Chapter 820
Chapter 820 - 806 Turnover
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9 min read
Fate’s gifts seem generous, but often the price has already been secretly marked.
Perhaps there is truly gratuitous love in this world, but for most people, except for their parents, it’s not something they’ll encounter.
"...Indeed, it’s all traps."
After completing a hunt on his way, Lu Ping’an noticed a significant increase in the strength of the Magic Monsters, which had surpassed the tolerance of newcomers.
Constant alarms were sounding in his radar, as "out-of-scope" targets appeared far too many times.
For him, it wasn’t much of a problem that the test-takers were exhausted from being backed into a corner, but this suddenly steepened difficulty curve was already crossing the line.
"...Why are there so many threats with overwhelming combat power? Is this really the test paper prepared for those young people?"
The answer was both "yes" and "no".
"This is not only a test for those with temporary licenses but also a trial for Changping State’s younger generation and potential combat power..." That’s what a Rule-level Strongman said in the command room.
Some things are far from as simple as they appear.
The retirement of the Rule-level Strongman, "Rain Elder" Huangyu Mountain, from the top echelons of Changping State resulting in the reassessment of the entire "Abyss Defense Line" strategy?
On the scale of the entire nation and human society, if one Rule-level retiree is replaced by another Rule-level, it’s considered acceptable.
No matter the cost, as long as it can maintain the stable development of society and the nation, it is worth it.
Changping State is not wealthy, but it isn’t impossible to find a second Rule-level, especially now that a "devaluation of Rule-level" phenomenon has clearly emerged.
"...We need a War Zone, a place where the increasing combat power can earn money, undergo trials, a place where newcomers can temper themselves with life-and-death situations in a moderate to intense War Zone..."
That was the root of everything, as demand shapes reality, and change drives reform.
With the development of the era, even the Ancient City began to experience a clear surplus of combat power, with a large number of foreign Strongmen above the Decree-level directly suppressing the average hiring price of mid to high-end combat abilities.
And many times, this wasn’t a good thing.
Just like the worsening public safety situation in the Ancient City, if these "privileged" and "superpowered" individuals do not receive corresponding treatment, if they cannot obtain a stable "combat power exchange for resources/benefits" method, they will become factors of social instability... To put it simply, professional mercenaries need to be nourished by war.
This is understood as a negative factor, but from a positive perspective, future exploration in the Exotic Realm requires more reserve forces. There’s a need to train newcomers specifically to become veterans suitable for the Foreign Domain battlefield, which requires a moderate to intense War Zone in the Exotic Realm.
This is the source of this "competition", "exam" in name, but in reality, a "War Rehearsal".
"...Is there any movement from the Abyss Lords? There should be two in the middle layer area, one of which is seventh-tier..."
"There is none for now, but it’s only a matter of time before they notice something is wrong. Be prepared to intercept; we must not let them appear in the shallows."
"Another two Demons above Decree-level have charged from below the seventh layer up to the third... They are still observing the situation, and they should be rushing into the shallows soon. Do we need to intercept them?"
"Not for now, let’s give the new generation a try."
The retreating from Changping State wasn’t as simple as just one or two people stepping back.
All this time, it’s been "Rain Elder" Huangyu Mountain, using his own power to firmly lock the shallow layer, any intruder would trigger his retaliatory rule.
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
This meant that unless it was a "Abyss Layer Master" with equivalent combat power, whoever came would perish.
After several encounters, the shallow layer exit leading to the human areas became a meaningless place of death, "Rain Elder" Huangyu Mountain being like a massive lock, firmly securing The Great Gate.
Now, he had withdrawn from the Domain and Land of Rules where he’d been deeply rooted for decades... And to re-establish it all, it was not something that could be done in a moment; it might need weeks or even months.
It was like two armies at a stand-off, where one side suddenly withdraws its "Fortress"; blocking that gap again isn’t simple... The other side can take advantage of this moment to push your frontline down.
"I really wonder if this abandonment is a good thing or not..."
"Rain Elder" Huangyu Mountain, as he watched all this unfold from behind, also felt hesitant and anxious.
"Withdrawing the ’Fortress’ naturally required the deployment of more troops to restore a certain balance to the murky battlefield, where bleeding and death were necessary."
From then on, there was no stable and solid defense line here but rather a new, constantly bleeding battlefield of moderate intensity, designed to train high-order combat power and to allow rookies to grow rapidly....
"....If they can’t handle it, we’re still here. Although the first counterattack is definitely the most dangerous, it’s also an opportunity for them."
A spring that had been pushed to its limit suddenly released, and the first rebound is often the strongest. Therefore, more high-end combat power was needed to fill the gaps and control the situation.
This was also why Changping City, powerful enough on its own, still took out a vast amount of resources and opportunities to invite those ’invigilators’ and ’exam inspectors.’"
Those Law Professionals were the true backbone and quality combat power of each city and also the ace in the competition between cities, forming their core combat power.
Now, as the competition between cities, both internal and external, intensified, if we really brought that combat power in to fight among ourselves....
"The extensive casualties caused by internal strife, along with the ensuing genuine hatred, are absolutely unacceptable to human society."
There were quite a few grudges between the cities, but it was still competition and resentment ’among brethren’, not a matter of life and death hostility.
To truly drag them in and fight to the death, not only would it be problematic between cities, but it would also be impossible to justify to the central government and other states...fanning the flames of hatred between cities, wouldn’t they just shoot you for a crime against humanity?"
Therefore, substantial rewards were offered this time, including Rule-level inheritances, Taboo items, True Words, and so forth, to attract these Decree-level combatants to become ’exam inspectors’ and ’invigilators’.....and as the examination progressed, most of the ordinary candidates were eliminated, naturally becoming ’candidates’ themselves if they chose not to leave.
"....Damn, this bunch of bastards, are they really getting ahead...."
Lu Ping’an’s communicator watch, where he had just received a text message, laid out the intelligence.
[.....After fulfilling your invigilator duties, you may choose to leave, but you can also choose to represent your city and do better....]
In that moment, Lu Ping’an realized why his assigned mission was "not to bring disgrace upon the Ancient City."
The watch was issued upon entry, and the messages didn’t even come through the radio tower but triggered automatic popup notifications at the right time.
This was a competition, a rehearsal, and perhaps merely a drill...no one could guarantee what those residents of the Abyss would do once the ’Rain Elder’ Huangyu Mountain truly withdrew the defenses.
In fact, the Decree-level combat power of the various cities participating in this "examination surveillance" far exceeded the needs for exam monitoring.
These Decree-strongmen couldn’t resist the lure of Rule-level treasures, True Words, and ancient secrets...simply volunteering could earn them all this; who could refuse?
This was an unexpected "pop quiz" attack, but at the same time, an Exotic Realm battlefield filled with opportunities and Death.
"...This is so much better than a real battlefield; there’s someone to back us up."
With Rule-level Strongmen watching over, widespread death was unlikely. Plus, with the temptation of substantial rewards, it was unlikely that any ’Exam Inspector’ would hesitate to give up.
Indeed, that’s what happened; over eighty percent of the Law Professionals chose to continue, and at another entrance, a batch of Law Professionals who had just learned the "truth" entered the battlefield under the guise of ’Exam Inspectors.’
Lu Ping’an looked at the Holy Water bottle in his hand, which actually contained the remnants of the ’domain rain’ from Rain Elder. It was only here that it could still wield enough deterrence.
But as the domain of the ’Rain Elder’ Huangyu Mountain disappeared completely, the Demons would soon find out that this "Holy Water" was becoming a mere façade, and from then on, there would be no such thing as a Safe zone or safety valve.
"...What’s going on?! Do they want us to die?!"
As soon as Lu Ping’an returned to the "team," someone screamed.
The ordinary candidates had also received "text messages," quite similar in content to Lu Ping’an’s.
"You must be joking, to obtain a License, you have to survive this hellish battlefield? This is just too much...."
Clearly, the hosts of the exam venue were much harsher than expected.
Only newcomers who survive this hellish battlefield might be allowed to go to the true Exotic Realm hell.
"...Heh, it seems I need to Accelerate this."
— End of Chapter 820 —