Lack of talent? I'll buy a year's worth of cultivation for one dollar!

Ye Qingluan bit her lip and remained silent.

"Two hundred Primordial Origin Stones."

Su Yu uttered this number.

"Moreover, it was a loan from the logistics department."

"Pay it off in three years, totaling three hundred and sixty dollars including interest."

"You're just a scout from the Dust Realm."

"How will you repay me?"

No money, no ability.

This is the cruelty of the bottom layer of the Hongmeng Great World.

Without resources, you don't even qualify to borrow money. Because you simply can't repay it.

Ye Qingluan's body trembled slightly.

Two hundred Originium.

For her, it was an astronomical number that could crush her spirit.

but.

Her eyes, however, showed no sign of wavering.

"I understand."

Ye Qingluan's voice carried a ruthless determination, as if she had nothing to lose.

"But I don't want to remain a nobody forever."

"I don't want to stay at the bottom forever, just a number that can be discarded at any time."

She looked at Su Yu.

"As long as I can become stronger."

"As long as I can survive."

"This debt, I will repay even if it costs me my life!"

Resolute.

There is no escape route.

Su Yu looked at her.

A barely perceptible hint of approval flashed in those eyes, which were as still as stagnant water.

In the Hongmeng universe, having ambition and not being afraid of death are the first steps to survival.

He does need some errand runners right now.

Ye Qingluan was quite clever.

Bringing her along not only helps me handle some miscellaneous tasks, but also better conceals my "mid-stage Shaping True Person" persona.

After all, a governor who takes his subordinates to class seems more real and vivid.

"it is good."

Su Yu didn't waste any more words.

He slightly turned his wrist.

He took out a communication jade talisman and directly contacted Chen Yuan, the deputy commander of the right battalion.

Divine connection.

"Deputy Commander."

"I have a junior officer under my command who also wants to participate in the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Course."

"Could you add one more spot?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the jade talisman.

Then came Chen Yuan's cold yet slightly amused voice.

"Can."

"As long as she dares to sign that contract."

"The Tianfeng Army never rejects ambitious people."

Of course, a loan shark wouldn't refuse another prey.

"Thank you, Deputy Commander."

Su Yu cut off the communication.

He looked at Ye Qingluan.

"We've secured a spot."

"Come with me to the Central Army headquarters first thing tomorrow morning."

Ye Qingluan was stunned.

She thought she would have to plead and beg, and was even prepared to be rejected.

Unexpectedly, Su Yu agreed so readily.

"Thank you, Commander!"

Ye Qingluan kowtowed heavily.

"Your subordinate would gladly die for you!"

Su Yu waved his hand.

"Go and prepare."

Ye Qingluan stood up and left the tent.

the next day.

Tianfeng Army, Central Camp.

Yandao Pavilion.

This is a plaza paved with huge blue basalt rocks.

Thirty-six thick stone pillars with array formations stand around the square.

It exudes a chilling, high-dimensional law-like fluctuation.

A somber atmosphere.

solemn.

Hundreds of people have already gathered in the square.

They were all officers of the Tianfeng Army.

The lowest level is the peak of the Microscopic Dust Realm.

Most of them were commanders or deputy commanders in the early and middle stages of the True Realm.

Su Yu, dressed in a plain robe, led Ye Qingluan, who was wearing standard light armor, into the square.

He perfectly locked his aura at the mid-stage of the True Formation realm.

He was inconspicuous in the crowd.

Ye Qingluan followed behind Su Yu, feeling the powerful aura around her, and her breathing became somewhat rapid.

"Stay calm."

Su Yu did not turn around, but calmly transmitted his voice.

Don't show weakness.

Ye Qingluan took a deep breath and forced her back to straighten.

In front of the square.

Several deacons in charge of registration were quickly verifying the identity jade tokens of everyone.

"Newcomer assessment, class placement."

A deacon announced loudly, his voice drowning out the noise in the square.

"Everyone, step forward one by one."

"Infuse the spirit-testing stele with the essence."

"Based on your foundation and combat strength, you will be divided into three classes: Class A, Class B, and Class C."

The process is very simple.

It was also very brutal.

Su Yu, with Ye Qingluan in tow, stood in the middle to back of the line.

He looked at the huge black spirit-testing stele in front of him.

A faint, dark flame flickered in his eyes.

"Spirit-Testing Stele".

"As long as the physical quality of the output is well controlled, it is not difficult to disguise it as a normal mid-stage Shaping Realm cultivator."

Just then.

hum.

A chilling, bone-piercing pressure, like ancient ice that has stood for millennia, filled the air.

It descended upon the square without warning.

The Realm of Return to Nothingness!

After a brief silence, gasps and trembling whispers rose from the crowd.

"Holy crap... what a terrifying aura! I feel like my very essence has been frozen!"

"The Microcosm Realm transforms one's origin, the True Essence Realm tempers one's bones and sheds mortal form, only then comes the Sea-Opening Realm... and this oppressive aura belongs to a Void Returning Realm expert!"

"Hiss—why would such a legendary big shot personally come to guide us? Most of us here are still struggling in the True Formation Realm, with an entire Sea Opening Realm in between. We're nothing but a fart in front of a Void Returning Realm expert. It's like a dimensional reduction attack. We can only look up to them..."

For officers still struggling at the bottom, the Void Realm was a terrifying ceiling that they could never reach in their entire lives. Just a wisp of naturally emanating pressure was enough to make everyone's blood surge and their legs go weak.

Everyone simultaneously struggled to raise their heads.

On the high platform ahead, space seemed to be slightly distorted.

A tall, slender figure appeared out of thin air.

Dark gold general's armor.

Waist-length black hair.

A face that was stunningly beautiful yet utterly indifferent.

General of Tianfeng Army.

Qin Lengyue.

She stood on the high platform, looking down at the hundreds of officers below.

His narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes revealed a sharpness that saw through all illusions.

A sense of oppression.

An extremely strong sense of oppression.

Even those commanders at the peak of the True Essence Realm couldn't help but lower their heads under her gaze.

Su Yu stood in the crowd.

Looking at Qin Lengyue on the high platform.

His expression was calm and serene.

My heart remained completely unmoved.

After all, back in the Cangming Water Mansion, he not only shook off this woman's pursuit, but also managed to steal her storage bag.

Now look at her standing there so seriously, putting on airs.

Su Yu felt that it was nothing special.

"Quiet."

Qin Lengyue spoke calmly.

The sound was like the clash of metal and stone, crisp yet carrying a chilling coldness.

"I am your practical instructor for this session of the Xuanhuang Refining Heart course."

"Qin Lengyue".

She didn't exchange any extra pleasantries.

Let's get straight to the point.

"I know that many of you are elites from your respective defense zones."

"They possess spiritual-level and even profound-level Daoist techniques."

"Thinking oneself superior to others."

Qin Lengyue's gaze swept coldly across the entire room.

"But I want to tell you."

"The principles and methods are certainly important."

"It is the bridge for you to communicate with the primordial chaos and the laws of higher dimensions."

"But."

Her voice suddenly turned somber.

"Cultivating Taoist arts takes time."

"To cast spells, one needs to consume one's source energy."

"The Daoist arts cannot be used indefinitely!"

"When your source is exhausted, when you are in a desperate situation where the laws are suppressed."

"How do you survive?"

The square was completely silent.

Qin Lengyue raised her hand and clenched her fist.

The dark gold armor made a crisp clanging sound.

"Rely on this."

"Fists and kicks."

"Physical body".

"Basic skills!"

"The Daoist principles are merely your foundation."

"But fists and feet are your fundamental skills!"

"Basic skills determine your minimum standard!"

"This determines how long you can hold out in dire circumstances!"

It was a resounding statement.

A wake-up call.

Su Yu nodded slightly in the crowd.