Earth Dragon first!”

Leading the charge, He Chen launched a golden flame fire wheel. Xu Wen unleashed his Golden Serpent Dance, directing all their power at the Earth Dragon.

The dragon’s scales quivered as an invisible distortion rippled across its body. A large gash was slashed open by the golden flame fire wheel, followed by hundreds of golden serpent flames surging in, tearing the wound wider, many snakes lashing inside the beast.

A roar of pain echoed as the Earth Dragon staggered backward, howling in agony.

It was no mere mud construct but a summoned advanced lizard capable of feeling pain and bleeding.

The Golden Serpent Dance was akin to dozens of five-star strength offensive spells. Even a six-star Earth Dragon could not withstand the onslaught; its defensive barrier collapsed.

Leo inhaled sharply, swept aside a mud puppet, then leaped high, sword aura blazing fiercely. With the force of a thousand pounds, he plunged his sword deep into the Earth Dragon’s eye.

Splash!

Blood splattered.

With a thunderous roar, the Earth Dragon thrashed violently, hurling Leo aside.

Before he could recover from the intense pain, over a dozen spells rained down, finally forcing the first six-star Earth Dragon to collapse.

Turning back, the team began to expend their remaining mana to clear residual threats, aiding the warriors who had endured the mud puppets’ fierce assault.

Lant nodded quietly.

The Soul Extinguishing Mercenary Corps members were either injured or utterly drained—close to their limits. Thrust into a desperate situation, only those who persisted longest would have their potential fully awakened.

—In just over ten days, the Lunar New Year would arrive, a time everyone understood the significance of.

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