Unwillingness and Persistence
Unwillingness and Persistence
This meant that the youth was also a Kingdom Knight!
"Oh? General Yan!?" Zhang Tan noticed the middle-aged man and faltered. He was about to call the personnel to attention when the stout man raised his hand, motioning Zhang Tan to not announce it.
Zhang Tan could only nod as the middle-aged man carried on watching the match between Hei Sha and Ji Chang.
At that moment…
"Cha!"
With a swish, a Frost Metal Blood Ball had brushed past Hei Sha's arm.
With an ear-piercing sound of torn cloth, a piece of animal skin flew up. The wind from the ball's rotation had ripped off Hei Sha's sleeve.
The piece of animal skin was completely shredded in the air while Hei Sha's bronzed arm began to ooze blood!
The power of the Frost Metal Blood Balls was understandably strong judging from the outcome of that simple brush!
The middle-aged man frowned slightly. He gently shook his head, feeling sorry for Hei Sha.
Yi Yun saw that and frowned slightly, "Hei Sha will not beat Ji Chang. If he persists on, he will definitely get injured. The earlier he admits defeat, the better."
In fact, it was clear who was better. Hei Sha may have a better foundation, but his techniques were greatly inferior to Ji Chang. There was no meaning to compete any further.
Yi Yun even suspected that Ji Chang could handle the thirteenth level of difficulty.
It was apparent that Hei Sha could not hold out much longer, and after a while, he was hit by the Frost Metal Blood Ball again.
Typically, warriors in the Frost Metal Blood Balls array would shout for the array to cease when they realize they could no longer handle the barrage of attacks. To persist any further would result in him paying a very heavy price.
To simulate real-life combat and life-and-death battles, the Dragon Vanguard made the offensive strength of the blood pearls very high. Being hit once would result in serious injury!
There were even cases of training in the Dragon Vanguard where a soldier had died in the Frost Metal Blood Balls array due to bad luck.
By persisting even with his injury, Hei Sha was equivalent to dancing on the tip of a blade.
Any mishap could result in him being hit by the Frost Metal Blood Balls in weak spots like the head or eyes. The consequences would be disastrous!
"Cha!"
With another swish, a second Frost Metal Blood Ball brushed past Hei Sha's shoulder, tearing the animal skin. This hit was more serious as the Frost Metal Blood Ball changed direction due to the contact. Hei Sha's shoulder immediately split open!
The sons of the vast wilderness familiar with Hei Sha looked with tearful eyes!
"Hei Sha!" These youths and men were not young. Seeing Hei Sha in such a predicament, they tightly clenched their fists until they shook!
Despite having suffered two injuries, Hei Sha persisted by gritting his teeth and enduring the pain. He still summoned all his spirit to dodge the attacks of the Frost Metal Blood Balls.
He did not want to admit defeat. Men that left the vast wilderness could be defeated or killed in battle, but they could not admit defeat!
To reach this stage, he had consumed too many resources of the Blackrock tribal clan. His tribe had saved bits and pieces of food, allowing them to exchange for resources to let him grow.
He had left the vast wilderness and entered the Dragon Vanguard. He was burdened with the hope of numerous people of the Blackrock tribal clan!
He wanted to make great contributions, allowing the Blackrock tribal clan folks to lead a better life. How could he just give up here?
To say "I admit defeat" and jump out of the array was simple, but he had his own principles. Ever since he left the vast wilderness, he had been despised, looked down upon and suppressed!
And now, this was a battle where he could prove himself. He may have lost in terms of strength, but he could not lose in terms of courage!
If not, how would he have the qualifications to compete with those children of the large family clans?
The warriors of the vast wilderness were extremely agitated. Their first foray into the central plains was like a child coming into the city from a rural village.
They brought with them ignorance, hesitation, their tribe's hope, and the dreams of making a triumphant return. They stood alone with little power against the scions who had family backgrounds and abilities far greater than them.
Hei Sha's persistence stirred the hearts of empathy among the sons of the vast wilderness!
However, the array was cruel. It would not change due to the wishes of people.
"Cha!"
Hei Sha's other arm was scratched too!
At this point, Hei Sha had three wounds. Ji Chang smiled coldly as he knew Hei Sha was at his limit.
"Cha!"
The fourth wound!
At that moment, the whistling sounds of the Frost Metal Blood Balls, the laughter of the scions, the anticipation of the sons of the vast wilderness… disappeared. Hei Sha spewed a mouthful of fresh blood and his body flew out.
The fifth Frost Metal Blood Ball had ripped the muscles in his chest, breaking his ribs and was embedded within his chest!
The Frost Metal Blood Balls would reduce its speed upon hitting a person's body. But this did not prevent the serious injury of rib fractures! This was the cruelty of the Dragon Vanguard training.
At the moment he flew out, Hei Sha had instinctively covered his head with his arms. A Frost Metal Blood Ball had shot Hei Sha's thigh, nearly piercing it!
In the Dragon Vanguard's camp, there were numerous injuries in the recruits, including a 2-3% mortality rate!
"Stop!" Big Ear Liu shouted and the array immediately stopped.
A few doctors immediately rushed over to tend to Hei Sha's injuries.
Hei Sha's injuries were serious. Even with high-grade medicines, he would still need to lay in bed for four to five days.
Ji Chang glanced at Hei Sha as his mouth formed an arc. He circulated the Qi within his body, evaporating the sweat on his forehead immediately.
He rubbed his wrists saying, "There's still some speed to spare. Too bad you lack the technique. But this isn't your fault. There is little heritage in the vast wilderness, and you can't learn many techniques. So most of the time, you are competing with strength and brute force."
"If you were to fight with similar savages, you would naturally be at an advantage, but when you meet someone with martial art skills, then you won't be able to hold out!" Ji Chang gave a few pointers.
Upon hearing this, the Jing State Young Masters Faction began applauding, "Ji Chang's pointers hit the nail on the head!"
"Indeed, Hei Sha lost to technique. But in the vast wilderness, there aren't many techniques." The Jing State Young Masters Faction echoed.
"Any sons of the vast wilderness willing to come up?" As Ji Chang asked, his eyes swept with mixed intentions towards Yi Yun.
Indeed, Yi Yun was his final target.
So what if he had stepped over Hei Sha?
Yi Yun was a Kingdom Knight. By stepping over a Kingdom Knight, it would be a release. What made you a Kingdom Knight and not me? My strength is greater than yours, and I'll purposely smack you in the face!
Not only Ji Chang was looking at Yi Yun, many of the sons of the vast wilderness were also looking at Yi Yun.
However, unlike Ji Chang's provocation, these sons of the vast wilderness looked at Yi Yun with a form of anticipation.
They had all lost. Even the fastest, Hei Sha, had lost to Ji Chang, so they couldn't stand up to the challenge.
Their only hope was Yi Yun, who had come out of the vast wilderness like them.
Him being a Kingdom Knight meant that he was no ordinary person.
Hei Sha had multiple injuries in his chest, resulting in severe blood loss. However, even as he was gasping for breath on the stretcher, Hei Sha still looked up at Yi Yun with great difficulty.
Yi Yun looked calmly at Hei Sha in the eye. Although he did not know Hei Sha and he had never spoken a word with him, Yi Yun felt that he had to do something for him.
It was the respect a warrior deserved.
After all, Yi Yun had come out from the vast wilderness. He may not have a strong sense of belonging with the vast wilderness, but he did share the same homology as these sons of the vast wilderness. He could see the resilience and suffering of the people of the vast wilderness. Just like Jiang Xiaorou who persisted.
Maybe one day, they would not suffer from low self-esteem due to their vast wilderness backgrounds, but use it as a form of honor!
With this in mind, Yi Yun walked towards the array.
"I shall compete with you." Yi Yun said lightly.
Ji Chang was overjoyed. He laughed loudly, "To compete with a Kingdom Knight is a great honor!"
The Jing State Young Masters Faction were excited. They could finally see how great a so-called vast wilderness Kingdom Knight could be. Stepping over a Kingdom Knight would definitely feel good.
"Don't you need to rest?" Yi Yun asked Ji Chang.
"Thank you, Kingdom Knight, for worrying about me. But it was just a warm up, so I do not need any rest. As for you, do you need to warm up?" Ji Chang exuded extreme confidence in his words.
It was tit-for-tat between the two!
"Interesting!" At that moment, Yan Menglong suddenly laughed. None of the Dragon Vanguard recruits had recognized him ever since he came. If so, Ji Chang would not have dared to continue clamoring.
Hearing this voice, Ji Chang stumbled. Noticing Yan Menglong's dressing, he immediately realized the identity of Yan Menglong!
He quickly responded by cupping his fists, "Greetings General Yan, I am Ji Chang! May the General forgive me for my public rashness!"
In front of Yan Menglong, Ji Chang maintained propriety without being servile or bumptious.
Yan Menglong laughed, "Being young and rash and being contentious might not be a bad thing. I do wish that my army has absolute obedience in the battlefield, but to not show obedience to anyone during training! Engaging in combat is great!"
"Since you are competing today, I'll add some flair to it. Anyone can compete in this match. Whoever finishes in first place by suppressing everyone will be allowed to enter the Divine Capital's top grade armory and choose two weapons. Whatever you like can be taken away. In addition, I'll give two desolate bone relics!"
After Yan Menglong said those words, the young warriors present immediately lit up!
To enter the Divine Capital's top grade armory and choose two weapons? And two desolate bone relics?
The Divine Capital's top grade armory was an extremely high-level armory that was filled with weapons made with excellent workmanship. They were made with valuable materials and inscribed with arrays on them, making them priceless!
Even the teenager beside General Yan seemed interested. Many people had noticed the teenager. He had come in together with General Yan and he wore a flying fish robe. It meant that he was a Kingdom Knight, making his stature extraordinary.
Weapons… Desolate bone relic…
In the array, Yi Yun gently clasped his fists. This was a great surprise. He was lacking a weapon. The Yanchi saber was a standard weapon of the Dragon Vanguard. Hence, in terms of quality and other aspects, it was not excellent.