The job change is a bizarre and calamity; the nation begs me to tone it down.

The off-road vehicle finally came to a stop amidst slight bumps.

This is an area completely surrounded by towering barbed wire and numerous guard posts.

"We've arrived. Get out of the carriage, Your Highness."

Jiang Shu chuckled as she put away her tablet, opened the car door, and jumped out.

Gu Xu followed closely behind, his feet barely touching the ground.

I was stunned by the sight before me.

This isn't some leveling spot; it's practically a cutting-edge base from a science fiction movie.

In the distance, a massive gate of light stood on the wasteland.

The portal was not stationary; rather, it rotated slowly like quicksand, emitting a pale golden halo.

The portal was surrounded by a ring of fully armed fortifications...

There were even several self-propelled artillery pieces that looked quite menacing, their muzzles pointing directly at the light gate—clearly in preparation for something inside to rush out.

"Is this the entrance to the secret realm?"

Gu Xu squinted and looked him over, muttering to himself.

Judging from this, they're going in to level up.

Anyone who didn't know better would think we were going to launch a counterattack against aliens.

"That's right, this is the exclusive leveling ground for new recruits from all the legions."

Jiang Shu walked to Gu Xu's side and smiled slightly: "It is also the primary secret realm with the highest experience output and the most stable rules in the entire empire."

As Gu Xu got closer, he realized that the place was already bustling with people.

The square in front of the gate was filled with all kinds of military vehicles, some painted with tiger patterns and others with sword symbols.

Groups of young people in different combat uniforms are lining up.

These young people all looked to be around the same age as Gu Xu.

With the excitement and arrogance unique to newly awakened professions on their faces, some people were playing with brand-new staffs in their hands.

Some people were wiping their longswords.

"Those are the Azure Dragon Legion members, all of them with their noses in the air, they're so annoying to look at."

Jiang Shu leaned close to Gu Xu's ear and quietly started her "complaint mode".

She subtly pointed to a group of people in silver-gray combat uniforms on the left: "Those are the White Tiger Legion over there. They're numerous and powerful, like dumplings being dropped into a pot."

Gu Xu looked in that direction and, sure enough, there were about a dozen new recruits from the Azure Dragon Legion. Although the number was small, they were well-equipped, and each of them was surrounded by two or three instructors who looked very capable.

Meanwhile, the White Tiger Legion had a large, swarming force, numbering at least forty or fifty.

It was chaotic, like they were going to a market.

"Looks like geniuses are being produced in bulk these days, huh?"

Gu Xu silently complained to himself.

I thought my S-level or higher treatment was already extravagant enough, but when I came here, wow, there were "rising stars" everywhere.

But upon closer reflection, it makes sense; the Divine Xia Empire is so vast, with such a large population base.

Every year, if not a few hundred A-level or S-level geniuses emerge.

Those humans were wiped out by the monsters long ago.

"Your Highness, don't be fooled by their numbers. If they were all tied together, they wouldn't be enough for you to beat with one hand."

Jiang Shu seemed to have seen through Gu Xu's thoughts. She patted the huge tactical backpack and said with a protective confidence, "You are the only face of our Godslayer Army."

Gu Xu twitched the corner of his mouth. Although the words sounded pleasant, could you please not call him "Crown Prince" in a crowd?

When Jiang Shu shouted just now, many people around turned to look at them.

Especially from the direction of the Azure Dragon Legion, several officers who appeared to be leaders noticed a visibly change in expression when they saw Jiang Shu's distinctive backpack.

Then his gaze swept over Gu Xu like a radar, as if trying to figure out what kind of extraordinary abilities this person, who had been personally brought over by Jiang Shu, possessed.

Jiang Shu completely ignored those gazes and led Gu Xu and Jiang Shu straight through the crowd.

As she walked, she acted as a commentator: "Don't be fooled by the fact that everyone is practicing on their own now. The real show begins once everyone reaches level 10, which is the first tier."

"Do you see these people?"

Jiang Shu pointed to the newcomers around her who were eager to try their skills: "There are indeed quite a few promising talents this year. I just glanced at them, and there are at least twenty of them with S-level energy fluctuations."

"Twenty S-rank?"

Gu Xu raised an eyebrow slightly; the proportions were indeed a bit high.

In Apocalypse III, it might take several years to produce an S-class student, but here it's like a group purchase.

"That's normal; the military's efforts to recruit geniuses are beyond your imagination."

Jiang Shu pushed up his glasses: "With more people, it's natural to have to distinguish who's better. That's why we have this annual tradition—'Legion Newcomer Martial Arts Competition'."

"Perform martial arts?"

Gu Xu was familiar with this term; he had read it in fantasy novels from his previous life.

This is an essential part of the protagonist's show-off act, where they get slapped in the face.

"Simply put, once all the new members of each legion reach level 10, a special 'Trial Realm' will be unlocked." Jiang Shu held up one finger: "Each legion can only send one of its strongest representatives to participate."

"In that secret realm, it's not just about who can kill monsters the fastest, but also about...who has the strongest fist."

"That's a PvP-enabled area. Rankings will ultimately be based on points."

"Is ranking important?"

Gu Xu asked the key question.

"Very important!"

Jiang Shu nodded emphatically: "This directly relates to the proportion of resources the military will allocate to each major legion over the next year! The resource allocation for the first and last place legions is vastly different."

"Our God-Slaying Army used to suffer because we were outnumbered and lacked top-tier combat power, so we could only lag behind in every martial arts exercise."

At this point, Jiang Shu sighed helplessly.

Clearly, they are still bothered by their past performance.

"What about the selection process?"

Gu Xu glanced at the size of the surrounding legions: "With so many people in the Azure Dragon Army and White Tiger Army, wouldn't it be a waste to beat the dogs out of their heads before choosing a representative?"

"Bingo! You got it right!"

Jiang Shu snapped her fingers: "The competition among them is fierce. For that one spot, they'll probably have to hold several rounds of elimination tournaments internally, which will really wear down those geniuses."

"And what about our God-Slaying Army...?"

Gu Xu subconsciously looked back.

There was nothing behind him.

There wasn't even a ghost in sight.

Oh... no, there is one.

"we?"

Jiang Shu chuckled, spread his hands, and made a "please look at the whole scene" gesture: "Our God-Slaying Army has only recruited one true god like you this year."

"So... congratulations, Your Highness, you don't need to participate in any selections; you're directly guaranteed a spot in the finals!"

Gu Xu: "..."

So this is what they call "a lone seedling in a vast field"?

Although it sounds a bit shabby.

But Gu Xu breathed a sigh of relief.

No need for internal competition or dealing with backstabbing office politics; he could simply use resources to level up—this straightforward and brutal model was exactly to his liking.